War against Ukraine: this is the situation

Russian invasion - War against Ukraine: this is the situation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has announced the accelerated construction of shelters and fortifications along all sections of the front. "The priority is obvious," he said in his daily video address.

The construction of such facilities had been discussed with the Minister of Defense and leading military officers. Most recently, a number of observers had declared the Ukrainian counter-offensive a failure. The emphasis on building fortifications is seen as an indication that the leadership in Kiev is now concentrating on defense.

Renewed air alert in Ukraine

There was another air alert in Ukraine during the night. The Ukrainian armed forces warned of attacks by Russian drones that had been launched from Crimea. Two people were injured by a Russian drone in the Kherson region, reported Ukrainska Pravda.

Meanwhile, the chairwoman of the parliamentary committee for regional development and urban planning in Kiev, Olena Shuliak, announced that more than 170,000 buildings in Ukraine had already been damaged or destroyed by the Russian invasion, which has been going on for more than 21 months. This was reported by the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform early this morning. This is said to include more than 20,000 residential buildings.

More than 3,500 educational institutions and 420 large and medium-sized companies were hit by the Russian attacks, as Schuliak wrote in the agency's blog. Airports and civilian airfields, 344 bridges and crossings and 25,000 roads were also affected by destruction.

Ukraine has been repeatedly hit with missile and drone attacks in the Russian war of aggression, which Moscow launched on February 24, 2022. This often results in severe destruction, deaths and injuries.

London: Russia builds unmanned kamikaze ships for war

According to British sources, Russia is increasingly working on the construction of unmanned kamikaze ships for use in the war of aggression against Ukraine. The head of the armaments company KMZ, Mikhail Danilenko, recently announced that drone boats are to be tested as part of the "special military operation", as the war in Russia is called, with a view to starting series production in 2024, the British Ministry of Defense announced on Friday. The boats could carry up to 600 kilograms of ammunition, Danilenko said.

Ukraine has repeatedly deployed unmanned ships, which resemble speedboats loaded with explosives, against Russian targets in the Black Sea or in the ports of the annexed Crimean peninsula. The weapon has become a key maritime capability in the hands of the Ukrainian armed forces, it was reported in London.

More than 21 months after the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also expressed his satisfaction with the current frontline operations at the onset of winter. "Our soldiers (...) are taking up a more advantageous position and expanding the zones of control in all directions," said Shoigu. He also claimed that Western arms deliveries to Ukraine could not significantly change the situation on the battlefield.

Selenskyj calls for more security for schools

In addition to the embattled areas at the front, Zelenskyi also called for more security at schools. Shelters should be built there. In this context, he reported on a visit to a school in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which is housed on the premises of the subway railroad. Selensky spoke of a successful project because the subway was safe from Russian attacks.

Since the beginning of its war of aggression, Russia has also repeatedly attacked civilian targets in Ukraine's hinterland with drones, cruise missiles and rockets. Energy supply facilities in particular are targeted in order to deprive Ukrainians of their electricity, water and heating supplies during the cold season and make them war-weary.

Latvia signs purchase contract for German air defense systems

Latvia signed a contract on Thursday for the purchase of the German medium-range air defense system Iris-T worth around 600 million euros. According to the contract, the Baltic EU and NATO country will receive the necessary equipment from the manufacturer Diehl Defense to be able to operate the weapon system effectively. Delivery is set to begin in 2026, according to the Ministry of Defense in Riga. Latvia had agreed the purchase of Iris-T together with neighboring Estonia.

Air defense is considered a weak point of the Baltic states. Estonia and Latvia border Russia, Latvia also borders its close ally Belarus. The two Baltic states regard the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine as a direct threat to their security. They have already massively increased their military spending and are arming their armed forces.

Report: School in Russia lets children make grenade parts

According to media reports, pupils at a school in the Russian republic of Tatarstan are making parts of artillery shells for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine as part of a work group.

"What at first glance looks like a child's toy actually fulfils a very important function ... the stabilizers help the shell to fly directly into the target without tipping over in the air," reported the local television correspondent about the lessons. The independent "Moscow Times" also reported on the case nationwide.

Lavrov accuses Blinken and Borrell of "cowardice"

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov used the conclusion of the OSCE annual meeting to criticize his Western colleagues. Lavrov accused them of "cowardice" for avoiding direct talks with the Russian side on the war in Ukraine.

Both US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had already left, Lavrov said at a press conference on the results of the summit of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Skopje, North Macedonia.

"They probably believe that this underlines their intention to isolate Russia. But I think they are simply cowards, they are afraid of any honest discussion with facts," said Lavrov. Blinken and Borrell had indeed come to Skopje on Wednesday at the invitation of their North Macedonian hosts. Blinken, for example, then traveled on to Israel, where the situation is currently extremely tense due to the Gaza war.