live blog
Status: 02/21/2023 03:13 am
Belarusian President Lukashenko is increasing his armed forces by ordering a new voluntary territorial defense system. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Ukraine is still waiting for a quarter of the promised heavy weapons. The latest developments in the live blog.
3:13 a.m
Russia insists on the results of the Nord Stream investigation
Russia has repeatedly urged Sweden to disclose the results of the ongoing investigation into the explosions at the Nord Stream pipelines. “Almost five months have passed since the acts of sabotage on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. However, the Swedish authorities have remained silent the whole time, as ordered,” writes the Russian embassy in Sweden on the news platform Telegram. “What is the Swedish leadership so afraid of?”
At the insistence of Russia, the United Nations Security Council will deal today with a possible act of sabotage of the two twin tubes. A vote on an investigation will be taken by the end of the week, Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, said on Telegram.
2:33 a.m
Belarus raises volunteer army
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is increasing his armed forces by ordering a new voluntary territorial defense system. The “experiences in Ukraine” would require additional defense, Lukashenko said at his Security Council meeting.
According to Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin, the paramilitary formation should consist of 100,000 to 150,000 volunteers and ideally be found in every village and town. According to the military balance sheet of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the country’s professional army comprises around 48,000 soldiers and around 12,000 state border troops.
2:13 a.m
Study: Ukraine war cost global economy $1.6 trillion
According to an unpublished study, the Ukraine war cost the global economy more than $1.6 trillion last year. This is reported by the Düsseldorf “Rheinische Post” with reference to the study available to it by the Cologne Institute of German Economics (IW). “According to an IW estimate, global economic output in 2022 would have been well over 1,600 billion US dollars lower than it would have been without the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” writes study author Michael Grömling.
According to the report, the study says that in 2023 the global production losses could amount to another 1 trillion US dollars. The reference value of the IW model calculation is the gross domestic product (GDP). The autumn forecasts of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) served as the basis for the calculations and estimates.
2:04 a.m
Wüst assumes that the refugees will remain permanently
The Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, expects numerous refugees to remain in Germany permanently. “Let’s be honest: the vast majority of people who come to us will stay longer, many of them permanently in Germany,” said the CDU politician to the “Rheinische Post”. You have to do justice to these people. Wüst mentioned the accommodation, daycare and school attendance for the children and integration. Wüst emphasized that these are cost-intensive long-term tasks that the federal states and municipalities cannot handle alone.
Although the number of newcomers is much higher today than in 2016, there is much less financial support from the federal government. In 2016, the federal government contributed 40 percent to the refugee spending of the federal states. In 2022 it was not even 20 percent, the Prime Minister calculated. He emphasized: “This blatant disproportion must come to an end.” Wüst warned the federal government: “Ignoring problems only strengthens the political fringes in the end.”
1:46 am
Putin delivers state of the nation address
Russian President Vladimir Putin is delivering his state of the nation address today, shortly before the anniversary of the war he ordered in Ukraine. The Federal Assembly – the State Duma and the Federation Council – will meet in the Gostiny Dvor event center near the Kremlin. According to the Kremlin, Putin will address the war and the current situation in Russia. He also wants to comment on the economy and social policy.
1:42 a.m
Kiev is still waiting for 25 percent of the promised weapons
According to an analysis by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), Ukraine has not yet received at least a quarter of the heavy weapons promised by the West. “The donor countries have so far delivered between 65 and 75 percent of the promised heavy weapons to Ukraine,” said IfW expert Andre Frank of the editorial network Germany. The delay in financial aid from the two largest donors, the USA and the EU, is even greater. “So far, only about half of their commitments have been paid out.”