2024-01-22 09:13:24
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that he has signed a decree entitled “On Russian territories historically inhabited by Ukrainians.” “Today we must take measures not only to strengthen the unity of Ukraine and our people, but also to protect our rights and freedoms, the truth about Ukrainians and the truth about us and our history,” Zelensky said in one Video.
+++ 10:08 Ukraine celebrates Unity Day +++
Ukraine today celebrates Unity Day in honor of the signing of the Acts of Unification by the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UPR) and the West Ukrainian People’s Republic (WUPR) in 1919. Officially, the holiday was established in 1999 to honor the great political and historical significance of unification for the the formation of the Ukrainian state.
+++ 09:37 Surprise visit to Kiev: Polish Prime Minister Tusk remembers fallen Ukrainian soldiers +++
The new Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has arrived in Kiev for talks. In the Ukrainian capital, Tusk will meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Schmhal, reports the Polish agency PAP. In Kiev, Tusk first wanted to commemorate the Ukrainian soldiers killed by Russia’s war of aggression. As usual, the trip had not been made public beforehand for security reasons. Poland has provided vigorous military support to its neighbor Ukraine since the Russian attack in February 2022 and has taken in the largest number of refugees. There are problems because Polish farmers and hauliers feel threatened by Ukrainian competition. Liberal Prime Minister Tusk, a former EU Council President, took office last December.
+++ 09:07 Polish Prime Minister Tusk arrived in Kiev +++
The new Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has arrived in Kiev for a surprise visit. This emerges from a video released by his office. Recently, relations between the governments in Kiev and Warsaw were strained by disputes over grain imports and the activities of Ukrainian shipping companies. Because of this, Polish truck drivers and farmers temporarily blocked border crossings.
+++ 08:47 ISW gives reason for Russian air defense failure over the Leningrad region +++
According to a report by the ISW, Russian air defense cannot effectively protect the airspace over the Leningrad region. This applies in particular to attacks from the south, as the systems are designed exclusively to defend against NATO attacks, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). According to the US think tank, Russian air defense systems stationed in the Leningrad region are likely positioned to repel attacks from the northwest and west. In the past, Russia has expanded its air defenses in this area to defend against hypothetical NATO attacks.
+++ 08:23 Kiev: Russia has lost 376,860 soldiers in Ukraine +++
According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russia has lost 376,860 soldiers since its attack on Ukraine. This number includes the 830 losses that the Russian armed forces have suffered in the last few days alone. According to the report, Russia also lost 6,192 tanks, 11,489 armored fighting vehicles, 11,891 vehicles and fuel tanks, 8,896 artillery systems, 968 multiple rocket launchers, 657 air defense systems, 331 aircraft, 324 helicopters, 6,961 drones, 23 ships and boats and one submarine.
+++ 08:08 Ukraine shoots down eight Russian drones +++
Ukraine says it fended off eight Russian attack drones on Monday night. The Ukrainian Air Force said Moscow attacked from the Russian region of Primorsko-Akhtarsk on the western bank of the Sea of Azov. Accordingly, the Iranian-made Shahed drones were shot down by defense systems in several southern and central regions of Ukraine. There were initially no reports of damage caused by falling debris. The drone attack followed several attacks on oil depots in the Russian border region, about which Kiev has not yet officially commented. On Sunday, Russia reported a fire in a gas terminal in the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga. The operator Nowatak cited an “external factor” as the cause of the fire.
+++ 07:35 EU apparently wants to initiate new military aid for Ukraine +++
The European Union appears to be launching an initiative this week to unblock billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine and revamp a critical aid program that has been bogged down by internal divisions. The EU’s move comes after a number of European countries increased their bilateral military aid to Ukraine, while the US government is blocked by Congress from providing significant aid. “Given Ukraine’s dependence on external support, the decisions that EU Member States and their partners make in the coming period will either enable Ukraine to make decisive progress or seriously undermine its ability to resist,” an EU proposal said. The new EU plan calls for more than 20 billion euros in EU funds to flow back to member states that provide billions of euros in military aid to Ukraine over the next four years. The plan is the result of weeks of debate between the EU and its member states. A confidential draft of the plan, seen by The Wall Street Journal, was formally circulated on Friday.
+++ 07:15 Zelenskyj sees no need for new mobilization for the time being +++
Despite the deadlocked fronts, Ukrainian President Zelensky does not believe it is necessary to mobilize another 500,000 soldiers. “I personally don’t see any need to mobilize half a million people today,” he said in an interview with the British broadcaster Channel 4. He doesn’t yet know of enough good reasons to call so many people to arms. In addition to the lives of the soldiers, it is also about financing such a mobilization, which the military has already proposed.
+++ 06:55 Report: Ukrainian front lines infested with rats and mice +++
As the news channel “CNN” reports, Ukraine’s front lines are infested with mice and rats. Accordingly, the rodents spread diseases that cause soldiers to vomit and bleed from the eyes. Rats and mice are looking for food and warmth along the almost thousand-kilometer-long front line. The plague can also be attributed to the static situation at the front. This is comparable to the cruel conditions under which soldiers suffered in the trench warfare of the First World War.
+++ 06:23 Ukraine reports drone attacks on targets in the Leningrad region +++
Ukrainian forces have reportedly carried out drone strikes on targets in the Leningrad and Tula regions. It is said that Russian air defense systems were switched off. Accordingly, the Shcheglovsky Wal factory in the city of Tula is said to have been attacked. There was also an attack on the Nowateka plant and a gas terminal near the Russian Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga. The reports rely on information from the Ukrainian special services. Explosions can also be seen on Russian videos.
