Another air alert in Ukraine – emergency service warns of further rocket attacks

The air raid alarm sounded again in large parts of Ukraine on Tuesday. The emergency service instructed the population not to ignore the sirens. "Please stay in shelters for your own safety."

The rescue service warned of renewed attacks during the course of the day.

The Federal Government's Migration Commissioner, Reem Alabali-Radovan (SPD), has called for preparations for possible new refugee movements from Ukraine. The number of newly arriving refugees from Ukraine is currently falling at around 150 per day, "but a hard war winter can change that," Alabali-Radovan told the editorial network Germany.

A change in the movement of refugees would first affect the direct neighbors Poland and also the Czech Republic, she said. "We must therefore remain in close contact with our neighboring countries and be prepared to continue to take in people who are fleeing war and great hardship from Ukraine."

Before the refugee summit on Tuesday, the SPD politician called the admission and accommodation of refugees "a great joint effort by the federal, state and local authorities". "Uptake and distribution are generally going well," she added, "but not always and not everywhere."

Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) is meeting with local and state representatives on Tuesday to discuss further care for refugees.

For the FDP politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the Russian rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities show that an end to the war cannot be achieved at the negotiating table. "You can't negotiate with Russia under Putin and his followers," the chairwoman of the defense committee told the German Press Agency in Berlin on Tuesday. "That was shown by the murderous rocket attacks by this terrorist gang right in the heart of Kyiv and on other cities." The end of the war will only be achieved with material support from Ukraine.

It is a good sign that Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has promised Ukraine support for the country's reconstruction, said the politician, who was in Kyiv last week. “Winter is coming and everything is needed for Ukraine to prepare. From equipment for the cold months to ammunition and artillery. For the southern flank, however, the Ukraine primarily needs main battle tanks,” emphasized Strack-Zimmermann.

While Ukraine particularly wants the Leopard 2 main battle tank, it is also very grateful for deliveries of the Marder infantry fighting vehicle. Strack-Zimmermann: "The marten would be the fastest solution at the moment." The Bundeswehr could immediately deliver at least 50 martens and offer the training in Germany, as Strack-zimmermann said. "Industry could replace the Marder for the Bundeswehr within a year."

Strack-Zimmermann demanded that at the same time "Spain's offer to train Ukrainian soldiers on the Leopard battle tank in Latvia" had to be "seriously discussed". She said: "You need German approval for that. We must not stand in the way of any help.”

After the large-scale series of Russian attacks on cities in Ukraine, the death toll has risen to at least 19, according to Ukrainian sources. According to the country's emergency services, more than 100 people were injured. "According to preliminary information, 19 people have been killed and 105 others injured," the emergency services wrote

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has warned of an increase in the number of refugees after the Russian rocket attacks. "The bombing of civilians" and "non-military infrastructure" means "that the war is becoming harder and more difficult for civilians," Grandi said on Monday evening in Geneva. "I fear that the events of the past few hours will entail more escape."

The Russian army carried out numerous rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities on Monday. For the first time in months, rockets fell in the capital Kyiv and in Lviv in western Ukraine, and many other cities were also shelled.

The attacks sparked international outrage. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the "indiscriminate attack on civilians" was "tantamount to a war crime." US President Biden also denounced that targets of no military importance had been attacked. Grandi said the "horror" that happened in Ukraine on Monday was "inexcusable".

Since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began on February 24, more than 7.6 million Ukrainian refugees have been registered across Europe. Some of them returned to their homeland, more than 4.2 million Ukrainians were granted temporary protection status in EU countries. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), there are also almost seven million internally displaced persons in Ukraine.

The situation in Ukraine is currently in flux, said the UN refugee commissioner. There are people who “just flee the bombs for a few hours” and then return home. But if there is major destruction and people no longer have access to basic food or heating, it will take longer to flee.

After a Russian missile attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, local military chief Oleksandr Vikul said 98 miners were still trapped underground because of a power outage. The miners should be freed on Tuesday night, according to the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, Wilkul announced on Monday evening via his Telegram channel. According to Wilkul, more than 850 miners were initially trapped in four mines.

"Kick-off Politics" is WELT's daily news podcast. The most important topic analyzed by WELT editors and the dates of the day. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, among others, or directly via RSS feed.