1. The prospects of the new Russian offensive


2. The chancellor can't see any omissions


3. Showdown before the run-off election in France


4. No fear of the CDU falling in Schleswig-Holstein


5. The left and suspected cases of sexualised violence


6. Why food is becoming more expensive 7. When heavy

metal


becomes a movie

1. Prospects of the new Russian offensive

Sebastian Reuter

Editor on duty.

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Fighting is raging on a broad front in eastern Ukraine.

However, experts doubt that Russian troops will be able to achieve a quick victory there.

New ultimatum

: Fighting broke out on Tuesday along “almost the entire line of contact” with the “people’s republics” created in 2014 in eastern Ukraine – i.e. over a length of around 450 kilometers.

There were also attacks in other regions of the country, for example on the city of Kharkiv.

In many places, people tried to escape on their own.

In the port city of Mariupol, which had been fought over for weeks, another ultimatum by the Russian troops passed largely without result for the Ukrainians who remained in a steel works.

According to Ukrainian media, up to 1,000 civilians could be at the site.

The number of Ukrainian soldiers was last given as up to 2,500.

They continued to refuse to lay down arms.

Moscow announced a new deadline for the last defenders in Mariupol on Tuesday evening.

Cautious chances of success

: The American Institute for the Study of War, which regularly assesses military developments in Ukraine, assesses the chances of success for the Russian armed forces in their offensive in eastern Ukraine as cautious.

They may succeed in wearing down Ukrainian defenders and achieve limited success.

Greater progress is unlikely, however, given the condition of the Russian troops involved.

Units that had suffered heavy losses around Kyiv were only provisionally replenished and relocated to the Donbass without a break.

With their firepower and superior numbers of soldiers, the Russian side could indeed achieve success - but probably only at great expense.

An end to the war is not in sight.

Economic suicide

: The military economist Marcus Keupp explains the enormous material losses of the Russian troops with a mixture of corruption and dilettantism.

The Russian army had "logistically failed completely" and demonstrated "poor craftsmanship" and "negligence", says Keupp in the FAZ interview.

He assumes that the Russians, despite the continuously producing armaments industry, will face the question of materials in a few weeks at the latest.

Keupp's conclusion: "This whole war is economic suicide".

And the political scientist Ralph Rotte meanwhile says in the podcast for Germany: "Putin's army doesn't have more than 14 days in eastern Ukraine either".

more on the subject

FAZ podcast for Germany: Military expert Rotte: Putin doesn't have much time left to win the war"

2. The Chancellor cannot see any omissions

Chancellor Olaf Scholz sees no reason to change Germany's military support policy for Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock travels to the Baltic States.