Zelenskyj turns to Ukrainians before the holidays and issues a Christmas warning
Created: 2022-12-24 04:54
By: Florian Naumann, Franziska Schwarz
Volodymyr Zelenskyj warns of Russian attacks on the holidays: "Help each other." The news ticker on military events in the Ukraine war.
Selenskyj
warns of
Russian attacks
: Citizens should "help each other" over Christmas.
Reports of several
fires
in
Russia
: speculation about "attack"
Putin's defense minister
visits the
front
: Russian media published footage of the visit.
This
news ticker
on the military situation in the
Ukraine war
is constantly updated.
Update from December 23, 10:09 p.m
.: The Ukraine war will have lasting consequences for the grain harvest: According to estimates, the grain harvest fell by around 40 percent this year as a result of the Russian war of aggression.
A crop yield of "65 to 66 million tons" is expected by the end of the year, the head of the Ukrainian grain association, Sergiy Ivashchenko, told the AFP news agency.
Last year, the yield reached a record 106 million tons.
The main reason for the decline is the war, explained Ivashchenko.
As a result of the Russian invasion of the country, the available acreage has shrunk and the yield of the seeds has declined.
The months-long export blockade on Ukrainian grain have "broken a cycle," said Grain Union chief Ivashchenko.
Farmers had had no income for a long time - which in turn meant that they did not have enough money to buy fertilizers.
As a result, the yield fell even on the areas that could be farmed despite the war.
Ukraine war: Russian attacks could occur at Christmas
Update from December 23, 8:25 p.m
.: According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukraine war will not pause at Christmas.
On the contrary.
In his daily video speech on Friday evening, he warned of possible Russian attacks over the coming public holidays and during the vacation period.
"With the holiday season approaching, Russian terrorists may become active again," he said.
"They despise Christian values and all values in general."
Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians to be extra vigilant in the coming days.
"So please heed the air raid shelter signals, help each other and always look out for each other," he said.
At the same time, he addressed an unusually harsh warning to Russia.
"The citizens of Russia must clearly understand that terror never goes unanswered," he said - without further elaborating.
Ukraine war news: Russian armed forces are apparently bringing reinforcements to the fronts
Update from December 23, 7:20 p.m
.: The Russian armed forces are apparently bringing reinforcements to their troops on the fronts in eastern and southern Ukraine.
"The enemy has increased the volume of rail transport of troops, equipment and ammunition to combat zones," the General Staff said in Kyiv on Friday.
The area around the frontline town of Bakhmut in the east was considered the primary combat zone, as were the towns of Avdiivka, Kupyansk and Limansk in the Donbass region.
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Reinforcements on the Russian side were also recognized in the south of the country, it said.
However, the new units in the Cherson region would only be used to expand the defense lines.
The information could not be independently verified.
Ukraine News: Power outages continue - more emergency facilities in Kyiv
Update from December 23, 5:32 p.m
.: Because the power outages caused by Russian attacks are ongoing, authorities in Kiev have opened 52 more emergency facilities with power generators.
According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, there are now 632 of them in the city area, as reported by the
Kyiv Independent
.
On Friday, the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, which used to have 160,000 inhabitants, was the target of Russian attacks during the Ukraine war.
According to Oleksandr Honcharenko, Mayor of Kramatorsk, 12 apartment buildings, three private residences and two educational institutions were damaged.
According to the Kiyv Independent, there was initially no information about victims.
USA: New York Times sees evidence of Russian war crimes in Bucha
Update from December 23, 3:30 p.m .:
The
New York Times
sees further evidence of Russian war crimes in the now liberated city of Bucha.
"Soldiers have questioned and executed unarmed men of military age and they have killed people who unintentionally got in their way," writes the paper, citing its own eight-month research on site, as
reported
by fr.de.
Analyzes also showed that the phones of those killed were used to make calls to Russia.
The AP news agency came to similarly shocking conclusions after surveys in the city of Mariupol, which was occupied by Russia.
More than 10,000 new graves have been found since March.
At the same time, "thousands" of those killed could be hidden unburied in bombed and destroyed blocks of flats.
Advisor to the Ukrainian mayor of Mariupol, Petro Andryushchenko, accused Russia of demolishing apartment buildings to cover up the extent of the crimes.
According to the AP, 50,000 buildings could be planned for demolition.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to attack Ukrainian cities.
On Friday, two people were killed in attacks on residential buildings in Kherson Oblast, Governor Yaroslav Yanushevich said, according to the
Kyiv Independent
.
The day before there were even 61 attacks, including with tanks.
and artillery shelling in the Cherson region – a kindergarten was also said to have been affected.
This information is not independently verified.
Kadyrov celebrates victory over "NATO" troops: Putin confidant wants to announce triumph
Update from December 23, 1:35 p.m .:
Shortly before Christmas in the Ukraine war, Russia is confident of victory: Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke at noon of progress in the “demilitarization” of Ukraine.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov took the same line.
