War in Ukraine – Now live: Selenski speaks at the WEF in Davos – News

  • 9:50

    London: Russia’s losses as high as those of the Soviets in Afghanistan

    After only three months of war, the losses of the Russian army in the Ukraine are as high as those of the Red Army in the nine years of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. British intelligence experts appreciate this, according to a statement by the Ministry of Defense in London. The high loss rate is also increasing in the Russian offensive in the Donbass. The reason for this is a combination of factors such as poor tactics, limited air superiority and a lack of flexibility.

    The British intelligence experts assume that the many Russian deaths are likely to be reflected in the public perception of the war in the country. “In the past, the Russian public has reacted sensitively to losses in wars that were not forced on the country,” it said. With a growing number of deaths, dissatisfaction among Russians and the willingness to express it could also increase.

  • 8:44

    Ukrainian military warns of activities on the Belarusian border

    The former Soviet republic of Belarus, which has not yet actively participated in the Russian-Ukrainian war, is assembling forces at the border, according to information from Kyiv. “The Belarusian armed forces are conducting increased reconnaissance and have set up additional units in the border area,” said the Ukrainian general staff in its situation report on Monday. Accordingly, the danger of rocket and air attacks on Ukraine from Belarusian territory remains.

    The Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko did not take part with his own troops in the war against Ukraine that Russia started at the end of February. However, Russian troops were allowed to use the country as a staging area for the attack. Kyiv therefore does not see Minsk as neutral and fears that Belarusian soldiers could potentially intervene in the conflict on the part of Russia. Lukashenko, who is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on Monday, has always denied such intentions.

    Legend:

    Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko is meeting with Vladimir Putin in Sochi today.

    Reuters/Archive

  • 8:23

    UN High Commissioner for Refugees: “This is a record that should never have been”

    According to the United Nations, more than 100 million people are fleeing for the first time worldwide. “This is a record that should never have been,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said on Monday. The number is alarming and should be used as a wake-up call. The high number can be attributed to the war in Ukraine, but also to conflicts such as in Ethiopia or in the Congo. The UNHCR data includes people who are fleeing their country but are also fleeing within the country itself. Asylum seekers are also included.

    UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

    Legend:

    UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

    Reuters

  • 7:59

    Ukrainian MP: Russians want to wipe out entire cities

    According to Ukrainian MP Dmytro Lubinets, the Russian occupation in eastern Ukraine is trying to “wipe out entire towns and cities”. Above all, the civilian infrastructure is being attacked, said Lubinets on Monday in the ARD “Morgenmagazin” according to the broadcaster’s translation. This affects the power supply and water pipes, but also schools and hospitals. “It seems that the Russians are not fighting the Ukrainian armed forces, but the whole people,” said the parliamentarian. Therefore, Ukraine is appealing to the international public to recognize the situation as a genocide of the Ukrainian people.

    The Ukrainian government is making every effort to organize the evacuation of civilians from the contested areas, Lubinets said. He dismissed Moscow’s claim that Ukrainians were being taken to safety in Russia. “As always, Russian propaganda distorts the facts,” said the politician. “The Russians are forcing people to evacuate to Russia – that is, with the use of force.” Many children were among those abducted.

  • 7:29

    Selenski admits high daily losses in the east of the country

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has put the daily losses of his own troops on the front in eastern Ukraine at 50 to 100 soldiers. “Today between 50 and 100 people can die on the front in the east of our country, which is the hardest for us,” said Zelenski, according to the RBK-Ukraina news agency, at a joint press conference with Poland’s President Andrzej Duda on Sunday. “They protect our freedom and independence, which is talked about all over the world.” With the high losses, he justified the rejection of a petition to allow men of military age to leave Ukraine.

    Most recently, the Ukrainian President disclosed his own losses in mid-April. At that time he spoke of a total of around 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers who had died since the Russian attack on February 24. However, the President’s Office has refused to provide precise figures. Presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich explained that this was a war secret.

    Today, between 50 and 100 people can die on what is for us the hardest front in the east of our country.

  • 6:28

    Attack on occupying mayor of Enerhodar in southern Ukraine

    The mayor of the small town of Enerhodar, who was deployed by the Russian occupying forces, was seriously injured in a bomb attack on Sunday. “The self-proclaimed head of the ‘People’s Administration’ of Enerhodar, Andriy Shevchik, was injured by an explosion at the entrance to the apartment building where his mother lives,” the Ukrainian military administration of the Zaporizhia region said late Sunday evening on its Telegram channel. It was a targeted partisan attack against a collaborator, it said.

