Aktualisierungen zum Krieg zwischen Russland und der Ukraine vom 21. Mai 2024

Die russischen Streitkräfte haben am Dienstag mit der ersten Phase der Ausbildung in der „Vorbereitung und dem Einsatz nichtstrategischer Atomwaffen“ begonnen, teilte das Verteidigungsministerium in einem Beitrag auf Telegram mit.

„Im Rahmen dieser Phase übt das Personal der Raketenformationen des südlichen Militärbezirks Kampftrainingsaufgaben zur Beschaffung von Spezialmunition für das operativ-taktische Raketensystem Iskander aus, rüstet damit Trägerraketen aus und rückt heimlich in das vorgesehene Positionsgebiet vor Vorbereitung für Raketenstarts“, heißt es in dem Beitrag.

Präsident Wladimir Putin ordnete die Übungen Anfang des Monats an, um seiner Aussage nach ein militärisches Engagement des Westens in der Ukraine abzuschrecken.

— Karen Gilchrist

Die EU-Länder haben offiziell einen Plan angenommen, wonach unerwartete Gewinne aus in der EU eingefrorenen Vermögenswerten der russischen Zentralbank für die Verteidigung der Ukraine verwendet werden sollen, teilte die belgische Regierung am Dienstag mit.

Der Text musste erst von den Ministern abgesegnet werden, nachdem die EU-Botschafter Anfang Mai die Einigung erzielt hatten.

Gemäß der Vereinbarung fließen 90 % des Erlöses in einen von der EU verwalteten Fonds für Militärhilfe für die Ukraine, während die anderen 10 % Kiew auf andere Weise unterstützen.

Die EU geht davon aus, dass die Vermögenswerte bis 2027 einen Gewinn von etwa 15 bis 20 Milliarden Euro (16,30 bis 21,70 Milliarden US-Dollar) abwerfen werden. Die erste Tranche wird die Ukraine voraussichtlich im Juli erhalten, sagten EU-Diplomaten.

Die Gruppe der Sieben-Staaten (G7) hat kurz nach dem Einmarsch Moskaus in die Ukraine im Jahr 2022 russische Finanzanlagen im Wert von rund 300 Milliarden US-Dollar eingefroren. Seitdem diskutieren die EU und andere G7-Staaten darüber, wie und ob die Gelder zur Unterstützung der Ukraine eingesetzt werden sollen.

US-Finanzministerin Janet Yellen drängt diese Woche andere G7-Staaten dazu, sich auf einen Plan zu einigen, die Gewinne als Sicherheit für einen größeren Kredit zur Unterstützung der Ukraine zu verwenden.

– Reuters

Der Kreml erklärte am Dienstag, dass der jüngste Aufruf des ukrainischen Präsidenten Wolodymyr Selenskyj zu mehr westlicher Hilfe und Einbindung in den Konflikt auf die „extrem ungünstige“ Situation der Ukraine auf dem Schlachtfeld zurückzuführen sei.

„Verschiedene Vertreter des Kiewer Regimes und Selenskyj selbst haben in den letzten Tagen viele Erklärungen abgegeben, die manchmal sogar in Hysterie verfielen. Dies ist auf die äußerst ungünstige Position der Kräfte des Kiewer Regimes an den Fronten zurückzuführen“, sagte Kreml-Pressesprecher Dmitri Peskow sagte in von NBC News übersetzten Kommentaren.

„Dies liegt auch an der recht schwierigen Lage, in der sich das ukrainische Militär trotz aller versprochenen Hilfe befindet.] [supplies- are not as regular as hoped for. And most importantly, there is a growing understanding that even if this rhythm of military supplies is restored, this will still not allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to change the dynamics at the fronts. This understanding is growing and it does not add confidence or balanced judgment to the Kiev regime representatives,” he added.

Peskov’s comments come after Zelenskyy told Reuters Monday that he was trying to get Ukraine’s partners more directly involved, asking them to help intercept Russian missiles and to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons against Russian military equipment at the border and targets inside Russian territory.

He said he understood they were wary of antagonizing Russia, however. “It’s a question of will,” Zelenskyy told the news agency. “But everyone says a word that sounds the same in every language: everyone is scared of escalation.”

Zelenskyy told Reuters that the situation on the front lines had stabilized in the last week, though he conceded that Ukraine’s forces had been in a more difficult position after Russia launched a new offensive in the northeast.

— Holly Ellyatt

Finland called on the European Union to help prevent what it calls “instrumentalized” or “weaponized” migration at its border with Russia.

Finland has closed its borders with Russia in recent months, accusing the country of deliberately sending undocumented asylum seekers to its border in order to try to destablize the country, a new NATO member. Moscow denies the accusation.

On Tuesday, the Finnish government submitted a proposal to parliament on a new border security law that would allow border agents to prevent migrants who are seen as “instruments of influence” from entering from Russia.

“It is the government’s duty to ensure the security of the borders, Finland and Finns in all situations,” Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told a news conference, in comments reported by Reuters.

“Unfortunately the EU legislation does yet not provide us with effective tools to tackle the problem. I hope our work will pave the way for European level solutions,” he added.

— Holly Ellyatt

A woman died during a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian border region of Belgorod, the regional governor said on Telegram.

