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
Spain delivers first Leopard tanks to Ukraine
4:41 p.m.: Spain shipped the first six of a total of ten Leopard main battle tanks promised for Ukraine on Saturday. The television showed how the older Type 2A4 tanks were driven onto a ship in Santander, northern Spain. In addition, 20 light armored transport vehicles were loaded. Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares had previously announced that the first Leopard tanks would be delivered soon.
The tanks had been out of service for a long time and had been mothballed in a warehouse near Zaragoza since 2012. They were extensively overhauled and tested for use in the Ukraine. In the past few weeks, 55 Ukrainians have been trained as crew members and technicians on the Leopard tanks in Spain. Another four tanks are to be delivered at a later date.
In total, the country has 347 Leopard tanks. Of these, 108 belong to the older variant 2A4 and 239 to the newer type 2A6, which is called 2E in Spain. So far, however, Spain does not want to hand over any of these newer, more powerful tanks to Ukraine. They would be needed for their own national defense.
Belgorod: Evacuees are allowed to return to their apartments
3:48 p.m.: In Belgorod, Russia, the more than 3,000 evacuated residents are returning to their apartment blocks, according to the authorities. They had to leave this for the time being after an explosive object had been found. This was removed and is now to be “neutralized” on a training ground, as announced by regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. The blocks of flats are in the same area where a Russian fighter jet accidentally dropped a bomb on Thursday, according to Russian officials.
Report: Russia expels more than 20 German diplomats
3:35 p.m.: Russia is to expel more than 20 German diplomats. The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, described this on Saturday on the Zvezda broadcaster in Moscow as a retaliatory measure for the “renewed mass expulsion of employees of the Russian diplomatic missions in Germany”. In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry had previously announced a countermeasure.
The Foreign Office in Berlin did not deny the expulsion, but did not confirm it either. “We have taken note of the statements made by the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry,” it said. The federal government and the Russian side have been in contact over the past few weeks on questions of staffing the respective foreign missions. Details were not given.
However, it was confirmed that a special Russian flight was linked to these talks. In the morning, a Russian government plane flew from Moscow to Berlin with special permission. The Ilyushin Il 96-300 aircraft landed again in the Russian capital at Vnukovo Airport in the afternoon. However, it was initially unclear whether the Russian diplomats were possibly on board this machine.
