live blog
Status: 10/16/2022 02:53 am
According to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, Russian forces have repeatedly attempted to capture the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. CSU boss Söder also calls for air defense systems for major German cities. All developments in the live blog.
2:53 a.m
Zelenskyj: Tense situation in Bakhmut
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, fighting in the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk on the border with Russia is particularly fierce at the moment. As he explained in a video address, the situation in the regions mentioned remains difficult. “The situation is most difficult in the direction of Bakhmut. We are holding our positions,” said Zelenskyj. Russian forces have repeatedly tried to capture Bakhmut.
Kyiv said on Friday that it expects the US and Germany to deliver advanced anti-aircraft systems later this month.
conflicting parties as a source
Information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict parties cannot be directly checked by an independent body in the current situation.
2:53 a.m
Söder also demands air defense systems for major German cities
After the delivery of a German Iris-T SLM air defense system to Ukraine, CSU boss Markus Söder is demanding the purchase of such military technology to protect German cities. “We have to install missile and anti-aircraft defense systems for German cities,” said Söder of “Bild am Sonntag”. “That would give us a complete protective shield over Germany. It’s not enough to just protect our partners, we have to do the same for our own country.”
A few days ago, Germany delivered the first state-of-the-art Iris-T SLM air defense system to Ukraine. Three more of these systems are to follow in the coming year. The Iris-T SLM can be used to defend against incoming missiles at an altitude of up to 20 kilometers and at a distance of up to 40 kilometers. According to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the system can protect “an entire city from Russian air raids.”