13:03 Governor reports shelling of Russian villages

The governor of the Russian Belgorod Oblast, which borders Ukraine, reports Ukrainian attacks. Several villages were shelled with artillery yesterday, says Vyacheslav Gladkov. He also reports attacks using kamikaze drones. According to Gladkov, a drone exploded on a bridge between two villages in the Grayvoronsky district while repair work was being carried out there. According to him, five workers were injured. Six residential buildings were also damaged.

12:35 Ukraine: Polish truck drivers end blockade at a border crossing
According to Ukrainian reports, Polish truck drivers protesting at the border with Ukraine have ended their blockade of one of the crossings. Traffic has been flowing normally again at the Medyka border crossing in southern Poland since the morning, according to the Ukrainian border guard. Registration and the movement of trucks across the border into Ukraine are "proceeding as usual". On Friday, the new Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski and the Ukrainian President Selenskyj spoke about the border blockade. Polish transport companies have been blocking important border crossings to Ukraine since the beginning of November. They are complaining of "unfair competition" from Ukrainian companies after the EU suspended a number of conditions for border transportation due to the Russian attack on Ukraine.

12:02 Exiled mayor reports explosions in Tokmak
The exiled mayor of Melitopol reports explosions in Tokmak, which is occupied by Russian troops. The explosions were heard in the northern outskirts, writes Ivan Fedorov on Telegram. Tokmak and Melitopol are located in the Ukrainian oblast of Zaporizhia, which is partly controlled by Russia.

11:26 Russia lacks millions of workers according to study
According to a report, Russia has a shortage of around 4.8 million workers this year. An acute labor shortage is also expected in the coming year, reports the newspaper "Izvestia", citing experts and the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The author of the study, Nikolai Achapkin, is quoted by the paper as saying that the labor shortage will increase significantly in 2022 and 2023. Drivers and store workers are particularly in demand. According to the study, the number of vacancies in relation to the total number of workers rose to 6.8% by mid-2023 compared to 5.8% in the previous year. The reasons cited include population growth and emigration. Hundreds of thousands of Russians left their country after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Many fled because they rejected the war or feared being drafted.

10:53 Military expert Wiegold: Putin's denial "rings all the alarm bells"
Russia's President Putin describes warnings by the US President of a Russian attack on NATO territory as "complete nonsense". Such a scenario would not be in Moscow's interests. Military and security expert Thomas Wiegold finds the statement suspiciously familiar.

10:31 Russia: Ten drones shot down over Donetsk
The Russian military claims to have intercepted ten Ukrainian drones over the Donetsk region within 24 hours. These were shot down by air defense systems over Horlivka, Mariinka and Pobyeda, an army spokesman told the state news agency Tass. Eleven Ukrainian attacks were also thwarted, he added. The military spokesman also reported attacks on Ukrainian troops in which up to 200 Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded. The information cannot be verified.

10:02 Armed forces warn of new air strikes
In the south and east of Ukraine, as well as in large parts of the center, there is an air alert this morning. The Ukrainian air force warns of possible missile attacks. After about half an hour to an hour, the military gives the all-clear for most regions.

09:42 Kherson region counts hundreds of grenade attacks
The military administration of the Kherson region reports Russian attacks with dead and injured. Within 24 hours, four people were killed and nine others injured in the region, the administration writes. According to the report, 88 attacks were counted. Residential areas, an educational institution and critical infrastructure objects were targeted. By this morning, 71 shells had been fired at the city of Kherson alone. A total of 425 shells are reported, as well as attacks with the SU-23 anti-aircraft gun, drones, aircraft and two rockets.

09:02 Partisan group claims to have uncovered new command post in Crimea
A partisan group claims to have discovered a new Russian command post in Crimea. The "Atesh" group wrote on Telegram that partisans had gained access to the site of a former ammunition depot near Yevpatoria. They had discovered a new Russian troop command post. Military equipment had also been moved there in recent days to make up for losses suffered by Russian troops in southern Ukraine. The group publishes the coordinates of the location and pictures.

08:14 Kherson reports three dead after shelling
According to Ukrainian reports, three people have been killed and another injured in Russian attacks on Kherson. Governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram that the Russian army had shelled the city center during the night. An artillery shell hit a residential building, says Produkin. An 87-year-old man and his 81-year-old wife were killed in the attack. Rescue workers found another body when they were clearing rubble. A 54-year-old man was also injured by an explosion.

07:45 Ukraine: Drone attacks repelled during the night
According to the army, Ukraine was again attacked by Russia with "Shahed" drones last night. These were launched from the Russian Primorsko-Akhtarsk on the Sea of Azov. According to the Ukrainian air force, 14 of the 15 combat drones were shot down. According to the report, the drones were shot down in the Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhya, Dnipropetrovsk and Khmelnytskyi oblasts. It remains unclear whether one of the 15 drones landed a hit or missed its target. Nothing is known so far about possible casualties or damage - for example from falling debris.

