It is day 322 of the war in Ukraine. Follow the latest news about the war and all its aftermath in this live blog.
Poland steps up pressure to deliver Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine
17:57 | Poland wants to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Polish President Andrzej Duda said during a visit to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. There is still “a whole series of formal requirements and permits,” he admitted. Since the tanks are German-made, they cannot be transferred to Ukraine without German permission.
Duda said he wants to form an international tank supply coalition, in which other countries will also contribute Leopard-type tanks, among others. Duda mentioned one company, which would amount to fourteen Leopard 2 tanks. Britain and the United States are also considering sending heavy tanks. The United States, France and Germany have already committed armored fighting vehicles.
Duda spoke with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky in Lviv. He was satisfied with Poland’s commitment, but he also expects a “general decision” from the cooperating countries on sending tanks. “A single country cannot help us,” he said.
Poland and France have long been trying to pressure neighboring Germany to send heavier equipment to Ukraine. Yet a German government spokesman says he is unaware of a request by the Allies to make Leopard tanks available to Ukraine.
Germany said earlier this week that it had no plans to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, but has also signed off not to rule out future deliveries. Berlin has already decided to send about forty Marder combat vehicles. They are less powerful than Leopards.
Russia again replaces the head of the army in Ukraine
17:52 | Russia has again replaced its military commander in Ukraine. Army chief Valeri Gerasimov will head troops in the neighboring country, the Moscow defense ministry said. His appointment should make military operations in Ukraine “more effective”.
General Gerasimov takes over from Sergei Surovikin, who has been in command of troops in Ukraine for the past three months. He becomes the second man, behind Gerasimov, for the “special military operation” in the Ukraine, as Russia calls the war. Soerovikin is nicknamed “General Armageddon” due to his supposed ruthlessness.
Gerasimov, 67, along with Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu, has drawn sharp criticism from Russian military bloggers for the Russian army’s numerous battlefield setbacks and lack of victory.
Kiev: no attacks on Russia with delivery of long-range missiles
15:03 | Ukraine would like to receive long-range missiles from its allies in the war against Russia and promises not to carry out attacks on Russian territory in case of delivery. So says Michailo Podoljak, adviser to President Volodimir Zelensky.
We will not attack Russia. We are waging an exclusively defensive war,” Podoljak said. Ukraine could win this year’s war if the West sends more weapons, especially missile systems that can strike distant targets, the senior official said. “Only missiles with a range of more than 100 kilometers allow us to rescue occupied territories faster.”
The West supports Ukraine with various types of weapons but is reluctant to supply heavy weapons such as tanks and long-range missiles. US President Joe Biden said during a visit by Zelensky to Washington last month that the United States continues to support Ukraine, but at the same time wants to avoid direct involvement of the country and NATO in the war.
Podoljak shared a list of weapons Ukraine would like for Christmas in early December. It included ATACMS, a missile system with a range of 300 kilometers. Russia has condemned any supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine. Such support would cross a “red line”.
Soledar not yet fully taken over by the Russian Wagner Group
14:42 | There is still great uncertainty as to whether the Ukrainian city of Soledar was taken by the Russian mercenary army of the Wagner Group. The mercenaries claimed the city was taken, but both Russian and Ukrainian authorities deny this. “The impression we get is that Wagner controls most of the city, but not all of it yet,” says foreign commentator Bernard Hammelburg.
The British MoD has also previously claimed that Soledar has largely been taken over by Wagner’s troops. The battle for the city is regionally important, because the city is only ten kilometers north of Bachmoet. That city has been fought over for months and the capture of Bachmut appears to be a major objective for the Russians.
Putin defines the situation in the annexed regions as “difficult”.
2:20 pm | Russian President Vladimir Putin said the situation in regions of Ukraine illegally annexed by Moscow “is difficult in some places”. Putin made the statement during a televised meeting with Russian officials.
According to Putin, Russia has every opportunity to improve life in the four Ukrainian regions occupied by Moscow. Russia annexed the four areas last September. In total, they cover about 15% of Ukrainian territory, making it the largest violent land takeover in Europe since World War II.
Consultation Commissioners for Human Rights Ukraine and Russia
11:15 am | Russian human rights commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova and her Ukrainian counterpart Dmitro Lubinets met in the Turkish capital Ankara for humanitarian aid and the exchange of prisoners of war. Moskalkova reported after the meeting that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to exchange forty prisoners of war.
The meeting took place in a hotel in Ankara. A conference for international ombudsmen is underway in that city. It is special that the two sat together, because talks between representatives of the two countries are rare, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian Lubinets, they talked about humanitarian problems and providing aid to citizens of both countries.
Representatives of Russia and Ukraine are also expected to visit President Tayyip Erdogan’s presidential palace. The Turkish president will give a speech at the end of the morning as part of the conference.
Ukraine denies
10am | While the Russian mercenary company Wagner Group claims it has taken the Ukrainian city of Soledar, Kiev denies that has happened. The city “was, is and will remain” Ukrainian, the army said.
The capture of the city of Soledar would pave the way for further advances in the Donetsk region. Russia and its allies have been trying for months to take the greater Bachmut, but have met resistance from the Ukrainian army. The battle is hard and bloody according to both sides.
Wagner’s owner Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Wednesday that Soledar was fully taken but that fighting was still going on at the centre. He also said people had been captured. The number of people involved was not disclosed.
Hungary blocks Sweden’s accession to NATO
08:15 am | Besides Turkey, Hungary also has objections to Sweden and Finland joining NATO. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed again last weekend how important both countries’ membership is for NATO as a whole, but Hungary is still not convinced.
Wagner Group: Soledar is taken
05:50 | The head of the Russian group Wagner says his troops have taken control of Soledar. This, if confirmed, would mark the first major success on the Moscow battlefield since last summer, writes The Guardian.
“Wagner units are in control of the entire Soledar territory,” Chief Wagner Prigozhin said in an audio message posted on his Telegram channel. Soledar is of great value to Russia, given its strategic location.
Ukrainian President Zelensky thanked Soledar’s “heroic” defenders in his nightly speech, without providing an update on the military situation in the area.
“Russian Fire Comes Down”
04:00 | According to US and Ukrainian officials, Russian artillery fire in Ukraine has decreased dramatically since its wartime peak, as much as 75 percent in some places. The Guardian writes it after the CNN report.
The decrease in bombing is further evidence of Russia’s increasingly weak position on the battlefield nearly a year after the invasion, officials told CNN.
Inflation in Ukraine at over 26 percent
02:00 | Inflation in Ukraine rose to an average of 26.6% last year following the Russian invasion of the country. This was reported by the Ukrainian Statistics Office. This meant that inflation was lower than expected, as it was expected to rise up to 30%. Inflation in 2021 was still 10%.
Due to rising fuel and food prices, for example, living in Ukraine has become much more expensive. The country also faces supply chain disruptions. Ukraine’s central bank says inflation is now stabilising, thanks in part to the government’s decision not to raise energy bills and improved food supplies.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
