Several killed in attack on residential building in Kramatorsk – the nightly update without photos

Kramatorsk: Number of deaths after attack on residential building increases

At least three people were killed when a rocket hit a residential building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, according to Ukrainian authorities. “Another terrorist attack by criminals and terrorists from Russia,” the head of the presidential bureau, Andriy Yermak, wrote on the Telegram news channel on Wednesday evening. He also published a photo of a house in ruins. Salvage work continues. The number of injured rose to 21 on Thursday morning.

Current developments also in the live ticker:

Selenskyj again calls for Western help

After the missile hit Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again urged the West to help against the Russian attacks. “The only way to stop Russian terrorism is to defeat it. by tanks. fighter jets. Long-range missiles,” he wrote on Twitter.

80th Anniversary of Victory in Stalingrad: Putin Celebrates Propaganda Anniversary

As Ukraine mourns the deaths of rocket terror in Kramatorsk, Putin commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Red Army’s victory in the Battle of Stalingrad against the Wehrmacht. For this, the 70-year-old travels to the city of Volgograd, which is currently called Stalingrad again for a short time due to the anniversary, according to the place name signs.

Unfazed by the violence and devastation caused by his war against Ukraine, Putin is likely to reassert that he sees his attack on the neighboring country almost a year ago as a continuation of the fight against Nazism. Only in January did he again accuse the leadership in Kiev of worshiping the Ukrainian nationalist leader Stepan Bandera (1909-1959), who then helped Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, as a hero today. “That is why we have every reason to describe the current Ukrainian rulers as neo-Nazis,” Putin said during a meeting with veterans in St Petersburg.

Critics accuse Putin of misusing the memorial of the Soviet Union’s victory over Hitler’s Germany in World War II, which is sacred to many Russians, for his propaganda about the invasion of Ukraine. According to the Kremlin, Putin is meeting with representatives of patriotic and youth organizations on the Volga. A bust of Stalin was also unveiled in Volgograd in memory of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin (1879-1953) who led the country to victory.

The Battle of Stalingrad with hundreds of thousands of dead within 200 days is considered one of the heaviest and most decisive defeats of the German Wehrmacht and thus a turning point in the Second World War. The city was almost completely destroyed in the bitter fighting. On November 19, 1942, the Red Army launched a counter-attack, encircling the 6th Army of the German Wehrmacht. On February 2, 1943, the last German units were taken prisoner. Since 1961 the city is called Volgograd.

In the Battle of Stalingrad, many Ukrainians in the Red Army fought alongside Russian soldiers against Hitler’s troops. Today, the two ex-Soviet republics are fighting each other.

Zelenskyj reports on the successes in the run-up to the summit with the EU

Ahead of an EU-Ukraine summit this Friday, Zelenskyy inquired about “successes” in the work of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies in his nightly video message. For example, a police station was arrested that allegedly covered a prostitution ring. There was violence against girls, Selenskyj said. There are first arrests. According to the authorities, officials are said to have collected a million euros a month in “protection money”.

Selenskyj had recently announced that he would take action against corruption, abuse of office and other criminal behavior in the government. He said senior customs officials had been fired. In addition, the SBU secret service, detectives and prosecutors have conducted dozens of raids in different regions of the country to collect evidence for criminal prosecution. “Justice will be established.”

The European Commission also calls for further efforts in the fight against criminal abuse of power. Before next year’s presidential elections, Zelensky will probably want to limit the damage to himself, because after nearly four years in power, many voters still feel that too little has been done in this area.

EU chief diplomat does not rule out deliveries of fighter jets to Ukraine

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has not ruled out the supply of fighter jets to Ukraine, despite the current reluctance of countries such as Germany and the US. The supply of tanks was also initially very controversial, said the Spaniard on Friday in the run-up to an EU-Ukraine summit in Kiev. In the end, however, agreement was reached and this “red line” was crossed. So far, there have been warnings of escalation risks for all arms shipments, he said.

What will be important on Thursday

In eastern Ukraine, Russian troops are trying to advance further and are currently capturing cities in the Donetsk region. In addition to the Donetsk region, Kremlin chief Putin also occupied the regions of Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia and declared them Russian state territory. No country recognizes that. The goal of his war is to bring the four illegally annexed territories under Russian control. (sda/dpa)