Russian troops threaten Kiev. But the resistance of the Ukraine continues – especially the city of Kharkiv is fought over. The news ticker.
- There has been a war between February 24, 2022 Russia* and the Ukraine*.
- Neither that Nato*, nor representatives of the European Union or US President Joe Biden* had succeeded in advance, the Russian President Wladimir Putin* to persuade them not to attack Ukraine.
- The battle for the capital Kiev is in full swing. There are victims on both sides. Putin has put the nuclear forces on alert.
- We inform you about the current situation in the Ukraine conflict in the news ticker.
>>> Update news ticker
+++ 3.34 p.m.: In a first reaction, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed concern about Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s decision to have the nuclear power’s deterrent weapons put on special alert. “It shows how serious the situation is and why we really have to stand together (…)”, he said in a BBC interview on Sunday.
He initially gave no information on a possible reaction by NATO to Putin’s announcement. According to information from the alliance, there are no automatisms for such a case. NATO decisions must be made by consensus among all 30 member states. The NATO nuclear powers USA, France and Great Britain could already react.
Ukraine war: Putin puts nuclear forces on the alarm – sanctions against Russia “illegitimate”
+++ 2.35 p.m.: Russian President Vladimir Putin has put the country’s nuclear forces on high alert. “I am instructing the defense minister and the chief of staff to put the Russian army’s deterrent forces on special combat readiness,” Putin said in a televised conversation with senior military officials on Sunday. Putin justified the step with “aggressive statements” by high-ranking representatives of NATO countries.
He also criticized the economic sanctions imposed on Russia by Western countries as “illegitimate”. The Russian “Deterrent Forces” are a set of units designed to deter an attack on Russia. In addition to a massive arsenal of ballistic missiles, they also include nuclear weapons.
Ukraine war: Attacks from Russia continue – mobilization for Kiev
+++ 12.59 p.m.: The Ukrainian armed forces continue to gather forces to defend the capital Kiev. The main thing is to defend against the Russian attack in the north and north-west of the capital, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar wrote on Facebook on Sunday (February 27, 2022). Mobilization is ongoing across the country. The air force intercepted Russian fighter jets and transport aircraft over Kiev, and the navy thwarted a Russian landing in the south.
At noon it was announced that the Ukrainian army had recaptured the town of Irpin, northwest of Kiev. The Unian agency released videos that allegedly show Russians killed. The information could not initially be independently verified. In addition, according to Ukrainian information, several Russian armored vehicles were destroyed near the Hostomel airfield, which had been fought over for days. In the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, the Russian attack was repelled.
According to the Ukrainian general staff, the Russian attack is continuing, but the pace has been slowed down significantly. The enemy has problems with fuel and ammunition supplies, the army leadership said on Facebook. The Russian soldiers, who are mainly young recruits, are exhausted because of the previous maneuvers. Morale and psychological condition are bad. There are first reports of desertion by soldiers who refused to fight against Ukraine. Some prisoners said they were assigned to a maneuver and then found themselves in a war, according to Ukrainian media. That was not verifiable.
+++ 10:14 a.m.: Street fighting with Russian troops has broken out in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city. This was reported by Oleh Synehubov, the head of the Kharkiv regional state administration, on Sunday. Synehubov urged residents of the eastern city to stay in shelters.
About 1.4 million people live in Kharkiv, the city is about 32 kilometers south of the Russian border. It was attacked by Russian forces shortly after the invasion began on Thursday. Ukrainian forces had held off Russian troops from entering the city for the past three days. Now, however, battles are taking place “in the heart of the city.”
Ukraine war: Chechen special unit crushed
+++ 09.25 a.m.: According to their own account, Ukrainian troops destroyed a Chechen special unit coming from Russia during fierce fighting in the vicinity of Hostomel. The commander, General Magomed Tuschajew, was also killed, as a prisoner later revealed. As the “Ukrainska Pravda” reported early on Sunday morning, the Ukrainian soldiers captured large quantities of weapons in these fights. The information could not be independently verified.
