Ukrainearmy and Russia wagner group A private military group claimed on Sunday to control the Vlahodatne region of the eastern Donetsk region.
“Units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled an attack on the occupiers of the Donetsk region…Blahodatne area,” the Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said at a daily briefing, referring to Saturday’s fighting.
It listed another 13 settlements in the Donetsk region where Ukrainian forces repulsed attacks.
Meanwhile, the Wagner Group, designated by the US as a transnational criminal organization, said on the Telegram messaging app that its forces control Vlahodatne, east of Donetsk.
DW was unable to confirm the details of either side’s claims.
Fighting intensifies in the Donetsk region, especially around Bakhmut, well north of Vlahodatne.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described it as “acute” in a video briefing late Friday.
Here are other updates on the war in Ukraine on Sunday, January 29:
Ukraine: 3 killed in Russian shelling of Kherson
Russian shelling of residential areas in Ukraine A city south of Kherson At least three people were killed, according to local authorities.
“Enemy artillery shelled residential areas of the city,” the Kherson regional government said on social media. The attack killed two men and a woman and wounded six others.
It added that private facilities such as Kherson Regional Clinical Hospital, schools, bus stations, post offices, banks and residences were damaged.
Kherson was occupied by Russian forces from the early days of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine until it was recaptured by Ukrainian forces in November. Since its liberation, the city has been regularly bombarded by the Russians.
Scholz, Putin will be ‘open’ to direct calls
Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agency Novosti on Sunday.
“As of now, there are no agreed negotiations [with Scholz] on schedule. Putin has been and still is open to contact,” Peskov reportedly told RIA Novosti.
Putin and Scholz last spoke on the phone in early December 2022.
“I will also talk to Putin on the phone because we need to talk to each other,” the German Chancellor told a newspaper. tages spiegel In an interview published Sunday.
“But of course it is also clear that the current situation will not change as long as Russia continues the war with unchecked attacks,” Scholz said.
He said he was in relatively regular contact with Putin, and although his tone on the phone was not rude, their views differed greatly.
“You can’t have illusions,” Scholz said. “Putin wants to annex some of his neighbors by force, which is absolutely unacceptable.”
French President Emmanuel Macron has also been in direct contact with Putin since the invasion. sometimes face criticism from allies for doing so.
US President Joe Biden and President Putin had a video call in December.
New Czech President Pavel Calls Zelensky
The new Czech president and former NATO commander-in-chief, Petr Pavel, called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday after winning Saturday’s second-round run-off.
Pavel’s team said they had spoken to President Zelensky by phone and said they were in the middle of the campaign and wanted to visit Ukraine as soon as possible if elected.
It is customary for Czech presidents to visit Slovakia on their first official foreign affairs, but Pavel said he would next visit Ukraine, preferably with the Slovak president.
Zelensky also shared the news of the phone call, saying that he had issued an invitation to Pavel.
“I personally congratulate Petr Pavel on his victory in the Czech presidential election,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter in English.
Ukraine sanctions more Russian, Belarusian companies
Kyiv said it had imposed sanctions on 182 Russian and Belarusian companies and three individuals. It was the latest in a series of attempts by President Zelensky to cut Belarusian ties with Russia.
According to a list published by Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, the sanctioned companies are said to be involved in transporting goods, leasing vehicles and producing chemical products.
This includes Russian potash fertilizer producer and exporter Uralkali, Belarusian state potash producer Belarusian Kali, Belarusian Railways, Russian VTB Leasing and Gazprombank Leasing.
“Their assets in Ukraine have been blocked and their assets will be used for our defense,” Zelensky said in a video speech.
North Korea denies arms deal with Russia
north korea He denies supplying weapons to Russia. The US called Wagner an “international criminal organization” after North Korea announced that it had supplied rockets and missiles to the Russian private military organization Wagner.
According to national security spokesman John Kirby, in the evidence, the White House claims that Russian railcars entered North Korea, loaded infantry rockets and missiles, and US intelligence agencies are returning to Russia. showed a picture of
North Korea’s senior U.S. policy official, Kwon Jong-gon, said the accusations were “self-made rumors.”
In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, he warned that if the US continued to spread the rumors, it would face “truly undesirable consequences”.
“I’m trying to tarnish my image. [North Korea] Fabricating something that does not exist is a serious provocation that is absolutely unacceptable and will inevitably cause a backlash,” Kwon said.
German Rheinmetall to increase production
German arms company Rheinmetall said it was ready to ramp up production of tanks and artillery shells to meet strong demand in Ukraine and the West.
In an interview with Reuters, CEO Armin Papperger said the company could even start producing multiple HIMARS rocket launchers in Germany.
“We can produce 240,000 rounds of tank ammunition (120mm) per year, which is more than the entire world needs,” Papperger said.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the demand for munitions has increased due to their frequent use on the battlefield. But demand is also rising as Western militaries backfill their own stocks in preparation for what they see as a growing threat from Moscow.
Papperger’s remarks come ahead of upcoming talks between Germany’s defense industry boss and the country’s new defense minister, Boris Pistorius.
Rheinmetall manufactures a wide range of defense products. The company is famous for producing his 120 mm gun for the Leopard 2 tank.
Erdogan hints that Turkey may recognize Finland in NATO, not Sweden
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly said on Sunday that his country was willing to approve Finland’s NATO membership, but Sweden might not.
Joining NATO requires the unanimous approval of existing members.
Turkey has sought to leverage this in a long-running dispute with Nordic countries, which often host Kurdish Turks fleeing Turkey, many of whom Turkey considers separatist terrorists.
last week, Turkey has frozen the process with both countriesangered Sweden, especially after two public protests. The first was by a pro-Kurdish group who burned a statue resembling Erdogan, and the second by a far-right group who burned a copy of the Koran in response to Turkey’s threat to withhold its membership in NATO. there were.
But on Sunday, Erdogan made general remarks, mainly about Sweden’s “terrorist extradition”.
“We may deliver another message to Finland [on their NATO application] “Sweden will be shocked to see our message, but Finland should not make the same mistakes Sweden did,” Erdogan said in a televised address.
For more information on the war in Ukraine, visit dw.com
Russia has announced plans to remodel and expand its military. But can the plan be realistic, funded, and equipped with hundreds of thousands of recruits and recruits? DW’s Russian service went even deeper.
In this video from DW, we look at the Wagner Group’s practice of using prisoners promised amnesty if they get to the front lines.
And Marina Miron, Security Analyst and Emeritus Fellow at King’s College London, details the Wagner Group and its investors.
Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks and US M1 Abrams vehicles may have drawn attention, but Morocco also appears to be the first African country to send military equipment to Ukraine. We took a closer look at what a change in foreign policy is.
You can also read about the delivery of Western tanks to Ukraine in recent weeks here.
msh, jcg/dj (AP, Reuters, dpa, AFP)
