New Putin decree to increase the strength of the Russian army

Created: 01/01/2023, 12:45 p.m

By: Sandra Kathe, Caspar Felix Hoffmann, Karolin Schäfer, Jan-Frederik Wendt, Christian Stör, Sarah Neumeyer

At the turn of the year there are heavy rocket attacks.

Russia is to sign more than 100,000 new contract soldiers: the news ticker.

• Dead and injured:

  Russia launches another massive missile attack on Ukraine

• New wave of mobilization:

  Ukrainian secret service expects to start in a few days

• Editor's note: 

  Read the latest developments from the Ukraine conflict in our new 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.

+++ 12.20 p.m .:

At the beginning of the new year, a new decree came into force in Russia, which is intended to increase the number of employees under contract with the Russian military to over two million people.

, these include

around 1.15 million contract soldiers and conscripts, whose number increased by 137,000 after the decree.

The other military personnel are civilian personnel, such as administrative employees.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had already announced the creation of the new units in September, citing that the "NATO bloc" was threatening to move towards Russian borders.

Most recently, Putin called up around 300,000 reservists for a partial mobilization, which led to loud protests and a mass exodus among Russian men.

Secret service reports are also currently increasing, which predict that renewed mobilization could be imminent.

Putin wants to strengthen the Russian army with 137,000 additional contract soldiers.

A new mobilization is also feared.

(symbol photo) © Pavel Lisitsyn/imago-images.de

Ukraine-News: Klitschko calls on Germany to deliver Leopard 2 tanks

+++ 9.02 a.m .:

The mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, has asked Germany to deliver "Leopard 2" tanks to Ukraine.

“It will depend crucially on Germany that Leopard 2 tanks are finally delivered.

Without this type of tank, it will be difficult to recapture more areas in Ukraine,” Klitschko writes in a guest article in the

.

The politician also expects a new attack on Kyiv.

Russia is mobilizing more forces, up to 300,000 soldiers could tackle another attack on Ukraine.

"Kyiv was a target and Kyiv remains a target," writes Klitschko.

Update from Sunday, January 1, 6:22 a.m .:

Russia also attacked the Ukrainian capital Kiev from the air at the beginning of the new year.

About half an hour after midnight (local time, 11:30 p.m. CET), the Russian attacks hit two districts of the city, as Mayor Vitali Klitschko explained on Sunday in the online service Telegram. 

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+++ 6.41 p.m .:

The Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyj addressed the Russian people directly in a video message.

"A terrorist state will not be forgiven," he said on Saturday afternoon about the recent rocket attacks on Ukraine.

"And those who order such attacks and those who carry them out will not be forgiven, to say the least."

In Russian, Zelenskyy declared that Russia was not at war with NATO "as your propagandists lie".

The war is also not for something historical.

"It (the war) is for a person who stays in power until the end of his life," he said, referring directly to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.

"And what's left of all of you, citizens of Russia, is none of his business."

Putin wants to show that he has the military behind him and is ahead.

"But he's just hiding," Zelenskyy said.

"He hides behind the military, behind rockets, behind the walls of his residences and palaces, he hides behind you and burns your country and your future." No one will ever forgive Russia for terror, Zelensky said.

"Nobody in the world will forgive you for that.

Ukraine will never forgive you.”

Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war again

+++ 18:02

: Shortly before the New Year, Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war again.

140 Ukrainian soldiers have returned home, said the head of the presidential office in Kyiv, Andriy Ermak, on Telegram on Saturday.

On the other hand, the Russian army received 82 of their relatives, the state agency Tass reported.

The place and time of the exchange were not mentioned.

Eight women were among the released Ukrainians, Yermak said.

The wounded were also handed over, as well as fighters from the port city of Mariupol.

"Welcome home, dear ones," he concluded his Telegram message.

The former Russian prisoners of war, mostly wounded soldiers, were immediately flown to Moscow for further treatment, Tass reported.

Russia launches massive rocket attacks on Ukraine - dead and injured

+++ 16:26:

After massive Russian attacks in Ukraine on New Year's Eve, the number of injured is increasing.

According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, an elderly man was killed in Kyiv and 16 people were injured.

Earlier there was talk of eight people injured.

A journalist from Japan was among the injured.

