05.02.2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 06:37 Scholz: Joint action prevents escalation +++
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has countered fears that Germany could be drawn into Russia’s war against Ukraine by supplying main battle tanks. He told the “Bild am Sonntag”: “We carefully weighed every delivery of weapons and coordinated them closely with our allies, above all with America. This joint approach prevents the war from escalating.” In telephone calls, he made it “very clear” to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia alone was responsible for the war. Putin threatened neither him – Scholz – nor Germany.
+++ 06:09 Migration researcher Knaus: France and Italy should relieve Germany of Ukraine refugees +++
In view of the high number of refugees in Germany, migration researcher Gerald Knaus suggests that other EU countries make a greater contribution to the private accommodation of refugees from Ukraine. “The greatest direct relief for municipalities would be more private recordings, including in European countries that have only taken in a few Ukrainians, such as France, Italy and Spain,” Knaus told the Tagesspiegel am Sonntag newspaper. “It would also be in the interests of Ukrainian women to be admitted privately in France instead of being accommodated in halls in Berlin,” Knaus continued. To this end, a joint initiative by Germany, France and the EU is desirable.
+++ 05:22 Selenskyj withdraws citizenship from ex-politicians +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has revoked the citizenship of several former pro-Russian politicians in the country. “I signed the relevant documents to protect our state from those who are on the side of the aggressor,” says Zelenskyi in his nightly video address. Since February of last year, Ukraine has already stripped a number of people of their Ukrainian citizenship and sanctioned hundreds of Russian and Belarusian citizens and companies.
+++ 03:47 Biden will travel to Poland +++
According to Poland, US President Joe Biden is expected to visit the country. Polish President Andrzej Duda invited Biden and is counting on an acceptance, says an adviser to Dudas on television. It had been agreed with the US partners that the date of the visit would be announced in due course. Biden had already spoken of a planned visit to Poland on Monday.
+++ 02:11 Selenskyj: The situation at the front is becoming more difficult +++
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the situation at the front is getting worse. “During the 346 days of this war, I have often said that the situation on the front line is difficult and that it is getting more and more difficult,” the Ukrainian president said in his daily video address. “Now we’re at that point again. A point where the occupiers are increasingly mobilizing their forces to breach our defenses,” Zelenskyy added. The situation in “Bachmut, Wuhledar, Lyman and other regions” is tough.
+++ 01:18 Scholz: “Consensus” with Selenskyj on the use of Western weapons only in Ukraine +++
According to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, there is an agreement with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the weapons supplied from the West may only be used on Ukrainian territory and not on Russian territory. “There is a consensus on that,” Scholz replied to a question from “Bild am Sonntag”. The SPD politician rejects the statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that German tanks would again threaten Russia with the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks.
+++ 00:10 EU oil embargo against Russia takes hold +++
Oil products from Russia have not been allowed to be imported into the European Union since midnight. The import restriction is based on a sanctions regulation passed by the 27 member states last June. Although it has been in force for some time, a transitional period has applied until now. The import of Russian crude oil into the EU has been largely banned since last December. There is only one exception to the oil products embargo for Croatia.
+++ 22:58 Parts of Odessa have electricity again +++
After the extensive power failure in Odessa, the supply of critical infrastructure has been restored, according to Ukraine. Accordingly, the water and heat supply would be put back into operation, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko announced. A third of private consumers also have electricity again. In support, 31 high-power generators would be brought into the city.
+++ 22:06 First Leopard tank from Canada is on its way +++
According to the Defense Minister of Canada, Anita Anand, a plane took off from Halifax with a Leopard 2 towards Ukraine today. She shares a video on Twitter showing how a tank is loaded onto an airplane. “Canada stands with the people of Ukraine – and we will continue to provide Ukraine’s armed forces with the equipment they need to win.”
+++ 21:40 General Staff: Russia has recruited female prisoners in Donetsk +++
Russian forces have recruited 50 women from a penal colony, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “In order to replenish their losses, the opponent is trying to involve convicted women in the fighting. During the week, the occupiers recruited about 50 people from the women’s prison colony in Snizhne (the temporarily occupied area of Donetsk Oblast). They are also supposed to go to the territory for training be sent to the Russian Federation”, it says in the General Staff report on Facebook.
+++ 21:18 Ukrainian Ministry of Defense: Moscow uses all its strength to surround Bakhmut +++
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar stressed that in the past week Russian forces have used all their strength to “break through our defenses and encircle Bakhmut and launch a heavy offensive near Lyman.” However, Maliar adds that Russia’s attempts to encircle the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast have so far failed.
Ukrainian intelligence issued a stark warning on February 2 that Russia is redeploying additional assault groups and military equipment to capture Donbass by March. Russian regular forces, along with the Wagner mercenary group, have been attempting to capture Bakhmut for months, while Russia seeks to consolidate its hold over the entire Donetsk Oblast, of which it currently controls half.
+++ 20:40 Report: Ukrainian hackers hack Russian Foreign Ministry briefing on cybersecurity +++
A Video published by the Guildhall site, aims to show the successful operation of Ukrainian hackers who claim to have infiltrated a conference of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Interestingly, according to the Guildhall report, it was a cybersecurity briefing for African nations. “Russia is a terrorist state, and Russia’s war against Ukraine is definitely a colonial war,” the hackers said, which can also be heard on the video.
You can read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.