Day 396 since the beginning of the war: The first Leopard 2 tanks from Germany have probably arrived in the Ukraine. Russian occupiers are said to be planning to kill animals in a conquered national park. All information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Because of nuclear weapons: Russia accuses West of double standards
10:09 p.m.: The Foreign Ministry in Moscow has accused the West of double standards after its criticism of plans to station Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus. “The inadequate reaction of a number of Western capitals to our cooperation with Belarus on military nuclear use can only cause astonishment,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, according to a statement released by the ministry on Monday. Finally, NATO introduced the concept of joint nuclear missions and the US had nuclear bombs stationed in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.
Against the background of high tensions with the West as a result of the Ukraine war, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin announced on Saturday that tactical nuclear weapons would be stationed in the neighboring ex-Soviet republic of Belarus. Putin also justified the stationing by saying that the USA had been doing something similar in Europe for years.
Belarus’ ruler Alexander Lukashenko is considered to be heavily dependent on Moscow politically, economically and militarily. However, even before the start of the Ukraine war, the 68-year-old asked Russia to store nuclear weapons in Belarus. He cited security concerns about the West as a reason. In the West, Putin’s announcements were taken as another threatening gesture. According to a NATO spokeswoman, the Western military alliance still sees no urgent need for action. The alliance will monitor the situation closely, she said.
Selenskyj travels to Zaporizhia with IAEA chief
4:23 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, have visited a hydroelectric power station in Zaporizhia. “The hydroelectric power plant is an essential part of the system that maintains the nuclear safety of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant,” Grossi wrote on Twitter on Monday. Selenskyj showed him damage to the dam. The men also discussed measures to protect the nuclear power plant, which is under Russian control and is about 50 kilometers away.
In the next few days, Grossi plans to travel to the Russian-held area around the shut down nuclear power plant in south-eastern Ukraine for the second time since the fall. Zelenskyy also inspected the positions of the Ukrainian troops in the Zaporizhia region and awarded soldiers with medals. “Live, fight and we will all defeat thanks to those like you,” said the 45-year-old. In addition, the head of state was informed about the current military, social and economic situation in the area.
Zelenskyy’s visit to Zaporizhia is gaining in importance given that the region is expected to be the focus of the Ukrainian offensive planned for spring. The thrust is intended to go in the direction of the large city of Melitopol in this area, which has been occupied since March last year. The front line is currently a good 30 kilometers south of the regional capital, Zaporizhia, which even the Russians were unable to occupy.
German Leopard tanks arrived in Ukraine
3.45 p.m.: The Ukrainian armed forces received 18 modern Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks from Germany to repel the Russian attack on their country. This was confirmed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday in Rotterdam at a press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. For security reasons, it is not known exactly how the tracked vehicles were delivered.
At the end of January, Germany initially promised to deliver 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks, but later increased its share to 18. Other countries, led by Poland, set up a formation of 2A4 model tanks. Ukrainian soldiers have been trained on the tanks in Germany in recent months.
Report: Russians want to kill animals in conquered national parks
12.45 p.m.: According to a report by the Ukrainian online medium “Grunt”, the Russian administration in the occupied Kherson region is planning to capture and kill the animals in the conquered Jarilhatskyi National Park. This is evident from Russian documents with which the occupiers had registered the national park in the Russian directory for national parks, according to “Grunt”.
