Ukraine-News: Governor reports heavy bombing in Lysychansk

war in Ukraine
“They destroy everything”: Governor reports heavy bombing in Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine

Lysychansk, Ukraine: Rescue workers and local residents retrieve a body from the rubble of a building after a Russian airstrike

© Efrem Lukatsky/AP/DPA

Ukrainian units threatened with blockade +++ Moscow renames square in front of US embassy +++ Lindner warns of economic crisis +++ The news about Russia’s war in Ukraine in star-Ticker.

Day 119 of the Ukraine War: Shortly before the decision on Ukraine’s possible status as a candidate for EU membership, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj called for further sanctions against Russia. Meanwhile, fighting continues in the east of the country, and there is a threat of encirclement by Ukrainian troops. And: There could soon be movement in grain exports from Ukraine – according to the Kremlin, representatives of Turkey are to travel to Moscow next week to hold talks about the blocked exports. The most important developments.

10.20 a.m .: Western Balkan countries are considering staying away from the EU summit

The leaders of the three Western Balkan states of Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia are considering staying away from this week’s EU summit. In addition to the EU candidate status for Ukraine, the summit starting on Thursday will also discuss the accession prospects for the western Balkan states. The reason for the possible absence of the three is the veto threat from EU member country Bulgaria, which has been blocking the start of accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania for more than two years.

As a precondition for the accession talks with North Macedonia, Sofia demands that questions of “common history”, language and national identity be discussed. President Stevo Pendarovski said he recommended North Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski not to travel to the EU summit in Brussels. “It is unacceptable that historical issues and language disputes are included in the negotiating framework with the EU,” he said.

10:19 a.m .: Ukraine reports heavy bombing in Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine

The Russian armed forces heavily bombed the eastern Ukrainian city of Lysychansk during the night, according to Ukrainian sources. “They are shelling Lysychansk with artillery, rockets, aerial bombs, rocket launchers,” said the governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Hajday, in the online service Telegram. “They destroy everything.” After weeks of fierce fighting, Russia has almost taken the city of Sieverodonetsk, which is separated from Lysychansk by a river. Most recently, fighting has primarily taken place in the surrounding villages, even if, according to Ukrainian sources, the city of Sievjerodonetsk is still not entirely under Russian control.

9.57 a.m .: Moscow names square in front of US Embassy after “Donetsk People’s Republic”

Russia is renaming the square in front of the American embassy in Moscow after the separatist “Donetsk People’s Republic” (DPR), provoking new tensions with the USA. A corresponding decree on renaming was published by the city administration. The move will force the US embassy to refer to the DPR, which Washington does not recognize as an independent state, when providing its address.

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9.36 a.m .: Lambsdorff considers the threat in the Baltic States to be lower than before the attack on Ukraine

The FDP foreign policy expert Alexander Graf Lambsdorff currently considers the threat to the Baltic EU and NATO countries from Russia to be less than before the start of the attack on Ukraine. “As impossible as that sounds, a very sober analysis reveals that the military resources that are normally concentrated in the western group of Soviet forces are now deployed in Ukraine,” he told RBB station Inforadio. The background to the debate is Moscow’s open threats against Lithuania over restrictions on freight traffic to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

8.39 a.m .: CDU politician Wadephul calls for more leadership from Chancellor Scholz

The deputy chairman of the Union parliamentary group, Johann Wadephul (CDU), has asked Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) for more leadership in international politics. With his predecessor Angela Merkel (CDU), “Germany was the leader of the free world,” he said in the ARD “Morgenmagazin”. “There is still room for improvement for Scholz.” With a view to the Ukraine war, Wadephul welcomed the Chancellor’s visit to Ukraine, but at the same time called for more arms deliveries. In order to put the country in a negotiating position vis-à-vis Russia, Kyiv must be put in a position to defend itself militarily.

8.03 a.m .: Ukrainian units near Sievjerodonetsk are threatened with a blockade

In the battle for the administrative center Sieverodonetsk in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian troops are threatened with another setback: “The enemy is trying to establish full control over Sieberodonetsk and to block defense forces units in the towns of Borivske and Voronowe, the fighting is continuing,” said the Ukrainian General Staff in its situation report. Borivske and Voronowe are two suburbs of Sievjerodonetsk on the east bank of the Severskyi Donets. In the same area, the Russians took the village of Metyolkine just over the weekend. According to earlier reports, Ukrainian units in the conurbation south of the city of Lyssychansk are also threatened with encirclement.

6.30 a.m .: “The state cannot compensate for everything for everyone,” says Labor Minister Heil

In view of the price increases in Germany, Federal Minister of Social Affairs Hubertus Heil (SPD) pointed out the limits of state intervention. “The state cannot compensate for everything for everyone,” Heil dem said star against the background of current demands for a reduction in VAT. This Wednesday evening, the coalition leaders in Berlin wanted to discuss what options could be taken in the fight against price increases in the coming weeks. Against the background of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and the consequences, Heil said: “We will not allow Putin to divide our society.”

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5.04 a.m.: Ukrainian troops in eastern Ukraine threatened with encirclement

In the heavily contested eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, Ukrainian units around the towns of Solote and Hirske could be surrounded by Russian forces. According to a report by the Ukrainian General Staff, the Russian troops had gained territory, so that the Ukrainian forces there could be cut off the northern road connection to their other units around Lysychansk. The connection via Wrubiwka, west of Hirske, had already come under Russian control last week.

5 a.m.: Federal government adheres to deterrence with nuclear weapons

The federal government rules out accession to the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty. Such a step would not be compatible with the obligations arising from Germany’s NATO membership, according to a response to a minor question from left-wing MP Sevim Dagdelen. “Disarmament must take into account the security policy environment,” the government said. Russia’s attack on Ukraine shows the dangers emanating from Moscow. At the same time, the federal government emphasized that it shares the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons. Although Germany has no nuclear weapons, some US nuclear warheads are stationed in the Federal Republic as part of nuclear sharing.

3.09 a.m .: Lindner warns of a “serious economic crisis”

Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) has warned of a serious economic crisis against the background of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. “There is a risk of a very serious economic crisis due to the sharp rise in energy prices, due to supply chain problems, due to inflation,” he said on Tuesday evening on ZDF’s “heute journal”.

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1.35 a.m .: Selenskyj calls for a new package of sanctions against Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is calling for further EU sanctions against Russia because of the war against his country. A seventh package of sanctions is needed as soon as possible, Zelenskyj said in his video message. He emphasized this in talks with various European heads of state and government on Tuesday. “Russia must feel the growing pressure as a result of the war and its aggressive anti-European policy,” said Zelenskyy. Zelenskyj again emphasized the urgency of further arms deliveries.

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