02/25/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 00:59 Canada delivers four more Leopard 2 tanks +++
Canada will deliver four additional Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. This is what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced. The number of German-made main battle tanks made available by Canada has thus increased to a total of eight. “Canada has stood firmly with Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict” and will continue to do so, Trudeau said in Toronto. His office says four Leopard 2 tanks have already been delivered to Poland, where Ukrainian soldiers are being trained on them. In addition to the four other Leopard tanks now announced, Canada is sending armored vehicles and ammunition.
+++ 23:21 Ukraine: Russia doubles the number of ships in the Black Sea +++
Russia is doubling the number of active ships in the Black Sea, according to the Ukrainian military. “In the Black Sea, the fleet of warships has doubled compared to this morning – there are now eight ships,” the Ukrainian military command said on Facebook. This could indicate that Russia is preparing missile and drone strikes.
+++ 22:25 USA: Russia could deliver fighter jets to Iran +++
The US government warns of increasing defense cooperation between Russia and Iran. Tehran’s support for the Russian military continues to grow, said National Security Council communications director John Kirby. “In return, Russia has offered Iran unprecedented defense cooperation, including missiles, electronics and air defenses.” The US assumes that Russia could provide fighter jets to Iran, Kirby said. In November, Iran delivered tank ammunition to Moscow for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
+++ 22:19 EU countries agree on new sanctions package +++
On the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, EU countries agreed on another package of sanctions against Russia. The new punitive measures include additional trade restrictions. Poland had previously blocked an agreement. This was confirmed by diplomats in Brussels after consultations with the member states.
+++ 22:10 London: 800 Russians die every day because of Putin’s ego +++
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of sacrificing his own soldiers for selfish reasons. “His land grabs in eastern and southern Ukraine show that his heart is set on imperial expansion – but 800 Russian soldiers die a day for his hopeless ambitions. They pay for his ego with their lives,” Cleverly said at a special session of the UN Security Council in New York on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Cleverly said Britain will do everything it can to continue helping Kiev. “Our support for Ukraine is and will never be temporary.”
+++ 21:50 Habeck reprimands the peace demonstration: “Misleading the population” +++
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck has sharply criticized the peace demonstration planned for this Saturday in Berlin. “Everyone who is in their right mind wants peace,” said the Green politician in an ARD “Focal Point”. What the left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht and the people following her wanted was to sell something as peace that an “imperialist dictator” was imposing on Europe. If that goes through, it would be an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade the next few countries. “It’s not peace, it’s a chimera that’s being built there, it’s politically misleading the population,” warned the Vice Chancellor.
+++ 21:36 Canada delivers two more Leopard tanks to Ukraine +++
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces delivery of two more Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. In addition, additional sanctions would be imposed on Russia, says Trudeau in Toronto. The export of certain chemicals for electronics to Russia as well as the import and purchase of weapons from there will also be banned.
+++ 21:19 Selenskyj about his worst moment in the war year +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the massacre of civilians in Bucha as, for him personally, the worst moment of the Russian war so far. That was the most terrible day, said the 45-year-old at a press conference in Kiev. Zelenskyy also responded to a question about the biggest disappointment since the Russian invasion on February 24 a year ago. Zelenskyy said many people had left the capital Kiev and the country without putting up any resistance. “All these people let me down,” he said. At the same time, he admitted that he made mistakes from time to time. This happens because he works from morning to night. However, it is important not to make any fatal mistakes. “I am the guarantor of the constitution,” Zelensky said.
+++ 20:59 Putin on the phone with Erdogan +++
In a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a “just peace” in Ukraine. This was to prevent further loss of life and destruction, the Turkish presidency said in a statement released on Friday. Erdogan also spoke out in favor of continuing the grain agreement between Ukraine and Russia, which expires in mid-March. “Ankara is ready to provide any kind of support in this regard,” it said. Turkey played a key role in launching the UN-backed grain deal last summer. In a statement, the Kremlin spoke of an “exchange of views on the situation in Ukraine” between Erdogan and Putin. The grain export agreement was also discussed. However, Erdogan’s demands were not mentioned.
+++ 20:36 Russians arrested for commemorating the anniversary +++
In Russia, attempts to commemorate the victims of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine were quickly quashed. For example, three people who laid flowers at a monument to Ukrainian poet Lesja Ukrainka were arrested, according to the Russian human rights group OVD-Info. Another 15 people were arrested while laying flowers at a monument to Ukrainian writer Taras Shevchenko in St. Petersburg, sources said. According to the group, more than 4,300 people were arrested during Russia-wide anti-invasion protests last year.
You can read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.