Russian invasion
Air alert in large parts of Ukraine – Kiev is searching for Moscow Patriarch Kirill
Kirill I, Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Kremlin. He is now on Ukraine’s wanted list
© Mikhail Metzel / Pool Sputnik Kremlin / AP / DPA
Ukraine reports numerous air strikes by Russian drones. President Volodymyr Zelensky praises military aid from the West. This is the situation in the morning.
After several days and nights of heavy Russian air strikes on the Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the work of the Ukrainian air defense system. In a week, 104 of 112 attacking Shahed drones were intercepted, Zelensky said in his evening video on Saturday. “And the destruction of each one means that lives and infrastructure have been saved,” he said, thanking all anti-aircraft soldiers.
There was also an air alert over large parts of eastern Ukraine on Sunday night. The air force in Kiev said Russian drones had entered Ukrainian airspace from the east and south. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian General Staff reported continued fierce fighting on the ground. Foreign experts such as the Institute for War Studies (ISW) in the USA observe that Russia is gaining ground with its advances.
Ukraine has been fending off a full-scale Russian invasion for nearly 22 months; Sunday marks the 662nd day of the war. Including the Crimean peninsula, about a fifth of the country is occupied by Russian soldiers.
Dozens of battles at the front
According to its leadership, the Ukrainian army repelled dozens of Russian attacks on the front in the east and south of the country on Saturday. The General Staff’s evening report mentioned 71 battles – a slight decrease after 82 battles on Friday. The military information could not be independently verified. Nevertheless, the numbers allow conclusions to be drawn about the intensity of the fighting.
Most of the Russian attacks again took place in the city of Avdiivka and the surrounding area in Donbass – 27 battles were registered. They were repelled, it was said. In the Kupyansk sector of the front further north in the Kharkiv and Luhansk region, the Ukrainian military counted eleven battles near the village of Synkivka. According to ISW estimates, the Russian troops have been on the offensive there for days and are advancing. There has been no mention of Ukrainian offensive actions in the General Staff reports for some time. After the widespread failure of the summer offensive, the Kiev troops are preparing for defense.
Western anti-aircraft equipment is proving itself in Ukraine
Zelensky said that one of the successes of anti-aircraft defense was that ballistic missiles from Russia were brought down from the sky last week. “The Patriots, Nasams, Cheetahs and other systems provided by our partners are working perfectly,” he said. At the same time, it is important to further improve air defense over Ukraine, said the head of state. This is an issue in almost all of his contacts with foreign partners.
In recent nights, Russia has attacked with swarms of combat drones. As was the case last winter, the target is often energy supply systems. However, Ukrainian air defense is much better equipped this winter. Nevertheless, according to civilian authorities, there were dozens of injuries and damage last week – including in Kiev.
Ukraine puts Moscow Patriarch Kirill on a wanted list
In the fight against the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church, Ukraine has put Moscow Patriarch Kirill on a wanted list. He is accused of being one of the main supporters of the Russian war of aggression. The Interior Ministry in Kiev put the church leader whose real name is Vladimir Gundyaev on the wanted list. Moscow was given as his whereabouts.
Kirill is clearly behind the war of aggression against Ukraine ordered by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. Like him, he insists on Russia’s claim to rule over the neighboring countries in which Russians live. In Ukraine he still has influence over the priests and communities that profess the Moscow Patriarchate.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister praises Chancellor Scholz and wants more leadership
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba praised Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s commitment to Ukraine at the recent EU summit. “What Chancellor Olaf Scholz did at the summit to remove the threatened Hungarian veto will go down in history as an act of German leadership in the interests of Europe,” Kuleba told “Bild am Sonntag”. At the same time, Kuleba called for more German leadership. “I can only hope that this also marks a broader and irreversible turnaround in Germany’s approach to leading efforts to resolve the most complicated issues,” he said.
The dispute over EU accession negotiations with Ukraine was considered deadlocked until the summit because Hungary blocked itself. As a solution, Scholz suggested that Prime Minister Viktor Orban leave the meeting for the vote. This enabled the other heads of state and government to reach the necessary agreement.