2023-12-21 22:56:39
Mouse fever is said to be rampant among Russian soldiers. Kyiv wants to focus more on drone production. All information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Russian drone hits skyscraper in Kyiv
11:50 p.m.: According to authorities, a high-rise building was hit in a new Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kiev. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko spoke on Friday night of an impact on the upper floors of the building and of a fire. Emergency services are on duty. One injured person was taken to hospital.
According to preliminary information from Kiev’s military administration, debris from a downed drone fell into the residential building in the southwest part of the city. The authority also published photos of a destroyed apartment. There are also said to have been impacts from debris from drones shot down in other parts of the city. The military administration said it would be clarified whether there was any destruction or casualties.
Zelensky appeals to Ukrainians’ fighting spirit
9.30 p.m.: Before Christmas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to the fighting spirit of his compatriots not to let up in their defense of the country. What is needed is a “maximum amount of attention for defense, a maximum of effort for the state, a maximum of energy so that Ukraine can achieve its goals,” Zelensky said in his evening video message. The time to rest will come later. This year, Ukraine celebrates Christmas officially for the first time according to the Western model on December 25th and no longer just according to Orthodox customs on January 7th.
Russian ex-minister sentenced to 12 years in prison camp
8:08 p.m.: Former Russian minister Mikhail Abysov has been sentenced to twelve years in a prison camp by a Moscow court for founding a criminal organization and fraud. The verdict once morest the 51-year-old, who as a member of the government from 2012 to 2018 is said to have stolen billions of rubles and taken them out of the country, came on Thursday evening almost five years following his arrest. According to the verdict, Abysov had deceived shareholders of electricity companies in Siberia and illegally siphoned off funds. He denied the allegations.
Abysov’s machinations and his investments abroad were also uncovered by the Kremlin-critical newspaper Novaya Gazeta and a network of investigative journalists.
Russia issues arrest warrant once morest Navalny’s confidants
7:50 p.m.: Russia has issued an arrest warrant once morest a long-time confidante of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny who lives in exile. “Look, I’m now on the Russian wanted list,” writes Maria Pewtschich in a post on online networks that also shows a smiling emoji with sunglasses. “I’m not sure why, who cares,” she continues, attaching a screenshot of the Home Office notice.
Pevchich has already left Russia and heads the anti-corruption foundation founded by Navalny, which draws attention to corruption among Russian elites.
Navalny is considered President Vladimir Putin’s harshest domestic policy critic. After a poison attack, for which he blames the Kremlin, he traveled to Germany for treatment. In 2021, Navalny returned to Russia and was imprisoned there. In the summer, his prison sentence was increased to 19 years.
Kiev: No compulsion when mobilizing from abroad
5:34 p.m.: The Defense Ministry in Kiev appeals to Ukrainians abroad who have fled the war to return and defend their homeland as soldiers. This is what a ministry spokesman in Kiev told the Ukrainian news agency Interfax-Ukraina. But there are no plans to bring men back from abroad under pressure and call them up, says spokesman Illarion Pavlyuk. In doing so, he clarifies statements made by Defense Minister Rustem Umjerow regarding the mobilization of men abroad (see entry from 5:29 p.m.).
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are registered as war refugees in Germany and other countries. Officially, men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave the country that is defending itself once morest Russia’s war of aggression. But many manage to escape.
Defense Minister wants to draft Ukrainians from Germany
5:29 p.m.: The Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov wants to oblige able-bodied Ukrainians living in Germany to serve in the armed forces next year. Ukrainians between the ages of 25 and 60 should receive a request to report to the recruiting centers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Umerow tells “Bild”, “Welt TV” and “Politico”. “We want justice for everyone, because it’s regarding our own country.”
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