live blog
Putin used his State of the Union speech to claim that the “absolute majority of the population” supported the war of aggression. According to a media report, the Russian army has advanced to Robotyne. All developments in the live blog.
Russia says it is not interested in a new agreement on the export of grain across the Black Sea. This was reported by the state news agency Tass, citing Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev. The agreement brokered by Turkey and the United Nations allowed Ukraine to export grain via the important sea route. It expired in mid-2023.
The Ukrainian army says it has pushed back Russian troops from the village of Orlivka, west of Avdiivka. The situation on the Eastern Front remains difficult, said Ukrainian army chief Olexander Syrskyj, according to the Reuters news agency. Russian stormtroopers attempted to break through Ukrainian defense lines and capture the settlements of Tonenke, Orlivka, Semenivka, Berdychi and Krasnohorivka.
“The enemy is continuing its offensive actions in many areas of the front line. The situation is particularly tense in the Avdiivka and Zaporizhzhia sectors,” Syrskyj said on the messaging app Telegram. After months of fighting, Russian forces captured the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka last week, which is considered to be strategically important. According to Ukrainian information, they are advancing to several other locations along the front line.
Conflict parties as a source
In the current situation, information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian parties to the conflict cannot be directly verified by an independent body.
Hatched: territories occupied by Russia
According to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which violates international law, is supported by the “absolute majority of the population”. The Russian president said this in his 19th State of the Nation Address. In his address to the Federal Assembly – the State Duma and the Federation Council – he thanked citizens and entrepreneurs for their support in the “military special operation.” The people work in three shifts to meet the needs of the front. He called for a minute’s silence for the fallen.
Putin also commemorated the 10th anniversary of the annexation of Crimea, which violated international law. The country looks with pride at the event and what it has probably achieved. “Together we can do anything,” Putin said. Russia will not allow anyone to interfere in its internal affairs.
The Ukrainian authorities are currently investigating the case of a man from Saxony who was wounded in Ukraine. In the 11KM podcast, Antonius Kempmann from NDR talks about the trip to Kiev. Together with colleagues from NDR and WDR, he investigated the question of what political consequences it could have if a German court were to recognize the attack as a war crime.
The CDU foreign expert Norbert Röttgen has warned against an expansion of the war in Ukraine given the situation in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria. “In the Moldovan region of Transnistria, what many have been warning about for two years is becoming apparent: namely, that the war is expanding,” Röttgen told the Rheinische Post. Pro-Russian separatists in the border areas of Ukraine also initially asked Moscow for help “before Russia annexed them.” This was followed by the Russian “full invasion” of Ukraine.
The pro-Russian separatists in Transnistria apparently asked Russia for “protection” against Moldova on Wednesday. According to Russian media reports, at a special congress in Tiraspol, the Transnistrian authorities decided to make a corresponding statement. The resolution asks Moscow to “take measures to defend Transnistria in the face of increasing pressure from Moldova.” Russia then described the “protection” of Transnistrian residents as a “priority.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to give his traditional State of the Nation address today. Two years after the start of his war of aggression against Ukraine, he is also expected to comment on the situation in the conflict. Russian troops recently recorded tactical gains in their invasion. A good two weeks before the presidential election, the 71-year-old head of state is also expected to inform the Federal Assembly – State Duma and Federation Council – about economic, social and foreign policy goals in his speech.
In his speech broadcast on state television, the president traditionally speaks primarily about the current situation in Russia, the economy and social policy. It will be Putin’s 19th State of the Nation Address. Putin last gave the State of the Union address in February 2023 and announced the suspension of the New Start nuclear disarmament treaty. He skipped the speech in the first year of the war. It is considered certain that Putin will be confirmed in office for the fifth time in the presidential election scheduled for March 15-17.
Despite the no from Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), the head of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, continues to appeal for a German delivery of “Taurus” cruise missiles to Ukraine. “I am not giving up hope that this no is not final, especially since the arguments presented are not valid: South Korea has the Taurus in use without Bundeswehr soldiers and the Ukrainians can also handle modern weapons,” Heusgen told the editorial network Germany.
The Ukrainians have so far strictly adhered to attacking Russian positions only on Ukrainian territory. They knew that a violation would cause serious damage, “namely the loss of trust of their second most important partner after the USA, Germany.” Scholz justified his refusal with the risk of Germany becoming involved in the war.
According to the Russian news agency Interfax, Russian armed forces have advanced into the town of Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia. The troops took several buildings in the village, reports Interfax, citing the Russian Defense Ministry. However, it remained unclear whether Ukrainian troops had completely withdrawn from the village. Ukraine recaptured the strategically important location in southern Ukraine in August.
Conflict parties as a source
In the current situation, information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian parties to the conflict cannot be directly verified by an independent body.
Hatched: territories occupied by Russia
Because of the farmers’ protests, Poland is considering closing the border with Ukraine to the movement of goods. Latvia might consider sending ground troops to Ukraine. You can read the developments in the live blog.