04/13/2022
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 03:58 Instead of Steinmeier: Ukraine invites Scholz to Kyiv +++
After refusing a visit from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Ukraine invites Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Kyiv. “We also communicated that my President and the government would be very happy if Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Kyiv,” says the Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Andriy Melnyk on ProSieben. The visit should be about how Germany can help Ukraine with heavy weapons in the fight against Russia. “My president is looking forward to that,” says Melnyk.
+++ 03:20 Kiev government: spring sowing almost everywhere in Ukraine +++
Despite the war in Ukraine, spring sowing has begun in almost all parts of the country, according to government information. The exception is the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, says Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal. Luhansk is almost completely in the hands of Russian troops. The government provides cheap loans to the agricultural sector. The registration of agricultural technology should also be simplified. “We do this so that the sowing and work in the field never comes to a standstill,” says Schmyhal. Ukraine is one of the largest grain producers in the world. Large crop failures are feared because of the Russian war of aggression.
+++ 02:46 Selenskyj scoffs at Putin’s “planned” course of the war +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi poked fun at Putin’s statement about the planned course of the war. How could the Russian President approve of a plan that has already killed so many Russians, Zelenskyy said in his evening video address. Moscow has lost more men in the 48 days since the war began than in the ten-year war in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. Putin said on Tuesday that Russia would achieve all of its “noble” goals and continue the “special operation” calmly. Moscow said on March 25 that 1,351 soldiers had been killed since the invasion began. According to Ukraine, the real number is closer to 20,000. The information provided by the warring parties cannot be independently verified.
+++ 01:56 Over 40 percent of German companies for raw materials embargo +++
According to a survey, 43 percent of companies in Germany support the demand for a raw materials embargo against Russia. However, the topic is controversial, reports the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, citing the representative survey of the German Business Panel of the University of Mannheim. 36 percent of the companies see an import stop for Russian gas negatively. Overall, according to the report, the mood in German companies has deteriorated dramatically since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Four out of five companies see themselves significantly affected by the war.
+++ 01:10 Zelenskyj: Still no clarity about the possible use of chemical weapons in Mariupol +++
It is also unclear whether Russian forces used chemical weapons in Mariupol. It is currently not possible to draw 100 percent certain conclusions about this, explains Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At the moment it is not possible to carry out a proper investigation in the besieged city.
+++ 00:32 Selenskyj wants to exchange Medvedchuk for captured Ukrainians +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposes exchanging the arrested pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk for Ukrainians held in Russian captivity. Medvedchuk disguised himself with a uniform, so he should be treated under martial law, says Zelenskyy in his usual nightly video address. “I propose to the Russian Federation to exchange their boy for our boys and girls in Russian captivity”. The politician and oligarch Medvedchuk is considered the closest ally of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in Ukraine. He is accused of high treason and embezzlement in Kyiv.
+++ 23:49 Biden indirectly accuses Putin of “genocide” +++
US President Joe Biden speaks for the first time of genocide in connection with the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Speaking in the state of Iowa, he spoke about high inflation in the US and said: “Your family budget, your ability to fill up the tank – none of this should depend on a dictator on the other side of the world declaring war and genocide commits.” The US government has already accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine. So far, however, Washington has not raised any allegations of genocide.
+++ 23:05 “Increased observation”: Netherlands set 20 yachts +++
Dutch customs detain 20 yachts in connection with Russia sanctions. The ships are under “increased surveillance,” the agency said. “They may not be supplied, passed on or exported.” 14 of the yachts are still under construction, two are ready for delivery and four are currently being serviced. They are between 8.5 and 120 meters long. “Two of these yachts were found to be associated with a person on the EU sanctions list,” Customs said. Last week, Dutch authorities seized 14 yachts in Dutch shipyards that customs officials say were built for “Russian beneficiaries”.
+++ 22:27 concern after reports of possible use of chemical weapons +++
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has expressed “concern” at reports of a possible Russian chemical weapons attack in Ukraine. The OPCW is “closely monitoring” the situation in Ukraine, the organization said. In the past few weeks, the media have already reported on the shelling of chemical plants in Ukraine. Both sides have also accused each other of “possible misuse of toxic chemicals,” the statement said. The OPCW points out that Russia and Ukraine, as member states of the organization, have pledged “never to develop, manufacture, acquire, stockpile, transfer or use chemical weapons”. On Monday, Ukraine’s Azov regiment announced that a Russian drone had dropped a “poisonous substance” on Ukrainian soldiers and civilians in the port city of Mariupol, which had been under siege for weeks.
+++ 22:18 Habeck on weapon deliveries: “Now the stuff has to go down there” +++
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck is stepping up the pace of German arms deliveries to Ukraine. “It’s no use saying: In nine months you’ll get something. Now the stuff has to go down there. And that’s how we act,” says Habeck on ProSieben and SAT.1. In view of the expected Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine is demanding heavy weapons such as battle tanks, artillery pieces and air defense systems from Germany. “We’re expecting the Russians to attack in the next few days. That means everything that’s helping the Ukrainian army now has to be delivered quickly,” said Habeck.
You can read about previous developments here.