02/17/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 23:48 USA: Heavy losses for mercenary group Wagner +++
According to the US government, the Wagner mercenary group has suffered heavy losses in Ukraine. Around 9,000 men have been killed, half of them since mid-December during their deployment, according to the President’s Office in Washington. Together with injuries, Wagner’s losses amount to more than 30,000 mercenaries. It is estimated that 90 percent of the Wagner members killed since December were convicted criminals, said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
+++ 22:25 First 635 Ukrainians complete maneuver training in Grafenwoehr +++
A first group of more than 600 Ukrainian soldiers is completing major maneuver training at the US military training area in Grafenwoehr, Bavaria. The first Ukrainian battalion of around 635 soldiers has completed the five-week course with the M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, said US Department of Defense spokesman Pat Ryder. The course therefore included, among other things, shooting training, medical training, training in various units and an exercise in battalion strength.
+++ 22:04 Wagner mercenaries complain about lack of ammunition +++
According to a report by “Bild”, Wagner-Sölders in Ukraine are complaining about not enough ammunition. Accordingly, they vent their anger in videos. They accuse the Ministry of Defense of deliberately not supplying supplies. The head of the fighters, Yewegeni Prigozhin, insulted the defense minister and the “bureaucrats” there on Telegram. According to the Wagner mercenaries, their offensive was also slowed down by the lack of ammunition.
+++ 21:52 Baerbock wants to see more tanks +++
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock appealed to the allies in Ukraine’s defensive struggle against Russia, as well as Germany to deliver Leopard main battle tanks to Kiev. Together we must now ensure that Ukraine can defend itself and save human lives, the Greens politician told Bayerischer Rundfunk on the sidelines of the security conference in Munich, which was to be broadcast in the evening. “That’s why we’re appealing so urgently to other partner countries that have a similar model to what we’re supplying” to also make such tanks available.
+++ 21:04 Niinistö: “Turkey has its own understanding of Sweden’s NATO accession” +++
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö expects Finland and Sweden to join NATO by the summer. “I see it very optimistically,” he said on ARD. He believes that both countries are members of the western defense alliance before the NATO summit planned for July in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. Both countries had clearly expressed their willingness to join NATO. It is now in Turkish hands to make decisions. Turkey has its own understanding of this matter. “We don’t know exactly what that is.” Turkey accuses Sweden in particular of not taking sufficient action against Kurdish extremists.
You can read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.