April 30, 2024
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 06:05 USA remains silent about the timing of the arms delivery to Ukraine +++
The delivery of military aid to Ukraine continues, but the White House is not commenting on the timing or size of the deliveries due to security concerns. This is what the White House press secretary explains: Karine Jean-Pierre, on Monday. “They have received this security assistance. I will be very careful here because there are operational security concerns that I want to pay attention to. We hope that the assistance reaches the front lines so that Ukraine can continue to defend itself.” The United States passed a long-awaited $61 billion foreign aid package last week after nearly six months of political wrangling and delays. The following day, the Pentagon announced that it would send, among other things, ammunition for HIMARS systems, 155 mm ammunition, anti-aircraft interceptors and armored vehicles.
+++ 05:31 Attack with cluster munitions? Four dead in Odessa +++
After yesterday’s devastating Russian missile attack on Odessa, the death toll has risen to four. According to the region’s governor, Oleh Kiper, there were three women and one man. Two children are said to be among the 29 injured. According to Kiper, a ballistic missile was used in the attack, which was suspected to have been loaded with cluster munitions.
+++ 02:31 Explosions in Crimea +++
Several loud explosions can be heard during the night in occupied Crimea. This is reported by residents of the cities of Simferopol and Dzhankoi, near which there are Russian air force bases. According to Russian authorities, the Crimean bridge was temporarily closed.
+++ 01:22 Belarus bans “Deutsche Welle” +++
Belarus bans the German foreign broadcaster Deutsche Welle. The Belarusian Interior Ministry explains that the station is engaging in “extremist activities”. The Foreign Office reacts with sharp criticism. “The rulers in Minsk are trying with all their might to intimidate and silence journalists and the media,” writes the ministry at “in Lukashenko’s toolbox of oppression”. The former Soviet republic of Belarus, which is closely allied with Russia, has been ruled by Lukashenko since 1994, who rules the country with a hard hand and uncompromisingly suppresses government critics.
+++ 23:39 First member of the British royal family visits Ukraine: Duchess Sophie meets Zelensky +++
For the first time since the start of the war, a member of the British royal family has visited Ukraine. Duchess Sophie – the sister-in-law of King Charles III. – traveled to Ukraine at the request of the British Foreign Office, Buckingham Palace said. She met President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska and brought a message from King Charles. The visit was intended to express solidarity with the women, men and children affected by the war. Sophie is married to Charles’ younger brother, Prince Edward. The 59-year-old has been campaigning against sexual violence for a long time.
+++ 23:00 Ukraine receives ten Marder infantry fighting vehicles from Germany +++
Germany has delivered another ten Marder armored personnel carriers and other defense equipment to Ukraine. The federal government says a second Skynex anti-aircraft system is also part of the package, as are almost 30,000 rounds of ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft tank and ammunition for the Iris-T system. The Ukrainian army’s engineer and transport capabilities will be strengthened with another Biber bridge-laying tank, an engineer tank, nine mine clearing plows and nine M1070 Oshkosh heavy-duty semi-trailers. The third Patriot anti-aircraft system promised in mid-April is not on the updated list of German military aid.
+++ 21:56 Ukrainian border service: Over 30 deserters died while attempting to cross the border illegally +++
More than 30 men have died trying to cross Ukraine’s mountainous western border to evade mobilization, state border guard head Andriy Demchenko says in an interview with Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform. Under martial law, Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave the country – with some exceptions – because they could be called up for military service. As Ukraine faces the challenge of mobilizing more men for its army, a November 2023 report by the BBC found that around 20,000 Ukrainian men crossed the border illegally and evaded mobilization. Many men cross the border with the help of smugglers who charge large sums of money and then let the men cross a river or mountain alone, said Demchenko. “Every day we refuse to allow around 120 people to cross the border,” said Demchenko.
+++ 20:57 Telegram deactivates chatbots of Ukrainian secret services due to “false alarm” +++
The Telegram chatbots of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service (HUR), the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) and the Ministry of Digital Transformation have been “temporarily disabled due to a false alarm,” Reuters quoted a Telegram spokesperson as saying. The Telegram spokesman provided no further information, according to Reuters. Ukrainian journalist Konstantyn Ryzhenko first reported on the disappearance of the chatbots on Sunday. They were restored later today. Ukrainian military intelligence’s Telegram chatbot was used to communicate with those living in Russian-controlled territories and those who wanted to join the fight against Russian forces. The channel allows people to post information about Russian military positions, equipment, air defenses, troop movements and more. The chatbots of the SBU and the Ministry of Digital Transformation serve a similar purpose. Pavel Durov, Telegram’s Russian-born founder, said last week that Telegram users in Ukraine can expect “certain changes” in terms of access to some channels, which he described as “general news/propaganda channels.”
+++ 20:20 Ukraine makes Russian advances more difficult by liberating the island of Nestryha +++
Ukraine’s control over the island of Nestryha in the Kherson region is tactically important and will make it difficult for Russian forces to approach Ukrainian positions, Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesman for the Southern Defense Forces, told Radio Hromadske. Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Sunday that Ukrainian troops had taken control of the island of Nestryha in the Dnipro River delta in Kherson Oblast and had advanced near the village of Veletenske. Nestryha Island is the last of a group of small islands that follow the river mouth, Pletenchuk said. He emphasizes that the regained control is of “tactical importance.” Russian troops are using places such as the islands in Kherson to approach Ukrainian positions, the spokesman added.
+++ 19:47 At least two dead and two injured in attacks on Kharkiv and Odessa +++
According to Ukrainian sources, at least four people were killed in a Russian missile attack on the port city of Odessa in southern Ukraine. As Odessa Governor Oleh Kiper announced on the Telegram online service, 28 people were injured, including two children and a pregnant woman. Four of the injured are therefore in mortal danger. The attack damaged “residential buildings” and civilian infrastructure in Odessa. A large part of Ukraine’s economically important grain exports are handled through the port of Odessa on the Black Sea. Russia repeatedly attacks the city and its port with missiles and drones. According to authorities, the eastern Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv, just over 30 kilometers from the Russian border, had previously been attacked with glide bombs. Two civilians were injured. A multi-story residential building was damaged.
You can read all previous developments here.