live blog
Status: 01/25/2023 04:23 am
Ukrainian President Selenskyj describes the wave of layoffs in his government as “necessary”. The Russian ambassador in Washington says a delivery of US battle tanks to Ukraine would be a “blatant provocation”. All developments in the live blog.
4:23 a.m
Military expert sees Russia strengthened: tanks important for Ukraine
According to a military expert from Switzerland, Russia has overcome a phase of weakness in the war against Ukraine. “We are heading towards a situation in which main battle tanks play an important role in terms of defense and counter-offensives,” says Niklas Masuhr, researcher at the Center for Security Studies at the ETH University in Zurich, the German Press Agency.
Since the fall, Russia has improved its position, for example by building defensive lines. Retrofitting Ukrainian tanks is made more difficult because Russia has destroyed many factories and production lines for tank ammunition, for example. The NATO countries have already made old reserves available. Accordingly, Western main battle tanks such as the German-made Leopard or the Abrams from the USA now came into focus.
3:56 a.m
Selenskyj describes wave of layoffs in government as “necessary”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has defended the dismissal of senior government officials as “necessary” in the wake of an alleged corruption scandal in the army. “We need a strong state,” he said in his daily video speech in the evening. The layoffs are “necessary for our defense – and it helps our rapprochement with the European institutions”. “All internal problems that prevent the strengthening of the state are currently being settled – and they will also be settled in the future,” said the president. Several deputy ministers, governors and senior officials resigned or were fired on Tuesday as a result of an alleged corruption scandal in the Ukrainian army.
3:56 a.m
Russian ambassador: US main battle tanks to Ukraine would be “blatant provocation”
According to the Russian ambassador to the United States, a delivery of main battle tanks from the USA to Ukraine represents “another blatant provocation” to the conflict “defense weapons” argument. This would be another blatant provocation against the Russian Federation,” Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said in a statement on Telegram. It is obvious that the government in Washington is working towards a strategic defeat of Russia.