DAccording to Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens), the Ukrainian armed forces must be equipped with suitable weapons in order to be able to overcome the Russian minefields. Baerbock said in Berlin that there were “huge mine belts, especially in eastern Ukraine,” which were roughly the size of western Germany.
That is why Ukraine has made it clear that it needs material to overcome these minefields. “We’re working on it at full speed (…),” said Baerbock when asked if and when Germany would deliver the Taurus cruise missiles demanded by Ukraine.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SDPD) is still hesitating whether Germany should make Taurus missiles available to Ukraine. Taurus is a German-made medium-range missile with a range of up to 500 kilometers. So far, Scholz has justified his reluctance by saying that the missiles should not be used to attack targets in Russia itself, so that the situation does not escalate further. Therefore, the industry should check whether the range of the missiles can be reduced.
Baerbock countered that Ukraine could already be firing rockets at targets in Russia from its border area with Russia in the north. In this respect, the question of range is not decisive, she said at a joint press conference with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
All developments in the live ticker:
14:50 – Ukrainian troops appear to be advancing to the southeast
According to the government, the Ukrainian armed forces are making progress in their offensive in the south-east of the country. Ukrainian troops have advanced into the strategically important location of Robotyne, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar wrote on Telegram. The evacuation of the place is currently being organized, but the soldiers are still coming under fire from Russian troops. Robotyne is located ten kilometers south of the front-line town of Orikhiv in Zaporizhia Oblast. There the road runs to Tokmak, a Russian-occupied transport hub.
The current situation in Ukraine
Source: Infographic WORLD
A video released by the Ukrainian military shows a woman kissing Ukrainian soldiers. “We are very grateful to the boys,” says an older woman. Reuters was able to verify that the video was from the Robotyne area. However, the time of the recording could not be verified. One of the main goals of the ongoing Ukrainian counter-offensive in the south-east of the country is to push further towards the town of Melitopol, not far from the Azov Sea coast. In doing so, Ukrainian forces would have driven a wedge into the Russian garrison along the coast.
1:05 p.m. – EU pays out billions in loan to Ukraine
Ukraine has received another €1.5 billion bailout loan from the EU. As Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced, he should help the country attacked by Russia to keep the state running and repair infrastructure. “We are doing everything we can to support Ukraine,” said the former German defense minister.
The money is part of a loan program of up to €18 billion agreed by EU member states last December for this year. With the financial aid, the EU wants to enable the Ukrainian state to continue paying wages and pensions. In addition, the operation of hospitals, schools and emergency shelters for resettled people should be guaranteed. In addition, the money can also be used to restore infrastructure destroyed by the Russian war of aggression. These include, for example, power lines, water systems, and roads and bridges.
11:35 a.m. – Russia wants to multiply drone production
Russia wants to expand the production of drones for the military as well as for the civilian sector. The country currently manufactures around 6,000 of the around 30,000 drones required for civilian use, said Deputy Industry Minister Wassili Shpak in an interview with the state agency TASS. “If we talk about military needs, then the level of production is much higher.” He did not give any figures.
During airstrikes in its war against Ukraine, Russia often uses Iranian-made combat drones, which are destroyed when they hit the target. These drones are now also being produced in Russia. Ukraine is also developing its combat drones. For reconnaissance over the battlefield, both sides fly hundreds of small aircraft that have been converted for military use.
By 2024, the production of civilian drones in Russia should increase to 18,000 units a year, Shpak said in an interview on Tuesday. In 2030 it should be 30,000 pieces. This includes all types of aircraft or helicopter-like drones to multi-rotor multicopters. They should be used in agriculture, on construction sites or for transport in inaccessible regions.
11:00 am – Russian long-range bomber apparently destroyed in attack
According to British estimates, a Russian long-range bomber was destroyed in an attack on a Russian military airfield. The British Ministry of Defense said it was a Tupolev Tu-22M3 (NATO code: Backfire) machine that would fire inaccurate Ch-22 Burja cruise missiles (NATO: AS-4 Kitchen) at Ukrainian targets.
“This is at least the third successful attack on a long-range airfield, again raising questions about Russia’s ability to protect strategic locations deep inland,” the UK ministry said.
The Tupolev Tu-22M3 long-range bomber
Source: picture alliance/Russian Look/Photoagency Interpress
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that a Ukrainian drone had attacked the Solzy airfield in western Russia’s Novgorod region, around 650 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. A fire broke out, damaging a machine.
The British Ministry referred to the Russian statement that the attack was flown by a “helicopter-like drone”. “If true, it underscores the assessment that some drone strikes on Russian military targets are being launched from Russian territory,” it said. Because such drones would not have enough range to reach Solzy if they were launched outside of Russia.
10:40 am – Russia reports foiled drone strikes
According to its own statements, Russia repelled four Ukrainian drone attacks during the night. The Ministry of Defense announced that falling wreckage from a drone had smashed the windows of a residential building in a suburb west of the capital Moscow and damaged vehicles. There were no reports of injuries.
Flight operations at several Moscow airports were temporarily suspended on Tuesday for security reasons, the authorities said. According to the Defense Ministry, two other drones were electronically intercepted and crashed in the Bryansk region in the west of the country on the border with Ukraine. The Ukrainian side did not claim responsibility for the attacks.
08:00 – Drones attack Zaporizhia
According to media reports, the city of Zaporizhia in southeastern Ukraine was attacked with Shahed drones on Tuesday night. Explosions could be heard in the area. Earlier, the Ukrainian Air Force told Telegram that a group of attack drones had been spotted near the city. An air alert was therefore declared in the region. The information could not be independently verified. There was initially no information about possible damage or injuries. In the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Moscow has repeatedly used Iranian-made drones.
A Ukrainian soldier in Zaporizhia Oblast (photo: 11.8.2023)
Source: dpa/—
06:03 – Russia: Ukrainian reconnaissance boat wrecked in Black Sea
According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, the crew of a Russian fighter jet destroyed a reconnaissance boat belonging to the Ukrainian armed forces near Russian gas production facilities in the Black Sea. The ministry reported this on Telegram. The fighter jet was a Su-30 machine. The information could not be independently verified.
02:39 – Tass: Airspace over Moscow closed after drone strikes
According to the Russian news agency Tass, the three largest airports in Moscow have stopped taking off and landing. “The airspace over Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo is closed,” Tass quoted a person familiar with the matter as saying. Russia had reported several Ukrainian drone strikes on Monday and Tuesday, including over Moscow.
11:22 p.m. – Russia: Shot down Ukrainian drones over the sea
The Russian Defense Ministry has said it shot down two Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea. They fell into the water about 40 kilometers from northwest Crimea.
10:14 pm – US authorizes sale of Apache attack helicopters to Poland
The US government has approved the sale of 96 Apache attack helicopters to Poland. The authority responsible for defense cooperation informed Congress on Monday that it had approved the $12 billion arms deal, the US State Department said. The sum includes the 96 combat helicopters manufactured by Boeing and the associated armament and equipment.
“Kick-off” is WELT’s daily news podcast. The most important topic analyzed by WELT editors and the dates of the day. Subscribe to the podcast at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or directly by RSS feed.