Kiev announces drone swarm “Mathias Rust” against Russia

International

The defended itself for more than 13 months Ukraine against the Russian invasion. More than half of the Donetsk region is under Russian control. But the fighting goes on. Rockets repeatedly hit Sloviansk and Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region to the south. The fierce battles for the strategically important town of Bakhmut also continue.

In our news blog you can read all the important news about developments in the Ukraine war.

March 30

5.40 a.m .: Kiev announces drone swarm against Russia

The Ukrainian military has made an announcement in response to repeated Russian attacks using so-called kamikaze drones. Accordingly, counterattacks follow. The Ukrainian military wants to attack with its own drones, which are combined in a “Ukrainian swarm Mathias Rust” – in memory of the German Kremlin pilot. This was stated by the Secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov. There are already “several thousand drones with a range of up to 3000 kilometers,” he claimed Twitter.

March 29th

10:28 p.m.: Charles reaffirms British-German support for Kiev

During his state visit to Deutschland British King Charles has once again made political statements. Specifically, he said on Wednesday evening at a state banquet hosted by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier: London and Berlin stand “together with Ukraine in defending freedom and sovereignty in the face of unjustified aggression”. In his banquet speech, Steinmeier acknowledged the “deep” connections between Germany and Great Britain.

There has been hard and bitter fighting over Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine for months.Image: AP / Libkos

7:19 p.m .: Kiev admits partial Russian success in Bachmut

The city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine has been heavily contested for months. On Wednesday, the Ukrainian military leadership now acknowledged Moscow’s partial success. “In the Bakhmut sector, the enemy continued their attacks on the city, partly with success,” the daily situation report of the general staff said, without giving specific details.

Bachmut has a high symbolic value for both warring parties. The soldiers of the Wagner unit, who are fighting there for Moscow, have meanwhile been able to besiege the city from three sides, suffering heavy losses. At the same time, they failed to completely cut off the supply routes of the Ukrainians. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s order is to do everything possible to prevent the fall of Bakhmut.

6:26 p.m .: Kiev announces “Drone Swarm Mathias Rust” to the Russian military

After the repeated Russian attacks with so-called kamikaze drones on Ukrainian cities, the Ukrainian military now wants to defend itself in the same way. Secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov on Wednesday announced retaliation with its own drones, which, according to him, summarized in a “Ukrainian swarm Mathias Rust” – in memory of the German Kremlin pilot. There are already “several thousand drones with a range of up to 3000 kilometers,” Danilow claimed on Twitter.

The German private pilot Mathias Rust landed on May 28, 1987 with a single-engine Cessna on the Moskva Bridge in front of the Kremlin. He had previously taken off from Finland and flew under the entire Soviet anti-aircraft defence. Rust wanted to demonstrate with his action for world peace. His flight was followed by a wave of purges at the top echelons of the Soviet military.

In memory of the pilot Mathias Rust (centre), Ukraine has announced an enormous drone attack in the direction of Russia.Image: dpa

2:03 p.m .: The Kremlin assumes a long “hybrid war” with the West

Russia expects a long-lasting confrontation with the West, as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Wednesday. “If we talk about the war in a broad sense: the confrontation with the West, hybrid war … this will go on for a long time.”

1:38 p.m .: IAEA chief Grossi inspects Zaporizhia nuclear power plant

With its six blocks and a net output of 5700 megawatts, the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Last summer, regular shelling of the power plant site triggered international fears of a nuclear accident. Russia wanted to show that it was taking care of the safety of the nuclear power plant and repairing the damage after the shelling, said Rosatom representative Renat Katschaa.

The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant has repeatedly come under fire. Bild: XinHua / Victor

Now the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Rossi, is on site. He arrived on Wednesday at the Russian-held Ukrainian nuclear power plant at Zaporizhia for the second major inspection. With a team of 18, he wants to get an overview of the security situation at the nuclear power plant, which has been repeatedly shelled.

1:10 a.m .: Biden calls Putin’s statements on nuclear weapons “dangerous”

The fact that Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin had announced that Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be stationed in Belarus was met with international opposition. US President Joe Biden has now denounced Putin’s statements as “dangerous”. “It’s worrying,” Biden told journalists in Washington on Tuesday (local time).

Biden condemns Putin’s statements. Image: AP / Alex Brandon

Washington immediately criticized the plans, which were announced about a year after Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine began. Belarus is a close ally of Russia, and Russian troops are stationed there for deployment in Ukraine. However, US government officials made it clear that there is no evidence to date that Russia has already transferred nuclear weapons to Belarus. “They haven’t done it yet,” Biden said.

28th March

1.28 a.m .: Germany is delivering heavy battle tanks for the first time

The transport started last week, now they have arrived in Ukraine: 18 German Leopard 2 tanks. This was confirmed by the federal government on Monday evening. “Our tanks, as promised, arrived on time in the hands of our Ukrainian friends. I am sure that they will be at the Front be able to achieve decisive things,” said Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) in the evening. Not only Germany, but also Great Britain has fulfilled its promises to Kiev. British Challenger tanks have also arrived in Ukraine. The tanks could be used in a spring offensive by Ukraine.

Two Leopard 2A6 tanks of the Bundeswehr’s 203rd Tank BattalionImage: dpa / Federico Gambarini

Older news for war in Ukraine you can find here.

(With material from dpa/AFP)