Selenskyj commemorates Bakhmut commander “Da Vinci” – the night update without pictures After the poisoning of schoolgirls, the Iran protests are sprouting again

Zelenskyj commemorates fallen commander: ‘One of the youngest heroes’

In his speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj also recalled the commander Dmytro Kozyubajlo, known in Ukraine by his nickname “Da Vinci”, who was killed in Bakhmut. The 27-year-old is “one of Ukraine’s youngest heroes,” Selenskyj said. “One of those whose personal history, character and courage forever became the history, character and courage of Ukraine.”

For months there has been fierce fighting for Bachmut, which had more than 70,000 inhabitants before the war. The city, located in the Donetsk region, is now largely destroyed and abandoned. In particular, Wagner’s private Russian army operating there was accused of ruthless action, and high casualties in their own ranks were also accepted with approval. Nevertheless, the Russian Ministry of Defense recently announced its intention to continue the fight with undiminished intensity.

Kiev and Moscow exchange more than 200 prisoners

As a result of another exchange, dozens of POWs from both sides have been released. The Defense Ministry in Moscow informed about 90 Russian soldiers who will be flown home from Ukraine for medical treatment.

In Kiev, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, reported that 130 compatriots had returned. Among them are 87 defenders of the port city of Mariupol, which has been occupied by Russia for almost ten months. Another 35 fighters were captured near Bakhmut and Soledar in eastern Ukraine.

The current developments in the live ticker:

Scholz: Russia’s war against Ukraine could go on even longer

Chancellor Olaf Scholz is preparing for the fact that the Russian offensive war could last a long time. “We have to fear that this will take longer, although of course we would like it to be different every day,” the SPD politician said during a question and answer session with citizens in Cottbus, Brandenburg. The war was met with “incredible losses” on both sides. Russia alone has lost between 30,000 and 40,000 to 100,000 soldiers. “Both would be unimaginable amounts of money,” Scholz said.

New speculation about perpetrators behind Nord Stream explosion

In the case of the explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines six months ago, there is renewed speculation about the perpetrators. According to research by ARD, SWR and “Zeit”, the tracks apparently lead in the direction of Ukraine. Citing intelligence information, it was said that a pro-Ukrainian group could be responsible for the explosions in late September 2022. Authorities in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and the US were involved in the investigation, “Zeit” reported. On the German side, neither the federal government nor the responsible federal prosecutor made specific comments on the reports when asked.

“The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (GBA) has been investigating the case since the beginning of October 2022,” said German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit. “Recently, Sweden, Denmark and Germany informed the United Nations Security Council that the investigations are ongoing and there are still no results,” he said. According to a spokeswoman, the GBA did not want to comment on Tuesday evening. Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office, strongly denied any involvement by Ukraine.

What will be important on Wednesday

The defense ministers of the 27 EU countries want to discuss further ammunition deliveries to Ukraine at a meeting in Sweden next Wednesday. The background is mainly the fear that the country attacked by Russia will no longer have sufficient artillery shells in the future. Prior to the meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed the need for additional military aid. (sda/dpa)