Russia is sending a new group of Rosgwardiya troops from Chechnya to the occupied territory of Zaporizhia, Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fyodorov said on Wednesday announced on state television. He says Russian guards occupied checkpoints from Melitopol to Vasylivka. According to Fedorov, the fighters of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov are behaving aggressively and threatening civilians. “But if these ‘TikTok warriors’ used to mainly loot shops and intimidate the local population, they now have another important task: to control the mobilized (soldiers), who are completely maladjusted and unpredictable and can run away at any time,” he said Fedorov. The fighters are commonly derisively dubbed “TikTok warriors” in Ukraine because they like to film themselves in non-combat situations while pretending to be in combat and post the footage on the TikTok platform.
+++ 07:41 Russians fire on Sumy region +++
The municipalities of Seredyno-Budska and Hlukhivska have been under Russian fire for the past 24 hours, Sumy Region Governor Dmytro Zhyvytskyi reports on Telegram. A total of 23 rockets and grenades fell on the villages. According to the governor, there are no injuries.
+++ 07:18 Putin and Shoigu deny Ukraine sovereignty – country belongs to the Kremlin’s sphere of influence +++
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu chair a Russian Defense Ministry board in Moscow on Wednesday. They make several statements about the strategic direction of the Russian military. Central is Putin’s affirmation that Russia will “guarantee the security of all Russian territories, including illegally annexed territories in Ukraine,” the US think tank Institute for the Study of War explains in its latest update. Putin and Shoigu have repeatedly dismissed the idea of independent Ukrainian sovereignty, stressing that Russia must keep Ukraine within the Kremlin’s sphere of influence and defeat the Ukrainian “Nazi” regime.
+++ 06:57 Ukraine reports 100,000 dead Russian soldiers since the beginning of the war +++
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense puts the number of Russian soldiers killed since the invasion began today at 100,000. Russia itself has not provided any information on its own victims for months, and previously also clearly stated that the number of victims was underestimated. Some time ago, international observers put the losses at 100,000 people each. The number includes both dead and injured. Military experts put the ratio of soldiers killed to wounded in wars at one in four.
+++ 06:38 Ukraine injures two senior Russian officials at birthday party +++
According to Russian news agencies, two high-ranking Russian officials were wounded in Ukrainian shelling in Donetsk. One of the injured was Dmitry Rogozin, a former deputy prime minister of Russia who provides military advice to two occupied regions of Ukraine, an employee of the TASS news agency said. Also injured was Vitaly Chotsenko, head of government of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, as his press secretary told Russian news agencies. The two men came under fire in a hotel on the outskirts of Donetsk. It is said that Rogozin celebrated his birthday.
+++ 06:15 left boss for the end of Russia sanctions when withdrawing from occupied territories +++
Left leader Martin Schirdewan wants to use economic incentives to persuade Russia to end the war of aggression against Ukraine. “One lever is that if Russia meets certain demands of the international community, such as withdrawing from the areas occupied since the beginning of the war, the sanctions imposed as a result can be suspended,” says Schirdewan in Berlin. A few days ago, the left presented a peace plan for Ukraine. In it she proposes immediate negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. “We have to increase the diplomatic pressure so that exactly that happens,” said Schirdewan. The federal government should work for a joint EU initiative that also includes the United Nations as well as China and India. “The common lever is economic pressure.”
+++ 05:18 Strack-Zimmermann: Ukraine needs western battle tanks +++
After the visit of the Ukrainian President to the USA, the Chairwoman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, once again advocates the delivery of Western main battle tanks to Ukraine. “Strategically, we finally have to get in front of the wave and not only react when the situation worsens,” says the FDP politician to the news portal t-online. “Germany must finally deliver the Marder infantry fighting vehicle and, ideally, the Leopard 2 together with its European partners.” In view of the new threats from Vladimir Putin and the dramatic situation in Ukraine, she welcomes the fact that the USA wanted to deliver Patriots. Germany’s task is to supply “sufficient ammunition for the existing weapon systems”. “Ukraine finally needs more western tanks.”
+++ 04:10 Zelenskyj: Will “never surrender” to us +++
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy assures the US Congress in Washington that his country will “never surrender” in the face of the Russian war of aggression. “Russian tyranny has lost control of us,” said the 44-year-old. Ukrainians are not afraid – and no one in the world should be. “They have a lot more missiles and planes than we’ve ever had, that’s true, but our defenses are standing.” Ukraine will never capitulate.
