6pm: Pistorius visits NATO ally Lithuania – exercise in eastern flank
NATO wants to show assertiveness in the Baltic states in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Germany has increased its troop presence in Lithuania. Defense Minister Pistorius is visiting a NATO partner for the first time. During his two-day visit, the SPD politician intends to hold military-political talks and meet Bundeswehr soldiers stationed in the country. In reaction to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Germany has kept a combat force ready to defend Lithuania since last fall. Several hundred German soldiers from the regiment are currently training with the Lithuanian Armed Forces during exercise “Griffin Lightning”.
5.30 pm: Hungary’s Foreign Minister: West has surrendered to “war psychosis”.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjardo has accused the West of acting as a “war psychopath”. “There are people in Brussels who see it as a competition between Ukraine, Europe or the United States to supply more weapons,” the politician told parliament in Budapest. The world is in the “25th hour” to prevent an impending world war.
Szijjarto campaigned in parliament for a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has maintained cordial relations with the Kremlin in view of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
5:10 p.m.: Moscow says it has foiled an offensive against oligarchs near the Kremlin.
The Russian secret service FSB says it has foiled an attack on influential oligarch Konstantin Malofeev. The FSB said the plan was to kill the CEO of the Zargrad Group using an explosive device placed under his car. He accused Denis Kapustin, the alleged founder of the Russian Volunteer Force in Ukraine, of being behind the assassination plans. AFP was unable to verify this information at first.
Malofeev, a businessman close to the Kremlin, runs a conservative and nationalist television station, among other things. He is considered one of the most important financiers of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and has been under EU and US sanctions since 2014. According to the FSB, Kapustin is a right-wing extremist who was born in Russia in 1984 and fights Russian troops with his volunteer forces in Ukraine. He is said to be acting on the instructions of the Ukrainian security services.
The Ukrainian presidency has denied reports of a “sabotage group” in Bryansk. He spoke of “highly deliberate provocation” to justify the Russian attack on Ukraine.
4:20 pm: Buses from Nuremberg and generators from Erlangen arrive in Ukraine.
Three regular buses from Nuremberg to the Ukrainian twin city of Kharkiv. The city of Nuremberg and VAG Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft handed over the vehicles to the city transport company of the city of Kharkiv two weeks ago (February 21). VAG said this information should be released only after the buses have arrived safely in Kharkiv. On February 21, Nuremberg’s Lord Mayor Markus König (CSU) and VAG Board Spokesperson Tim Dallmann-Resing personally handed over the vehicles to representatives of the Ukrainian partner city in Nuremberg.
In addition, power generators sent in Erlangen ten days ago have arrived in the Ukrainian town of Brovary, northeast of Kiev. As announced by the city of Erlangen, four devices are required to provide emergency power to the schools. Erlangen’s Thuringian partner city of Jena sent four more devices from this transport to another location near Kiev, creating an emergency force for civilian infrastructure that had been hit repeatedly. The Association for Technical Cooperation provides eight generators with a total value of 90,000 euros in support of Ukrainian municipalities.
4:10 pm: Russia is threatened by a huge budget hole
Russia is threatened with an even bigger budget deficit this year than feared anyway. According to Russian news agency Interfax, the Russian government’s budget already shows a deficit of 2.581 trillion rubles (32.3 billion euros) after January and February. That’s almost 90 percent of the 2.925 trillion ruble (36.6 billion euros) deficit already projected for the year. In the same period last year, Russia achieved a surplus of 415 billion rubles (5.2 billion euros).
A major problem for the Russian budget is the decline in oil and gas revenues. According to the ministry’s preliminary calculations, these have almost halved. The Ministry of Finance attributed this mainly to low oil prices and decline in natural gas exports.
2.40 pm .: Ukraine wants to strengthen positions in Pakmut
The Ukrainian army wants to strengthen its positions in the city of Pakmut in eastern Ukraine, which has been hard-fought for months. Army Chief Valery Salushny and Ukrainian Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Chirsky spoke at a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky about the “continuation of the security operation” and “strengthening our position in Pakmut,” the presidential office in Kyiv. said after speculation that the return of Ukrainian soldiers was possible.
Bagmut has been facing tough competition since last summer. The battle for the small industrial city, which had about 70,000 residents before the Russian invasion, is the longest battle in the Ukraine war to date, and thousands of soldiers from both sides have already been killed.
2.30 p.m.: Transparency International “unwelcome” in Russia
The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has declared Transparency International an “undesirable organization”. The statement said it was determined that the activities of the Berlin-based anti-corruption agency went beyond its stated goals and objectives. The designation “undesirable” has been applied to many foreign companies and groups in Russia since the legal classification was introduced in 2015, and often serves as a precursor to an outright ban by the Ministry of Justice.
1:44 pm: Russia re-intensifies attack on Bagmuth
Ukrainian sources say that Russia has again intensified its attacks on the eastern Ukrainian city of Pakmut. “Civilians are fleeing the area to escape the Russian shelling, which continues around the clock, while additional Russian soldiers and weapons are stationed there,” Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kirilenko said. According to analysts, Russia’s capture of Bagmuth will have little effect on the course of the war. However, Vladimir Putin can successfully sell an income. Russia can completely capture the Donetsk region through Pakmut.
Observers questioned whether Ukraine should continue to protect Bakmut. While the opposition has accomplished much by spending Russia soldiers and ammunition, Michael Goffman of the CAN think tank in Virginia wrote on Twitter. But sticking to it could prevent the success of an offensive that would require Ukraine to mobilize resources. A retreat to positions that are easier to defend would make more sense, the Institute for War Studies think tank said.
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