Located on the north-western edge of the Kiev region, Hostomel was the target of heavy Russian attacks at the beginning of the war. In addition to the international airport, there is also a large railway junction.
War in Ukraine: Russia uses artillery in battle for Kiev – gas pipeline explodes
+++ 09.00 a.m.: In the course of heavy fighting around the Ukrainian city of Kharkov, a gas pipeline burst into flames after an explosion on Sunday night. According to the Ukrainian agency Unian, the line was blown up by Russian troops. This could not be independently verified.
Video of the blast released by the agency said it was “not a nuclear attack, despite what it may appear to be.” It was unclear whether the pipeline was a regional natural gas pipeline or part of the pipelines leading from Russia to Europe.
+++ 08.50 a.m.: Ukraine has received further military aid from the Baltic EU and NATO member Lithuania after the Russian attack. “Lithuanian troops completed their logistical operation before midnight, delivering weapons, ammunition, helmets and armored vests,” Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas wrote on Twitter on Sunday. According to him, a total of 13 NATO countries have already sent Ukraine military aid in the form of weapons, ammunition and anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles. Lithuania had previously supplied US-made Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine.
+++ 5:58 a.m.: According to the Ukrainian Civil Protection Service, the Russian army has started shelling Kiev. During the night, among other things, a nine-storey building is said to have been hit and badly damaged. At least one woman died.
Heavy explosions are said to have repeatedly occurred in the Ukrainian capital during the night. However, the resistance of the Ukrainian army in Kiev still does not seem to have been broken.
Ukraine conflict: 6-year-old boy killed in fighting
+++ 04:29 am: In the course of the Russian attacks in Ukraine, there were more civilian deaths on Sunday night. As CNN reports, a six-year-old boy was killed in a shooting in a western district of the Ukrainian capital Kiev. Other people were injured, a local hospital confirmed to the US broadcaster.
A nine-story apartment building was hit during fighting in the city of Kharkiv, killing a woman. According to the state emergency services, the building was badly damaged and about 80 people were rescued. Most were hiding in the basement.
+++ Update, Sunday, 4:15 a.m.: According to the US government, Russian troops are encountering unexpectedly heavy resistance as they advance in Ukraine. “We have signs that the Russians are becoming increasingly frustrated with their lack of progress over the past 24 hours, particularly in the northern parts of Ukraine,” a Pentagon official said Saturday.
Ukraine War: Greater resistance expected from Russians
“According to our observations, the resistance is greater than the Russians expected,” the official said. “Ukrainian air defenses, including aircraft, remain operational and are attacking and denying access to Russian planes in various parts of the country.”
Update from Saturday: How the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has reported in a new video from the capital Kiev. He confirmed that Russian forces are approaching the capital, Kiev. They advanced from the north and east. “Our main goal is to end this slaughter. The enemy casualties are very heavy – today there were hundreds of killed soldiers who crossed our border and came into our country.”
Ukraine conflict: Increased radiation levels measured in Chernobyl
+++ Update, Friday: After Capture of the destroyed Chernobyl nuclear facility by the Russian army According to Ukraine, increased radiation levels have been measured there. An “increase in the indicators above the control levels” was detected in the exclusion zone on Friday morning, Alexander Grigorach from the Ukrainian nuclear supervisory authority told the AFP news agency. He could not provide any further details as the plant’s personnel had been evacuated.
Ukraine conflict: Russia fires missiles in Odessa region
First report: Moscow/Kiev – Russia launched a major attack on Ukraine on Thursday morning (02/24/2022). Within a few hours, the Russian armed forces advanced to the greater Kiev area. According to Ukrainian sources, Russian troops captured a military airfield near the capital and the Chernobyl nuclear reactor after fierce fighting. According to Ukrainian sources, dozens of people were killed, including numerous civilians.
(skr/tu/ktho/marv/lrg/nak with dpa/AFP) *fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
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