2023-08-05 01:16:13
Live ticker Ukrainian counteroffensive
“The terrain would then no longer be defensible for the Russians”
Status: 03:16 | Reading time: 5 minutes
Drone attacks on Russian Black Sea port
A Ukrainian sea drone is said to have collided with a manned Russian warship near the port city of Novorossiysk. Supposed shots of the drone are said to show the moment when it heads for the warship and hits it.
The military expert Christian Mölling sees good chances for the Ukrainian counter-offensive. “It doesn’t have to end like in a Hollywood film,” he says, and warns once morest too high expectations. There are also reports of explosions near the Crimean Bridge. More in the live ticker.
Around two months following the start of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, military expert Christian Mölling from the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) sees chances for the operation to be successful. The offensive is progressing slowly but surely. “If the Ukrainians manage to get through the first Russian line of defense, the offensive will be successful,” Mölling told the Funke media group.
A plume of smoke rises above an ammunition depot at a Russian military site on the annexed Black Sea peninsula of Crimea (Photo: July 19, 2023)
Quelle: dpa/Viktor Korotayev
From Mölling’s point of view, it would be sufficient if the Ukrainian troops advanced to the transverse supply lines by rail and road in the direction of Melitopol. Then they might shell the whole area up to the Sea of Azov with artillery and rocket artillery, says the expert. “The terrain would then no longer be defensible for the Russians.”
According to the DGAP expert, the Ukrainians do not need a breakthrough. It would be enough to position themselves so well that it would no longer be possible for the Russians to hold the south. “Then they have to withdraw.” The war might also be decided without a decisive battle. “It doesn’t have to end like in a Hollywood film,” says Mölling.
However, Ukraine needs more of all the Western weapon systems that have been delivered so far: minesweepers, ammunition and anti-aircraft defense. In addition, the country needs longer-range missiles. Mölling demanded that Germany should also deliver Taurus cruise missiles to Kiev. In his opinion, it is “nonsense” that this represents an escalation. The British and French have already delivered similar missiles. “There is no new quality there.” The federal government must also draw up a plan of what the Ukrainians will need in six months. “Germany has always come too late.”
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All developments in the live ticker:
00:34 – London: G-7 price cap on Russian oil continues to have an impact
According to the British government, the price cap imposed on Russian oil by the G7 countries and other allies is still having an effect. This emerges from a message from the Ministry of Finance in London, which was published on Saturday night. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported a drop in Russian oil export revenues in June of almost ten billion US dollars (around nine billion euros) compared to the same month last year. Between May and June alone, revenues fell by $ 1.5 billion (1.36 billion euros).
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More than $60 a barrel
The research organization Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air also estimates that the price cap on crude oil costs Russia 160 billion euros a day. The British also quoted Russian government sources as saying that Moscow’s energy sector revenues in the first quarter of this year were down 45 percent year-on-year.
12:15 AM – Reports: Multiple explosions near Crimean bridge
According to Russian and Ukrainian media, there were several explosions near the Crimean Bridge during the night. A Russian tanker may have been hit by a drone. Ukrainian media reported three explosions near the bridge connecting the Moscow-held Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and mainland Russia.
The bridge should therefore be completely darkened and closed to traffic. A representative of the Russian occupation administration in Crimea spoke on Telegram of an “active dangerous situation”. Russian state media reported that a rescue team had moved towards a tanker. There were initially no further official statements.
An alleged Russian radio message to the ships in the Kerch Strait was also published on the Internet. It calls on all ships to be more vigilant in the event of an attack by air and sea drones.
In an alleged radio call from the hit tanker published online, one of the crew members explains that the engine room is flooded and the ship is said to be immobilized. The information might not be checked independently. 10:25 p.m. – Federal government delivers further military equipment to Ukraine
10:25 p.m. – Federal government delivers further military equipment to Ukraine
Germany has delivered more military hardware and weapons to Ukraine. Compared to the previous week, Kiev was handed over, among other things, two more mine clearance vehicles, nine more border protection vehicles and three more reconnaissance drones, as if from one updated overview on the side of the federal government. In addition, anti-mine plows for T-72 tanks, automated reconnaissance systems and mobile antenna mast complexes were also delivered.
The list of planned military aid has also been updated. New plans include the delivery of 40 additional Marder-type armored personnel carriers, six armored recovery vehicles, seven long-distance mine clearance devices, five additional reconnaissance systems and 18,000 hand-held anti-tank weapons. A WELT research recently showed that a lot of promised material had not yet arrived in the attacked country – nothing from the Marder tanks or the IRIS-T air defense system had even found its way to Ukraine.
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According to the federal government, the funds for the entire support package for Ukraine amount to around 5.4 billion euros for 2023 (following 2 billion euros in 2022). These funds are to be used primarily for military support of the country.
9:17 pm – Russia introduces “socially useful work” for students
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has signed a law introducing “socially useful work” in schools. Pupils should be educated to “love work and its results”, according to the legal text published on Friday. They should participate in activities for the common good and be rewarded with medals for success.
The head of the Russian parliamentary commission behind the draft law, Olga Kasakova, suggested in late May that schoolchildren be trained to do such chores as planting and tending trees or beautifying schools. Two months later, in an interview with Russian state media, Kasakova said that students and schools can also help with “patriotic actions”.
It was also decided to introduce a school subject entitled “Basics of National Security and Defense of the Fatherland” from September 1, 2024. According to Russian media reports, the subject is intended to give children a theoretical and practical understanding of military service and civil protection.
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