Day 420 since the beginning of the war: Kremlin critic Yashin fails with his appointment. Germany has delivered a second Iris-T system to Ukraine. All information in the blog.
The most important things at a glance
Ukraine sends more border troops to the front
12:11 a.m.: According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine is preparing new troops for the frontline. Specifically, these are border troops that he visited on Wednesday in Volhynia in the border triangle of Ukraine with Belarus and Poland. Border troops from Ukraine are already deployed on the fronts, including in the heavily contested city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
“Together with all our defense and security forces, the border guards are fighting at the front, even in the most difficult areas,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address. They are “real heroes who have successfully completed hundreds and hundreds of combat missions”. “We are also preparing new units – border guard units – to join our active operations, to join the movement that we are gradually developing.”
US pledges another $325 million in military aid to Ukraine
9:28 p.m.: The United States has pledged another $325 million in military aid to Ukraine. The US Department of Defense announced on Wednesday that the US wants to supply Ukraine with ammunition for Himars multiple rocket launchers, artillery ammunition and anti-tank mines, among other things.
US President Joe Biden’s spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, said the deliveries were part of the aid so that Ukraine could continue to defend itself against “the brutal invasion” by Russia. The US is Kiev’s main supporter in the war against Russia.
US government expands sanctions against Iranian drone suppliers
9:17 p.m.: The US government has imposed new sanctions against Iran’s drone-building program. The measures target an international company network and its masterminds. They are trying to bypass the existing sanctions for Iran to procure parts for drone production, as the US Treasury Department announced on Wednesday. The new sanctions are specifically aimed at several front companies and suppliers in Malaysia, China and Hong Kong and the managing director of an Iranian company who controls the activities.
The network has procured goods and technology for the Iranian government, the defense industry and the drone program, it said. The proliferation of Iranian drones and other weapons continues to destabilize the Middle East region and beyond. Iran is also suspected of supplying Russia with so-called kamikaze drones for airstrikes on Ukraine. The new sanctions are an extension of existing sanctions that are already in place with a view to Iran’s drone and missile program, the statement said.
One consequence of the sanctions is that any assets of those affected are frozen in the USA – US citizens are prohibited from doing business with them. International business is usually made much more difficult for those affected by the sanctions, because financial flows that flow through the USA are also affected. In addition, in a next step, foreign third parties and banks that did business with the sanctioned persons or companies could also be affected by US sanctions, it said.
Navalny confidante Yashin fails with an appeal: “It’s a funny situation, don’t you think?”
4:05 p.m.: The Kremlin critic Ilya Yashin, who was sentenced to eight and a half years in a penal camp, failed in his appeal before a Russian court. At the same time, the prominent 39-year-old used his appearance on Wednesday to once again sharply criticize President Vladimir Putin and his war of aggression against Ukraine. “Putin is a war criminal, but I remain behind bars,” independent Russian media reported the words with which Yashin addressed the judges. “It’s a funny situation, don’t you think?”
Yashin, who is considered a close confidante of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is also in prison, was convicted last December for allegedly disparaging the Russian armed forces. In an Internet stream, he publicly denounced the massacre carried out by Russian soldiers in the Kiev suburb of Bucha. Internationally, Yashin is considered a political prisoner.
“What is my fault?” Yashin asked at the appeal hearing, to which he was connected via video. “In doing my duty as a Russian politician and patriot and honestly telling the truth about this war.”