According to the state agency TASS, Ukrainian troops suffered massive losses in battles with Chechen special forces around the city of Soledar in Donetsk Oblast on Friday.
In the current situation in the war in Ukraine, Kadyrov put it in such a way that not only Ukrainian "Nazi soldiers" but also "NATO" troops were removed from the city.
Neighborhoods were liberated "one after the other" from "NATO servants".
This information is not verified.
It also seems more than unlikely that there are actually NATO soldiers in Ukraine - but voices from Russia repeatedly emphasize that the actual enemy of the war is the western defense alliance.
Stigmatizing the Ukrainian government and army as “Nazi” forces is also part of the Kremlin’s narrative.
Meanwhile, there are calls for help in the face of blackouts in Ukraine: civilians suffer from "chaos" on the streets, food problems and cold.
Ukraine war: reports of several fires in Russia - speculation about "attack"
Update from December 23, 12:45 p.m .:
There are further reports of fires in relevant buildings in Russia.
In Moscow, the fire brigade had to put out a fire in a military building during the night.
The fire broke out in a garage complex at the military facility in the east of the Russian capital.
Around a dozen fire engines were deployed to extinguish the approximately 200 square meter seat of the fire.
Little is known about the causes of the fire or the extent of the property damage.
According to official information, there were no injuries.
At the same time, a fire broke out in the southern Russian region of Saratov as a result of a suspected arson attack in a district military replacement office.
The fire brigade managed to extinguish the flames before they could spread to neighboring apartments, the regional news portal
Vsglyad-Info
reported .
There was no official information about the cause of the fire.
However, the media reported that a bottle with petrol residues had been found.
There was talk of an attack.
In the course of Russia's war against Ukraine, there have already been a number of such incidents in draft offices.
Ukraine war: Russia faces major problems recruiting new soldiers
Update from December 23, 12:10 p.m .:
According to the British Ministry of Defense, Russia is facing new recruitment problems in the Ukraine war.
"It remains unclear how Russia will find the recruits to achieve such an increase at a time when its armed forces are under unprecedented pressure in Ukraine," said London on the morning of Russian plans rumored to be the strength of the increase army by 30 percent.
Meanwhile, the United States estimates that up to 50,000 mercenaries from the “Wagner Group” are deployed in Ukraine – some allegedly commanding regular army units.
Fire in Moscow accommodation of Putin task force?
Also reported explosion in Melitopol
Update from December 23, 10:50 a.m .:
According to unconfirmed reports, a fire broke out in an accommodation of the OMON security forces in Moscow.
The building was "on fire," reported the Ukrainian medium
Nexta
, citing Telegram channels.
The OMON units belong to the National Guard and are considered an important domestic lever of power for the authoritarian Russian government.
According to Nexta
, a car exploded in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol in the Ukrainian Zaporizhia Oblast in the morning.
According to information from Russia, two members of special forces died in the car.
The reports are unverified and currently not confirmed by the Russian side.
Ukraine war current: USA worried about arms delivery from North Korea to Wagner mercenaries
Update from December 23, 10:10 a.m .:
According to the United States, North Korea has delivered weapons to the “Wagner” mercenary group in the Ukraine war.
White House Communications Director John Kirby said on Thursday (local time) that the country had completed an initial arms shipment to "Wagner" -- the mercenary group had paid for it.
"We assume that the amount of material supplied to "Wagner" will not change the dynamics on the battlefield and in Ukraine, but we are certainly concerned that North Korea plans to supply more military equipment .”
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said North Korea had delivered the weapons last month.
"It is despicable that Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council - in violation of UN Security Council resolutions - is now using weapons from North Korea and Iran to conduct its war of aggression against Ukraine," Thomas-Greenfield said the current knowledge in the war in Ukraine.
The regime in Pyongyang has dismissed the reports as "baseless," writes the
Guardian
, citing a North Korean state agency.
However, there are also reports from Japan about arms deliveries from the North Koreans.
Among other things, artillery shells were delivered to Russia by train.
Further deliveries are planned for the coming weeks.
Ukraine war topical: Putin troops attack "Fortress Bakhmut" again
Update from December 22, 9:02 p.m .:
Russian troops tried again to attack the frontline town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
The attackers repeatedly advanced to the outskirts of the city, the general staff in Kyiv said.
In heavy fighting, the attackers could be beaten.
At Bachmut, two goals were achieved, as it was further said.
For one thing, the city's defenses could not be penetrated.
On the other hand, the Russian attackers suffered heavy losses, as Serhij Tscherevatyj, spokesman for the Ukrainian Army Group East, said.
"And these are incredible casualties for a 21st century army," the spokesman said.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi made a surprise visit to the frontline town and declared it a “Bakhmut Fortress”.
