Liveblog: ++ Zelenskyi speaks of “Russian terror” ++

After the Russian air strikes on his country, Ukrainian President Zelensky speaks of “Russian terror.” Russia will “account for every life lost.” There are new demands for “Taurus” deliveries. The developments in Liveblog.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has described the renewed wave of violent Russian attacks on his country as “Russian terror”. At the same time, he announced a Ukrainian response to the air strikes: “Russia will be responsible for every life lost,” he said. Zelenskyi thanked the Western allies for supplying air defense systems. “These help save hundreds of lives every day and every night.” Foreign Minister Kuleba pushed for further arms deliveries. Above all, “additional air defense systems and combat drones of all kinds” would have to be delivered.

The Russian wave of attacks was massive, reported ARD correspondent Vassili Golod from Kyiv. There were deaths and injuries as well as destruction. “First drones flew, then rockets flew.” That was a very violent, painful day for Ukraine.

Against the background of increased Russian air strikes, there are increasing demands in Germany for the delivery of German “Taurus” cruise missiles to Ukraine. “Ukraine needs more ammunition, more spare parts, and the ‘Taurus’ must be launched immediately to finally make Russian supplies more difficult,” said the chairwoman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, to the news portal t -on-line.

The commitment to support Ukraine for as long as necessary will “become an empty phrase if we do not continue to support Ukraine with our European partners and significantly more strongly,” Strack-Zimmermann continued.

The Ukrainian military says it has intercepted over 70 rockets and cruise missiles launched by Russian forces. There are ten Kinschal rockets, 59 cruise missiles and three Kalibr rockets, army chief Valery Zalushnyj said on Telegram. The Ukrainian capital Kiev was the main target of the Russian missile and drone attack.

In the EU and NATO country Poland, the air strikes against its neighbor Ukraine are being closely monitored. The Polish army said on Tuesday that “two pairs of F-16 jets and an allied tanker aircraft” were being deployed to protect Polish airspace. Only on Friday, according to the Polish General Staff, a Russian missile entered Polish airspace for three minutes before leaving it towards Ukraine.

According to civilian authorities, in the latest Russian air strike on Ukraine, a shell accidentally landed in a Russian village in the Voronezh border region. According to initial information, seven farms were damaged as a result, the region’s governor, Alexander Gusev, wrote on Telegram on Tuesday. There are no injuries. The incident occurred in the village of Petropavlovka, about 140 kilometers from Ukrainian-controlled territory. Gusev spoke of the “accidental release” of the bullet.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, at least four people were killed and 92 injured in massive Russian air strikes in Ukraine on Tuesday morning. He announced this on Telegram. An elderly woman and a couple were killed in the capital Kiev and the surrounding area, said Mayor Vitali Klitschko and the local public prosecutor’s office. Another person was killed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, authorities there reported.

Norway sells weapons and armaments directly to Kiev Norway will now sell arms and armaments directly to Ukraine by government decision. The government in Oslo announced this on its website on Monday. Norwegian companies could now apply for corresponding export permits. “Supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression is important for the security of Norway and Europe,” said Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, explaining Oslo’s decision.

The Ukrainian capital Kiev was the target of a heavy Russian missile attack on Tuesday morning. According to reports from residents, loud explosions could be heard in the city of over a million inhabitants. There are power outages in several parts of the city, wrote Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Telegram. Civil infrastructure facilities were hit; a gas pipe was damaged. Problems with the water supply were also reported. Klitschko reports that ten people were injured in a building as a result of a rocket attack. Air strikes were also reported from other parts of the country, for example from eastern Kharkiv.

One day after Russia announced an intensification of attacks, Ukrainian sources said “many” rockets were fired towards Kiev. The residents of the capital should definitely stay in shelters for the time being, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Tuesday morning. “Many rockets” are heading towards Kiev. Shortly beforehand, the Air Force had already triggered air alerts across the entire country.

There was a nationwide air alert in Ukraine on Tuesday morning. The Ukrainian Air Force warned of Russian missile attacks via the online service Telegram and called on the population to seek safety. “A total of 16 Tu-95MS strategic bombers are in the air. Do not ignore the air alert! Go to the shelters,” it said. The air alarm was triggered in several Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kiev, at 3:30 a.m. (local time, 1:30 a.m. CET). According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, explosions occurred in Kiev shortly after the region’s military administration announced that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, had entered the city’s airspace. “The debris of the drone is burning in an open area in the Desnyansky district,” explained Klitschko. He added that rescue workers were on the scene.

The mayor of Mykolaiv in the south of the country said the Ukrainian air force had shot down drones whose debris caused a fire. The air force said it intercepted 35 Iranian-made Shahed drones during the night. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he would increase attacks on military targets in Ukraine in response to Kiev’s attack on the Russian city of Belgorod.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia attacked with 35 drones during the night. The Air Force said they were all destroyed.

Further rocket attacks are now expected and a nationwide air alert is in effect. “A total of 16 Tu-95MS strategic bombers are in the air. Do not ignore the air alert! Go to the shelters,” it said.

The Green Party politician Sebastian Schäfer is calling on the defense companies Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann to repair the “Leopard” battle tanks delivered to Ukraine more quickly. “Unfortunately, it can be noted that only a very small number of the battle tanks delivered can still be used by Ukraine,” says a letter to the two companies, which is available to the dpa news agency. There is a lack of spare parts in the repair workshop in Lithuania. There is an “urgent need for action” to quickly improve the spare parts situation.

Schäfer visited the workshop in Lithuania together with Defense Minister Boris Pistorius before Christmas.

Russia has again attacked the Ukrainian capital with drones. According to Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, debris from a missile that was launched triggered a fire in a residential building. Rescue workers are on site, said Klitschko.

No information was given about possible deaths or injuries.

The Ukrainian capital has been attacked from the air again. In the middle of the night, the anti-aircraft fire in Kiev fired, and reporters from the “Kyiv Independent” reported explosions.

The Russian army is again attacking the Ukrainian capital Kiev with combat drones. The German Journalists’ Association has condemned the bombing of a hotel in Kharkiv.

Monday’s developments to read.