April 26, 2024
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 06:45 Raiffeisen activities in Russia – EU Parliament puts pressure on Vienna +++
The European Parliament calls on the Austrian government in a letter to force Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) to cease its activities in Russia in accordance with EU sanctions. The Vienna-based banking group, the largest remaining Western bank in Russia, is under increasing pressure to reduce its activities in the country. The letter from the European Parliament refers to reports that Raiffeisen plans to continue and expand its activities in Russia. “We deeply regret that Raiffeisen Bank International’s statements and actions are completely contradictory,” the letter says. “Instead of repeated statements about intentions to reduce and sell its activities in Russia, Raiffeisen Bank International is the Western lender with the largest activities in Russia.”
+++ 06:13 Wallace: Scholz “is the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time” +++
Former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace is calling for German Taurus cruise missiles to be delivered to Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has to decide whether he wants Ukraine to win the war or not, Wallace tells the German Press Agency. The best approach would be for Scholz to name conditions that could justify a Taurus delivery. “Better than saying, ‘No, I won’t deliver it,’ is to say, ‘We are constantly monitoring the situation and if Russia continues, we will check it.'” Wallace also accuses Scholz of weak leadership. The conservative says that poor communication obscures the view of the considerable support that Germany is providing for Ukraine. “He’s the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
+++ 05:39 Ukraine withdraws Abrams tanks for the time being +++
Ukrainian forces are withdrawing U.S.-supplied Abrams M1A1 main battle tanks from the front line because the risk of detection by Russian drones is too high, two U.S. military officials told the AP on April 25. According to US officials, Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones have significantly changed the situation on the ground and increased the risk that the vehicles will be detected. It is said that 5 of the 31 Abrams tanks have already been lost on the battlefield. “The concentration of drones means that there is no longer any open terrain that you can just drive over without fear of detection,” says a senior military official.
+++ 05:08 Ukraine: Russian forces attack eleven communities in Sumy Oblast +++
Russian forces are attacking 11 communities along the border of the Sumy region, causing 188 explosions over the past day, according to the regional military administration. The authorities also report attacks by Russian forces with a KAB guided bomb on the infrastructure of the city of Sumy. In addition to the regional capital, the border communities of Krasnopillia, Seredyna-Buda, Znob-Novhorodske, Nova Sloboda, Bilopillia, Myropillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Shalyhyne, Esman, Yunakivka and Vorozhba were also attacked. No injuries or damage to civilian infrastructure are reported.
+++ 04:07 Ukrainian journalist killed in Donetsk +++
Ukrainian journalist and soldier Alla Pushkarchuk is killed in Donetsk region. Her death was reported by one of her colleagues, the soldier and editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian news magazine “The Weekly”, Dmytro Krapyvenko. He says Pushkarchuk was hired at the weekly in 2018. By then she was already a veteran, having joined the armed forces in 2014. At the weekly newspaper, Puschkartschuk developed from a news reporter to a cultural columnist. Pusharchuk also coordinated the “Empty Chair People” project, which deals with authors in political captivity.
+++ 02:48 USA is apparently planning further arms purchases for Ukraine +++
According to a report, the US government has already announced another billion-dollar military aid package for Ukraine. The portal “Politico” reports that the USA put together a package worth six billion US dollars after the release of new funds by the US Congress. Accordingly, the plans could become public this Friday at a virtual meeting of the US-led contact group to support Ukraine. According to Politico, this is not intended to be emergency aid. Citing two US government officials, it said that as part of a US financing program, contracts would be awarded to American defense companies to build new equipment for Ukraine. This would mean that the ordered equipment will probably not arrive in Ukraine for several years.
+++ 01:17 OSCE report lists serious crimes against Ukrainian prisoners +++
According to human rights experts, Russia has illegally and systematically detained thousands of Ukrainian civilians since 2014. They found “sufficient reasons to believe” that crimes against humanity and war crimes were committed in this way, according to a report presented by three lawyers at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna .
+++ 23:44 Air defense systems: Athens does not want to supply Ukraine with S-300 or Patriot +++
Greece will not supply Patriot or S-300 air defense systems to Ukraine. This is what Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in an interview with the Greek TV channel Skai. “Greece will not send S-300s or Patriots to Ukraine,” says Mitsotakis. His country has already helped Ukraine with other types of defense material. Athens cannot supply weapons systems that are crucial for the country itself.
+++ 22:16 Zelenskyj promotes investments in the Ukrainian defense sector +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj wants to expand arms production in his own country with Western help. In his international discussions, Zelenskyj says in his daily video address that he is encouraging partners without their own production capacities to invest in the Ukrainian defense sector. The aim is to establish joint weapons production and strengthen the front. The background to the efforts is Ukraine’s great dependence on Western arms supplies and the recent long wait for new US aid. Zelensky admits that the six-month pause in US arms deliveries has led to major problems on the front.
+++ 21:52 USA: ATACMS delivery could give impetus to German Taurus debate +++
According to a US government official, there is hope in Washington that the delivery of longer-range ATACMS cruise missiles to Ukraine will give impetus to the German debate about the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles. “Taurus – that’s a decision made by Germany,” says a senior government official in Washington. Given the U.S. decision for ATACMS supplies and similar decisions in London and Paris, “we would obviously hope that that could be a factor,” he said. Washington announced on Wednesday that it would deliver short-range ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers to Ukraine. Previously, the US had only delivered ATACMS with a range of 165 kilometers.
You can read all previous developments here.