Ukraine war in the live ticker: +++ 06:57 Russian nationalist wants to go to the front +++

Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 06:57 Russian nationalist wants to go to the front +++

Jailed Russian nationalist Igor Girkin will be arrested, according to the “Kyiv Independent” asking to be sent to the front lines in Ukraine to fight. Ultranationalist Girkin, known by the pseudonym Strelkov, was convicted in January over his Telegram posts, which Russian authorities classified as “extremist.” In his comments, he criticized the Kremlin’s war course as too soft. Under Russian law, people convicted of extremism are not allowed to serve in the military. According to media reports, Girkin’s appeal was accompanied by a letter from a Russian military unit stationed in Donbas requesting that Girkin serve as an officer.

+++ 06:29 Massive rocket attacks on Kharkiv +++
Russia is massively attacking the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv from the air. There have been at least ten rocket attacks on the critical infrastructure of the city of Kharkiv and the region, the region’s governor, Oleh Synyehubov, said on Telegram. Power outages are already being resolved. No victims have been reported so far.

+++ 05:59 Kyiv needs 25 Patriot systems +++
Ukraine is committed to acquiring another seven Patriot air defense batteries as soon as possible. Kiev has offered to lend the systems to other countries, says Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in an interview with the Washington Post. According to Ukrainian President Zelensky, Ukraine needs 25 Patriots to cover the entire country. Kuleba explains that he is initially concentrating on obtaining seven. That would be enough to protect Ukraine’s largest cities and leave at least one battery closer to the battlefield. His team has identified over 100 available Patriot systems abroad. Kuleba added that he found it “hard to understand” why some countries refused to supply even one of their systems to Ukraine.

+++ 04:45 Mayor: Explosions in Kharkiv +++
According to its mayor, Russia attacked the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv with rockets this morning. Explosions can be heard, writes Ihor Terekhov on Telegram.

+++ 04:03 US General: Russia’s artillery advantage will soon be 10:1 +++
US General Christopher Cavoli, commander of NATO forces in Europe, predicts that Russia’s artillery advantage on the battlefield will only increase without US support for Ukraine. Cavoli told the House Armed Services Committee that Russia currently fires five artillery shells for every artillery shell fired by Ukrainian forces, and that this ratio could increase to 10:1 in the coming weeks. “If one side can shoot and the other can’t shoot back, the side that can’t shoot back loses. So there’s a lot at stake.”

+++ 02:41 UN: Number of civilian casualties in Ukraine increased in March +++
According to the UN, the number of civilian victims is increasing in Ukraine: at least 604 civilians were injured or killed in March, explains the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. That is an increase of 20 percent compared to February. The increase in casualties was primarily due to “attacks by Russian forces with rockets and cluster munitions throughout Ukraine as well as increased air strikes near the front line,” it said.

+++ 01:38 Beijing: China has the right to trade with Russia +++
China rejects criticism from the US about its close ties with Russia. “China and Russia have the right to conduct normal economic and trade relations,” said Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry. Beijing has “always played a constructive role” in finding a solution to the Ukraine conflict. “Every country that really wants peace for Ukraine and an early end to the crisis should first consider what the reason for the crisis is,” said the Foreign Office spokeswoman. Earlier, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said his government would “not sit still” as China and Russia cooperate more closely in the future. Beijing and Moscow only reaffirmed their desire to strengthen cooperation on Tuesday during a visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Beijing.

+++ 00:32 Russia: Dead after Ukrainian attack on Kursk +++
Three people were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in the western Russian region of Kursk. The region’s governor, Roman Starowoit, said two children were among the victims. Accordingly, in the town of Ananasovka, a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border, a drone dropped an explosive device on a car in which the civilians were traveling. In a second post that night, Starowoit warns of new drone attacks. Drone alarms were also triggered in the neighboring Voronezh region.

+++ 23:33 Trump doesn’t want to travel to Ukraine +++
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump declines an invitation to travel to Ukraine. “There has been no contact from Zelensky and President Trump has publicly stated that it would not be appropriate for him to travel to Ukraine now that he is not commander in chief,” his campaign office said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously asked him in a newspaper interview to come to Ukraine and explain his ideas for peace.

+++ 22:44 Four out of five Ukrainians are convinced of victory over Russia +++
Despite increasing setbacks on the front, more than 80 percent of Ukrainians are still convinced of a victory over Russia. 59.5 percent of those surveyed fully believe in a victory in the war, according to the renowned Razumkov Institute in Kiev. Another 23.4 percent answered “probably yes” to the question. Only eleven percent answered “no” or “probably no”. The rest refrained from answering.

+++ 22:11 Zelenskyj reports progress in rocket construction +++
Ukraine says it is making progress in the production of missiles. Series production has started and new models are being developed, says President Zelensky in his daily video address. It is now important that the military can turn this into success. At the same time, he appeals to the population’s will to persevere in view of the ongoing attacks on Ukrainian cities from the air and the slow but steady advance of Russian troops on the ground. Kremlin leader Putin is doing everything he can to intensify the blows against Ukraine. Kiev is also strengthening its military capabilities. “But we need no less inner strength, an inner understanding that only the strong will end the war on their own terms,” ​​says Zelensky.

You can read all previous developments here.

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