04/18/2022
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 05:06 Zelenskyj: Russians want to “literally finish off and destroy the Donbass” +++
The Ukrainian government has accused Russia of wanting to “wipe out” the eastern parts of the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video message that the Russian soldiers wanted to “literally finish off and destroy Donbass”. Meanwhile, his Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told US broadcaster CBS that the remaining Ukrainian soldiers in the besieged port city of Mariupol are not giving up. They had previously allowed a Russian ultimatum to expire. Kuleba said: “The remnants of the Ukrainian army and a large group of civilians are surrounded by Russian forces. They continue their fight.” However, he warned that “the way the Russian army is behaving in Mariupol, it has decided to obliterate the city at all costs.” Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal had previously assured that the strategically important port city had still “not fallen”.
+++ 04:27 German municipalities call for increased civil protection +++
The Association of Towns and Municipalities calls for a “complete restart” in civil disaster control and civil protection. In addition to the dangers of climate change, such as heat and floods, there are now war scenarios and cyber threats, says General Manager Gerd Landsberg in the newspapers of the Funke media group. A functioning alarm system, better equipment for the fire brigade and the stocking of food, medicines and equipment such as emergency power generators for clinics are necessary.
+++ 03:55 Mariupol’s police chief: Also many civilians in the contested steelworks +++
According to local authorities, there are numerous civilians and Ukrainian troops on the contested site of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol. People were hiding there from shelling during the weeks-long siege of the city by the Russian military, Mariupol patrol chief Mikhail Vershinin told local television.
Read more about it here.
+++ 03:05 More than 140 preliminary investigations for endorsing the Russian war of aggression +++
Police and prosecutors in several states have reportedly opened more than 140 investigations into advocating Russia’s war of aggression. In the majority of cases, it is about the use of the “Z” symbol, with which the Russian army in Ukraine marks its tanks and vehicles, among other things, the newspapers of the editorial network Germany (RND) report. Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, at least 19 violations of Section 140 of the Criminal Code, which criminalizes rewarding and condoning crimes, have been recorded in Saxony-Anhalt alone. According to the State Ministry of the Interior, 17 of these cases involved the use of the “Z” symbol.
Read more about it here.
+++ 01:55 aviation industry: prices for plane tickets will increase due to high kerosene costs +++
According to its own assessment, the German aviation industry would be able to cope with an energy embargo against Russia. “We would experience restrictions and higher prices. Most of the oil that the industry uses already arrives in the North Sea ports. An embargo should therefore not lead to major losses,” says the President of the BDL industry association, Peter Gerber, to the newspapers the “Funke Media Group”. He also says he expects airline ticket prices to go up. “Kerosene costs are rising, but infrastructure costs are also increasing because air traffic control services, for example, are passing on higher costs.”
+++ 01:07 More than 1100 German doctors report for use in Ukraine +++
According to the German Medical Association, more than 1,100 doctors from Germany have registered on an online portal to help treat the sick and war-wounded in Ukraine or neighboring countries. Doctors President Klaus Reinhardt tells the newspapers of the editorial network Germany that the impressive response to the appeal shows “how great the solidarity of the medical profession with the people of Ukraine is.”
+++ 00:03 Selenskyj talks to the head of the IMF about reconstruction +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted that he had spoken to the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, about his country’s financial stability and post-war reconstruction. There are clear plans. He is sure that the cooperation between Ukraine and the IMF will continue to be fruitful.
+++ 23:06 number of fatalities after shelling in Kharkiv increased to five +++
According to rescue workers, at least five people were killed and 13 others injured in a series of rocket attacks in the city of Kharkov near the Russian border. The governor of the region, Oleh Synyehubov, had originally spoken of three dead and 31 injured. As a result of the attacks, several fires broke out in residential areas in central Kharkiv, causing roofs to collapse.
+++ 22:03 graffiti at school: Z symbol and swastikas sprayed on wooden board +++
Perpetrators who are still unknown sprayed two swastikas and the Z symbol on wooden plaques at an all-day elementary school in Hildesheim. School children had previously painted the wooden panels, which were attached to a fence, the police said on Sunday. The perpetrators had sprayed the black paint on Saturday evening. The state protection of the Hildesheim police has started the investigation. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, a white “Z” has often been seen on Russian tanks and uniforms. It stands for “Za Pobedu” – “For Victory”. It will also be displayed outside of the war zone on buildings, cars and clothing, and on social media in support of aggressive warfare.
+++ 21:01 parking ticket dispute in Bonn over parked cars of Ukrainians who fled +++
Parking tickets for refugee Ukrainians have sparked discussions in Bonn. The local FDP had complained that the city planning service had imposed fines on refugees for violations of resident parking and missing environmental badges. “For a transitional period, more sensitivity and an accommodating arrangement would be the much better way,” said FDP local chairman Bernd Bollmus. The city, on the other hand, declared “that a general waiver of warnings, even temporarily, is out of the question”. However, the administration takes into account the special situation of the refugees. “Therefore, the warning should please be understood as an indication to contact the city administration in order to be able to clarify the issue,” said a spokesman. The Bonn “General-Anzeiger” reported first. According to the Ministry of the Interior, there is no nationwide uniform regulation on how to deal with Ukrainian parking offenders. This is at the discretion of the individual municipalities, said a spokeswoman.
+++ 20:32 head of intelligence calls for artillery systems: “The German army is particularly strong in this” +++
In an interview with “Spiegel”, the head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov, repeated the Ukrainian government’s demand for weapons from Germany: “We need artillery systems – the German army is particularly strong in them. And unfortunately we need tanks because we are very had great losses of armored vehicles.” The Ukrainian army wants to use the weapons to liberate the occupied territories – including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Budanov doesn’t see a problem with training Ukrainian soldiers on the Leopard tank, for example: “We’ll learn that quickly. With all due respect, that’s not high-level mathematics.”
+++ 19:58 Ukrainian media: Questionnaire for EU accession has been completed +++
Ukraine has now completely filled out the questionnaire for EU accession. This is reported by several national media, citing President Zelenskyi’s security and foreign policy adviser, Ihor Zhovkva. Selenskyj had only recently received the questionnaire during a visit by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv and announced that it would be filled out quickly. Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after the Russian invasion began. At the request of the Council of EU States, the EU Commission is currently examining the application. Joining the EU is a long and complicated process. Even if the EU Commission evaluates the application positively, the start of the admission negotiations could still be a long time coming, since all EU states have to agree.
+++ 19:34 Ukraine reports further rocket attacks on Mariupol +++
The battle for the besieged southern Ukrainian port of Mariupol continues even after a Russian ultimatum expired. The Ukrainian general staff reported on Sunday evening Russian rocket and bomb attacks on the city, which used to have a population of more than 400,000. Tu-22M3 supersonic bombers would also be used. Russian troops have attempted to attack, especially in the vicinity of the port and the Azovstal steelworks. Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal told US broadcaster ABC that the city had not fallen. The Ukrainian soldiers would “fight to the end” in Mariupol. Russia had previously threatened the Ukrainian troops there with annihilation. According to Russian information, the units are said to have entrenched themselves in the steelworks. The Ukrainians ignored an ultimatum to lay down their arms and surrender by Sunday noon.
You can read about previous developments here.