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Pro-Russian units in the Donetsk region (on December 1)
Photo: ALESSANDRO GUERRA/EPA
That says Kyiv
According to the government in Kyiv, between 10,000 and 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the war against Russia.
This was announced by government adviser Mykhailo Podolyak on Ukrainian television.
The USA
had published estimates in November, according to which both parties to the conflict now have six-figure casualties in their armed forces as a result of the Russian war of aggression.
»We are talking about well over 100,000 dead and injured Russian soldiers.
And presumably the same number on the Ukrainian side.
A lot of human suffering,” US Chief of Staff Mark Milley had said.
However, the counting methods must be observed: The USA had also included the injured in the total number.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to stop the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church on spiritual life in his country.
Ukraine must also defend its independence in the religious field, said the head of state in a video message distributed in Kyiv on Thursday evening.
"We will never allow anyone to create an empire within the Ukrainian soul." The Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church has traditionally had strong influence in Ukraine and claims numerous sanctuaries there.
At a session of the National Security Council, numerous facts of ties between religious circles and Russia were discussed, Zelenskyy said.
Therefore, the parliament should draw up a law banning religious organizations from having links with centers of influence in the Russian Federation.
In addition, the leadership of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church should be checked for connections to the Moscow Patriarchate by means of a religious expertise.
Moscow's Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill supports Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin's war against the neighboring country.
Selenskyj emphasized that the subversive attempts to exert Russian influence must also be prevented by Moscow's secret services.
In addition, the structures must be reformed and the authorities given new powers so that the interests of Ukrainians and the state are protected, the President stressed.
"With this and other decisions, we will guarantee Ukraine's spiritual independence." Russia, on the other hand, accuses Ukraine of also restricting religious freedom.
International Reactions
According to insiders, Italy's new government is extending the previous basis for arms deliveries to Ukraine by cabinet decision.
The decree, which the Reuters news agency was able to see, allows deliveries for the whole of the coming year without having to consult Parliament individually each time.
This must confirm the cabinet decision within two months.
The previous decree expires at the end of the year.
In the coalition of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the arms deliveries are controversial.
In the Czech Republic, parliament has cleared the way for the training of up to 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
After the House of Representatives, the upper house of the NATO member state, the Senate, also gave its approval.
Five courses for up to 800 Ukrainian soldiers are to be offered next year.
The training is to take place at the Libava military training area north-east of Olomouc (Olmütz).
The basis is an intergovernmental agreement between the Czech Republic and Ukraine.
In Prague it is hoped that the courses will be integrated into the EU's new training program in the long term.
Ukraine has been fighting a war against Russia for more than nine months.
US President Joe Biden is only open to talks with Kremlin chief Putin if Russia is ready to end the war against Ukraine.
"But the fact is I have no immediate plans to contact Mr. Putin," Biden said Thursday at a White House press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“I'm willing to speak to Mr. Putin if he is genuinely interested and looking for a way to end the war.
He hasn't done that before." If that's the case, he wants to consult with the allies.
In Switzerland, 7.5 billion Swiss francs (about 7.6 billion euros) in Russian assets have been frozen since Russia's war against Ukraine began in February.
In addition, 15 properties were blocked, the government announced on Thursday in Bern.
According to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, a total of 116 companies and more than 1,200 individuals are affected.
As part of the sanctions, Swiss banks are prohibited from accepting large sums of money from Russian nationals and persons or companies based in Russia.
The limit is 100,000 francs.
Existing deposits above this value had to be reported by the beginning of June.
According to the office, these amount to CHF 46.1 billion.
According to its own information, the office does not know how much money is under 100,000 francs in Swiss accounts.
economic consequences
Italy has placed a refinery in Sicily operated by the Russian oil company Lukoil under state control for the time being.
"The emergency measure aims to protect both a strategic national energy center and the jobs that are so important for Sicily and the whole country," said Prime Minister Meloni.
The decision on the Isab refinery, one of the largest in Europe, is initially valid for up to twelve months.
According to Meloni, around 10,000 people work for Isab.
The Priolo refinery was in danger of shutting down production as the European Union's embargo on imports of Russian crude oil by sea comes into effect on December 5th.
The government control now imposed should be able to be extended again after the twelve months.
With its decision, Rome follows the example of Berlin, which took control of the German activities of the Russian oil company Rosneft in September.
Rosneft is taking legal action against the Federal Ministry of Economics because of the trusteeship of its German subsidiaries.
The Isab refinery has an annual capacity of 10 million tons of crude oil and covers about 20 percent of Italy's needs.
what is happening today
A ministerial meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) comes to an end with further deliberations on Russia's war against Ukraine.
Russia is one of the 57 member states.
However, the foreign ministers' meeting in Lodz, Poland, will take place without the Russian head of department, Sergey Lavrov.
Poland, who currently holds the presidency, refused him entry.
jok/dpa