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An explosion occurred on a freighter in the Black Sea – possibly caused by a mine. Green Party leader Nouripour warns that Germany and the EU cannot compensate for the loss of US aid to Ukraine. The developments in the live blog.
An explosion occurred on a Greek freighter in the Black Sea near the mouth of the Danube. The Ukrainian military assumed that a Russian sea mine had detonated. However, a representative of the shipping company NAVA Shipping in Athens said that the cause of the accident was still unclear. “We don’t know yet what exactly happened, but the captain informed us that there was an explosion.” No one was seriously injured, the shipping company continued.
The Ukrainian Southern Military Command spoke on Telegram of an “enemy sea mine”. A fire broke out on board and was extinguished. The Maritime Bulletin website reported that a sea mine exploded under or near the stern of the freighter Vyssos. The ship flying the Panamanian flag was on its way to the Ukrainian Danube port of Izmail to pick up a cargo of grain. The captain is said to have then deliberately grounded the badly damaged ship in order to prevent the freighter from sinking.
According to its own information, the Russian military has more than 640,000 contract soldiers under contract. This emerges from documents from the Ministry of Defense, which the Internet portal RBK quoted. It is the first time since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine that the ministry in Moscow has named the exact number of contract soldiers in its own ranks.
On December 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree to increase the number of soldiers in the Russian military by 170,000 to a total of 1.32 million. This was the second increase since the start of the war, after he only ordered an increase in the Russian armed forces to 1.15 million men in the summer of 2022. The Ministry of Defense explained that the expansion of the army will be carried out by recruiting volunteers for temporary service.
The Ukrainian Air Force says it repelled seven of eight Russian drone attacks during the night. The drones were shot down in three regions in the center and south of Ukraine, the Air Force reported on the short message service Telegram. It was not reported whether the drone that was not shot down reached its target. The night before, Russia had launched a significantly larger wave of attacks on Ukraine.
According to Russian diplomat Mikhail Ulyanov, Finland will be the first country to suffer from a possible escalation of tensions between Russia and NATO. “They lived quietly and in peace until they suddenly found themselves between Russia and NATO. But since they are our neighbors, if, God forbid, an escalation occurs, they will be the first to suffer,” the permanent said Representative of Russia to the international organizations in Vienna from the Ria news agency.
The Green Party leader Omid Nouripour has pointed out the central role of the USA in Western support for Ukraine. Germany and the EU would not be able to absorb a loss of American support, Nouripour told the dpa news agency. “It is hardly possible to simply compensate for what the Americans have done so far, neither in terms of materials nor money. But of course in this case we Europeans will have to step up our aid to Ukraine.” The release of new US aid to Ukraine is currently being blocked by a dispute in the US Parliament. According to the government in Washington, the aid approved so far for Ukraine will be used up by the end of the year.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyj has demonstrated optimism about his own country’s arms production: In his opinion, Ukraine can become one of the largest arms producers in the world in the future. He is sure that the Ukrainian defense industry “can definitely rise to the top 10 of the most productive and strongest defense complexes in the world over time,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address on Wednesday. The industry is already contributing not only to strengthening its own defense capabilities against the Russian war of aggression, but also significantly to economic growth and employment.
Russian President Vladimir Putin must be stopped in his war against Ukraine, according to the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu. “You have to understand that Putin will not stop if he is not stopped,” pro-European President Sandu said in an interview with Romania-based media group Veridica. “And if it is not stopped, the costs for all of us will be much higher. It is Ukraine that is making the biggest sacrifice.” It is in the interest of everyone, “not just Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova,” that Ukraine continues to receive aid. Sandu has long denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and described the Kremlin as the biggest threat to her country, which lies between Ukraine and EU member Romania. Russia accuses her of torpedoing good relations.
Despite constant Russian air strikes, Ukraine says it will have significantly increased the production of military equipment in 2023. Kiev has received more than 38 billion euros in international financial aid this year. The developments from Wednesday to read.