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Kyiv (dpa-AFX) – The Ukrainian armed forces are under enormous pressure in the fight against the Russian offensive in the east of the country – despite great resistance, the advance of the invaders is progressing. The situation around Sieverodonetsk in the Luhansk region is particularly difficult. The Ukrainian army has acknowledged the loss of the center of the heavily fought city. Russian troops shelled the city with artillery and drove out the Ukrainian soldiers, the Ukrainian general staff said on Monday morning.
A few hours earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had declared that in the strategically important Sievjerodonetsk there was “literally fighting for every meter”. According to their own statements, Ukrainian troops had already controlled around a third of the city on Saturday.
Commander-in-Chief: A front of 1500 miles
According to its own statements, the Ukrainian army now has a front of around 2,450 kilometers to defend against Russian attacks. “Active combat operations are being conducted along 1,105 kilometers of it,” Commander-in-Chief Valery Zalushny wrote on Facebook.
The price is also high for the civilian population: According to Ukrainian figures, more than 12,000 civilians have died so far. Most of the victims were killed by explosions, Ukrainian police chief Ihor Klymenko said in an interview published by the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
Kyiv: defeat of Russia’s stated goal
Notwithstanding territorial losses in the east, Ukraine continues to define defeat by Russia as its goal. “We will fight until Russia loses,” said the presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak of the opposition Belarusian online newspaper Zerkalo. The minimum goal formulated by President Zelenskyy is still a withdrawal of Russian troops to the February 23 lines – one day before the beginning of the Russian invasion.
Kyiv is also receiving help for the ambitious goal from numerous fighters from abroad. According to information from Kyiv, mercenaries from around 55 countries – including Germany – are now fighting the Russians in Ukraine, a spokesman for the International Legion said at the request of the German Press Agency.
Ukraine reaffirms demand for arms supplies
However, according to the government in Kyiv, a lack of heavy weapons and ammunition is making defensive fighting more difficult, which is why they are now emphasizing their demands. She specified how many and which weapons would be needed for a victory: “1,000 155-millimeter caliber howitzers, 300 multiple rocket launcher systems, 500 tanks, 2,000 armored vehicles, 1,000 drones,” wrote presidential adviser Podoljak on Twitter. Kyiv is expecting a decision on this from the meeting of NATO defense ministers on Wednesday.
Does Scholz’s visit bring the turning point?
Ukraine had repeatedly pushed for faster arms deliveries from the West – without a satisfactory result. According to a media report, hopes are now pinned on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s forthcoming visit to Kyiv. Zelenskyy and his government are hoping for concrete promises for an immediate delivery of German tanks.
The Ukrainian President is also calling for Chancellor Scholz to take a clearer position. “We need Chancellor Scholz to be sure that Germany supports Ukraine. He and his government have to make a decision,” he said in an interview with the ZDF “heute-journal” in Kyiv. There should be no attempt to create a balancing act between Ukraine and relations with Russia.
“Unfortunately, without German heavy weapons, we will not be able to break Russia’s massive military superiority and save the lives of soldiers and civilians,” said Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Melnyk to the German Press Agency. “The Ukrainians expect that Chancellor Olaf Scholz will announce a new aid package for German armaments during his visit to Kyiv, which should definitely include Leopard 1 main battle tanks and Marder infantry fighting vehicles, which must be available immediately,” said the diplomat.
Scholz has repeatedly denied the accusation that he was too hesitant to deliver weapons to Ukraine that had already been promised. On Monday he referred to the training for the Ukrainian armed forces on the island of Riems near Greifswald, which is necessary for the sometimes very modern and complicated weapon systems. “It’s about really heavy equipment. You have to be able to use it, you have to be trained for it”.
Two days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the German government decided to supply arms to the war zone. Since then, anti-tank missiles, anti-aircraft missiles, fragmentation grenades and more than 20 million rounds of ammunition have arrived in Ukraine. Heavy weapons such as artillery pieces and anti-aircraft tanks have been promised but have not yet been delivered./ddb/DP/he