o d w ah ah, this is dw news wife from berlin, ukraine's president orders more reinforcement for the defense of bach motes. regional commanders vow to continue their fight for the embattled city, even as russian forces tightened their grip on surrounding areas. also on the show language is the language of friend. this is the only language which i understand because put in go s talk, there's read together, allow him to go. ukraine's former president gives dw his view on the war, insisting that peace depends on a ukrainian military victory, masters wr,

option and france as tens of thousands join a fresh wave of protest against president microns planned to raise the retirement age. and after a wave of suspected poison attacks hits iranian school girls, teachers lead rallies, calling on the government to take action. ah, hello, i am clare richardson. thank you so much for joining us. president of already rich lensky has ordered military commanders to send reinforcements to help ukrainian troops to offending the besieged, eastern city of bock motes. now ukrainian authorities say only a few 1000 of the original 70000 people living in bock mote remain. the battle for the eastern city is now the longest and bloodiest of the year long war as seizing

bachmann would be an important step toward capturing the industrial don bass region . western defense officials say the city has little strategic value militarily. but that victory there would be symbolically important to russia. the fighting has been so intense embankment. one ukrainian commander described it as utter hell. now instead of retreating, these troops will reinforce their positions and attempt to reclaim lost ground. they're determined to save the city, but the enemy is also unrelenting. yeah, but my, when i could, i'd was for flu or the perfect faith for a more forces at us to justify the aim of their so called special operation. will you please before, but i think we probably a bucket you it is important because it cuts across roadways and it's higher ground for with football. but both from its height everything here is open for the russians. so it's important for both us and them was we, we'd learn market,

please let me call it so many of them are dying, hire. i don't understand why doesn't you know, be sure that you say it's not russia's expected spring offensive. could hit a snag with apparent disunity in its ranks part of its quest to capture ukraine's don bass region has been fronted by mercenaries from the wagner group who have emerged as rivals of the russian military. even though this supposed to be partners like them are exhaust resilience. good. but wagner's own i, you have any promotion and allow vladimir putin is now warning. his fighters might not be able to hold on, because moscow has not replenished their ammunition with a you. do we, if we retreat you, then will go down in history forever as people who have taken the main step towards losing the war. melissa rover. so my, you, whoever wins control of batman will not have much of

a city left. after 6 months of fighting its buildings are in ruins, and most of its residents have fled still as one of the older cities in the don bass region. it remained symbolic. although the only visible symbol right now is one of devastation. earlier i spoke to patriot par shanker, ukraine's president from 2014 to 20. 19. i asked him if it's the right decision for ukraine to continue defending the city of bach. note at all costs. the right decision is a bad decision we can do on live based on their pool information, which we have a commander in chief of ukraine a lot. but quote is a symbol and a we have a fight in, in baltimore for 9 months already. and i was in bach mode julian this last year, more than dozens time to speak to support to supply if the

every paying for our armed forces. and i can tell you that the symbolic steps definitely has a great importance and not everybody should understand that this is the way how we can kick captured, the russian offensive operation, which were planned and publicly declared him february and march. and their way how we stopped frost on offensive abrasion. this is also a very heroic why every movement over there, excuse me for interrupting. i have to ask though, if bachman is primarily assemble, maybe you can help us understand what is going on behind the scenes in the ukrainian government. and we had reports that ukraine was ready to withdraw than we had presidents. lensky come out strong, saying they would instead reinforce bach mode any made a real point of highlighting that all of the military agreed that that was the right move on. do you see this as zalinski over ruling his top military bras and

forcing them to hold on to bach note? just wanna attract attention that the main source of this information is a russian not a t. and this is the, i consider that as a pot of the russian propaganda and a full beam, the supreme commander in chief of ukraine, an armed forces for 5 years and beamed president, who creed, this armed forces. i can tell you that the why we do that because we need, at one moms for training ukrainian yield reggae term for receiving off that ramstein decision, the 1000 on personal carrier and the me to main battle tank. this is absolutely necessary. glare at, together with the r munition reach, we have a lack of hum munition also in buck malt and we pay for that extremely enormous

