02/04/2024
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 07:34 ISW: Kremlin censors protest of soldiers’ wives +++
The think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assumes that at a demonstration in Moscow, mainly journalists were temporarily arrested and not primarily the protest participants in order to limit reporting on it. It is very likely that the Kremlin wanted to “suppress a possible resurgence of a broader social movement in support of Russian soldiers and against the regime.” writes the Washington-based think tank. Russian state media largely did not report on the protest by the wives of Russian soldiers demanding the return of their husbands from the front in Ukraine. However, they reported that the public prosecutor’s office was warning against taking part in an unspecified demonstration in Moscow yesterday. Independent Russian-speaking media in exile, however, reported extensively on the demonstration, after which those arrested were later released.
+++ 06:42 New Russian special unit made up of criminals is said to have been created +++
Russia is said to have set up a new special unit made up of imprisoned criminals for the war in Ukraine. The unit consists of hundreds of convicted criminals with combat experience, according to the online newspaper “Ukrainskaya Pravda” at the National Resistance Center, a facility of the Ukrainian army. The forces would be trained by former mercenaries from the Wagner group, among others. The battalion is commanded by a former police officer who was convicted of murder, it said. The information cannot be independently verified.
+++ 05:45 Ukraine aid excluded: White House accuses Republicans of cynicism +++
The White House in Washington condemns the planned vote by US Republicans in the House of Representatives on an independent Israeli financing package worth 17.6 billion as a “cynical political maneuver.” The move excludes a decision on aid for Ukraine, while the Senate has been working on a cross-party compromise for weeks. (See entry at 1:35 a.m.) “We strongly reject this ploy, which does nothing to secure the border, does not help the people of Ukraine defend themselves against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression, and denies humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians,” one said White House statement.
+++ 05:05 Zelensky is silent on allegations of deaths in Lysychansk +++
In his daily video message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky does not address Russian allegations about the shelling in Lysychansk. Instead, he speaks of the damage caused by a Russian missile attack the night before in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih. According to him, repair work on the damaged power grid is still ongoing there. Thousands are cut off from energy supplies.
+++ 02:53 Moscow reports 20 deaths in Luhansk +++
According to Russian information, the number of victims in the eastern Ukrainian city of Lysychansk is increasing: at least 20 people have been killed by Ukrainian shelling. The Russian Emergencies Ministry announced on the Telegram online service that ten people were rescued. The rescue work continued during the night. The city in the Luhansk region came under the control of Russian armed forces after fierce fighting at the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in 2022. Moscow-appointed regional governor Leonid Pasechnik had previously said that “dozens” of people could still be buried under the rubble of a popular bakery. The Russian Foreign Ministry says Western weapons were used in the bombing. A “quick and unconditional condemnation” of the attack by international organizations is expected. So far there has been no statement from Kiev.
+++ 01:35 US Republicans stop aid to Ukraine +++
Republican leader of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson plans to vote on $17.6 billion in military aid to Israel next week. This move undermines a compromise proposal that has just been negotiated in the Senate: This bipartisan national security bill would approve billions in aid for Ukraine and a restrictive regime on the US border with Mexico. Johnson had said that a possible Senate deal would be “dead on arrival” in his congressional chamber.
+++ 00:35 Two dead French people: Anti-terror prosecutor’s office is investigating Russia +++
The French anti-terror prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the deaths of two French volunteers in Berislav, near Kherson, during a Russian airstrike, French broadcaster BFMTV reports. “The investigation was initiated into war crimes and intentional harm to human life, which are protected in particular by international humanitarian law. This is the tenth case that has been opened since the start of the war,” the statement said.
+++ 23:31 “Flying garbage”: Kiev is said to have rejected Australian fighter jets +++
Ukraine is said to have refused the delivery of decommissioned Australian fighter jets. According to Australian magazine “Financial Review” Australia offered Ukraine 41 F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets last year, but Ukraine refused to accept them. An Australian defense official told the magazine that a Ukrainian defense official said at the time: “We don’t want your flying garbage.” These comments essentially killed the deal. The jets have been in service since 1984 and were decommissioned in 2021. There are newer versions of the 50-year-old aircraft, such as the “Super Hornet”, which are also in use by the US Army.
+++ 21:26 Russia failed: export of Ukrainian grain back almost to pre-war levels +++
The export of Ukrainian grain, which is vital for Ukraine and many regions in the world, almost reached pre-war levels again last January. This is reported by Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. Accordingly, 6.3 million tons of grain were exported via the ports in and around Odessa within one month. Russia had repeatedly attacked exports through Black Sea ports to increase pressure on Ukraine and demand an easing of Western sanctions. In recent months, however, Ukraine has succeeded in pushing the Russian Black Sea Fleet further and further back so that it can no longer block shipping routes.
You can read all previous developments here.