Live blog: ++ Von der Leyen in Kiev: Visit is an “important symbol” ++


live blog

Status: 09.05.2023 10:40 a.m

During her visit to Kiev, EU Commission President von der Leyen described Ukraine as “part of our European family”. Apparently, Wagner mercenaries advance only gradually in Bachmut. All developments in the live blog.

Russia fired around two dozen rockets at Ukraine on the night of so-called “Victory Day,” which commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. According to the Ukrainian air force, 23 of a total of 25 missiles were intercepted.

The authorities of the capital Kiev and the regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Cherkasy reported damage from rocket debris. Nothing was initially known about possible victims.

Against the background of renewed Russian rocket attacks, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is visiting the Ukrainian capital of Kiev on Europe Day. “My presence in Kiev today, May 9th, is an important symbol,” von der Leyen said.

Ukraine is “part of our European family,” said von der Leyen. She “emphatically welcomes President Zelensky’s decision to make May 9 Europe Day.” Her visit to Kiev was “also a sign of a crucial and very practical reality: the EU works hand in hand with Ukraine on many issues”.

On the 78th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, Russian President Vladimir Putin has portrayed his country as an alleged victim in the current war against Ukraine. “Today, civilization is once again at a crucial turning point,” Putin told thousands of soldiers in Moscow’s Red Square.

“We fought back international terrorism, we will protect the residents of Donbass and we will ensure our security,” he added, referring to the fighting against Ukraine that he himself ordered more than a year ago.

Russian President Vladimir Putin swears by the unity of the Russian people in the face of the war in Ukraine. “All in the land are united in support of our heroes.” Referring to the war that has been waged against the neighboring country since February 2022, he says: “We are proud of the participants in the military special operation in Ukraine.” There is nothing stronger than Russian love for the motherland, the President continues.

In his speech marking the Red Army’s victory over Nazi Germany, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of wanting to destroy Russia. “A real war is being waged against our fatherland,” Putin said on Red Square. The Western elite sows hatred and Russophobia. “They are trying to destroy our country.”

Fewer and fewer Ukrainians want to celebrate May 9 as the day of victory over National Socialism.
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According to their boss Yevgeny Prigoshin, the troops of the Russian mercenary group Wagner can only advance slowly in the heavily contested Bakhmut. “Today the groups advanced a maximum of 130 meters. There is fierce fighting, but the groups keep advancing,” Prigozhin said in an audio message on social media.

So far, however, no ammunition has arrived from Moscow. “According to preliminary data, we are gradually getting ammunition. We have not seen them in practice (yet).”

The commemorative march of the “Immortal Regiment” on May 9 was originally a private initiative in Russia. But then the state took over the commemoration. And this year? If the march is canceled, report Christina Nagel.

The commemorative march of the “Immortal Regiment” on May 9 was originally a private initiative in Russia.
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According to British findings, there is a risk of water shortage in the Russian-occupied areas of eastern Ukraine. “Water shortages have been a growing problem for Russian-occupied Donetsk since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022,” the British Defense Ministry said in its daily intelligence report, citing statements by those in power in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

For example, the Siwerskyi-Donets canal, which mainly supplies the region, is still largely in Ukrainian hands.

At the Bavarian armaments electronics group Hensoldt, the first orders in connection with the war in Ukraine are noticeable. In the first quarter, orders were received for TRML-4D radars to defend the country against air raids and to equip the “Puma” and “Leopard 2” tanks, as Hensoldt announced in Taufkirchen near Munich.

At 347 (681) million euros, incoming orders were well below the previous year’s figure, which included major orders for the “Eurofighter”, among other things, but the order backlog remained stable at just under 5.4 billion euros. By the end of the year, however, incoming orders should increase moderately due to expected orders from the Bundeswehr’s special fund.

According to the Kiev military administration, a renewed series of Russian air attacks on the capital was thwarted by the air defense systems during the night. “The air defense systems are working in the outskirts of Kiev,” the administration said on the news app Telegram. The day before, Russia had attacked Kiev with a swarm of drones.

Dark green: Russian army advancing. Hatched: areas annexed by Russia.

conflicting parties as a source

Information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict parties cannot be directly checked by an independent body in the current situation.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has arrived in Kiev to symbolically celebrate Europe Day on May 9th. Von der Leyen arrived on a night train from Poland; later talks with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj are planned.

According to Commission spokesman Eric Mamers, the visit is marked by the “unreserved support of the EU for Ukraine”. It is von der Leyen’s fifth visit to the Ukrainian capital since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It takes place under increased security precautions due to the increased Russian missile attacks.

The Inspector General of the German Armed Forces, Carsten Breuer, gives priority to continued military support to Ukraine in defense against the Russian attackers. “The fight to the death justifies restrictions in training and the availability of material here,” said the highest-ranking German soldier of the dpa news agency. “Supporting the brave Ukrainian armed forces in the fight against the Russian aggressor is our top priority.”

Breuer was in Ukraine last week and met with army chief Valeriy Zalushny and Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.

According to the United Nations (UN), no ships arriving under the grain agreement were inspected by Russia on Sunday and Monday. The government in Moscow is threatening to cancel the deal on May 18 because it sees its own grain and fertilizer exports being hampered.

Former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk has sharply attacked his successor Oleksii Makeiev. “He should get his buttocks off, finally get loud and deliver results on vital issues such as German fighter jets and warships and NATO accession,” said the current Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Melnyk to the editorial network Germany. “By trampling on everything that his predecessor created with sweat and blood, Mr. Makeiev threw a gauntlet in my face too,” said Melnyk.

Reporting on the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has shaped the award of the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. The New York Times received the award in the international reporting category for its “bold” coverage of the conflict, including “an eight-month investigation into the dead in the Ukrainian city of Bucha and the Russian army unit responsible,” the committee said.

The AP news agency was also honored. The committee paid tribute to her coverage of the weeks-long Russian siege of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. The agency also received the Breaking News Photography award for “unique images” from the first weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.

The Pulitzer Prize, named after a New York publisher who died in 1911, is one of the world’s most prestigious awards for journalism.

Multiple Pulitzer Prizes go to US media for reporting on the war against Ukraine.
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