price. and all these things, hell, pause the band of the march beginning of april or be our offensive operation, which would be extremely important and extremely or hopeful. and with the bite is that such as the city? yeah. with that kind of support, do you think that ukrainian forces would be able to actually hold on to back loot or is it just to buy time as long as possible against russian advances? you should understand that we have enough weapons to withstand his podium and we have absolutely knocked him off weapons for our offensive operation. and definitely when i return back, i was there blood one week ago and speaking with the soldiers, they definitely has a lack of ammunition. and this is the top priority for us. we definitely have a such a factor like a long range me style,

read electronic warfare system. we will read definitely count on the west and weapons. and this is the key factor because we have a lot of volunteers, but they can do that. we can do that without weapons. and with betsy to asian, i am and really appreciate all our podcasts, including germany, who already supply or it is a vital fact for our week 3. but please do it foster. please understand that every single week for delay, he is a crucial factor for our friends or operation. and based on the military framing soldiers, the fast delivery of ammunition you're saying is key, including from partners like germany. i do want to also take a step back though and talk about ways, and we can actually bring an end to this war. and i'm speaking of germany. we have a recent poll here that says 53 percent of germans that say that there hasn't been enough diplomatic effort made to end this war to you see any room for

a diplomatic approach, given the current situation. definitely it look like we even more we had already do have vetted diplomatic negotiations with a better professional moving west the world, these negotiate armed forces. so she pre, this is executive forces. ok. brand, with assistance of the potash, to move them away from key of the attack of the car to give region and leap at a debt from the russian troops and do a better successful attack on capsule. you see that this is a effective and these diplomatic language which put in on the stand. this is not rawson, only english or german. it best language is a language of strength. and this is the only language put in understand because putting g o s paw as read together allow him to go. so for their negotiation

and for the piece deal, we have at 2 main factor factor number one and i am very much happy to hear bad from the chancellor shows impressed them by them in washington. this is the territorial integrity of your grain. good. you should take old, he sold from ukraine, antenna, and 2nd factor of the peace and victory. he's this sustainable security situation on the continent. and everybody understand that you are not just the system ukraine. you invest in, in your own german, british, italian, french security, and ukraine pay now for the very, in almost rise. but we would be more than happy you can and find out any other nation in the world who wants peace more than we ukrainian. but put him must be stopped, and we need to deepen, denies germany differ denies europe depth denies the world deeper denies in europe

and the world. does that mean that you don't think it can be possible between ukraine and russia, wildlife, your pin is still in the kremlin sh key from the piece is not in battle, not in brussel, not in washington, boy and keith. the key from the piece is in the hands of butch, and without territorial integrity of ukraine, peace is impossible, and not a key factor. and i am very much welcome the statement over there, her leader of the christian democrat. neither p impala. mm hm. prior to that, but that the definitely it's important part of the security. mueller, b as your plane and future membership in nature, there is don't exist in any other form of security to guarantee them that we would be very much appreciate if germany support strong these. yeah,

well thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today on d w. thank the former ukrainian president petro partition of the russian news agency. tough is reporting that dimitry yvonne off the founder of an opposition social media channel. as in sentence to 8 and a half years in prison, he was charged with spreading false information about russia's military in russia, any one perceived to have discredited the russian army could already face a draconian prison sentence. the parliament has recently given initial backing to expanding that law to cover fighters for the mercenary wagner group. any one who criticizes russian soldiers in ukraine, whether they are fighting for the russian army or so called volunteer unit, could soon face a long prison sentence. a law punishing public defaming of the military has been in place for a year now. but that's likely to be expanded to include so called volunteers or mercenaries which look good. but i will just use

a few of these volunteers that are mentioned in the same breath as russian soldiers super. no, let me some it's not clear, but you know, who's i mean little and that worries me a lot lately about yourself. so if the new amendments would cover private armies, if jenny precaution, the founder of the wagner, a mercenary group, has asked the russian parliament to add the term volunteers to the discredits asian law. many of precautions, soldiers, army, a form of prisoners, he personally recruited. oh, we need your criminal talents. just with you. i myself served 10 years in prison before i became a russian hero, held careers and i have a few more talents now that helped me a lot in life. i emerging from i graduated louis, complain that since the war began, the russian parliament has passed

a series of bells aimed at stifling descent. took in his book. it's not just about the wagner group off at you. i think the idea behind the amendment is to broaden the scope of lower enforcement in general. well, you're welcome. any criticism of military special operations will be punished, won't be the punishment under the new bill would be draconian. up to 15 years in a penal colony. in from a legal point of view, this is simply absurd or statements. even if it's just one sentence or, or single piece of information that is judged to be false. even though it's very likely to be correct. such statements are given huge prison sentences. we haven't seen anything like this since the 1950 for job jo. ah,

