war in Ukraine
Death toll in Dnipro rises to 30 – Zelenskyj appeals to the silent Russians
Ukraine, Dnipro: Rescue workers clear the rubble and search for people in the block of flats hit by a rocket fired by Russian occupiers during a massive rocket attack on Ukraine on Saturday January 14 in Dnipro in central Ukraine.
© DPA
Many residents of the Ukrainian city are still missing after the devastating Russian rocket attack on a residential building in Dnipro. The death toll continued to rise. The developments of the night at a glance.
Dozens of residents of a high-rise building in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro are still missing after a Russian missile hit them on Saturday. Rescue workers continued to search for more than 30 people in the rubble of the apartment building, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his video address on Sunday evening. At the same time he made serious accusations against the silent part of the Russian population.
The death toll in Dnipro continued to rise over the weekend. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke out in favor of delivering more heavy weapons to Ukraine.
Selenskyj turns to the silent Russian population
“We are fighting for every human being,” emphasized Zelenskyj, referring to the people buried in Dnipro. “And the rescue work will continue as long as there is even the slightest chance of saving a life.” According to official figures, the death toll rose to 30, including one child. Another 73 people were injured.
In his video message, Zelenskyi also addressed the people in the neighboring country in Russian: “I would like to address everyone in Russia who, even now, does not have a few words of condemnation for this terror, although they see and understand everything clearly. Your cowardly silence will only end up with those terrorists going after you one day.”
EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell condemned the actions of the Russian side as “inhumane aggression, with civilians and children as direct targets”. The crimes would not go unpunished. And the EU will support Ukraine as long as it is necessary.
The attack on Dnipro, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, was the most momentous of several attacks on Saturday. The most violent wave of Russian attacks since the turn of the year was again directed against the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. In addition to Dnipropetrovsk, the region around the capital Kyiv and Kharkiv in the east were also badly affected.
Ukraine complains about power shortages after recent Russian attacks
Against this background, Ukraine prepared its citizens for increased problems with the electricity supply. The state electricity network operator Ukrenerho announced on Facebook that the already significantly reduced amount of electricity per household in many places had to be further reduced nationwide in order to avoid major bottlenecks. Even emergency shutdowns are not excluded.
NATO boss expects more arms deliveries “in the near future”.
Ahead of new talks in Ramstein on Western military aid to Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg spoke out in favor of delivering more heavy weapons to Ukraine. “The recent commitments for heavy war equipment are important – and I expect more in the near future,” Stoltenberg told the “Handelsblatt”.
Great Britain announced on Saturday that it would make 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks available to Ukraine. When asked whether Germany also needs to move now, Stoltenberg said: “We are in a crucial phase of the war. We are experiencing heavy fighting. It is therefore important that we equip Ukraine with the weapons it needs to be able to win – and survive as an independent nation.”
weapons shipments
Dispute over firepower: what heavy weapons Germany is already sending to Ukraine
The Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk made the proposal to also deliver German fighter jets to his country. The Bundeswehr has 93 Tornados in its fleet, which will soon be retired and replaced by modern F-35 stealth jets. These tornadoes are old but “still very powerful” fighter jets, the former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany wrote on Twitter. Melnyk asked Chancellor Olaf Scholz: “Why not deliver these tornadoes to Ukraine?” The CDU foreign politician Roderich Kiesewetter welcomed the proposal on Twitter.
Dead and injured after explosion in Russian barracks
As a result of a heavy explosion at a barracks in western Russia’s Belgorod region, three soldiers were killed and 16 others injured. Eight other men have been missing since the incident, which took place on Saturday in the region bordering Ukraine, the Russian state news agency Interfax reported, citing rescue services. According to the information, a non-commissioned officer accidentally detonated a hand grenade, after which a fire broke out in the building. He suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital.
What will be important on Monday
During a visit to The Hague, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wants to discuss ways in which Russian President Vladimir Putin can be held accountable for the war of aggression against Ukraine. At the International Criminal Court in the Dutch city, the Green politician wants to meet President Piotr Hofmanski and then Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan this Monday (11 a.m.).