UKRAINE WRAP | Russia says it destroyed S-300 missile systems given to Ukraine by European state

April 11 2022 - 17:00

Russia starting to reinforce positions in eastern Ukraine - U.S. official

The United States believes that Russia has started reinforcing and resupplying its troops in Donbas in eastern Ukraine, a senior U.S. defense official said on Monday.

The United States did not however believe this was the start of a new offensive in the region, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official said the United States did not have evidence that any S-300 missile defense system had been destroyed by Russia. 

-Reuters

April 11 2022 - 13:30

Germany's Rheinmetall aims to supply up to 50 tanks to Ukraine - newspaper

Germany-based defence equipment supplier Rheinmetall is preparing to supply up to 50 used Leopard 1 battle tanks to Ukraine, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Monday, citing the group's CEO.

Rheinmetall could deliver the first tanks in six weeks and the rest over the following three months through its subsidiary Rheinmetall Italia if it gets the green light from the German government, Chief Executive Armin Papperger told Handelsblatt.

The company could not be immediately reached for comment on the report.

Rheinmetall's Leopard 1 battle tank is a predecessor model of the Leopard 2 currently in service with the German armed forces, and the armies using it have returned it to the supplier while upgrading their equipment, Handelsblatt reported.

The company is already examining the condition of the vehicles, Papperger told the newspaper, adding Ukrainian soldiers could be trained to use the Leopard 1 within a few days if they are trained military personnel.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has spurred Germany into reversing a long-standing policy of not sending weapons to conflict zones, and Berlin has supplied Kyiv with anti-tank weapons and missiles.

Germany has also taken part in several sanction packages imposed by the European Union on Moscow over the invasion, which Russia calls a "special military operation".

Reuters

April 11 2022 - 12:12

Kremlin says NATO membership for Finland, Sweden won't bring stability to Europe

The Kremlin said on Monday that the possible accession of Sweden and Finland to the NATO military alliance would not bring stability to Europe.

"We have repeatedly said that the alliance remains a tool geared towards confrontation and its further expansion will not bring stability to the European continent," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call when asked about the possibility of Sweden and Finland joining NATO.

A senior US State Department official said last week that the prospect of Finland and Sweden joining NATO was part of the discussion between foreign ministers from the military alliance in Brussels.

Reuters

April 11 2022 - 11:50

Kremlin says there is no reason for Russian debt default

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia had the resources to pay its debt so there was no objective reason for a default.

"There can only be a technical, man-made default," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"There are no objective reasons for such a default. Russia has everything it needs to fulfil all its obligations," Peskov said. 

Reuters 

April 11 2022 - 11:45

Russia says it destroyed S-300 missile systems given to Ukraine by European state

Russia said on Monday that it had used cruise missiles to destroy S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems which had been supplied to Ukraine by an unidentified European country.

Russia launched Kalibr cruise missiles on Sunday against four S-300 launchers which were concealed in a hangar on the outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, the defence ministry said.

Russia said 25 Ukrainian troops were hit in the attack."High-precision sea-launched Kalibr missiles destroyed the equipment of a S-300 anti-aircraft missile division which had been delivered to the Kyiv regime by a European country," the ministry said.

Russia did not say which European country had supplied the S-300 systems.

NATO member Slovakia, which had donated such a missile system to Ukraine, said the one it supplied had not been hit."Our S-300 was not destroyed," Slovak government spokesperson Lubica Janikova said.

Russian forces also shot down two Ukrainian Su-25 aircraft near the city of Izium and destroyed two ammunition depots, one of which was near the southern city of Mykolaiv, the Russian defence ministry said.

The Ukrainian military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reuters 

April 11 2022 - 11:28

Ukraine's Zelenskiy says tens of thousands killed in Mariupol, seeks military aid from S.Korea

Tens of thousands of people have likely been killed in Russia's assault on the southeastern city of Mariupol, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday, as he asked Seoul for any military aid it could provide.

Mariupol has been destroyed, there are tens of thousands of dead, but even despite this, the Russians are not stopping their offensive," Zelenskiy said in a video address to South Korean lawmakers.

Reuters has confirmed widespread destruction in Mariupol but could not verify the accuracy of his estimate of those killed in the city, which lies between eastern areas of Ukraine held by Russian-backed separatists and Russian-annexed Crimea.

Zelenskiy did not specify which weapons he sought, but said South Korea had many weapons that could not only help save the lives of ordinary Ukrainians, but help prevent Russia from attacking other nations.

"Ukraine needs various military technologies from airplanes to tanks," he said through an interpreter. "South Korea can help us.

"South Korean defence minister Suh Wook and Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov held a phone conversation on Friday on Reznikov's request.

Reznikov thanked Suh for sending humanitarian aid and supplies and asked South Korea to send anti-aircraft weapons, Seoul’s defence ministry said on Monday.

Reuters

April 11 2022 - 09:43

How ‘Ukraine Fatigue’ is taking over markets

Covid fatigue is now a widespread affliction. The pandemic has been a lead weight on our way of life for more than two years, and unsurprisingly people no longer want to talk about it. 

Most of us wish to get on with our lives as if the coronavirus has been vanquished, even though we know in our hearts that it hasn’t.

This is how Google Trends searches for Covid-19 have moved since March 2020, in the US and worldwide:

Covid fatigue took two years to set in, and remained prone to sudden spikes of concern. Now, compare that with Google Trends searches for Ukraine, this time over the last 90 days. This chart is for the US, but a global chart is identical:

April 11 2022 - 09:06

Johnson meets Zelensky in Kyiv to offer support

Russia continues to press a land assault in the Donetsk region while attempting to complete its capture of Mariupol in the south. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the impending eastern battle will be crucial. Reaction continues to pour in after Russia’s bombing on Friday of a railway station that killed dozens of civilians and injured hundreds more. 

The European Union and the UK announced sanctions against the daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday and promised more sanctions on Russia and financial aid for Ukraine. The EU mission in Kyiv has reopened. 

April 11 2022 - 08:03

EXPLAINER-Why did the US resettle only 12 Ukrainian refugees in March?

US President Joe Biden said last month that the US would accept up to 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing Russia's invasion, but lawmakers and advocates have urged the Democratic president to speed up refugee and visa processing.

While several thousand Ukrainians have entered the US via the border with Mexico and some on legal visas, only 12 Ukrainians came through the US refugee program in March.

April 11 2022 - 06:45

New Zealand sending Hercules plane, personnel to Europe

New Zealand said on Monday it will deploy a C-130 Hercules and 58 personnel to Europe to further support Ukraine against Russia's invasion.

The team would travel throughout Europe transporting equipment and supplies to distribution centres, but would not enter Ukraine, Defence Minister Peeni Henare said in a statement.

The government also said it would donate an extra NZ$13.1 million ($9 million) towards military, legal and human rights support.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand's support was to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion because peace in the region of Europe was essential for global stability.

"Such a blatant attack on a country's sovereignty is a threat to all of us and that's why we too have a role to play," Ardern said.

Russia calls its action in Ukraine a "special operation".

Reuters

April 11 2022 - 06:20

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Ukrainians recount attacks; US will supply Ukraine with weapons

Russian forces continued shelling targets in eastern Ukraine on Sunday, as Washington said it would meet Kyiv's request for more military aid by providing "the weapons it needs" to defend itself against Russia.

April 11 2022 - 06:00

Fareed Zakaria: Will Putin hinder right-wing populist leaders?

CNN's Fareed Zakaria argues that despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the popularity of right-wing populist leaders around the world remains strong.