Day 422 since the beginning of the war: The nuclear authority IAEA is concerned about fighting near the nuclear power plant. Ukraine is building new brigades for the front. All information in the blog.
The most important things at a glance
Kharkiv reports explosions
10:45 p.m.: The Ukrainian city of Kharkiv is under fire, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reports, according to the media site Nexta. Local media counted at least three loud explosions in the city. “In the Nowobavarsky district, a fire broke out in a civil infrastructure facility as a result of rocket attacks. Rescue workers are working on the spot. Information about the victims is being specified,” Terekhov is quoted as saying.
Zelenskyj: Sanctions must be better enforced
10:23 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for tougher sanctions and enforcement of existing sanctions against Russia during the war. “The tougher the sanctions against Russia and against the entire Russian war economy, the faster the war will end,” he said in his video message that was broadcast in Kiev on Saturday evening. On the other hand, Russia repeatedly stresses that the sanctions are ineffective. They neither ended the war nor destroyed the economy of the resource superpower.
Zelenskyj once again complained that Russia was circumventing the existing sanctions imposed by the West. It is a central task internationally to end this circumvention of the punitive measures imposed in the course of the war. Russia, for example, imports many goods via parallel imports and third countries. In addition, despite the blockades by the West, the country continues to earn billions from oil and gas exports and is thus keeping its war economy running.
Zelenskyi announced that he had signed new sanctions decrees to harm Russia and, in particular, the military-industrial complex. He did not give any details on the possible effect of these steps. Zelenskyy says he sees progress in Ukraine’s efforts to impose sanctions on Russia’s nuclear industry. He again accused Russia of using nuclear power as a weapon, like all forms of energy. Specifically, the head of state referred to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which was occupied by Russian troops and used by Moscow for nuclear blackmail. Zelenskyj said that an alliance of Western countries, including the US, Great Britain and Japan, is now working to remove the “terror state” Russia from the world market for nuclear energy.
Melnyk demands a tenfold increase in military aid
8:36 p.m.: The Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk has called for a tenfold increase in Western military aid against the Russian war of aggression. “We are grateful to our allies for their military help. But that’s not enough,” wrote the former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany on Twitter on Saturday evening. “Ukraine needs ten times more to end Russian aggression this year.” So far, all allies have provided a total of 55 billion US dollars (50 billion euros). But it takes ten times as much, the diplomat emphasized.
The partners in the west should finally stop drawing artificial red lines and then spend one percent of their gross domestic product on arms deliveries to Ukraine, Melnyk demanded. In the case of Germany alone, that would be more than 35 billion euros. The Ukrainian diplomat said the amounts are small compared to World War II. “The allies should understand the extent of this war,” warned Melnyk, who also appeared on a Ukrainian television talk show on the subject.
Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression for around 14 months with the help of the West, which is supplying weapons and ammunition. Last year, Ukraine also managed to recapture larger areas. The country is currently preparing for a new offensive to liberate even more territories. Russia, too, is now ramping up its wartime economy. The nuclear power is preparing for a long war against Ukraine.
