Russian invasion - War against Ukraine: this is the situation
Following the new devastating drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the world to join forces in the fight against Russia's terror.
"If we do not do this now in Ukraine, then Russian terror will continue to spread in Europe and the world," said Zelenskyi in his evening video message broadcast in Kiev on Tuesday. Democracies must prove that they can protect lives.
Russia's rulers must no longer feel that they can destroy human lives and cause suffering with impunity."Russia must learn what responsibility for the destruction of life and the power of defending life means," said Selenskyj.
According to Zelenskyi, Russia fired around 100 missiles of various types at Ukraine on Tuesday alone, killing five people and injuring 130 others. He expressed his condolences to the families of the civilians killed and assured the injured in the Kharkiv, Kiev and Zaporizhia regions of help.
Since Friday last week, there have been 500 Russian missile and drone attacks, Selensky continued. "No other state has ever repelled such attacks, such combined - drones and missiles, including ballistic ones from the air."
In the video, Zelensky also spoke again about his conversation with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whom he thanked for his willingness to strengthen Ukraine's air defense. "More air defense systems and more missiles for air defense are what directly saves lives." Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression with Western military assistance for almost two years.
French chair of the UN Security Council pessimistic
The current chair of the UN Security Council is pessimistic about the fighting in Ukraine in 2024. "I don't think the situation will improve, it will get worse," said France's UN Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière in New York on Tuesday. The country will chair the committee in January.
The number of Russian drone and missile attacks is increasing and they are obviously targeting Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, warned de Rivière. "There is a clear agenda that is clearly aimed at instilling fear in the population," he said. "All of this goes completely against international human rights law."
De Rivière had no hope that negotiations between the warring parties would be possible in the short term, but efforts to bring peace to Ukraine should be maintained as a matter of urgency, he said.
Russia reports rocket fire
During the night, the Russian Ministry of Defense once again reported shelling of the Belgorod border region from the Ukrainian side. Nine missiles were destroyed in "another attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack against objects on the territory of the Russian Federation", the ministry said in Moscow. This information could not be independently verified. According to the authorities, there were no casualties.
Residents in Belgorod reported heavy explosion noises in the city on social networks and published videos. The authenticity of the recordings could not initially be verified. Air alarms were also heard.
According to the authorities, 24 civilians were killed in Belgorod on Saturday - the largest such loss for Russia in almost two years of war. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, who started the war on February 24, 2022, subsequently announced intensified attacks on Ukraine.
The authorities also reported the launch of a Ukrainian missile over the Black Sea on the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed back in 2014. No infrastructure was damaged, they said.
UN Human Rights Commissioner calls for de-escalation
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called on Russia and Ukraine to exercise restraint in view of the recent mutual attacks with civilian casualties. "Alarming escalation of hostilities, dozens of civilians killed in #Ukraine & #Russia," his office wrote on the online platform X, formerly Twitter, late on Tuesday evening. International humanitarian law prohibits indiscriminate attacks and attacks on civilian objects. In order to protect the civilian population and comply with international law, Türk called for "immediate steps to de-escalate".
What is important today
In addition to the airstrikes, fighting also continued on the ground. Ukrainian defenders are primarily trying to stop Russian troops in the east of the country from advancing in the Donetsk region. They are also fending off attacks in the south of the country, where Moscow's occupying forces are trying to prevent Kiev's armed forces from recapturing territory.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
- Following the recent escalation with multiple drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky is urging the global community to take action against Russia's aggression.
- Zelensky emphasized that if the world does not intervene now in Ukraine, Russian terror will continue to spread throughout Europe and beyond.
- Russia, according to Zelensky, launched around 100 missiles in a single day, causing devastation and killing five civilians while injuring over 130 others.
- French ambassador Nicolas de Rivière, currently chairing the UN Security Council, expressed concerns about the increasing number of Russian drone and missile attacks targeting Ukraine's civilian infrastructure.
- Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, has been accused of launching a war of aggression against Ukraine and escalating attacks even after causing civilian casualties.
- De Rivière fears that the situation in Ukraine will only worsen into 2024 and called for negotiations between the warring parties to bring peace as a matter of urgency.
- The Russian Ministry of Defense reported shelling on the Belgorod border region from the Ukrainian side, vowing to defend its territory against any "terrorist attacks."
- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, urged both Russia and Ukraine to exercise restraint and de-escalate, citing international law and civilian casualties as concerns.
- Moscow's intensified attacks and alleged missile launch over the Black Sea peninsula have resulted in a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, with potential consequences affecting the entire European region and the UN.
Source: www.stern.de
