++ Ukraine war in the Newsblog ++ US Abrams battle tanks arrived in Germany

Day 442 since the beginning of the war: American tanks have arrived in Germany. The situation in Bachmut is confusing. All information in the blog.

11.05 a.m.: During the night, Ukrainian troops broke through some lines of occupying Russian forces in the embattled town of Bakhmut. Some light forces of the Ukrainian army managed to break through the Russian defenses. Subsequently, Ukrainian troops were able to pull heavy equipment and thus consolidate their positions. You can read about the situation in Bachmut here.

9:52 a.m.: It is said that there was a fire in the Chernishova factory in Moscow on Friday morning. According to various media, the fire probably broke out around four in the morning. Three workers are said to have been injured.

According to media reports, the factory, named after a Soviet figure skater, produces engines for the MiG-29 fighter jets used by the Russian army. Nothing is known about the cause of the fire.

6.45 a.m.: The US has pledged to deliver Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine by the fall. However, in order to use the tracked vehicles effectively on the battlefield, Ukrainian soldiers must first learn how to use them.

Training on the main battle tanks is scheduled to begin in Germany in two to three weeks, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Thursday. 31 tanks had already arrived in Bremerhaven last weekend. At the beginning of next week they should arrive at the US military training area Grafenwoehr in Bavaria.

4.55 a.m.: The first American Abrams tanks are expected to arrive in Ukraine in the fall, reports the Ukrainian news site Ukrinform. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reportedly said so during US Senate hearings on next fiscal year’s defense budget. “We are doing everything we can to expedite the delivery of these tanks. The beginning of autumn is such a forecast,” the US Defense Department chief said, according to Ukrinform, in response to a question from Senator Susan Collins.

4.30 a.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not be able to appear with a video message at the final of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced on Thursday that Selenskyj’s request to be able to address the audience at the Eurovision Song Contest “unfortunately cannot be accepted because it violates the rules of the event”.

3.11 a.m.: Sweden wants the Russian mercenary group Wagner to be classified as a terrorist organization at EU level. Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told the newspaper “Dagens Nyheter” on Thursday that his country is ready to work out a consensus among the member states as soon as the legal conditions have been met. Sweden currently holds the EU Council Presidency. The foreign ministers of the 27 EU countries will meet in Stockholm on Friday.

“The Wagner group has committed horrific crimes, primarily in Sudan, Mali, Syria and Ukraine,” Billstrom said. However, in order for the group to be included in the list, national law enforcement agencies would first have to open a case for terrorist offenses, Billstrom said.

2.21 am: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced a reform of the criminal law and law enforcement agencies in the course of his country’s possible EU accession. “We must ensure a system that guarantees justice and the rule of law in our country and is compatible with our goal of rapid EU accession,” he says in his nightly video address. The changes are part of a new social contract that offers people security and protection.

8.50 p.m.: According to Italian media reports, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is considering a visit to Rome at the weekend. There he could meet Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and also be received by Pope Francis, according to the Ansa news agency on Thursday evening.