Selenskyj thanks Chancellor Scholz in German

Ukraine blog

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 31

9.42 a.m .: Selenskyj thanks Chancellor Scholz in German

At the end of the year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his support and Germany’s new security policy course – with a tweet in German. “Arms deliveries, protection for more than a million Ukrainians, G7 presidency with Ukraine focus, financial & technical assistance, EU candidate status. Thank you for the turning point, Herr @Bundeskanzler!”he wrote on Saturday Twitter.

“May we make it complete in 2023 with our shared victory,” said the head of state with a view to the turning point proclaimed by Scholz, with which the federal government had also initiated military support for Ukraine to defend against Russia’s war of aggression. In the face of massive Russian drone and rocket attacks, Ukraine is hoping for significantly more military aid, for example in air defense. Experts also believe that the country needs a lot more for a win against Russia weapons and need ammunition.

6:07 a.m .: Merkel’s ex-adviser Heusgen admits mistakes in Russia policy

The chairman of the Munich Security Conference and former foreign policy adviser to ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel, Christoph Heusgen, has acknowledged mistakes in Russia policy during his tenure. Although gas never flowed through the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, “but if you ask me – yes, in hindsight that was a mistake”Heusgen told the “Welt am Sonntag”.

Christoph Heusgen has been chairman of the Munich Security Conference since 2022.Image: Reuters pool / Annegret Hilse

In the “Wams” Heusgen demanded the delivery of German Leopard main battle tanks to the Ukraine. Germany have “a moral obligation to support this country”, he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin is counting on “the US and Europe’s economic and military support for Ukraine decreasing,” Heusgen warned.

30th of December

2:58 p.m .: After finding a rocket, Belarus speaks of a possible provocation by Kiev

After the discovery of an anti-aircraft missile on Belarusian territory, the Ministry of Defense in Minsk spoke of a possible provocation by Kiev. “Either the unguided anti-aircraft missile was fired unintentionally because of the crew’s poor training, or the missile was defective, or it is a deliberate provocation of the Ukrainian armed forces”said the head of the Belarusian anti-aircraft defense system, Kirill Kazantsev, in a ministry statement published on Friday on the Telegram news channel.

Russia, meanwhile, expressed “extreme concern” about the missile. The Russian and Belarusian military are in constant contact with each other, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. A trusting dialogue between both sides ensures the exchange of sensitive information, he said without giving details. Russia has thousands of soldiers and a lot of military equipment in Belarus.

Experts fear Belarus could use the missile found as an excuse to intervene in the war.Image: IMAGO/ITAR-TASS

7.34 a.m .: Stoltenberg sees more arms deliveries as a “path to peace”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has called on Germany and the other alliance states to continue supplying arms to Ukraine. “It may sound paradoxical, but military support for Ukraine is the fastest way to peace,” the Norwegian told the German Press Agency at the turn of the year. The background is that Russian President Vladimir Putin must be convinced that he will not achieve his goal of taking control of Ukraine. Then there could be a peaceful negotiated solution that would ensure Ukraine’s survival as an independent democratic state.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the Russian attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.Image: dpa / Thierry Monasse

He also condemned the massive Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure in order to deprive the population of water, heating and electricity in winter. “President Putin is trying to turn winter into a weapon against civilians. This is not an attack on military targets with civilian casualties. This is a massive attack on civiliansbecause millions of Ukrainians are being deprived of these basic services,” said the Norwegian.

December 29th

4:50 p.m .: Ukrainian missile in Belarus possible pretext for new attacks

State media in Minsk reported that a missile launched by the S-300 air defense system fell on Belarusian territory. The reasons are currently under investigation. Accordingly, ruler Alexander Lukashenko was also informed. The state agency Belta reported that the rocket may have reached Belarusian territory as part of the operation of the Ukrainian air defense system. That would be a similar incident as in November when Polish territory was hit.

Concerns are growing in Ukraine that Russia could launch a new attack from Belarus. Such a find could be used as a pretext by Minsk and Moscow.

11:48 a.m .: According to Ukraine, Russia fires over 120 rockets

The Ukrainian military reported “massive” Russian rocket attacks on several cities in the country on Thursday morning. Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak said the Russian army had “launched more than 120 rockets to destroy vital civilian infrastructure and kill masses of civilians.”

Mykhailo Podoljak advises the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj. Image: AP / Nicolae Dumitrache

Most of the missiles have been intercepted, the Ukrainian side said. In the capital Kyiv, three were attacked people been injured, said Mayor Vitali Klitschko. “As of this writing, there are three injured, including a 14-year-old girl. All are in hospital,” he wrote on Telegram. A number of explosions were also reported in the cities of Kharkiv and Lviv.

10.05 a.m .: Habeck predicts Russian defeat – and avoids Patriot commitment

According to Economics Minister Robert Habeck, Russia is heading for a military defeat in the war against Ukraine. “Nobody would have thought that the year 2022 would end like this,” said the Green politician of the German Press Agency in Berlin. “Putin is losing this war on the battlefield,” he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is because the Ukrainian army receives weapons from Europe, NATO countries and the USA and uses these weapons “skillfully and strategically, cleverly and heroically”.

Habeck also spoke out in favor of further arms deliveries to Ukraine, but also emphasized that these “must be discussed in conjunction with the Allies”. However, the vice chancellor left open whether Germany would also supply Ukraine with the powerful Patriot air defense system, like the United States will do.

Economics Minister Robert Habeck is optimistic about Ukraine’s military successes. Image: dpa / Kay Nietfeld

7:23 am: Kamikaze drone attack in southern and eastern Ukraine

According to Ukrainian information, Russian military launched a new wave of attacks with so-called kamikaze drones against Ukraine on Wednesday evening. The drones were aimed at various targets in the south and east of the country, said the command center of the Ukrainian air defense south Facebook with. Five drones were shot down in the Dnipro region.

The arrival of several groups of drones was also reported from the Donetsk region, Zaporizhia and Kharkiv. Observers also reported on flights towards Odessa. According to reports from the Unian agency, numerous unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down. Most recently, the Russian military used so-called kamikaze drones made in Iran against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The supply of water and electricity across the country was severely affected.

The Russian air raids repeatedly cause power and water supply failures in Kyiv.Image: SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire / Sergei Chuzavkov

6:21 a.m .: Lavrov wants to interrupt Ukrainian supplies

According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the supply routes for weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainian army from abroad will soon be interrupted. “We are observing that Ukraine is getting more and better Western weapons,” Lavrov said on Russian television. Therefore, there are demands among military experts to interrupt these delivery routes. “Railway lines, bridges and tunnels” are being considered, said Lavrov. “I assume they’re making professional decisions about how to make those deliveries more difficult or, ideally, stop them altogether.”

(with material from dpa and afp)