- The Russian army continues to attack in Ukraine.
- At the same time, the Kremlin says it has made a new offer to negotiate. In besieged Mariupol, people are still waiting for an evacuation.
- The number of refugees from Ukraine reaches an all-time high.
Russia continues its attacks in the Ukraine continued with undiminished severity, but according to its own statements it also offered the neighboring country a new negotiated solution. A written draft was handed over to the Ukrainian side, “which contains absolutely clear and sophisticated formulations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, according to the Interfax agency. The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Selenskyj however, stated that it had received no proposal. Russia and Ukraine reported more fighting. in the besieged Mariupol in the southeast of the country an escape corridor was negotiated. In Germany, the dispute over arms deliveries continues.
New negotiations between Russia and Ukraine?
When there might be new negotiations between Russia and Ukraine is still open. Kremlin spokesman Peskov said there was no deadline by when Kyiv to respond to the offer. But at the same time he made it clear that Moscow was dissatisfied with the pace of negotiations so far. “We have said several times that the dynamics of the work of the Ukrainian side leave much to be desired,” said Peskov. Now “the ball is on the side” of the Ukrainians. Zelenskyj said he was convinced that nothing had been handed over.
Negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv began on February 28, four days following that of Russia’s president Wladimir Putin ordered attack on Ukraine. So far, Russia has demanded, among other things, the neutrality of Ukraine and the cession of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as well as the recognition of the Crimean peninsula as Russian. Kyiv categorically refuses to give up its own territory.
Massive deployment of troops and heavy fighting
President Zelenskyj reported in a video message regarding a large deployment of troops in the east. “Now practically the entire combat-ready part of the Russian army is concentrated on the territory of our state and in the border areas of Russia.” According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russian attempts to storm the cities of Rubishne and Sievarodonetsk in the Luhansk region were unsuccessful. There was also heavy fighting around Marjinka, Popasna, Torske, Selena Dolyna and Kreminna.
According to their own statements, Russia’s armed forces shelled 1,053 military objects. They also bombed 73 military targets in Ukraine. This information might not be confirmed independently.
flight of civilians Mariupol fails
According to the Ukrainian government, a rescue of civilians in Mariupol failed once more. “Unfortunately, the humanitarian corridor from Mariupol did not work as planned today,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram. The occupiers failed to get people to the agreed point in time, where buses and ambulances were waiting for them, she said. There should be a new attempt this Thursday. The pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk region meanwhile said that almost 130 civilians were able to get to safety from a residential area on the outskirts of the embattled Azovstal steelworks.
defender in Mariupol ask for evacuation
The commander of the remaining marines in the port city of Mariupol asked for his fighters to be evacuated to a third country. He also indicated that he wanted to give up. “The enemy is superior to us 10 to 1,” commander Serhiy Volyna said in a video message published on Facebook. The Ukrainian side is defending only one object, the Azovstal Steel Works. President Selenskyj was ready for an exchange. “We are ready to exchange our people for Russian soldiers who left behind them – both corpses and wounded,” said the 44-year-old.
Also read: All current information on the war in Ukraine in the live ticker
The south-eastern Ukrainian port of Mariupol was completely surrounded by Russian troops on March 1, shortly following the start of the war. The city and the port are largely considered to have been destroyed. Most recently, according to Russian information, around 2,500 Ukrainian fighters and 400 foreign mercenaries were holed up in the steelworks. According to Ukrainian reports, around 1,000 civilians are said to have sought protection there. Russia has repeatedly called on Ukrainian troops to surrender. So far, the Ukrainians had refused this.
More than five million people have fled Ukraine
The number of refugees from Ukraine since the Russian war of aggression began on February 24 has passed the five million mark. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva on Wednesday named 5,034,439 people who are said to have crossed borders into neighboring countries. The majority – 2.8 million – fled to Poland first.
International donor conference in May
An international donor conference on May 5 is set to collect money for Ukraine. The conference will be the start of the recently approved solidarity fund for the country, said EU Council President Charles Michel during a visit to Kyiv. At the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed: “Sanctions, weapons, EU membership and money – that’s what we need today.” New sanctions once morest Russia are also needed immediately. Zelenskyj also called for a complete energy embargo – including an import stop for oil and natural gas.
Russia tests new missile
Meanwhile, Russia has tested a new Sarmat ICBM. The missile, which can be equipped with nuclear warheads, massively strengthens the nuclear potential, the Ministry of Defense said. No missile in the world can reach targets as far away as this one. The Sarmat has a range of 18,000 kilometers. Launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, the rocket impacted the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula. The US Department of Defense said the test was not seen as a threat to the US and its allies.
UN Secretary-General wants to travel to Kyiv and Moscow
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is stepping up his diplomatic attempts to reach a ceasefire in the Ukraine war. Guterres sent letters to the UN missions of Russia and Ukraine: “In these letters, the Secretary General asked President (Vladimir) Putin to receive him in Moscow and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to receive him in Kyiv,” said spokesman Stephane Dujarric in New York. “Urgent steps” must be taken to establish peace in Ukraine. It is questionable whether Putin even wants to speak to the UN chief.
Dispute over arms deliveries – Scholz remains under pressure
In Deutschland the discussion regarding arms deliveries continues. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is still under pressure despite new commitments for arms deliveries to Ukraine – also in the traffic light coalition. For the Green politician Anton Hofreiter and the FDP politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Scholz’s statements on Tuesday evening do not go far enough. The Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Melnyk was also dissatisfied.
Luftwaffe flies injured to Germany
The Luftwaffe has brought more war-wounded Ukrainians to Germany for treatment. The evacuation flight from the Polish city of Rzeszow landed in Hanover. As at the beginning of last week, children and adults were flown out with the special aircraft A310 MedEvac in order to be able to provide better medical care for the most serious injuries in Germany. The A310 MedEvac is the Air Force’s flying intensive care unit. (mss/dpa)
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Updated on 04/20/2022 13:04
The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, criticizes Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Germany does not deliver the weapons that are needed, he said in the “heute journal”. Thumbnail: imago images
