Putin and Zelenskyj show themselves in front – the night update without photos

Zelenskyj and Putin on a visit to the front

After Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also visited the front in eastern Ukraine. While Zelenskyy’s visit to Avdiivka on Tuesday was clearly documented, the exact timing of Putin’s visit to the areas occupied by his forces remained unclear.

Putin ordered the offensive war against the neighboring country in February 2022. Later, in violation of international law, Russia annexed Ukrainian territories, including Kherson and Luhansk, as well as Donetsk and Zaporizhia. In Kherson in southern Ukraine, Putin had the commander of the airborne forces, Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky, describe the situation, a statement said. In Luhansk in the east, he met Colonel General Alexander Lapin and other senior officers.

Zelenskyj with special thanks to medical staff

After his day at the front in eastern Ukraine and in the hinterland, Zelenskyj expressed a word of thanks to all paramedics and doctors in the country. “My special thanks go to our medical staff, all the doctors, nurses and brothers who bring our defenders back to life after an injury,” Zelenskyj said in his evening video address on Tuesday. He had previously visited several hospitals and military hospitals in Donetsk and Poltava regions.

After his visit to the front, Selenskyj reported on the situation in heavily contested Avdiivka. “It’s hard to see what Russian terrorists have done to this city,” he said, describing the destruction of the city. “And I pay tribute to all our soldiers, all Ukrainians, who stopped for 419 days and gradually crushed this Russian evil.”

Germany has supplied the Patriot anti-aircraft system to Ukraine

Germany has handed over the promised Patriot air defense system to Ukraine to repel Russian attacks. The weapon system had been delivered, the federal government announced on its website for armaments aid to Ukraine. According to information from the German press agency, the US and German-trained operations teams recently proved their skills with a joint exercise on the military grounds of a NATO partner. Ukrainian anti-aircraft personnel were given the final touches to successfully deploy the Patriot to repel Russian airstrikes.

Patriot (“Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target”) is one of the most modern air defense systems in the world. This can be used to fight enemy aircraft, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. At a distance of about 100 kilometers and up to a height of 30 kilometers, the defense missiles can hit targets in an imaginary bubble around the position – depending on the guided missile used. Germany had agreed with the US to provide Ukraine with a modern air defense system to defend against Russian attacks, which are increasingly targeting the country’s civilian infrastructure.

Fighting continues in eastern Ukraine

During heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian artillerymen say they destroyed a Russian electronic warfare facility. In addition, two deployments of Russian soldiers and vehicles were fired on, the General Staff in Kiev said without giving exact location information. The information could not be independently verified.

The Russian army reported Ukrainian attacks in the Donetsk region. The Ukrainian side used, among other things, an air-to-surface missile specially developed to combat ground radar systems. No further information was given about the effects of this attack.

Switzerland remains against the transfer of arms and ammunition

Despite criticism from Germany and other Western countries, Switzerland has maintained its strict no to the transfer of arms and ammunition to Ukraine. After a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in Berlin on Tuesday, Swiss President Alain Berset justified this with the neutrality of his country, which also does not belong to the EU or NATO. “You can’t ask us to break our own laws,” Berset said.

Swiss neutrality laws meant that the government could not provide military support to either side in a conflict. However, it is necessary to look at “how one should, must or can develop there”, according to Berset.

The current developments in the live ticker:

Report: Jäger becomes the new German ambassador to Ukraine

According to a media report, Martin Jäger will be the new German ambassador to Ukraine. The “Stuttgarter Zeitung” and “Stuttgarter Nachrichten” (Wednesday) reported this, citing government circles in Berlin. Jäger should therefore succeed Anka Feldhusen in the summer. He is currently ambassador to Iraq. Jäger was, among other things, spokesman for the then foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, chief lobbyist at the Daimler car company and ambassador to Afghanistan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs initially declined to comment on the staff.

What will be important on Wednesday

On his first visit to Portugal, German Chancellor Scholz will speak with Prime Minister António Costa about European and economic policy issues, as well as Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Portugal is one of the countries that, together with Germany, has delivered Leopard 2 main battle tanks to the war zone. (con/sda/dpa)