Britain delivers three helicopters to Ukraine. Four suspected Russian torture chambers have been discovered in Cherson. The residents are to be evacuated because of the power outages. All current voices and developments on the Ukraine war can be found in the ticker.
More on the course of the war in Ukraine.
6:33 p.m .: According to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the Russian troops in Ukraine are increasingly having to deal with “significant bottlenecks in artillery ammunition”. Since the beginning of their war of aggression against Ukraine, Russian forces have had “problems with logistics,” and those problems continue, Austin told journalists on Wednesday. Above all, the shortage of artillery shells is increasingly impeding their military action.
Any ground offensive by the Russian armed forces will be prepared by massive artillery fire, Austin said. However, Ukrainian attacks on Russian military depots have led to the Russian troops now having problems. A lot of artillery ammunition is necessary for the Russian combat strategy, Austin said. It is doubtful whether the Russian military still has sufficient ammunition to continue this strategy.
According to the US Secretary of Defense, Russia’s stockpile of “precision-guided munitions” such as self-guided missiles and artillery shells has “decreased significantly” in the nine months since the invasion. Due to the international trade restrictions for products such as microchips, Moscow will not be able to replace them quickly.
4:15 p.m .: Shortly after the Russia vote, there was a hacker attack on the EU Parliament, according to a spokesman. The EU Parliament has condemned Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. In addition, according to the will of the European Parliament, the EU should create a terror list for states like Russia in order to punish them more severely. A large majority of MPs approved a resolution on Wednesday, which also describes Russia as a “state using terrorist means” (see below).
Jaume Duch, spokesman for the European Parliament, said on Twitter that the European Parliament’s websites were paralyzed due to a DDoS attack. In this cyber attack, the web server is paralyzed by the overload due to numerous calls. Work is currently underway to resolve the issue.
3:35 p.m .: Since the beginning of the war of aggression against Ukraine, Russian authorities have registered a significant increase in attacks with explosive devices and firearms in their own country. Between January and October, the number of crimes involving the use of such weapons or dummies increased by nearly 30 percent compared to the same period last year, Russian media reported on Wednesday, citing statistics released by the Interior Ministry.
Accordingly, the largest increase in the crimes mentioned was reported from the border regions of Kursk and Belgorod. For months, the governors there have repeatedly reported shelling, for which they blame Ukraine. Kyiv usually does not comment on these allegations.
However, the two largest Russian cities also recorded a notable increase in crimes involving weapons, explosive devices and dummies: Moscow reported an increase of more than 200 percent compared to the previous year, and the Baltic Sea metropolis of St. Petersburg by more than 100 percent. The Interior Ministry did not provide an official explanation for this.
According to media reports, the willingness to use violence among the population has increased overall. There were several reports of people returning from the front who then also took up arms at home in conflicts. Media critical of the Kremlin in particular have repeatedly reported on how opponents of the war attack buildings of state and municipal institutions with Molotov cocktails, for example. There were numerous protests, especially in the course of the mobilization ordered by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in September, which caused panic among many Russians.
3:26 p.m .: The EU Parliament has condemned Russia as a state supporter of terrorism. In addition, according to the will of the European Parliament, the EU should create a terror list for states like Russia in order to punish them more severely. A large majority of MPs approved a resolution on Wednesday, which also describes Russia as a “state using terrorist means”.
So far, European law has not recognized a category or list for states that support terrorism. There is an EU terror list that groups, institutions and individuals can be put on, but not states. The USA, on the other hand, also has such a list for countries. Currently, Cuba, Iran, Syria and North Korea are on it. For countries that are on this list, there are bans on arms deals and financial sanctions.
8:28 a.m .: Britain is supporting Ukraine with helicopters for the first time. As the BBC reported on Wednesday, Kyiv is to receive a total of three Sea King aircraft. The first helicopter has already arrived in Ukraine. British specialists have trained their Ukrainian comrades in Great Britain in recent weeks. Both the British Air Force and Navy had used Sea Kings but retired them in 2018. The helicopters can be used for anti-submarine and search and rescue missions.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace also announced 10,000 rounds of artillery ammunition for Ukraine ahead of a meeting with allies in Oslo. During a visit to Kyiv, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the delivery of 125 anti-aircraft guns and anti-drone technology. At the beginning of November, the British Ministry of Defense had already promised Ukraine the delivery of 1,000 anti-aircraft missiles. In addition, there is winter equipment for the Ukrainian army such as sleeping bags, sleeping mats or warm clothing.
The United States has also provided Ukraine with helicopters this year. These were 16 Mi-17 helicopters of Russian design.
Wednesday, November 23, 12:11 a.m.: The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, expects a dramatic winter for the Ukrainian capital, which has around three million inhabitants, because of the power outages. “This is the worst winter since the Second World War,” he told the “Bild” newspaper. You have to be prepared for the “worst scenario” of widespread power failures at low temperatures: “Then parts of the city would have to be evacuated,” he said. “But we don’t want to let it get that far!”
The ex-boxing world champion accused Russian head of state Vladimir Putin of wanting to drive Ukrainians to flee Kyiv by attacking civilian infrastructure. “Putin wants to terrorize people, let them freeze without light.” This is how pressure should be exerted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “But that’s not going to happen. My impression is that people are only getting angrier, more determined. We will not die or flee like Putin wants,” Klitschko said.
He asked Germany to urgently send generators, protective clothing and humanitarian goods in addition to weapons for defense.
You can read more news on the following pages.
