Today, Ukraine would have voted on Zelensky's future
In another world, Ukrainians would go to the polls today and give their verdict on the leadership of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. But just over two years into the full-scale war, a presidential election is not in sight, and not many Ukrainians seem to long for one either, writes CNN.
According to a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology in February, only 15 percent of the population thinks the country should vote now. The constitution, which states that Ukraine will vote today, March 31, also states that elections cannot be held in wartime.
Several military personnel that CNN spoke to express concern that a presidential election would at least temporarily weaken the situation at the front, when new leaders and positions are to be appointed.
- A power vacuum during the transition period could pose a threat to the leadership of the military and the functioning of the state, says soldier Oleksandr Voitko.
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The Russian invasion The concert attack in Moscow
Russia demands the extradition of Ukraine's security chief
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accuses several Ukrainian officials of having been involved in "terrorist attacks" against Russia and demands that these be extradited to Russia, writes Reuters.
Among the officials is Vasyl Malyuk, head of Ukraine's security service SBU.
The Russian Foreign Ministry lists a series of attacks, including last week's concert attack in Moscow, and states that "the clues point to Ukrainian involvement." No evidence for this is presented.
The SBU responds by calling the demand "meaningless" and writes that the Russian ministry seems to have forgotten that President Putin is internationally wanted for war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine.
Ukraine and several Western countries have strongly denied that Kyiv is involved in the Moscow deed, which IS has claimed.
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The Russian invasion. The outside world's response
Germany urged to do more: "Only we have the ability"
When the support from the USA to Ukraine does not materialize, there is only one country that can take the leadership shirt: Germany. This is what the journalism professor, author and economist Henrik Müller writes in his Sunday column in the German Der Spiegel.
"The less the United States can be trusted, the more we are responsible for Europe's security, whether we like it or not [...] Only we have the ability to create a real European counterweight to Vladimir Putin."
All other countries are too small or too weak militarily, he continues. Germany is Europe's largest economy and also has the largest population. Even if it is an "inconvenient truth", this must now be used to defend Europe's freedom.
"Everyone else is waiting for Germany," he writes.
Germany's former federal president Joachim Gauck also calls on the government to do more, including sending the Taurus cruise robots, writes Die Welt.
- Anyone who does not believe that this is our war and that the costs are too high risks having a hard awakening, he says.
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