Ukraine war – voices and developments: Baerbock in Kiev: “So that Putin’s troops don’t soon appear at our borders”

Military expert Carlo Masala is sounding the alarm. “Putin’s plan is working at the moment,” he warns. Russia reports the capture of a Ukrainian bastion in Luhansk. All news about the war against Ukraine in the news ticker.

Tuesday, May 21st, 7:02 a.m.: Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock traveled to Ukraine on a solidarity visit in light of the recent Russian offensive. The Green Party politician arrived in the capital Kiev on Tuesday morning for a visit that was not announced for security reasons.

In view of the current Russian offensive, she urgently calls for more international support for Ukraine in air defense. “In order to protect Ukraine from the Russian hail of missiles and drones, it urgently needs more air defense,” demanded the Green politician on Tuesday.

“We must now pool all our forces so that Ukraine can survive (…) and so that Putin’s troops do not soon find themselves at our own borders,” Baerbock appealed to the international partner countries, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The global initiative for more air defence, which she launched together with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD), has raised almost one billion euros for additional support for the Ukrainian air defence forces. “And we are working hard to ensure that this will increase even further.” The minister added: “We are turning over every stone several times and have even taken the lead with an additional Patriot unit.”

5:00 a.m.: As announced, Spain wants to deliver more older Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks to Ukraine by the end of June. Defense Minister Margarita Robles confirmed this at the video conference of the Ukraine Contact Group, the government said in Madrid. The promised delivery dates will be met and additional Patriot anti-aircraft missiles and various types of ammunition will also be sent.

The left-wing government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had already sent ten Leopard 2A4s to Ukraine last year. In March it announced the deployment of a total of 19 more tanks of this type this year. The first ten have been promised by the end of June, with nine more to follow in September.

Tuesday, May 21, 4:40 a.m.: The Ukrainians say they have stopped the Russian attack in the Kharkiv region in the city of Vovchansk. The front line currently runs along the Vovcha River, which divides the northern half of the city from the south, said the military governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Synyehubov, on Ukrainian television on Monday. The Russian military is unable to advance any further. “On the contrary, our soldiers are trying to retake this settlement house by house, street by street.” According to him, the Russian advance further west has also been slowed down. Synjehubow’s statements could not be independently confirmed. Ten days ago, Russia launched a ground offensive in the Kharkiv region to extend the front line and overload the Ukrainian defenders.

11.40 p.m.: According to the occupying authorities, a fuel depot caught fire in rocket attacks on a town in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine. “A fuel depot in Sverdlovsk was damaged by a rocket attack with cluster munitions,” wrote the head of the Russian-annexed Luhansk region, Leonid Passechnik, in his Telegram channel on Monday evening. In 2016, Ukraine renamed the small town of Sverdlovsk, which has been occupied by Russian forces since 2014, Dovzhansk. According to Ukrainian media, a Russian troop base was also hit in the rocket attack.

Videos on social networks show heavy clouds of smoke, but also a burning multi-story barracks-style building. The Russian authorities on site have not officially provided any information about the dead or injured.

Ukraine has been fending off a Russian war of aggression for more than two years. Kiev has recently used its missiles several times to attack purely military targets as well as oil processing plants and fuel storage facilities in order to complicate the Russian military’s logistics.

11:23 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again pointed out the urgency of anti-aircraft weapons. Ukraine most urgently needs more anti-aircraft systems and Western fighter jets, Zelensky said on Monday in his daily video address. “Unfortunately, the free world lacks speed on these two issues.” Due to its air superiority, Russia can destroy Ukrainian cities and defensive positions with glide bombs. According to him, the Russians are actively using the destructive tactics on the front lines near Kharkiv, as well as in the Donetsk region in the direction of Chasiv Yar and Pokrovsk.

Zelensky has already asked several times in the past few days for the delivery of two additional Patriot anti-aircraft systems. This would allow Kharkiv, which is repeatedly attacked from the air, to be better protected, he said. The city of over a million people in northeastern Ukraine is one of the places hardest hit by the war.

The fighter jets also mentioned by Zelensky were promised to Ukraine a year ago. According to official information, the F-16s have still not arrived in the country. According to experts, the West’s generally long delivery times allow Russia to prepare for the new weapons. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again emphasized the urgency of anti-aircraft weapons. Ukraine most urgently needs more air defense systems and Western fighter jets, Zelensky said in his daily video address on Monday. “Unfortunately, the free world lacks speed on these two issues.” Because of its air superiority, Russia could destroy Ukrainian cities and defensive positions with glide bombs. According to him, the Russians actively used the destructive tactics on the front sections near Kharkiv, as well as in the Donetsk region in the direction of Chasiv Yar and Pokrovsk.

Zelensky has already asked several times in the past few days for the delivery of two additional Patriot anti-aircraft systems. This would allow Kharkiv, which is repeatedly attacked from the air, to be better protected, he said. The city of over a million people in northeastern Ukraine is one of the places hardest hit by the war.

The fighter jets also mentioned by Zelensky were promised to Ukraine a year ago. According to official information, the F-16s have still not arrived in the country. According to experts, the West’s generally long delivery times allow Russia to prepare for the new weapons.

3:20 p.m.: Military expert Carlo Masala sounded the alarm in an interview with “T-Online”. “Putin’s plan is currently working, which I believe he has been relying on since winter 2022,” warned Masala. The plan: “That European societies will eventually be exhausted. That’s exactly where we are now.”

According to Masala, this became apparent when US aid was in limbo – and the EU did not step in: “There is neither the money to buy 800,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, nor has any state other than the Federal Republic agreed to buy anti-aircraft missiles. To send Patriot-type systems. This shows how squeamish European governments are now about putting even more into Ukraine.”

More about the Ukraine conflict on the next page.