Germany searched boat suspected of carrying explosives used for Nord Stream pipelines attack
Germany searched boat suspected of carrying explosives used for Nord Stream pipelines attack
From CNN’s Stephanie Halasz
The German federal prosecutor’s office searched a boat in January that was suspected of carrying explosives used in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipeline detonations in September, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office.
“The Office of the Attorney General of Germany had a ship searched from January 18 to 20, 2023 in connection with a suspicious ship rental,” the statement details.
“The evaluation of the seized traces and objects is ongoing. The identity of the perpetrators and their motives are the subject of ongoing investigations,” it said.
Investigations are ongoing, and reliable statements cannot be issued yet, particularly as to whether a state controlled these plans, it added.
It comes after a media report cited new intelligence that a “pro-Ukrainian group” may have been behind the attack last year.
“There are no grounds for suspecting employees of the German company that leased the ship,” the office said.
More details from German public broadcaster’s report: The boat left the Baltic sea port of Rostock, Germany, on September 6, 2022, according to German public broadcaster ARD, citing its own investigation. The ARD reporting cited unnamed security sources from five countries.
ARD said the boat carried six people: one captain, two divers, two assistant divers and a doctor. The nationalities of those six are not known, according to ARD. The broadcaster said the group was using professionally falsified passports to rent the boat.
A truck delivered the group’s gear to the harbor beforehand, it said.
ARD said the investigators, according to its research, were able to piece together the route of the boat after September 6: It went to Wieck, a German municipality east of Rostock, and could also be pinned on the Danish island of Christiansø, northeast of Bornholm.
The boat was – according to ARD — returned in a dirty state and the investigators, according to the broadcasters’ research, were able to find traces of explosives on the cabin table.
The German prosecutors’ office declined to give any more information when asked for any further details.
CNN also approached the port of Rostock and is awaiting a response, but it is a public holiday today.
NATO chief “can’t rule out” that Bakhmut may fall in the coming days
From CNN’s Catherine Nicholls
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday said he can’t rule out that Russian forces will soon take over the eastern city of Bakhmut.
Speaking ahead of a meeting of EU defense ministers in Stockholm, he said he “cannot rule out that Bakhmut may eventually fall in the coming days.”
Stoltenberg said that “this does not necessarily reflect any turning point of the war,” adding the conflict in the eastern Donetsk region “just highlights that we should not underestimate Russia.”
Let’s recap: The head of the Wagner private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed that the eastern part of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is now under his mercenary group’s control. CNN cannot independently confirm Prigozhin’s claim. While the Ukrainian military did not address his claims, it said that Russian attacks in the Bakhmut area continue, but described them as unsuccessful and incurring heavy losses. Wagner, the predominant forces in the Bakhmut area, is also running out of prisoners to recruit, according to Western officials.
Republican US House leader says he has no plans to visit Ukraine in response to Zelensky invite
From CNN’s Clare Foran
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is inviting House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to visit Ukraine to see the situation on the ground firsthand – an invitation that comes as the Republican Party faces a divide over whether the United States should continue to provide aid to the country under attack from Russia.
“Mr. McCarthy, he has to come here to see how we work, what’s happening here, what war caused us, which people are fighting now, who are fighting now. And then after that, make your assumptions,” Zelensky told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in an interview.
But when told of the invitation on Tuesday, McCarthy told CNN that he does not plan to visit Ukraine, and argued that President Joe Biden has not acted quickly enough to aid the country. McCarthy, a California Republican, has said he supports Ukraine but does not support “a blank check,” a position he repeated on Tuesday – even though there is federal oversight of all the dollars that are spent there.
“I think that Speaker McCarthy, he never visited Kyiv or Ukraine, and I think it would help him with his position,” Zelensky said.
As speaker, McCarthy must navigate competing views within his party over sending additional assistance. There is widespread bipartisan support for Ukraine in Congress, but some House Republicans are calling for an end to further military and financial aid to the country.
“When the Democrats and Republicans come to us, they see the supply roots – every shell, every bullet, every dollar,” Zelensky said.
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Russian support for Wagner forces in Bakhmut “appears to be dwindling,” Western officials say
From CNN’s Max Foster and Jessie Gretener in London
Fighters of private military company Wagner are the predominant forces in the Bakhmut area “with occasional support from Russian regular forces, and that appears to be dwindling down at the moment,” western officials said.
“Part of Wagner’s desperation, Prigozhin’s rather emotional outburst is because he sees himself as not only running out of human resource, but now he is also running out of Russian artillery support to provide an offset these losses,” they said.
Death rates among Wagner fighters “have been significantly higher than of the Russian Armed Forces,” they added.
Officials also said Bakhmut “doesn’t hold any operational strategic significance” for either Russia or Ukraine, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s trip to Bakhmut in December has politicized it.
They acknowledged that Russia has “taken territory,” but said that the said area is “open ground — wasn’t an urban area or built-up area. And there were no Ukrainian defensive lines there.”
The Western officials said Ukraine “conceded ground to the Russians” and is “surrounded by three sides because they traded that space for time.”
Discussing a timeline, they said Ukraine can still get forces in and out of Bakhmut. “It may well last another month, or the Ukrainians could decide to leave within a week. They could withdraw to prepare defensive lines which they have to the west of Bakhmut.”
“They have shown previously that they are very adept to withdrawing when they need to, or when they feel they need to,” the officials later added.
