2022-12-25 20:15:54
Erdogan: The West did not try to mediate in the crisis
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has argued that the West only provoked and did not try to mediate the crisis in Ukraine. “Unfortunately – Erdogan said at a meeting with young people in Erzurume, as reported by the Russian agency RIA Novosti – the West only reinforced the elements of provocation and did not try to mediate between the two parties”. “Instead, we as Turkey have taken on that role,” particularly “in relation to the Black Sea Grain Corridor,” he added.
2022-12-25 18:30:49
Sources: Zelenskyy gives speech in the parliament at the end of the year
Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deliver the end-of-year speech on the situation in the country to the members of parliament. This was communicated from parliamentary sources, adding that the annual speech of the President of Ukraine will be held until the end of the year. For security reasons, the authorities are not releasing the date of the President’s speech. Last year, Zelensky’s annual message took place on December 1st.
2022-12-25 14:47:05
Airplane alerts across Ukraine
For the second time in the day, air raid alarms were sounded across Ukraine. This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda, specifying that the sirens started wailing in the Kyiv and Lviv regions and then spread to the rest of the country. The surveillance group “Belarusian Gayun” reported that the long-range Il-76 A-50U radar-tracking aircraft “Serhiy Atayants” took off from Machulyshchy in Belarus at 14:00. Shortly after, a Russian Air Force MiG-31K fighter jet capable of carrying nuclear warhead-equipped Dagger missiles took off.
2022-12-25 13:09:00
Putin: 99.9% of Russians are ready to sacrifice everything for the fatherland
Russian President Vladimir Putin He said today on Rossiya-1 TV that the events of the past few months have convinced him “that 99.9% of Russians are ready to sacrifice everything for the Fatherland”. “It doesn’t strike me as unusual and it confirms once again that Russia is a special country and has special people,” he said in an interview. This is reported by the agency Tass.
2022-12-25 12:43:39
Kyiv: Putin returns to reality
Ukraine’s presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said Vladimir Putin “needs to get back to reality” after the Russian leader said Moscow was ready for negotiations. It is “obvious” that Russia “does not want negotiations but is trying to avoid accountability,” Podolyak tweeted.
2022-12-25 12:17:03
Pope: God enlighten those who can silence the guns
In his Urbi et Orbi blessing, the Pope addressed his first thoughts to Ukraine: “May our eyes be filled with the faces of the Ukrainian brothers and sisters who are spending this Christmas in the dark, in the cold, or far from their homes, because of the destruction caused by the ten-month war. May the Lord prepare us for concrete gestures of solidarity to help those who suffer and to enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the guns and bring an immediate end to this senseless war! Unfortunately, we prefer to listen to other reasons dictated by the logic of the world. But the child’s voice, who listens to it?».
Regarding the war in Ukraine, the Pope also referred to the grain crisis in his Urbi et Orbi. “Let us think of the people who are suffering hunger, especially children, while large amounts of food are wasted and resources are spent on weapons every day. The war in Ukraine has further aggravated the situation, threatening entire populations with starvation, particularly in Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa countries. We know that every war causes hunger and exploits food itself as a weapon to prevent its distribution to populations already suffering». The Pope then made an appeal: “Let us learn from the Prince of Peace on this day, let us all, especially those in charge of politics, work so that food is only an instrument of peace. As we enjoy the joy of being reunited with loved ones, we think of the families who are most hurt by life and those who are struggling with unemployment in this time of economic crisis and who are struggling to meet the basic needs of the community life is lacking”.
2022-12-25 11:36:48
Putin: “Ready to negotiate with all parties involved”
Russia is ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the war in Ukraine. This was stated by President Vladimir Putin, accusing Kyiv and its western allies of “refusing” to negotiate. The Guardian reports on it. In an interview on state television Rossiya 1, Putin said: “We are ready to negotiate acceptable solutions with all parties involved, but it depends on them: we are not the ones who refuse to negotiate.”
