drone problems?

Iran apparently sends trainers for Putin's troops - Finland is planning a border fence

Created: 2022-10-20 21:54

By: Markus Hofstetter, Bettina Menzel

Mykhailo Podolyak attacks Iran over possible arms shipments after Monday's drone strikes.

Meanwhile, the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is “precarious”.

The news ticker.

• Allegations

  against

  Iran

  : The country is said to send instructors to train the Russian army on drones

• Situation at the

  Zaporizhia

  nuclear power plant

  : Employees abducted and third power failure in ten days.

• Russia

  's lethal

  kamikaze drones

  in Ukraine from

  Iran

  ?

  Kremlin denies – Klitschko shows photo.

• This ticker has ended.

  The current

  news ticker on diplomacy in the Ukraine war

  can be found here.

Update from October 19, 11:04 a.m .:

NATO candidate Finland wants to build a fence at least 130 kilometers long on the border with Russia.

"It's about making sure the border is well controlled," Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Finnish broadcaster Yle.

"And that we can preventively influence the situations that could arise at the border."

All parties represented in Parliament would have expressed their support for the 130 to 260 kilometer border fence.

The government will now work out proposals for a pilot project, announced Marin.

The final decision is then planned for next year.

In total, the border between Finland and Russia is more than 1300 kilometers long.

Ukraine negotiations: Israel excludes arms deliveries to Kyiv

Update from October 19, 9.50 a.m .:

Despite Russia's attacks on Ukraine with Iranian combat drones, Israel is excluding arms deliveries.

"I want to make it clear that we are not selling arms to Ukraine," Secretary of Defense Benny Gantz told Kol Chai radio.

Only provide medical and humanitarian aid.

This will remain so.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced on Tuesday that he would ask Israel for air defense systems.

"If Israel's policy really is to consistently oppose Iran's destructive actions, then it is time for Israel to openly side with Ukraine," he said.

Israel is largely holding back in the Ukraine war so as not to jeopardize its relations with Russia.

Diaspora Minister Nachman Shai recently demanded that, in view of the Iranian supplies to Russia, Israel must deviate from this position and also supply Ukraine with weapons.

So far, that's not the official line.

also read

Putin withdraws units from Syria – now Israel is reacting 

Russia's kamikaze drones with Tehran's help?

US sure: Iran “now directly involved”

Ukraine News: Iran apparently trains Russian soldiers for drone operations

Update from October 19, 8:15 a.m .:

Iran is apparently sending trainers to the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia, to train Russians in operating Iranian drones.

The

newspaper reported on Tuesday (local time), citing current and former officials familiar with intelligence information.

The Iranian trainers were supposed to help the Russians deal with problems with the drone fleet acquired from Tehran.

This is another sign of the growing closeness between Iran and Russia since Moscow invaded eight months ago.

Kamikaze drone from Iran?

This photo is supposed to show a "Shahed 136" just before the impact in Kyiv.

© Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP

Situation in the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant: Employees abducted and third power failure within ten days

Update from October 19, 6:35 a.m .:

In the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, employees were abducted again, as reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.

A deputy manager of the nuclear power plant and two other employees were recently arrested.

While the manager has been released, the others are not yet free, it said.

The head of the plant had previously been temporarily detained by the Russian side.

He was released in early October.

After the third power failure in ten days, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi announced on Tuesday that the power supply to the nuclear power plant had been restored.

"The repeated failures show how precarious the situation of nuclear safety and security in Europe's largest nuclear power plant remains during the current military conflict in Ukraine," Grossi said, according to a statement by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday.

Several IAEA experts are constantly monitoring the situation in Europe's largest nuclear power plant.

An employee at the site of the spent fuel storage facility at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant (archive photo).

© IMAGO/Dmytro Smolyenko / NurPhoto

War in Ukraine: Germany hands over armored recovery vehicles and bridge-laying systems to Ukraine

Update from October 18, 8:55 p.m .:

Germany has handed over five armored recovery vehicles and seven bridge-laying systems to the Ukrainian armed forces to ward off the Russian invasion.

This emerges from the list of military support that the federal government in Berlin updates every Tuesday.

This means that Ukraine has received a total of ten armored recovery vehicles.

With the bridge-laying systems, crossings of rivers and streams can be constructed.

Ukraine wants to ask Kyiv for air defense systems

Update from October 18, 8:10 p.m

.: Russia is currently continuing its attacks on Ukraine.

