live blog
Status: 03/01/2023 06:14 a.m
The Ukrainian President Zelenskyj has emphatically spoken out in favor of an international criminal investigation of the Russian war of aggression. The Finnish parliament votes on the NATO accession law. All developments in the live blog.
06:12 a.m
Ukrainian military analyst admits setback near Bakhmut
Russian forces have made progress in encircling Bakhmut, according to Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov. The troops drove a wedge between the villages of Jahidne and Berchiwka. “This breach on the northern flank of Bakhmut poses a clear threat to us,” Zhdanov wrote in comments on social media.
06:02 a.m
Ukraine war main topic at G20 meeting
A good year after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the foreign ministers of the G20 group of leading economic powers are meeting in India. The Chinese position paper for an end to the war started by Russia, which was received with great skepticism in the West, is likely to play a role here. Moscow welcomed the paper, but according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, currently sees no prerequisite for a peaceful solution.
5:55 a.m
Intensity of the fighting over Bakhmut “only increases”
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the fighting for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine is becoming increasingly fierce. “Russia does not count its men at all and sends them into battle to constantly attack our positions,” said the head of state. “The intensity of the fighting is only increasing.”
The Battle of Bakhmut is the longest-running battle to date in the more than year-long Russian war of aggression. According to analysts, the city is of little strategic importance – a revenue would therefore have primarily symbolic value for Moscow. According to Ukrainian sources, Moscow used the “best stormtroopers” of the Wagner mercenary group, which is considered particularly brutal, in the attacks on Bakhmut.
5:47 a.m
Finnish parliament votes on NATO accession law
Finland’s parliament is voting today on a law paving the way for the country to join NATO. The vote is expected at 1 p.m. (CET), said a parliamentary spokesman for the dpa news agency. A large majority of MPs are expected to agree. In view of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Finland, like neighboring Sweden, applied for NATO membership in May 2022
5:22 a.m
Zelenskyy: Will take the Russian system to court
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has emphatically spoken out in favor of a criminal investigation of the Russian war of aggression against his country at international level. “We will smash this entire Russian genocidal system – from the cogs to the architects – and bring it to justice,” Zelenskyy said in his daily video address. This is not an easy task. However, if the “Russian crimes” were punished by an international court within the framework of the rule of law, this would guarantee security for Ukrainians and other peoples in the long term.
The Russian attack on Ukraine will inevitably have legal ramifications for everyone who conceived, approved and implemented such a policy, Zelenskyy said. “And I would like to emphasize that it’s not just about those who carry it out, but also about the highest political and military leadership of the terrorist state.”