04/21/2022
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 03:06 Ukraine: 80 percent of Luhansk under Russian control +++
Russian troops now hold most of the Luhansk region, according to Ukrainian sources. After the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the small town of Krimenna, Russian units now controlled 80 percent of the area, Luhansk governor Serhiy Hajday said on Telegram. The cities of Rubishne and Popasna in Luhansk are now “partially” under Russian control. There has been intense fighting over this for weeks. The shelling has also increased here, Hajdaj continues. At the beginning of the war on February 24, the separatists of the “Luhansk People’s Republic” controlled around 30 percent of the region.
+++ 02:10 More mass graves found in Borodyanka +++
According to Ukrainian sources, two more mass graves have been discovered in the Kiev suburb of Borodjanka. Inside were the bodies of nine civilians, men and women, said Andriy Nebitov from the Kyiv region police on Facebook. Some of them showed signs of torture. Borodyanka is one of the most heavily damaged cities in the capital region and was occupied by Russian units for weeks.
+++ 01:32 Selenskyj “cautiously optimistic” about arms deliveries +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj sees more understanding among Ukraine’s partner countries for their demands for more and heavier weapons. He can say with “cautious optimism” that Kiev’s partners “have become more aware of our needs,” says Zelenskyj in his video message every evening. They now understand what weapons Ukraine needs and that they need them not in a few weeks, but now – as Russia tries to step up its attacks. The government and authorities are doing everything they can around the clock and through official and unofficial channels to ensure that the army is supplied with weapons, Zelenskyy continues.
+++ 00:49 Ukraine: Russia has not yet started a major offensive +++
According to the Ukrainian Security Council, Russia has not yet started its major offensive in Ukraine. Attacks began along the entire front line in the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions on Tuesday morning, Secretary of the Security Council Oleksiy Danilov said in a radio interview. However, it is likely that these are only “test attacks”. When the so-called great offensive begins is only a matter of time, Danilov said. Moscow could still build new resources and reserves in bulk over the next two to four weeks. He also warned against thinking that the battles for Donbass would be the last and decisive battle in the war. “I wouldn’t be so optimistic, there could be a lot of different things ahead of us.”
+++ 00:11 Johnson: Negotiations with Putin are like with a crocodile +++
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has compared negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin to dealing with a crocodile. “How can you negotiate with a crocodile when it has your leg in its mouth? That’s the difficulty Ukrainians face,” he told journalists on the flight to India. It will be difficult for Ukraine to negotiate a peace treaty with a head of state who is so unreliable.
+++ 23:39 Melnyk: “Good, confidential conversation” with Esken +++
According to the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, he had a “very good, confidential talk” with SPD leader Saskia Esken. Confidentiality was agreed on the content, says Melnyk in the “RTL Direkt” program. “It is clear that we have also presented our wishes to the SPD leadership and asked that there be more understanding within this large, important party that Ukraine not only needs heavy weapons today, but also an immediate embargo on oil and gas from Russia,” said the ambassador. He hopes “that the urgency of this topic will be even more noticeable not only for the SPD, but for the whole of Germany and that we will get the support we need,” Melnyk told RTL.
+++ 22:51 Kyiv proposes negotiations in Mariupol +++ to Moscow
In view of the catastrophic situation in Mariupol, which has been contested for weeks, Ukraine has proposed a “special round of negotiations” with Russian representatives in the strategically important port city in the south of the country. Negotiations could take place “without preconditions,” wrote Ukraine’s chief negotiator and presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podoliak. The aim is to save the Ukrainian fighters, soldiers and civilians.
+++ 22:34 New Russian nuclear missiles are to go into series production from autumn +++
The new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile tested by Russia today, Wednesday, is to be delivered to the Russian military’s nuclear forces in the fall after further successful tests. This is reported by the Russian news agency Tass, citing Roscosmos boss Dimitri Rogozin. Each missile should be able to carry up to ten warheads. She can reach destinations all over the world.
+++ 22:15 Several finance ministers and central bank heads are boycotting Russian representatives +++
Western finance ministers and central bank heads protested against Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine with a boycott at a G20 meeting in Washington. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and several of her colleagues from Canada and Great Britain, for example, left the meeting room when the Russian representative took the floor. Some finance ministers and central bank governors who attended virtually turned off their cameras. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a serious threat to the global economy. Russia should not attend such meetings,” Canada’s Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tweeted. Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner remained in the hall during the action of his colleagues.
You can read about previous developments here.