Russia probably about to attack Ukraine again - "Unusually high number" of military aircraft on satellite images

Created: 2022-12-01Updated: 2022-12-01 11:36 PM

By: Helena Gries, Sandra Kathe, Caspar Felix Hoffmann, Karolin Schäfer, Tim Vincent Dicke, Nadja Austel

The US ambassador to Germany does not believe in a quick end to the Ukraine war.

The battles continue unhindered.

The news ticker.

• Targeted Attacks:

  Lavrov defends Russian warfare

• Attacks on infrastructure:

  Almost six million people in Ukraine without electricity

• Editor's note:

  Read the latest developments in the Ukraine conflict in our news ticker.

  The information on the Ukraine war processed here comes partly from the warring parties in Russia and Ukraine.

  They can therefore not be independently checked in part.

+++ 11.30 p.m .:

The Russian military airport Engels-2 near Saratov worries experts.

As 

  reports, recent satellite images show "nearly two dozen Tu-95 and Tu-160 long-range bombers on the tarmac."

This "unusually high number" is a sign of an "increase in operations, if not an impending large-scale attack," military analyst Arda Mevlütoğlu told the news magazine.

The Russian military has repeatedly used cruise missiles of this type in airstrikes on Ukraine, the report said.

The satellite imagery was provided by Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs on November 28th.

A Russian Air Force Tu-95 bomber photographed in 2015. (Archive photo) © Russian Defense Ministry Press Service / AP / dpa

+++ 10:45 p.m .:

According to their own statements, the Ukrainian army has lost up to 13,000 soldiers for more than nine months of the Ukraine war.

Zelenskyi's advisor, Mykhailo Podoliak, was referring to "official estimates by the general staff," according to Ukrainian television.

Estimates would range from 10,000 to 13,000 dead.

Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, spoke of 100,000 dead soldiers on the Ukrainian side at the end of November.

The EU Commission later admitted it was wrong,

reported .

Von der Leyen "undoubtedly made a mistake," said Podoljak.

The Ukraine War in Pictures - Destruction, Resistance and Hope

View photo gallery

There are no reliable figures on the victims either on the Ukrainian or on the Russian side.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported nearly 90,000 Russian soldiers killed in action Thursday morning.

This cannot be verified independently.

The Kremlin itself gives little information about its own losses.

News on the Ukraine war: "Ukraine will win"

+++ 9:25 p.m .:

The US ambassador to Ukraine has no doubts about Ukraine’s victory against Russia.

“I am 100 percent convinced that Ukraine will win.

I have no doubts,” Bridget Brink said at the Kyiv Security Forum. Brink outlined the basic principles of victory in the Ukraine war: territorial integrity, law enforcement and reconstruction.

“A lot of damage has been done to Ukraine, a lot of destruction.

The United States and the world are committed to helping Ukraine rebuild,"

quoted the ambassador as saying.

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"Unusually high number": Satellite images of Russian military airport are worrying experts

Poll gossip for Putin's war: Data from Russian intelligence survey leaks out

News about the Ukraine war: Germany supplies new weapons

+++ 8.20 p.m .:

New military equipment from Germany has arrived in Ukraine, including surface drones, armored bridges and border protection vehicles.

The goods come from stocks of the armaments industry.

According to the federal government, the following military support services were provided:

• 3 armored bridge laying tanks Biber

• 10 surface drones

• 65 border guard vehicles

• 14,000 sleeping bags

• Mi-24 spare parts

• 30 ambulances

In addition, the delivery of seven more Cheetah anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine and 100,000 first-aid kits have been approved,

reported .

Previously, three Gepard systems were delivered in August.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg thanked Germany for the modern equipment.

Germany is one of the main suppliers of military aid to Ukraine.

quoted the NATO boss

as saying that it was not about expanding the list of weapons, but about ensuring uninterrupted and effective use of the equipment already provided .

News about the Ukraine war: More prisoner exchanges

+++ 19.05:

Russia and Ukraine exchanged a total of 100 more prisoners after nine months of war.

According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, 50 Russian soldiers are to be flown to the Russian capital for medical treatment.

Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, confirmed the exchange.

"We freed 50 defenders of Ukraine," he wrote on Telegram.

News on the Ukraine war: Russian army shells houses with "heavy artillery"

+++ 18:25:

The Russian military again attacked the city of Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in the south of the country on Thursday afternoon.

Several homes and power lines were damaged.

So far there is one injured person.

Russia hit the city with “heavy artillery.

