Didn’t want to fight: Russian soldiers report state for detention
Russian soldiers have filed a complaint with the national investigative committee about unlawful detention, as the “Novaya Gazeta Europa” reports, citing a human rights activist. Because the soldiers refused to fight in the war, they were locked in a basement in the Ukrainian region of Luhansk, so the allegation. Two soldiers and relatives requested that criminal proceedings be instituted for abuse of power, kidnapping and unlawful detention.
According to the report, the reason for the conscientious objection was “insufficient medical and material support” at the front. The soldiers are said to have been locked in a cellar near the village of Zaitsewe with 280 other prisoners for two weeks. They were not fed properly and were threatened.
Ukrainian Minister of Justice: “Russia must pay reparations”
With a view to the meeting of the G7 justice ministers in Berlin, the Ukrainian head of department Denys Maljuska has reiterated his country’s demand that Russia pay for the war damage. He relies on the support of the group of seven economically strong democracies.
“Russia must pay the Ukrainian people for the damage they caused in this war,” Maljuska told Funke media group newspapers. “Russia has to pay reparations, as we have seen in other regions in past wars.” Damage of 150 billion dollars is assumed, “which does not include the economic damage and the costs for the injured and war victims and their families does not include,” said the Minister of Justice of Ukraine. He called for a “compensation mechanism” in which Russian funds that are in European accounts and were frozen as part of the sanctions are to be transferred to Ukraine.
Russian military bloggers again criticize government
The Russian Defense Ministry’s decision to impose strict customs restrictions on so-called dual-use goods has drawn criticism from Russian military bloggers. As the American “Institute for War Studies” reports, bloggers are now annoyed that goods financed by donations such as quadrocopters, heat packs, clothing and shoes are not making their way to the front.
With this, the military bloggers are once again expressing their dissatisfaction with the Kremlin’s warfare, and they want to further intensify the war itself. The term dual-use refers to goods that can be used for both civil and military purposes. Russia now wants to decide on their transfer at a central location, according to the procedure. The military bloggers criticize that this would slow down the Russian army.
Security in Ukrainian prisons threatened by power outages
According to Justice Minister Maljuska, an emergency situation could arise in the Ukrainian prisons in view of the Russian rocket attacks against energy infrastructure. He told Funke Mediengruppe: “One of our biggest concerns is the situation in prisons. We need electricity and water supply in the prisons.”
A stress test has shown that security in prisons can be maintained for a maximum of one week after a power failure. In addition to electricity for heating, electricity is also required to operate surveillance cameras and other security devices.
Energy supplier asks USA for help
The Ukrainian energy supplier Naftogaz has asked the US development agency USAID for help in procuring additional quantities of natural gas. CEO Oleksiy Tschernyschow writes on his Facebook page: “The key to surviving this heating period is the additional amount of gas that is required.” There had already been a meeting with the US authorities, at which they also discussed the necessary relief supplies. More precisely, it needs methanol, gas compressors, diesel generators and equipment for gas production.
The US wants to help Ukraine build its energy grid and restore power. As the Reuters news agency reports, citing a US insider, repair equipment is to be brought to Ukraine “as soon as possible in the next few weeks”.
Fighting in eastern Ukraine continues
According to spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyj, the Ukrainian army fends off dozens of Russian attack attempts every day. The fighting in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka areas north of Donetsk is currently particularly difficult. The Russians would launch attacks with artillery, rocket launchers, mortars and fighter planes. According to the army spokesman, there are an average of 200 artillery strikes a day in the region. Nonetheless, neither side has made any major gains in trench warfare for months.
Selenska calls for “global response” to sexual violence as a weapon of war
Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, has called for a “global response” to wartime sexual violence. At a conference organized by the British government on Monday, she said: “Everyone knows about the large number of rapes.” Since the beginning of the war, there have been repeated reports of Russian soldiers abusing both women and men. “The Russian soldiers are very open about it,” says Selenska. The aim is to “humiliate the Ukrainians”. The Ukrainian public prosecutor’s office is already investigating more than a hundred such crimes, and the number of unreported cases is likely to be higher. It is important “to recognize this as a weapon of war,” says Selenska.
US planning missile deal with Finland
The US Department of Defense has announced the planned sale of missiles worth 323 million dollars (around 319 million euros) to NATO candidate Finland. The sale will improve Finland’s “air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities and have a positive impact on US relations with countries in the Nordic region,” the Pentagon said on Monday. A sales license for tactical missiles of the types AIM 9X and AGM-154 has been granted to Finland.
The sale will “support U.S. foreign policy and national security by enhancing the security of a trusted partner who is an important force for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” it said.
Also Read: The Ukraine Update of November 28, 2022
Estonia’s defense minister is certain that Russia will still learn militarily. Ukrainian Ambassador welcomes German Holodomor resolution. Chancellor Olaf Scholz is convinced that Russia “will not win this war”. All current voices and developments on the Ukraine war can be found in the ticker.
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In August 2021, Russia is said to have planned a military conflict with Japan. This is reported by a whistleblower from the Russian Federal Security Service in a secret letter. In view of the Kuril dispute, Russia had an “insane will to war”. But then the country attacked Ukraine.
