Dhe Kremlin has denied any tensions between the Russian army and the Wagner mercenary group. “This conflict only exists in the newsroom,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. Russia recognizes its “heroes who serve in the armed forces” as well as those “who come from the paramilitary group Wagner,” he emphasized: “Everyone is fighting for their fatherland.”
The disagreements between the army and the Wagner group had come to the fore in recent days during the battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Soledar: Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin had repeatedly claimed that his units were the only ones fighting the Ukrainian armed forces in the city. When Prigozhin reported the capture of Soledar on Wednesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense initially objected and two days later reported the capture itself.
Prigozhin then published a message attacking those “who are constantly trying to steal our victories.” In a rare move, the Russian Defense Ministry, in a public statement, commended the “courage” of the Wagner fighters at Soledar. The apparent dispute has been widely commented on by Russian military bloggers. Many of them support the Russian military offensive in Ukraine but criticize the way it is being conducted.
All developments in the live ticker:
14:44 – Ukrainian deminers are being trained in Cambodia
15 Ukrainian soldiers are being trained in Cambodia to defuse landmines. They are trained by experts from the Cambodian organization CMAC, which is also responsible for clearing mines and unexploded projectiles in Cambodia. The Southeast Asian country was riddled with landmines when around 30 years of war and dictatorship ended in the late 1990s. Even today there are an estimated four to six million unexploded mines and projectiles in Cambodia, which keep killing people.
1:52 p.m. – Death toll after rocket attack rises to 40
The death toll after a Russian rocket attack on a multi-story apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro has risen to 40. As the regional administration further announced, 15 children are among the at least 75 injured. 39 people have been rescued in non-stop action since Saturday, 30 were still missing on Monday. Around 1700 people lived in the building. The rocket blast came amid a widespread Russian missile and cruise missile attack on Ukraine.
On Monday, a salvage and rescue operation is still underway at the hit house in Dnipro
Source: REUTERS
13:10 – Finland: Leopard delivery topic at Ramstein meetings
At the meeting of Ukraine supporters at the US air base Ramstein in Rhineland-Palatinate on Friday, the demand for the delivery of Leopard main battle tanks will also be discussed. This was announced by Finnish Defense Minister Mikko Savola. Finland’s position depends on the German attitude. Because his country is dependent on the approval of the manufacturer country Germany for a delivery to the Ukraine. Finland, like Poland, recently agreed to participate in Leopard deliveries to Ukraine.
12:04 pm – Freighter in the Bosphorus is free again
A Ukrainian freighter that ran aground in the Turkish Bosphorus Strait is free again. The Turkish Directorate-General for Coastal Safety said on Twitter that it had been refloated and is now anchored on the shore of the strait.
11:00 a.m. – Bundeswehr begins deployment of Patriot systems to Poland
The Bundeswehr begins relocating its Patriot air defense system to Poland. The first soldiers should set off this Monday with their vehicles from Bad Sülze (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), as the German Press Agency learned from security circles. In the coming days, the weapon systems will also be relocated to the neighboring country. A total of three squadrons are to ensure the protection of critical infrastructure of the NATO ally near the border with Ukraine.
After a missile hit Polish territory in November, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) and her Polish counterpart Mariusz Blaszczak agreed that German Patriot missile defense systems would be relocated to Poland. In the meantime, Blaszczak caused considerable upset in Berlin because he suggested stationing the Patriots better in Ukraine. It is now clear that three fire units will come to Poland after all. In addition, Germany will also deliver a Patriot anti-aircraft system to Ukraine to help the country defend itself against Russia.
10:55 am – Kremlin: British tanks ‘will burn’
The Kremlin is unimpressed by the announced delivery of British main battle tanks to Ukraine. New supplies from countries like Britain and Poland would not change the situation on the ground, but only mean further trouble for Ukraine, says Russian Presidential Office spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The new tanks “will burn like the rest”. Great Britain announced on Saturday that it would make 14 Challenger 2 tanks and other artillery available to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
10:17 a.m. – Lambrecht asks Scholz to be released
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) has asked Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to be dismissed from office. According to a written statement by Lambrecht, “the months of media focus” on her person “hardly allow for factual reporting and discussion” on Bundeswehr issues. “I have therefore decided to make my office available.”
09:08 – London: “Limited gains in various front sectors”
According to British estimates, Ukrainian and Russian forces continue to pay a high price for their offensives in eastern Ukraine. “Over the past six weeks, both Russia and Ukraine have made hard-fought but limited gains on various fronts,” the UK MoD said in its daily intelligence update. However, there is a lack of units for larger gains in terrain. “Under these circumstances, a key challenge for both sides is to form formations of unattached, capable troops that can use tactical successes to achieve operational breakthroughs,” the ministry said.
Source: Infographic WORLD
On Sunday, Ukrainian units were probably still holding positions in Soledar north of the embattled town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, sources said. Troops from the Wagner mercenary group in particular continued to attack there. Fighting also continued around Kreminna in the Luhansk region. It was said that Ukrainian forces were making slow progress here.
06:59 – US Army begins new training of Ukrainians in Germany
The US Army has started new training courses for Ukrainian soldiers at the military training area in Grafenwoehr, Bavaria. The aim is to send a battalion of around 500 soldiers back to the battlefield in the next five to eight weeks to defend against Russia’s attacking troops, US Chief of Staff Mark Milley told reporters. He is planning a visit to Grafenwoehr on Monday to get an idea of the training program.
06:43 – Cargo ship from Ukraine runs aground in the Bosphorus
A cargo ship coming from Ukraine has run aground in the Bosphorus. The strait between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean was then temporarily closed, according to the Turkish Directorate-General for Coastal Security. Special ships tried to free the 142 meter long MKK-1 freighter, it said.
The incident happened near Umuryeri, between the second and third bridges over the Bosphorus. The freighter sails under the flag of the island state of Palau. It was initially unclear what the ship was loading and whether it was traveling within the framework of the grain agreement, which regulates the export of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea and the Bosphorus Strait.
05:02 – In Dnipro, rescuers’ hopes are dwindling
In Dnipro, hopes of rescuing survivors from a house destroyed by Russian rockets are dwindling. “The chance that we will find any more survivors is minimal,” Dnipro Mayor Boris Filatov told Reuters. At least 30 people were killed in the attack, according to the regional governor’s adviser, Natalia Babachenko. More than 30 injured are in the hospital, including twelve seriously injured.
04:01 – Russia and Belarus begin joint air force exercises
Russia and Belarus begin joint air force exercises in Belarus. Minsk explains that the exercises are defensive. Unofficial military surveillance channels on Telegram report that since the beginning of the year, several Russian fighter jets, helicopters and military transport planes have arrived in Belarus – eight fighter jets and four cargo planes on Sunday alone. Reuters could not verify these reports. First Deputy State Secretary of the Belarusian Security Council Pavel Muravejko wrote on Telegram that Ukraine provoked Belarus. However, one reacts cautiously. “We have the necessary forces and means to respond to any manifestation of aggression or a terrorist threat on our territory.”
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