Jan 12: E-Stories
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Catching up…
EA Worldview’s Ukraine Up-date- hop over to Scott’s amazing hourly Ukraine up-date page. I’ll fill in with some bits and bobs.
Ilario Piagnerelli: The squares of Ukraine display photos and pay respect to the fallen soldiers. In this memorial in Rivne alone we count almost 250. The inscription at the end says: “The price of independence”.
Stories we’re following…
Russian attacks over past day injure 2 in Kharkiv Oblast. Russian forces struck multiple settlements in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv Oblast over the past 24 hours, injuring two civilians, the regional governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on Jan. 9.
A hotel in the centre of Kharkiv was hit with S-300 missiles. Up until now, 10 victims are known. Rescue services are on site to extinguish the fire and to give medical attention to those who need it.
Posting on Telegram, the Kharkiv governor, Oleh Synehubov, described the strike taking place at about 10.30pm, local time, and involving S-300 missiles in the city’s Kyiv district. “Nine of those injured have been taken to medical facilities,” wrote Synehubov. “One of them, a 35-year-old man, is in serious condition.”
Thirteen people were injured, including a Turkish citizen and a Georgian, the prosecutor general’s office said. According to AFP, Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov, 30 civilians were present when two missiles hit a hotel in the centre of Kharkiv. There were no military personnel there, he confirmed. Several other buildings, including two apartment blocks, were also reported damaged in the latest strike.
A 48-year-old woman has been killed and a school has been partially destroyed after Russian airstrikes against Kharkiv oblast, according to Ukraine’s state emergency service.
35 Ukrainian children aged 6 to 17 taken to Belarus and sent to "survival training". In particular, in the city of Mogilev, they were forcibly taught how to behave in extreme situations during exercises with the Belarusian military.
Minister: Over 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide released into air due to Russia's recent attacks against Ukraine. Over 5,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide were emitted into the air as a result of Russia's mass missile attacks against Ukraine on Dec. 29 and Jan. 2, according to Environmental Protection Minister Ruslan Strilets.
Jan 9: A maternity hospital in Kharkiv was destroyed.
The Ukrainian representative at the UN, Sergiy Kyslysya:
“Every day you and other participants of the Security Council meetings come to listen to the language of war. It is the language in which the invaders received the order to launch their full-scale aggression against Ukraine. It is the language that the victims hear when they are raped in front of their families. It is the language that many Ukrainian civilians hear before they are executed.
As we well know, including from the writings of Leo Tolstoy, before the Bolshevik putsch the educated nobility in the Russian empire used French rather than Russian as their household language. It was the language of Russian diplomacy before the adherents of Bolshevism, who keep their grip on the Kremlin to today, came to power. I invite Moscow’s envoy to avail himself of interpretation since the next part of my intervention will be in French in recognition of the contribution that France, Switzerland and many other peace loving countries have made to peace and security.”
Combat Situation Update
Bold public statement: "By providing our support, we cannot prevent the destruction of facilities on the territory of the aggressor in order to slow down the advance of Russian troops. And therefore there should be no restrictions on the weapons that are transferred to Ukraine," Estonian President Alar Karis said.
Russians have continued their efforts to enter Heorhiivka, and partially succeeded. In the eastern suburbs, Russian units managed to grab a foothold at the southern part of the pond. Ukrainian troops report the usage of lots of heavy artillery by Russia
Geolocated footage shows that Russian troops also entered the forest/ledge area west of the access road from Solodke. This could have happened earlier, but until now it was visually not confirmed. The city itself remains unbreached.
Commander: Situation on eastern front difficult as Russia conducts offensives in 3 sectors. The situation on the eastern front remains difficult as Russian forces continue offensive operations in the Kupiansk, Lyman, and Bakhmut directions, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Jan. 11.
