January 15, 2024
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 02:10 War prayer denied: Russian priest threatened with expulsion+++
The Russian priest Alexei Uminski is apparently threatened with expulsion from the Russian Orthodox Church. Like the British one “Guardians” Reportedly, he refused to read a prayer asking God for a Russian victory in the war against Ukraine. The exclusion should now be approved by Patriarch Kirill, who is a loyal supporter of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and the attack on Ukraine.
+++ 00:39 Governor: Russia fends off Ukrainian missiles over Kursk +++
Russia’s anti-aircraft defense intercepted three Ukrainian missiles overnight over Russia’s Kursk region near the border with Ukraine. This was announced by the governor of Kursk, Roman Starovoit, on Telegram. There is currently no information on injuries or damage.
+++ 22:25 Report: Ukraine shoots down two planes +++
The Ukrainian military has one report According to reports, a Russian aircraft was shot down and another damaged over the Sea of Azov. The Ukrainian broadcaster RBC cites sources in the country’s army. Accordingly, an A-50 early warning aircraft was shot down and an IL-22 bomber was damaged. The shelling occurred on Sunday between 9:10 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. local time.
+++ 22:17 Ukraine rejects “freezing” the war +++
For Ukraine, any attempt to turn Russia’s war of aggression into a “frozen conflict” is unacceptable, says the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, in Davos. “Every day Ukrainians live under the conditions of this war, and when they go to sleep they are not sure whether they will wake up. The attacks by Russian missiles and drones continue almost every day and every night,” Yermak said. “This president and his team will never agree and will not accept a freezing of the conflict. This is unacceptable for Ukrainian society… Ukraine does not need frozen conflicts. Ukraine needs a just peace.”
Yermak at the Ukraine conference in Davos
(Photo: AP)
+++ 9:47 p.m. Zelenskyj on Monday in Bern and Davos +++
Ukrainian President Zelenskyj is traveling to Switzerland on Monday. According to the Ukrainian presidential office, during his visit to Bern he will meet Swiss President Viola Amherd, the chairmen of both chambers of parliament and party leaders. He will also take part in the World Economic Forum in Davos. High-ranking representatives from politics, business and civil society, including more than 60 heads of state and government, will be meeting in the Swiss Alpine resort from Monday. The agenda is dominated by the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, which has been going on for almost two years, and the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has been going on for 100 days.
+++ 21:07 Russian politician arrested +++
Russian police have arrested lawyer Ekaterina Duntsova. The writes The British journalist Marc Bennetts on X. Duntsowa wanted to run in the presidential elections, but was not allowed. The arrest came after Duntsova said she would form a new political party called Dawn.
+++ 20:46 Almost 90 battles on Sunday +++
According to Ukrainian information, there were 86 battles on the front in Ukraine on Sunday. The Ukrainian army repelled almost 70 attacks by the Russians, the Ukrainian General Staff said in the evening on Facebook with. The Ukrainian Air Force carried out attacks on Russian army personnel, weapons and equipment in four locations.
+++ 20:02 Russian authorities deny using cold to persuade prisoners to do military service +++
The Russian Penitentiary Service has denied “information circulating on the Internet” about heating shutdowns in Russian prisons. “All correctional facilities operate properly and adhere to the temperature standards required by law,” the authority explains in a press release. About it reported the Russian exile news site Meduza.
On Saturday, Olga Romanova, head of the non-governmental organization “Russia behind bars”, told the “Bild” newspaper said, authorities would turn off heaters in prisons in subzero temperatures to make conditions so unbearable that inmates would be willing to enlist in the war in Ukraine. “In Russia there are three population groups for whom most people feel no compassion when they die on the front: prisoners, minorities living in poor regions far from Moscow, and new citizens. As long as these three groups are fighting in Ukraine and die, Putin can give the rest of the population a false sense of normality.”
+++ 19:27 Ukrainian Air Force proposes nationwide electronic air defense +++
In view of ever new Russian attacks with drones and cruise missiles against targets in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Air Force is proposing a comprehensive and decentralized electronic air defense system. The municipalities themselves could raise the funds to purchase electronic devices that could be used to jam the sensors of incoming drones. “You don’t buy weapons – i.e. firearms, cannons or anti-aircraft systems. But they (the electronic devices) help save lives,” says Yuri Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, on Ukrainian television. “A missile can be diverted in this way and not reach its target,” he explains the effect of the electronic jamming devices. These could now easily be purchased privately. “There is no reason to waste expensive missiles when you can stop the enemy in this way.”
You can read all previous developments here.