After the spotlight on the European Council, where Ukraine benefited from the opening of EU membership negotiations but also from Orbán's veto that blocked community funds intended for Kiev, attention is returning to the conflict.
Russian air defense systems destroyed 26 Ukrainian drones over the territory of Crimea within two hours. This was announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense, as Ria Novosti reported. Wladimir Putin announced the construction of a new high-speed rail network between the various cities of Russia, which will also reach the city Donbass and the region Kherson occupied by Russian forces: “The aim is to connect Russian cities with tourist resorts on the Black Sea coast.”
Despite it Putin At a meeting with Duma party leaders, he announced that negotiations for a prisoner exchange were underway. “The number of Ukrainian troops surrendering as prisoners has increased significantly,” the Kremlin chief noted.
The war in Ukraine, what is there to know?
dossier – Traces of war
Live news from the Ukraine-Russia conflict
10:12
Russian drone swarms over Kiev and ten other regions
Kiev was attacked by Russian drones for the sixth time since the beginning of the month. Other regions of the country were also the target of the attacks, as the Kiev military administration and the Ukrainian Air Force announced on Telegram. Russia has returned to the tactics of last May, when it constantly combined and alternated airstrikes with drones and those with cruise missiles. “This evening the enemy once again fired Shahed (Iranian drones, editor's note) attacks on the capital in waves and from different directions. All enemy targets were destroyed by air defense forces and assets.” No one was injured. The Ukrainian Air Force announced that Moscow intercepted a total of 31 Shahed-136/131 drones during the night from three directions in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kiev, Vinitsya, Chernihiv, Sumi, Poltava, Cherkasy, Kherson regions, all but one have. Three people, two men aged 51 and 55, and a doctor on duty were injured by drone fragments, said the head of the military administration of the southern Kherson region, Oleksandr Prokudin
09:55
Kyiv puts Patriarch Kirill on the wanted list
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry has put Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, on the wanted list. As Ukrinform reports, Kirill is accused by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) of supporting Moscow's war against Kiev, thereby “violating the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine and justifying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation.” According to the SBU, Kirill is part of the inner circle of Russia's highest military and political leadership and was one of the first to publicly support an all-out war against Ukraine
09:39
Kiev: “Three injured in Russian attacks on Kherson”
Russian forces attacked Kherson overnight, injuring three people. This was announced by the governor of the Kherson region. Oleksandr Prokudin, as Kyiv Independent reports. A 55-year-old man suffered limb injuries and a 51-year-old man suffered shrapnel wounds to the head following the attack on the city, which also damaged infrastructure. In the suburb of Stepanivka, debris damaged a hospital facility and injured a doctor, Prokudin said. Russian attack drones also targeted Darivka, also in the Kherson region, but there were no casualties, according to Prokudin
05:57
Nighttime drone attack on Kiev foiled by anti-aircraft fire
Ukrainian air defense forces have thwarted a night-time attack by Russian forces on Kiev using drones. No loss or damage was reported. This was reported – as the Kiev Independent reported – by the head of the military administration of the Ukrainian capital, Serhiy Popko. This is the sixth airstrike on Kiev since the beginning of December. According to Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, strong explosions caused by air defense were recorded in the Podil area. Residents were asked to stay in emergency shelters. Unlike previous attacks, which were carried out with missiles fired from strategic bombers, this time only Shahed drones were used, which were fired over the city in waves and from different directions.
03:22
US Ambassador in Kiev appeals to Congress: “Urgent new support for Ukraine”
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink called on the U.S. Congress to reach an agreement on additional support for Kiev “as soon as possible,” calling the situation “urgent.” This is reported by the Kiev Independent. “It is crucial to secure and maintain Ukrainians’ previous achievements. And also to protect our national security,” the diplomat said.