Russian President Vladimir Putin described the situation in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson, four regions of eastern Ukraine illegally annexed by Moscow in September. Russia has suffered severe setbacks in the regions and has halted its ambitions. Putin’s comments came on Defense Services Day, which is widely celebrated in Russia. Putin ordered the Federal Security Service (FSB) to step up surveillance of Russian society and the country’s borders to combat what he described as “new threats” from abroad.
+++ 07:04 Germany criticizes Iranian arms supply to Russia +++
UN In the Security Council, Germany strongly criticized Iran’s supply of weapons to Russia for its war of aggression against Ukraine. “Iranian combat drones have given Russia additional opportunities to attack civilian infrastructure and terrorize Ukrainian citizens,” said Antje Leendertze, Germany’s UN ambassador in New York. He argued that the United Nations General Secretariat should accept the Ukrainian invitation to conduct spot investigations into evidence of Iran’s role. Leendertse also criticized the progress of Iran’s nuclear program by continuing to enrich uranium. “Iran’s nuclear program is more advanced than ever and is becoming a threat to international peace and security,” Leendertse said.
+++ 06:22 IMF encourages financing of Ukraine by donor countries +++
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a four-month program to ensure Ukraine’s economic stability through donor countries. “Substantial and predictable external financial support will be critical to the success of the authorities’ strategy, and disbursements as early as 2023 will help manage tensions,” IMF Deputy Director Geeta Gopinath said. According to IMF estimates, the country will need between 40 and 57 billion dollars in foreign financing by 2023.
+++ 05:44 EKD peace officer urges ceasefire +++
Friedrich Kramer, peace commissioner of the Council of Evangelical Churches in Germany, has stuck to his stance against arms deliveries to Ukraine and is counting on a ceasefire. “It’s pretended that weapons are what’s moving things. But if you look closely, you also realize that it’s like adding fuel to a fire,” says Kramer, who is the regional bishop of the Evangelical Church in central Germany. “We don’t know how long the war will last, whether we have to prepare for 2, 4, 6, 10 years. How many people are dying there, it’s all terrible. I think it should stop immediately. The world community should stand very clearly for a ceasefire,” Kramer demanded.
+++ 04:11 Zelenskyj calls for medical assistance to Georgia’s ex-president Saakashvili +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged imprisoned Georgian ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili to receive treatment abroad. “Everyone has seen how Mikheil Saakashvili’s health is. I appeal to the Georgian people and the Georgian authorities,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address. “What’s happening to Michael is horrible. It’s not okay for Georgia. It has to stop.” The 54-year-old must be transferred to a medical facility in Ukraine, Europe or the United States. Saakashvili began a new hunger strike last week after he was not allowed to attend a court hearing in Tbilisi via video link. Georgian authorities falsely claim that Saakashvili is forcing him to be released. Saakashvili has not been seen in public for months. The pro-Western ex-president last year Alleged abuse of office Sentenced.
+++ 02:50 Report: Only every third self-propelled howitzer is ready for action +++
Most of the Panzerhaubizen 2000 in the Bundeswehr’s inventory are said to be currently not ready for use. According to the “Bild” newspaper report, citing a secret document of the Federal Defense Ministry, the Bundeswehr can currently use only a third of the Panzerhaubitzen 2000. Accordingly, as of December 2, 2022, the inventory of Panzerhaubitzen 2000 was 105 units. The Army currently has 73 of these, and their operational readiness is “about 50 percent.” This resulted in about 36 self-propelled howitzers operating. In addition, a total of 18 self-propelled howitzers were 2000 “under repair at the factory”. It is not clear how many of the 36 operational weapons systems there are.
