War against Ukraine: this is the situation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has announced a strengthening of the country's air defense in particular. Steps to secure the country will follow in the coming weeks, Selensky said yesterday in his daily video message. He also thanked Germany for pledging further military aid to Ukraine.
At the beginning of the week, the German government announced its intention to increase military aid to Ukraine from four to eight billion euros in the coming year. In addition to Germany, Selensky also thanked Finland and Lithuania for new arms packages.
Air defense plays a special role in Kiev's considerations, also because of the coming winter. "The closer we get to winter, the greater Russia's efforts will be to step up its attacks," said Zelensky.
There were indeed air raids in numerous Ukrainian regions during the night. Late in the evening, air defenses around the capital Kiev also went into action, as reported by the Ukrinform agency.
Kiev's military administration reported a number of drone attacks from various directions in the morning. According to current information, however, there were no casualties or critical damage in the capital. The information could not be independently verified.
Drone attacks damage infrastructure
The night before, Russia had already sent one of the largest swarms of drones against its neighboring country in recent weeks. The Ukrainian head of state praised the interception of almost 30 drones on Saturday evening.
However, according to Kiev, infrastructure objects were damaged in the Russian drone attacks in the southern Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhia and Odessa. According to the Southern Command of the Ukrainian armed forces, the drone strike in Odessa caused a fire to break out in an administrative building of an energy complex. One person was injured and the fire has since been brought under control. However, the power supply was also affected. According to the operator DTEK, 2,000 people in the region were without electricity on Saturday.
Four out of eight drones were intercepted in Zaporizhia, military governor Yuri Malashko announced on Telegram. However, several infrastructure objects had also been hit, causing a fire to break out there. There were no casualties.
Russia has been systematically attacking energy supply facilities in the neighboring country since last fall. Kiev is also expecting targeted attacks by Moscow against the Ukrainian electricity, heating and water supply this winter. Ukraine has been defending itself against Russian aggression since the end of February 2022.
Drone attack towards Moscow repelled
For its part, Moscow again reported a drone attack targeting the Russian capital during the night. The air defenses had thwarted the attack in Bogorodskoye, a district of the eastern administrative district of Moscow, wrote Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin on his Telegram channel. The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced on Telegram that the air defense had destroyed a Ukrainian drone over Bogorodskoye at around 1:00 a.m. Moscow time. The information could not be independently verified.
Politkovskaya murder case: perpetrator receives medal
According to media reports, a man involved in the murder of the Kremlin-critical journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was released from prison early, has now been decorated in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The man has been awarded the Order of Valor, the Russian Telegram news channel Baza reported on Saturday, citing an acquaintance of the perpetrator. In 2014, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the murder case. His release and pardon were announced just a few days ago. He has been fighting in Ukraine since the end of 2022.
Politkovskaya, a journalist for the pro-Kremlin newspaper "Novaya Gazeta", was shot dead outside her apartment in Moscow in October 2006. Politkovskaya's family suspects a political motive behind the murder and is still demanding a full investigation.
Great Britain: No progress
According to the British Ministry of Defense, neither Russia nor Ukraine are making significant progress in their battles. "With the onset of colder winter weather in eastern Ukraine, there is little immediate prospect of major changes on the frontline," the ministry in London announced in its daily update on Saturday.
It said the most intense ground fighting in the past week had taken place in three areas: the Kupyansk area on the border between Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, around the town of Avdiivka in Donetsk region and on the Dnipro River in Kherson region, where Ukrainian forces have established a bridgehead on what should be the Russian-occupied southern bank. "Neither side has made significant progress in any of these areas," the British wrote on the short message service X.
This assessment is in line with the situation report from the Ukrainian General Staff on Saturday evening, which did not register any major changes to the front, although the initiative is now largely in the hands of the Russian armed forces.
Scholz wants to talk to Putin again
In view of the stalemate on the front, voices calling for a diplomatic solution to the conflict are growing louder. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) also wants to end the radio silence with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has lasted for a year, at some point.
"I will talk to him," he said on Saturday at a public meeting in Nuthetal near Potsdam. However, he did not name a time for a conversation. You can't proceed according to the motto: "I'll go for a coffee with someone and we'll come to an agreement in the end." At the moment, Putin is not showing "that he would somehow get involved in anything".
Scholz and Putin last spoke on the phone on December 2 last year. The Chancellor has repeatedly said that he is fundamentally ready for further talks, but that there must also be movement on Putin's part.
What is important today
In Ukraine, heavy fighting is expected to continue in the east and south of the country.
In response to the escalating conflicts and Russian drone attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky thanked Olaf Scholz for Germany's commitment to providing additional military aid. Despite this assistance, Selensky expressed concern about the potential increase in Russian attacks as winter approaches. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin's regime continues to systematically target Ukraine's energy supply facilities, causing significant damage and disruptions.
Source: www.dpa.com
