02/27/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 00:39 Zelenskyy dismisses commander in Donbass +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired a high-ranking military commander who has been fighting Russian troops in the east of the country. In a one-line decree, Zelenskyi announced the dismissal of Eduard Moskalyov, commander of the combined forces of Ukraine. Moskalyov has been at his post in Donbass since March 2022 – shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Selenskyj does not give a reason for the dismissal.
+++ 23:31 Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister visits Ukraine +++
Ukraine is receiving a state visit from the Gulf state for the first time since diplomatic relations were established with Saudi Arabia 32 years ago. “We see interaction with Saudi Arabia not only bilaterally, not only multilaterally within the framework of the UN and other international organizations, but also regionally, and we will coordinate our efforts,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said at a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, who in turn points to “common challenges and experiences in dealing with them” – meaning Iranian drones used by the Houthis in the war in Yemen.
+++ 21:28 Pistorius confirms considerations for NATO maneuvers in Poland +++
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius confirms plans to hold joint maneuvers by American, German and Polish soldiers in Poland. That would be a clear signal in the direction of both NATO and Putin, says the SPD politician on ARD. “This NATO is not nearly as weak as he thought. It is much stronger. Much more united than before.” It is important for the countries in the Eastern European part of Europe and the countries in the Baltic States to see that Germany and the USA stand by their commitment to the defense of the alliance.
+++ 20:45 Ukraine needs more help with anti-aircraft defense +++
Despite high numbers of shots against incoming Russian missiles and combat drones, Ukraine still needs more weapons for air defense, according to its air force chief. “Since September alone, over 650 Russian cruise missiles and 610 Iranian-made kamikaze drones have been shot down,” Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk tells a Ukrainian online portal for military issues. It is true that Ukraine has been actively supported by the West in terms of air defense with various weapons. But that’s not enough: “We need more technologically advanced weapons that will help us quickly restore order to the sky and rid it of the terrorist presence.”
+++ 20:06 Ukraine: Fronts unchanged despite Russian attacks +++
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the front sections in eastern Ukraine have remained unchanged. Although Russian troops attacked at several points with air and artillery support, they were unable to break through, the General Staff reports in its daily situation report. As on the previous days, the heaviest fighting was fought at Kupyansk, Bakhmut, Limansk, Avdiivka and Shakhtarsk.
The absolute focus was once again the city of Bachmut, which had been fought over for weeks. A number of Russian attacks against smaller suburbs were repulsed there. At Bachmut, members of the notorious Wagner mercenary troupe are fighting on the Russian side.
+++ 19:26 explosions at the military airfield near Minsk +++
According to reports from Belarusian opposition activists, several explosions occur at a military airfield near Minsk. A Russian A-50 reconnaissance aircraft was said to have been damaged. According to the BYPOL initiative, two explosions damaged the front and middle parts of the aircraft, as well as the onboard electronics and the radar antenna. “The damage is serious, the plane will definitely not fly anymore,” the activists’ report said.
“Belaruski Hayun”, an independent Belarusian military monitoring medium, writes on Telegram that the plane may have been “damaged by dropping an unidentified object from a high altitude”. According to Russian propaganda military bloggers Yuri Kotenok and Semyon Pegov, the airfield was attacked by drones. Local residents had previously reported loud explosions on social media. The explosions have not yet been officially confirmed.
You can read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.