Russia lifts state of alert in Belgorod region. The battle for Bachmut is not over yet. The news ticker on the Ukraine war.
- sabotage attacks in Belgorod: State of alert ended after attacks in Russia
- fights in region Bachmut: Ukraine doesn’t give up the city
- All news from the Ukraine war in our news ticker. The information comes partly from the warring parties in Russia or Ukraine. They often cannot be verified independently.
Update from May 24, 9:40 a.m.: The Air Force Inspector believes a German contribution to the Ukrainian fighter jet coalition is possible, although Germany does not have the machines favored by Kiev. “Nations that do not have F-16s can provide more marginal support here, such as infrastructure or training,” said Air Force Inspector Ingo Gerhartz to the Berlin “Tagesspiegel” on Wednesday. Gerhartz pointed out that aircraft within NATO could be used interoperably – the armament of a German Eurofighter could therefore easily be transferred to an F-16 for the Ukraine.
Gerhartz described it as “a political decision” to what extent Germany wants to participate in the so-called “fighter jet coalition”, which became public knowledge on the sidelines of the G-7 summit meeting in Japan. “Not least because of the rapid availability, Ukraine is now relying on the F-16 to better support its land forces,” said the Air Force Inspector. “Many countries have just retired their machines and could deliver them to Ukraine in a timely manner.”
Ukraine War: More and more Russian deserters
Update from May 24, 8:30 a.m.: According to British secret services, the number of Russian deserters in the war against Ukraine has recently increased significantly. Between January and May, Russian military courts dealt with a total of 1,053 cases of desertion, the British Defense Ministry said on Wednesday, citing research by independent Russian journalists. That is more than in all of 2022. Court records indicate that most deserters are given suspended sentences so that they can be used again in the war.
“The Russian military has struggled to enforce discipline within its own ranks since operations in Ukraine began, but these problems have most likely worsened since the forced mobilization of reservists in October 2022,” it said in London. “Russian efforts to improve discipline have focused on making an example of deserters and promoting patriotic zeal rather than addressing the root causes of soldiers’ disenchantment.”
Continued unrest in Russia’s Belgorod region
First report: KIEV – The situation remains tense on Wednesday (May 24) after fighting in Russia’s Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine. The Russian authorities gave the all-clear, but later confirmed a drone attack. However, only one car was damaged. Meanwhile, there are still conflicting reports about control over the largely destroyed Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
Russian authorities lift state of alarm in Belgorod
The authorities of the Belgorod region have lifted the state of alert imposed with reference to fighting. The legal status of an “anti-terrorist operation” has ended, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced on the online service Telegram.
Gladkov later confirmed reports of an explosion in Belgorod Tuesday night. According to him, an explosive device was dropped on the road from a drone. A car was damaged, the governor wrote and published a photo of a vehicle with dents and cracks in the windshield. According to preliminary information, no one was injured.
According to the Russian account, fighting has been going on in the Belgorod region since Monday against dozens of “representatives of Ukrainian military units”. Ukraine denied having anything to do with the attacks. In Kiev, it was pointed out that volunteer corps made up of Russian citizens claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Moscow: “More than 70 Ukrainian terrorists” killed near Belgorod
According to the Russian account, more than 70 Ukrainian terrorists were killed and four armored vehicles and five SUVs destroyed in fighting in the Belgorod region. The information could not be verified. The Russian authorities also spoke of 13 injured residents. A man had been killed.
EU military aid to Ukraine: 220,000 shells delivered
The Ukrainian armed forces have already received about 220,000 artillery shells and mortar shells through the new EU ammunition supply initiative. This was announced by a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell after a meeting of defense ministers in Brussels. In addition, according to their information, around 1,300 missiles were delivered, including anti-tank missiles, anti-ship missiles and anti-aircraft missiles.
In March, the EU states promised Ukraine to provide a million new artillery shells and missiles for the defensive war against Russia within twelve months. They are to be organized from the stocks of the Member States, but in future also via new joint procurement projects.
According to Kiev, it still controls parts of Bakhmut
“Our troops control the south-western outskirts of the city in the ‘Flugzeug’ district,” said Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar on Tuesday about the situation in Bakhmut, which has been heavily contested for months. Fighting continues in the suburbs. There, the Russian troops had partly gone over to the defense. The Ukrainians gained “insignificant” territory north and south of Bakhmut. Moscow had announced at the weekend that it would take the now completely destroyed city.
Russia: Military jet wanted to intercept US bombers
Russia reported on Tuesday an incident in which a military jet was dispatched to intercept two US bombers in case they crossed the border. The Pentagon spoke of a long-planned exercise in Europe. Interaction with the crew of the Russian plane was “safe and professional,” a US Department of Defense spokesman said.
According to the military, the Russian Su-27 interceptor took off after two foreign aircraft approached Russian airspace over the Baltic States, the Itar-Tass and Interfax news agencies reported. They had been identified as American B-1B supersonic bombers. The machines would then have moved away from Russian airspace. (with agencies)
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