03/30/2022
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 03:06 troop withdrawal from Kyiv: Ukraine only assumes regrouping +++
The Ukrainian military leadership sees the withdrawal of Russian troops from the fronts north of Kyiv only as a regrouping. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the “so-called troop withdrawal” is more of a rotation of units intended to deceive the Ukrainian military leadership. This is also intended to create a false image of the allegedly discontinued plan to encircle Kiev. The Russian military had withdrawn some units from the areas around Kyiv and Chernihiv, the situation report said. But there are indications that these units will be deployed elsewhere in eastern Ukraine.
+++ 02:35 Czech parliament votes for emergency extension +++
The Czech parliament voted to extend the state of emergency imposed by the influx of refugees from Ukraine until the end of May. 82 MPs voted for this in the evening; 62 are against. The liberal-conservative cabinet under Prime Minister Petr Fiala declared a state of emergency at the beginning of March. It gives the government more decision-making powers and is intended to enable better coordination of aid. The Czech Republic is one of the host countries most affected, says Interior Minister Vit Rakusan: “We all know that we will soon reach the limits of our capacities – and I’ll say openly that we will then need help from other countries.”
+++ 02:01 Bartholomew I.: War between orthodox Christians is “absolutely unacceptable” +++
The head of the Orthodox Church, Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, condemns the Russian attack on Ukraine. “It is beyond imagination the extent of the devastation this terrible invasion has caused in Ukraine and around the world,” the cleric said at a meeting with Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw. “A war between orthodox Christians is absolutely unacceptable.” Most Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians and for 300 years the Ukrainian Orthodox Church had largely been under the control of the Moscow Patriarchate. However, the annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine from 2014 also led to a break on the religious level: under pressure from Kiev, Bartholomew I recognized the independence of the Ukrainian church in 2018. The Russian Orthodox Church then severed its ties with the Patriarchate of Constantinople in protest. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, is an important support for Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin.
+++ 01:35 Melnyk accuses Russia of “deception maneuvers” +++
The Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Andriy Melnyk, considers Russia’s announcement that it will sharply reduce its military operations around the cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv to be a deceptive maneuver. “We believe that this ‘conciliatory’ rhetoric from Moscow is nothing more than bluff and smoke screens to distract attention from the Kremlin’s military embarrassment in Ukraine,” Melnyk told the Funke newspapers. “On the other hand, Putin is also concerned today with misleading the West – including Germany,” Melnyk continued. It’s about feigning a desire for peace and fooling the West into believing that Ukraine can defend itself without support. “Russia will use this time to regroup its forces, send in new conscripts and secure logistical supplies.”
+++ 00:55 Klitschko: Withdrawal of all Russian troops as a prerequisite for talks +++
The mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, calls for the withdrawal of all Russian troops as a basis for further talks with Russia. Klitschko told the “Bild” newspaper: “We can talk about normalization when every Russian soldier is out of our country.” The ex-world boxing champion also says that Ukrainian soldiers gave “a good response” to the Russian attacks and “completely ruined the myth of the world’s strongest army”. “The Russians weren’t surprised, they were shocked because nobody expected the Ukrainian army to be able to give a good answer to the aggressor.”
+++ 00:27 London considers the Russian battle for Kyiv a failure +++
According to British military intelligence, the Russian offensive to encircle Kyiv has failed. According to the British Ministry of Defence, this is also suggested by the Russian announcement that it will reduce military pressure on Kyiv and by reports of the withdrawal of Russian troops. British military experts now considered it “highly likely” that Russia would shift its combat capability from northern Ukraine to the south-east of the country. The offensive in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions should now be stepped up there.
+++ 23:45 EU facility in Ukraine under Russian fire +++
Russia has fired on a representative of the EU advisory mission in Ukraine. This was announced by the EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell. Credible information had been received that the premises of the Mariupol branch of the EU Advisory Mission to Ukraine had recently come under Russian fire. The office and equipment were badly damaged. Mission members were reportedly not injured.
+++ 23:15 USA increase troops in Eastern Europe +++
The US armed forces move more combat aircraft, transport machines and soldiers to Eastern Europe. A unit of around 200 marines from the US was transferred to Lithuania after maneuvers in Norway, says Defense Department spokesman John Kirby. In addition, ten “F/A-18 Hornet” combat aircraft and “a few” C-130 Hercules transport aircraft with around 200 associated soldiers would be brought to Eastern Europe from the USA. Their exact destination is still unclear, but they will be relocated shortly, says Kirby.
+++ 22:28 Zelenskyj sees positive signals after talks with Russia, but … +++
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the signals from the peace talks with Russia could be described as positive. However, they did not drown out the noise of the explosions of Russian shells, he explains in a speech. Ukraine can only rely on a concrete result of the negotiations. “The Russian army still has great potential to continue attacks on our state.” That is why Ukraine will not reduce its defense efforts.
You can read about previous developments here.