12/11/2022
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 04:15 reports of deaths in Ukrainian attacks on Melitopol +++
According to pro-Russian sources, two people died and ten others were injured in Ukrainian rocket attacks on the Russian-held city of Melitopol in southern Ukraine. Melitopol’s exiled mayor reports that a disused church used by the Russians as a meeting place was hit and spoke of numerous deaths. The Ukrainian army does not immediately comment on the incident. The Central Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces previously said it had carried out attacks on Melitopol.
+++ 02:41 Estonia demands more arms deliveries to Ukraine +++
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is urging Germany and other allies to continue supplying arms to Ukraine. “I urge all allies, including Germany, to send everything Ukraine needs to defend itself,” said the prime minister. “If all allies had sent weapons in January or February, many lives would have been saved,” says Kallas. Estonia had been supplying arms to Ukraine even before Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine began.
+++ 01:14 EU concerned about Turkey’s proximity to Russia +++
The European Union is urging Turkey to change its trade policy with Russia and implement western sanctions over the Ukraine war. “Turkey’s continued policy of not joining the EU’s restrictive measures against Russia is a growing cause for concern,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in a letter to the EU Parliament, quoted by the Funke newspapers. Turkey has massively expanded its exports to Russia since the start of the Ukraine war and is also increasingly buying Russian oil. Apparently, Western companies are also using Turkey as a loophole to sell their products to Russia.
More about this here.
+++ 23:33 Selenskyj honors Ukrainian Nobel Prize winner +++
In his evening video speech, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj acknowledges the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the human rights organization of his compatriot Olexandra Matviychuk, among others. “This year, for the first time, the language of Ukraine, our Ukrainian language, was heard at the ceremony – thanks to the Center for Civil Liberties and its director, Ms. Matviychuk, who was awarded the Peace Prize,” Zelenskyy said. “I congratulate Ms. Olexandra, her colleagues and all Ukrainian human rights defenders on this recognition.” In addition to the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties (CCL), the defunct Russian organization Memorial and the imprisoned Belarusian human rights lawyer Ales Byalyatsky were honored with the most important political prize in the world.
+++ 22:22 So far no EU compromise in rings about gas price caps +++
So far, no compromise has been reached in talks between EU diplomats about the details of a possible gas price cap. Twelve countries – including Belgium, Italy, Poland and Slovenia – called for a significantly lower upper limit than proposed by the EU Commission. A representative of an EU member state says that the states have converged on their positions. Other circles said, however, that little progress had been made. The diplomats want to hold further talks on Monday. The EU energy ministers are to find a solution at a meeting on December 13th. The EU has been at odds on the issue for months. At the end of November, the EU Commission proposed a gas price cap of EUR 275 per megawatt hour.
+++ 21:54 explosions in occupied Melitopol – “waiting for good news from Ukrainian armed forces” +++
Several explosions occurred during an attack by Ukrainian artillery on the Russian-held town of Melitopol in south-eastern Ukraine. The occupying administration reports an attack on a restaurant and several civilian casualties. “As a result of the missile attack from a HIMARS system, there were dead and wounded among peaceful people in the restaurant,” a representative of the occupiers said, according to the Kremlin-affiliated TASS news agency. The city’s Ukrainian mayor, Ivan Fedoriv, reports on Telegram that an occupied church where the Russians held their meetings was hit. According to Fedoriv, explosions could be heard in all districts of the city. The mayor calls for “waiting for good news from the Ukrainian armed forces”.
+++ 21:15 Odessa possibly two to three months without electricity +++
After the recent rocket attacks on the port city of Odessa in southern Ukraine, authorities believe it could take up to three months for power to be restored. “According to preliminary forecasts, the restoration of power plants in the Odessa region will take much longer than after previous enemy attacks,” the regional administration announced on Facebook. “It’s not a matter of days, it’s weeks, and it’s not impossible that it will take two to three months,” it said. The agency recommends families with young children and the elderly to temporarily leave the city if possible.
+++ 20:45 Russia: anti-aircraft defense in Crimea and in Melitopol +++
According to Russian information, anti-aircraft defenses are active in the areas of Ukraine occupied by Russian troops. There were reports of the use of air defense from both Simferopol in Crimea and Melitopol in south-eastern Ukraine, according to the Russian state agency Tass. The population was asked to remain calm. However, no information was given about the nature of the possible attack or its effects. Ukraine had recently used reconnaissance and combat drones over the Russian-occupied areas. Kiev has not yet officially commented on the possible use of Ukrainian combat drones against military airports in Russia, in which combat aircraft were damaged.
+++ 20:04 Turkey plans talks with Russia and Ukraine about grain corridor +++
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday. The aim is to “strengthen the corridor for cargo ships in the Black Sea set up with the grain agreement,” Erdogan announced in Istanbul. Mediated by Turkey and the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement in July to export Ukrainian grain via a corridor in the Black Sea. The agreement ended a months-long blockade on Ukraine’s grain exports as a result of Russia’s war of aggression. Ships en route to or from Ukrainian ports are checked at a joint center in Istanbul by teams made up of Ukrainian, Russian, Turkish and UN representatives. However, the controls are progressing slowly. There are currently 79 ships waiting to be inspected off Istanbul. According to the center, ships sometimes have to wait weeks for the controls.
You can read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.