05/23/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 01:19 am Ukrainian ambassador expects Germany to play a “leading role” when it joins NATO +++
The Ukrainian Ambassador in Berlin, Oleksii Makeiev, is calling on the German government to press ahead with his country’s admission to NATO. From the NATO summit in June, Ukraine is expecting “clear signals about Euro-Atlantic integration and my country’s future NATO membership,” Makeiev told the newspapers of the Funke media group. Germany is expected to play a “leading role”. Unlike his predecessor Andriy Melnyk, Makeiev is not insisting on Germany’s participation in the recently forged coalition to supply fighter jets. “Once Ukrainian pilots will be in the Ukrainian skies with F-16s, it will be a milestone in the Russian war,” he says. “We thank our partners, especially Germany, for the anti-aircraft defense systems like IRIS-T, which literally protect the lives of Ukrainians from Russian missiles every day.”
+++ 00:01 Nord Stream sabotage: Notz recommends “maximum restraint” +++
After the publication of possible new leads to the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, domestic politicians in the coalition advise restraint. The chairman of the parliamentary control committee of the Bundestag, Konstantin von Notz, tells the editorial network Germany (RND): “Many – so far the decisive questions – remain unanswered in this matter. In this respect, I advise everyone to be as cautious as possible with conclusions. The judiciary and security authorities must continue to work independently, quickly and cleanly.” The domestic political spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, Sebastian Hartmann, told the RND: “I warn against making definitive results out of speculation, because the authorities have to do their jobs first in order to come to firm results.”
+++ 21:57 leader of the opposition: Lukashenko personally ordered the kidnapping of Ukrainian children +++
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Heorhiyeuna Tsikhanouskaya has accused ruler Alexander Lukashenko of personally ordering the illegal deportation of Ukrainian orphans. She hints that he may have committed a war crime in the process. Tsikhanouskaja, who lives in exile in Lithuania, says “plenty of evidence” has been gathered pointing to “direct involvement” of Lukashenko and his regime in the deportation of Ukrainian children from Russian-held territories to Belarus. “Alexander Lukashenko personally ordered the transfer of orphans to Belarus and facilitated their arrival with financial and organizational support,” says a report that Tsikhanouskaja sent to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU foreign ministers .
+++ 21:28 USA: indications of arms smuggling by Wagner mercenaries +++
According to the US State Department, the Russian mercenary group Wagner tried to smuggle weapons via Mali to be used in Ukraine. “There are indications that Wagner tried to buy military systems from foreign suppliers and to route these weapons through Mali as a third party,” said ministry spokesman Matthew Miller. “We have not yet seen any indication that these purchases have been completed or executed, but we are closely monitoring the situation.”
+++ 21:01 governor: shrapnel pierces the heart of a civilian in an attack in Cherson +++
According to Kherson region governor Oleksandr Prokudin, a civilian died from shrapnel after Russian forces shelled the village of Stanislav. According to Prokudin, a 45-year-old man was repairing the previously damaged roof of a house when shrapnel pierced his heart, killing him instantly. Four buildings were also damaged by the shelling. According to Prokudin, Russian forces also shelled the village of Kizomys with two guided bombs during the night. One house was completely destroyed and two others were damaged. However, no injuries were reported.
+++ 20:33 UN concerned about the absence of ships in the Ukrainian port +++
The United Nations is concerned that no ships have entered the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Pivdennyi (Yuzhny) since May 2. “We are concerned about this restriction and call again for the full resumption of operations,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. He gave no indication of who might be responsible. Under the Black Sea Agreement, more than 30 million tons of food were initially exported from Ukrainian ports. According to Dujarric, the Piwdennji was responsible for more than a third of it.
You can read all previous developments here.