Ukraine is repeatedly exposed to Russian missile attacks. But the country is no longer as helpless as it was weeks ago. German military technology also contributes to this. The developments at a glance.
The dispute over Ukrainian grain exports across the Black Sea continues. Russia has declared its withdrawal from the grain deal and will not accept that the other parties involved – the United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine – simply carry on. The Russian Ministry of Defense demanded additional commitments from Ukraine not to use the sea corridor for military purposes.
Ukraine, on the other hand, had to deal with the repair of damage caused by Russian rocket attacks on Monday morning until Tuesday night. For the first time in two weeks, a target was hit in the capital Kyiv, where large parts of the water supply failed. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, 250,000 households in the metropolis were without electricity in the evening. In the meantime, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have begun their planned inspections in Ukraine after Russian accusations that Kyiv intends to use a “dirty bomb”.
Tuesday is the 251st day of Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion.
Moscow does not want to tolerate going it alone in grain exports
On Monday, a convoy of more than a dozen grain carriers headed for the Bosphorus from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea – without Russia’s consent. But Russian forces did not hinder the convoy either. The agreement was reached between the UN, Turkey and Ukraine on Sunday at the Grain Exports Coordination Center in Istanbul.
Moscow tried to prevent this action at various diplomatic levels. The agreement “cannot be implemented without us,” Russian ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebensia said at a UN Security Council meeting in New York. The passage of grain ships through the Bosphorus would not be possible without Russian participation in the controls. However, the three other partners are now also carrying on with the inspections of the ships on the way to Ukraine and back without Moscow.
Telephone calls were held between the defense ministries and the foreign ministries of Russia and Turkey on Monday. The Russian Defense Ministry again accused Ukraine of abusing the protected sea corridor in a night-time drone attack on the Black Sea Fleet.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator: The Black Sea is clear at night
The UN emergency aid coordinator Martin Griffiths opposed this view in New York. “If there are no Initiative ships in the area, the corridor has no special status,” he told the Security Council. On the night of the alleged attack on Saturday, there were also no cargo ships in the sea area. “The protected shipping corridor is not open at four in the morning.” Therefore, there was no violation of the agreements.
Many Kievans still without electricity and water
After the Russian rocket attack on the Ukrainian capital’s energy supply, around 250,000 apartments were still without electricity on Monday evening. Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced that there is still no water in 40 percent of the consumption points. Although the situation has improved compared to the morning, the repair work continued. Klitschko announced further energy-saving measures in local public transport for Tuesday. So the subway will run less often. Electric-powered trams and trolleybuses should be replaced by normal buses.
Zelenskyi praised the air defenses
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy underlined the successes of the air defense after the day with heavy Russian missile attacks. Of about 50 Russian cruise missiles and missiles, 45 were shot down, he said in his video message. He demanded that his country needed more weapons to ward off the attacks from the air. Russia already has to use more missiles to hit a target than it used to.
With the rocket attacks, the Russian army has been pursuing a new tactic since October and is primarily targeting energy supply systems. Therefore, many states promised help to strengthen air defenses. The first of four Iris-T systems arrived from Germany, which the Ukrainians praise as very accurate.
Scholz and Zelenskyj on the phone
Selenskyj also praised the Iris-T in a telephone call with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on Monday. According to Zelenskyj, further options were discussed for Germany to support Ukraine. Above all, it is about the renewal of the Ukrainian infrastructure after the Russian air raids.
According to the government, Scholz said Germany would provide political, financial and humanitarian support to Ukraine in defending its sovereignty, “including arms deliveries”. A spokesman said the Chancellor had condemned the “continued targeted shelling” of civilian infrastructure by the Russian armed forces. Scholz and Selenskyj had called for the grain agreement under UN aegis not to be jeopardized in order not to further burden the global food situation.
Bomb allegation: IAEA begins inspections in Ukraine
The IAEA has started its planned inspections in Ukraine after Russian accusations that Kyiv wants to use a “dirty bomb”, as the head of the agency Rafael Grossi announced on Monday. Accordingly, two sites are checked to detect possible undeclared nuclear activities and materials. Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of working on a nuclear bomb. Kyiv had firmly denied the allegations and asked for an IAEA mission. Grossi wants to report on the results of the controls this week.
That will be important on Tuesday
Chancellor Scholz visits a plant of the chemical company BASF in Schwarzheide in Lusatia. It is also about the economic consequences of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The chemical industry is one of the largest consumers of natural gas, which has become scarce and expensive.