Russian soldiers march in a military parade in Moscow. Image: dpa / Christian Thiele
International
Almost ten months after the start of the war in the Ukraine Has Russia intensified its attacks on the country again. The fighting is raging mainly in the east of the country. But the capital Kyiv is also a frequent target of drone attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was last week in the United States flown and gave a historic speech before the US Parliament. US President Joe Biden has promised to deliver the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine.
December 28th
11:45 a.m.: Russian recruits can have sperm frozen for free
According to an insider, Russians sent to war as part of President Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilization can have their sperm frozen free of charge. Funding for this will be “made possible from budget funds,” initiated by the Ministry of Health, the head of the Russian lawyers’ association, Igor Trunov, told the state news agency Tass on Wednesday. Trunow represents clients who want to freeze their seeds.
In recent weeks there have been media reports that the demand for sperm banks among Russians has increased significantly as a result of the mobilization. The reason is that men who could fall into Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine wanted to secure their offspring at least in this way. According to the Russian Defense Ministry on autumn around 6,000 Russian soldiers have been killed so far Life came. Ukraine, on the other hand, recently estimated Russian losses at 100,000 soldiers.
5.01 a.m .: Selenskyj wants to make the New Year’s speech a dialogue with the Ukrainian people
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced his annual state of the nation address to the Ukrainian parliament, the Rada, with a twist. “I want this message not to be a report, but our dialogue with you about the coming year”, said the 44-year-old on Tuesday evening in his daily video speech. It is about formulating the tasks for the future. The speech is expected by the end of the week, but Selenskyj did not give an exact date.
The Ukrainian President did not give the exact time of his speech for security reasons.Image: AP / Evgeniy Maloletka
The Ukrainian President also reported on his meeting with the General Staff. The situation in eastern Ukraine’s Donbass and especially around the small towns of Kreminna and Bakhmut was discussed. The industrial town of Bakhmut in the north of the Donetsk region has been the subject of fighting for months. The situation has recently deteriorated near Kreminna, a small town north of it in the Luhansk region.
December 27th
5:42 p.m .: Russia will ban oil exports to countries with an oil price cap from February
From February 1, Russia will ban the sale of oil to countries that have imposed an oil price cap in response to the Russian offensive in Ukraine. “The supply of Russian oil and Russian oil products to foreign legal entities and other private individuals is prohibited” if they apply the price cap, said a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. The EU, the G7 countries and Australia had agreed in early December a price cap of 60 dollars (56.52 euros) for Russian crude oil, which is transported by sea.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is responding to the West’s oil price cap with export bans.Image: Pool Sputnik Kremlin/AP / Sergey Guneev
2:09 p.m .: Ukraine registers over ten Russian cyber attacks per day
According to the Ukrainian Security Service, there have been more than 4,500 Russian cyberattacks in Ukraine since the beginning of the year. Russia launches “on average more than 10 cyber attacks a day,” Ukraine’s cyber security chief Ilya Witiuk said in a TV interview on Monday. “Fortunately, the Ukrainian company most of them don’t even include it,” he added.
Moscow primarily targets the energy sector, logistics, military facilities and government databases. Ukraine has now had eight years of experience with this type of attack – and was well prepared for it when the war started, Witiuk said.
5.01 a.m .: According to Kyiv, nine million people in Ukraine have no electricity
Despite feverish repair work on the severely damaged energy network, there are still around nine million in Ukraine people without power supply. “But the number and duration of power outages is steadily decreasing,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his daily video address on Monday evening. But there are still many deficits in the power supply. At the same time, Zelenskyy warned of possible new Russian attacks on the energy grid.
Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko fears a major Russian attack with rockets and cruise missiles on New Year’s Eve. “The Russians have not renounced attacks on our energy grid,” he said on Ukrainian television on Monday evening. “And since they’re targeting specific dates, New Year’s is likely to be one of those dates that they’re going to try to damage our energy grid.”
