• Kiev: “The turning point of the conflict is approaching, 2024 will be decisive”
• Guardian: Russian oligarchs own assets in Cyprus despite sanctions
• Borrell: France-Germany orders 180,000 ammunition
• Fighting in Ukraine, Politkovskaya’s murderer pardoned
• Ukraine has gained a foothold on the eastern bank of the Dnipro
11:37 a.m. – Pro-Russian: “Ukrainians landed east of the Dnipro, but were surrounded”
Ukrainian troops landed on the eastern bank of the Dnipro in the Kherson region, but were surrounded by Russian forces who subjected them to a “fiery hell” in the town of Kryinki. This was stated by the head of the Russian occupation administration of the region, Vladimir Saldo. In the last two or three days, the Ukrainians have lost a hundred soldiers, Saldo added on his Telegram channel, quoted by Russian agencies.
11:06 a.m. – Kremlin on the Politkovskaya case: No exception expected
The practice of pardoning prisoners who volunteer to fight in Ukraine “does not provide for exceptions” due to the “resonance” of the cases. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this today about the story of Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya and pardoned after six months of fighting in Ukraine. This was reported by the Interfax agency.
10:38 a.m. – Kremlin: Biden-Xi meeting important for the whole world
The meeting between American President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in San Francisco is “important” for the whole world. The Kremlin announced this with a view to the personal meeting of the two heads of state and government on the sidelines of the APEC Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in the American city.
10:16 a.m. – Hungary: Kiev’s EU membership and funds require consideration
“We need a reflection on Ukraine that also includes the discussion about the future of the EU” that has taken place in recent days. “We need a period of reflection and discussion on the European strategy towards Ukraine.” Until this strategic discussion is concluded, we will not be able to make any decisions on Ukraine, neither on EU enlargement nor on the revision of the “Multiannual Financial Framework”, the 50th billions in aid for Kiev. This was emphasized by EU Minister János Boka at the General Affairs Council in Brussels.
9:20 a.m. – “100 Russians will leave Gaza via the Rafah border crossing”
About a hundred Russian citizens are expected to leave the Gaza Strip today through the Rafah border crossing. This was stated by the Russian Ambassador to Israel, Anatoly Viktorov, on the Russia-24 television channel. Their departure could be jeopardized by a deterioration in the security situation, the diplomat added.
8:30 a.m. – “We will feed your children with bones,” the writings of Russian soldiers and the Ukrainian “wall of evidence”
(by Marta Serafini) BY OUR REPORTER
KYIV – “It’s not a war crime if you had fun.” Velyka Komyshuvakha village, Izium district of Kharkiv Oblast. Before the liberation, the area was occupied by Russian forces for six months between April and September 2022. During this period, Russian troops established a network of torture chambers and carried out systematic and organized operations to terrorize the local population. On one of the walls of these horror sites, which were made of black spray paint, was this message in Russian. (…)
8:30 a.m. – Russian delegation travels to North Korea to “strengthen relations”
A Russian delegation led by Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov has been visiting North Korea since yesterday with the aim of discussing “cooperation in trade, economy, science and technology.” Moscow wants to develop “substantial cooperation in line with the agreements reached at the Russia-North Korea summit” between the respective heads of state and government, KCNA, Pyongyang’s official news agency, reported. Images published by state media showed the Russian delegation laying a wreath at the Mansudae Grand Monument in the northern capital, where giant statues of former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il stand. A reception was held in honor of the Russian guests at one of the largest hotels, KCNA added, after which the officials agreed to “invigorate bilateral relations in all areas even more and bring them to a new and higher level.” The agency also announced that a North Korean delegation led by the Minister of Sports and Culture had left to attend a forum in the Russian city of Perm to confirm relations between the two countries. The growing cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang has alarmed Washington, Seoul and Tokyo. Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned during his visit to Seoul that relations between Russia and North Korea were “growing and becoming dangerous” and called on China, the North’s historic ally, to dissuade him from doing so. dangerous actions”. Russian-North Korean cooperation accelerated after the summit between President Kim Jong-un and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in September.
