01/23/2024
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 07:12 “I am Russian – to defy the whole world”: Navalny exposed to further harassment +++
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has been locked up for more than three years now – and has been subjected to various harassment: from regular solitary confinement to a lack of medical care. Now the British newspaper reports “Guardians” about another challenge: every morning at 5 a.m. he has to listen to the pop song “I am Russian” after the Russian national anthem. “All I want is to love and breathe. And I don’t need anything else,” says the song by Putin’s friend “Shaman.” “I am who I am and you can’t break me. And that’s because I’m Russian. I’ll go all the way.” And further: “I am Russian – to defy the whole world.”
+++ 06:39 Kiev under heavy fire +++
The Ukrainian capital Kiev is again under heavy fire. “Kyiv under heavy fire. Once again woken up by very loud explosions,” writes journalist Denis Trubetskoy on X. It brings back memories of the heavy shelling on January 2nd. At that time, Russian troops attacked Kiev particularly massively. The Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times, Christopher Miller, also reports on a loud series of explosions in the capital. The air defense is in action, writes the head of the capital’s military administration, Serhiy Popko, on Telegram. The greater Kiev region was also attacked by Russia with missiles.
+++ 06:17 Ukrainian business complains about growing pressure from law enforcement authorities +++
There is criticism of the government in the Ukrainian economy: the reason is increased perceived pressure from law enforcement authorities, such as Forbes Ukraine reported. Accordingly, a group of Ukrainian business leaders met with senior government officials on Monday to express their concerns. A few days ago, the influential investment banker Ihor Mazepa, a vocal critic of government pressure on the economy, was arrested and his business premises searched. He is accused of illegally confiscating land near Kiev, but he denies the allegations. The incident is just the latest in a series of incidents that they describe as systematic state pressure, including unannounced searches, asset seizures and arrests, according to business officials.
+++ 05:42 Air alert over the whole of Ukraine +++
The Ukrainian Air Force declares an air alert for all areas of Ukraine, including Kiev, early this morning. Numerous cruise missiles are said to have been fired from Russia.
+++ 02:04 Ukraine is reportedly planning a decade-long entry ban on Russian means of transport +++
The Ukrainian government is apparently planning a 50-year entry ban for all vehicles registered in Russia or owned by Russian citizens. That reports “Kyiv Independent” citing the government’s web portal. The ban would also affect planes, buses, trucks and trains registered in Russia, as well as ships flying the Russian flag. The proposal must be approved by the National Security Council.
+++ 23:41 Zelenskyj: Poland will deliver new arms package +++
After Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s visit to Kiev, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj announced new arms deliveries from Poland. “There will be a new arms package from Poland,” he says in his daily video address. There was also discussion about the joint production of weapons in order to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capability. The third point the head of state mentions is the training of Ukrainian soldiers on Polish weapon systems. Zelensky does not provide any information about the scope of the arms deliveries or the contents of the arms package.
+++ 22:12 Ukrainian Prosecutor General: More than 260 buildings linked to Russia seized +++
Since the beginning of the large-scale invasion, Ukrainian law enforcement authorities have seized more than 260 objects on Ukrainian territory that are directly or indirectly linked to Russians, says Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin. The seized objects include companies, factories, ports, offices and homes, Kostin said. They were handed over to the Ukrainian Agency for Investigation and Management of Assets.
+++ 21:41 Russian drone drops explosives – man on motorcycle killed +++
A Russian drone dropped explosives on the city of Beryslav in the Kherson region. She killed a man, writes the region’s governor, Oleksandr Proukudin, on Telegram. The man was on a motorcycle at the time of the attack, said Prokudin. Beryslav, with a prewar population of about 12,000 people, lies on the Ukrainian-controlled western bank of the Dnipro River, about 70 kilometers east of Kherson. Ukrainian forces liberated Kherson and other regional settlements on the western bank of the river as part of the fall 2022 counteroffensive.
+++ 21:16 Ukrainian army chief speaks of “extremely tense” situation at the front +++
According to the military leadership in Kiev, the Ukrainians are exposed to heavy Russian attacks in the north of the country and around Bakhmut. “The situation is extremely tense and characterized by intense fire from artillery, mine throwers and combat drones as well as storming actions by the enemy,” writes the commander in chief of the Ukrainian army, Olexander Syrskyj, on his Telegram channel. He coordinated further defense with the brigade commanders on site. In northeastern Ukraine, the defenders have been on the defensive for months. Russia has reported several small gains in terrain in recent weeks.
+++ 20:41 Ukraine and other countries accuse Russia of hypocrisy +++
Ukraine and dozens of other countries, including Germany, are once again accusing Russia of hypocrisy and diversionary tactics before the UN Security Council. The country wants to distract from its own war of aggression against Ukraine by convening more and more meetings on arms deliveries from Western states to Kiev, say representatives of these states in New York before a Security Council meeting on the situation in Ukraine that was held at Russia’s request. At the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who came specially for the purpose, again sharply criticized these arms deliveries. Lavrov also says that his country is fundamentally ready to negotiate – but not with the aim of keeping the current government in power in Kiev.
You can read all previous developments here.