After the heavy attacks at the beginning of the week, Russia again launched widespread attacks on Ukraine. Irrespective of this, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy promised his compatriots that the infrastructure that had been destroyed would soon be rebuilt. Several substations in Lviv in the west of the country were completely destroyed by the shelling, which was apparently aimed in particular at energy infrastructure. Many residents were cut off from electricity.
The Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov meanwhile thanked for arms deliveries from the USA and Germany on Wednesday night and announced “a new era of air defense” for his country.
Despite Moscow’s recent escalation, another exchange of prisoners took place between the two countries, according to information from Kyiv.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, met Russian President Vladimir Putin – and once again called for a protective zone around the occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia.
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Meanwhile, the G7 countries pledged further support to Ukraine. Wednesday is the 231st day of the war.
The shelling on Tuesday only delayed the repair of previously damaged objects, Selenski said in his video speech on Wednesday night after the second wave of Russian attacks. “Where there have been losses, there is already our will to build. Where there were any hopes of the enemy, there will be only ruins of Russian statehood.” Russia fired 28 missiles at its country on Tuesday, Zelensky said. The Ukrainian air defense intercepted 20 of them. Almost all of the 15 drones were shot down.
According to US President Joe Biden, Kremlin chief Putin misjudged his war of aggression against Ukraine. “I think he’s a rational actor who has miscalculated significantly,” Biden told US broadcaster CNN in an interview broadcast on Tuesday evening (local time). Putin had wrongly assumed that the Ukrainians would submit to a Russian invasion. “I think he thought he’d be welcomed with open arms,” Biden said. “I think he just miscalculated completely.”
According to US President Joe Biden, Kremlin chief Putin misjudged his war of aggression against Ukraine. “I think he’s a rational actor who has miscalculated significantly,” Biden told US broadcaster CNN in an interview.
Video: CNN/Tamedia
The seven leading democratic economic powers have strongly condemned the recent Russian rocket attacks on Ukraine and pledged further military support to the Ukrainian armed forces. After a video conference with Zelenskiy, the G7 leaders issued a joint statement recalling that “indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constituted a war crime”. They threatened Russia with further sanctions against individuals and institutions inside and outside the country that supported the war of aggression politically or economically. The G7 pledged further financial, humanitarian and military assistance to Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has again threatened Russia with consequences if nuclear weapons are used in the Ukraine war. “If Russia uses nuclear weapons, it will have various consequences, including the use of smaller nuclear weapons,” said the Norwegian to the news portal “ZDFheute.de”. He doesn’t want to go into too much detail. “The most important thing is to prevent this from happening.” According to Stoltenberg, the risk of Russia using nuclear weapons remains low. “But the escalation in Ukraine and the nuclear threat to Russia make it necessary for us to take them seriously and be prepared.”
Before a meeting of NATO defense ministers on Wednesday, Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) sharply condemned the Russian rocket attacks in Ukraine. “Putin openly terrorizes the civilian population by firing rockets into Ukrainian cities. His contempt for people obviously increases with the failure of his plans,” Lambrecht told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “We must continue our support for Ukraine unabated.” The delivery of air defense systems is therefore the right step.
Lambrecht had announced that the first of four state-of-the-art Iris-T SLM air defense systems would now be made available to Ukraine. According to a “Spiegel” report, the unit has already been handed over. According to the Ministry of Defense, three more units will be delivered in the coming year.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Resnikov thanked Twitter for arms deliveries from the United States and Germany on Wednesday night.
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“A new era of air defense” has begun in Ukraine, Resnikov wrote. The Iris-T air defense system from Germany has already arrived. Nasams rocket launcher systems from the USA are on the way. “That’s just the beginning. And we need more. Undoubtedly, Russia is a terrorist state,” the minister wrote. He thanked Lambrecht for their “strong willingness” to support Ukraine. “We will win,” Reznikov tweeted.
That will be important on Wednesday
The defense ministers of the NATO countries are meeting in Brussels for a two-day meeting. In addition to the war in Ukraine, the topic is also efforts to expand the capacities of the armaments industry. After the alleged acts of sabotage against the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines, additional protection for critical infrastructure should also be involved.
In New York, the UN General Assembly votes on the illegal Russian annexation of Ukraine. The vote is also seen as a global mood test on Moscow’s war of aggression. A corresponding resolution to vote condemns Russia’s annexation and declares it invalid. In addition, the Kremlin is asked to reverse the incorporation of the partially occupied regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Cherson.
Putin is expected in Moscow at the Russian Energy Week.