Ukraine/Russland/NATO – der Sammler am 12. April 2022

Im russischen Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine laufen offensichtlich die Vorbereitungen für eine neue russische Großoffensive im Osten des Landes weiter. Allerdings scheinen die russischen Streitkräfte voerst noch mit dem Umgruppieren und Bereitstellen neuer Kräfte beschäftigt. Gerüchte über einen russischen Chemiewaffenangriff in Mariupol bleiben vorerst unbestätigt. Der Sammler am 12. April 2022:

• Nachgetragen vom (gestrigen) Montag: Das Transkript des Briefings durch einen ranghohen Beamten im Pentagon (der dabei immer nicht namentlich genannt wird). Darin die Einschätzung, dass die russischen Streitkräfte zwar weiterhin Truppen zusammenziehen, aber die erwartete Großoffensive im Osten der Ukraine noch nicht unmittelbar bevorsteht:

We do not assess that a new offensive has started, although it has been — I hasten to remind that for eight years, there’s been a hot war in the Donbas, and there is actual conflict, armed conflict, going on as you and I are sitting here talking. But we don’t assess that that represents the beginning of a new offensive in the Donbas region. We still assess that while there is fighting going on, they are working to reinforce their capabilities and to add to it.

Ergänzend dazu das Transkript der Pressekonferenz von Pentagon-Sprecher John Kirby.

• Das britische Intel Update:

Fighting in eastern Ukraine will intensify over the next two to three weeks as Russia continues to refocus its efforts there.
Russian attacks remain focused on Ukrainian positions near Donetsk and Luhansk with further fighting around Kherson and Mykolaiv and a renewed push towards Kramatorsk.
Russian forces continue to withdraw from Belarus in order to redeploy in support of operations in eastern Ukraine.

• Das Morgenbriefing des ukrainischen Generalstabs:

The forty-eighth day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a russian military invasion continues. The russian federation continues its full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine.
A russian enemy is trying to complete the regrouping and relocation of units to areas of concentration in the Belgorod and Voronezh regions of the russian federation, as well as the relocation of air and space forces to airfields in the immediate vicinity of Ukraine’s eastern borders.
The russian occupiers, ignoring the norms of international humanitarian law, continue to use tactics of placing equipment and manpower directly in housing. Thus, in the temporarily occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, the russian occupiers use the premises of agricultural enterprises, energy and social infrastructure facilities, and the central districts of settlements. Cases of enemy fighting in civilian clothes have been reported.
In the Volyn and Polissya directions, the russian enemy did not take active action. No changes in the position and actions of enemy units in these areas have been recorded.
In the Siversky direction, the enemy completes the redeployment of individual units to the eastern operational zone. Units of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District are being relocated to designated areas in the Belgorod and Voronezh oblasts.
In the Slobozhansky direction, enemy troops continue to partially block the city of Kharkiv. In the area of the city of Izyum, the russian enemy is fighting with separate units of the 1st tank and 20th Guards Combined Arms Army. It conducts air reconnaissance in order to identify the positions of units of Ukrainian troops and determine the routes of their deployment.
In the Donetsk and Tavriya directions, the russian enemy is fighting and holding certain borders with forces from the Southern Military District. It carries out the movement of additional units to conduct hostilities on the territory of Ukraine.
There are signs of strengthening the air defence system in the areas of Melitopol and Ilovaisk.
It is likely that in the future the enemy will try to take control of the city of Mariupol, capture Popasna and launch an offensive in the direction of Kurakhove in order to reach the administrative borders of Donetsk region.
In the South Buh direction, the enemy holds certain boundaries by units of the Southern Military District. It replenishes regular losses in manpower and equipment. It tries to ensure the survival of its own control points. The russian enemy does not stop trying to gain a foothold on the administrative borders of Kherson region.
In the waters of the Black and Azov Seas, russian enemy naval groups continue to perform tasks related to the isolation of the area of hostilities, reconnaissance, and fire support of ground units.
The threat of the enemy’s use of missile weapons remains.
In the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, our soldiers repulsed six enemy attacks, destroyed four tanks, five armoured units, twenty-six vehicles and eight enemy artillery systems.
The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has hit seven air targets in the previous day: one plane, two helicopters and four unmanned aerial vehicles.

• Das Morgenbriefing des russischen Verteidigungsministeriums (von Facebook, da erneut die Webseite mil.ru nicht erreichbar ist; außerdem diesmal mit Google Translate übersetzt, weil deepl.com offensichtlich aus dem ICE nicht geht)

