The Ukrainian President is scheduled to address the Bundestag today. Mariupol’s mayor says private cars have left the city under fire – the developments at a glance.
Day 22 after the Russian attack, Ukraine continues to report fighting and destruction. According to Ukrainian sources, debris from an intercepted rocket hit a high-rise building in the east of the capital Kyiv during the night.
Three residents were injured and other people were rescued, the rescue service said in the morning. A video showed a fire in an apartment. The Bundestag is expecting a video speech from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the morning.
Thousands of people flee in private cars
The mayor of Mariupol, Vadim Bojchenko, reported overnight via the Telegram service that people could now leave the city in private cars. Within two days, around 6,500 cars left Mariupol. But there is no ceasefire, people fled under fire. Yesterday there was a devastating bomb attack on a theater building in Mariupol. Bojchenko said there were more than 1,000 people there, it was “another tragedy”. The civilians are said to have taken shelter in the building. Ukraine and Russia blame each other for the attack.
Ukraine reports plane down
Regarding the actual war, the Ukrainian army reported during the night that two more Russian Sukhoi Su-35 and Su-30 combat aircraft had been destroyed over the Kyiv region. On land, Russian units concentrated primarily on securing their territory gains. There are efforts by Russian troops to advance south of the city of Izyum, probably to continue an offensive towards Sloviansk. However, they are not successful in this.
The Russian military said the crews of 70 foreign ships were stranded there because of Ukrainian-mined waters. The pro-Russian separatists of the self-declared People’s Republic of Luhansk accused the Ukrainian army of six rocket attacks on settlements within 24 hours. The information provided by both sides cannot be independently verified.
Selenskyj wants “end of war” – consultant skeptical
Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24 and has since gained territory in the north, east and south of the country. At the same time, both sides are negotiating options for ending the war. In addition, Ukraine could possibly declare itself neutral and receive security guarantees in return.
However, President Selenskyj’s adviser Alexander Rodnyansky dampened the ARD program “maischberger. the week” the hope for an early peace solution. Russia is trying to buy time to recruit new troops and then launch an offensive again.
Zelenskyy himself said in a video message published during the night that his priorities in the negotiations with Russia were clear: “An end to the war, security guarantees, sovereignty and the restoration of territorial integrity.” Zelenskyi again demanded more pressure from the West: a no-fly zone over Ukraine was necessary, as well as the delivery of air defense systems, aircraft, lethal weapons and ammunition, and a new package of sanctions against Russia.
Biden promises further support for Ukraine
US President Joe Biden announced further arms deliveries and military aid for Ukraine in the millions. A $800 million (€730 million) aid package includes anti-aircraft missiles, drones and thousands of anti-tank weapons, Biden said in Washington.
Germany and other NATO countries have also supplied weapons and imposed sanctions. However, on Wednesday evening, Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) again spoke out against NATO involvement in the war and against escalation scenarios.
Morawiecki asks Scholz to travel to Kyiv
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and other heads of state and government to pay a solidarity visit to Kyiv – just as Morawiecki himself had recently done with his colleagues from the Czech Republic and Slovenia. “They should look into the eyes of women and children and help them save their lives and their independence,” Morawiecki told the “Bild”.
Concern for the safety of Ukraine refugees
According to the UN, more than three million people have fled Ukraine. The International Organization for Migration said it was concerned about the risk of human trafficking and sexual exploitation and abuse. There is an increasing threat to the personal safety of the people fleeing, the IOM said in Geneva.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz also pointed out the dangers, especially for refugee women, in the ARD “Tagesthemen”. “Above all, we have to register the refugees, and we have to register those who take in refugees, because we can already see that abuse may also be committed here with women who come to us,” said Merz. Germany must know who is coming to the country. And the people would have to be distributed in Germany and the European Union.
That will be important on Thursday
After Zelenskyj’s speech to the Bundestag planned for the morning (9 a.m.), the parliament will deal, among other things, with the accommodation of the Ukraine refugees. In the afternoon (2:00 p.m.) Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also discuss with the Prime Ministers of the federal states how to deal with the refugees and the energy prices that have risen since the beginning of the war. Before that, he will receive NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for talks (11:30 a.m.) in the Chancellery, also with a view to the special summit of the heads of state and government of the alliance countries next week.
The UN Security Council is holding an emergency session in New York to discuss possible war crimes committed by Russia. On Wednesday, US President Biden publicly called Russia’s President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” for the first time.
Source: Stern
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