Russians advance to Lyssychansk, Kyiv warns refugees against returning quickly – the overview

Ukraine may turn out to be newly minted EU accession candidate hope for a future in a common Europe. At the same time, however, the military situation in the eastern Luhansk region is becoming ever more precarious for the Ukrainian army. Russian troops are fighting and trying to the strategically important city of Lysychansk to encircle.

Additional important weapons such as Multiple rocket launcher artillery systems and patrol boats.

The situation at a glance:

• Of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recognized his country’s EU candidate status as a historic moment. “The future of Ukraine lies in the EU”, he stressed after the decision of the EU heads of state and government at the Brussels summit. At the same time, this is currently the largest possible step to strengthen Europe, “while the Russian war is testing our ability to maintain freedom and unity. Selenskyj had campaigned massively for the prospect of accession in the past few months. Now, in his daily video address, he reiterated that Ukraine is capable of becoming a full member of the EU.
• In the east of Ukraine, Russian troops penetrated according to Ukrainian information to the outskirts of the city of Lysychansk before. “Our fighters stopped the advance towards the southern outskirts of Lysychansk, inflicted casualties on the enemy and forced him to retreat,” said the General Staff situation report in Kyiv on Thursday evening. The Russian army is now drawing on reserves. Lysychansk is the last major city in the Luhansk Oblast under full Ukrainian control. The twin city of Sievjerodonetsk on the other side of the river Severskyi Donets has been largely conquered by Russian troops.
• On Thursday morning it became known that south of Lysychansk a Ukrainian group in the Villages Solote and Hirske encircled is. In the evening, the Ukrainian military announced that the Russian troops had meanwhile partially captured Hirske. According to the report, they were able to completely close the cauldron.

• Coming from Ukraine Warnings against a hasty return of the approximately five million war refugees who were admitted to Europe. “There are two essential prerequisites: We have to find ways and means to rebuild at least part of the destroyed infrastructure. And where they are going, a functioning anti-missile defense system is needed – just as it more or less exists for Kyiv now,” said Olena Sotnyk, adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, after talks in Berlin. As a further prerequisite, Olena Haluschka, a board member of the Ukrainian organization Anticorruption Action Center, named the Clearing of mines and hidden booby traps in areas that the Ukrainian side has recaptured from the Russian army.

• The US quit further arms deliveries to Ukraine in the amount of 450 million dollars (approx. 428 million euros). This also included Multiple rocket launcher artillery systems and patrol boats, said a senior White House official, John Kirby. According to its own statements, the USA has promised or already delivered weapons and equipment worth around 6.1 billion dollars to the country attacked by Russia in the four months of the war. The government in Kyiv is asking for more modern weapons to curb the military superiority of Russian troops.
• US President Joe Biden is traveling to the G7 summit, which takes place from Sunday to Tuesday at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria. Kirby said the summit’s goals were to “further isolate Russia from the global economy, target Russia’s defense supply chain, and continue to work against the circumvention of these unprecedented sanctions.” After the G7 meeting, Biden travels to a NATO summit in Madrid. There, too, the Ukraine war will be the focus.
• The world’s largest Sporting goods company Nike wants to withdraw completely from Russia in view of the ongoing war against Ukraine. “Nike has made the decision to exit the Russian market,” the US company announced. The priority now is to support local workers while operations are being shut down in the coming months. The Adidas competitor – like many other Western companies – had already significantly restricted its business in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. In the meantime, more and more companies want to turn their backs on Russia entirely.

More on the Ukraine war at Tagesspiegel Plus:

This will be important on Friday:
At the EU summit high inflation and rising energy prices on the topic, which belong to the consequences of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.

The military situation around Lysychansk will continue to be the focus, as Russia could open the way there for control of the entire Luhansk region.

At a conference in Berlin shortly before the G7 summit, the federal government discussed the global food situation and the search for solutions for blocked grain exports from Ukraine in the gaze. (dpa)