Ukraine War Newsblog | Pentagon: Russian army lost half of its tanks

Day 353 since the beginning of the war: A Ukrainian governor reports a Russian offensive in the east. France leaves fighter jet delivery open. All information in the news blog.

11.50 p.m.: According to estimates by the US Department of Defense, the Russian army has already lost half of its main battle tanks in its war of aggression against Ukraine. “Probably half of the Russian army’s main stock of tanks” was “destroyed or confiscated by Ukraine,” said Celeste Wallander, undersecretary for international security affairs at the US Department of Defense on Friday.

At an online event held by the think tank Center for a New American Security, Wallander did not provide any further information on the number of tanks confiscated and destroyed according to US estimates. Ukraine is set to receive main battle tanks from several Western allies in the coming weeks. Read more about a planned Russian upgrade of tanks here.

10:23 p.m.: Rating agency Moody’s sees Ukraine on the brink of default. Credit watchers lowered the country’s credit rating to “Ca” from “Caa3” on Friday, citing long-term challenges for Ukraine as a result of Russia’s war of aggression. Ukraine’s gross domestic product (GDP) collapsed by around 30 percent last year. However, Ukraine is not threatened with a further downgrade for the time being: the outlook has been raised to “stable” from previously “negative”.

9:28 p.m.: The massive Russian missile attack on Friday caused considerable damage to Ukraine’s energy system, according to the utility company Ukrenergo. Several thermal and hydroelectric power plants were hit, said the head of the group, Volodymyr Kudryzkyj, on Ukrainian television on Friday evening. The situation in the Kharkiv region is particularly difficult.

The attack has thrown back plans to restore Ukraine’s power supply, Kudrytsky said. “But again no catastrophe happened.” The 14th wave of Russian attacks since last October has not achieved its goal of destroying the energy system either.

8:19 p.m.: Ukraine apparently wants to buy the modern Panther main battle tank. What distinguishes the model from the Leopard 2 tank? Here you get more information.

5:56 p.m.: According to a human rights organization in Belarus, two men have been sentenced to 22 years in prison for sabotaging the rail network. The Wiasna group said they were found guilty of five counts, including high treason and terrorism. The aim of the sabotage was to delay the movement of Russian troops through the country allied with Moscow into Ukraine. According to human rights groups, there are now around 1,500 political prisoners in Belarus.

5:32 p.m.: The Russian army has launched its spring offensive, and the situation in Ukraine is getting worse. In an interview with t-online, military and Russia expert Gustav Gressel explains why the Ukrainian defenders could now lose the profits from their successful counter-offensive in late summer 2022 – and what China has to do with it. Here you can read more about it.

5:06 p.m.: Volodymyr Zelenskyj wants to persuade the EU to deliver new weapons. The President of Ukraine handed out concrete wish lists to several heads of state. Here you can read more about it.

3:36 p.m.: The EU states have passed nine sanctions packages against Russia since February 24. However, the Russian economy is surprisingly resilient. Here you can read more about it.

3:21 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the new rocket attacks on his country as a “challenge for NATO” and asked for help. “This is terror that can and must be stopped,” the head of state addressed the western military alliance in a video message from Kyiv. Like Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zalushnyi, Zelenskyi emphasized that Russian missiles had flown through Romanian airspace. Romania is a member of both the EU and NATO.