Ukraine reports fierce fighting around Bakhmut and other cities in the Donbass. From now on, convicted criminals can also fight in the Russian army. Meanwhile, the G7 countries and China are unanimously warning of a nuclear escalation. The 254th day of the war at a glance.
Ukraine: Russia “triples” attacks in east
The Ukrainian army reports heavy fighting with Russian troops in the Donbass. The main areas are the cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, said Serhiy Tscherevatyj, spokesman for the army group in the east of the country, on Ukrainian television. “The enemy continues their assault attacks, firing all kinds of barrel artillery, multiple rocket launchers, tanks and mortars,” the officer said.
The military data are not independently verifiable. But the Ukrainian commander-in-chief, Valeriy Zalushnyj, also reported to the NATO commander-in-chief Christopher Cavoli on the phone that Russia had tripled its attacks. He spoke of up to 80 attacks a day. The situation at the front was “tense but under control,” Zalushnyj said on Telegram.
Shelling at Zaporizhia
According to the regional administration, the city of Zaporizhia was also fired upon with Russian missiles from the S-300 anti-aircraft system. According to the Ukrainians, they shot down eight Iranian-made Russian drones over the Dnepropetrovsk region. One such drone was also intercepted over the Lviv region in the west of the country.
Putin: Civilians should get out of Cherson
In the south of the country, Ukraine is still on the rise. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered civilians to evacuate the Kherson region of southern Ukraine. All those living in Kherson should be taken out of the dangerous area, state news agency RIA quoted Putin as saying. The civilian population should “not suffer”. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, on the other hand, complained about the deportations of its citizens by Russia. “Deportations” similar to those in Cherson were “also carried out in the regions of Zaporizhia, Luhansk and Donetsk and in Crimea,” it said.
Criminals should fight for Russia
Putin signed a law allowing criminals to be conscripted. Murderers, robbers and other criminals who have committed serious crimes can now be mobilized. Before this law, it was forbidden to convene such citizens. However, some categories of criminals still cannot be mobilized. These include child sex offenders, hostage-takers and people suspected of terrorism, high treason or espionage. The new regulation applies to prisoners who have been in prison for less than eight years for serious crimes and those who have been in prison for less than 10 years for particularly serious crimes.
British: Russian army hunts down deserters
Russia is said to have deployed parts of its troops to stop and even shoot deserters, the British Ministry of Defense reported, citing intelligence findings. “Due to low morale and unwillingness to fight, the Russian armed forces have probably started deploying ‘blockade troops’ or ‘blockade units,'” the ministry’s daily update on the Ukraine War said. According to the experts, their task is to stop soldiers who want to retreat or even desert. They should initially only be threatened to prevent them from fleeing. If they continued to refuse to fight, they could be shot.
Medvedev rages against Russians who have fled
Russia’s ex-president Dmitry Medvedev has called the citizens who fled Russia after Russian troops were sent to Ukraine “cowardly traitors”. “Cowardly traitors and greedy defectors have fled to distant lands – may their bones rot abroad,” Medvedev wrote in the online service Telegram. “We have been abandoned by some frightened partners – who cares,” added the former president, stressing that Russia would be “stronger and cleaner” without these people.
G7 and China warn of nuclear escalation
The G7 group warned Russia against a further escalation of the war and in particular condemned nuclear threats by President Putin. “Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric is unacceptable. Any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would have serious consequences,” warned the G7 foreign ministers at their meeting in Münster.
Faced with the dangerous rhetoric, even China joined the West in warning of a nuclear escalation. The international community should work to ensure “that nuclear weapons cannot be used and that nuclear wars cannot be fought,” said head of state and party leader Xi Jinping in a conversation with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Bushman is in Kyiv
Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann has arrived in Ukraine for a visit. “We stand by Ukraine today and we will continue to do so in the future,” said the FDP politician upon arrival at the train station in the capital, Kyiv. The program includes talks with the government and human rights activists. The focus should be on the international prosecution of war crimes. Germany wants to provide support in this regard. In addition, plans for cooperation in the field of justice should also be discussed, also with a view to Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
USA put together new military aid package
The US is providing Ukraine with another US$400 million in military aid. This is announced by the US Department of Defense in Washington. The new package includes 45 refurbished Soviet-designed T-72 main battle tanks, Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. The tanks come from the Czech Republic. The Netherlands, in turn, are also providing 45 tanks of this type.
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