For defense, Kyiv now wants to ask Israel for air defense systems.

"Today Ukraine will send an official notice to the government of Israel with a request to urgently equip Ukraine with air defense systems," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Ukrainian media on Tuesday.

Explosive: The reason for seeking help in Israel is the increasing number of Russian attacks in which Iranian-made combat drones are apparently being used.

Iran is Israel's arch-enemy - and, like the Kremlin, has denied using drones in Russia.

Ukraine is now apparently banking on Israel's Iran policy: "If Israel's policy really is to consistently oppose Iran's destructive actions, then it is time for Israel to openly side with Ukraine," said Kuleba.

Israel is largely holding back in Russia's nearly eight-month war of aggression against Ukraine so as not to jeopardize its relations with Moscow.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (with glasses) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (to the right).

© IMAGO/Ukraine Presidency/Ukraine

Russia's lethal kamikaze drones in Ukraine from Iran?

Kremlin denies - Klitschko shows photo

Update from October 18, 2:50 p.m .:

The Kremlin rejected the use of Iranian kamikaze drones in the attacks on Kiev on Monday.

"We have no information about it.

The hardware used is Russian.

It has Russian names," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian news agency TASS in Moscow on Tuesday.

For any further information, one would have to contact the Ministry of Defense anyway, the spokesman continued.

In fact, a Cyrillic inscription can be seen on wreckage of drones in Kyiv.

However, it is currently not possible to independently verify whether this allows conclusions to be drawn about the origin of the weapons.

Kiev's Mayor Vitali Klitschko also published a photo in which the Russian designation "Geran-2" could be read on a part of the wreckage.

The government in Tehran has so far denied having supplied combat drones to Russia.

The Ukrainian government had raised serious allegations against Tehran on Monday for the alleged arms deliveries.

A possible scenario, however, would be that Iran only supplied the components for the drones to Russia in order to avoid possible sanctions.

These components could then be used by the Russian military to create their own Iranian-style drones.

Oleg Katkov, editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian portal

recently explained in an interview that some of the components are also available on the open market.

War diplomacy failed?

Selenskyj sees no more "leeway for negotiations" after renewed attacks

Updated October 18th.

11.05 a.m .:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke out vehemently against negotiations with Russia on Tuesday.

In a post on Twitter, the head of state wrote of a "new type of Russian terrorist attack" with regard to the attacks on Ukrainian cities. Since October 10, the attacks have destroyed 30 percent of Ukraine's power plants.

This has repeatedly resulted in blackouts in large parts of the country.

Due to recent developments, Zelenskyj wrote that there was "no more room for negotiations with Putin's regime".

In recent weeks, the Ukrainian President and his top adviser Mykhailo Podolyak have repeatedly rejected the possibility of talks with Moscow.

War in Ukraine: Another exchange of prisoners – “Ukraine is not letting anyone down”

Update from October 18, 5:52 a.m .:

In Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which lasted almost seven months, the two sides again exchanged many prisoners on Monday (see previous update).

According to the Presidential Office of Ukraine in Kyiv, 108 captured Ukrainian soldiers and civilians returned to their homeland.

"Ukraine is not letting anyone down," wrote Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak.

On the Russian side, the Defense Ministry confirmed the homecoming of 110 prisoners.

These included 72 Russian seamen from civilian ships who had been held in Ukraine since the war began in February.

Update from October 17, 9:30 p.m

.: 108 Ukrainian women were released by Russia as part of a prisoner exchange.

Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Andriy Yermak said on online platforms on Monday that it was an "all-female exchange" with Moscow.

The women are mostly members of the army.

BND boss Kahl on Putin's actions: "Declaration of war on the entire world"

Update from October 17, 4:50 p.m .:

The head of the German intelligence services BND Bruno Kahl has clearly condemned the Russian aggression in Ukraine and found clear words.

At a public meeting of the parliamentary control committee on Monday, he described the actions of the Russian President as "a declaration of war on the entire free democratic world."

The BND has always pointed out that Putin - as in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, Crimea and Donbass - will continue to use violence to achieve his political goals, Kahl continues.

The Russian aggression against Ukraine therefore came as no surprise to the foreign intelligence service.

