Latest news with #ARD
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
If Germany sends Taurus missiles to Ukraine, Russia has a major Crimean Bridge problem
A statement from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on May 26 about long-range strikes inside Russia resurrected a long-held hope in Ukraine — that Berlin is finally about to send Kyiv its Taurus missiles. "There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine — neither by the U.K., France, nor us. There are no restrictions by the U.S. either," Merz said. Dampening expectations somewhat, Merz the next day clarified he was referring to permissions given by Ukraine's allies last year, but his mention of "us" still raised speculation that they could be on their way — currently, Berlin provides Ukraine with no long-range missiles that the granted permissions related to. "It's good news that they have lifted these restrictions on the use of missiles," Oleksandr Merezhko, a Ukrainian lawmaker and chair of the parliament's foreign affairs committee, told the Kyiv Independent. "But where are these missiles? Where is Taurus, for example?" he added. Germany's stance on not sending Ukraine Taurus missiles was a policy largely driven by Olaf Scholz, Merz's predecessor. Ukraine has been using U.S.-made ATACMS for over a year, and UK-French Storm Shadows for more than two. "Delivering Taurus at this point is less for the Ukrainians and more for the Germans because Taurus has become this ultimate symbol of German fear and escalation angst," Fabian Hoffmann, a doctoral research fellow at the University of Oslo specializing in missile technology, told the Kyiv Independent. "And that's why delivering Taurus is so important — you right that wrong," he added. While Scholz repeatedly blocked the delivery of Taurus missiles over his concerns about escalation, his successor has been much more open about the possibility. In April, Merz even specifically suggested Taurus could be used to target strategic Russian military infrastructure in occupied Crimea, including the Crimean Bridge. In an interview with ARD, Merz emphasized the need to support Ukraine in moving from a reactive to a proactive stance on the battlefield, saying Kyiv must be equipped to "shape events" and "get ahead of the situation." "If things continue as they are, if, for example, the most important land connection between Russia and Crimea is destroyed, or if something happens on Crimea itself, where most of the Russian military logistics are located, then that would be an opportunity to bring this country strategically back into the picture, finally," Merz said. In range, speed and payload, Taurus much resembles the Storm Shadow, which is made by Taurus' manufacturer MBDA's French affiliate. "SCALP/Storm Shadow and TAURUS belong to the same class of cruise missiles," a representative for MBDA Deutschland, wrote in a statement to the Kyiv Independent. "They differ in their performance data, but are both fundamentally suitable for deep strike missions against strategic targets.""Taurus is the best weapon system in Western arsenals to take down bridges." The primary distinction for Taurus is in the design of the actual warhead — Taurus can be programmed to explode after hitting a specific target, such as a bunker. The missile can penetrate and actually count layers before the final explosion, maximizing damage. Taurus would represent a major upgrade to Ukraine's deep-strike firepower, primarily because it can blast through denser Russian fortifications. Thanks to a more efficient engine, Hoffmann explains, Taurus can also reach deeper into Russia than other system currently in Ukraine's arsenal, and packs more of an explosive punch than Ukraine's new crop of deep-strike "missile-drones." Despite a publicly advertised range of 560 or more kilometers, Hoffmann believes they can reach 700 to 800 kilometers. They are, however, air-launched, so they originate from planes that would not be over the front line, where they would be vulnerable to Russian anti-aircraft fire. Taurus "can be easily adapted" to F-16 fighter jets, which are now deployed in Ukraine, and to Gripen — a Swedish aircraft that could be on their way soon. "Taurus is the best weapon system in Western arsenals to take down bridges," said Hoffmann. "So in theory, if Ukraine wants to take down the Crimean Bridge, Taurus would be the ideal weapon system to do that." Constructed after Russia's illegal occupation of Crimea in 2014, the Crimean Bridge is a critical supply and transport route for Russian forces to occupied Ukrainian territories. It also holds huge symbolic value — the $4 billion project was a political statement designed to cement what Russian President Vladimir Putin saw as one of his crowning moments — the annexation of Crimea. The bridge has been a repeated target of Ukrainian strikes, suffering significant damage in October 2022 and July 2023, though neither managed to take the bridge out of commission. Taurus could potentially change that. There has so far been no confirmation of actual delivery of Taurus to Ukraine. "We are not issuing comments on any speculation on political debates and decisions," a representative for MBDA Deutschland, Taurus' manufacturer, wrote in a statement to the Kyiv Independent. "Please rest assured that MBDA is prepared to support the German government and Ukraine with the necessary integration, training and logistics if a political decision is made." Hoffmann notes that Taurus today is less important for Ukraine than it would have been two years ago, when there were fewer home-grown options for deep strikes. "If you deliver it now, Ukrainians could use it against the targets that really matter, whereas in 2023, they had to allocate Storm Shadow for everything. So there are some advantages, I'm not saying it's nothing," Hoffmann explained. "But a long range drone with a 50 kg warhead or even less is perfectly fine under some circumstances. So Ukraine has a lot of options." Experts believe that the Taurus is unlikely to be a game-changer in the war and that while targeting the Crimean Bridge would be a big symbolic victory for Kyiv, Ukraine needs it primarily to replenish its long-range weapons stockpile. "Storm Shadow, SCALP EG, they are running out sooner or later. Taurus is another very capable cruise missile that could be used by Ukrainians to just extend the availability of its long-range range strike capability," Hoffman said. "This is a key advantage. It's mostly about the quantity and the number of missile systems available in Ukraine's arsenal." Read also: Sanctions on Russia are working, Ukraine just needs moreWe've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
German anti-doping body has not been publishing names of drug cheats, broadcaster says
