After Kharkiv, the Ukrainian counter-offensive is heading for the Luhansk region. According to Kiev, around 300 towns have been recaptured since last week. In Moscow, they want to continue to refrain from general mobilization for the time being, Chancellor Scholz is on the phone with Putin. The 202nd day of the war at a glance.
Ukraine reports Russian withdrawal from Luhansk
In the war zone, the tide has turned in the past few days: the Ukrainian military has regained areas, especially in the east and south of the country, while the Russian occupiers hastily withdrew. After the region around the city of Kharkiv, this also applies to the first places in the neighboring region of Luhansk, as the Ukrainian military governor there Serhiy Hajdaj announced. These statements could not initially be verified independently.
The Russian leadership around President Vladimir Putin is calm despite the setbacks. No general mobilization is planned, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the Interfax agency. But calls for consequences are growing louder in Moscow - including for a partial or full mobilization to achieve the stated goals of the so-called "special operation".
Ukraine: 3800 square kilometers of land liberated
In its counter-offensive, Ukraine liberated at least 300 towns with almost 150,000 inhabitants on 3800 square kilometers in the eastern region of Kharkiv in one week. That's what Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar said in Balaklija, one of the recaptured cities. These are only the confirmed numbers, she said on Telegram. The liberated territory in the Kharkiv region is probably almost twice as large. More data will be available on Wednesday.
Moscow orders massive bombardments
In response to Ukraine's gains in territory, Russia reported heavy shelling on all front lines. "Russian air and missile forces, as well as artillery, are launching massive attacks against units of the Ukrainian armed forces in all theaters of operations," the Russian Defense Ministry said in its daily report. Attacks in the east, south and near Kharkiv in the north-east of the country, where Ukraine launched its counter-offensive, were explicitly mentioned.
Scholz calls Putin for 90 minutes
Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone in the afternoon and spent an hour and a half talking to him about the war in Ukraine. According to the announcement, the SPD politician pushed for a quick diplomatic solution in view of the situation at the front. It must be based "on a ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of Russian troops and respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty," the statement said. Scholz and Putin had agreed to remain in contact.
Brits see Russia's armed forces weakened
The strategic situation after Ukraine's recent successes is not easy to assess. "We have clearly seen significant progress by the Ukrainians, particularly in the Northeast," US Secretary of State Blinken said in Mexico, praising the Ukrainians' courage. But he added that it was too early to tell how the situation would develop. "The Russians continue to have very large armed forces, equipment, weapons and ammunition in Ukraine."
According to British intelligence services, however, leading units of the Russian army have been severely weakened. The First Guards Tank Army, which is one of the most prestigious units in the Russian military, is also affected. Parts of this unit withdrew from the Kharkiv region last week.
"Germany, we are waiting for your word"
Meanwhile, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak has criticized Germany's reluctance to deliver tanks. "There are no tanks for six months because there is no 'political decision' about it," he wrote on Twitter. Russia could therefore continue the "terror", Ukrainians would have to die. "Germany, we are waiting for your word," Podoljak addressed Berlin.
There, the issue of further weapon systems continues to be disputed, also with a view to tanks. However, the debate is largely deadlocked: Chancellor Scholz and the SPD are cautious and opposed to going it alone. The coalition partners Greens and FDP are putting pressure on. The US embassy in Berlin encouraged Germany to provide "as much support as possible" with military aid to Ukraine.
Rheinmetall could immediately deliver Marder to Ukraine
According to the NDR and ARD capital studio, the German armaments group Rheinmetall announced that it had largely restored 16 "marders" from the Bundeswehr's decommissioned stocks at its own expense. They are ready for delivery, but there is no export license from the federal government. Rheinmetall has already started processing 14 other martens, the ARD capital city studio reported. If necessary, 70 more vehicles from old stock could be made usable again.
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