04/19/2022
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 04:01 Biden talks to allies about war on Tuesday +++
US President Joe Biden plans to speak to allies about the war in Ukraine on Tuesday. “The President will convene a video call with allies and partners to discuss our continued support for Ukraine and our efforts to hold Russia to account, as part of our close coordination,” the statement said.
+++ 03:30 Pentagon: First US weapons from new aid package for Ukraine delivered +++
The first shipments of arms from the new US military aid package to Ukraine have arrived at the country’s borders. Four planes delivered military equipment for Ukraine on Sunday, according to a high-ranking representative of the US Department of Defense, who did not want to be quoted by name. A fifth flight will follow shortly. The White House on Wednesday announced new military aid worth $800 million (around €737 million) to help Ukraine’s armed forces fight invading Russian forces. The new aid package includes 18,155 mm howitzers, 200 M113 armored personnel carriers, eleven Mi-17 helicopters, 100 other armored vehicles and artillery ammunition.
+++ 02:56 Kyiv reports explosions along the eastern front +++
Ukraine reports explosions along the eastern front and more attacks in other parts of the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video message that Russia had “pulled together a very large part of the entire Russian army” for the offensive. The “Battle of Donbass” has begun.
+++ 02:22 Wüst sees “sustainable Putin problem” with SPD +++
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst sharply criticizes the behavior of the SPD and Chancellor Olaf Scholz in connection with the Ukraine war. “The SPD clearly has a persistent problem with Putin,” Wüst told the Rheinische Post, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “The fact that the past is too close seems to be paralyzing the Social Democrats to this day, and they should finally take a clear stand against the aggressor Russia,” said Wüst. “With the slowed and belated support of Ukraine, the SPD isolates Germany more and more in Europe every day. Germany has never been so isolated and apathetic in an international crisis.”
+++ 01:52 human rights officer warns against boycott of Russian culture +++
The Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights, Luise Amtsberg, warns against a boycott of Russian culture in Germany. “It would be the wrong consequence of Putin’s war not to go to Russian restaurants or to boycott Russian art and culture,” the Greens politician told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (NOZ). “Talk to each other, also in the arts and culture, and make sure that not all Russians are made common with this war of aggression.”
+++ 01:13 Ukraine reports dead and injured in the shelling of Kharkiv +++
According to Ukrainian sources, three people were killed and 15 injured, including a 14-year-old child, in the shelling of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. “The grenades fell right in front of houses, on children’s playgrounds and near humanitarian aid centers,” said the region’s governor, Oleh Synyehubov. He accuses the Russian army of attacking civilians. Doctors and rescue workers are on duty around the clock to eliminate the consequences of the shelling, it is said. The information could not initially be checked independently.
+++ 00:35 Ukraine reports destruction of more than 300 bridges on national roads +++
The Russian invasion has so far damaged or destroyed up to 30 percent of Ukraine’s infrastructure, according to Ukrainian sources. The damage amounted to a total of around $100 billion, Infrastructure Minister Oleksander Kubrakov told Reuters news agency. More than 300 bridges on national roads have been destroyed or damaged, and more than 8,000 kilometers of roads need to be repaired or renewed. In addition, dozens of railway bridges were blown up. He expects Western countries to support Ukraine’s reconstruction, says the minister.
+++ 23:58 Ukraine: Four dead after Russian shelling in Donetsk region +++
According to Ukrainian sources, four people were killed when Russian troops shelled the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. This is what regional governor Pavlo Kirilenko writes on Telegram.
+++ 23:22 USA: Russia has so far had “chronic difficulties” with logistics +++
According to the US government, Russia is significantly increasing its troops in eastern and southern Ukraine. Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said on Monday in Washington that more than ten so-called tactical combat units had been deployed there in the past few days. The Russian military is also flying more airstrikes in the Donbass and on the port city of Mariupol. At the same time, Kirby speaks of the “chronic difficulties” of the Russian troops in the areas of logistics, communication, operational maneuvers and cooperation between air and ground forces. “It remains to be seen whether they have got these problems under control and are now able to act more efficiently in Donbass,” the Pentagon spokesman said.
+++ 22:48 Union is considering an application for arms deliveries in the Bundestag +++
The CDU and CSU are considering a motion in the Bundestag on German arms deliveries to Ukraine. The aim is to support the federal government in this crisis, writes the deputy chairman of the Union parliamentary group, Johann Wadephul, on Twitter. If Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) does not move on the issue of arms deliveries, he must expect a motion from the CDU and CSU in the Bundestag next week.
Read more about it here.
+++ 22:13 Zelenskyj: Battle for Donbass has begun +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirms the start of the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine. “We can now confirm that Russian troops have started the battle for Donbass, for which they have been preparing for a long time,” Zelenskyy said in a speech circulated on Telegram. “A very large part of the whole Russian army is now being used for this offensive.”
+++ 21:54 Governor of Luhansk reports on the start of the Russian offensive +++
“The second phase of the war has begun,” writes Ukrainian chief of staff Andriy Yermak on Telegram. Earlier, the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had already reported signs of the start of a new offensive in the east of the country. “It’s hell. The offensive we’ve been talking about for weeks has begun,” said the governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Hajday, on Facebook. There is fighting in Rubishne and Popasna, and “constant fighting in other peaceful towns,” he adds.
+++ 21:36 USA want to dismantle “Russia’s war machine piece by piece” +++
The US wants to continue to put pressure on Russia’s defense industry. “The next phase of our work will be to dismantle Russia’s war machine piece by piece by destroying the military-industrial complex and its supply chain,” announced Deputy Finance Minister Wally Adeyemo. Further sanctions and export controls are intended to prevent the Russian military from restocking.
+++ 21:23 Selenskyj hands over questionnaire on EU accession +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy handed over the questionnaire for his country’s EU accession to the Ambassador of the European Union in Kyiv. This was announced by Ambassador Matti Maasikas. The diplomat from Estonia spoke on Twitter of a “further step by Ukraine on the way to the EU”. Selenskyj only received the questionnaire this month during a visit by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Kyiv. The paper is considered the basis for accession talks.
You can read about previous developments here.