In der Nacht zerstörten hochpräzise luft- und seegestützte Raketen: ein Munitionsdepot und einen geschützten Hangar mit ukrainischen Flugzeugen auf dem Militärflugplatz Starokonstantinov in der Region Khmelnytsky sowie ein Munitionsdepot in der Nähe des Dorfes Gavrilovka in der Region Kiew .
Die operativ-taktische Luftfahrt der russischen Luft- und Raumfahrtstreitkräfte traf 32 Militäreinrichtungen der Ukraine. Darunter: im Gebiet Novomikhailovka das Flugabwehr-Raketensystem Buk-M1, im Gebiet Zolotarevka ein Radar zur Beleuchtung und Führung des Flugabwehr-Raketensystems S-300 sowie ein Kommandoposten und 18 Bereiche von Konzentration der ukrainischen Militärausrüstung.
Russische Luftverteidigungssysteme haben zwei unbemannte Luftfahrzeuge in der Luft in den Gebieten der Siedlungen Berdjansk und Melitopol abgeschossen.
Insgesamt wurden seit Beginn der militärischen Spezialoperation 130 Flugzeuge, 99 Hubschrauber, 244 Flugabwehr-Raketensysteme, 443 unbemannte Luftfahrzeuge, 2139 Panzer und andere gepanzerte Kampffahrzeuge, 241 Installationen von Mehrfachraketensystemen, 917 Feldartillerie eingesetzt Kanonen und Mörser sowie 2046 Einheiten spezieller Militärfahrzeuge.
Gestern, am 11. April, unternahmen in Mariupol nachts die Überreste der ukrainischen Truppen, die auf dem Territorium des Iljitsch-Werks umzingelt waren, einen erfolglosen Versuch, aus der Stadt zu fliehen.
Eine Gruppe ukrainischer Soldaten mit bis zu 100 Personen in gepanzerten Fahrzeugen versuchte, das Territorium des Werks zu durchbrechen und die Stadt in nördlicher Richtung zu verlassen. Dieser Durchbruchsversuch wurde durch Luft- und Artillerieangriffe vereitelt. Drei ukrainische Panzer, fünf Schützenpanzer, sieben Fahrzeuge und bis zu 50 Personen wurden zerstört. Weitere 42 ukrainische Soldaten legten freiwillig ihre Waffen nieder und ergaben sich.

• Am Montagabend hatte es zu den Angriffen auf das Stahlwerk in Mariupol Gerüchte über einen Chemiewaffeneinsatz gegeben – nicht zuletzt dadurch befeuert, dass Vertreter der Separatisten in der Ostukraine von chemischen Truppen gesprochen hatten. Nach wie vor ist unklar, ob es den Einsatz von Kampfstoffen gab, möglicherweise wurden andere chemische Reaktionen falsch zugeordnet.

• Das Abendbriefing des russischen Verteidigungsministeriums (von der wieder zugänglichen Webseite):

Russian artillery units hit 6 strong points of units of 24th Ukrainian Separate Mechanized Brigade near Popasnaya, Donetsk Region.
As a result of strikes, more than 120 military personnel of the formation, 11 armoured vehicles and 14 vehicles of various purposes were destroyed.
Operational-tactical aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces hit 38 military assets of Ukraine.
Among them: 1 ammunition depot in Toshkivka, Lugansk Region, as well as 8 areas of concentration of Ukrainian weapons and military equipment in Glazunovka, Pyatigorskoe and Prishib in Kharkov Region.
Russian Air Defence means shot down 2 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the air over Ochakov and Nikolaev.
In total, 130 aircfaft and 99 helicopters, 244 anti-aircraft missile systems S-300, Buk-M1, Osa AKM, 445 unmanned aerial vehicles, 2,153 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 241 multiple launch rocket systems, 924 field artillery and mortars, as well as 2,063 units of special military vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation.

• Bei den Briefings im Pentagon – erst der übliche ungenannte Senior Administration Official, dann Pressesprecher John Kirby – hat Caitlin Doornbos von Stars&Stripes notiert:

Senior U.S. defense official:
-The new Russian convoy is about 37 miles north of Izyum
„We do assess that it’s moving, but not at breakneck speed … It includes some command and control elements, some enablers.“
On Russian convoy: „We think it’s also intended for resupply — perhaps, an effort to amend their poor performance and logistics and sustainment in the north.“
„Airstrikes continue to be focused on Mariupol and the Joint Force operation area there in the east and in the Donbas.“
The Pentagon is „still assessing“ reports of Russia using chemical agents in Mariupol.
No indications that the Ukrainians have attempted any attacks on the convoy headed toward Izyum in eastern Ukraine.
The convoy is „staying on highways and avenues — they’re not they’re not going off roading here.“
On reports of possible Russian chemical weapons use in Mariupol: „The Russians have a history of using chemical agents and they have they have shown a propensity in the past, so we’re taking it seriously.“
A „significant amount“ of the 100 Switchblade drones sent in President Biden’s recent $800 million security assistance package to Ukraine are now in Ukraine.
„The idea that [Ukraine] might need something that might require training is not prohibitive in terms of our decision making. The Switchblade is a good example: we knew when we we talked to them that this could be valuable for them. We knew that they didn’t know how to use it.“
„And so we’re working on … how do we get them some some additional training on the Switchblade, but the switchblade doesn’t require a lot of training — you can do it in about 24-48 hours. Other systems, we’ll just have to see.“
Russia has launched more the 1,540 missiles since the start of the war. That’s up about 40 from yesterday.

Pentagon press briefing with John Kirby:
-Defense Secretary Austin spoke this morning with Ukrainian Defense Minister Reznikov.
„Mr. Reznikov thanked the secretary for [the U.S.’s] support and offered his assessment of the situation on the ground, as you might expect.“
„Our assessment today is that Mariupol is still contested and that the Ukrainians are still fighting to defend Mariupol from the Russian seizure of it. You’ve seen the devastation that Russian airstrikes have wrought on on Mariupol in the city.“
„It’s obvious that the Russians want Mariupol because of its strategic location. They’re at the south of that Donbas area and right on the Sea of Azov. It’s a major port city [and] it would provide them unfettered and unhindered land access between the Donbas and Crimea.“
„If in fact what they say is true that they want to secure for themselves that Donbas area … then Mariupol from a geographic perspective, you can understand why that would be important to them in terms of their efforts in the Donbas.“
On reported Russian chemical weapons use in Mariupol:
„The use of biochemical weapons against the people of Ukraine would elicit a response not just from the United States, but from the international community. What that response would look like … we just don’t know right now.“

(wird ggf. ergänzt)