Selenskyj gave an insight into the preparatory work for the offensive. “We are also actively preparing new brigades and units that will prove themselves at the front,” said the 45-year-old on Friday in his daily evening video address. His meetings with the General Staff are about providing all means to liberate Ukraine from Russian occupation.
“All of us in Ukraine must understand that the main task of the state is to liberate our territories, to bring back our land and our people from Russian captivity.” State resources are mainly used for this, said the head of state. The front has top priority, he emphasized.
London: Russia breaks away ‘Nazi’ narrative
Russia, meanwhile, is struggling to uphold one of its key justifications for waging aggressive war against Ukraine, according to Britain. The Russian state is struggling for consistency in its core narrative that the invasion of Ukraine parallels the Soviet experience of World War II, the British Defense Ministry said on Twitter on Saturday.
Contrary to the Kremlin’s portrayal that Russia wants to “denazify” Ukraine, the head of Wagner’s private army, Yevgeny Prigozhin, recently publicly questioned whether there really were “Nazis” in Ukraine. The alleged liberation of Ukraine from “fascists” and “Nazis” is one of Russia’s main declarations of war. Moscow claims that the government in Kiev is run by “Nazis”.
Spread fake news about Katyn massacre
Russian authorities, meanwhile, continue to try to unite the public in their country around polarizing myths about the 1940s, the British wrote. In mid-April, the state news agency RIA Novosti reported “unique” documents from the archives of the domestic secret service FSB, according to which the Nazis were involved in the murder of 22,000 Poles in the Katyn massacre in 1940.
In reality, the secret service’s predecessor agency, the NKVD, was responsible for this. In 2010, the Russian State Duma officially condemned Soviet dictator Josef Stalin for ordering the murders.
Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defense has published daily updates on the course of the war. Citing intelligence information, the British government wants to both counter the Russian narrative and keep allies in line. Moscow accuses London of a targeted disinformation campaign.
New commitments to Ukraine in Ramstein
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, in his evening speech on Friday, thanked the western partners who are helping to defend Ukraine as part of the Ramstein format. “Their determination fully reflects the actual situation and needs on the battlefield,” Zelenskyy said.
From Ramstein there were some new commitments to Kiev: Leopard tanks from Germany that were damaged in the Ukraine war are to be repaired in Poland in the future and thus be returned to the front more quickly. The German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) agreed in Ramstein with his colleagues from Warsaw and Kiev to set up a corresponding repair center. A fund solution was agreed for the “fair distribution” of the costs of 150 to 200 million euros per year.
Latvia also supplies weapons
The center will probably start its work at the end of May and will also show the determination of Ukraine’s partners to continue supporting the country in its war against Russia, Pistorius said on the sidelines of the Ukraine contact group meeting. Next week there will be a first working session. Pistorius also announced that more than 100 Ukrainian soldiers would be trained on the Leopard 1 main battle tank from Saturday.
Latvia, meanwhile, announced it would supply arms to the country under Russian attack, following talks in Ramstein over further Western military aid to Ukraine. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Baltic EU and NATO country, all of the Stinger anti-aircraft missiles still in the inventory of the Latvian armed forces are to be handed over to Kiev.
Spain: Help as long as “Ukraine needs it”
According to Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, Spain wants to deliver six Leopard tanks out of a total of ten promised to Ukraine in the coming days. “After that there will be a second package with four more tanks,” Albares told the newspapers of Germany’s Funke media group (Saturday edition). These are older Type 2A4 Leopard tanks.
“We will support Ukraine for as long as it needs,” Albares said, referring to Russia’s war of aggression. “This includes humanitarian aid, the reception of refugees and the delivery of defensive weapons.” These were used for self-defense and to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity. “And within the internationally recognized borders, including Crimea. But the final decision is in the hands of the Ukrainian government,” Albares added.
Fighter jets still open question
Most European heads of state remain reserved on the question of supplying Western fighter jets to Ukraine. However, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke out in favor of continuing talks about handing over Western fighter jets to Ukraine. Deliveries by alliance partners must be discussed further, Stoltenberg said on Friday on the sidelines of the Ramstein meeting.
IAEA ‘deeply concerned’ about Zaporizhia
While the military preparations for the expected Ukrainian counter-offensive are underway, fears about possible consequences are being expressed. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned of a nuclear accident due to the increasing hostilities around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.
“I saw clear signs of military preparations in the area when I visited Zaporizhia NPP three weeks ago,” IAEA Director Rafael Grossi said on Friday, according to a statement from the agency. Since then, the nuclear experts stationed on the spot have repeatedly registered explosions in the immediate vicinity of the plant.
He was “deeply concerned” about the current situation. The precarious situation requires further pressure so that the facility is neither shot at nor used as a starting point for attacks. According to Grossi, he will continue to negotiate with the Russians and Ukrainians in this regard.
