On Sunday night, April 24, exactly two months have passed since the outbreak of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. From the very beginning, our struggle has not left the pages of the Western media.
On April 26, the media reported about a meeting in Ramstein (Germany) of 40 US allies on the situation in Ukraine, new weapons from Berlin, Lavrov's statement about World War III, and another attempt by the UN and Turkey to convert the Russian Federation to diplomacy.
offers an up-to-date digest about the 62nd day of active Russian invasion in English-language online outlets.
Heavy weapons from Germany
The New York Times reports that on April 26, Germany announced its intention to send several dozen armored anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine, a major policy change after debates over sending heavy weapons that split the government.
Photo: Getty Images
German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht stated this at a meeting of allies at the US airbase in Ramstein, Germany.
The used vehicles, called "Gepard Flakpanzer," are designed for air defense but can also be used against targets on the ground. The system was designed during the Cold War but has since been updated.
Photo: Wikipedia
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, a German arms manufacturer, said it had about 50 of the vehicles — which have radar and guns built atop a tank hull — ready to deploy and would supply them directly to Ukraine.
Germany’s military no longer uses the vehicles, but the model is used in Brazil, Jordan, Qatar and Romania, according to the manufacturer. In Brazil, such vehicles have been used to defend soccer stadiums from potential drone attacks during international tournaments.
Also on April 26, Steffen Hebestreit, the German government’s main spokesman, said a decision on whether to allow the export of 100 old Marder infantry fighting vehicles would be made soon. On Thursday, April 28, Germany’s Parliament is set to discuss sending more arms — including heavy weaponry — to Ukraine.
Britain: Strikes on Russian Federation from Ukraine are legitimate
The BBC quotes UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey as saying it would be "entirely legitimate" for Ukraine to carry out strikes on Russian territory to disrupt its supply lines.
Asked about reports that Ukraine has targeted a fuel depot in Russian territory, Heappey said:
"The question is, is it acceptable for our weapons to be used against legitimate Russian military targets by the Ukrainians?"
According to him, firstly, it's Ukrainians that take the targeting decision, not the people who manufacture or export the kit in the first place.
Unfortunately, he added that it is also "perfectly legitimate" for the Russians to be striking targets in western Ukraine to disrupt Ukrainian supply lines because that is very much a "part of war".
We already reported that the UK is sending heavy artillery to Ukraine, because the next two weeks will be key in the battle for Donbas.
UN seeks billions for refugees from Ukraine
Photo: Getty Images
CNN reports that, according to the latest assessment by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), projected 8.3 million refugees are expected to flee Ukraine.
Around 5.2 million refugees had left Ukraine as of April 26, the latest UNHCR data shows.
The UNHCR and partner organizations are seeking $1.85 billion to support Ukrainian refugees in neighboring countries, UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo said Tuesday.
Photo: unrefugees.org.au
Speaking in Geneva, Mantoo said the plan aims to ensure timely and life-saving humanitarian assistance to refugees fleeing Ukraine and third-country nationals, of whom a sizeable number would need international protection.
In addition to those fleeing the country, more than 7.7 million people are internally displaced in Ukraine, according to the latest International Organization for Migration report, bringing the total number of those forced to flee their homes to 12.9 million.
There were also almost 13 million people estimated to be stranded in affected areas or unable to leave due to security risks, Mantoo said.
Lavrov on World War III: "The risks are considerable"
Collage with Getty Images
CNN also cites Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as warning that there is a considerable risk of the armed conflict spreading beyond Ukraine.
A bloody regime diplomat accused NATO of a proxy war. Lavrov was asked about the prospects for World War III.
According to him, NATO, in essence, is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy.
"Messenger of peace" in Moscow: There are two positions on war
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The Guardian reports the details of the meeting between UN Secretary General António Guterres and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.
Guterres said in the Russian capital that he was looking for ways to find a "peaceful solution" as quickly as possible:
He also said that the UN and Russia have "different interpretations" of what is happening in Ukraine, but this "does not limit" the possibility of a very serious dialogue.
Guterres said his position was as a "messenger of peace" and that his objective is "strictly linked to save lives and reduce suffering".
He said he had a "very frank" discussion with Lavrov, and that it was "clear that there are two different positions on what is happening in Ukraine".
Lavrov on Mariupol: "Ukrainians wanted a heartrending scene"
Collage with Getty Images
Sky News, for its part, quotes Guterres as responding very accurately to Lavrov's complaints that the UN had not stepped in following what he called Ukrainian breaches of the Minsk agreements in relation to Luhansk and Donetsk.
He said he understands that Russia has "many grievances" but there are a large number of mechanisms in which grievances can be addressed.
Sky News also quotes Lavrov as saying that negotiations with Ukraine on allowing civilians to leave Mariupol would not go ahead reported that, according to the Azov Regiment, 35 air strikes were carried out on Azovstal overnight.
The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Ukraine's calls were a "theatrical gesture":
If talking about serious attitudes to work as part of the talks, Ukraine better answer Russia’s proposals as soon as possible. Lavrov stated.
He also claimed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had been ignoring Kremlin's latest proposals.
US to "move heaven and earth" for Kyiv
Photo: Getty Images
Sky News also reports that the United States, during defense talks in Germany with allies from 40 countries, vowed to "move heaven and earth" to help Ukraine win the war against Russia.
Speaking at the Ramstein airbase in southwestern Germany, the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, said:
Thus, Lloyd Austin actually used the popular Soviet narrative against the Russian Federation about the struggle against the world and Western imperialism.
He also added that Washington will "keep moving heaven and earth so that we can meet" Kyiv’s needs.
Pentagon: Russia is already weakened, but not completely
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Reuters quotes Pentagon’s press secretary John Kirby as saying ahead of a meeting of NATO allies and partners that Russia already has a weaker military and is a weaker state after the war with Ukraine.
According to Kirby, the Kremlin economy is in tatters, the RF military has been depleted in many ways, not completely, but certainly they have suffered casualties and they have suffered losses in this invasion of Ukraine.
At the same time, he did not provide details on assessing the state of the Russian army.
Erdogan again tries to reach out to Putin
Getty Images photos collage
Reuters also reports that the bloodthirsty dictator of Russia Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan discussed Ukraine in a telephone conversation.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that a more detailed report on the call would follow later.
According to the administration of the President of Turkey, he told Putin that maintaining the "positive momentum" achieved by Kyiv and Moscow in early April in Istanbul would benefit all sides.
The President of Turkey noted that his country would continue doing its utmost to halt this course of events damaging everyone and ensure lasting peace.
Erdogan also repeated an offer to host the Russian and Ukrainian leaders for peace talks.
Instead of an afterword. We see that during these two months and even in recent days, the rhetoric of the West regarding the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine has changed. Back in early 2022, the phrase "we will move heaven and earth" to meet the needs of Kyiv, or the scandal in Germany over the refusal to help Ukraine with real weapons, seemed impossible.
Now the West, having understood how incapable the Kremlin is of realizing any boundaries and any form of diplomacy, is already talking about the logicality of destroying Russian military bases and is ready to send us considerable assistance.
At the same time, the number of Ukrainian refugees continues to increase, and the UN is trying to solve the global humanitarian crisis with new attempts of diplomacy with Moscow, and Turkey is not desisting from them either.
Meanwhile, Russia, weakened by military actions in Ukraine, is ready to kill the last civilians of Mariupol and continues to escalate the situation in geopolitics, threatening with World War III.
Ukraine, shielding the West from Putin's aggressive plans, at least in terms of ground combat operations, continues to defend itself for 62 days.
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