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Ukrainian units in the Kherson region (on January 9)
Photo: Libkos/AP
That says Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has bid farewell to graduates of the Lviv and Odessa military academies.
"This is a special mission - to receive military training now and to know that tomorrow this training will be needed directly on the battlefield to defend the state and to lead soldiers and units," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
No information was given about the number of young officers.
He was pleased that there was no shortage of people who really wanted to become an officer in Ukraine's military higher education institutions.
Namely those "who want to make the story of the Ukrainian victory in this war their own life story," said Zelenskyy.
Moscow says so
According to President Vladimir Putin, Russia will continue to pay particular attention to strengthening its nuclear forces.
In addition, the extensive delivery of sea-based hypersonic missiles of the Zirkon type will begin, he announced in a speech.
The armed forces would be further equipped with advanced equipment.
Moscow's UN ambassador Wassili Nebensja has accused Germany and the West of similar motives to those in World War II.
"This is a war that, as was the case 80 years ago, involves a treacherous and powerful enemy who wants to take over our country and subdue us," Nebensia claimed at a special session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
In truth, Russia started a unilateral war of aggression and annexed parts of Ukraine in violation of international law.
Regardless of these facts, Nebensia continued: "The goal now is to arm Ukraine and thereby inflict a strategic defeat on my country, dismembering and destroying it." "The German tanks will kill Russians once again."
humanitarian situation
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Russia of kidnapping Ukrainian children on a massive scale and denounced this as genocide.
Russia is deporting thousands of children to be adopted by Russian families and re-educated as Russians.
"This is genocide and we are facing it today," said Kuleba at the beginning of the UN General Assembly.
Moscow recently denied similar allegations.
The departure of many Ukrainians to Russia is presented as an escape from the combat zone.
The kidnapping of children is also denied by the Russian side, despite evidence to the contrary.
When children are taken to Russia, the reason is often medical treatment or recreation.
A year after the start of the war, Kuleba presented a resolution to the largest UN body calling for peace and Moscow's withdrawal, which is due to be passed on Thursday.
Kuleba said that the world's states could not remain neutral in the face of Russian aggression and called for approval.
International reactions
Following Russia's suspension of the last major nuclear disarmament treaty with the United States, Washington intends to continue fulfilling its obligations.
"Nothing changes in terms of the commitments we have to fulfill," Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on Wednesday.
Russia's move was "unfortunate and irresponsible."
The US government believes that a responsible nuclear power must continue to work with other countries around the world.
The commitments under the New Start treaty are taken seriously, she stressed.
The Pentagon spokeswoman also made it clear that Washington and Moscow generally continued to communicate.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has criticized "implicit threats of the use of nuclear weapons".
A so-called tactical use of nuclear weapons is "completely unacceptable," he told the UN General Assembly.
"It's high time to step back from the abyss." Russia's President Putin has repeatedly indicated that his country could use nuclear weapons if there was a threat.
Shortly before the anniversary, Guterres denounced Moscow's actions as an "attack on our collective conscience."
"The first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine marks a dark milestone - for the Ukrainian people and for the international community," Guterres said in New York.
During his visit to Moscow, the top Chinese foreign politician, Wang Yi, proposed solutions to the war, according to Russian sources.
The "Chinese partners" had communicated approaches for a "political solution," the Foreign Ministry said in Moscow on Wednesday.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba expressed reservations about a possible Chinese push for peace in Ukraine.
While he knows key elements of a proposal prepared by Beijing, he needs to see the entire document to get an idea.
"The devil is in the details," Kuleba said in New York on Wednesday before the opening of a special session of the UN General Assembly to mark the anniversary of the Russian invasion.
Arms deliveries to Ukraine
For the first time, the Czech Republic has published details of the military aid it has already provided to Ukraine.
In total, government agencies and private armaments companies in the NATO member state provided 89 battle tanks, 226 armored personnel carriers, 38 howitzers, six air defense systems and four attack helicopters for the defense against the Russian invasion, as the government in Prague announced on Wednesday.
33 multiple rocket launchers, more than 60,000 pieces of rocket ammunition and one and a half million rounds of rifle and other ammunition were also listed.
There is also a 900 meter long temporary bridge.
According to the new figures, the market value of deliveries from army stocks alone amounts to the equivalent of more than 420 million euros.
The first heavy weapons from the Czech Republic arrived in Ukraine just 14 days after the start of the Russian invasion almost a year ago.
sanctions against Russia
According to a media report, Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) wants to fight the circumvention of sanctions against Russia more than before.
This is reported by RTL/ntv, citing a ten-point paper from his ministry.
The paper states that foreign trade data indicate that EU-sanctioned goods are exported “to a significant extent” from the EU and thus also from Germany to certain third countries and from there to Russia.
In coordination with the other departments of the federal government, one will work to ensure that this is the focus of an eleventh package of sanctions from the European Union.
What is happening today
On the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the UN General Assembly is to pass a resolution calling for peace and Moscow's withdrawal.
The vote is scheduled for late evening (CET).
In addition to Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, whose speech is expected in the late afternoon (CET), US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the British chief diplomat James Cleverly are also to speak.
Today and Friday's winter meeting of parliamentarians from OSCE countries is dominated by the Russian war of aggression.
Because Russian delegates are attending the meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Ukrainian and Lithuanian MPs decided to stay away from the meeting.
jok/dpa/Reuters