An apartment in a high-rise building caught fire," Valentyn Reznichenko, the region's governor, told Telegram.

The city, which lies on the right bank of the Dnipro, regularly comes under rocket fire from the left bank, which is controlled by Russia.

Ukraine war: Kremlin says tribunal will have 'no legitimacy'

+++ 5.10 p.m .:

According to the Kremlin, the establishment of a tribunal on Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, including possible war crimes, will have “no legitimacy”.

"As for these attempts to set up tribunals, they will have no legitimacy, we will not accept them and we will condemn them," Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Thursday.

news agency

.

Ukraine War News: US Embassy in Madrid receives broadcast

+++ 4:00 p.m .:

The series of letter bombs in Spain possibly related to the Ukraine war has also reached the US Embassy in Madrid.

There, a suspicious shipment was detonated in a controlled manner by Spanish explosives experts, the media reported, citing the Spanish national police.

The number of letter bombs received in Spain in the past few days has thus increased to six.

A shipment exploded at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid on Wednesday, slightly injuring an employee.

Ukraine War News: Is Putin Ready to Negotiate with Kyiv?

+++ 3:00 p.m .:

The US ambassador to Germany, Amy Gutmann, sees little prospect of a quick end to the Ukraine war.

"We currently have no indication that Putin would be willing to negotiate," Gutmann told the

.

"But if he is, I'm sure Ukraine will be ready for that too.

It will determine when it will regain its full state integrity and sovereignty.

But Putin stands in the way.”

She described the German reaction to the war as "clear and courageous".

She is aware that the current situation involves great sacrifices for all US allies in Europe, for example due to high energy prices.

"But it's also true: Nobody makes such great sacrifices as the people in Ukraine.

We are doing everything to support them, but nothing to further escalate this war," Gutmann said.

The only acceptable end to this war "for us is that Ukraine wins".

+++ 2:00 p.m .:

In the partially occupied Ukrainian region of Donetsk, another exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia is apparently imminent.

According to Denis Pushilin, the official deployed by Russia in the area, both sides want to hand over 50 prisoners of war each.

In a post on his Telegram channel, Pushilin said the exchange would take place later today.

Ukraine war news: Lavrov defends Russian warfare

+++ 12.45 p.m

.: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has defended his country’s warfare and the targeted attacks on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

"This infrastructure supports the combat capability of the Ukrainian armed forces and nationalist battalions," he said Thursday during his televised press conference.

At the same time, he accused NATO and the USA of similar warfare in the past in Yugoslavia and Iraq.

Moscow's actions are aimed at minimizing the number of civilian casualties, Lavrov claimed.

"Compare the hysteria unleashed in the Western media now with what happened when the US bombed Iraq."

In what was then Yugoslavia, too, NATO bombed the TV center in Belgrade on the grounds that this served Yugoslav war propaganda.

+++ 12.10 p.m .:

On Thursday (December 1) Ukraine fired the deputy chief engineer of the Russian-held Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and accused him of collaborating with the Moscow armed forces and of treason.

This was announced by the state nuclear energy company

.

The statement was released after Russia said it had promoted engineer Yuriy Chernichuk to director of the giant nuclear power plant in south-eastern Ukraine.

News about the Ukraine war: Russia changes strategy

+++ 11.05 a.m .:

According to British assessments, the massive Russian rocket attacks on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure are part of a new pillar of the Russian military doctrine.

It is probably the first time that Russia has tried to implement its concept of a strategic mission to destroy critical targets, the Ministry of Defense said in London, citing intelligence findings.

To this end, long-range missiles would be used against critical infrastructure in order to demoralize the population and force the government to capitulate.

"Russian attacks continue to cause power outages, causing indiscriminate, widespread humanitarian suffering across Ukraine," it said in London.

However, the effectiveness has already decreased, since Russia has already used a large part of its suitable missiles against tactical targets.

Nevertheless, almost six million people are currently without electricity (see update from 10:34 a.m.).

News about the Ukraine war: almost six million people without electricity

+++ 10.34 a.m .:

On the first day of December, almost six million people in Ukraine are without electricity.

This was announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday evening.

In addition, the state emergency service of Ukraine announced that nine people died in fires.

After the Russian attacks on power plants, they had violated safety regulations when trying to heat their homes.

“In the last few days alone there have been 131 fires in Ukraine, 106 of them in residential areas.

Nine people died and eight were injured."

News about the Ukraine war: Voltage drop in the power grids of Kherson

+++ 8.55 a.m .:

The voltage in the power grids of the city of Cherson “disappeared” as a result of heavy shelling by the Russian military.