+++ 01:59 Ukrainians for Orthodox Christmas date less and less +++
In Ukraine, the majority for keeping an Orthodox Christmas date is shrinking. According to a telephone survey by the rating group, 55 percent of Ukrainians want to continue to celebrate January 7 exclusively in tradition. In 2021 it was still 71 percent. According to the survey, the proportion of Ukrainians who celebrate Christmas Day on December 25 has also decreased. Only a third are against it, instead of 58 percent the previous year. Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches in Ukraine traditionally celebrate Christmas on January 7 according to the old Julian calendar. Since 2017, both December 25 and January 7 are non-working holidays in Ukraine. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, founded in 2019 with government assistance, announced in October that it would hold services on December 25 this year.
+++ 01:07 No drone inspection yet – US disappointed with UN +++
The United States accused UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of “apparently bowing to Russian threats” and not sending officials to Ukraine to investigate drones that may have come from Iran. “We are disappointed that the Secretariat, which appears to have succumbed to Russian threats, did not investigate the Council’s mandate,” said US Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood. Guterres said that “in the larger context of all operations related to the war we have to decide when and if to send officers to Kiev.” Russia denies using Iranian drones in Ukraine There is no mandate for UN officials to go to Kiev to investigate the origin of the drones.
+++ 00:21 Putin orders to increase border security +++
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered increased border security. In addition, there should be “stronger countermeasures” against foreign services, unmasking traitors and spies, Putin said in a video address. Therefore, security forces must ensure control over mass event venues and strategically important infrastructure. One of the most important tasks of the security forces is to protect the citizens of the “new regions” of Russia. It refers to parts of Ukraine annexed by Moscow in violation of international law.
+++ 23:25 Selenskyj: Russia will soon lose 100,000 soldiers +++
Russian forces have already lost nearly 100,000 soldiers since the invasion of Ukraine began, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. “So far there are almost 99,000 soldiers, and in a few days the loss of the occupiers will increase to 100,000,” Zelenskyj says in his evening video address. “And for what? No one in Moscow has an answer for that, and it won’t be (in the future).” Tuesday marks the 300th day of the war. Those responsible in Moscow waged war and “wasted human lives – other people’s lives, not their relatives’ lives, not their own lives, other people’s lives,” Zelenskyj said. For security reasons, both sides did not provide precise information on the losses of the Russian and Ukrainian armed forces. Western military officials have recently estimated the number of Russian soldiers killed and wounded at more than 100,000.
+++ 22:29 Lavrov: Selenskyj shows “not understanding the seriousness of the moment” +++
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of “not understanding the gravity of the moment and indifference to his people.” “He is bubbling with ideas,” Lavrov said in an interview with “Belarus 1” TV station in Minsk. But this fountain reveals the seriousness of the situation and the lack of this understanding of Zelensky for his people. Zelensky’s comments, which Lavrov did not mention, revealed the “racist nature” of the leadership in Kiev. The Ukrainian head of state recently proposed the idea of an international criminal court, before which all responsible politicians and military officials from Moscow should answer for the war in Ukraine and the war crimes committed there.
+++ 22:06 Ukrainian players are highly paid +++
Ukraine’s soldiers will receive higher wages in December, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar reported on Twitter, Flash News. So the salary should increase by 37 percent over the previous month. The reason for this increase is the increase in the cost of living.
+++ 21:42 US defense expert delivers devastating verdict on German defense policy +++
An American defense expert delivers a devastating verdict on German defense policy. Germany is reneging on its promise to NATO to invest more than two percent of its gross domestic product in defense in the future, instead “returning to old habits,” writes Mike Watson, a member of the Hudson Institute think tank. In a guest article “Wall Street Journal”. In the analysis, Germany is described as a “retarder” because other NATO members supported Ukraine more extensively. The US must continue to guarantee Europe’s security against possible Russian attacks, as Germany renounces its leadership role on the continent to set up a “counterweight to Russia”.
+++ 21:15 Shoigu Minsk +++ Lame after arrival
Russian President Putin will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at the meeting with Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko. Videos circulating on social networks show Shoigu arriving at the Freedom Palace, where foreign delegates are being welcomed in Minsk. Strike: Shoigu hides one hand in his right leg pocket and wobbles on his right leg after he comes.
Read the previous developments of the war in Ukraine Here.
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