the new amendments have already been fast tracked, flew parliament later this month. there is set to be approved by the upper house and signed into law by president putin or uri rossetto is daily as moscow bureau chief. he is now based in the lobby and capital rigor. after dw was banned in russia. uri this existing law already essentially silenced public criticism of hooton's war inside of russia. so what can we expect to see from these new amendments? while okay, the law on discrediting the army was introduced a year ago. it's not an eula. we're talking just about the, it's expanding a since then, almost $500.00 russians have been punished as criminals. and the last prominent case you mentioned is that the case or the political activist, me 3 even off who is the founder of an opposition tunnel on the social media platform. telegram today. earlier, he was sentenced to more than 8 years in prison because of these. so called

dissemination, false information about russia's army. so he is one of the almost $500.00 persons find or jailed already. but the new version of this law is aimed to banish and intimidate, even much, much more russians who are against the war. actually, anybody who dares to make a critical comment on russians who fight in ukraine, regardless of the regular soldiers or mercenary mercenaries could be punished. now it's also noteworthy is in this bill, it would make it a crime not only to criticize the russian military, but also private armies such as the notorious wagner mercenary group. what do you think we should make of that? absolutely. wagner mercenaries play an important, if not a decisive role in the front lines, or they seem to be better, trained and motivated than the regular armed forces. and there is an open debate. let's call it this way between minister of defense which is responsible for the russian army. and wagner's mercenaries are valueless,

had begun if any progress of his saw him in the report. he has repeatedly complaint or publicly that he soldiers aren't getting enough moon, you munitions and are not priced enough by the defense ministry saw the new law seems basically to be in favor of bri, gordon. it prohibits criticism towards volunteer units fighting in ukraine, which are basically, 1st of all, private troops of reagan. but given that private armies are actually forbidden, in russia, and given that on the side of beggars and thousands of prisoners are fighting. so men who have been sent directly from jail to, to the front, given this paradox at one can imagine how important rigours for the grammar right now is actually an eulu is being created and introduced because of him. and given that criticism could land russians in prison, is it possible to know how broad public support is among russians? for putin's war work, lay always still can not rely on data and services. they are all on reliable in

times of war. and in the vast majority of cases, people say what the state wants to hear because the oxy blair freight and the russian authorities are brilliant in teaching russians to be proud of this invasion of the propagandists are very professional. the organized events, glorifying the so called milton duration, opens new monuments to the russian military and their so on and so on. and there is consequently, a part of society that is absolutely determined to continue the war by any means. but the overwhelming majority, i would say, have long been fed up with propaganda. they are simply trying to, trying to ignore this war. knowing that protest is punishable even more with these a new version of the law we are talking about. thank you so much for bringing us up to speed there. that data is very rich shadow and we can take a look at mother world news headlines at this hour. china's foreign minister has warned that there will be, quote,

confrontation and conflict between china and the west. if washington does not change its approach to his country, foreign minister chin gun also held the relationship between beijing and moscow. he said it sat an example for how foreign relations should be conducted. rescuers are searching for survivors after landslides killed at least 15 people. on a remote, indonesian island, dozens of people are thought to have been buried in their homes. following heavy rains. rescue efforts are being hindered by poor weather and down communication lines. an exhibition detailing the reconstruction of the nurture dam cathedral has opened in paris. it shows the progress made and the methods used to restore the iconic landmark. large parts of the natured arm were destroyed by a fire in 2019. it's expected to re open to the public at the end of next year. well in france, a tens of thousands of joint

a fresh wave of protest against president emmanuel microns proposed pension reforms . unions have vowed to bring the nation to a standstill over the plans, which would see the minimum retirement age raised from $62.00 to $64.00. and the government says the measures are needed by holes show. most french citizens oppose the proposed changes in the early hours. final preparations are made for a day of disruption to make shift barricade set in place at a bus depot, just north of paris unions called on people to come out and force to protest against president manuel mc calls planned to overhaul pensions well got a controversial proposal that would see the age of retirement raised to $64.00. and they've done just that by lunchtime, thousands of people had taken to the streets in cities right across the country with one message. 2 so you won't lose good was on general. i don't want to work until i'm 6400 well enough already for the plumbers of it. for the moment there are

