03/08/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 04:40 Russia evaluates Nord Stream investigations as a diversionary maneuver +++
Russia sees the latest media reports on investigations into sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines as an attempt to distract attention from the real masterminds. “It is simply a means of diverting suspicion from those in official government positions who ordered and coordinated the attacks in the Baltic Sea to some abstract person,” the Russian embassy in the United States said on the Telegram news platform. “We cannot and do not want to believe in the impartiality of the conclusions drawn by US intelligence agencies.”
+++ 03:54 Swiss President reluctant to pass on the tank +++
Swiss President Alain Berset is skeptical about Germany’s request to buy back Leopard 2 tanks. In New York, Berset says there are rules for not selling weapons that cannot be subject to legal exceptions. Although the framework conditions could be changed by Parliament and this is currently being discussed, Berset qualifies: “It is absolutely logical that we are absolutely normal in this type of discussion at this moment, but we want to remain fairly conservative and moderate on these issues .” Germany had announced that it would sell Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and intends to close material gaps in the Bundeswehr by buying back main battle tanks from Switzerland. The Swiss Defense Minister had indicated a basic willingness to pass it on.
+++ 02:39 Von der Leyen: “Canada saved Ukraine in the first few days” +++
According to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Canada has made a decisive contribution to Ukraine’s defense capability with years of military training. “I can’t overemphasize that Canada saved Ukraine in the first few days,” von der Leyen said in a speech to parliament in Ottawa. “You understood the importance of what was happening in Ukraine before many others, including many Europeans,” von der Leyen said, addressing the Canadians. By starting military training for Ukrainian soldiers after the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, Canada made a decisive contribution to Ukraine’s defense capability at the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
+++ 01:45 Russia: Belarus revises military doctrine +++
According to Russian agency reports, Belarus is working on a new military doctrine due to the “escalation of global political tensions”. It is intended to order the implementation of measures “aimed at protecting independence, territorial integrity, sovereignty and the constitutional order from external and internal threats in the context of the escalation of global geopolitical tensions,” reports the Tass agency citing an order to that effect by the Belarusian Security Council. Details of the content of the new military guide are not known.
+++ 01:04 Klingbeil: Germany has not taken Eastern Europe’s fears into account for a long time +++
The SPD chairman Lars Klingbeil wants to win new confidence in the countries of Eastern Europe. “The fear that Russia will expand the war beyond the borders of Ukraine is driving people in Eastern and Central Europe,” Klingbeil told the editorial network Germany (RND). “Germany hasn’t paid attention to this for too long. That was a mistake. It’s about building trust again.” At a conference in the Polish capital of Warsaw today, the SPD leader wants to make proposals for a partnership policy, the RND reports.
+++ 23:05 Zelenskyj honors one of the youngest “heroes of Ukraine” +++
In his evening video message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy honored all Bakhmut’s defenders as “heroes”. He expressly mentions the commander Dmytro Kozyubajlo, who became known in Ukraine under his combat name “Da Vinci”, who was killed near Bakhmut today. The 27-year-old is “one of Ukraine’s youngest heroes,” said Selenskyj. “One of those whose personal history, character and courage became forever the history, character and courage of Ukraine.” Kozyubajlo has been fighting for the independence and dignity of the Ukrainian people since 2014.
+++ 21:55 Number of Ukrainian children in German schools continues to increase +++
The number of registered Ukrainian students at German schools continues to rise. The federal states report a total of 206,015 children and young people from Ukraine in schools for the ninth calendar week from February 27 to March 5, which ended on Sunday, according to the Conference of Ministers of Education in Berlin. Compared to the previous week, the number increased by 1778. At this point in time, a total of 204,237 children and young people had been counted. The KMK data refer to general education schools and vocational schools.
+++ 20:56 Scholz expects war to last “even longer” +++
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is preparing for the fact that the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine could last for a long time. “We have to fear that this will take longer, although of course we wish it would be different every day,” said the SPD politician at a question and answer session with citizens in Cottbus, Brandenburg. According to Scholz, the war was associated with “incredible losses” on both sides. Russia alone has lost between 30,000 to 40,000 and 100,000 soldiers. “Both would be unimaginable amounts,” he says. As a consequence of the new threat situation, Scholz advocates closer integration of the Bundeswehr and the armaments industry, for example to prevent ammunition shortages.
+++ 20:16 NATO Secretary General urges more support for Ukraine +++
Shortly before a meeting of EU defense ministers in Sweden, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is urging additional military aid for Ukraine. The urgent need to increase and maintain support was discussed, the Norwegian says on the sidelines of talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm. “It’s become a war of attrition, so it’s also a battle for logistics.” It is important that production is now increased. In this context, Stoltenberg welcomed the fact that EU countries are working on joint procurement of ammunition. At NATO there has been joint procurement for years.
+++ 19:45 ntv team gives insight: How are videos from Ukraine verified? +++
After a clip purporting to show the killing of a Ukrainian soldier by Russian forces went viral, the man’s identity and location are being sought. In this case, however, identification is more difficult from a number of perspectives, as Sergej Maier from the ntv verification team explains.
You can read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.