Day 383 since the beginning of the war: Russia has attacked Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine. The Kremlin insists on recognition of its annexations. All information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Putin: Russia is fighting for its survival in Ukraine
3:49 p.m.: According to President Vladimir Putin, Russia is fighting for its own existence in Ukraine. “For us, this is not a geopolitical task, but a task for the survival of the Russian state,” Putin told employees of an aircraft manufacturer in Buryatia in the east of the country on Tuesday. Conditions must be created in order to be able to develop the country and its children. The West is trying to bring Russia to its knees, primarily with economic sanctions.
The European Union and the US have already passed several packages of sanctions against Russia in response to the war of aggression against Ukraine. With regard to the sanctions, Putin emphasized that the Russian economy had shown itself to be surprisingly robust and resilient. The West must have thought Russia would collapse within two or three weeks. “That didn’t happen.”
Kremlin wants to adjust conscription age
3:43 p.m.: Apparently, the Kremlin no longer wants to conscript teenagers into the war of aggression against Ukraine. Here you can read more about it.
Russia apparently uses old bullets due to shortages
3:31 p.m.: According to British estimates, Russia is using outdated shells in the war against Ukraine due to a lack of ammunition. The ammunition had previously been classified as unusable, the Ministry of Defense in London said on Tuesday, citing intelligence findings.
“In the past few weeks, the Russian shortage of artillery ammunition has probably worsened to such an extent that shells are being strictly rationed on many sectors of the front,” it said in London. “This was almost certainly a key reason why no Russian unit was able to launch a significant offensive recently.”
The Russian defense industry is taking on more and more of a command economy, it said in London. The leadership in Moscow has recognized that the industry is a crucial weak point in the “increasingly grueling” war.
Russia expands law against “army discrediting”.
1:45 p.m.: More than a year after the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia is expanding its already controversial law to punish “defamation” or “discrediting” of its own fighters. There are now severe penalties not only for criticizing the army, but also for “volunteers” fighting in the neighboring country. “All those who risk their lives today to guarantee the security of the country and its citizens are now protected from provocations and lies,” Parliament Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin wrote on his Telegram channel after the laws were passed. A conviction under the new law carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
The tightening of the law is mainly due to a demand from the head of the notorious Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin. He had recruited rows of criminals for the war. The 61-year-old asked politicians to protect the mercenaries – who are officially considered volunteers – from defamation.
In the past few months, the Russian leadership has massively curtailed freedom of expression in its own country in connection with its war of aggression against Ukraine. A number of opponents of the war have been sentenced to several years in prison in recent months for allegedly “discrediting the Russian army”. Internationally, many of them are considered political prisoners.
Russian missiles hit Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine
1:09 p.m.: The Russian military has fired rockets at the center of the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine. “The evil state continues to fight against the civilian population,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, according to a statement distributed on social networks.
At least three people were injured and one killed in the attack. Zelenskyy expressed his condolences to the relatives. These acts would inevitably result in “just” punishment. Six apartment buildings were damaged by the missile strike, he said.
Ukraine: Russia could evacuate collaborators to Crimea
12:34 p.m.: The Russian occupation authorities in the town of Vasylivka in the Zaporizhia region are said to have drawn up a plan to evacuate occupation administration employees and their families to Crimea. This is reported by the National Resistance Center of Ukraine. According to the plan, collaborators and their families are to flee to the Russian-annexed peninsula two hours before Russian forces withdraw.
