October 21, 2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 23:22 Zelenskyj calls Scholz on the phone: Thanks for the new aid package +++
After a telephone conversation with Chancellor Scholz, Zelensky thanked him for the new German aid package to strengthen Ukrainian air defense. Zelensky attached particular importance to the additional unit of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system and new IRIS-T systems. “We are working together to ensure that the ‘Patriots’ can achieve more in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers this winter,” said Zelenskyj in his evening speech. In addition to the anti-aircraft systems mentioned, the winter package promised by Scholz on Thursday should also contain other Gepard anti-aircraft tanks and new ammunition necessary for them.
+++ 22:20 Reconstruction of Kiev’s giant statue “Mother Homeland” completed +++
In Kiev, the giant statue from which the hammer and sickle were removed is open to the public again. The “Mother Homeland” statue that overlooks Ukraine’s capital from a park on the Dnipro River is now equipped with the Ukrainian trident. The 62-meter-high steel statue of a woman holding up a sword and a shield was inaugurated in 1981 to commemorate the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II.
+++ 21:50 Bundeswehr brigade to be stationed in Lithuania until 2026 +++
According to the government in Vilnius, the majority of the Bundeswehr’s future Lithuania Brigade will be stationed in the Baltic NATO state in 2026. “We already know the structure of the new brigade and have determined specific locations for its deployment,” Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas was quoted as saying in a statement after a three-day meeting of the Lithuanian-German working group on the planned deployment of the brigade. “The military training areas in Rukla and Rudninkai will be fully used for the training and exercises of the German brigade.”
+++ 21:20 Germany delivers three more cheetahs to Kiev +++
Germany has transferred three more Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine. This is based on the current one Federal government delivery list out. The total number of Gepard systems sent from Germany to Ukraine reaches 49. Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had already announced the delivery as a “winter package”. Above all, air defense is central. Ukraine will also receive an additional unit of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system and new Iris-T systems.
+++ 20.50 Kiev flies another 80 citizens out of Israel +++
Another evacuation plane with 79 Ukrainian citizens on board left Israel late Thursday evening for Romania, the Ukrainian embassy in Israel reports. This is the fourth evacuation flight organized by the embassy since fighting broke out in Israel and Gaza on October 7th. This brings the total number of rescued Ukrainians to over 500.
You can read more about the events of the previous day here.