The heaviest fighting in the Ukraine war is currently taking place in the area around the city of Sievjerodonetsk. Moscow and Kyiv disagree over who controls the key region. Meanwhile, Chancellor Scholz promises Lithuania reinforcements for the defense of NATO's eastern flank. Selenskyj is pushing for an EU accession candidacy and is sending a special envoy to Berlin. Spain wants to deliver German tanks - but approval is still pending. The 104th day of the war at a glance.
Tough battle for Sieverodonetsk
In bitter street fighting, Ukrainian soldiers and Russian troops have fought for control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievarodonetsk. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in Moscow that the Russian armed forces had full control of the city's residential areas. The city's mayor had previously said the situation in the city was changing "every hour". "The residential areas of the city of Sieverodonetsk have been completely liberated," Shoigu said at a meeting of his ministry, which was broadcast on Russian television. The Russian army is still trying to gain control of the industrial zone and the surrounding settlements, Shoigu added. According to the operator, hundreds of civilians are said to have sought refuge in a chemical plant. About 800 people are currently staying there, according to the company's website. Among those seeking protection are 200 factory workers and 600 residents of the city.
The Ukrainian side assessed the situation in Sieverodonetsk differently from Russia. The governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Gaidai, said it was difficult for the Ukrainian soldiers to repel the Russian attacks in the center of the city. However, the Russian troops did not gain control of the city. The governor explains that the twin city of Lysychansk on the other side of the river Siwersky Donets is constantly being shelled.
Three killed by Russian shelling in Kharkiv region
According to official information, at least three people were killed and six others injured by Russian fire in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. Russian troops fired on Kharkiv and several villages, regional governor Oleh Synyehubov said in the Telegram news channel in the evening. "The enemy is unable to break the resistance of our defenders. Instead, the occupiers use terror by firing on the unarmed." In the city of Bashtanka in the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolayiv, two people were killed and three injured in Russian rocket attacks, the general prosecutor's office said. According to reports from eyewitnesses, there were violent detonations in the regional capital of Mykolaiv itself, Ukrainian media reported. Casualties were also reported from the area controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Representatives of the self-proclaimed "Luhansk People's Republic" said a man around 70 years old was killed in Ukrainian attacks near the front line in the town of Pervomaysk. Tens of thousands of people were temporarily without power because of the shelling.
Russian advance on Popasna axis halts
The Russian military's advances on the southern Popasna axis have stalled over the past week, according to British sources. Reports of heavy shelling near the city of Isium in the Kharkiv region suggested that the Russian military was again trying to penetrate to the Northern Axis, the British Ministry of Defense said on Twitter from the regular military intelligence report. "Russia will almost certainly need to achieve a breakthrough on at least one of these axes in order to translate tactical gains into operational-level successes and progress toward its political goal of controlling the entire Donetsk Oblast," the ministry said.
Selenskyj: The end of the war will be sealed on the "battlefield".
The Ukrainian President continues to believe that an end to the war is only possible on the "battlefield". "Above all, victory must be on the battlefield," said the 44-year-old in an interview with the Financial Times. However, Ukraine still lacks the technology to attack. Without additional equipment, it would be difficult for Kyiv, the losses would be great.
Unauthorized posting of Russian conscripts
The Russian authorities have fined 12 officers for illegally sending conscripts into the war against Ukraine. "About 600 conscripts were called up for the special military operation, all of whom were sent back within a very short time," said the military prosecutor of Russia's western military district, Artur Yegiyev, according to the Interfax news agency. The officers have been held accountable for this, he added. What is explosive about it is that Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin promised not to use conscripts in Ukraine, but only temporary and professional soldiers.
Scholz has not been closer to Russia for a long time
Olaf Scholz met President Gitanas Nauseda and the heads of government of the other Baltic states in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. After the talks, he promised Lithuania additional military support to defend against a possible Russian attack. "We have made it clear that we will increase our contribution," said the SPD politician. The German commitment should be developed "in the direction of a robust combat brigade".
"As allies in NATO, we feel obliged to each other and we will defend every inch of NATO territory in the event of an attack," promised Scholz. Estonia and Latvia welcomed Germany's commitment: "We very much appreciate Germany's efforts as a NATO framework nation to strengthen the defense of Lithuania and the Baltic States. That means we feel safer, we are not alone," said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. The EU Commission wants to decide in June how to proceed with Ukraine's EU ambitions. However, Scholz had made it clear that there should be no shortcuts for Ukraine on the way to the EU. Ukraine, which above all has to do with massive corruption, sees its fight against Russia as sufficient qualification.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphatically demanded EU candidate status after more than 100 days of fighting the Russian invasion. Selenskyj didn't just stop at demands: he sent a special envoy to Berlin to hold talks with the federal government about the prospect of joining the EU. The Minister for Regional Development, Oleksiy Tschernyschow, wants to meet with the head of the Chancellery, Wolfgang Schmidt, and several ministers, among others, by Wednesday. "The European Union should embrace Ukraine," said Chernyshev. But he also emphasized that his country did not want to be given preferential treatment.
Debate on tank deliveries from Spain
According to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Spain has not yet made a request for the export of German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. If there is another such application, it will be examined, said the SPD politician in Lithuania. According to a report in the newspaper "El País", the country wants to deliver German Leopard 2 A4 main battle tanks to Ukraine. As a rule, the federal government has to approve such arms exports because the purchase contracts contain so-called end-use clauses that provide for this in the event of a transfer. Economics Minister Robert Habeck expressed sympathy for Spain allowing German-made Leopard tanks to be exported to Ukraine. During a visit to Ramallah in Palestine, the Green politician said that the Spanish government had not yet made a decision when he left on Monday.
Release of grain shipments with Turkish help?
According to Turkey, there has been "significant progress" in the negotiations to release grain deliveries from Ukraine. Talks are being held with representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said, according to a report by the state news agency Anadolu. This involves, for example, the questions of who will clear the sea mines in the Black Sea, how a corridor can be designed and who will accompany the ships. Turkish state media also reported that Ankara had proposed setting up a coordination center in Istanbul. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine led to massive turbulence on world markets and drove up food prices. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov wants to meet his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu for talks in Ankara this Wednesday. According to both sides, it should also be about the release of Ukrainian grain deliveries.
Claudia Roth in Odessa
From the point of view of Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth, the cultural identity of Ukraine is also threatened by the Russian war of aggression. "This war is also a war against culture, against the culture of democracy," said the Green politician during a visit to the port city of Odessa on the Black Sea. After more than three months of war, 375 cultural institutions were destroyed or damaged, said Roth. 137 churches are also affected. Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth is visiting the Republic of Moldova on Wednesday.
Merkel strongly condemns the Russian attack
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel sharply condemned Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. "This is a brutal attack that violates international law and for which there is no excuse," Merkel said in Berlin. The attack was a big mistake on the part of Russia. It was not possible to create a security architecture that would have prevented the war, Merkel said.
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