Media: Ukrainian hackers hit Russian internet provider, claim they are preparing 'revenge for Kyivstar'. The Ukrainian Blackjack hacker group, possibly linked to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), carried out a cyber attack against the Moscow Internet provider M9 Telecom, Ukrinform reported on Jan. 9, citing an undisclosed source in law enforcement
Drones reportedly hit oil depot, energy provider in Russia’s Oryol region. Several drones struck "facilities of a fuel and energy complex" in Russia’s Oryol region on the afternoon of Jan. 9, the regional governor, Andrey Klychkov, claimed on Telegram.
Freight train derailed in Russia's far east. No casualties or environmental damage were reported. The causes of the incident are being determined.
Ukrainian forces destroy enemy Murom-M system, EW station on Dnipro River’s left bank. In the area of responsibility of Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces on the left bank of the Dnipro River, Ukrainian defenders eliminated 27 occupiers and destroyed a Grad MLRS, a Murom-M video surveillance system, an electronic warfare (EW) station, and observation posts of Russian forces over the past day.
Explosions reported on occupied Berdyansk. Air defense is reportedly active. Russian channels report UAV activity. Explosions in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Russia, on the border with occupied Luhansk region. Air defense is active.
Ukrainian drones tried to attack the military airfield in Engels, Russia. According to ASTRA, two drones were shot down and fell on the territory of the Engels-2 military airfield. No damage was reported. The Russian MoD confirmed that drones were shot down over Saratov region.
Satellite imagery confirms destruction of Russian air base in occupied Crimea. On January 4, 2024, a Russian base was destroyed in Ukraine’s attack on the Saky airfield in the temporarily occupied Crimea’s Novofedorivka.
The former Topaz enterprise, famous for producing EW systems and other radio intelligence equipment in occupied Donetsk is hit and is on fire.
A big fire in Obukhovo, Moscow region. A workshop for the production of polymer products on an area of 8,000m² is on fire there.
Nato members Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania have signed an agreement on demining the Black Sea to ensure safe waters after Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Top defence officials from Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania signed a memorandum of understanding in Istanbul establishing the Mine Countermeasures Naval Group in the Black Sea (MCM Black Sea), which will oversee de-mining operations, say AFP. Neither Russia nor Ukraine provided immediate comment.
Behind the Lines
Alexander Shpilevoi, the draftee soldier from Voronezh who recently shared a public appeal calling for the rotation of military personnel deployed on the frontlines in Ukraine, is now being held in a punitive pit in the Luhansk region, activists confirmed on Tuesday. On December 19, while home on temporary leave, Shpilevoi uploaded a video to social media where he said Russia’s mobilized troops hope desperately for peace, “but our president doesn’t want to give it.” After receiving threats, Shpilevoi released a second video where he claimed that he isn’t antiwar, anti-Russia, anti-military.
The Ukrainian government has added the American chain Subway to the list of "international war sponsors" The reason for this decision was the operation of 550 restaurants owned by Subway in Russia.
Belarusian detained in Poland charged with espionage. Over several months, the woman allegedly passed information to Belarus' secret police (KGB) on the Belarusian diaspora in Poland.
Iran developed a new attack drone for Russia and appears close to providing them with surface-to-surface missiles, Sky News reports citing an informed security source. The Shahed-107 drone can be launched from a vehicle and has a range of up to 1,500km.
Finland extends closure of border with Russia for another month. Finland will extend the closure of all eight checkpoints along its border with Russia until at least Feb. 11, the Finnish news outlet YLE reported on Jan. 11, citing Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen.
On Wednesday, Reuters reporters visited trenches being dug with an excavator and shovels at an undisclosed location in the Chernihiv region near the Russian border. Below is a detailed write-up from the news agency:
“When the civilians have done their job (building the positions), we will densely mine it,” Ukraine’s joint forces commander, Serhiy Nayev, who oversees the northern military sector, told reporters at the site.
Last month, Reuters reporters visited newly built Ukrainian trenches in Chornobyl near the border with Belarus – a Russian ally used by Moscow as a staging ground for the February 2022 invasion. A large military engineering vehicle churned through the snowy ground as it carved out a wide anti-tank ditch.