This was announced by Yaroslav Yanushevych, head of the state administration of Kherson Oblast, in a telegram.

“In Kherson, the voltage in the power grid has disappeared!

This happened due to the heavy shelling of the city by the Russian invaders.” Meanwhile, as Yanushevych wrote, the Kherson Oblast power company is working to fix the problem.

Zelenskyj expects the end of the Ukraine war in the next few months

+++ 8.05 a.m .:

Russian efforts near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast suggest that Russia has “fundamentally failed to learn from previous high-loss campaigns,” according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW ) in its most recent update.

While Russian troops have continued to flex combat power on small settlements in the region since late May, they have only managed to secure a few kilometers at a time, losing personnel and equipment in the process, the ISW said.

Russia's continued offensives in the region continue to sap Russia's available fighting power and facilitate Ukrainian counteroffensives elsewhere, according to the Washington-based think tank.

Ukraine War News: War could spread to neighboring areas

Update from Thursday, December 1, 6.45 a.m .:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj said on Wednesday (September 30) that the Ukraine war will end if Ukraine wins or Russia gives up its aggressive plans.

"We assume that this will be the case in the coming months," Zelenskyj said.

He stressed that if Ukraine does not hold out, the war will "spread" to other neighboring areas.

Meanwhile, at the Berlin Security Conference, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said on Wednesday (September 30) that Germany would support Ukraine until the war was over.

Scholz also said Russia could no longer win the war in Ukraine on the battlefield.

Regarding Russia's nuclear threats and attacks on Ukraine's nuclear infrastructure, Scholz said Germany takes Russia's nuclear rhetoric seriously but will not be intimidated.

News of the Ukraine War: Fighting in Bakhmut, Zaporizhia and Cherson

+++ 10:48 p.m .:

According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian military, the Russian attacks on Wednesday (November 30) mainly focused on the contested eastern Ukrainian cities of Bakhmut and Zaporizhia and the city of Cherson, which was liberated in mid-November.

According to the information, in many places the Russian troops are primarily defending themselves against the resistance of the Ukrainian troops.

In addition, the Russian military is busy moving troops and equipment to places where it previously suffered casualties.

Nevertheless, the general staff reports again of attacks on civilian targets by the Russian air force.

Two rockets hit civilian objects in Komyshuvahka in the Zaporizhia region, and another 20 airstrikes were aimed at military bases in the region.

According to the military leadership, further rocket attacks on the energy infrastructure in the country cannot be ruled out.

Ukraine war: Russia seems to be preparing further attacks and new strategies

+++ 19:25:

The Ukrainian secret service sees a current decline in Russian airstrikes as a warning signal rather than a sign of calming down.

This is reported by the news portal

, citing a program on Ukrainian television in which Vadym Skibitskyi, a high-ranking secret service official, was asked for an assessment of the decreasing number of attacks.

According to Skibitskyi, the decline in attacks only indicates that Russia is planning further attacks, some with new strategies.

A longer preparation time is necessary for this type of attack because up-to-date information on the targets has to be obtained and the missiles have to be prepared.

However, Skibitskyi does not see the new developments as a reason to hope that Russia is already running out of ammunition.

Many of the most recently used bullets were only produced this year and used immediately afterwards.

Although Russian production capacities have declined somewhat since the beginning of the war, Russia is still able to continue to produce ammunition supplies despite sanctions.

Russian military reports territorial gains in two eastern Ukrainian villages

+++ 17.13 p.m .:

According to Moscow, Russian troops pushed back the Ukrainian defenders in two places during heavy fighting in Donbass in eastern Ukraine.

On the one hand, the village of Andriyivka, about nine kilometers south of the city of Bakhmut, was captured, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced in Moscow.

On the other hand, there is progress in the city of Donetsk.

Russian forces have been trying for months to capture Bakhmut, which blocks the way to the major cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

Separatist units of the Republic of Donetsk, the Wagner mercenary force and regular Russian troops are deployed there.

Meanwhile, Russian military bloggers reported that Andriyivka was still under Ukrainian barrage.

The Russian military also reported a successful attack on Vodyane near Donetsk.

This is one of the frontline villages controlled by the Ukrainian army between the cities of Avdiivka and Donetsk.

News on the Ukraine war: What is Russia planning?

Fear of warships in the Black Sea

+++ 15:53:

Russia continues to have several warships ready to fire stationed in the Black Sea.

