This is the most important news
– In many Ukrainian regions there is a “difficult situation” after Russian missiles fell in many places on Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky said in his video message Thursday evening that power outages are widespread, while temperatures are below freezing.
– Belarus says it shot down a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile near its border on Thursday morning. It was an S-300 missile, says the Minsk Defense Ministry. Belarus has lodged “strong protests” with Ukraine, but said in a statement there was no cause for concern because “unfortunately things like this happen”.
Putin expects Xi Jinping to visit Russia next spring
10:40 am | Russian President Vladimir Putin expects his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to travel to Russia next spring. Putin announced the visit during the public portion of a video call with the Chinese president. Beijing has not yet confirmed the news.
The two presidents will meet on Friday to discuss relations between their countries. Before the conversation, both stressed that they wanted to work more together. Xi thinks they need each other, “given the difficult international situation.” Putin particularly insisted on closer military cooperation between the two superpowers.
If Xi really does go to Moscow in a few months, that would be a big boost for Putin. Western countries are constantly calling on Beijing to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but Xi is reticent. He regularly speaks in favor of a diplomatic solution. Western sanctions have also made Russia increasingly dependent on China economically.
Putin and Xi last spoke in September, when they were both in Uzbekistan for a regional summit.
Ukraine: Night attack by Russian drones repelled
09:15 am | Ukraine says it repelled a Russian drone strike on Thursday night. The air defense is said to have fired sixteen drones from the sky. No injuries were reported, but falling debris caused damage to buildings.
In the capital Kiev, the air raid siren sounded shortly after 02:00 (local time) and the authorities urged the city’s residents to go to air raid shelters. Seven of the sixteen drones would have targeted Kiev. Five of them could only be shot down over the capital.
Kiev, along with a slew of other Ukrainian cities, was also bombarded with air strikes on Thursday. Many places are still without electricity due to attacks on the energy grid.
The command of the Russian army and the Wagner group collide
09:15 am | Things rumble between the top of the Russian military and the Wagner Group’s mercenary army. According to the Wagner soldiers, too few weapons are delivered, which is life-threatening. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the powerful leader of the mercenary army, says he’s behind his men.
Logistics devastates the warring factions in Ukraine
07:15 am | Both the Russian and Ukrainian militaries are severely constrained by logistical challenges. That says former army commander Mart de Kruif. Weapons, and especially their stockpiles, are currently the most burdensome files for both countries. That won’t change in 2023. However, De Kruif fears it will be a protracted war.
Kiev residents have warned of new airstrikes
03:40 | In the night between Thursday and Friday the anti-aircraft siren will sound again in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. Shortly after 2 a.m. (local time), authorities also urged Telegram residents to move into the bomb shelter. Kiev, along with a slew of other Ukrainian cities, was also bombarded with air strikes on Thursday.
Kyiv governor Oleksi Koeleba says it is a drone attack. A witness told Reuters news agency that he heard explosions about 20 kilometers south of Kiev.
Zelensky: Many Ukrainian regions without electricity after rocket rain
02:00 | Many Ukrainian regions are in a “difficult situation” after Russian missiles fell in many places on Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky said in his video message Thursday evening that power outages are widespread, while temperatures are below freezing.
“Most regions of Ukraine are experiencing power outages tonight,” said Zelensky, who said it was particularly difficult in Kiev, Lviv, Odessa and Kherson. Power outages follow, as has happened much more often in recent months, Russian missile attacks.
One of Zelensky’s advisers said via Facebook earlier in the day that more than 100 rockets were fired on Thursday. Three people were killed in the attacks, according to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry. Six others, including a child, were injured.
Thursday 29 December
Belarus claims it shot down a Ukrainian missile (5)
8pm | Belarus said it shot down a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile near its border on Thursday morning. It was an S-300 missile, says the Minsk Defense Ministry. Belarus has lodged “strong protests” with Ukraine, but said in a statement there was no cause for concern because “unfortunately things like this happen”.
Belarus is considered an ally of Russia and there has been friction with Ukraine for years. Earlier, Belarusian media had reported that the country’s authorities were investigating whether the Ukrainian missile deflected and crashed without hitting its target, or whether it was hit by Russian or Belarusian fire. The crash was said to have occurred about 125 kilometers east of Brest during Thursday’s Russian airstrikes on targets in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian ambassador to Belarus is to report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Minsk to explain the incident. Belarus wants the incident to be investigated by Kiev as well and to make sure it cannot happen again. Those responsible should also be punished.
Ukraine thinks it is by no means certain that the missile came from that country. Kiev does not rule out that Russia launched the missile as a provocation. The defense ministry said in a statement that Russia deliberately flew the missile over Belarus so that it would be shot down there and Ukraine would be blamed.
No injuries were reported. The aforementioned missile is for long-range airborne targets and is Russian-made. Many countries have them. Just such a missile landed in the NATO country of Poland from Ukraine in mid-November.
There was great tension and excitement when that rocket landed just over the border in Poland. There were two deaths. Ukrainian leader Volodimir Zelensky also said at the time that Russia had hit a NATO country with missiles and that this Russian attack was an escalation that NATO would have to respond to. Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki convened his National Security Committee and President Duda convened NATO headquarters in Brussels. The Russian ambassador in Warsaw was called to account, but it soon became clear that it must be a stray Ukrainian missile.