17:52
Biden signs aid package, first shipments to Ukraine within hours
US President Joe Biden has signed the hard-fought bill for aid to Ukraine. The first shipments of US military equipment will come as early as the next few hours, Biden said. Ukraine can count on a support package worth $61 billion. The proposal is part of a larger US foreign aid package that also goes to Israel and Taiwan.
After the House of Representatives had already approved the proposal last weekend, thanks to an utmost effort by Chairman Mike Johnson, the US Senate followed suit yesterday. This only lacked the signature of the president, who in recent months has repeatedly urged American politicians for more support for Ukraine.
“This makes America and the world safer,” Biden said. “It provides vital support to America’s allies so they can defend themselves against threats to their sovereignty.” The US is reportedly sending grenades and long-range missiles, among other things, to Kyiv.
Jasper Daams
Also read here how Speaker Mike Johnson of the US House of Representatives risked his own position to get the aid package through: US House approves 60 billion for Ukraine at crucial moment in the war
16:37
Zelensky calls for new support packages to be implemented quickly
Volodymyr Zelensky calls for rapid implementation of the new military aid packages. The Ukrainian president announced this in a tweet. Yesterday, the US Senate approved a $61 billion aid package, giving Ukraine new hope in the fight against Russia.
The United States’ military aid package reportedly includes grenades and long-range missiles, among other things. It could be weeks before those weapons are deployed on the battlefield. This is partly because the US not only wants to supply weapons, but also wants to replenish its own stocks.
Nevertheless, the US commitment could already have an influence on the course of the war, because the Ukrainian army now has to ration less ammunition. On the Russian side, the Kremlin spokesman has announced that he wants to gain ground quickly before Western weapons reach the front.
European leaders also promised military support to Ukraine. Zelensky urged the European Union to supply so-called Patriot anti-aircraft systems. Despite the commitments, only Germany came up with one system. European leaders would not want to give up their weapons because they do not want to fall below NATO’s intended lower limit. Although NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has told member states that as far as he is concerned, this lower limit is not a reason to refrain from delivery, no country other than Germany has so far made concrete commitments.
Dana Holscher
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15:28
Russia wants to expand ‘buffer zone’ if Ukraine gets new weapons
Russia plans to expand its so-called ‘buffer zone’ by further pushing back the Ukrainian front line, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reports. That means he on a strip of Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia. The zone is intended to prevent the Ukrainian army from carrying out missile attacks on Russian targets from their territory.
The Kremlin’s announcement comes a day after the US Senate approved a new military aid package. Part of this includes the delivery of Atacms missiles, with a range of 300 kilometers. The missiles, highly sought after by Ukraine, will probably only be deployed on the battlefield in a few weeks. The Ukrainian army currently has similar missiles with a range of 165 kilometers.
It has already been clear that Russia plans to make rapid territorial gains in Ukraine before Western weapons arrive. The Russian army recently gathered more than 20,000 soldiers at the town of Chasiv Yar, which is located on the eastern front. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr, the Kremlin wants to capture Chasiv Yar before May 9, the day that Russia celebrates the victory over Nazi Germany.
Dana Holscher
13:31
Senior Russian defense official arrested for accepting bribes
One of the deputy ministers of the Russian Defense Ministry has been arrested on suspicion of bribery, Russian state media report. This Timur Ivanov is said to have accepted bribes ‘on a particularly large scale’. He faces a prison sentence of fifteen years.
It is rare for such high-ranking Russian politicians to be arrested. According to the independent newspaper The Moscow Times such arrests are usually the result of political disagreement. Ivanov is considered an ally of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. He has held his current position since 2016 and was responsible, among other things, for the reconstruction of the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol.
State news agency Ria Novosti reports that President Putin has been informed of the arrest. Minister Sjojgoe had already been informed in advance.
Ivanov was brought before a court in Moscow on Wednesday morning dressed in a military uniform. He will be held in custody until at least June 23. His lawyer denies the allegations.
Thom Canters
08:54
Russia: Ukrainian drone attacks on various energy supplies
Russia reports that Ukraine attacked several energy facilities with drones last night. According to the governor of the border province of Smolensk, Vasily Anochin, the attacks caused fires at energy facilities in the provincial capital of the same name and in the city of Yartsevo. There were reportedly no injuries. It is not yet clear exactly what kind of facilities this concerns.
