Updated on 04/16/2023 00:02
- 7:00 p.m.: ➤ Kiev sanctions Russian companies, athletes and daughter of minister
- 4:49 p.m.: Poland bans grain imports from Ukraine
- 4:21 p.m .: Medvedev threatens: “Poland will disappear together with its stupid prime minister”
- 2:20 p.m .: Rocket hit a Ukrainian apartment building: the number of victims continues to rise
- 10:47 am: Lula calls for end of military support to Ukraine
- 10:15 a.m.: Rocket attack on residential area: Ukraine reports nine dead in Sloviansk
➤ Kiev sanctions Russian companies, athletes and minister’s daughter
Ukraine has added hundreds more Russian companies and individuals to its sanctions list. Among the more than 240 affected companies are the Internet companies Yandex and VK, according to the decrees published on Saturday
For example, those affected are no longer allowed to conduct business in Ukraine or are no longer allowed to enter the country. If they exist, their assets in Ukraine are often frozen as well. In many cases, however, the sanctions are likely to have symbolic value above all. (dpa)
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The situation at a glance
Since February 24, 2022, Russia has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine from the air and on the ground. Had just before
Since then, the Ukrainian army has been fighting the invaders as best they can. There are reports of thousands dead on both sides. How many soldiers and civilians have already died, however, cannot be independently verified. The fact is: the humanitarian situation in Ukraine is getting worse every day.
The UNHCR refugee agency now has more than 8.1 million Ukrainian refugees in Europe registered (as of April 11). The refugees are mainly women and children, as men between the ages of 18 and 60 are in most cases not allowed to leave the country.
The EU and the USA reacted with sanctions. They are also supplying arms to Ukraine, and Germany is also supporting the country with arms deliveries. Ukraine also received Gepard-class tanks from Germany. (dpa)
Further news on the war in Ukraine from April 15
Poland bans grain imports from Ukraine
Poland has banned grain and other food imports from Ukraine. The government decided that, said the chairman of the Law and Justice party (PiS), Jaroslaw Kaczynski, according to the PAP agency on Saturday at a conference in the north-east of Lyse near Ostroleka. “We are and will remain friends and allies of Ukraine without the slightest change,” said the 73-year-old. Nevertheless, one must protect the interests of one’s own citizens. It cannot be in the interest of the government in Kiev to plunge Poland into a crisis.
Poland is among the staunchest political and military supporters of Ukraine. But the farmers of the EU member state feel their existence threatened by the duty-free import of large quantities of Ukrainian grain made possible by the EU. There have already been peasant protests. Henryk Kowalczyk then resigned as Minister of Agriculture and was replaced by Robert Telus.
Kaczynski admitted that it is ready to settle the grain issue in a future intergovernmental agreement with Ukraine. He also announced government support purchases of grain. Slovakia had previously banned the sale of wheat from Ukraine – the reason: too high a pesticide content. (dpa/tas)
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Medvedev threatens: “Poland will disappear together with its stupid prime minister”
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has repeatedly addressed sharp words to the NATO countries. On Friday he threatened Poland, neighboring Ukraine, on Twitter and insulted Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. He wrote: “A fool named Mateusz Morawiecki said that Ukraine has the right to attack Russia and he is not worried about NATO’s war against Russia because Russia will lose it soon.”
He also threatened Poland: “I don’t know who will win or lose such a war, but given Poland’s role as a NATO outpost in Europe, this country will surely disappear along with its stupid prime minister.” (spl)
Poland is one of the main supporters of Ukraine in the fight against the invading Russian forces. At the beginning of April, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced, among other things, that his country wanted to make “its entire MiG fleet” of around 30 aircraft available to Ukraine. (spl/dpa)
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Rocket hit Ukrainian home: number of victims continues to rise
According to the authorities, after a Russian missile hit a residential area in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, the death toll has risen to eleven. The Ukrainian media reported on Saturday, citing rescue services. Residents are still missing under the rubble. A two-year-old child is said to be among the dead. More than 20 people are said to have been injured.
According to Ukrainian information, the rocket hit the city in the heavily contested Donetsk region on Friday afternoon. At first there was talk of at least eight dead. Photos show a multi-storey building with a large hole in the upper floors. (dpa)
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Lula calls for end of military support to Ukraine
of Brazil
In this way, the international community will be able to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that “peace is in the interest of the whole world,” said the Brazilian President before continuing his journey from China to the United Arab Emirates.
Lula arrived in Beijing, Brazil’s main trading partner, on Friday for a state visit. The main aim was to strengthen bilateral relations and to convey the impression that “Brazil is again an important player on the world stage”.
Lula’s statements about Washington’s support for Ukraine are considered sensitive, because Lula also wants closer ties with Washington. His first trip abroad in February – one month after taking office – took him to the USA.
Unlike Western allies, China and Brazil have not condemned Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine or imposed sanctions on Russia. Like Lula, the Chinese government has criticized Washington’s support for Kiev. Both countries are trying to present themselves as neutral parties and to position themselves as mediators in the Ukraine conflict. (dpa)
© Ricardo Stuckert/Agencia Brazil/dpa
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Rocket attack on residential area: Ukraine reports nine dead in Sloviansk
At least nine people, including a small child, were killed in a Russian airstrike on a residential building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, according to Ukrainian sources. The bombing also injured 21 people. “Unfortunately, the number of dead has increased during the night. Rescuers have recovered the body of a woman from the rubble,” wrote the head of the military administration of the city in Donbass, Vadim Lyakh, on the online service Facebook on Saturday. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law that is intended to make it much easier for soldiers to mobilize. “Five identified people” were also buried in the ruins, added Ljach, 21 people were injured. Eight deaths had previously been mentioned.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his condolences to the relatives. This week there was “not a single hour without Russian murders and terror,” Zelensky said in a video speech on Friday evening. “This is an evil state. And it will lose. It is our duty to humanity to win. And we will win!” he said. (spl/AFP/dpa)
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With material from dpa, Archyde.com and AFP
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