Melnyk calls for a "European tank alliance" under German leadership
Created: 2022-12-23Updated: 2022-12-23 06:36
By: Caspar Felix Hoffmann, Sebastian Richter, Niklas Kirk
The Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Melnyk turns again to the federal government.
Washington is considering training Ukrainian soldiers in the US.
The news ticker on the Ukraine war.
State visit:
Zelenskyj is pleased with "good results"
Mercenary group:
tens of thousands of Wagner fighters stationed in Ukraine
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.
Update from Friday, December 23, 6:20 a.m .:
The Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk has again asked the federal government to deliver battle tanks and armored personnel carriers for the defense against Russia.
He wished that Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) "finally reconsidered the restraint, for example, with the Leopard battle tank and the Marder infantry fighting vehicle," said the former ambassador of Ukraine in Germany to the editorial network Germany (RND).
"If the federal government does not want to go it alone with the delivery, then Germany could pursue a leading role on the continent, forge a European tank alliance."
Andrij Melnyk calls on the federal government to act again (photo from October 2022) © Michael Kappeler/dpa
According to a media report, the US Department of Defense is considering training Ukrainian soldiers on the Patriot air defense system at a military base in the United States.
Politico
reported
, citing two Pentagon officials.
So far, Ukrainian soldiers have only been trained on various weapon systems within Europe, including in Germany.
Carrying out the Patriot training in Europe is possible, but there are more logistical difficulties, said one of the employees.
Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness
View photo gallery
News on the Ukraine war: Zelenskyj is pleased with "good results"
Update from Friday, December 23, 6 a.m.:
On the occasion of the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington on Wednesday (December 21), the USA announced another military aid package in the amount of 1.85 billion US dollars.
It also includes the Patriot battery, which requires extensive training to use effectively.
The air defense system is designed to make Russian missile and drone attacks on the attacked country's civilian infrastructure more difficult.
+++ 10:30 p.m .:
The US Senate has approved a draft budget that, among other things, provides for billions in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
Aid of 44.9 billion US dollars is planned for Ukraine.
Approval by the House of Representatives, the second chamber of Parliament, was considered likely.
US government: Tens of thousands of Wagner mercenaries stationed in Ukraine
+++ 9:25 p.m .:
According to the US government, tens of thousands of mercenaries from the Russian Wagner Group are stationed in Ukraine.
It is estimated that 50,000 mercenaries are currently deployed in Ukraine, including 40,000 convicts, White House communications director John Kirby said in Washington.
also read
Military expert on German battle tanks for Ukraine: "It doesn't work that way in war"
READ
10,171 euros back payment for civil servants: "I'm a bit ashamed"
READ
Lavrov spokeswoman demonizes Berlin as a "war party" - Putin ambassador rages against "Hollywood style"
READ
Serbian military convoy is apparently rolling towards Kosovo - there is a risk of escalation in the middle of Europe
READ
Putin troops attack 'Bakhmut Fortress' again - fire breaks out on Russia's only aircraft carrier
READ
Fancy a voyage of discovery?
My space
In the past few weeks alone, around 1,000 Wagner mercenaries have been killed in battles.
Around 90 percent of them were convicts, Kirby said.
The prisoners came from Russian prisons.
BND staff arrested on suspicion of spying on Russia
+++ 7.40 p.m .:
The federal prosecutor had an employee of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) arrested on suspicion of treason.
He is said to have transmitted information to a Russian intelligence service this year, as the authority announced on Thursday (December 22) in Karlsruhe.
The content is a state secret.
The German was arrested the day before (December 21) in Berlin.
Russian Wagner Group is said to have bought North Korean weapons for the Ukraine war
+++ 18:42:
The Wagner group, the Russian mercenary group under Vladimir Putin, has received a delivery of arms from North Korea, according to the United States, to support the Moscow forces in Ukraine.
"We can confirm that North Korea has completed an initial arms shipment to the Wagner Group, which paid for the equipment.
Last month, North Korea shipped missiles to Russia to be used by Wagner," an anonymous US official told
Reuters
.
Ukraine War: G7 pledges $32 billion to Ukraine
+++ 5:50 p.m .:
The G7 countries pledged 32 billion dollars in financial support to Ukraine.
In a statement released by the federal government, it was announced that the G7 will allocate up to $32 billion to support Ukraine in 2023 and make further efforts to support it.
Ukraine War: Zelenskyj meets Duda on way back to Kyiv
+++ 5:05 p.m .:
On the way back from the USA, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj visited Poland.
There he met with counterpart Andrzej Duda.
Zelenskyj shared a video on his Telegram channel that showed him meeting Duda.
The two heads of state discussed "strategic plans for the future, bilateral relations and cooperation at the international level in 2023," Zelenskyy said.
He called Duda "a friend of Ukraine" and thanked him for his "constant and powerful support"
+++ 16:28:
According to the Russian chief of staff, the situation on the front in Ukraine has stabilized.
The military leadership in Moscow sees its own positions in the occupied areas of Ukraine as secure.
"Taking into account the measures taken to strengthen the combat effectiveness of the troops, the situation along the front line has stabilized," Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov said on Thursday.
Russia is now focusing on the "liberation" of the Donetsk region.
This is also where the toughest fighting is currently taking place, especially in the suburbs of the city of Donetsk itself and in the industrial city of Bakhmut, fierce fighting is frequent.
The Ukrainians suffered heavy losses, explained Gerasimov.
The Ukrainian air defense is helpless against the Russian supersonic missiles of the type "Kinzhal" - despite the arms deliveries from the West, which he put at a value of 100 billion dollars.