“[The works are ongoing] along the whole Northern Operational Zone. These works are currently underway in Sumy region, Chernihiv region, here in the Kyiv direction,” Nayev said at the site.
“Concrete structures, barbed wire, ... ‘dragon’s teeth’ [concrete barricades]...; they will be mined and barbed wire will be put on them. This will be a continuous concrete obstacle for armoured vehicles,” he said.
Near Kupiansk, Ukraine’s military showed Reuters reporters newly built defensive lines, but said the exact location could not be disclosed publicly for security reasons. A military engineer using the call sign ‘Lizard’ said they typically put down the ‘dragon’s teeth’ first, followed by coils of razor wire and then mines, if they use them.
“I believe most of these barriers should have been built much earlier, probably in the spring. It takes too much time,” he said.
Several hundred metres behind the “dragon’s teeth”, work was underway to expand a network of personnel trenches reinforced with wooden beams where there were also living quarters and wooden bunk beds.
Lynx, the other serviceman, said Ukraine was trying to minimise the use of mines for its fortifications to avoid leaving dangerous munitions on its territory. “This is our land. We wouldn’t want to litter it so much,” he said.
Meanwhile in Russia
Russian media: Russia may not open voting stations in some 'unfriendly countries.' There are 49 countries listed as being "unfriendly," and although the closures will not apply to all of them, the source said it could be a significant portion. (Me: so anywhere there are dissidents.)
So eggs are a thing: Putin justified the record rise in egg prices by stating that Russians are eating more due to income growth. Egg prices rose by almost 60% last year due to the increasing incomes of Russians who started consuming more, as stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russian customs officials are drafting strict limits on removing gold from the country to plug the “colossal damage” inflicted on the federal budget by the evasion of export duties imposed on gold in October 2023. In an interview with Interfax, Deputy Finance Minister Alexey Moiseev complained that individuals have been helping mining companies circumvent the tax by taking it abroad themselves.
Russia: Central heating pipe laid down in 1974 ruptured and flooded Novosibirsk. Multiple districts without heating nor hot water in -25°C (-13°F) night temperature. Hundreds of buildings in Saratov and Volgograd are the latest to lose heating and hot water.
Francis Scarr: "In front of our very eyes, Europe is returning to its [Nazi] roots and origins" Russian state TV is reporting on a recent fascist rally in Rome without informing viewers that it received widespread condemnation from Italians.
These are fascists of Acca Larenzia: roughly 100 far-right extremists who have been identified by the Italian police. The Kremlin uses extremists events for its own propaganda machine.
All the needs of the military operation in Ukraine are fully funded, says Russian President Vladimir Putin. He called information about delays in payments to combatants bureaucratic failures.
During the meeting of the head of state with residents of Anadyr on January 10, one of the participants in the war with Ukraine said that the payment of the money due to him was delayed for almost five months, and some of his colleagues have not received payments for injuries for almost a year - since February 2023.
“Issues of material and financial support for everything that happens in the North-West region do not exist. Everything is financed absolutely in full,” the president responded to this message. And he added that “if something arrives at the wrong time, with delays, then this is simply a manifestation of bureaucratic failures in the worst sense of the word.”
Chechnya, the headquarters of the Russian 70th motorized rifle regiment burned. Early this morning, a fire occurred on the territory of a military unit in the Chechen city of Shali - the headquarters building and several cars parked nearby were completely burned down.
A new survey by the NORC found that Putin maintains strong domestic support for his regime and its war in Ukraine. 63% of participants support the war and 64% see the war as a 'civilizational struggle between Russia and the West'.
Customs officers, together with FSB officers, confiscated more than a ton of cocaine in the Big Port of St. Petersburg. The drug was found on board a ship from Nicaragua: it was packaged in briquettes with the inscriptions Dior and BBB, hidden in a cargo container.
According to customs service estimates, the cost of such a shipment of cocaine on the black market is 11 billion rubles. A criminal case has been initiated under the article “Drug smuggling on an especially large scale.” Punishment under it provides for imprisonment for a term of up to life.
