After the targeted Russian attacks on the Ukrainian power grid, the situation in the port city of Odessa and in other regions is difficult according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyj. Despite ongoing heavy fighting, the course of the front remains unchanged. According to the Ukrainian defense minister, this will be changed with a counter-offensive as soon as the ground is frozen enough to support wheeled and tracked vehicles.
Zelenskyj: Do everything to ease the situation
Efforts to repair the severely damaged power grid in and around Odessa continue. Sometimes there is a supply again. "At the moment in Odessa and other cities and regions of the region we have managed to partially resume deliveries. We are doing everything we can to get the maximum out of the Russian hits under these conditions," said Zelenskyy. "But at the moment the Odessa region is still further among the areas where there are the most shutdowns."
Russian troops attacked Odessa on Saturday night with a wave of Iranian combat drones, causing the city and the entire surrounding area to lose power. According to the official statement, the power outage, which affects several hundred thousand people, can only be repaired with great effort. The regional electric utility said repairs could take two to three months.
"Kiev and its environs, Lviv region, Vinnytsia region, Ternopil region, Chernovyts region and Zakarpattia region, Sumy region, Dnepropetrovsk region - the situation remains very difficult," said Zelenskyy. However, everything is being tried to “relax the situation” and to provide people with electricity.
The Russian military has been targeting the energy infrastructure for several weeks, causing massive outages in the power and water supply. This tactic is intended to put the population under pressure, especially during the cold winter months.
Ukrainian Defense Minister announces counter-offensives
According to the defense minister, the Ukrainian armed forces will resume their counter-offensive against the Russian occupiers if the weather conditions are favourable. The current transition "from dry autumn to not yet frosty winter" does not offer favorable operating conditions for either wheeled or tracked vehicles," said Minister Oleksiy Resnikov yesterday at a meeting with his Swedish colleague Pål Jonson in Odessa. "I think the (current) decline of activity on the front line is due to the weather."
"But the Ukrainian armed forces are not thinking of quitting," Resnikov said. Rather, they wanted to use the moment when the ground becomes more solid due to frost to continue their counterattacks. Ukraine's plan is "very simple," stressed Resnikov. The goal is the liberation of all temporarily occupied areas and the restoration of internationally recognized borders after independence in 1991.
Kiev confirms airstrikes on Russian-held areas
The Ukrainian General Staff yesterday confirmed a series of airstrikes against targets in the country's Russian-held areas. In addition, since Saturday evening, a number of command posts, accommodation and supply camps have been shelled with barrel and rocket artillery, according to the statement from the military leadership. However, the exact targets were not mentioned. But the Russian Air Force also carried out attacks yesterday.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister: So far no commitment for tank deliveries
According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, there are currently no German commitments to supply tanks to Ukraine. "Such a decision has not yet been made. There are no commitments. But we are working on it, quite openly," said Kuleba yesterday on the ARD program "Report from Berlin", according to the translation. Ukraine does not understand why Germany is supplying artillery but not tanks.
"As of now, there are projects from Germany, these are the delivery of the Iris-T systems, these are anti-aircraft weapons." The Cheetah tanks are also anti-aircraft weapons. "But as of this writing, as far as I know, tanks are not included in that list. That's a shame."
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far refused to supply Leopard 2 tanks on the grounds that no other NATO country has made such tanks available. The US signaled on Friday that they see no obstacle in this.
Biden assures Selenskyj of further support
US President Joe Biden has pledged continued support for Ukraine. In a phone call with Zelenskyy, Biden promised that the United States would continue to help the attacked country defend itself against the Russian aggressor. This was announced by the White House yesterday evening (local time) in Washington.
Macron expresses support for Ukrainian peace plan
French head of state Emmanuel Macron expressed his full support for the Ukrainian peace ideas. In a phone call with Zelenskyj yesterday, Macron welcomed his peace plan, as the Élysée Palace announced.
Selenskyj had repeatedly submitted a peace plan which, among other things, provides for the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. Troops are also said to be withdrawing from the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which has been annexed since 2014. In addition, there are reparations payments, the legal processing of war crimes and security guarantees from the West for Ukraine.
That's going to be important today
The foreign ministers of the EU states are discussing the latest developments in Iran and in Russia's war against Ukraine today (1 p.m.) in Brussels. At times, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba should also be connected via video conference. Originally, another package of sanctions against Russia was to be decided at the meeting.
Since the consultations on the details had not yet been completed, the formal decision will probably only be made after the meeting of foreign ministers.
