Selenskyj is apparently changing defense ministers

International

Almost a year has passed since the start of the illegal Russian invasion of the Ukraine passed, an end to the fighting is not in sight. The battle for Bakhmut in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk is particularly fierce. The EU wants to weaken Moscow economically by limiting the price of diesel exports.

Ukraine, meanwhile, is hoping for quick accession to the EU. The EU dampens the zeal of the Ukrainian President Zelenskyj for quick accession to the state union. Kyiv also continues to seek support: The USA promised new military aid in the billions, the federal government has now also issued an export license for Leopard 1 battle tanks.

February 6th

5.01 a.m .: Selenskyj apparently changes defense minister

Ukraine’s recently controversial Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov is likely to switch to another department this week. This was announced on Sunday evening by the Ukrainian presidential party Servants of the People. As their faction leader David Arachamija announced, Resnikov is to be transferred to the post of Minister for Strategic Industry. The previous head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, is to become the new defense minister. There was initially no official confirmation of the change.

Resnikov had come under criticism after a series of scandals surrounding corruption and wasting money in his ministry. Among other things, his deputy Vyacheslav Shapovalov recently resigned in connection with the scandal surrounding the purchase of overpriced food for soldiers. In addition, according to media reports, funds were embezzled in another area of ​​the authority during the construction of barracks. Resnikov had always denied the allegations against him.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to severely sanction corruption and mismanagement within his own ranks. Image: AP / Efrem Lukatsky

February 5th

3:34 p.m .: University in Kharkiv hit by a Russian rocket

According to the authorities, a university building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv was severely damaged when a Russian missile hit it on Sunday. A security guard was injured there, the prosecutor’s office in Kharkiv said. When another rocket hit near a residential building, there were four People was said to have been injured. The investigators published images that reportedly showed destruction at the university. They announced that a war crimes case had been launched. Accordingly, there were no military installations nearby.

The authorities also reported new shelling from the Russian side in the southern Ukrainian city of Cherson. A school building caught fire. The Russians did not stop destroying educational institutions, the military administration said. So there were no injuries there. There were also reports of Russian shelling from the Sumy regions and from Donetsk.

8.31 a.m .: Scholz: Joint action prevents escalation

With regard to the delivery of battle tanks to Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has countered fears that Germany could be dragged into the war. He told the “Bild am Sonntag”: “We have carefully weighed every delivery of arms, closely coordinated with our allies, above all with America. This joint approach prevents the war from escalating.” In telephone calls, he made it “very clear” to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia bear sole responsibility for the war. Putin threatened neither him – Scholz – nor Germany.

Scholz defends joint action on arms deliveries.Image: AP / Michael Sohn

In addition, Scholz assumes that Ukraine will not use weapons of war supplied by Germany and Western allies for attacks on Russian territory. There is a “consensus” with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

February 4th

11:01 p.m .: Moscow reports expulsion of Kiev military from location in the Kharkiv region

According to their own statements, Ukrainian forces were expelled from the village of Dvorichne in the Kharkiv region in north-eastern Ukraine. “In the direction of Kupyansk, the enemy was pushed back by attacks by units of Army Group West from the western edge of the village of Dvorichne in the Kharkiv region,” said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov in Moscow on Saturday. The information cannot be verified independently. The Ukrainian armed forces had almost completely recaptured the Kharkiv region in the course of their autumn offensive.

The Kharkiv region is fiercely contested.Image: AP / Yevhen Titov

Dvorichne is located on the east side of the Oskil River. After withdrawing from the Izyum area, the Russian armed forces initially tried to set up new defense lines behind the river. However, the Ukrainian military was able to quickly cross the river and initially continue the advance to the east. However, the Ukrainian offensive in the direction of the Luhansk region has now been halted – also due to the hasty transfer of Russian mobilized troops to the region. Both sides are now fighting for the initiative in the sector of the front.

1:23 p.m .: The EU, G7 and Australia decide on a new price cap

The European Union, the G7 countries and Australia have agreed on price caps for Russian petroleum products. “This decision will further cut Russia’s revenues and limit its ability to wage war in Ukraine,” the European Commission said on Saturday. The move will also help stabilize the energy markets. The price caps come into effect on Sunday, and there is a phase-out phase for products loaded before this date.

The group set price caps of $100 a barrel for fuels like diesel, kerosene and gasoline, and $45 a barrel for products like heating oil. The Swedish Presidency had an agreement among the EU member states on Friday evening in the online service Twitter announced. A short time later, the Group of Seven developed countries and Australia announced their decision on the caps.

1:09 p.m .: Power failure in the city of Odessa

Odessa suffers not only from the attacks. Now the citizens have to do without electricity in large parts.Image: Ukrinform/dpa

The Ukrainian port city of Odessa has been without electricity since Saturday morning after a major accident in the power supply system. “At one of the high-voltage substations that supply the city of Odessa with electricity, a transformer failed this morning, which was being repaired after being damaged by Russian attacks,” said the energy supplier Ukrenerho on its Telegram channel on Saturday. The Odessa region is one of the areas hardest hit by Russian missile attacks.

11:30 a.m.: Russia and Ukraine carry out a new prisoner exchange

According to information from Moscow, Russia and Ukraine have carried out the largest number of prisoner exchanges since the beginning of the year. “During a difficult negotiation process, 63 Russian soldiers were withdrawn from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on its Telegram channel on Saturday. Ukraine later confirmed the exchange and return of 116 prisoners.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the freed soldiers received medical and psychological care. They could also have already contacted their relatives. Among those released were people from a “sensitive category” whose release the United Arab Emirates mediated, the statement said. The ministry did not specify whether these were high-ranking officers, mercenaries or spies.

Russia and Ukraine have apparently carried out the largest number of prisoner exchanges since the beginning of the year. (icon picture)Image: AP / Daniel Cole

5.11 a.m .: Kyiv wants to negotiate EU accession in 2023 – the EU dampens Zelenskyj’s zeal

After the summit with the EU in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is continuing to press for his country’s speedy accession to the European Union. “We are already speaking as members of the EU,” said Zelenskyy in a video message distributed in Kyiv on Friday evening. The status only has to be anchored in law. The EU Commission, headed by President Ursula von der Leyen, stressed in Kyiv that Ukraine still had a long way to go before EU membership.

After the summit with the EU in Kyiv, Zelenskyy continues to press for rapid accession to the EU. But Ursula von der Leyen dampens expectations.Image: Ukrainian Presidential Press Off / Uncredited

On the other hand, Zelenskyj said that the EU representatives held out the prospect of accession negotiations at the summit in Kyiv on Friday. There were no such concrete statements from the EU side. Von der Leyen had praised Selenskyj’s determination and willingness to reform in Kyiv, but also emphasized that there was still a lot to do. So there is no timetable.

You can read older news about the war here.

(ast / with material from dpa/AFP)