The Ukrainian capital was attacked by drones on Monday morning, the military administration in Kyiv said, urging the population to be ready to take shelter. The country is in the grip of water and power cuts, which the government is trying to restore in the midst of the war. “The enemy is attacking the capital,” local authorities wrote on Telegram on Monday. At this point, nine “enemy” drones have already been shot down in Kyiv airspace, she added.
- Drone attack on Kyiv
The Ukrainian capital was attacked by drones on Monday morning, the military administration of the city of Kyiv said, urging the population to be ready to take shelter. According to the media Independent Kyiv, the attack damaged infrastructure and injured two people. Vitali Klitschko, the city’s mayor, confirmed on Monday that “explosions” had occurred in the capital. “Several explosions were heard in Solomianskyi and Shevchenkivskyi neighborhoods,” he said. All cast “are (currently) working in the field. More details (will be given) later.” Ukraine has been subject to numerous deadly aerial attacks by Russian forces over the past decade, since the invasion began in February.
Faced with a series of military setbacks this fall, Russia opted from October for a tactic of massive bombardment to destroy electricity networks and transformers, plunging millions of civilians into cold and darkness in the midst of winter. The Russian Ministry of Defense assures that these strikes target military and energy installations in Ukraine, and disrupt “the transfer of arms and ammunition of foreign production”.
- Power is restored for nine million Ukrainians
After a large-scale assault Friday in several cities, involving more than 70 missiles, the national electricity operator was forced to impose emergency cuts to repair the damaged energy network. In the capital, people hunkered down in metro stations in search of warmth and shelter as officials scrambled to restore power.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, power was restored on Sunday evening for some nine million residents. Last week, Volodymyr Zelensky’s Western allies pledged another billion euros in emergency aid.
- London to deliver large quantities of artillery ammunition to Ukraine
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is due to announce the delivery of a large quantity of artillery ammunition to Ukraine on Monday during a meeting with leaders from Northern Europe, the Baltics and the Netherlands in Latvia. During this meeting in Riga, ongoing efforts to counter Russia in the Nordic and Baltic regions will be discussed. Rishi Sunak, who is due to arrive in Latvia on Monday, will ask other leaders of countries participating alongside the UK in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) to maintain or exceed in 2023 the level of support given this year to Ukraine , according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s office.
He will also announce that London will deliver “hundreds of thousands of artillery munitions next year under a £250 million ($304 million) contract that will ensure a steady flow of essential munitions for the artillery to Ukraine throughout 2023,” according to the statement. The UK has shown the way by “providing defensive aid to Ukraine, including sending multiple rocket launchers and, recently, 125 anti-aircraft guns”, the prime minister’s office continued. “We have also provided more than 100,000 munitions since February,” the month Russia launched its offensive, he added.
- Iran says it doesn’t need ‘permission’ to develop ties with Russia
Iran said on Sunday it did not need anyone’s “permission” to develop ties with Russia, after the United States raised concerns about the “large-scale military partnership” between Tehran and Moscow. “The Islamic Republic of Iran, in accordance with its national interests […] acts independently to regulate its foreign relations and does not seek permission from anyone,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement.
kyiv and its Western backers accuse Russia of using Iranian-made drones to carry out attacks in Ukraine. Iran admitted having supplied drones to Russia, but assured that these deliveries had taken place before the offensive in Ukraine, without however escaping a salvo of Western sanctions.
- Vladimir Putin prepares to fly to Belarus
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to fly to Belarus on Monday amid fears he will pressure the former Soviet ally to join a new ground offensive against Ukraine and open a new front. His visit for talks with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko will be his first to Minsk since 2019. In a statement, the Kremlin said the talks will focus on “key issues” in developing the “strategic partnership” between Minsk and Moscow, including “integration” within the framework of the Russian-Belarusian Union, a supranational alliance that has brought these two former Soviet republics together since 1999. For his part, Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, has said that the talks will focus on economic cooperation, but also on “the military and political situation” around the two countries.