One dead person was also reported from the Zaporizhia region.

According to Commander-in-Chief Valery Zalushny, there were a total of 20 rocket attacks in the country, 12 of which were intercepted, 6 of them in Kyiv alone.

+++ 2.46 p.m .:

According to the authorities, there were dead and injured in new Russian attacks on Ukraine shortly before the New Year.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced in Kyiv on Saturday that an elderly man had been killed in the capital and eight people had been injured.

A journalist from Japan was among the injured, Klitschko said.

One person killed in the attacks was also reported from the Zaporizhia region.

The deputy head of the presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, published a photo and video of a partially destroyed hotel in Kyiv, which is also used by journalists, in the Telegram news service.

It was an attack by murderers and terrorists, he said.

As a result of the impacts, the panes in the Palace of Culture “Palace Ukraine” were also destroyed, he said.

Normally there are women with their children.

It was fortunate that no one was there at the time of the attack.

In the western Ukrainian region of Khmelnytskyi there was talk of four injuries and in Mykolaiv of two injuries, reports the

.

Russia launched drone and missile attacks on Ukraine on Thursday.

On the last day of the year there was again an air alert everywhere.

Russia launches massive rocket attacks on Ukraine – explosions in Kyiv

+++ 2 p.m .:

Shortly before the turn of the year, air alarms were reported in almost all Ukrainian regions.

Russia has launched missiles, Vitalii Kim, governor of Mykolaiv Oblast, wrote on Facebook.

Half a dozen explosions were also reported in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

These are said to have been triggered by the air defense, reported the

from the center of the capital.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko spoke of destruction, one person has already been killed.

Emergency services and medical staff are on their way. 

The authorities called on people to seek shelter in bunkers.

news agency reported that several regions cut off the power supply in the face of the attacks

– including in Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Kirovohrad and Dnepropetrovsk.

The restriction of supply is necessary "to reduce the load on the power supply system if our infrastructure is hit," said Maksym Marchenko, governor of Odessa Oblast.

Since the beginning of October, Russia has repeatedly hit Ukraine's critical infrastructure with large-scale rocket attacks.

The Russian army doesn't stop at New Year's either.

News about the Ukraine war: Air alert reported throughout Ukraine

+++ 12.50 p.m .:

Air alarms were recorded on Saturday in almost all Ukrainian regions, including Luhansk and on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.

This was reported by the Ukrainian online portal

at noon.

The state warning app also reported several explosions in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions.

Shortly thereafter, local governors reported that the Russian army had launched missiles.

The British Ministry of Defense in London had previously feared that Russia could intensify its attacks on Ukraine over the turn of the year (

).

News about the Ukraine war: No ceasefire on New Year's Eve

+++ 11.55 a.m .:

There will apparently not be a ceasefire on New Year’s Eve in Ukraine – on the contrary.

According to British military experts, Russia could intensify its missile attacks on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure over the turn of the year.

That emerges from the daily intelligence update of the Ministry of Defense in London on Saturday.

The attacks have so far taken place at intervals of seven to ten days.

"Russia will almost certainly continue this pattern to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses," the statement said.

There is a "realistic possibility" that the Russian army will attack again in the coming days "to break the morale of the Ukrainian population over the New Year period," experts said.

News about the Ukraine war: Selenskyj thanks Scholz in German

+++ 11.15 a.m .:

At the end of the year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj thanked Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his support during the Ukraine war.

“Arms deliveries, protection for more than a million Ukrainians, G7 presidency with Ukraine focus, financial & technical assistance, EU candidate status.

Thank you for the turning point,” wrote the head of state in a tweet on Saturday – even in German.

"May we complete it in 2023 with our joint victory," added Zelenskyj, referring to the turning point proclaimed by Scholz, with which the federal government had also initiated military support for Ukraine to defend against Russia's campaign.

In the face of ongoing Russian drone and missile attacks, Ukraine hopes for more military help in defense.

News on the Ukraine war: "We didn't want the war"

+++ 9.00 a.m .:

The Ukrainian army chief Valeriy Saluschnyj encouraged his soldiers fighting in the Ukraine war in a video message at the turn of the year and the upcoming Orthodox Christmas.

"We didn't want the war, but we accepted the fight," he said.

