12/22/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 00:14 Fire in high-rise building during drone attack on Kiev +++
A high-rise building was hit in Kiev in a Russian drone attack. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko speaks of an impact on the upper floors of the building and a fire. Emergency services are on duty. One injured person was taken to hospital. According to initial information, debris from a downed drone fell into the residential building in the southwest part of the city. The authority also publishes Photos of a destroyed apartment. There are also said to have been impacts from debris from drones shot down in other parts of the city.
+++ 22:06 Zelensky appeals to Ukrainians’ fighting spirit before Christmas +++
Before Christmas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to the fighting spirit of his compatriots not to let up in their defense of the country. What is needed is a “maximum amount of attention for defense, a maximum of effort for the state, a maximum of energy so that Ukraine can achieve its goals,” Zelensky said in his evening video message. The time to rest will come later. This year, Ukraine celebrates Christmas officially for the first time according to the Western model on December 25th and no longer just according to Orthodox customs on January 7th. “Now before Christmas, everyone in our state must remember that this is a time for concentration, a time for work,” said Zelensky. The fate of the country will be decided in the Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions attacked by Russia.
+++ 21:26 Kiev: Western creditors extend debt freeze until March 2027 +++
Ukraine and a group of its Western creditors have agreed to extend a suspension of debt payments agreed in September 2022 until March 2027. “I am grateful to our partners from the G7 countries for their understanding of Ukraine’s needs in wartime,” said Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko. The debt freeze agreement could have expired at the end of this year.
+++ 20:39 Russian ex-minister sentenced to 12 years in prison camp +++
Former Russian minister Mikhail Abysov has been sentenced to twelve years in a prison camp by a Moscow court for founding a criminal organization and fraud. The verdict against the 51-year-old, who, as a member of the government from 2012 to 2018, is said to have stolen billions of rubles and taken them out of the country, came almost five years after his arrest. According to the verdict, Abysov had deceived shareholders of electricity companies in Siberia and illegally siphoned off funds. With him, other defendants were sentenced to imprisonment and fines. According to the verdict, Abysov stole four billion rubles (around 40 million euros today) from several companies during his time as minister and sent the money abroad.
+++ 19:59 Zelenskyj: Russian military is acting more and more slowly +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sees signs of slowing planning and activity in the Russian military. There are corresponding signals that Russian planning and the work of the local defense industry have come to a standstill, says Zelenskyj in his evening video address, referring to a report by the military intelligence service. “We will continue to contribute to this slowdown.”
+++ 19:23 Russia issues arrest warrant against head of Navalny Foundation +++
Russia issues an arrest warrant against a long-time confidante of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny who lives in exile. “Look, I’m now on the Russian wanted list,” writes Maria Pewtschich in a post on online networks that also shows a smiling emoji with sunglasses. “I’m not sure why, who cares,” she continues, attaching a screenshot of the Home Office notice. Pevchich has already left Russia and heads the anti-corruption foundation founded by Navalny, which draws attention to corruption among Russian elites.
You can read all previous developments here.