07:14 Taiwan sets up fund for Ukrainian refugees
Taiwan is providing one million US dollars to support Ukrainian refugees in Poland. A fund will be set up together with an alliance of major Polish cities, according to the Foreign Ministry in Taipei. Among other things, the money will be used to improve educational opportunities for Ukrainian children and young people.

06:37 Russia to use banned gas in war
The US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes that the Russian Black Sea Fleet has admitted to using banned chemicals during the war. Among other things, the organization refers to a Telegram entry from the 810th Marine Infantry Brigade. It describes a tactic in which K-51 grenades are dropped from drones onto Ukrainian positions in order to force the soldiers out of their positions and then attack them with various weapons. In addition, footage from the 810th Brigade is said to show K-51 grenades presumably being used at Krynki near Kherson. These grenades are filled with CS gas, also known as tear gas, writes ISW. However, the use of CS gas in wars is prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention.

05:40 Dead and injured after explosion in Lviv
An explosion in a house in Lviv has probably killed three people and injured at least four, as Lviv's mayor Andrii Sadovyi reported in the evening. Sadovyi notes that the load-bearing walls of the house were damaged and that people were trapped under the rubble. While the exact cause of the explosion has not yet been confirmed, Sadovyi says it was likely caused by a gas leak in the house's garage.

03:36 Zelenskyi thanks for cheetahs from Germany
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi thanks Germany, Finland and the Netherlands for new military aid in the fight against the Russian war of aggression. Germany had supplied the Gepard anti-aircraft tank, 155-caliber artillery shells and other necessary weapons, said Zelenskyi in his video message broadcast in Kiev in the evening. Germany had also sent the US Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. Selensky emphasizes that a well-functioning air defence system is the key to ending the war.

01:57 Gas consumption in Germany higher than in 2022
Private households and companies in Germany have consumed 7.2 percent more gas since October 1 than in the same period last year. This was reported by the Funke newspapers, citing calculations by the Federal Network Agency. According to these calculations, gas consumption by private households and businesses has increased by 2.5 percent. Gas consumption in industry even increased by 11.1 percent. However, unlike in the previous year, the Network Agency is not concerned. "We can see that gas consumption rises when it gets cold. But a few cold days don't worry us," said Network Agency boss Klaus Müller. According to the network agency's calculations, gas consumption in Germany in 2023 has fallen by 13.9 percent compared to the winters of 2018 to 2021 - i.e. before the Russian attack on Ukraine and the end of Russian gas supplies - despite the increase since October.

23:40 Kherson region under heavy fire
Ukrainian officials from the Kherson region report heavy Russian shelling and numerous drone attacks. The governor of Kherson, Oleksandr Prokudin, announced that a man had been killed in a drone attack in the town of Stanislav, southeast of the city of Kherson. Seven people were injured in an attack on residential areas. According to local authorities, Russian forces also fired on a power plant near the front line in eastern Ukraine. The town of Kurakhovo is now without electricity.

22:23 Ukraine's frontline soldiers lack artillery ammunition
The Ukrainian armed forces are having to severely ration their artillery ammunition, reports the Washington Post. Due to the lack of ammunition, planned attacks against Russian positions have also been canceled. "We get a limited number for each target," a soldier from the Zaporizhzhya oblast is quoted as saying. For a smaller target, such as a mortar position, they received five to seven shells. "The guys are very tired," he says. They are still motivated because they have no other choice. "But you don't win a war with motivation alone." A member of another artillery brigade reports that they fire around 10 to 20 shells a day at enemy targets. Previously, the average was 50, sometimes up to 90 a day. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the lack of ammunition this week.

21:43 Kiev considers electronic conscription
Ukraine's Ministry of Defense is considering sending conscription notices for Ukrainians electronically in the future. This could be used to reach nationals abroad, among others. The army leadership has recommended that the government mobilize 450,000 to 500,000 soldiers in the coming year. According to various media reports, Kiev has not yet made a decision on this. The Ukrainian parliament must decide on the call-up.

You can read about all previous developments here.

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Due to the ongoing Ukraine conflict, Nato has been discussing the possibility of providing Ukraine with additional military aid, including cyberwar defense capabilities, to help strengthen its defenses against potential Russian cyber attacks.
In response to the escalating military operations in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, has called on Nato to provide Ukraine with more robust military support, including air defense systems, to help protect its territory against further Russian attacks.
Russia's ongoing military campaign in Ukraine has raised concerns about a potential cyberwar attack on Ukraine's critical infrastructure, and Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia could use cyberwar tactics to disrupt Ukraine's military operations and undermine its political stability.
The Ukrainian government has reported several recent attacks on its critical infrastructure, including power stations and communication networks, which have been attributed to Russian cyberwar operations. These attacks have caused significant disruptions to Ukraine's economic and social infrastructure, and have raised concerns about the potential for a wider cyberwar threat to Nato and other Western nations.

Source: www.ntv.de