The cause of the crash near Kyiv is still unclear. In addition to the Minister of the Interior, four children are among the dead. Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin is confident of victory. The current developments.
According to police, Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyj died in a helicopter crash near the capital Kyiv. At least 14 people died in the accident, civil defense said. In the meantime, there was talk of 18 dead. Russian President Vladimir Putin was confident of victory during a visit to an armaments company. The discussion about the delivery of German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine is gaining momentum. Meanwhile, NATO fears a difficult year.
Helicopter crashed near kindergarten in small town of Brovary
Deputy Interior Minister Yehvhenij Jenin and a state secretary were among the dead in the helicopter crash, the Ukrainian authorities said. The helicopter crashed in a residential area near a kindergarten in the small town of Brovary near Kyiv. According to the Interior Ministry, four children also died. The cause of the crash is still unclear. The helicopter type is not considered particularly reliable. A shooting down of the helicopter was also not ruled out. From the presidential office it was said that the leadership of the Interior Ministry was on the way to one of the front sections.
EU, Scholz and Biden react in dismay to the crash
EU leaders have reacted with dismay at the death of Ukraine’s interior minister and other victims in the helicopter crash. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her deepest condolences to the families of the victims, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the whole of Ukraine. “We mourn with you,” wrote the German on Twitter. Chancellor Olaf Scholz was shocked. “The helicopter crash in #Brovary shows once again the immense toll #Ukraine is paying in this war,” Scholz wrote on Twitter.
US President Joe Biden praised Monastyrskyj as a “reformer and patriot” who stood up for the will of the Ukrainian people.
Putin confident: “Victory is inevitable”
At a meeting with hand-picked workers at a plant belonging to the Almas-Antey group in St. Petersburg, Putin explained that Russia’s rocket manufacturers today produce about as much as all countries in the world put together. “For example, we make three times as many anti-aircraft missiles a year as the United States.” Therefore, Russia’s victory is “inevitable” in the end, said Putin. “I have no doubt about that.” He promised a law that would exempt workers in the armaments industry from military service.
NATO does not expect the war to end anytime soon
NATO does not expect the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine to end any time soon. “Putin is preparing for a long war,” said Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană at the start of a two-day meeting of the Western Defense Alliance’s Military Committee. Putin has already mobilized more than 200,000 additional soldiers, is increasing arms production and is also acquiring more weapons from authoritarian regimes such as Iran. “We have to be prepared for a long road,” Geoană said. “2023 will be a difficult year and we must support Ukraine as long as it is necessary.”
British secret service sees problems for Ukraine at Bakhmut
According to British intelligence services, the Russian capture of the Ukrainian town of Soledar also poses problems for Ukraine when it comes to supplying the larger town of Bakhmut. One of two main supply routes is coming under increasing pressure, the British Ministry of Defense daily briefed. The Ukrainian armed forces are believed to have set up a new line of defense further west, the British said. On the outskirts of Bakhmut, Ukraine is said to be continuing to defend the city against continuous Russian attacks.
Debate on delivery of Leopard 2 tanks continues
The Greens are demanding a quick positive decision from the designated Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) on the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks. Green parliamentary group leader Agnieszka Brugger told the media company Table.Media: “Anyone who can agree to the delivery of martens can also deliver Leopard tanks.” The head of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, advocates Germany supplying these main battle tanks. Many partners, such as Great Britain or Poland, wanted to deliver battle tanks to Ukraine themselves and were in favor of Germany doing the same, Heusgen told the ZDF “heute journal update” on Tuesday evening.
The European Parliament also asked Scholz to allow deliveries of Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine. In Strasbourg, the MPs approved a corresponding motion by the Greens with a large majority. It said literally that the European Parliament was calling on Scholz to “initiate a European consortium of relevant European countries to deliver Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine without further delay”. The decision was a legally non-binding report.
Former Bundeswehr General Hans-Lothar Domröse expects the restraint in Berlin to be abandoned. “I expect that the federal government will make the commitment to deliver Leopard main battle tanks at the meeting of Ukraine supporters on Friday in Ramstein,” Domröse told the newspapers of the Funke media group. Tanks are considered important for recapturing occupied territories. The Leopard 2, on the other hand, is considered one of the most effective main battle tanks in the world.
In a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Scholz left open whether he wanted to clear the way for the delivery of Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine. He again pointed out that Germany, together with Great Britain and after the USA, is already one of the largest arms suppliers to Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia. “We will continue to be such a big supporter,” he promised. Germany will deliver as long as it is necessary. Scholz also confirmed that he would only decide together with the allies on qualitatively new steps in arms deliveries. He explicitly named the USA and France. “That’s our strategy.”
Media: US wants to move ammunition from Israel to Ukraine
According to a media report, the US Department of Defense wants to hand over ammunition stored in Israel to Ukraine. As the “New York Times” reports, the Pentagon is currently preparing to transfer arms to the country attacked by Russia. About half of the 300,000 artillery shells destined for Ukraine have already been shipped to Europe. A spokesman for the Israeli military confirmed to the German Press Agency that equipment stored in Israel was handed over to the US armed forces at the request of the United States a few weeks ago.