According to the government, Germany has so far supported Ukraine with around 56 million euros in repairing the energy infrastructure destroyed in the Russian war of aggression. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) spoke on Tuesday in a telephone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj about the situation in the country, as government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit announced in the evening. Selenskyj informed about the effects of the Russian air raids on civil infrastructure, water and power supply. “The Chancellor condemned the ongoing shelling and assured Ukraine of further short-term support.”
So far, the federal government has provided short-term financial aid for the repair of the energy infrastructure in the amount of around 56 million euros, Hebestreit explained. Germany also provides more than 350 generators.
“The Chancellor reiterated Germany’s continued support to Ukraine, including in the area of air defense and long-term reconstruction,” the spokesman added.
The Ukrainian side had previously stated that the phone call was about, among other things, strengthening Ukraine’s missile defense system. Zelenskyj reported on Twitter that the implementation of an initiative to supply Ukrainian grain to poor countries was also discussed. In addition, the “Ukrainian peace formula” was discussed. This means a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory within the 1991 borders.
The economically liberal politician Alexej Kudrin is resigning from his position as head of the Russian Court of Accounts. He submitted his resignation to President Vladimir Putin, Kudrin wrote on his Telegram blog on Tuesday. After 25 years in government service, he wants to focus on projects in the private sector.
Kudrin (62) has been a companion of Putin since their time together in the St. Petersburg city government in the 1990s. From 2000 to 2011, as finance minister, he helped stabilize Russia’s state finances and build up foreign exchange reserves. Kudrin was considered an advocate of liberal economic and political ideas in Putin’s environment, but without being able to assert himself against the influence of the secret service and other security authorities.
After heavy defeats in the war against Ukraine, Russia has moved away from its basic military and tactical concept, according to British assessments. In the past three months, the Russian forces in Ukraine have for the most part no longer acted as tactical battalion groups (BTG), the Ministry of Defense announced in London on Tuesday, citing intelligence findings.
The high-intensity fighting over a wide area would have revealed several errors in the concept. “The relatively small allocation of infantry to the BTG has often proved insufficient.” In addition, the decentralized distribution of artillery did not allow Russia to exploit its quantitative advantage with this important weapon. Only a few commanders have permission to use the model flexibly, it said in London.
The BTG concept is a central pillar of Russian military doctrine in recent years. Each tactical unit is equipped with infantry, anti-aircraft, artillery, logistics and reconnaissance units. This should enable the units to fight independently with several types of weapons.
According to the Ukrainian general staff, Russia fired on numerous objects of civilian infrastructure in Ukraine on Tuesday. According to a statement from the military leadership in Kyiv, a total of 26 airstrikes and one rocket attack were registered.
“And there is still a risk that the enemy will launch missile attacks on critical infrastructure facilities deep in the rear.” available”.
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,” said 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
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