“A moving passenger car with a driver and three passengers was attacked by a kamikaze drone. The incident occurred near the checkpoint in the village of Oktyabrsky in the Belgorod region,” Vyacheslav Gladkov said Tuesday.

“As a result of the explosion, the woman died on the spot from her wounds,” he said, adding that the other passengers in the car were also injured.

Belgorod, across the border from Ukraine’s Kharkiv region where a new Russian offensive is focused, has come under frequent fire from Ukrainian forces. Kyiv has not commented on this latest attack and CNBC was unable to verify Gladkov’s claims.

The governor said other villages in Belgorod had come under Ukrainian fire and that agricultural enterprises in the villages of Novaya Tavolzhanka and Voznesenovka had been damaged. There were no casualties.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia is currently experiencing a labor shortage in no small part due to the war in Ukraine, with some sectors experiencing significant problems recruiting workers, the British Ministry of Defense said Tuesday, noting that the situation could lead to a “mobilisation of labour.”

Russia had a shortage of 4.8 million workers in 2023, according to estimates by the Russian media outlet Izvestia, cited by the defense ministry. The newspaper noted that the Russian transport and logistics industry was unable to fill 25% of its truck driver vacancies during 2023.

“The labour shortage has at least in part been caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has led to mobilisation of parts of the working population and emigration by some skilled professionals seeking to avoid the call-up,” the defense ministry said in an intelligence update on X on Monday.

More recently, the labor shortage has been exacerbated by restrictions on migrant employment implemented following the March 22 terrorist incident in Moscow, an attack claimed by an Islamic State militant group affiliate.

“As a result of the labour shortages, a group of Russian parliamentarians are looking at possible amendments to the Russian labour code. If enacted, it would mean that excess labour force could be moved under state supervision to a place of work which lacks sufficient labour. The moves will be temporary and workers will only be transferred with their consent,” the U.K. said.

“However, although not coercive, it is a potential move towards the mobilisation of labour,” it added.

— Holly Ellyatt

Poland has arrested nine people in connection with acts of sabotage committed in the country on the orders of Russian services, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said late on Monday.

Warsaw says its position as a hub for supplies to Ukraine has made it a key target for Russian intelligence services, and accuses Moscow of trying to destabilize the country.

“We currently have nine suspects arrested and charged with engaging in acts of sabotage in Poland directly on behalf of the Russian services,” Tusk told private broadcaster TVN24.

“This includes beatings, arson and attempted arson.”

He said Poland was collaborating with its allies on the issue and that the plots also affected Lithuania, Latvia and possibly also Sweden.

Tusk said earlier this month Poland would allocate an additional 100 million zlotys ($25.53 million) to its intelligence services due to the threat from Russia.

In April, two people were detained in Poland on suspicion of attacking Leonid Volkov, an exiled top aide to late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

— Reuters

Ukraine said Monday that its military is “holding back” Russian troops near Bilohorivka, a rural settlement in the east of the country, which Moscow claimed earlier in the day to have seized.

“The defence forces for quite a long time today have been holding back the onslaught of the enemy, which is trying to somehow move forward in the area of Bilohorivka,” Kyiv’s general staff said in a Google-translated Facebook post.

— Karen Gilchrist

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday spoke to Iran’s interim President, Mohammed Mokhber, who was previously the country’s vice president, the Kremlin said in a statement.

“Both sides will emphasize their mutual desire to further consistently strengthen comprehensive Russian-Iranian interaction for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries,” the Kremlin said, according to a Google-translation.

Earlier on Monday, Russian state news agency Ria Novosti had reported that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said he expected all agreements previously made between the two countries to be fulfilled even after the death of Iran’s president and foreign minister. The two died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

— Sophie Kiderlin

China and Russia should stabilize the foundation of their cooperation, said China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi after meeting on Monday with his counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Wang called on both countries to maintain the security and stability of neighboring areas, according to Reuters. The minister spoke at the meeting with his counterpart in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana.

The ministers also discussed the situation in the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean peninsula, Reuters reported.

– April Roach

Ukraine still holds around 60% of the embattled town Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region, Deputy Governor Roman Semenukha told Ukrainian national television on Monday, Reuters reported.

“The enemy continues to try, especially inside Vovchansk, to push the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of the town,” he said, noting that assaults from Russia are not stopping.

CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.

Vovchansk has become a fighting hot spot and heavily contested town in recent weeks since Russia launched a fresh offensive on the Kharkiv region in the northeast of Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine have at times given conflicting information about the the situation on the ground, including on territorial gains and losses.

— Sophie Kiderlin

The Russian Defense Ministry on Monday said it took control of another Ukrainian settlement, Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region, according to a Google-translated post on Telegram.

That was a result of “hostile activities” and allows Russia to take on more advantageous positions, the ministry said.

Separately, the ministry said attacks from Ukraine on the border region Belgorod were thwarted. Two drones and a rocket were destroyed by Russian air defense systems, the ministry said in another Google-translated Telegram post.

Belgorod is a key region for Ukrainian attacks and at least 13 people were injured in the area after strikes on Sunday.

CNBC could not independently verify battleground reports.

— Sophie Kiderlin