"What we see as the result of professional intelligence work has shaken up large parts of the German population, since it has unfortunately become common practice in public discourse over the past few decades to repeatedly ignore and suppress real threats - and corresponding warnings from the security authorities as scaremongering and To do away with pomposity," criticized Kahl.

Zelenskyj adviser rumbles after drone attack: Iran responsible for "mass murders in the heart of Europe"

Update from October 17, 3:03 p.m .:

With a view to the Russian attacks on several major Ukrainian cities on Monday, Mykhailo Podolyak made serious allegations against Iran.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's close adviser wrote on Twitter: "Iran is responsible for the murder of Ukrainians.

A country that oppresses its own people is now giving the Russian monsters weapons for mass murder in the heart of Europe.” Sanctions are not enough in this case, Podolyak continued.

Russia is said to have carried out the attacks on Monday primarily with Kamikaze drones of the type Shahed 136.

These weapons were reportedly given to Russia by the Iranian government.

However, Moscow has so far remained silent on the use of these weapon systems.

Mykhailo Podolyak, President Zelensky's close adviser, has blamed Iran for the drone strikes on Kyiv.

© Kyodo News/imago-images

Putin spokesman sees NATO interference in Ukraine war — "No impact on Russia's goals"

Update from October 17, 12:30 p.m .:

NATO has assured Ukraine of its support for as long as it is needed.

Even if the Western military alliance is not actively involved in the war, the nations supported Kyiv in the fight against the Russian invaders, primarily by supplying arms or providing military training.

A circumstance that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov apparently does not see as a major problem.

“In fact, NATO got involved in the Ukraine conflict.

But this in no way affects Russia's goals," Peskov told Russian TV channel Rossiya-1.

The Kremlin spokesman described the potential of NATO as an "additional burden".

"Nevertheless, we are able to continue the special operation through our own potential," Peskow continued.

Lambrecht warns of "paralysis" by Putin's nuclear threats - NATO practices defense with nuclear weapons

First report from October 17th:

Berlin/Kyiv/Moscow — Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) has sharply condemned the recent Russian airstrikes on civilian targets in Ukraine.

“What is happening to the population is unbelievable.

It's so stressful," she said on Monday in the ZDF morning magazine.

The delivery of modern air defense systems is therefore currently crucial.

However, according to the minister, the remaining three of a total of four Iris-T SLM air defense systems from Germany will only be able to take place "over the course of the next year".

Industry could not provide these any faster, she said.

Federal Defense Minister Lambrecht: Take Russia's nuclear weapons threat seriously

Lambrecht has also warned against dismissing threats by Waldimir Putin to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war as a bluff.

You have to take these threats seriously, "but taking them seriously doesn't mean letting them paralyze you, it means watching them closely," she said.

Exercises such as the NATO maneuvers "Steadfast Noon" to defend the European alliance area with nuclear weapons, which begin on Monday, made an important contribution to this.

Up to 60 aircraft will be involved in the exercise over the next two weeks.

Lambrecht left open the question of whether the Bundeswehr would also play through scenarios of a nuclear attack on Germany.

A German Air Force Tornado fighter jet during the annual exercise to defend alliance territory with nuclear weapons (archive photo from April 1, 2020) © Thomas Frey/dpa/picture alliance

Ukraine-News: Still no access to prisoners of war — Red Cross rejects Zelenskyj's criticism

Meanwhile, the Red Cross is defending itself against criticism from Kyiv that it has not yet visited numerous prisoners of war.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has moral obligations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj said last week and demanded immediate visits.

"Blaming the ICRC for being denied full and immediate access does not help prisoners of war or their families," the ICRC said on Sunday evening.

Eleven employees, including a doctor, are available for such visits in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region, but have not yet received permission.

This must come from the participating states.

According to the Geneva Conventions, they are obliged to grant access to the ICRC.

For almost eight months, the ICRC has been asking in vain for free and regular visits to all places where prisoners of war are being held.

Million children pushed into poverty — 2.8 million in Russia

The young in particular suffer from the Russian war of aggression and the associated economic downturn.

The war is said to have driven an additional four million children into poverty in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

This is the result of a study by the UN children's fund Unicef ​​published on Monday.

The study includes data from 22 countries in the region.

The effects of war are particularly strong for children in Russia and Ukraine.

According to the study, an additional 2.8 million children live in households below the poverty line in Russia.

In Ukraine, half a million additional children lived in poverty, then Romania followed with an additional 110,000 children.