+++ 05:34 Four-month major NATO exercise “Steadfast Defender” begins +++
Against the backdrop of Russia’s war of aggression, the largest NATO maneuver in decades begins today. According to NATO information, the military exercise “Steadfast Defender” with around 90,000 soldiers is intended to test a Russian attack on alliance territory in the event of an emergency. The major maneuver will therefore last until the end of May. All 31 alliance countries and candidate country Sweden are taking part in the four-month military exercise. According to the chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Rob Bauer, the military alliance is preparing for a conflict with Russia and terrorist groups with the exercise. In June, NATO held the large-scale NATO air force exercise “Air Defender” over German airspace. It was the largest relocation exercise of air forces since NATO was founded almost 75 years ago. 250 aircraft and around 10,000 soldiers from 25 countries took part.
+++ 04:02 Report: Ukrainians in occupied territories are denied medical care +++
Residents of regions in Ukraine occupied by Russian troops are apparently being denied medical care if they do not have a Russian passport. This is reported by the Kyiv Independent, citing the National Resistance Center. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree in April 2023 setting a deadline for residents of the occupied territories to apply for Russian citizenship. Refusal to accept a Russian passport carries severe penalties, including loss of property rights, prison sentences and deportation, it said. The center explains that medical institutions in the occupied territories only offer services to residents with Russian health insurance. In order to take out Russian insurance, a Russian passport is required. According to the information, holders of Ukrainian passports can continue to use ambulance services in emergencies. This would give Ukrainians the same right to medical care as foreign visitors.
+++ 02:53 Personnel shortage: Union and FDP open to Bundeswehr soldiers without a German passport +++
In order to counteract the blatant personnel shortage in the Bundeswehr, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has shown himself open to accepting soldiers without a German passport into the force. He receives support for the proposal from both defense politicians from the traffic light coalition and from the opposition. The chairwoman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, tells the Düsseldorf “Rheinische Post”: “Basically, we have to think in a much more European way when looking for suitable young people who are willing to serve in the Bundeswehr.” This also includes the consideration “that soldiers without a German passport can get it more quickly through successful service in the Bundeswehr,” says the FDP politician. The deputy chairman of the Union parliamentary group for defense policy, Johann Wadephul, is also fundamentally open. At the same time, it raises questions that Defense Minister Pistorius must answer. “Does this option only apply to citizens of EU or NATO countries or even beyond? Is complete knowledge of the German language necessary?”
+++ 01:32 Ukrainian armed forces deny involvement in attack in Donetsk +++
According to pro-Russian Governor Denis Pushilin, 27 civilians were killed and 25 others injured in the attack on a market square in Donetsk on Sunday. Pushilin claims on Telegram that Ukrainian troops carried out the shelling. As Kyiv Independet reports, the press office of the Ukrainian Tavria group, which is fighting on the southeastern front line, issued a statement denying involvement in the attack. “The Russians are spreading information about an attack on the market in Donetsk,” it says. “We responsibly declare that the forces subordinate to the Tavria military unit were not involved in hostilities in this case. Donetsk is Ukraine! Russia must be held accountable for the lives of Ukrainians that were taken.”
+++ 23:14 Kiev: “Russia will be held accountable for all this terror” +++
After a series of Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and villages with numerous victims, President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated that Russia must take responsibility. “Russia will be held accountable for all this terror,” says the Ukrainian head of state in his evening video speech (see also entry at 10:16 p.m.). “Without Moscow’s decisions to unleash this aggression and this terror, thousands and thousands of people would still be alive today.” Therefore, both those responsible and the entire Russian state must be held accountable. “Russia must learn and always remember that the aggressor loses the most through aggression.”
+++ 22:16 Selenskyj names the most hotly contested cities recently +++
In his evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gives an overview of the areas most hotly contested recently. “Since the beginning of this day there have been about 60 clashes. The most intense [Kämpfe] “There have been more than 50 incidents of Russian shelling by multiple rocket launchers alone, as well as dozens of airstrikes and rocket attacks.”
+++ 21:18 Authorities in the Russian Baltic Sea region on alert because of drones +++
Authorities are on alert following reports of Ukrainian drone attacks in the St. Petersburg region. The regional administration says this applies to critical infrastructure facilities. Security forces throughout the Leningrad region have been instructed to neutralize unmanned aerial vehicles. A fire broke out at a gas and oil terminal in the Russian Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga. The cause is said to be a Ukrainian drone attack.
+++ 20:33 EU foreign ministers exchange ideas with Kuleba +++
Tomorrow, Monday, the foreign ministers of the EU states want to discuss with colleagues from the Middle East about possible initiatives for a lasting settlement of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The second important topic at the EU meeting in Brussels will be the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The ministers want to hear from their Ukrainian colleague Dmytro Kuleba about the current situation. In addition, possible long-term security commitments from the EU and further military support will be discussed.
+++ 19:34 Ukrainian intelligence chief: North Korea is Russia’s largest arms supplier +++
According to Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, North Korea is currently Russia’s largest arms supplier. According to Budanov, North Korea has transferred “a significant amount” of artillery ammunition to Russia. “That gave Russia a little bit of a sigh of relief,” the head of Ukrainian military intelligence told the Financial Times in an interview. “Without this help the situation would be [für Russland] been catastrophic.”
You can read all previous developments here.
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