Live Ukraine: Petrochemical complex in Tatarstan hit by drones

08:48

Petrochemical complex in Tatarstan hit by drones

A chemical industry complex in Tatarstan, more than 1,100 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, has been hit by a drone attack. Tatar director Roustam Minnikhanov reports this on Telegram. According to him, the damage is not too bad and the installations continue to operate as normal. There have been injuries.

Ukraine is increasingly targeting targets far beyond its own borders. In this way it tries to hit the Russian petrochemical sector. Fearing rising oil prices as a result of these attacks, the White House is said to have recently asked Kyiv to reduce the attacks.

The attack on Tatarstan took place near Yelabuga, where a so-called ‘special economic zone’ has been located since 2006. It consists of a dozen companies that focus on producing chemical products and metalworking. The zone is located about 15 kilometers from the city of the same name. Two drones struck there around 2:45 am.

Editorial/AFP

06:45

Third-country nationals from Ukraine still unsure about leaving the Netherlands

People who lived in Ukraine with a temporary residence permit and fled to the Netherlands when Russia invaded the country should leave the Netherlands no later than today. This would concern a group of about 2,500 refugees.

Earlier this year, the Council of State determined that so-called third-country nationals were no longer entitled to residence from March 4 and had to leave the Netherlands within one month or apply for asylum. However, dozens of third-country nationals appealed against the so-called return decision.

Various courts subsequently ruled that third-country nationals are entitled to the same protection as Ukrainians who are housed in the Netherlands and may not be deported. Other courts followed the ruling of the Council of State in their judgments. As a result, there is now a lot of uncertainty among third-country nationals.

State Secretary Eric van der Burg (Asylum) is expected to send a letter to all municipalities on Tuesday about how they should act. “Third-country nationals who do not have a well-founded appeal, granted interim measure or disciplinary measure are obliged to leave the Netherlands on April 2,” said the spokesperson for State Secretary Eric van der Burg of (Asylum) last week.

Also read: Courts contradict each other, no one knows anymore where the third-country nationals stand

11:59 PM, Yesterday

Welcome to the live blog of Tuesday April 2

This was the most important news about the war in Ukraine last weekend:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin has given permission to call up 150,000 conscripts. These are men between the ages of 18 and 30. Conscripts are called up twice a year in Russia. By law, the men cannot be deployed in combat outside Russian territory during their period of service.

• If the military support promised by the US is not forthcoming, the Ukrainian army must withdraw ‘in small steps’. This is what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says The Washington Post. “If there is no American support, it means we have no air defenses, no Patriot missiles, no electronic warfare jammers, no 155-millimeter artillery ammunition,” Zelensky said.

• France will supply hundreds of old but still functional armored vehicles to Ukraine. In addition, Paris will also supply Aster 30 rockets to the country. French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said this in an interview with LaTribune.

Read the full live blog from last weekend here.