In Kyiv, due to the Russian attacks, there are repeated power outages.Image: AP / Andrew Kravchenko
4.48 a.m .: More than 2.2 billion euros of German weapons in Ukraine
The federal government approved arms exports for at least 8.35 billion euros this year. This is already the second highest value in the Story Federal Republic. Only last year was the number even higher at 9.35 billion euros. More than a quarter of those delivered from January 1st to December 22nd weapons and military equipment went to Ukraine.
This emerges from a response from the Federal Ministry of Economics to a request from the left-wing member of the Bundestag Sevim Dagdelen. The letter is available from the German Press Agency. Since the beginning of the war, arms sales worth 2.24 billion euros have been approved for Ukraine.
Among other things, Germany has delivered Gepard-type tanks to Ukraine.Image: dpa / Maurizio Gambarini
December 26th
7.46 a.m .: Three dead after a drone attack on a military airfield in southern Russia
In a drone attack on the Engels military airfield in southern Russia, hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border According to Russian information, three soldiers died. “On December 26 at 1:35 Moscow time, the Russian air defense system shot down a Ukrainian drone at low altitude while approaching the Engels airbase in the Saratov region,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday. Three soldiers were killed by the falling splinters. The information could not initially be verified independently.
According to media reports, four people were also injured. “The aircraft technology was not damaged,” emphasized the military leadership. Strategic bombers are stationed in Engels, and Russia uses their missiles to destroy Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The city on the Volga is more than 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
25 December
10.12 a.m .: At least 16 dead in Russian attacks in Kherson
In the southern Ukrainian city of Cherson, the number of dead from artillery fire and explosions has risen to 16, according to authorities. In addition, 64 people were injured by Russian attacks, announced the Ukrainian military governor Yaroslav Yanushevich on Sunday in his channel of the news service Telegram. Among the dead are three men who died while clearing mines.
A Russian missile hit the center of Kherson.Image: Kherson Region Administration/AP / Uncredited
The Ukrainian authorities had accused Moscow of massive artillery shelling of the center of the city of Kherson, which was once occupied by Russian troops. There was another air alert in Ukraine on Christmas Day.
President Selenskyj condemned the attack as another crime of the “terrorist state” Russia directly before Christmas. The photos of the dead would certainly be marked by social networks because of the content. “But this is not sensitive content, this is real life of Ukraine and Ukrainians,” he said. “This is terror, this is killing for the sake of intimidation and pleasure,” he said. “The world needs to see and understand the absolute evil we are fighting.”
24th of December
9:56 am: Minister Cem Özdemir supports Ukrainian farmers
The Federal Ministry for nutrition and Agriculture has provided 14 million euros for Ukrainian farmers to maintain and rebuild food self-sufficiency in the face of Russian war of aggression. As the Ministry on Saturday in Berlin announced that 125 power generators as well as animal feed or seeds are to be procured with nine million euros; The reconstruction of the in-house production of fruit and vegetables is to be supported with five million euros.
“The courage and resilience of Ukraine and also of Ukrainian farmers is incredibly impressive for me,” said Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) and emphasized: “Even at Christmas time we stand together.”
The destruction of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and targeted Russian attacks on agriculture are having a major impact on food supplies, the minister said. In many places there is a lack of electricity, but also of food for them Animals. “Especially in the rural areas close to the front, electricity is essential for a functioning agriculture that produces food for the population.”
7:12 a.m.: Selenskyj warns of new attacks
“With the approaching holiday season, Russian terrorists could become active again,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his daily video address on Friday evening. “They despise Christian values and any values in general.”
Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians to be extra vigilant in the coming days. “So please heed the air raid shelter signals, help each other and always look out for each other,” he said. At the same time, he addressed an unusually harsh warning to Russia. “Citizens of Russia must clearly understand that terror never goes unanswered,” he said, without going into detail.
In the past few days, the Ukrainian military leadership has repeatedly warned of possible new rocket attacks on the country’s infrastructure and energy supply. Among other things, the military pointed out on Friday that a Russian fleet was underway in the Black Sea, which also included a warship equipped with cruise missiles.
Older news for war in Ukraine you can find here.
(With material from dpa and afp)