Nicaragua is the only Latin American country to recognize the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014. She also voted against the UN General Assembly resolution condemning the annexation of four more regions of Ukraine in the fall of 2022.
Me: the FSB will confiscate and sell it themselves.
Massive electricity outage in Omsk, Russia (population over 1 million people). About half of the city has no electricity. According to the regional energy minister, an accident at Tavricheskaya substation caused the outage. Russians are ready to freeze without electricity and heat but continue supporting Putin and the "special military operation".
India's largest refineries have decided to purchase additional quantities of oil from Saudi Arabia after they encountered problems paying for barrels from Russia.
As Reuters reports, citing industry sources, the two largest state-owned Indian refineries - Indian Oil Corp and Bharat Petroleum Corp - plan to purchase 2 million barrels from the Saudi state corporation Saudi Aramco for delivery in February. Indian Oil has approached Riyadh and is also counting on additional supplies of oil from West Africa instead of the Russian Sokol grade, one of the sources told Reuters.
Allied Support
The UN are seeking $3.1 billion to finance aid to Ukraine this year, a senior humanitarian official told the UN Security Council. "In 2024, we urge all donors to once again step up and help the people of Ukraine."
The US administration has supported a bill that would allow the seizure of some of the $300 billion in frozen Russian assets to be given to Ukraine, according to a November memo from the National Security Council to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
New financial support program for Ukraine: EU approves ‘partial negotiating mandate'. The EU Permanent Representatives Committee at ambassadorial level today agreed on a partial negotiating mandate on a proposal to establish a separate financial instrument to support Ukraine’s recovery and its efforts to implement reforms on its path to the EU.
The Ukraine-NATO Council held a meeting to discuss the Russian strikes on Ukraine with the use of Iranian drones and North Korean missiles. NATO countries have promised to continue helping Kyiv with major military, economic, and humanitarian assistance.
Jan 11: President Zelensky visited Estonia and Latvia.
Estonia's unwavering support for Ukraine, our people, and our defense is evident today, during my visit, and throughout the war. President Alar Karis and I discussed cooperation at the European institutions' level, our potential in Europe, frontline developments and prospects, and justice. For us, it is critical that Russia be held fully accountable for all manifestations of terror, crimes committed, and the destruction caused by its aggression. I am grateful to Estonia for all its support.
A ceasefire in the Russian-Ukrainian war would not lead to political dialogue, and would only benefit Russia, Zelensky said on Thursday during a visit to Estonia. Zelenskiy is currently meeting with the country’s leaders as a part of a wider tour of the Baltic region.
Latvia will provide a new package of military aid to Ukraine. It will include howitzers, ammunition, anti-tank weapons, all terrain vehicles, communication devices, drones, helicopters and other equipment,” president Rinkevichs said.
Jan 10: President Zelensky went on a working visit to Vilnius, Lithuania, where he will hold a number of meetings. Zelensky will be travelling to Tallinn and Riga as well. "Negotiations with the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Seimas. Meetings with representatives of political forces, media and the Ukrainian community," he adds.
Today Gitanas Nausėda and I paid a lot of attention to how events are developing at the front. Weapons, equipment, training of our soldiers, Lithuania's leadership in the demining coalition - all this gives us strength. Thank you for the new defense support that has now been agreed upon - not just for help, but for the joint production, in particular, of anti-drone equipment, something that is desperately needed on the front. And also regarding other directions in defense production: the relevant documents were concluded today," Zelenskyi said after his visit.
Lithuania endorses long-term military aid package worth EUR 200M for Ukraine. The Republic of Lithuania has endorsed a long-term military assistance package for Ukraine, totaling EUR 200 million. The Lithuanian side will send ammunition, generators and detonation systems to Ukraine as soon as this January, as well as M577 armored personnel carriers in February.
