December 16, 2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 03:34 Ukraine puts head of the Russian Orthodox Church on its wanted list +++
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry has put the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, on its wanted list. The country’s secret services accuse Kirill of supporting Russia in the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government wants to reduce the influence of priests of the Russian Orthodox Church, who it says have close ties to Russia and infiltrate Ukrainian society. Kirill’s entry on the wanted list is purely symbolic, as the patriarch is in Russia and is not threatened with arrest there.
+++ 02:14 Russian local politicians imprisoned for criticizing the war disappeared +++
A former Moscow local politician who was sentenced to seven years in prison last year for criticizing the Russian offensive in Ukraine has been missing from his supporters for days. Alexei Gorinov is no longer in the penal colony in Pokrov, around 200 kilometers east of Moscow, where he was previously imprisoned, his support group announced on Telegram. Gorinov’s lawyers have been trying in vain to obtain information about his whereabouts and health throughout the week, said the group concerned about the 62-year-old’s health. “We assume and hope that Alexei Gorinov has been transferred to a hospital,” the statement said.
+++ 00:52 Drone attacks on Kiev and the surrounding area +++
Explosions rock the Ukrainian capital Kiev. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, air defense is in use against Russian drones. Russian forces targeted areas near the city center. There were also explosions in the historic Podil. An air alarm was triggered. The authorities are also warning of possible rocket attacks on Kiev and the surrounding area. Russia has increased its air strikes on Ukraine in recent days, using drones, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles and cruise missiles.
+++ 00:29 Macron: Orban must not take the EU hostage +++
According to French President Macron, the next few months will be crucial for both Hungary and the EU. The Hungarian Prime Minister Orban should therefore not be allowed to take the international community hostage, said Macron at the end of the EU summit with a view to the planned multi-million dollar aid to Ukraine. Because of a veto by Hungary, the other heads of state and government were unable to decide on a revision of the EU budget as planned this Friday, including a 50 billion euro financial aid package for Ukraine. The negotiations must therefore continue next year.
+++ 22:48 Putin warns against “interference” in the presidential election +++
Russian leader Putin is warning foreign countries against any “interference” in next year’s presidential election. Any interference in Russia’s internal affairs will be “strictly suppressed,” Putin said at a televised meeting with the heads of the parties represented in parliament. Putin announced his candidacy for another term as president last week. The election will take place next March, around two years after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
+++ 21:58 The first “Leopard 2” tanks in Lithuania have been repaired +++
The first “Leopard 2” tanks were repaired in Lithuania after their deployment in Ukraine. The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense writes on X that the tanks are ready to return to the front.
+++ 21:27 Russia: 26 drones shot down over Crimea +++
Russia accuses Ukraine of a major drone attack on Crimea. This has been stopped, writes the Russian Defense Ministry on Telegram. In the evening, 26 Ukrainian drones were shot down within two hours. On Telegram, the Ukrainian armed forces confirm explosions in Sevastopol, the Simferopol area and Dzhankoi, among others.
+++ 21:08 There are said to have been explosions in Crimea, Sevastopol announces drone shot down +++
There are reports of explosions in Russian-occupied Crimea. According to the Telegram channels Krym.Realii and Krymskii Veter, local residents report explosions in various places on the peninsula – for example in Dzhankoi and the Simferopol area. The Moscow-appointed governor of the port city of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razwoshayev, only confirmed on Telegram that a drone had been shot down. The air defense in Sevastopol was active. There is no damage to the infrastructure, he continues. This information cannot be independently verified. In many cases it later turns out that the Ukrainian shelling has caused damage that is not officially reported.
+++ 20:48 Russia reports drones shot down over its own territory +++
Ukrainian drones are said to have flown over Russia’s Kursk region, which borders northeastern Ukraine. According to Governor Roman Starovoit, air defense is active in the evening. Four drones were shot down, both Starovit and the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow report.
+++ 20:20 Dozens of Ukrainian children are said to have been tortured +++
Kiev accuses Russian forces of killing at least 512 Ukrainian children and wounding 1,158 others since the war began. This is stated by the government’s human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, according to the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform. At a meeting of the Committee for the Protection of Ukrainian Children in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, he said he reported war crimes against children. The number of victims is increasing every day. At least 13 girls and boys were also victims of sexual violence, and at least 75 children were tortured by the Russian military, says Lubinets, citing figures from the Prosecutor General’s Office.
You can read all previous developments here.