Day 429 since the beginning of the war: Ukraine asks for German weapons for the planned counter-offensive. An agreement has been reached in the EU dispute over Ukrainian grain. All information in the blog.
The most important things at a glance
Fuel depot in Crimea on fire – apparently drone attack
5.21 am: A fuel tank caught fire in the port city of Sevastopol on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia – presumably as a result of a drone attack. According to the Russian state news agency Tass, Governor Mikhail Rasvozhayev wrote on Telegram on Saturday. It burns an area of 1,000 square meters. Civil institutions are not threatened. There was initially no information about injuries.
Ukraine has announced several times that it will free Crimea, which was annexed in 2014, from Russian occupation. In various parts of the peninsula, in the course of Russia’s war of aggression against the neighboring country, there are incidents with drones, some with serious damage, injuries and deaths. Russia feels compelled to significantly increase the military effort to defend Crimea.
Spain is investigating illegal imports of Russian diesel
4.12 a.m.: According to the Spanish government, it has launched an investigation into possible imports of diesel fuel from Russia via third countries. During an initial investigation, all papers were in order, Energy Minister Teresa Ribera said on Friday. But even with the slightest suspicion, it is “necessary to verify whether the imported products come from the indicated location or from another country,” she added.
The European Union has banned imports of Russian crude oil and Russian petroleum products as a result of the Russian attack on Ukraine. However, experts and oil companies suspect that Russian diesel fuel is still being delivered to EU member states via third countries. The Spanish newspaper “El Mundo” reported on Friday that since the beginning of the year at least two ships have been suspected of having brought Russian fuel from Morocco to Spain.
Report: US sensors to warn Ukraine of nuclear attack
3.22 a.m.: The US is setting up a network of devices in Ukraine that measure radioactivity. This is reported by the “New York Times”. According to this, the feelers should detect outbreaks of a nuclear weapon – also a so-called dirty bomb. In addition, the devices should be able to determine the identity of the attacker based on the atomic signature. The US National Nuclear Safety Agency confirmed to the newspaper that such a network is being set up in the region.
Ukrainian ambassador asks for more German weapons
1:30: Ahead of the expected Ukrainian counter-offensive, the country’s ambassador in Berlin, Oleksii Makeiev, has called for more military support from Germany in the fight against the Russian attackers. “Other anti-aircraft systems such as Iris-T, Patriot and Gepard are most urgently needed. For the planned counter-offensive we need more armored vehicles, tanks and artillery systems, long-range ammunition in the shortest possible time,” Makeiev told the Funke media group newspapers (Saturday).
Europe’s security depended on the speed and scale of arms and ammunition supplies to help Ukraine restore territorial integrity. “Russia’s defeat is a guarantee of normal life in Europe,” said the ambassador.
Zelenskyj: Modern air force necessary
12:30 a.m.: After the recent Russian rocket attacks on residential buildings in the city of Uman, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has also called for more weapons to protect the country. “Anti-aircraft defense, a modern air force, without which effective airspace defense is impossible, artillery, armored vehicles. Everything that is necessary to provide security for our cities, our villages, both in the rear and at the front,” said the 45- year-old on Friday in his daily video address.
EU Commission: Agreement in principle in dispute over Ukrainian grain
9:20 p.m.: The EU Commission announces a basic agreement in the dispute over the transport of Ukrainian grain by five member countries. Vice-President of the Commission Valdis Dombrovskis wrote on Twitter that the agreement takes into account the concerns of farmers in Ukraine as well as in neighboring EU countries. Wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds were recorded. The agreement includes an aid package worth 100 million euros for farmers. Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia had imposed restrictions on Ukrainian shipments out of concern that supplies from Ukraine could end up in their markets and spoil prices for their farmers.