“During the first days of the full-scale invasion, Lithuania-supplied weapons stopped Russian convoys and destroyed the occupiers. Your support is extremely meaningful. Weapons, equipment, powerful military packages, training of Ukrainian warriors, Lithuania’s leadership in the coalition on demining efforts in Ukraine – all of this is giving us strength,” the President of Ukraine stressed.
Me: You may remember some time ago, I wrote about Vytautas Landsbergis and how he almost singlehandedly rallied support for Lithuania’s dream of independence. He’s a star!
EU's Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said the EU could still meet its target of producing 1 million artillery shells by spring 2024, which would then be sent to Ukraine. Breton also aims for a €100 billion EU defense fund.
Kuleba: Frozen Russian assets can cover 80% of Ukraine's reconstruction needs. Around $300 billion of the Russian central bank assets were frozen in the West after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
UN: 40% of Ukraine's population will need humanitarian aid in 2024. More than 14.6 million people, or 40% of the population in Ukraine, will need humanitarian assistance this year, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Jan. 9.
Media: Zelensky expected to visit Switzerland next week. President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to travel mainly to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF), scheduled for Jan. 15-19, but also to visit Bern to meet some or all members of the Swiss government, Tages-Anzeiger said.
The lower house of the Italian Parliament voted in favor of a resolution to continue military support to Ukraine as well as supporting collective assistance within the framework of NATO, the EU and international forums.
Me: Word on the street is that the aid package is very small. Italy does have vehicles it could give and some ammunition. Today’s vote was scandalous: The 5Star Movement voted against and the Democratic Party abstained. The Dems have now moved over to the MStar camp.
Belgium: “Authorities had been aware of the allegations but were unable to prosecute Creyelman and other suspects as espionage and foreign interference are not considered criminal offences in Belgium.” (Me: that’s crazy!)
Yemeni Houthis launched a massive missile and drone strike on a US Navy ship in the Red Sea. The UK and US navies shot down more than 20 drones and missiles fired from Yemen along maritime trade routes.
Joint Statement on DPRK-Russia Ballistic Missile Transfers
The following is a statement from the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Palau, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the High Representative of the European Union, and the Secretary of State of the United States of America.
We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) export and Russia’s procurement of DPRK ballistic missiles, as well as Russia’s use of these missiles against Ukraine on December 30, 2023, and January 2, 2024. The transfer of these weapons increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia’s war of aggression, and undermines the global non-proliferation regime. Russia’s use of DPRK ballistic missiles in Ukraine also provides valuable technical and military insights to the DPRK. We are deeply concerned about the security implications that this cooperation has in Europe, on the Korean Peninsula, across the Indo-Pacific region, and around the world.
Our governments stand together in resolute opposition to arms transfers between the DPRK and Russia. The transfer of ballistic missiles, along with any other arms and related materiel, from the DPRK to Russia flagrantly violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs) – namely, resolution 1718 (2006), resolution 1874 (2009), and resolution 2270 (2016) – that Russia itself supported. We are closely monitoring what Russia provides to the DPRK in return for these weapons exports. We call on the DPRK and Russia to abide by relevant UNSCRs and to immediately cease all activities that violate them.
We urge all UN Member States, including all members of the United Nations Security Council, to join us in condemning Russia and the DPRK’s flagrant UNSCR violations. As Russia launches waves of missiles and drones against the Ukrainian people, we will continue to stand together in support of Ukraine. We further call on the DPRK to respond to the numerous and genuine offers to return to diplomacy, the only path to an enduring peace on the Korean Peninsula.
From Russia with Love Follow up
The former prime minister of Italy, Giuseppe Conte, will be presenting a motion in parliament to block all aid to Ukraine. Please read my article “From Russia with Love” to understand why this was expected.
Hi Monique!
I was directed over here by Claire Berlinski @The Cosmopolitan Globalist and just wanted to say how informative EuroFile is and the incredible breadth of issues and countries that you cover. I am a NYT subscriber and it is getting harder and harder to find detailed coverage of the war in Ukraine. The bits and bobs at the end covering other current issues is also appreciated. Thanks!!!!