only promises made and we don't know when it's going to end. so it's better to fight. now than to lose our gains, that's it. well is on, we love it up. people like sauce did people see around them that there are plenty of colleagues who don't even make it to the current legal retirement age. so how can we expect them to make it to 64? he just wasn't just union hope by shutting down the country. the president might now start listening to them. demonstrators of targeted roads, public services, and key transport hubs for maximum impact. most train on metro services have also been cancelled and many schools closed, but despite all the disruption public opinion appears to be with those demonstrating why should that guy support them? because it's the right thing to do. they're doing this for us. well, i have to work, but if i could, i would have demonstrated with them. so i just, he said, if i can bring

a solution to this never ending pension problem than i'm rather in favor of movement. but there you go. over time, it's embarrassing for everyone. don't, don't know. they won't put through the working plea. age of 64 is pretty difficult . the french prime ministers warned that a nation wide standstill would primarily impact the most fragile in the country. but as the standoff grows, the stakes for president mccall and his flagship pension reforms continue to rise and teachers in iran are expected to leave demonstrations to day foaming a series of alleged poisonings in schools targeting young girls. there have been several 100 suspected cases involving more than $100.00 for november. some of those affected needing hospital care. this video posted online and the last few days appears to show parents, voicing their anger outside an education building and to run around. government has said the girls are being deliberately targeted, possibly by hard line groups opposed to girls education and

these are the trough, rejoins me here in the studio for more because of this, the terrible story. do we know more about what authorities have said about these poisonings? well, so far they haven't said that much the pre me to come in a said that these were big and unforgivable crimes, and that whoever's responsible needs to be severely punished. but this led republic security for those haven't come up with any more evidence or any more details. instead, members of the government were quick to point the finger towards the countries so called enemies. so that's usually the united states and israel. and some even suggested that that might be the girls themselves that are causing these symptoms by being hysterical. so does that reflect reality though? i mean, you've reported extensively in iran, you have a sense of what iranians think is behind these questions or who is behind them. no, iranians certainly have a totally different feeling. they, i totally believe it's the government that's behind all of that,

or at least the government being complicit in that because they say, i mean it's very unlikely that in the country where security forces able to track down and arrest people for taking part in the protest. just hours later or we're not wearing a headscarf or even for buying spray paint. it's really impossible that alleged crimes like these are taking place all over the country again and again without the government knowing of it or being able to prevent that. so that's very unlikely and some even say that it might be a way to scale. punish these girls. because if you remember, it was young school girls who were the driving force behind the anti government protest. we've been seeing since last autumn. yeah. and against that backdrop, do you think that these cases could re energize those protests? absolutely, i mean, if you remember why these protests started in the 1st place, that was the death of a young woman who was previously detained by the so called morality police. and then then died there, and now is even younger girls being targeted in that inside school. so place where

they should be safe, where the government should be taken care of them. so that's definitely making people angry. so we've seen protests over the weekend and we seen protests today in cities like adobe, for example. and at this protest, people are once again and saying women life freedom. so that's the rallying cry for these protests and against the backdrop of these alleged poisonings. of these young school girls, this seems more urgent than ever. yeah. can you tell us a little bit more about these protests what they look like? who's taking part and does it seem like they want to keep going on into the future at the weekend or was mostly parents as we saw before, like demanding answers and demanding access to their children. because apparently the schools were even locked after these attacks. today it's teachers that have called for protest in front of the educational industries, for example, and for tomorrow, which is international women's day. em, the number of groups have called for huge protests all over the country. thank you

so much for that update. that's tracy chopper. we will be keeping an eye on these developments. you are watching d. w. news from berlin. let's get a reminder of our top headline at this hour. the president of all that of yours, lensky has ordered military commanders to send reinforcements down your premium troops. defending the besieged city of box doubts are emerging over the strength of russian forces, amid reports of ammunition shortages. and just a quick reminder that you can also open scott dw news on the go. just download our app from google play or from the apple app store. and it gives you access to all the latest news from around the world. plus any push notifications. whenever there's breaking they have it, you're up to date coming up next. all the goals and highlights from matched $823.00 and the bonus league, and kick off stating that coming off after

a short break. or if you want more news analysis, check out our website at d, w dot com. richardson in for lynn from the team. thank you so much for watching with with

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