EU wants court to prosecute Russian war crimes
09:00 | The EU will seek to set up a UN-backed tribunal to investigate and prosecute war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
In a video statement, he said: “The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought death, devastation and untold suffering. We all remember the horrors of Boocha. It is estimated that more than 20,000 civilians and more than 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed so far.”
Russia must pay for its heinous crimes, including its crime of aggression against a sovereign state. We therefore propose the establishment of a specialized court, supported by the United Nations, to investigate and prosecute the Russian crime of aggression.’
“We stand ready to work with the international community to secure the widest possible international support for this specialized court. Russia also has to pay financially for the devastation it has caused. The damage suffered by Ukraine is estimated at 600 billion euros. Russia and its oligarchs must compensate Ukraine for the damages and costs of rebuilding the country.”
Zelensky: The Russians are “up to something” in the south
08:00 | In his belated update, Ukrainian President Zelensky wrote on Telegram that “despite extremely heavy Russian losses, the occupiers are still trying to advance in the Donetsk region, gain a foothold in the Luhansk region, advance in the Kharkiv region, they are planning something in the South’.
“But we stand firm and, most importantly, do not allow the enemy to carry out his plans.”
Ukraine reports new missile attacks in Zaporizhia region tonight
07:30 | The head of Zaporizhia’s regional military administration, Oleksandr Starukh, told Telegram early Wednesday morning that Russian attacks in the region hit a gas distribution point last night, starting a fire that has since been extinguished. There were no injuries or injuries.
‘In one of the settlements of Zaporizhia district, a gas distribution point was damaged as a result of a rocket hit (probably S-300), which started a fire. It was quickly cleared, but three streets ran out of gas. Fortunately, no people were injured,” she wrote.
Russia: Power outage in Kursk region due to Ukrainian attacks
02:10 | Ukrainian troops hit a power plant with multiple airstrikes on Russia’s Kursk region on Tuesday, causing a power outage, regional governor Roman Starovoyat said on Telegram.
“As a result, there is a partial power outage in Suja and Korenevo districts,” wrote Starovoyat, who said he had no information on possible deaths or injuries. The districts are part of the Kursk region of Russia and are located on the northeastern border of Ukraine.
Ukraine has not yet responded to the allegations. Russian authorities in regions bordering Ukraine have repeatedly accused Kiev of attacking targets such as power lines, fuel and ammunition depots.
On Friday, Russia’s Wagner group said it was training civilians in regions bordering Ukraine. According to the owner of the paramilitary organization, Yevgeny Prigozhin, they are forming new militias and building fortifications to protect the border.
Zelensky: The situation on the front line remains difficult
00:05 | Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky says the situation on the front lines remains difficult. He reports in his daily video message that Russian troops continue to advance in the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions “despite heavy losses”.
The president also speaks of courage to the Ukrainian people. The war has now lasted for more than nine months and there is still no end in sight. Energy supplies have suffered significant damage since early October, leaving many Ukrainians without heating before winter. Temperatures in the country have already dropped to around freezing.
Situation on day 280 of the war
BORN
NATO again promised Ukraine on Tuesday to become a member someday, a pledge that some officials and analysts say contributed to Russia’s invasion this year. NATO has also pledged to increase support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Ministers from NATO member states met in the Romanian capital Bucharest, where they are likely to make new pledges of non-military support to Ukraine, including fuel, generators, medical supplies and winter equipment, as well as new military aid.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned NATO against supplying Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine, calling the alliance a “criminal entity”. “If NATO supplies Ukrainian zealots with Patriot systems along with NATO personnel, they would immediately become a legitimate target of our armed forces,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram.
Power
Ukraine’s supply of spare parts for the damaged power grid is running out due to ongoing Russian bombing. European companies are being invited to donate surplus equipment to help the country get through the winter. The most recent series of Russian bombings on power plants and substations resulted in power outages of 48 hours or more across the country.
Ukrainian troops hit a power plant in several attacks on Russia’s Kursk region on Tuesday, causing some power outages, the local governor said. “There were about 11 launches in total. A power plant was hit,” Kursk Region Governor Roman Starovoyt said on messaging app Telegram. Ukraine did not claim responsibility and did not immediately comment.
Ukraine’s state-owned energy company Ukrenegro said it was still struggling to restore full power nearly a week after Russian attacks damaged power plants across the country. The electricity shortage was 30 percent as of 11:00 local time on Tuesday, Ukrenegro said in a statement, a slight increase from the previous day after emergency shutdowns at several power plants and increased consumption with the arrival of winter.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing was ready to enter into “a closer partnership” with Moscow to “maintain international energy security”. “China is willing to work with Russia to enter into a closer energy partnership, promote the development of clean and green energy, and jointly maintain international energy security and supply chain stability,” Xi wrote, according to state-run CCTV. .
European Union countries are seeking an agreement this week on a cap for Russian oil, a way to fix the cap in the future and link it to a package of new sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, they said Tuesday the diplomats. The deadline for a deal is December 5, because then the full EU embargo on the purchase of Russian oil by sea, agreed at the end of May, will come into force.
Belarus
Jailed Belarusian opposition leader Maria Kolesnikava was reportedly taken to the intensive care unit in the city of Gomel. Belarusian opposition politician Viktor Babariko told Telegram that Kolesnikova, one of President Alexander Lukashenko’s most prominent opponents, was taken to hospital on Monday for undisclosed reasons.
Nuclear weapons
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow “has no choice” but to cancel talks with the United States on nuclear weapons. This was reported by Russian state news agencies. Ryabkov said that another meeting is unlikely to be held this year. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the United States of “the highest level of toxicity and hostility” and “a pathological desire to harm our country”.
Purification
Ukraine has arrested a recently released Kherson city council deputy head on charges of aiding and abetting the Russian occupation forces, the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office said. The official, who has not been named, cooperated with the occupation authorities and helped the functioning of public services among Russians, the prosecutor said.
The G7 group has agreed to set up a network to coordinate war crimes investigations as part of efforts to prosecute suspected atrocities in Ukraine. In a joint statement, G7 justice ministers said member states will ensure that there is a central national focal point in each state for the prosecution of international crimes.