Russia’s Defense Ministry confirms a new navy chief. Zelensky lowers military enlistment age. More information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Stoltenberg proposes a 100 billion euro NATO package for Ukraine
10:04 p.m.: NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has proposed a five-year military aid package worth 100 billion euros for Ukraine. This should give the Western alliance a more direct role in supporting Kiev, five diplomats said on Tuesday. The background is apparently to make aid to Ukraine more independent of the USA. The plan envisages NATO taking over part of the coordination work from the US-led so-called Ramstein Group. You can read more about the plans here.
The proposal is expected to be discussed at a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday and Thursday. The aim is to put together a package before the NATO summit in Washington in July. So far, the defense alliance has limited itself to supplying non-lethal materials to Ukraine, fearing that a more direct role could trigger an escalation of tensions with Russia. Most of its members therefore supply Ukraine with weapons on a bilateral basis. The EU also finances arms deliveries.
Ukraine reports injuries in Dnipro – kindergarten damaged
9:16 p.m.: According to official reports, at least 18 people were injured in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro as a result of a Russian missile attack. Among them are five children who are now being treated in hospitals, the governor of the central Ukrainian region, Serhiy Lyssak, said on Tuesday. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening video address that a university and a kindergarten had been damaged.
Against this background, Zelenskyj once again called for more international help in air defense: “The air defense systems that exist around the world should not simply be allowed to gather dust somewhere on the bases if they could save thousands of lives from Russian terror.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry confirms new naval chief
7:09 p.m.: Russia’s Defense Ministry has confirmed reports of the appointment of Admiral Alexander Moiseyev as the new commander-in-chief of the Navy. The 61-year-old, who previously headed Russia’s Northern Fleet, replaces Nikolai Yevmenov, who has held the post since 2019, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Tuesday.
Moiseyev’s previous position as head of the Northern Fleet will be taken over by Vice Admiral Konstantin Kabantsov. Following another decree from President Vladimir Putin, Vice Admiral Sergei Pinchuk was also appointed as the new commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
According to the media, Moiseyev has been serving as acting commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy since mid-March. There was no official confirmation at the time. For a long time there were also only unconfirmed reports about the dismissal of the previous Black Sea Fleet chief Viktor Sokolow. Official reasons for the reshuffle were not given. However, in the course of the war started by Moscow, the Russian Black Sea Fleet repeatedly suffered heavy losses from Ukrainian attacks. According to Kiev, the enemy fleet lost almost a third of its combat ships.
Ukraine lowers age for conscription of reservists
6:31 p.m.: After much hesitation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has agreed that reservists can be drafted from the age of 25. So far it has been 27 years. This makes it possible for two more cohorts to be called up for the ongoing war with Russia. The corresponding entry was published on the parliamentary website on Tuesday. Zelenskyj took nine months to think about it before making the decision.
After the amendment has yet to be published in the official gazette, the government has six months to implement it. Based on the birth rates at the end of the 1990s, theoretically a good 400,000 more men could be drafted for military service. At the same time, the decision on stricter mobilization rules is still expected next week.
Parliament had already passed the law on reservist age in May last year. After the signature of Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, it was presented to Zelenskyy for his signature in June. However, Zelenskyj claimed in December that he still needed strong arguments to sign. These concerns now appear to have been dispelled.
Lukashenko: We are peaceful, but we are preparing for war
4:33 p.m: The authoritarian Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko emphasizes his country’s peacefulness during a visit to the border town of Grodno in the border triangle with Poland and Lithuania. “We don’t have to threaten anyone. We don’t want foreign territory,” he said, according to his presidential office. “Don’t believe anyone that we want to fight!” Lukashenko asked those present at the laying of the foundation stone for a hospital.
