08/11/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 06:05 Taurus delivery: Union demands clarity from Scholz +++
Union security politicians have called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to clarify the dispute over the delivery of longer-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. There should be no “further traffic light theater” on this question, says parliamentary group leader Johann Wadephul of the German Press Agency in Berlin. “For us, it is important that a decision to deliver Taurus missiles must be carefully considered. It must be clear that German soldiers must not be involved and that subsequent deliveries for the Air Force must be initiated at the same time as the delivery.”
+++ 04:57 hackers probably spied on embassy employees in Belarus +++
A group of hackers spied on embassy employees of four countries in Belarus for years, including during the war in Ukraine. To do this, they hijacked local Internet networks, write security researchers at the Slovakian cybersecurity company ESET in a report. About 15 devices belonging to diplomats from two European countries, one South Asian country and one African country working in the embassies were attacked. The digital spy campaign started around 2021 and is still ongoing.
+++ 03:29 Russian rocket hits hotel used by the UN in Zaporizhia +++
According to Ukrainian authorities, a Russian Iskander missile hit a hotel in the city of Zaporizhia on Thursday evening. One person was killed and 16 people were injured, including four children. Local media reported that the damaged building was the Hotel Reikartz in the city center, which is often used by United Nations staff. “I am appalled by the news that a hotel in Zaporizhia, which is often used by United Nations staff and non-governmental organizations to help those affected by the war, has been hit by a Russian attack,” said the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, in an email.
+++ 02:33 Ukrainian soldiers return after training in Great Britain +++
Britain has trained around 900 marines from Ukraine in the past few months. The soldiers will soon return after six months of training, reports the PA news agency. According to the British Ministry of Defence, there were also volunteers with no military experience. More than 20,000 Ukrainian recruits have been trained in the UK since the war began in February 2022, according to the PA.
+++ 01:10 Würzburg delivers three fire engines to the Ukraine +++
The city of Würzburg is donating three fire brigade vehicles to its Ukrainian twin city of Lviv. City employees and two drivers from the volunteer fire brigade brought the decommissioned but technically fully functional vehicles to the border crossing between Korczowa in Poland and Krakowez in Ukraine, the city announced. Lviv is only about 70 kilometers east of the Polish border. According to the head of the Würzburg professional fire brigade, the vehicles were technically overhauled, got new tires and a new TÜV. Firefighting equipment was also included.
+++ 00:01 Kiev: Reconstruction is part of the resistance against Russia +++
Ukrainian Deputy Infrastructure Minister Oleksandra Azarkhina describes support for the country’s military defense as a base. “Germany helped us militarily last winter so that we are safe here in Kiev,” Azarkhina told Der Spiegel. But war is not just about weapons. However, more help is needed for reconstruction. “Economic development is part of the resistance against Russia. We pay our soldiers from the state budget. If we don’t have a functioning economy, we don’t have any tax revenue either.” In the war of aggression against Ukraine, 144,536 private houses and 18,754 apartment buildings were badly hit, the magazine reports, citing figures from the Ukrainian government. More than 300 road bridges, 1,733 schools, 979 kindergartens and 864 health facilities have been damaged or completely destroyed by the fighting.
+++ 22:57 Selenskyj for religious tolerance – but beware of Moscow +++
Selenskyj sees religious tolerance as an important part of his country’s self-image. That’s what he says in his video address after speaking to a representative of the center of the Orthodox Church, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, in Kiev. According to the President, there is a Council of Churches and Religious Organizations in Ukraine. This council ensures that all religious communities can express themselves freely and “can participate in solving socially important issues”. However, Zelenskyj makes one restriction with regard to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, which is committed to the Moscow Patriarchate. “The state will never allow one of the Ukrainian religious communities to be used by an aggressor state,” he says.
+++ 22:02 Biden asks Congress for another 24 billion dollars for Kiev +++
US President Joe Biden wants to ask Congress for additional spending of $40 billion, including $24 billion for Ukraine and other international war-related needs. According to the application, four billion dollars are earmarked for border security and twelve billion dollars for disaster relief. A senior government official says the need is great and the White House hopes to reach an agreement with Congress.
You can read more about the events of the previous day here.