-In the last 24 hours, the Russian occupiers have carried out 49 air strikes and two rocket attacks on Ukraine, resulting in civilian casualties. This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda, quoting the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Russia, Medvedev: 280,000 have been drafted into the army since the beginning of the year
Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev said that since January 1, 2023, about 280,000 people have been drafted into the Russian Armed Forces. Medvedev specified that some of these people are reserve forces, while others are volunteers.
Kiev Army: Moscow’s first line of defense overcome
Ukrainian forces have decisively overcome Russia’s first line of defense near Zaporizhzhia after weeks of arduous demining and expect faster advances as they push toward the weaker second line of defense, the general who led the southern counteroffensive said. Said Ukrainian General Oleksandr Tarnavsky in an interview with the British newspaper The Observer. “We stand between the first and second lines of defense,” he explains.
Media: Major fire in St. Petersburg
This morning a major fire broke out in St. Petersburg near an oil depot, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing local media. According to sources, the fire broke out in the Krasnogvardeisky district, near the Ruchei oil depot. Explosions were heard in the area.
Peru: Demolition of the “Wall of Shame” begins in Lima.
In Peru, demolition of the so-called “Wall of Shame” that separates the luxury properties of the capital Lima from the homes of poor communities is beginning.
Construction of the approximately 4.5-kilometer-long wall, which began in the 1980s, had gained strength since 2011 and served to separate the wealthy La Molina district from the more modest Villa Maria del Triunfo district. At the time, organizers claimed security concerns during years of violence by the Maoist rebel group Sendero Luminoso.
After it became a symbol of class division, Constitutional Court Judge Gustavo Gutiérrez Ticse ordered its destruction on December 20. And now the prosecutor of La Molina, Jesús Calderón, has announced that the wall will be completely demolished.
Kiev cooperates with European countries: extradition of corrupt officials
Ukraine is cooperating with European countries in extradition of corrupt officials who have fled the country: Justice Minister Denys Maliuska said this on national television yesterday, the Kyiv Independent reported. Maliuska explained that the extradition process is complex due to Europe’s judicial systems and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Many corrupt officials who fled Ukraine hired lawyers who argued that it would be “extremely dangerous” to extradite them under these circumstances, the minister added.
“That’s why our foreign partners are currently rejecting extradition in most cases,” he commented. But we believe that this phenomenon, at least as far as the big corruptors are concerned, is temporary.” According to Maliushka, these extraditions “will not take place on a large scale” in the near future. Ukrainian officials, he stressed, would prioritize extradition of “those who stole the most,” and “middle fish and other characters will follow later.”
007 German: “Moscow recruits citizens from neighboring countries”
According to British intelligence, Russian authorities have encouraged the recruitment of citizens of neighboring countries to fight in Ukraine. British intelligence attributes these efforts to a desire to avoid the political repercussions of a possible – and “unpopular” – mobilization at home.
“Russia likely wants to avoid unpopular mobilization measures before the 2024 presidential election,” said the latest report from British experts shared by the Defense Ministry. To this end, the Russian authorities in Armenia and Kazakhstan have spread advertisements online offering 495,000 rubles (around 4,800 euros) as a down payment and a salary of 190,000 rubles (more than 1,800 euros). In the case of Kazakhstan, targeted recruitment efforts were made in the Kostanai region, with appeals to the ethnic Russian population. In addition, since at least May last year, Russia has been luring migrants of Asian origin, offering them to join the troops in Ukraine in exchange for citizenship and salaries that can be more than 3,800 euros. British intelligence also indicated that in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which was occupied by Russian troops, Uzbek migrants, mostly working in construction, had their passports confiscated to pressure them to join the fighting. There are at least six million migrants from Central Asia in Russia alone, whom the Kremlin sees as “potential recruits,” according to British authorities.
Typhoon Haikui threatens Taiwan, the first in four years
Around 2,800 people have been evacuated to Taiwan from some areas of the mountainous southeastern Taitung region as powerful Typhoon Haikui imminently hits the island for the first time in four years. According to the Taiwan Meteorological Office, land impacts are expected at 5 p.m. local time or 11 a.m. Italian time, although it has already rained heavily for several hours and the sea is rough in the eastern part of the island, which will be affected by the passage from Kaikui in the southern part in an east-west direction, with wind speeds of 150 kilometers per hour and peaks of 190.
Around 200 domestic flights were canceled and many businesses closed in the eastern part of the island, where a message from President Tsai Ing-wen urged the non-evacuated population to stay home.
Tajani. “China can influence Putin for a just peace”
“The fundamental purpose of the mission to China is to work to establish peace in Ukraine by persuading the Chinese to ensure that the Russians take a few steps back from their stance and presence in Ukraine. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said this at a press conference after mass in the North Cathedral of the Salesian Fathers in Beijing. “We believe that China can play an important role in peacemaking. “I believe that the Chinese government can influence Putin to return to more lenient advice and begin a season that leads to a just peace that means independence and freedom for Ukraine,” he said.
Netanyahu calls for task force after clashes in Eritrea and considers expulsion
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will today convene a ministerial task force to investigate what happened yesterday in Tel Aviv, where there were violent clashes between Eritrean asylum seekers and police. The Prime Minister’s Communications Office made this known in a statement reported by Israeli media, in which the demonstrators were described as illegal residents. The task force will examine the implementation of measures against demonstrators, including expulsion. Hundreds of people, including police officers, were injured during anti-regime protests in Asmara.
Kiev: 49 airstrikes and 2 rocket attacks by Russian forces yesterday
The Russian occupiers launched 49 air strikes and two rocket attacks on Ukraine yesterday, causing deaths among the civilian population. This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda, quoting the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “Unfortunately, the Russian attacks resulted in deaths and injuries among the civilian population. Residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure were destroyed,” reports the General Staff.
Ukrainian media: “Explosion in Zaporizhia”
An explosion was heard in Zaporizhzhia: the Ukrainian state broadcaster Suspilne reported it, citing its correspondents in the city.
Russian bombs on Donetsk, 2 civilians killed
Two people were killed and two others injured yesterday in a Russian bomb attack on the town of Vugledar in the Donetsk region (east). This was announced by the regional prosecutor’s office, as Ukrainska Pravda reported. The target of the attack was a residential area where a 43-year-old man and his 42-year-old wife were killed in an explosion in one of the affected apartment buildings.
Drone attack in the Odessa region: port infrastructure hit
In the Odessa region, the port infrastructure was hit by a drone attack: two people were injured. This was reported by “Ukrinform”, citing Serhiy Bratschuk, spokesman for the “Southern” Ukrainian Volunteer Army. “Unfortunately, in the Odessa region, the port infrastructure was hit, causing a fire to break out, which firefighters immediately extinguished,” he said on his Telegram channel. According to Bratschuk, two civilian port employees were injured.
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