"And God is on our side." Although this Christmas celebration has "the taste of tears and the color of blood," the country has the power to ward off the enemy, said Zalushny.

"May our victory mark the beginning of Ukraine's prosperity and the end of Russia."

News on the Ukraine war: New wave of Russian mobilizations in January?

Update from Saturday, December 31, 7:00 a.m.:

In a video speech, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced that Russia was planning a new wave of mobilization.

"I know for sure that you still have about a week,"

quoted the minister as saying.

That also means: "At the beginning of January, the Russian authorities will close the borders for men," said Resnikov.

The borders would also be closed in Belarus.

Only in September did ruler Vladimir Putin announce a partial mobilization for the Ukraine war.

Tens of thousands of Russian citizens fled Russia to neighboring countries.

There has been speculation about a new wave of mobilization for weeks.

Intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov also expects that Russia wants to strengthen its troops with new recruits (

).

News about the Ukraine war: Ukrainian troops liberate a village in Luhansk

+++ 11:00 p.m .:

According to the Ukrainian volunteer regiment KRAKEN, the Ukrainian troops succeeded in liberating the village of Novoselivske in the Luhansk region on Thursday.

The news portal

reports on Thursday evening.

As the group reported on Telegram, several Russian occupiers are in captivity, while others have been forced to retreat.

Russian losses in personnel and equipment are also a consequence of the liberation action.

War in Ukraine: Military intelligence expects a new wave of Russian mobilization in January

+++ 8:05 p.m .:

Ukrainian secret services expect that Russia will start mobilizing new recruits again on January 5 in order to replenish the severely decimated troops deployed at the front.

This is reported by the online medium

, citing the head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov.

In an interview with the British broadcaster

, he said that preparations for the new wave of mobilization, which is due to start around January 5, are already underway.

Terrifying record in the Ukraine war: Almost 30 days of air alert in Kyiv

+++ 6.50 p.m .:

Since the start of the Ukraine war, air alarm sirens have warned the population of 638 impending attacks for around 700 hours – the equivalent of almost 29 days – in the country’s capital.

According to a report by the

, this was reported on Friday by the responsible military general Serhiy Popko.

According to Popko, 2022 was the “most terrible year” in the history of Kiev as the capital of independent Ukraine.

During that time, Russian troops carried out a total of 52 airstrikes on Kyiv, damaging 600 buildings.

120 people, including five children, were killed and 495 others injured.

+++ 4.40 p.m .:

Russian forces attacked several areas in Kharkiv Oblast on Friday.

"Kupyansk district is again under attack by the invaders," Oleh Synyehubov, the region's governor, told Telegram.

At around 11:30 a.m., a 50-year-old man was killed in a Russian attack on the settlement of Katerynivka.

Another attack reached Kupyansk at noon.

One person was injured, according to Synyehubov.

News about the Ukraine war: Thousands of soldiers and civilians missing

Update from Friday, December 30, 1:30 p.m .:

According to Presidential Advisor Alona Verbytska, thousands of soldiers and civilians are missing in Ukraine.

Russia has currently confirmed 3,392 Ukrainian prisoners of war, including civilians, she told the

.

"But in Ukraine, 15,000 people are currently missing, including many civilians." The fate of these people is completely uncertain, Verbytska said.

It is unclear what happened to them: "Are they also in Russian captivity, were they abducted from Russian-occupied areas or were they possibly killed long ago?"

News about the Ukraine war: Russia is preparing for a decisive battle

First report from Friday, December 30th:

According to British information, a Russian troop formation in a contested area in eastern Ukraine is likely to be given new leadership.

Lieutenant-General Yevgeny Nikiforov is likely to be in the process of assuming command of Russia's Western Forces Group (WGF), the UK MoD wrote in its regular intelligence update.

He would therefore be at least the fourth commander at the head of the association since the beginning of the Ukraine war.

According to British assessments, the WGF almost certainly has the task of holding Russia's right flank in the area around the cities of Kreminna and Swatove.

The Ukrainian military reported progress near Kreminna on Thursday (December 29).

An American think tank had previously announced that the Russian army was gathering troops in the Luhansk region and preparing for a decisive battle.

(cas/ska/kas with dpa/AFP)