Kremlin: tanks sent from UK to Ukraine 'will burn'
The Kremlin said on Monday that the tanks Britain plans to send to Ukraine “will burn”, warning the west that supplying a new round of more advanced weapons to Ukraine would not change the course of the war.
“They are using [Ukraine] as a tool to achieve their anti-Russian goals,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the British tanks, Reuters reports. “These tanks are burning and will burn just like the rest,” Peskov said.
Britain said on Saturday it would send 14 of its Challenger 2 main battle tanks as well as other advanced artillery support to Ukraine in the coming weeks. Peskov said the new supplies from countries like Britain and Poland would not change the situation on the ground.
The Kremlin spokesperson also, according to Russian-owned news agency RIA, denied that there was any conflict between Russia’s ministry of defence and the Wagner mercenary group. RIA posted to Telegram a report which said:
The “conflict” between the ministry of defence and Wagner exists only in the information space, Peskov said. He noted that everyone is doing a common thing – fighting for the motherland.
Dnipro missile attack death toll rises to 37, Ukraine state broadcaster says
Ukrainian state broadcaster Suspilne has reported on Telegram that the death toll from the weekend’s Dnipro missile attack has risen to 37. It reports that local authorities have confirmed the higher number to it.
Germany's defence minister Christine Lambrecht confirms resignation, with Ukraine a factor
Germany’s defence minister, Christine Lambrecht, has today resigned, she said in a statement on Monday, the culmination of growing scepticism about her ability to bring the German army into shape against the backdrop of the Ukraine war.
Reuters reports Lambrecht, a member of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic party (SPD), said in the statement: “Today I asked the chancellor to dismiss me from the office of federal minister of defence.”
Her decision to step down comes as Germany is under pressure to approve an increase in international military support for Kyiv, and Germany’s defence capabilities have been called into question after several Puma infantry tanks were put out of service during a recent military drill.