Despite massive Russian airstrikes on power plants and other infrastructure, Ukraine shows an unbroken will to fight. "Russian troops continue to attack our power plants with rockets and drones. In the end, even such Russian meanness will fail," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his evening video address.
Russia wants to destroy Ukraine's energy system and make the neighboring country suffer even more. "But this only mobilizes the international community to help us even more and to put even more pressure on the terrorist state," stressed the President.
Energy problems expected
The Ukrainian utility Ukrenerho announced in the evening that it expects temporary restrictions on energy consumption today as a result of the damaged facilities across the country. The company was forced to shut down power yesterday.
The adviser in the President's Office in Kyiv, Oleksiy Arestovych, did not rule out long-term problems. "We may well face a situation where we will be sitting for weeks or even months without water, without light and warmth, or with major limitations." But he was sure that the Ukrainians would overcome the problems.
UNHCR plans winter relief
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) wants to help displaced people and people living in homes in Ukraine that have been severely damaged by the war to get through the cold winter months in good health. "We have converted 390 public buildings in Ukraine so that there are now 109,000 sleeping places," said Deputy UN High Commissioner for Refugees Kelly Clements of the German Press Agency in Berlin. These are mostly schools or gyms.
Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Moldova also need further support in caring for Ukrainian refugees, explained Clements, who was in the Bundestag and the Foreign Office for talks this week. "What concerns us the most at the moment is the cold," she said.
Zelenskyj thanks Scholz
At the EU summit in Brussels, Selenskyj thanked Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) for the delivery of the Iris-T air defense system in a video speech. "This German system not only shields Ukrainian airspace. It protects European stability by containing Russian terror, which hits both our country and your countries in the future," said Zelenskyy in front of the heads of state and government of the 27 EU countries. states.
The first system was handed over to Ukraine a week ago. The Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov had spoken of a "new era of air defense".
Putin shows up with recruits
In Russia, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin had himself filmed for the first time shooting with a sniper rifle at a military training area almost eight months after the start of the war in Ukraine. Yesterday, state television showed the commander-in-chief firing the Dragunov-type weapon while lying under a camouflage net.
He then spoke to soldiers in the Ryazan area, about 200 kilometers south-east of Moscow. Together with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Putin also demonstratively checked the equipment of the fighters in front of the camera. The visit came amid criticism of poor preparation of Russian soldiers for the war in Ukraine.
Difficult situation at the front
Selenskyj called the situation at the front difficult. This particularly affects the Donbass in the east and some directions in the south. "But we are holding our ground. We are defending our country. We are gradually moving forward, displacing the enemy." Ukraine will win. "Terrorists always lose. Freedom always wins."
US: Iranians help Russia in Ukraine
According to the US government, Russia is using combat drones from Iran in the Ukraine war - with the support of Iranian forces on site. "We can confirm today that Russian military personnel stationed in Crimea piloted Iranian drones and used them in attacks across Ukraine, including attacks on Kyiv in recent days," said the National Security Council's communications director , John Kirby. "We assume that Iranian military personnel were stationed in Crimea and assisted Russia in these operations."
Russia denies using Iranian drones; Iran denies supplying them to Russia.
US government criticizes resettlements
The US government has criticized the resettlement in the southern Ukrainian region of Cherson by the Russian occupying power. "We are not surprised that the Russians are using such clumsy tactics to seek control over a population that unequivocally rejects Putin and his war," the White House spokeswoman said when asked by a journalist. The resettlements are another example of the cruelty and brutality of the occupiers.
According to the Russian occupying forces in the southern Ukrainian region of Cherson, they have already brought several thousand civilians to territory safely controlled by Russia. Ukraine spoke of deportations. The Russian army fears a major attack by the Ukrainian military to liberate the city of Kherson and the area on the north bank of the Dnipro River. Therefore, civilians are to be resettled from there.
Biden worried about Ukraine aid
US President Joe Biden has expressed concern about continued military support to Ukraine if the Republicans win the general election in November. Biden said he was concerned because Republicans said they would cut aid to Ukraine.
In the event of an election victory, the Republicans do not want to continue supporting Kiev as before. Biden complained that they did not understand how far-reaching and serious this would be, not only for Ukraine but also for Eastern Europe and NATO.
That's going to be important today
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) wants to take concrete steps towards better regional cooperation at a Western Balkans conference in Berlin.
A vigil is taking place in Wismar as a sign of solidarity for refugees from Ukraine - the reason is the fire in an accommodation in Northwest Mecklenburg.