The damaged tower of a church in Donetsk.
Russia has said it will focus attacks on that area.
(Archive photo) © dpa/Uncredited
Russia is about to launch another missile attack on Ukraine
+++ 4:10 p.m .:
Russia will probably launch a large-scale missile attack on Ukraine on December 22nd or 23rd.
This is reported by the news portal
Ukrajinska Pravda
with reference to informants from the Defense Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
Russia will "use all available cruise missiles with a range of 500 km or more," the report said.
At least 67 cruise missiles and possibly unmanned drones are expected to attack targets in Ukraine.
In the last major attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, Russia fired 74 rockets.
The information is not independently verifiable.
Ukraine war: Russia passes life imprisonment for "saboteurs"
+++ 3.45 p.m .:
The Russian lower house has decided on tougher penalties for “saboteurs”.
A corresponding law was passed by the deputies on Wednesday, as the Duma announced on Wednesday.
According to the law, domestic and foreign "saboteurs" can be sentenced to up to life imprisonment.
In this way, "our country and our citizens are to be protected from the threat of terrorism and sabotage," the Duma said.
Its chairman Vyacheslav Volodin also referred to the ongoing "military special operation" in Ukraine.
The penalties for saboteurs should be “as severe as possible.” For the law to come into force, it still has to be passed by the upper house and signed by President Vladimir Putin.
Russia announces destruction of Patriot defense system
+++ 2:32 p.m .:
Russia wants to destroy the US Patriot air defense systems as soon as they arrive in Ukraine.
Earlier, during the visit of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, the United States pledged weapons for the fight against the Russian military.
As a result, the US was effectively at war with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, according to Russian news
agency Interfax
.
When asked about Moscow's reaction to the promised US arms deliveries for Kyiv, Peskov said: "Demilitarization is one of the goals of the military special operation." US arms are therefore also part of this demilitarization.
According to Peskov, the United States and other countries are constantly supplying Ukraine with new types of weapons with greater technical capabilities.
"That does not contribute to a quick settlement of the situation - on the contrary." Peskov complained that the civilian population in Donbass was constantly being shot at with Western weapons and that the USA had not said a word about it.
The arms deliveries would "unfortunately continue the suffering of the Ukrainian people," said Peskov.
Russia had emphasized that it could overcome any anti-aircraft defense with new hypersonic missiles.
Experts expect Russia to continue shelling Ukrainian infrastructure.
Putin surprisingly admits "mistakes" - Russia "on the rise again"
+++ 1:25 p.m .:
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and President Vladimir Putin have admitted complications with the partial mobilization in September.
As the US magazine
Newsweek
reports, Shoigu admitted during a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and senior military officials that his ministry had had difficulties in calling up the reservists.
"With the start of partial mobilization, the Russian Ministry of Defense encountered certain difficulties," the minister said in Moscow.
According to him, "the system of mobilization training" was not adapted to the "new economic conditions".
According to Newsweek, Putin himself also acknowledged "mistakes" in the partial mobilization of 300,000 reservists.
According to Ukrainian figures, more than 100,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine.
Rheinmetall supplies military trucks to Ukraine
+++ 12.30 p.m .:
While the USA has promised Ukraine the delivery of the Patriot air defense system, new support is also coming from Germany.
The armaments group Rheinmetall is delivering 26 brand-new HX 8x8 military trucks to the Ukrainian armed forces on behalf of the German government.
The company reports on Thursday.
According to Rheinmetall, the order volume is 12.5 million euros.
+++ 11.30 a.m .:
Russia continues to focus its offensives on the east of Ukraine.
According to the
Ukrinform
news agency, the Russian armed forces shelled the Kherson region 60 times last day.
One person died and six others were injured.
Two substations were also destroyed by the shelling.
Furthermore, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that the Ukrainian troops were able to repel 16 attacks on settlements.
The attacks were concentrated in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
Russian military 'on the march again': troop movement in Mariupol
First report from Thursday, December 22, 10:30 a.m.:
Kiev – Russian troop movements are reported in Mariupol.
The troops are "clearly reinforcements," reports Petro Andriushchenko, mayor of the port city, on Telegram.
“The [Russian] military is on the march again.
The priority direction of movement is Mariupol-Manhush-Berdiansk.
There is still a large manpower, at least 15 tanks on tank transporters discovered over the course of two days, and all kinds of other military equipment,” Andriushchenko said.
The mayor also posted pictures of the equipment seen.
Andriushchenko also reports on troop movements in the Sea of Asvo.
The port of Mariupol is said to have noticed repairs near the berths.
“According to our sources, attempts are being made to divide or separate civilian and military berths.
There is information about the intention to use Russian Navy boats and military support ships in the port of Mariupol," Andriushchenko said.
News about the Ukraine war: Zelenskyj visits the USA and asks for heavy weapons
While Russia is moving troops, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is on a short visit to the USA.
There, in a speech before the US Congress, he thanked the United States for its support against Russia.
“Despite all odds and doomsday scenarios, Ukraine did not fall.
Ukraine is alive and well," Zelenskyi said on Wednesday evening before the two chambers of parliament.
It is his first official trip abroad since Russia attacked Ukraine.
On Thursday he should arrive back in Kyiv after the half-day visit.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for heavy weapons, which his country needed for a victory against Russia.
The United States has promised further deliveries in the form of the Patriot air defense system, but that is not enough, according to Zelenskyj.
Instead, he called for American tanks and planes.
So far, the US government under Joe Biden has provided nearly $22 billion in military aid to Kyiv.
(editorial with agencies)