    According to its own statements, the Russian investigative committee on Monday initiated criminal proceedings “for the crime of Ukrainian nationalists”.

    The most powerful nuclear power plant in Europe is located in Enerhodar. The small town in the south of the Zaporizhia region was occupied by Russian troops in the first days of the war. During the fighting, a fire even briefly broke out on the site of the nuclear power plant, but it was able to be extinguished. The regional capital of Zaporizhia itself is still under Ukrainian control.

  • 6:08

    Wladimir Klitschko criticizes Switzerland: propaganda on television

    Former world boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko has called on Switzerland to ban Russian state media. Anti-Ukrainian propaganda runs there. “The brainwashing also takes place in Switzerland,” he said in an interview with “Blick” on the sidelines of the WEF in Davos. “It’s very important that Switzerland doesn’t just stand passively on the sidelines,” said the 46-year-old. “If she stands passively by and watches, she also has blood on her hands.” Russia must be isolated in any other way, said the brother of Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko. The worst weapon in war is the media.

    Unlike the EU, Switzerland does not prohibit the distribution of Russian state media. The affected channels “RT” (formerly “Russia Today”) and “Sputnik” are “tools of targeted disinformation by the Russian Federation” for the Federal Council, but it is more effective, untrue and harmful statements to counteract facts instead of them ban, announced the Federal Council at the end of March. Swisscom and Sunrise UPC decided at the beginning of March not to broadcast the “RT” program until further notice.

    Wladimir Klitschko

    Legend:

    Like his brother Vitali, Wladimir Klitschko is vehemently committed to his country, Ukraine.

    key stone

  • 6:07

    Meeting Putin-Lukashenko: According to experts, a merger is possible

    Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to meet Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi today, Monday. It should be about questions of further cooperation, as the Interfax agency announced during the night. The central topic is the integration cooperation between the two countries in a union state. The handling of Belarusian goods in Russian ports and the construction of a Belarusian port near St. Petersburg could also be part of the talks.

    Since the controversial presidential election in 2020, in which Lukashenko declared himself the winner without recognition from the West, Minsk has become increasingly dependent on Moscow. International political observers consider the possibility of Belarus joining Russia to be quite real.

    Putin in a conversation at a table

    Legend:

    Tension ahead of Putin’s meeting with Lukashenko in Sochi on the Black Sea.

    key stone

  • 6:06

    More refugees, too few staff – a lot of work for cantonal social welfare offices

    Hundreds of Ukrainian refugees reach Switzerland every day. Over 50,000 people have arrived so far. The authorities are very challenged with the extraordinary situation, including the social welfare of Basel-Stadt. Head of office Ruedi Illes explains that the number of cases has doubled within two months. “We don’t have enough staff at all, and we can’t assign every refugee to a responsible person who will look after the case all the time.” The social welfare office in Basel is currently trying to fill 30 additional positions. However, Illes emphasizes that there are currently 500 empty spaces in apartments that the social welfare office has rented specifically for refugees.

    You are not only challenged in terms of personnel in Basel. At the request of the “Tagesschau”, the conference of cantonal social directors writes: “Cantons and municipalities are working flat out to provide accommodation for refugees. This goes hand in hand with the fact that appropriate support staff must also be recruited. Various cantons have already reported that things are slowly getting ‘tight’.”

  • 6:04

    The most important thing of the weekend

    • Russia is ready, according to an adviser to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin conversations resume with Kyiv. However, he sees Ukraine under pressure, Vladimir Medinski said on Sunday evening, according to Interfax, on Belarusian state television.
    • In view of an intensified Russian offensive in the Donbass region, the Ukraine perseverance and gives the call for one truce a rejection. President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that the Russian army was trying to attack the cities of Sloviansk and Sieverodonetsk, but Ukrainian forces stopped the advance.
    • Mariupol was a symbol of the Ukrainian resistance. After the fall of the strategically important port city feared Ukraine now massive new Russian attacks in other parts of the country. It is believed that Russian soldiers previously tied up in Mariupol are now deployed elsewhere.
    • The Ukrainian parliament has been in force since the end of February martial law for another 90 days extended. The deputies thus approved the corresponding draft law that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had already presented last week.
    • Italy has, according to its foreign minister, a plan for a peace settlement developed during the Ukraine war. “We now need a diplomatic counter-offensive,” said Luigi Di Maio in an interview with the newspaper “La Stampa” on Saturday.
    • Russia has gas deliveries stopped in Finland. Previously, Russia had also turned off the gas supply to Poland and Bulgaria because they did not pay in rubles.

    The reports on the Ukraine war from the past week can be found here.

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