7:55 a.m. – “Russia has lost 4,000 soldiers and 500 vehicles in the last two weeks”
(from Marta Serafini, our correspondent in Kiev) According to ground forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, Russia has lost over 4,000 soldiers and 500 pieces of equipment on the Eastern Front in the Ukrainian regions of Kharkiv and Donetsk in the last two weeks.
According to him, Russian troops have been relentlessly attacking Ukrainian troops around Kupyansk in Kharkiv Oblast and north and south of the destroyed city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast. Syrskyi said Russian forces have also increased the use of attack drones. However, despite Russia’s attempts to “seize the initiative” through new attacks, the Ukrainian armed forces are “destroying all plans and attempts” by Russian troops to “conquer our country.” Earlier in the day, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Russian troops had launched attacks in seven directions along the front line from Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in the south to Kupyansk in the northeast.
7:16 a.m. – “Ukrainian forces may attack Crimea after occupying the eastern bank of the Dnipro.”
(by Marta Serafini, our correspondent in Kiev) The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff admitted for the first time that Ukrainian forces had gained a foothold in the Kherson region on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, at least potentially opening a new line of attack towards Crimea.
A year ago, Russian troops left the western bank of the river and took up positions on the eastern side, from where they regularly bomb the towns and villages opposite. Andriy Yermak’s admission that Kiev forces were stationed on the eastern bank of the Dnipro came after weeks of conflicting reports. “Despite all odds, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have gained a foothold on the Left Bank [orientale] from Dnipro,” Yermak said in a speech to the Hudson Institute think tank in the United States. The remarks were published on the website of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. “Step by step they are demilitarizing Crimea,” he added, referring to the peninsula captured by Russia in 2014. “We’re 70% of the way there.” And our counteroffensive is developing.”
The Russian military said last week that its forces had foiled a Ukrainian attempt to establish a bridgehead on the east coast and surrounding islands, killing about 500 Ukrainian soldiers. In a highly unusual incident, two Russian state news agencies published statements Monday that Moscow was moving troops to “more advantageous positions” east of the Dnipro River, only to retract the information minutes later. Russia has sometimes used similar means to move troops to more advantageous positions to describe a withdrawal.
2:17 a.m. – Well-known German journalist is accused of taking 600,000 euros from a Russian oligarch close to Putin
The journalist Hubert Seipel, who made several documentaries for NDR and wrote bestsellers in Germany about Russia and President Putin, is accused of receiving money from an oligarch close to the Kremlin. This was reported by several German media outlets. According to broadcaster Zdf, Seipel received a total of 600,000 euros for two books through a Cyprus-based company linked to Alexei Mordashov, an oligarch close to Putin. Mordashov, owner of the Russian steel company Severstal, was hit with sanctions by the United States, the European Union and Britain following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The allegations are part of revelations published last Tuesday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), based on confidential files from financial services companies based in Cyprus. Seipel published a book in Germany in 2021 called “Putin’s Power: Why Europe Needs Russia.” “We suspect that we, and therefore our public, were deliberately deceived,” said Joachim Knuth, president of the public broadcaster NDR, part of the German broadcaster ARD. “We will now investigate the matter further and examine the possibility of deceptive legal action » against the journalist.
02:13 a.m. – Kiev confirms: Ukrainian troops on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River
Kiev confirmed for the first time rumors that had been circulating for days about the presence of Ukrainian troops on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, where Russian troops were stationed a year ago after leaving the opposite bank. The news was confirmed by President Volodymir Zelensky’s staff. The eastern bank of the Dnipro plays a very important strategic role as it opens new lines of attack towards Crimea.
02:11 – Zelensky: Russia is paying a very high price for Avdiivka
“Russia is paying a very high price for the attacks on the city of Avdiivka,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday evening, commenting on the news from one of the hottest fronts of the war, where fighting has been going on for weeks around the ruins of what has now been razed to the ground City where the losses for the Moscow troops would be very high.