Ukraine stops Russian advance, USA collects evidence of war crimes – that happened at night

Exactly one month after the Russian attack on Ukraine, Russian troops continue to attack many cities and areas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling on people around the world to protest against the war.

Thursday is set to be a decisive day for western countries’ reaction to the war: summits of NATO, the Group of Seven important industrialized countries (G7) and the European Union (EU) are due to take place in Brussels. This is why US President Joe Biden came to Europe. According to his national security adviser, Jack Sullivan, the top-level deliberations are intended to herald the “next phase” of military support for Ukraine.

“On these three peaks we will see: who is a friend, who is a partner, and who sold and cheated?” Zelenskyy said. We must work together and prevent Moscow from drawing NATO, EU or G7 members to the side of the war.

The events of the night at a glance:

• Russian troops stopped before Kyiv: According to the Ukrainian military, the Russian units are continuing to attack numerous cities and areas, but have been prevented from advancing near Kyiv. Russian troops were stopped near the eastern Kiev suburb of Brovary, the Ukrainian general staff said. They also failed to break through Ukrainian defenses to reach the north-western edge of the capital. On the contrary, according to British intelligence, Ukrainian troops have launched successful counterattacks north-west of Kyiv.
• in the Donetsk region in the east according to Kiev, the vast majority of Ukrainian units were under fire. Russian troops wanted to take the towns of Werchnoterezke, Marjinka and the hard-fought city of Mariupol. However, the reports from the combat zones still cannot be independently verified.
• According to the US Department of Defense, the Russian armed forces also have a month after the start of the war not air supremacy in Ukraine conquered. The US and its allies worked to provide the Ukrainians with more long-range air defense systems. The Ukrainians are using the current systems “very effectively”. That’s one reason “why we’re seeing quite risk-averse behavior on the part of some Russian pilots.”
• In the Ukrainian capital Kyiv is Russian journalist Oxana Baulina lost his life. Her employer, the investigative platform The Insider (theins.ru), said she came under rocket fire while doing an editorial job. She filmed destruction in the Podil district of Kyiv when it came under renewed rocket fire. Another civilian died with the journalist, and two accompanying persons were injured. The statement said the journalist had worked for Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s anti-corruption fund before taking up her position at The Insider and was subsequently forced to leave Russia.
• According to its own statements, the United States has Evidence of war crimes allegations by Russian soldiers collected during the Ukraine war. “Based on the information currently available, the US government believes that members of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine committed war crimes committed,” said Foreign Minister Antony Blinken. There are numerous credible reports of indiscriminate attacks, attacks intentionally targeting civilians and other atrocities. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, made a similar statement: “We are seeing Russia increasingly attacking civilians, targeting hospitals, schools and places of refuge.” He demanded: “These war crimes must be stopped immediately.”
• the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls on people worldwide to protest against the war. “Come out of your offices, your homes, your schools and universities!”, said Zelenskyj in his call for worldwide protests. The war is not only aimed at Ukraine, but Russia is trying to nullify the freedom of all people in Europe and the world, he said. Moscow is trying to show “that only gross and cruel violence counts”. The President in Kyiv once again addressed the citizens of Russia in Russian. He is convinced that there are many people there who are already “sick” from the “lies of the propagandists”. Ukraine has never threatened the security of the Russian Federation and Kyiv is doing everything to end the war.
• in the Restricted area around the Chernobyl nuclear ruins several wildfires have been fought successfully. The Ukrainian nuclear regulatory agency has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the Chernobyl city fire brigade has put out four fires. This was announced by Director General Rafael Grossi on Wednesday evening. There was no information on the cause of the fire. Russian troops took control of the area around the nuclear power plant about a month ago. It was there in 1986 that the worst nuclear accident in the history of civilian use of nuclear power occurred.

The Russian war against Ukraine occupies international politics with the three NATO, G7 and EU summits in Brussels. The heads of state and government also have to deal with the question of Russian energy supplies. Putin ordered on Wednesday that “unfriendly states” like Germany would have to pay in rubles in the future. If Western states caved in, they would overturn their own sanctions against Russia’s financial system.

More on the Ukraine war at Tagesspiegel Plus:

Also the Interior ministers of the G7 countries meetings, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) takes part in the consultations online. At the same time, she is meeting with the interior ministers of the German federal states. The focus is on the question of how the refugees from Ukraine can be distributed in Germany and the EU. (dpa, AFP)