Day 614: Ukraine directs drones and missiles to Crimea. Russia appoints a new commander in eastern Ukraine. All information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Netherlands promises Ukraine quick F-16 delivery
6:19 p.m.: The Netherlands wants to provide Ukraine with the promised fighter jets within the next two weeks. The F-16 will be at the training center in Romania in two weeks, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on Platform X on Monday. Ukrainian pilots are to be trained for these machines in Romania. “This means that the training of Ukrainian pilots can begin quickly,” wrote Rutte.
He assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the Netherlands’ firm support. “The terrible situation in Israel and Gaza does not distract us from this.”
The Netherlands, Denmark and Norway had promised Ukraine F-16 deliveries. According to current status, more than 50 aircraft are to be delivered to the country. It is still unclear when the fighter jets can actually be used by Ukraine.
Russian authorities are auctioning off Zelensky’s apartment in Crimea
6 p.m.: According to a media report, Russian authorities have auctioned off the apartment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s family on the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow. The property was sold at auction for 44.3 million rubles (440,000 euros), the Russian state news agency Tass reported on Monday. That is around 200,000 euros above the starting price. There were only two bidders in total. The approximately 120 square meter apartment in the luxury health resort of Yalta was nationalized by the Russian authorities in 2023.
Officially, the apartment belonged to Olena Selenska, Zelensky’s wife. According to Tass, it is a three-room apartment with a view of the Black Sea and the Livadia Palace, the summer residence of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II. Zelenska bought the property in Crimea in 2013 – around a year before Russia left the Black Sea peninsula annexed in violation of international law. At that time, Zelenskyj still earned his money as an actor and cabaret artist.
The expropriation this year was made possible by a change in the law and a unanimous decision by the Crimean parliament. According to media reports, part of the income could flow into the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
The buyer, Moscow resident Olga Lipovetskaya, was unimpressed by the history of the apartment and its previous owner. She told the Mash news portal that she only bought the apartment because of the good location and the climate. Ukrainian President Zelensky has announced several times in the past that he would also liberate Crimea as part of a counteroffensive.
London: It is unclear whether Russia will deploy more women to the front
3:29 p.m.: According to the British Ministry of Defense, there have been hardly any women in combat missions for Russia in the war against Ukraine. “Women have rarely fought on the front lines with the pro-Russian forces in the current conflict,” the British said on Monday. During the Second World War, however, there was a strong tradition of female snipers and other fighters in the Soviet armed forces.
In their daily update on the short message service “It remains unclear whether the official Russian armed forces will follow suit and open more combat positions to women,” the British wrote.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in March that about 1,100 women were stationed in Ukraine, which represented just 0.3 percent of the armed forces, the British said. According to Redut’s advertisement, they are currently being used primarily for medical care and food.