Ukraine needs 1 million rounds of ammunition to deter Russian troops, according to defense minister
From CNN’s Radina Gigova
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Wednesday his country needs 1 million rounds of ammunition “as soon as possible” to deter Russian forces and launch a counteroffensive.
Speaking to reporters before a European Union defense ministers meeting in Stockholm, Reznikov said Ukraine requires 1 million 155-millimeter as well as 105-millimeter shells that would cost about 4 billion euros ($4.22 billion).
Reznikov said he supports a plan proposed by Estonia for EU countries to jointly secure those rounds of ammunition. Ukraine needs 90,000 to 100,000 artillery rounds per month, he said.
The defense minister also said air defense systems, tanks and ammunition are among the priorities he will discuss with the EU defense ministers during Wednesday’s meeting.
“Priority number one is air defense systems — and also ammunition, ammunition, and again ammunition,” so that Ukraine can be ready for a counteroffensive, he said.
Reznikov said time is a decisive factor that can save lives, therefore “we need to move forward as soon as possible.”
It’s mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here’s what you need to know
From CNN staff
Russian and Ukrainian troops continue to fight fiercely in the eastern city of Bakhmut.
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has claimed the eastern part of Bakhmut is now under his fighters’ control. Ukraine hasn’t address the claims, but has said that Russian forces incurred heavy losses.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities have denied any involvement in sabotaging the Nord Stream gas pipelines after a media report cited new intelligence that a “pro-Ukrainian group” may have been behind September’s attack.
Here are the latest developments:
- Battle for Bakhmut: Ukrainians have reportedly inflicted massive losses on attacking forces in the city, by some estimates at a ratio of 7:1. A Ukrainian military spokesman said Wednesday that more than 100 Russian troops were killed in and around Bakhmut in the past 24 hours.
- Wagner refutes claims: Prigozhin, head of the notorious Russian private military company Wagner, dismissed those claims. He said in a video Wednesday that Wagner “will conquer this frontier with dignity” and claimed the entire eastern part of Bakhmut is under his fighters’ control. CNN cannot independently confirm this and has reached out to Kyiv for response.
- Importance of Bakhmut: Though mostly abandoned, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN that Bakhmut is tactically important for his country because, should it fall to Russian hands, it would give the Kremlin an “open road” to capture key cities.
- Nord Stream whodunit: Germany’s defense minister said that recent media reports regarding who’s responsible for an attack on the Nord Stream pipelines should be viewed with caution. Boris Pistorius’s comments came after reports that a “pro-Ukrainian group” could have been responsible for the incident last year, which targeted a pipeline meant to bring Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Ukraine has denied any involvement in the attack.
- Germany boat search: The German federal prosecutor’s office searched a boat in January that was suspected of carrying explosives used in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipeline detonations, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office. Investigations are ongoing, and reliable statements cannot be issued yet, particularly as to whether a state controlled these plans, it added.
- Georgia protests: At least 66 people were detained on Tuesday in Georgia during protests against a so-called anti-foreign agents bill at the parliament building in Tbilisi, the country’s public broadcaster reported. The controversial draft law would require some organizations receiving foreign funding to register as “foreign agents.” Rights groups say the legislation has echoes of a similar law in Russia and fear, should it pass, it would curtail basic freedoms.
- International Women’s Day: The leaders of Russia and Ukraine both issued statements marking International Women’s Day on Wednesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wanted to honor Russian women who have chosen “the highest mission — defending the Motherland.” Zelensky said it was “important to express gratitude today” to the women who fight for Ukraine and have given their lives for the country.
NATO chief says it’s not yet clear who was behind Nord Stream pipelines sabotage
From CNN’s Allegra Goodwin in London
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said there is no identified perpetrator of the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines which were damaged last September.
“We have not been able to determine who was behind [the sabotage],” Stoltenberg said. “There are ongoing national investigations, and I think it’s right to wait until those are finalized before we say anything more.”
Stoltenberg’s comments come after a report by the New York Times Tuesday citing new intelligence reviewed by US officials, which suggested a group loyal to Ukraine but acting independently of the government in Kyiv was involved in the operation.
The pipelines, a crucial source of revenue for Russia, were closed at the time of the attack, which occurred months after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Zelensky and Russia’s Putin send messages marking International Women’s Day
From CNN’s Victoria Butenko, Radina Gigova and Anna Chernova
The leaders of Russia and Ukraine both issued statements marking International Women’s Day on Wednesday amid the war between the two countries.
Both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin directly addressed women involved in the conflict.
Putin said he wanted to honor Russian women who have chosen “the highest mission — defending the Motherland.”
Zelensky said it was “important to express gratitude today” to the women who fight for Ukraine and have given their lives for the country.
Zelensky expressed gratitude toward the women in his life, including his wife and mother, and those who work with him. He also stressed the importance of gender equality in the workplace.
“It is very important that we are equals as colleagues,” Zelensky said.
Putin reiterates claims Russia is facing “direct threats” to its security at International Women’s Day event
From CNN’s Anna Chernova and Radina Gigova
Russian President Vladimir Putin repeated his claims that Russia is facing “direct threats” to its security, and praised those who are ready to “protect the people and the very future of our state,” during an event at the Kremlin marking International Women’s Day on Wednesday.
“Now, when Russia is once again faced with direct threats to its security and sovereignty, we see many examples of courage and determination, readiness to stand up for the truth and protect people and the very future of our state, the future we want for ourselves,” Putin said.
Among the women being honored were female doctors and medical workers who had served in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-03-08-23/h_108d985530d0e0b93417586b40f2c550