It concerns two oil depots of the Russian state oil company Rosneft. Reuters news agency reports that the attacks have been confirmed by anonymous sources within the Ukrainian security service SBOe.
The governor of the southwestern province of Lipetsk, Igor Artamonov, also reported on Telegram about a Ukrainian drone attack on an industrial estate in the provincial capital of the same name.
Both claims cannot be independently verified. Kyiv has not officially confirmed the attacks. That is usually the reaction of the Ukrainian government when attacks on Russia have taken place.
Eenergy facilities, such as oil refineries, and military infrastructure have previously been targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks. The anonymous Ukrainian source who confirmed last night’s attacks said: “The SBOe will continue to focus on destroying military infrastructure that fuels the Russian army.”
On the Ukrainian side, six people were injured in a Russian rocket attack in the city of Kharkiv, local authorities said. According to the mayor, these are two S-300 rockets. Several buildings were reportedly damaged in the attack.
Thom Canters
06:43
Russian ministry calls NATO exercises in Finland ‘provocative’
The military exercises that NATO has planned in Finland on April 26 are provocative in nature. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this to the state news agency RIA.
According to Zakharova, the exercises are taking place near the Russian-Finnish border and NATO is trying to exert military pressure on Russia. “These exercises increase the risks of possible military incidents,” she said. (Reuters)
04:21
US Senate also approves aid package for Ukraine
The US Senate has approved a long-awaited military aid package for Ukraine. The senators voted by a large majority in favor of the proposal, which had already been approved last weekend by the House of Representatives, the other chamber of parliament (Congress). This means that only President Joe Biden still has to sign it.
The support package for Ukraine amounts to 61 billion dollars, equivalent to 57 billion euros. Due to political disagreements in the US, it was not possible for months to get such a large support package through Congress. Biden had asked the Senate to hurry so that new weapons and equipment can be quickly sent to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion force.
The proposal was ultimately approved by a large majority of 79 to 18. 15 Republicans and 3 Democrats voted against. Biden promised to sign the aid package immediately after the vote on Wednesday. “I will sign this bill and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so that we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week.”
The support package for Ukraine is part of a larger foreign aid package that the Senate approved on Tuesday, worth 95 billion dollars (88.7 billion euros). That also includes aid for Israel and Taiwan. The package also contains a provision that could lead to the social medium TikTok being banned in the US. (AP)
11:59 PM, Yesterday
Welcome to the live blog of Wednesday April 24
This was the most important news about the war in Ukraine on Tuesday, April 23:
• A majority of the US Senate is in favor of considering a new aid package for Ukraine. The package has a total value of 60 billion dollars, which equates to 56 billion euros. Final approval will follow on Tuesday night or Wednesday.
• Germany is urging the US to also supply an additional Patriot air defense system to Ukraine, Bloomberg reports, citing anonymous sources. Last week, Germany decided to supply a Patriot system after pleas from Ukraine. This indicates that five to seven additional Patriots will be needed in the short term to protect themselves against Russian air attacks.
• Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 no longer receive consular assistance abroad unless it is needed to return to Ukraine. This means, for example, that they can no longer renew their Ukrainian passport at a Ukrainian embassy. The measure is an implementation of the controversial mobilization law that was recently adopted.
Read Tuesday’s full live blog here.
10:41 PM, Yesterday
Welcome to the live blog of Wednesday April 24
This was the most important news about the war in Ukraine on Tuesday, April 23:
• A majority of the US Senate is in favor of considering a new aid package for Ukraine. The package has a total value of 60 billion dollars, which equates to 56 billion euros. Final approval will follow on Tuesday night or Wednesday.
• Germany is urging the US to also supply an additional Patriot air defense system to Ukraine, Bloomberg reports, citing anonymous sources. Last week, Germany decided to supply a Patriot system after pleas from Ukraine. This indicates that five to seven additional Patriots will be needed in the short term to protect themselves against Russian air attacks.
• Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 no longer receive consular assistance abroad unless it is needed to return to Ukraine. This means, for example, that they can no longer renew their Ukrainian passport at a Ukrainian embassy. The measure is an implementation of the controversial mobilization law that was recently adopted.
Read Tuesday’s full live blog here.
