The day of the war at a glance
Moscow: Ukraine attacks in the south and east – Steinmeier flees into an air raid shelter
10/25/2022, 9:03 p.m
The fighting in Ukraine continues, but the fronts remain almost unchanged. Meanwhile, Moscow insists that Ukraine plans to use a so-called dirty bomb. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is coming surprised to a Visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv – and in the meantime has to visit an air raid shelter. The 244th day of the war at a glance.
Moscow reports Ukrainian attacks in the south
There is currently little movement on the more than 1,000-kilometer front in Ukraine. According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russian troops repelled Ukrainian attacks in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine and in the Luhansk region in the east. Representatives of the occupation administration deployed by Russia in Kherson are trying to evacuate thousands of residents across the Dnipro River to parts of the country further east.
Chechen leader Kadyrov blames Russia for warfare
The notorious ruler of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, once again expressed his dissatisfaction with the course of the war in Ukraine. “We used to say that we were conducting special military operations on the territory of Ukraine, but the war is already taking place on our territory,” Kadyrov said on his Telegram channel. He is very dissatisfied with it.
According to Kadyrov, martial law has already been imposed in regions bordering Ukraine. “But they continue to shoot at peaceful citizens and civilian objects.” Russia’s response to this was “weak”. In retaliation, he demanded the obliteration of Ukrainian cities “so that we can see the distant horizon.”
Moscow is sticking to the “dirty bomb” accusation
Despite sharp Western rebuffs, Russia persists in claiming that Ukraine is preparing to use a radioactive “dirty” bomb in the war. The US refusal to take notice is unacceptable in the face of such a threat, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The United States, France, Britain and Ukraine had previously dismissed the Russian allegations as false.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reiterated that his country has not planned and has no plans to develop a “dirty bomb”. Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in 1994 and has no plans to buy new ones. Russia’s repeated allegations raise concerns in Ukraine that Russia is planning to do so under a “false flag”.
Biden: Russia’s use of nuclear weapons would be ‘incredibly serious mistake’
US President Joe Biden warned Moscow in no uncertain terms against the use of nuclear weapons. “Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake if it were to use tactical nuclear weapons,” Biden said when asked if Russia was preparing to use a nuclear-contaminated bomb or nuclear weapons. “I can’t guarantee it’s a false flag operation,” Biden said, referring to Russia’s claim that Ukraine was planning to detonate a dirty bomb and then blaming it on Russia. “I don’t know, but it would be a bad, bad mistake.”
IAEA plans inspections at Kiev’s request
Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are to examine two Ukrainian nuclear facilities in the coming days, which Russia had mentioned in its allegations of a “dirty” bomb. This was announced by IAEA boss Rafael Grossi. However, these locations would be inspected regularly by the IAEA anyway. The West rejected Russian claims that Kyiv was planning to detonate a radioactive bomb to discredit Moscow. Such a “dirty bomb” consists of radioactive material released with conventional explosives.
Steinmeier has to flee to an air raid shelter
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Kyiv on his first trip to Ukraine since the start of the Russian war of aggression. However, he later had to flee to an air-raid shelter for an hour and a half during an air raid during his visit to Koryukivka in Ukraine. In the city he got an idea of the destruction caused by the Russian war of aggression.
Steinmeier later met with the Ukrainian head of state, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the spring there had been a diplomatic rift between the two. Now Zelenskyj thanked Germany for supporting his country attacked by Russia. In this way, the Federal Republic is contributing to peace in Ukraine. This is “big and historically important,” he said.
G7 and EU forge Marshall plan for Ukraine
Meanwhile, the G7 of economically strong democracies and the European Union have launched a Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of Ukraine. An expert conference chaired by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gave the starting signal for such a program based on the model of US aid to Europe after the Second World War. Scholz called the reconstruction of Ukraine a “generational task that has to start now”.
Power cuts in all Ukrainian regions
Due to the damage to the power grid caused by Russian shelling, the electricity was again shut off for hours in all Ukrainian regions. The energy supplier Ukrenerho justified the staggered restrictions by saying that the load on the grids should be reduced and the energy systems stabilized. Vital energy infrastructure is increasingly becoming the main target of Russian attacks.
Bomb injures five people in occupied city of Melitopol
A bomb exploded in the Russian-held city of Melitopol in southern Ukraine. This was announced by the crew administration. The explosive device in a car was therefore detonated at a business center. Five people were injured. Melitopol serves as the occupation’s administrative headquarters for the Zaporizhia Oblast, which Russia has declared annexed. The occupation administration spoke of a terrorist attack. That was not proven. At the same time, it is known that Ukrainian forces are continuing to fight in the occupied territories.
Russia deploys “home guard” in Kherson
The Russian occupation forces set up a paramilitary homeland guard in the Zaporizhia region and in Cherson. Their units should guard roads, bridges, railway tracks, factories and infrastructure objects, said the head of administration Yevgeny Balitsky. If necessary, the territorial defense will also be used “in defense on the front line,” Russian agencies quoted him as saying.
ISW: Wagner boss could pose a threat to Putin
According to the US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is close to the Kremlin, is gaining further power in Russia with the expansion of the military structure parallel to the Russian army. The head of the mercenary force, Wagner, had teamed up with former intelligence officer and separatist leader Igor Girkin to create a new volunteer battalion to fight in Ukraine. However, the new force could endanger President Vladimir Putin’s power, the experts report in their current management report.
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