Ehe images of the Orthodox Christmas celebrations in Kyiv and Moscow are very different: In the Ukrainian capital, the new Ukrainian Orthodox Church held a Christmas mass for the first time in the famous cave monastery. Several hundred believers, dozens of journalists and Minister of Culture Olexander Tkachenko followed the invitation to the service in the Assumption Cathedral on Saturday. The service was broadcast live on Ukrainian television.
By the end of 2022, what is arguably Ukraine’s most important cathedral had been used by the competing Ukrainian Orthodox Church. However, their usage contracts for two main churches of the ten places of worship in the cave monastery, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were then not extended.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has long been linked to the Moscow Patriarchate but cut ties with Russia in 2022.
Vladimir Putin, in turn, celebrated Christmas alone in the Cathedral of the Annunciation, one of the three Orthodox churches in the Kremlin. Photos and footage distributed by Russian state media on Saturday show the 70-year-old standing in the cathedral only in the presence of sacristans.
One-man show: The photo provided by the Russian state news agency Sputnik shows Vladimir Putin as the only guest at the Christmas service
Source: dpa/Mikhail Klimentyev
In a Kremlin statement, Putin thanked the Russian Orthodox Church for its role in society. Its influential leader, Patriarch Kirill, is considered an ardent supporter of the war against Ukraine
All developments in the live ticker:
11:52 a.m.: Makeiev has high hopes for German infantry fighting vehicles
The Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, sees the planned delivery of German armored personnel carriers as a significant support for his country. “Our ground troops will benefit enormously from the Marder infantry fighting vehicle,” says Makeiev of “WirtschaftsWoche”. He referred to the use of the Iris-T anti-aircraft system and the Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, which Germany has already supplied, and the Patriot anti-aircraft system from the United States and Germany. “This closes the Ukrainian defenses in the sky and on the ground,” the ambassador explains.
11:40 am – Ukraine was supported with more than 30 billion euros in 2022
According to its own statements, Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia, received the equivalent of more than 30 billion euros in aid and loans from abroad last year. Around 40 percent came from the United States, the Ukrainian central bank said. Almost 25 percent came from the European Union and about eight percent from the International Monetary Fund. Germany contributed another five percent.
The support was thus around 16 percent of Ukraine’s pre-war economic output. According to estimates by the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Kyiv, the Ukrainian gross domestic product collapsed by more than 30 percent in 2022 as a result of the war.
08:00 – Zelenskyy congratulates Kevin McCarthy and wishes further support
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on his election. in one tweet Zelenskyy wrote that US support was crucial to Ukraine’s success on the battlefield. “We continue to count on your continued support and continued US assistance as we move closer to our common victory,” he wrote.
03:32 – Russia: Drone attack on Crimea repelled
According to state information, the Russian air defense has repelled another drone attack on the Crimean Peninsula, which has been annexed by Moscow since 2014. The unmanned flying object was shot down early on Saturday morning over a pier near Sevastopol, the naval base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the city’s governor, Mikhail Rasvozhayev, wrote in his Telegram channel, according to the Tass state agency. The port has been the target of Ukrainian drone attacks on several occasions, most recently on January 4 when two drones were shot down.
01:30 – Belarusian opposition concerned about possible mobilization
Concerns are growing among the Belarusian opposition about a possible mobilization in their country in support of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The opposition politician Pawel Latuschka, who lives in exile in Warsaw, told the editorial network Germany (RND) that the preparations for this were well advanced. The Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko only needs to press the button on orders from the Kremlin to start mobilizing. Former Belarusian culture minister Latushka is a member of opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya’s cabinet in exile.
As Latushka reported, citing sources from Minsk, almost all employees who report to the Belarusian Interior Ministry were asked to surrender their passports. This information is available from various cities in the country. “This means that these people will not be able to leave the territory of Belarus if they are mobilized,” said Latuschka.
1:01 a.m. – London wants to advance the investigation of Russian war crimes
London wants to advance the investigation of Russian war crimes in Ukraine and, together with the Netherlands, has invited to an international meeting. In March, justice ministers from around the world are to meet in London to organize financial and practical support for the work of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the British government announced.
“Russian forces should know that they cannot act with impunity and we will support Ukraine until justice is done,” British Justice Minister Dominic Raab said in a statement. The international community must give the International Criminal Court strong backing so that war criminals can be held accountable.
12:01 a.m. – US announces largest military package to date for Ukraine
The United States has announced what it says is the most extensive military aid package for Ukraine to date, worth $3 billion (equivalent to around 2.82 billion euros). The package, which includes 50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and dozens of other armored vehicles, will enable Ukraine to “advance and retake terrain,” US Deputy Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper told reporters on Friday.
It’s “the biggest package we’ve promised so far,” Cooper said. The Bradley armored personnel carriers, which are to be supplied with 500 TOW anti-tank missiles and 250,000 rounds of ammunition for their machine cannons, are considered to be of military importance. The vehicles would further strengthen “Ukraine’s ability to conduct complex maneuvers,” said Cooper, who is responsible for Russia and Ukraine at the Pentagon.
This is particularly true in the south and east of the country – and in almost all weather conditions and in almost any terrain. On Thursday, the United States and Germany announced the delivery of Bradley infantry fighting vehicles through Washington and Marder infantry fighting vehicles through Berlin.
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