Ukrainian soldiers are armed with a yellow-blue border post. With that they lurk through the bushes. You can see an anti-tank ditch and behind it a blue sign. Then the camera pans to the men who have lined up beside the pole. “Mr. President, we are at the border,” says one of the soldiers, who identifies himself as a member of a territorial defense battalion. He means: on the border “to the occupier”, to Russia. The video was released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense to document the recent success. As usual, its authenticity cannot be verified. It’s annoying that the soldier talks about April 15th instead of May 15th.
Thomas Gutschker
Political correspondent for the European Union, NATO and Benelux countries based in Brussels.
However, one thing is clear: the Russian military has lost the next big battle in its war against Ukraine. At the end of March they had to abandon the siege of Kiev and shamefully retreat. Now the same has happened to them in Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed this on Sunday. The Russian war is not going as planned, he said after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin. “They failed to take Kiev. They are withdrawing from the Kharkiv area, their big offensive in Donbass has stopped.” The day before, the Institute for the Study of War came to the conclusion: “Ukraine probably won the Battle of Kharkiv.” has gained a great reputation since February 24th with its daily updated war analysis.