04.08.2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 06:54 Oil tankers no longer head for Novorossiysk after drone attack +++
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which loads oil into oil tankers in Novorossiysk, says the city’s port has suspended all ship movements for the time being. The consortium’s facilities were not damaged and the loading of oil onto tankers already anchored there will continue.
+++ 06:35 Explosion in Crimea after drone attack on Feodosiya +++
According to the Russian news agency TASS, the Russian Defense Ministry reports the shooting down of ten Ukrainian drones over Crimea. Three other drones were switched off with electronic countermeasures. The information cannot be independently verified. Videos can be seen on social media that are supposed to show the city of Feodosiya in Crimea. Anti-aircraft gunfire can be seen. However, there is always an impact on the ground. It is unclear whether it was a drone hit or whether debris hit the ground.
+++ 06:09 Ukrainian drones apparently attack Russian port city +++
On Russian social media, users reported explosions and gunshots near the port of the Russian Black Sea city of Novorossiysk. Videos, also circulated by Russia’s online news agency Astra, show several ships moving off the coast. At the same time shots can be heard from the sea. The Russian news agency RIA confirmed the incident, citing emergency services, without giving details. In terms of trade, Novorossiysk is one of the most important seaports in Russia. There is also a base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the city.
+++ 05:02 Bundeswehr registers significantly more applications for conscientious objection +++
Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, there have been significantly more applications for conscientious objection to the Bundeswehr. The numbers have quintupled, as can be seen from one of the Federal Government’s responses to a small inquiry from the Left Group, reported by Table.Media. While the Bundeswehr received 142 applications for conscientious objection in 2020 and a total of 209 in 2021, last year there were 1,123 applications. By April 30, 2023, 672 more had been added. Among the applicants in 2022, 450 non-servists, 438 reservists, 226 regular soldiers, eight career soldiers and one volunteer refused to serve with a weapon. Conscientious objection would be relevant in the case of partial or general mobilization. Then all men between the ages of 18 and 59 could be drafted. Anyone who refuses military service can be ordered to do civilian service for an unlimited period of time
+++ 02:30 Selenskyj is outraged by abuses in recruitment centers +++
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has denounced practices in Ukrainian recruitment centers as “disgusting”. In his evening video address, he said he had a lengthy conversation with Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko and the head of Ukraine’s Security Service Vasyl Malyuk on the issue. An investigation of the recruitment centers in Ukraine would have revealed numerous outrageous abuses. “They are just disgusting,” said Zelenskyj. In the future, people who have experienced what war means and who understand the value of protecting Ukraine should work in the recruitment centers. The head of a recruitment center in Odessa was arrested last month on corruption charges. Tougher action against corruption is one of the conditions for Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
+++ 00:04 report: Ukrainian troops no longer rely on NATO tactics +++
Given the sluggish nature of the counteroffensive, Ukrainian troops, trained to NATO standards by the US and other allies, appear to have changed tactics. According to a report by “New York Times” the commanders now prefer not to send the soldiers into the heavily shelled minefields. Instead, attempts are being made to wear down the Russian armed forces with artillery and long-range missiles, the newspaper writes, citing US officials and independent analyses. Western-trained troops are currently deploying in southern Ukraine, launching small-scale attacks to break through Russian lines.
+++ 22:24 PM Schmyhal: Ukraine will spend almost 50 billion dollars on the armed forces in 2023 +++
Ukraine will spend around $48 billion on the armed forces in 2023. According to a report in the Ukrainian newspaper Kyiv Independent, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said so. By way of comparison, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kiev provided around 32 billion US dollars for security and defense last year.
+++ 21:44 mines in the way: IAEA had to interrupt the mission to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant +++
A group from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was reportedly forced to halt its mission to Ukraine’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. The reason was two anti-personnel mines, also known colloquially as anti-personnel mines, which were discovered on the way there. The Russian mines were found on the road, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of the Ukrainian task force, wrote on Telegram, according to a report by Sky News. After the mines were reportedly neutralized, the mission was able to continue. The nuclear power plant has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. The IAEA has visited the facility several times to monitor operations.
+++ 21:26 Selenskyj: Ukrainian military dominant on the offensive +++
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian military is struggling on the front lines in the east and south of the country, but is dominant on the offensive. “There is heavy fighting. The occupiers are trying with all their might to stop our boys. There are very violent attacks,” says Zelenskyj in his nightly video speech. He referred to several centers in the east where fighting is raging. “Everything is difficult in the south. But whatever the enemy does, it is Ukrainian strength that dominates.”
+++ 20:54 Russia classifies Norway as an “unfriendly state” +++
The Russian government declares Norway an “unfriendly state”. Among other things, the decree provides for restrictions on the employment of Russian citizens as embassy or consular staff, according to the government website. Norway should therefore not exceed the maximum number of 27 local employees nationwide. The Russian government began compiling a list of “unfriendly states” in 2021 following a decree by President Vladimir Putin. Around 50 states are now on the list, including Germany, France, the USA, Ukraine and the EU as a group of states. As a result, the work of the diplomatic missions of the respective countries is significantly restricted. Norway borders Russia in the north for almost 200 kilometers.
+++ 20:33 India takes part in peace talks in Saudi Arabia +++
India will attend peace talks in Saudi Arabia this weekend to end the war in Ukraine. As reported by “Sky News”, Arindam Bagchi, spokesman for the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that the country would be represented at the summit. However, he did not say which officials would attend. Saudi Arabia has invited India to the two-day meeting in Jeddah. “The country’s participation is consistent with our longstanding position that dialogue and diplomacy are the way forward,” Bagchi said. India has close economic ties with Russia and is generally reluctant to respond, but doubts have been growing in New Delhi since the invasion.
You can read more about the events of the previous day here.