+ Ukraine war in the news blog +

Day 416 since the beginning of the war: US Secretary of State Janet Yellen wants Russia to pay for the damage in Ukraine. Brazil’s President Lula wants to mediate – and blames Ukraine for the war. All information in the news blog.

7:14 p.m.: Russian forces have launched dozens of attacks against positions held by Ukrainian defenders, according to the General Staff in Kiev in eastern Ukraine. The Russian units suffered heavy losses, which were not specified, according to the Ukrainian army leadership on Sunday in its daily situation report. A total of 45 Russian attacks were repelled around Bakhmut and Marjinka. These places continue to be the epicenter of the attacks. The Russian army “actively deploys tactical and military air forces in these areas,” the general staff wrote on Facebook. The information could not be independently verified.

“The enemy is suffering significant casualties but is sticking to plans to occupy Ukrainian territory,” it said. According to the general staff, medical facilities in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions are “overflowing” with wounded attackers. Despite the large number of Russian attacks, the front line remained unchanged.

6:19 p.m.: The Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has given an indication of the approximate amount of own losses since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression. “I can’t give you an exact figure, but I can assure you that it’s lower than the death toll from the earthquake in Turkey,” he said in an interview with Spanish newspaper La Razón published on Sunday. According to Turkish information, more than 50,000 people died in the February 6 earthquake in the south-east of the country.

So far, Ukraine has not provided any information on the number of its wounded and dead. Only estimates exist for the total number of Ukrainian victims. Kyiv sees the numbers as a state secret.

5:10 p.m.: According to US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Russia should take financial responsibility for the destruction in Ukraine. “I think Russia should pay for the damage it has done to Ukraine,” Yellen said on US television on Sunday, referring to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. However, it reacted hesitantly to the seizure of Russian assets demanded by Ukraine. “It’s something we’re discussing with our partners. But you know there are legal restrictions on what we can do with frozen Russian assets.”

During the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the assets of the Russian central bank to be confiscated on Wednesday. “Russia must feel the full price for its aggression,” he said via video. Ukraine’s allies have so far largely lagged behind these demands. This is due to legal concerns, practical hurdles and political risks. Russia had repeatedly threatened countermeasures in the event of expropriations.

3:13 p.m.: Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has announced a clear signal from the G7 group of economically strong democracies against Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine. “Now it’s about showing Putin our determination that he won’t achieve his goals through wear and tear,” said the Green politician on Sunday at the start of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Karuizawa, Japan Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.