Ukraine-News: Ceasefire failed, Goering-Eckardt and Kubicki for delivery of main battle tanks

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Iltsi, Ukraine: Carol singers in traditional costume receive food and drink

Photo: Zuzana Gogova / Getty Images

The unilateral ceasefire over the Orthodox Christmas celebrations called by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has failed for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"Once again, the world could see how wrong statements from Moscow are on every level," said the 44-year-old in his video message on Saturday evening.

"They said something about an alleged ceasefire, but the reality is that Russian shells hit Bakhmut and other Ukrainian positions again," Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian general staff also spoke of ongoing Russian attacks with tanks, artillery and rockets.

Shortly after the end of the period specified by Putin for the ceasefire at 10 p.m. CET, the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv also reported explosions.

Zelenskyj: Only the expulsion of the Russians will bring peace and security

Zelenskyy emphasized: "Once again it has been confirmed: Only the expulsion of the Russian occupiers from Ukrainian lands and the elimination of all possibilities for Russia to exert pressure on Ukraine and all of Europe will mean the restoration of the ceasefire, security and peace." According to Ukrainian sources Two civilians died from Russian shelling during the Christmas holidays in Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region.

On Thursday, Putin unilaterally ordered a 36-hour ceasefire, citing Christmas, which many Orthodox Christians celebrate on January 7, as the reason.

Kyiv rejected the Russian advance as hypocritical from the start, and many international observers also spoke of a pure propaganda gesture.

After the declared deadline: Kharkiv reports explosions

Shortly after the official end of the period set by Putin, the authorities in the region around the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv directly reported several explosions.

»Attention to the residents of Kharkiv and the region: stay in the shelters.

The occupiers are striking again!” Governor Oleh Synehubov wrote on Telegram on Saturday evening.

According to initial information, there is one fatality, Synehubov said.

Almost immediately after 10 p.m. CET, air alerts were also issued in the Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia and Luhansk regions and on the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia.

Moscow: Ukrainian attacks returned despite announced ceasefire

In the afternoon, while the ceasefire was officially in effect, Moscow admitted that it would continue to retaliate against Ukrainian attacks.

"All positions of the Ukrainian army from which the shelling was fired were crushed by Russian forces returning fire," said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.

There were combat operations in the Donetsk, Cherson and Zaporizhia regions.

Despite this, Konashenkov claimed Russia was sticking to the self-imposed 36-hour ceasefire.

Prime Minister: Ukraine has the largest minefield in the world

According to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal, the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine has created a 250,000 square kilometer minefield in his country.

"It is currently the largest minefield in the world," Schmyhal said in an interview with the South Korean news agency Yonhap published on Saturday.

According to Schmyhal, the mined area corresponds to more than 40 percent of the entire land area of ​​Ukraine.

"Not only does this make it difficult for people to travel, but it also causes major disruption to agriculture, which is one of our main industries," the prime minister said.

Survey: Germans are mostly skeptical about tank deliveries

According to a survey, the German government's decision to deliver Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine has met with mixed responses.

In a survey by the opinion research institute Insa for the "Bild am Sonntag", 49 percent find the decision rather wrong and 40 percent rather right.

50 percent reject the delivery of battle tanks, 38 percent are in favor.

On Friday, the institute asked 1001 citizens about their opinion on behalf of the newspaper.

The federal government made its decision public on Thursday to deliver around 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.

A Patriot anti-aircraft missile system from Bundeswehr stocks is also to go to Ukraine by the end of March.

Göring-Eckardt and Kubicki for the delivery of battle tanks as well

According to a preliminary report by the Funke media group, the Vice-Presidents of the German Bundestag, Katrin Göring-Eckardt (Greens) and Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP), after the German commitment to supply Ukraine with Marder armored personnel carriers, are also preparing for the delivery of German Leopard-type battle tanks strong.

»We should do and deliver everything that is possible.

This also includes Leopard tanks,” says Göring-Eckart in the preliminary report.

According to the report, Kubicki says it may be sensible to supply not only Marder tanks but also Leopard tanks.

However, any further support must be closely coordinated with the NATO partners, and he does not believe in Germany going it alone.

Ukraine puts dozens of Russian artists on sanctions list

Meanwhile, Ukraine put dozens of Russian artists and other public figures on a sanctions list.

One of the internationally best-known names in the decree published by the President's Office in Kyiv is the Vienna-based opera singer Anna Netrebko, who has been criticized for being close to the Kremlin.

You and 118 other people – including three Ukrainian nationals – will have their assets in Ukraine blocked, if they exist.

The sanctions list also includes the well-known Russian musician Filip Kirkorov and actor and director Nikita Mikhalkov.

Ukrainian media also reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyi had 13 clergymen of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church revoked their citizenship at the end of December.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has traditionally been closely linked to Russia and only completely broke away from Moscow after the Russian invasion last February.

Recently, for example, the usage contracts for two main churches of the Kiev Cave Monastery, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were not extended.

For the first time, the new Ukrainian Orthodox Church celebrated a Christmas service there over the weekend.

mgo/dpa/Reuters