Moscow fends off Ukrainian drone attacks
Ukraine is said to have attempted to attack the Russian capital with several drones. According to official reports, these were intercepted. Ukraine is also reporting massive drone attacks on its capital. Russia has also fired missiles into the south of the country.
According to Russia, it has once again repelled Ukrainian drone attacks. Nine unmanned missiles were intercepted over the Moscow and Kaluga regions, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced according to the state news agency Tass. This cannot be independently verified for the time being. It happens time and again that Russia claims to have successfully repelled attacks, but then damage is reported.
Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin had previously written on Telegram that two drones flying towards the Russian capital had been intercepted in the Moscow region. According to preliminary information, there was neither damage nor casualties from falling parts.
Russia has been waging a war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine for more than 21 months. In its defensive campaign against the Russian invasion, Ukraine has repeatedly shelled Russian territory - both in the border region and in the hinterland. However, the number of casualties and damage are disproportionate to the serious consequences of the war in Ukraine.
For its part, Kiev reported that the Russian army had once again attacked Kiev with dozens of drones on Thursday night. Moscow had fired 42 Iranian-made Shahed drones, the Ukrainian air force explained on the online service Telegram. 41 of them were destroyed.
The Russian army also fired S-300 missiles in the direction of the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions in southern Ukraine, it added. No details of possible casualties or damage were initially provided.
Selensky hopes for EU accession talks
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi once again urged the start of accession negotiations during a telephone call with Italy's head of government Giorgia Meloni ahead of the EU summit. "I assume that the EU heads of state and government will recognize Ukraine's efforts and take this historic step," Selensky wrote on his Telegram channel. Ukraine has done its part of the work. He believed that the EU would demonstrate unity and strength, the Ukrainian president said, expressing optimism that he would receive an invitation to begin talks.
Accession negotiations for Ukraine are one of the major topics at the two-day EU summit. In view of the ongoing Russian aggression, the prospect of EU accession is extremely important for Kiev. However, there is still resistance to EU accession negotiations within the Union. The Hungarian head of government Viktor Orban has made it clear several times in recent weeks that he does not believe any decisions should be made on EU accession negotiations with Ukraine at present - for example, because the country attacked by Russia has not yet fulfilled all the reform requirements.
Selenskyj wrote on X that he had also spoken to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the new Polish head of government, Donald Tusk, on the phone. With Michel, he discussed the "expected results for Ukraine" at the summit, which must demonstrate the EU's unwavering support and unity. "Both are necessary to strengthen Ukraine's resilience against Russian aggression and on the path to EU membership." He said he had spoken with Tusk about the upcoming decisions at the summit, which would bring the entire European community together. "I heard words of sincere support. We are stronger when we are together," Selensky wrote.
Kremlin: Putin answers questions from citizens and journalists
After a break last year due to the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold his first major press conference. The question and answer session for journalists will be combined as a media spectacle on state television with the TV show "The Direct Line", in which citizens can describe their problems, as part of the "Results of the Year" program.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Q&A session would begin at around noon Moscow time (10.00 a.m. CET). State media reported in advance that more than one and a half million questions had been submitted.
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Source: www.ntv.de