2022-12-25 10:43:57
Christmas, Zelensky’s message: We will create our own miracle
For this Christmas «let’s celebrate our holidays! As always. We will smile and be happy. As always. The difference is one. We won’t wait for a miracle. We create it ourselves.” That is the message of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to wish the Western-rite Orthodox Christians a Merry Christmas and to note that this year all the celebrations for Ukrainians because of the war “have a bitter aftertaste”. “It may be that chairs are empty. And our houses and streets can’t be so bright. And Christmas bells can’t ring that loud, from air raid sirens, or worse, gunfire and explosions,” the president said. In these celebrations, “we meet under difficult circumstances. Someone will see the first star in the sky over Bakhmut, Rubizhne and Kreminna today… Someone will celebrate the holiday in other people’s houses – houses of Ukrainians who gave shelter to Ukrainians… Someone will hear (Ukrainian song) Shchedryk in another language – one Warsaw, Berlin, London, New York, Toronto and many other cities and countries,” Zelenskyy said. And someone, the president added, will spend this Christmas in captivity, “but you should remember that we are also coming for our people, we will restore freedom to all Ukrainian men and women. Wherever we are, we will be together today. We wish for something. One for all. And we will feel joy. One for all. And we will understand the truth. One for all,” concluded the Ukrainian leader.
2022-12-25 09:48:22
Bomb attack in Kherson: Number rises to 16 dead and 64 injured
The death toll from yesterday’s Russian bomb attack in the Kherson region has risen to 16 dead and 64 injured. This was announced by the head of the regional military administration in Kherson, Yaroslav Yanushevich, by telegram, reports Ukrinform.
2022-12-25 09:15:47
Kherson, 10 killed and 58 wounded after attack
The number of civilians injured after the recent bombing of Kherson by Russian forces has risen to 58, according to the head of the Kherson regional military administration, Yaroslav Yanushevich, quoted by Ukrinform. “At the moment we know of 58 civilian casualties as a result of today’s attack by the Russian occupying forces in the Kherson region, including 10 dead,” said Yanushevych. The governor has again called on residents of the region to evacuate, especially those living on the banks of the Dnipro River, since these areas have been hardest hit by the bombing and there is practically no way to provide heating and electricity.
2022-12-25 09:14:36
Kyiv: Russian attacks in Kharkiv, Lugansk and Donetsk repelled
«Yesterday, Ukrainian forces repulsed several Russian attacks in various locations in Kharkiv Oblast, Lugansk Oblast and Donetsk Oblast. This was reported by the Kyiv Independent. The announcement was made today by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and also reported that the Russian army has fired five missiles over 90 strikes on Ukraine, causing civilian casualties and affecting infrastructure. Also yesterday, another Russian attack on the center of the city of Kherson killed at least 10 civilians and wounded 55 others, eighteen of whom are in serious condition, according to Kherson Oblast Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych. Ukrainian forces have attacked four Russian command zones, an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system and three other strategic locations.
2022-12-25 09:14:01
51,000 criminal cases were opened for war crimes committed by the Russian army
The National Police of Ukraine has opened more than 51,000 criminal cases for crimes committed by the Russian military and its accomplices in Ukraine since the invasion began. This was announced by the head of the National Police of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, via telegram, Ukrinform reports. “More than 10 months after the start of the war, the Ukrainian National Police opened more than 51,000 criminal cases for crimes committed by the Russian military and its accomplices. On average, the police registered 168 war crimes per day,” Klymenko said.
2022-12-25 09:13:27
Plane alert in Ukraine, sirens also wail on Christmas in Kyiv
An air alert went off in Ukraine this morning. This is reported by Ukrainska Pravda. The Guardian also broke the news, specifying that “sirens are wailing in Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions.” The city administration of the Ukrainian capital asked people to go to emergency shelters after the air alert was announced. The mayor of Mykolayiv in the south of the country also warned of the fear of airplanes.
2022-12-25 09:12:41
Duma: They betrayed the country, levied taxes on people who left Russia
Lawmakers in the Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, are developing a bill that would increase taxes for Russians who fled the country after the special military operation began in Ukraine. This was stated by the Chairman of the Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, writes the agency TASS. «There are those who believe that it is necessary to support those who have left our country to return. That’s wrong. For those who have left the federation, it is right to introduce a higher rate and we are working on changes to the legislation along these lines,” he said on Telegram. According to the Duma spokesman, Russians who left their country need to understand that the majority of Russian society “does not support them for what they did and believes that they have betrayed their country, families and loved ones.” . “To date, those who left not only work remotely in Russian companies, but also enjoy all the benefits that this gives them according to the legislation of our country,” Volodin concluded.