"As of November 30, nine enemy ships are engaged in combat in the Black Sea, including one ship with a total of eight Kalibr cruise missiles," the Ukrainian Navy said on Facebook.

For days there have been concerns in Ukraine about a massive wave of attacks that could also be launched by warships.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in a televised address on Sunday evening (November 27) that Russia was preparing new airstrikes.

Moscow's armed forces would continue their systematic attack program as long as they had missiles, Zelenskyy said.

News about the Ukraine war: more Gepard tanks from Germany

+++ 15.04:

Germany wants to provide Ukraine with more Gepard anti-aircraft gun tanks to defend against Russian attacks.

In a conversation with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) made it clear "that we can again send a number of Cheetah tanks towards Ukraine," said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit in Berlin.

Details on arms deliveries would only be made known once the handover has taken place.

"Since the Bundeswehr has not had any cheetahs since 2012, they are not from the Bundeswehr," Hebestreit said.

News on the Ukraine war: EU estimates 100,000 Ukrainian victims

+++ 1.40 p.m .:

Misunderstandings about Ursula von der Leyen’s speech: There she is said to have spoken of 100,000 victims on the part of Ukraine.

Dana Spinant, Deputy Chief Spokesperson and Director of Political Communications at the European Commission, later clarified on Twitter that the figure of 100,000 is a rough estimate of the total number of Ukrainian military personnel killed or wounded.

When asked by Ukraine 's

to comment on the number, Bohdan Senyk, head of the press service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reiterated Ukraine's secrecy of the casualty figures.

This is reported by the portal

on Twitter.

News on the Ukraine war: Russian shelling in Donetsk

+++ 11.28 a.m .:

The governor of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, announced that a kindergarten and at least three private houses had been destroyed by Russian shelling.

According to Kyrylenko, one person was killed and three wounded in Ljman over the past day.

The governor reiterated his call for residents to evacuate the region as the situation remains dangerous.

News about the Ukraine war: Fire broke out in the Russian oil storage facility near the border

+++ 10:00 a.m .:

A fire broke out in an oil storage facility in the Russian region of Briansk on the border with Ukraine.

The fire affected a camp in the Surashsky region, Governor Alexander Bogomas announced on the Internet.

Rescue workers and the fire brigade are on site.

He did not provide any information about the cause of the fire.

There are no reports of victims.

According to the governor, an area of ​​1800 square meters was affected by the fire.

More than 80 people were involved in putting out the fire.

The Russian news agency

later reported that the fire had now spread to an area of ​​4,000 square meters.

News about the Ukraine war: Selenskyj demands Nuremberg tribunal for Russians

Update from Wednesday, November 30, 6:55 a.m .:

According to the Ukrainian government, the highest Russian state and military leadership should be held legally responsible.

As an example of his call for a special tribunal, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cited the Nuremberg tribunal, where the Nazis were sentenced for their war crimes after World War II.

Ukraine is already working with many countries and organizations such as the International Criminal Court "so that every Russian murderer receives the punishment he deserves," he said in his daily video address on Tuesday evening.

"But unfortunately the available international legal instruments for justice are not sufficient."

Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukraine continue.

According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the Russian military shelled numerous civilian infrastructure objects on Tuesday (November 29).

A total of 26 airstrikes and one rocket attack were registered.

Update from Tuesday, November 29, 12:45 p.m .:

According to media reports, the air alarm sounds throughout Ukraine – including in the capital Kiev.

A massive attack on national territory is apparently expected.

Strategic Russian bombers are said to be in the air, but this information could not initially be verified.

News about the Ukraine war: Russia is preparing trench warfare like 100 years ago

First message from Tuesday, November 29:

Kiev – At the beginning of the invasion on February 24, Russia wanted to bring down Ukraine within a few weeks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speculated that the government in Kyiv would be ousted in the near future.

This plan failed completely.

In order to achieve at least part of the war goals, the Kremlin troops are concentrating on the east of the country.

But a breakthrough does not succeed there - the Ukraine war is increasingly degenerating into a trench warfare.

News about the Ukraine war: Selenskyj warns of new attacks

Over the weekend, images emerged of Ukrainian soldiers in flooded, muddy trenches and battlefields.

The footage shows tree stumps hit by artillery fire dotting the landscape.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russian troops are preparing new attacks - "and as long as they have missiles, they won't stop".

For weeks, Russia has been attacking Ukraine massively from the air in order to literally bomb the country's energy infrastructure to the ground.

The perfidious calculation behind it: break the Ukrainian civilian population.

(tvd/na with dpa/afp)