The National Anti Doping Agency of Germany (Nada) has not published the name of convicted doping offenders for a few years, according to a report by broadcasters ARD published on Sunday. Advertisement The report said that some 90 per cent of cases in the past five years have not been made public. According to ARD calculations, the number of athletes who committed a doping-related offence is between 70 and 130. The Nada cited legal risks and data protection as a reason. 'In its anti-doping work, the Nada is committed to transparency, accountability and valid decisions. However, this goes against the current data protection legislation,' Nada CEO Lars Mortsiefer was quoted in the report. According to the report, cases have not been published in the recent past, but only acknowledged when there were concrete media inquiries about cases that had become known by name. Nada's Lars Mortsiefer said names were not published due to legal risks and data protection. Photo: dpa ARD said that athletes from at least 18 Olympic sports are affected, but did not provide any information on how well known and successful the convicted athletes from these sports are.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
German foreign minister says West must stop Putin from continuing war
Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has called on the West to respond decisively to a new wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine, saying that Putin must feel the true cost of the war. Source: Wadephul in an interview with German public broadcaster ARD, as reported by Deutsche Welle and Reuters Details: Wadephul stated in response to the latest Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities that additional sanctions against Russia are necessary. He emphasised that Putin is not interested in peace and is continuing the war despite diplomatic efforts, including US President Donald Trump's attempts to bring the Kremlin leader to the negotiating table. Quote: "Putin is not interested in peace, he wants to continue this war, and we must not allow this, which is why the European Union will agree additional sanctions." The foreign minister added that work is underway to implement new sanctions against Russia. He asserted that there would be a strong response from the West and, he believes, also from the United States of America. Wadephul expressed hope that the consequences of these measures would force Putin to come to the negotiating table to avoid what he described as potentially serious consequences for the Russian economy and energy sector. Background: Ukraine's Air Force reported that on the night of 24-25 May, Russia launched a combined strike using 367 aerial weapons, with a total of 13 oblasts coming under attack. More than 80 residential buildings were damaged, 12 people were killed and another 60 injured. EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernová stated that Russia is mocking the international community and the US's efforts to achieve peace. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the international community, particularly the United States, to speak out and increase pressure on the Kremlin. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Putin is not interested in peace' — German FM calls for additional sanctions following large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called for additional EU sanctions against Russia on May 25 following Russia's large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine that killed 12 and injured 79. "(Russian President Vladimir) Putin is not interested in peace, he wants to continue this war, and we must not allow this, which is why the European Union will agree on additional sanctions," Wadephul said in an interview with ARD. Russia launched 69 missiles and 298 drones overnight on May 25, according to Ukraine's Air Force. The attack killed 12 people, including three children, and injured 79, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 20, stating that the next sanctions package "is already being prepared," after the EU approved the 17th sanctions package against Russia, which primarily targeted Russia's 'shadow fleet.' Ukraine's European allies are continuing to tighten sanctions against Russia as Moscow refuses to ceasefire. In contrast, despite a commitment from U.S. President Donald Trump, no new U.S. sanctions have been imposed so far, with Trump saying that implementing sanctions "could also make it much worse." Trump's special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg became the only U.S. official thus far to react to Russia's overnight large-scale attack on Ukraine on May 25, calling for the end to hostilities. "The indiscriminate killing of women and children at night in their homes is a clear violation of the 1977 Geneva Peace Protocols designed to protect innocents. These attacks are shameful," Kellogg said on X without explicitly naming Russia. "Stop the killing. Ceasefire now." The New York Times reported on May 20, citing a White House official, that Trump refuses to impose sanctions on Russia as it may hinder future business and trade opportunities with Moscow. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna on May 25 also called on additional economic pressure on Moscow following the attack. "Putin continues this until the pressure becomes unbearable. It's in our hands to make him stop," Tsahkna wrote on X. Ukraine is set to pitch a larger number of recommendations to the European Union next week as to how the bloc can continue to ramp up economic pressure on Moscow through sanctions, Reuters reported on May 21. Bloomberg reported on May 23 that the EU is close to restricting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in a new round of sanctions. Read also: Russian missile, drone attack kills 12, injures 79We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Situation in Gaza 'unbearable,' says German Foreign Minister Wadephul
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Sunday described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as "unbearable." "On the one hand, we stand by the state of Israel, we are responsible for it, and on the other hand, of course, we stand by the fundamental value of humanity and recognize the suffering of these people," Wadephul told German public broadcaster ARD. "That's why it's absolutely clear - and I discussed this again today with my Israeli colleague Mr [Gideon] Saar: There must be a delivery, a quick, effective delivery of relief supplies." Israel recently blockaded Gaza for weeks, causing international alarm amid warnings that the 2 million Palestinians living in the territory face starvation. Wadephul, who took office under Chancellor Friedrich Merz's administration this month, said that he has been talking to Saar almost every day since his visit to Israel a fortnight ago. "Germany will, of course, align its entire policy concerning this region and Israel with the principles of humanity and the fate of the Palestinians," said the minister. However, this is an "extraordinarily difficult situation for us," he admitted. Wadephul's comments were echoed by his conservative colleague Armin Laschet, who called Israel's behaviour a breach of international human rights law. "Withholding food deliveries, aid deliveries, medicine deliveries for the population is not fighting Hamas," Laschet told broadcaster ZDF. "Starving people to death is contrary to international law," he added. Laschet, who ran for chancellor in 2021, is the chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament.
