News on Ukraine: Events overnight
Taurus missiles heading to Kiev: Pressure on Scholz is mounting
Meanwhile, the pressure on Chancellor Scholz to deliver Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine is growing. Defense expert Strack-Zimmermann told the “Rheinische Post” (Saturday) in reference to the Russian President Vladimir Putin: “We must not be afraid of our own courage. That’s what Putin hopes for.” Germany must finally deliver the Taurus in order to disrupt Russian supply lines.
“The delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine is long overdue,” said Sara Nanni, defense policy spokesperson for the Green Party in the Bundestag. “The most effective defense against Russian air strikes is the targeting of sites in Russian territory and in the occupied eastern Ukrainian territories from which Russia launches its attacks.” Ukraine currently lacks the necessary equipment for this.
CDU foreign policy representative Roderich Kiesewetter said that Russia feels emboldened by the weakness of the West and the absence of Taurus deliveries. “Therefore, the lack of support is not just a failure to provide assistance, which drives up the number of Ukrainian casualties, but in fact, it is a support for Russia.”
In early October, Scholz decided not to deliver Taurus missiles to Ukraine for the time being. There are fears that the precision weapons with a range of 500 kilometers could also hit Russian territory.
What’s important on Friday
In addition to the air strikes, the Ukrainian military also expects further attacks by Russian troops on the ground. The focus of the fighting has been the city of Avdiivka in the east of the country for weeks.
