Five EU heads of government, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, called on member states on Wednesday January 31 to “redouble their efforts” in their military support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion before a crucial summit of the 27. At the same time, the ICJ renders its decision on Wednesday regarding a complaint for “terrorism” filed by Kiev against Russia regarding the invasion of Crimea in 2014.
Information to remember
⇒ EU heads of government called for “redoubled efforts” in their support for kyiv
⇒ The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issues a decision on Wednesday
⇒ Several drone attacks took place in eastern Ukraine
Europe takes stock of military aid to Ukraine
The European Union asked the 27 on Wednesday for a detailed inventory of their military support for Ukraine in an attempt to strengthen it, at a time when kyiv is running out of ammunition against the Russian army. “It is important to clarify the situation and to know where we are and where we will be by March and by the end of the year,” explained the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell before the start of a meeting of EU defense ministers.
The Europeans committed last year to supplying one million shells to Ukraine by the end of March, but this objective will not be achieved as planned, several ministers recognized. The Europeans have already delivered some 300,000 shells, and they will have a production capacity in 2024 of some 1.4 million shells, assures the European Commissioner in charge of the defense industry Thierry Breton.
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Prime Ministers of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, Estonian Kaja Kallas, Czech Petr Fiala and Danish Mette Frederiksen called on Europeans to “redouble their efforts” to ensure that military support for Ukraine lasts. as long as necessary.” The head of European diplomacy has put on the discussion table a proposal for reform of the “European Peace Facility”, instrument used by Europeans to jointly help Ukraine, in order to strengthen its orders to industry.
Russia before the ICJ for the annexation of Crimea
The highest court of the UN renders its decision on Wednesday in a case between Ukraine and Russia, accused by Kiev of financing “terrorism” and “racial discrimination”, following the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which sits in The Hague (Netherlands), Kiev described Moscow as a “terrorist state”, and claimed that Russian support for separatist rebels had been a harbinger of the invasion of February 2022.
In addition to blaming Moscow for supporting separatist rebels, kyiv stressed that Russia’s treatment of the Tatar minority and Ukrainian speakers in occupied Crimea violated an international convention on racial discrimination. Ukraine is seeking compensation for attacks attributed to separatists, including the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in July 2014 over Ukraine that killed 298 people.
This case predates Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The ICJ will say on Friday whether it has jurisdiction to rule in separate proceedings regarding that war. The orders of the ICJ, created after World War II to resolve disputes between countries, are legally binding and final. However, it has no means of enforcing them. The court, for example, ordered Russia in March 2022 to suspend its offensive in Ukraine, which is still ongoing.
Nadezhdine, Russian opponent of the war, presidential candidate
Boris Nadezhdine, the only opponent of the assault in Ukraine in the running for the Russian presidential election, submitted on Wednesday the signatures of support necessary to register his candidacy for the election scheduled for March 15-17. Little known to the general public, this veteran of Russian political life, who advocates “the end” of the assault in Ukraine and denounces the authoritarian drift of Vladimir Putin, has aroused an unexpected enthusiasm in recent days, tens of thousands of Russians mobilizing to support his candidacy.
The Electoral Commission should for its part rule on the candidacy of Boris Nadejdine in the next 10 days. Several hundred Muscovites had lined up in recent days to sign in his favor, a legal means for them to demonstrate their direct opposition to the Kremlin’s policies, in a country where any dissident voice is severely repressed.
Drone and missile attacks in Kharkiv
Russia carried out a new night attack against Ukraine with 20 Iranian-designed drones and three ballistic missiles, the Ukrainian armed forces said on Wednesday, stressing that the air defense downed a dozen devices. Ukrainian air defense systems, mainly in the southern and eastern regions of the front, shot down the drones, according to the same source which does not mention the missiles.
The authorities have released little information at this stage on the damage caused by this new attack. Police in the Kharkiv region (east), which borders Russia, however, indicated that a supermarket and residential houses had been damaged during the attack.
Ukrainian strikes in separatist regions
Two civilians were killed and one injured in a drone attack in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk, controlled by Russian forces, the pro-Russian mayor of Horlivka said on Wednesday. “Due to a drone strike by the Armed Forces of Ukraine against a civilian vehicle on the road connecting Horlivka and Donetsk, near the village of Panteleimonovka, two civilians were killed, one person was injured,” said the mayor of Horlivka , Ivan Prikhodko, on his Telegram channel.
A Ukrainian drone was also “destroyed by air defense forces over the territory of the Pskov region”, in north-west Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry said on its official website. . In recent months, Ukraine has increased its attacks in Russia but generally focuses on border regions such as Belgorod.