+++ 03:08 Zelenskyj: US aid is an investment in security +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanks the US Congress for approving billions in US aid to help the country fight the Russian invasion. “Your funds are not handouts,” says Zelenskyj. “It’s an investment in global security and democracy.” He hopes that Congress will continue to support Ukraine on a bipartisan basis. The Republicans could block war aid with their majority in the House of Representatives from January.
+++ 02:32 Selenskyj: Russian attack against allies only a matter of time +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns that Russia could attack US allies. “It’s only a matter of time before they attack your other allies if we don’t stop them now,” Zelenskyy said in a speech to lawmakers in the two chambers of the US Congress. The world is too interconnected for anyone to feel safe if the Russian attack continues. Zelenskyy emphasizes that the coming year will be a “turning point” in the war. “I know that this is the point when Ukrainian courage and American determination must guarantee the future of our common freedom,” he says.
+++ 01:48 Russian lower house decides tougher penalties for “saboteurs” +++
The Russian lower house passes tougher penalties for “saboteurs”. A corresponding law had been passed by the deputies, the Duma announced on Wednesday in Moscow. The law provides for up to life imprisonment for domestic and foreign “saboteurs”. The new law was intended to “protect our country and our citizens from the threat of terrorism and sabotage,” the Duma said.
+++ 00:46 Pelosi receives Selenskyj in the US Congress +++
The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, receives the Ukrainian President Zelenskyj in the US Congress. “Thank you, Mr. President, for honoring us with your presence,” Pelosi said. “The entire Congress, Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate, looks forward to your message of unity, courage and determination.” Selenskyj had previously met US President Biden in the White House.
+++ 23:38 Biden: Support for Ukraine does not decrease +++
US President Joe Biden sees no dwindling Western support for Ukraine. “I see no reason to believe that support will drop,” Biden said in the White House. He has never seen NATO and the European Union so united. “And I don’t see any signs that anything will change. We all know what’s at stake here – the idea of sovereignty, the UN Charter,” says Biden.
+++ 23:13 Biden: Ukrainian freedom fight part of “something much bigger” +++
US President Joe Biden sees Ukraine’s struggle for freedom against Russia as part of a broader conflict. “We feel in our bones that Ukraine’s struggle is part of something far greater. The American people know that the world would certainly face worse consequences if we were to react in the face of such blatant attacks on freedom and democracy and the fundamental principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Biden said during a visit to the White House by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
+++ 10:25 p.m. Insider: USA impose stricter export restrictions on the Wagner Group +++
According to insiders, the US government wants to tighten export restrictions against the Russian private mercenary group “Wagner”. The US was about to announce new measures aimed at cutting off the group from technological supplies, people familiar with the matter say. The Wagner mercenary group is a Russian paramilitary organization that is also involved in the Ukraine war.
+++ 22:10 US Senate confirms new ambassador for Russia +++
The US Senate has confirmed the new ambassador to Moscow with an overwhelming majority. The position will be held by experienced diplomat Lynne Tracy. US President Joe Biden nominated the diplomat in September. Senate Majority Leader Democrat Chuck Schumer says Ambassador Tracy will play a crucial role in defying Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tracy, who speaks Russian, was previously the US Ambassador to Armenia. Previously, she was senior adviser on Russia in the US State Department’s Office of European and Eurasian Affairs and Deputy Ambassador to Moscow, according to the White House. The previous US ambassador to Moscow, John Sullivan, left Russia to retire in early September.
+++ 21:47 Denmark donates millions to Ukraine for military aid +++
Denmark donates millions to Ukraine for military aid. The Danish Ministry of Defense says that Ukraine should receive the equivalent of around 43 million dollars. The money will be donated through an international fund that provides military equipment and other support to the Ukrainian armed forces.
+++ 21:18 At least two dead in Ukrainian artillery attack on Donetsk +++
While Zelenskyy is in the US, fighting continues in Ukraine. At least two people were killed in an artillery attack by Ukrainian forces on the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine in the evening, according to information from the region. “The number of injured is still being determined,” the Tass agency quoted a representative of the administration deployed by Russia as saying. Several parts of the city were shelled by Ukrainian rocket artillery. Considerable damage was caused. The information cannot initially be verified independently. The center of Donetsk is less than ten kilometers from the front line.
You can read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.