Ukraine War: Fire breaks out on Russian aircraft carrier
Update from December 22, 2:45 p.m .:
According to the state news agency Tass, a fire broke out on board the only aircraft carrier in the Russian Navy, Admiral Kuznetsov.
The aircraft carrier is currently located at the port of Murmansk.
However, it was a local fire that has since been extinguished, Tass reported, citing emergency services.
No one was hurt and 20 people were evacuated, the report continued, making it clear that the fire was not related to any action in the Ukraine war.
Ukraine war current: Putin's defense minister visits the front - Russian media show pictures
Update from December 22, 1:25 p.m .:
According to information from Moscow, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke to soldiers during a visit to the front in Ukraine and thanked them for their service in the Ukraine war.
The Ministry of Defense published footage on Thursday in the Telegram online service showing Shoigu inspecting barracks and walking through trenches.
Shoigu checked the conditions for the deployment of personnel and military equipment "at the forefront", the ministry said.
He also checked the positions of the military units and the housing and heating conditions.
Ukraine war current: Ex-Rokosmos boss apparently injured in rocket fire
Update from December 22, 11:39 a.m
.: Ex-Roskosmos boss Dmitry Rogozin was affected in the Ukraine war.
"I'm injured, a three by four millimeter splinter penetrated above the right shoulder blade," he wrote on Telegram.
After that he had to have an operation.
Roskosmos is a Russian space agency.
Rogozin is a politician known for his imperialist stance.
According to media reports, he was celebrating his birthday when projectiles hit a bar in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region.
Ukraine war: Putin minion involved in missile attack - "I'm hurt"
Rogozin, whose political beginnings lie in the extreme right-wing party "Rodina" ("Homeland") and who was photographed by the media giving the Hitler salute during the nationalist "Russian March", later made a career under Putin - first as ambassador to NATO , then as Deputy Prime Minister and finally as Roskosmos boss.
After his replacement in July 2022, there was speculation that Putin would appoint him governor-general of the conquered Ukrainian territories.
Rogozin, meanwhile, has set up a group of volunteer military advisers called the Tsar Wolves.
He posed several times when handing over equipment to soldiers at the front.
Update from December 22, 10:22 a.m
.: Neither of the two warring parties is honest on this subject for obvious reasons: the information should therefore be treated with caution.
The Ukrainian military has now announced that Russia has already lost more than 100,000 soldiers in the violent conflict of the Ukraine war.
According to reports, Russia's losses in the Ukraine war exceed the mark of 100,000 soldiers
More than 100,400 Russian soldiers have been "eliminated", according to the current Russian losses in the war in Ukraine.
According to independent media, this may mean that they were killed or injured so badly that they had to withdraw from military service.
Russia recently spoke of “only” around 6,000 soldiers killed in its own ranks.
Meanwhile, independent Russian media have already identified more than 10,000 Russian dead by name.
Ukraine itself does not name any of its own casualties in the daily military reports on the current situation in the Ukraine war.
The President's Office in Kyiv had recently spoken of more than 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed.
Current war in Ukraine: Putin's military suffers from a lack of trainers - Belarus has to step in
Update from December 22, 8.44 a.m
.: Putin's armed forces are suffering from a lack of trainers for their recruits and are therefore now resorting "on a large scale" to help from the ally Belarus under Alexander Lukashenko.
This is the assessment of the British secret service in its most recent public update on the Ukraine war.
The reason: many of the Russian trainers died in the battles in the Ukraine war or there.
The British secret service sees the development as an indication of how strained Putin's armed forces are at the moment.
Current Ukraine war: sabotage and attacks on Russian soil
First report from December 22nd
: Moscow - In the past few months there have been a number of incidents in the Ukraine war, including explosions at important military bases and infrastructure facilities on Russian soil.
Moscow blames Ukraine for this.
Tougher penalties for 'saboteurs' in Ukrainian war - Duma deputies vote for law
The Russian lower house has now passed tougher penalties for "saboteurs".
A corresponding law had been passed by the deputies, the Duma announced on Wednesday (December 21).
The law provides for up to life imprisonment for domestic and foreign "saboteurs".
The new law should "protect our country and our citizens from threats of terrorism and sabotage," the Duma said.
Its chairman Vyacheslav Volodin also referred to the ongoing "special military operation" in Ukraine, as the Russian attack on the neighboring country is officially called in Russia.
The penalties for "saboteurs" should be "as severe as possible," he demanded.
The new law now has to be passed by the upper house and signed by President Vladimir Putin.
Putin sees "no financial restrictions": Kremlin chief calls for faster rearmament
At an extended meeting of the Defense Ministry, Kremlin chief Putin also called for more speed in the upgrading and modernization of the armed forces.
There are "no financial restrictions" on further upgrading of the army, Putin said.
Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also proposed increasing the force by around 350,000 soldiers to 1.5 million men.
He also called for new units to be set up in north-west Russia on the border with potential new NATO states Sweden and Finland.
(AFP/frs)
