Day 53 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Kyiv expects Russian naval landing in Mariupol, Poland sends Tanks, EU with New Sanctions

World » UKRAINE | April 17, 2022, Sunday // 11:57
Bulgaria: Day 53 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Kyiv expects Russian naval landing in Mariupol, Poland sends Tanks, EU with New Sanctions Polish T-72M1 @Flickr

Here are the highlights from recent events related to the war in Ukraine:

Kyiv: Russia is preparing a naval landing in Mariupol

The Russian army is preparing a naval landing in Mariupol. The information is from the Ukrainian General Staff. At the same time, the movement of units of the Russian armed forces to the territory of Ukraine from the regions of Kursk, Bryansk and Voronezh, as well as air strikes on Mariupol continues.

Russia has said Russian forces have captured the city of Mariupol and only a small number of Ukrainian fighters remain at the Azovstal plant in the besieged southern part of the port city as Moscow launches air strikes against the capital Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.

Russia's Defense Ministry has said that if Ukrainian forces in Mariupol lay down their arms after 6 a.m. local time today, their lives will be spared.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the situation in the city of Mariupol remained extremely difficult:

“There are only two ways to influence this – either our partners will give Ukraine all the necessary heavy weapons and planes, without exaggeration - immediately so that we can reduce the pressure of the invaders and unblock the city, or it will be the way to go. I want them to understand me correctly - not a single day since the blockade of Mariupol has stopped looking for a solution, military or diplomatic, to save the people, but finding one is hard”.

Ursula von der Leyen called on everyone in the EU to give weapons to Ukraine

The next sixth package of European Union sanctions against Russia will be aimed at the banking and oil sectors. This was stated by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in an interview with the German newspaper "Bild am Sonntag", Reuters reported.

“We are looking deeper into the Russian banking sector, especially Sberbank, which holds 37% of it. Of course, there are also energy issues,” Von der Layen said.

Until now, the European Union has not sanctioned Russia's largest bank, as it, along with Gazprombank, is one of the main channels for paying for Russian oil and natural gas, which EU countries buy despite the conflict in Ukraine, Reuters reports.

Ursula von der Leyen added that Brussels was working on “smart mechanisms” so that oil could also be included in the next sanctions.

“What should not happen is (Russian President Vladimir) Putin getting even higher prices in other supply markets that would otherwise go to the European Union,” Von der Layen said, adding: “The highest priority is to reduce Putin's revenue.”

German media quoted Von der Layen in an interview as she called on EU countries to deliver weapons to Ukraine quickly.

“Only in this way can Ukraine survive in its struggle for defense against Russia,” said the EC president.

According to her, the country should be given what it needs for its defense.

Khrushchev's great-granddaughter: Putin could use nuclear weapons

The great-granddaughter of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev has warned that Russia could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Nina Khrushchev, a professor of international relations in the United States, believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin will eventually do whatever it takes to win the war.

“I think this war is really the war that Putin plans to win, and he will do it at any cost. If he has to declare victory and has to use tactical nuclear weapons, he may be ready to do so,” she told the BBC.

Tactical nuclear weapons are less powerful than strategic nuclear forces.

Khrushchev, a Russian scientist at New York's New School and a longtime critic of Putin, fears Moscow could use them on Ukrainian soil.

Russia has forced all its companies to leave Western stock markets

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law requiring all Russian companies to withdraw from foreign exchanges and sell their shares only to Russian.

This was reported by the newspaper "Kommersant", citing a signed document on the portal of legal information of the Russian Federation.

Thus, the circulation of depository receipts on foreign exchange exchanges must be stopped 10 days after the publication of the law. The companies will be given five working days to take the necessary action to terminate the depository receipt agreements. In some cases, the Russian government may allow further circulation of already issued shares outside the country.

More than 30 depository receipts of Russian companies are traded in the US and EU markets, including Gazprom, Rosneft and Lukoil.

In early March, the London Stock Exchange stopped trading in shares of 27 issuers with significant ties to Russia, Morgan Stanley excluded them from indices of developing countries, as the country is no longer “not suitable for investment.”

Poland sends modernized Soviet tanks to Ukraine

A few days ago, it was announced that Poland intends to transfer 100 main T-72 battle tanks to Ukraine. In fact, Poland recently signed a contract with the United States to acquire 250 American M1A2 Abrams tanks to replace the old Soviet T-72 and Polish PT-91. On April 4, 2022, the online publication http://www.armyrecognition.com announced that the Biden administration would work with allies to transfer Soviet-made Ukrainian defense tanks to the eastern region of Donbas.

The T-72M1 is an upgraded and exported version of the Soviet-made T-72A, with minor changes, including an additional layer of 16mm armor. The armament of the T-72M1 is similar to the T-72A, including a 125-millimeter smoothbore gun. It fires three main types of ammunition with separate loading with a maximum range of each of them, respectively 2100 meters, 4000 meters and 9400 meters with an indirect arrow.

The second armament includes two machine guns with 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm, respectively, the second is mounted on the commander's turret.

The T-72M1R is the Polish version of the T-72M1, which includes an upgrade to the W-46-6 engine, which develops 780 horsepower and is equipped with a digital starter system. New buffer power supply systems have also been installed, along with passive optoelectronics for the driver and commander. Modifications also include the installation of a digital intercom and an external communication package.

The BWP-1 tank is manufactured under license in Poland. It is is armed with a smoothbore cannon. The hull and turret of the BWP-1 are made of fully welded steel, which provides the crew with protection from small arms fire and fragments of artillery shells. The crew of the vehicle consists of three, including driver, commander and shooter. The combat unit is at the rear, with eight infantrymen sitting back to back, four on each side.

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