Russia launches its heaviest rocket attack on Ukraine since the beginning of the war. During the major assault, a missile also penetrated Polish airspace. Ex-NATO General Egon Ramms sees morality as Ukraine’s great advantage. All the latest news on the war against Ukraine in the ticker.
Russian Missile Penetrates Polish Airspace
14.55 hours: The Polish army reports that a Russian missile penetrated Polish airspace during the major assault on Ukraine on Friday morning. Chief of staff Wieslaw Kukula said, according to media reports: “Everything indicates that a RussianRocket flew through Polish airspace. It then departed in the direction of Ukraine.
Prior to this, it had been reported that the Poles had spotted an “unidentified flying object” in their airspace. The German Press Agency published a map pinpointing the exact location of the incident.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of one of the most intense waves of attacks in recent months. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia used “almost all types of weapons” – hypersonic missiles of the Kinzhal type, S-300 missiles, as well as cruise missiles and drones. The majority of the missiles and drones were reportedly intercepted by the Ukrainian Air Force.
According to Ukrainian authorities, schools, shopping centers, and residential buildings in six cities across the country were targeted. At least 18 people were killed and over 130 others were injured. The massive Russian attacks were sharply criticized internationally.
Heaviest Rocket Attack on Ukraine Since the Beginning of the War
10:10 AM: According to reports from Kyiv, Russia carried out the “most massive air strike” on Ukraine since the beginning of the war. On Friday, 158 missiles and combat drones were reportedly used against the country by the Ukrainian Air Force.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyy mentioned 122 missiles and cruise missiles and 36 drones. The air defense was capable of intercepting over 70 percent of them. The attack reportedly occurred in several waves from different directions and involved the use of strategic bombers.
According to Zelensky, the civilian damage is extensive, with a maternity hospital, educational institutions, a shopping center, and many private residences being hit, he reported. According to official information from Kyiv, at least twelve people have died. The number of injured was reported as 75 on Friday morning, citing Ukrainian media referring to the Interior Ministry. In the city of Dnipro alone, there were 5 civilian fatalities and over 20 injured, according to the local military administration.
Ex-NATO General: “This is a trump card that Ukraine can capitalize on”
07:41 AM: Former NATO General Egon Ramms discussed the war in Ukraine in an interview with ZDF. He sees many small successes in the counteroffensive, but the major breakthrough has not occurred. He cited the destruction of a warship in the Crimean port of Feodosia as an example.
For the year 2024, Ramms sees a major advantage for Ukraine: the morale of the soldiers is extremely high, and the support of the population is immense. “This is a trump card that Ukraine can capitalize on,” said Ramms.
Ukraine Reportsmassive air raids across the entire country
Friday, December 29, 07:35 AM: In the night and Friday morning, Russia launched a massive attack on the neighboring Ukraine once again using drones and cruise missiles. Ukrainian media reported severe damages nationwide. In the western city of Lviv, an infrastructure facility was hit in a drone attack. In the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa, there was a high-rise building fire caused by debris from a downed drone. In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, there were multiple explosions following rocket attacks. In the capital city of Kyiv, the anti-aircraft defense had to be activated in the morning. It was initially unclear if there were any casualties as a result of the attacks.
During the night, Russia attacked Ukraine from several directions with drones and rockets. Lviv was targeted by more than ten Shahed kamikaze drones, as reported by Mayor Andrij Sadowyj on Telegram. There were multiple impacts. In the Sumy region, three people were injured and a multi-family house and a workshop were damaged due to a rocket strike in the city of Konotop. In Kharkiv, more than ten rockets also landed during the night. There were no official reports of casualties initially. The extent of the damage needed to be assessed.
In the morning, the second wave of air attacks followed. Nationwide air raid alerts were issued due to the attacks. Ukrainians were urged to take shelter in air-raid shelters. Both the capital Kyiv and the industrial city of Dnipro were targeted by the Russians. Explosions were reported in both of these major cities. It was initially unclear whether these were impacts of Russian rockets or their interception by the anti-aircraft defense.
Putin seeks brutal revenge on his commanders following the latest Crimea disaster
9:55 PM: On Tuesday, a Ukrainian missile sank a Russian warship in the Crimean port of Feodosia. It is another setback for the Russian army which is unable to prevent Ukraine from delivering significant blows on the occupied Crimea peninsula.
According to Russia expert Samuel Ramani, Putin is now seeking brutal revenge on the commanders of the air defense in Crimea. Ramani stated that Putin had moved them to the attack groups in Ukraine – a move that, given Russia’s meat grinder tactics with enormously high losses, amounts to a death sentence.
Read about the double calculation an expert suspects behind the Ukrainian Crimea strike here.
Selenskyj appoints a new governor in the Donetsk frontline region
Thursday, December 28, 6:16 PM: The fiercely contested eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk has received a new governor. President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Vadym Filashkin by a decree published on Thursday. Filashkin had been the deputy governor for the region since February 2019. His predecessor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, resigned in September.been appointed as the head of the antitrust authority in Kiev. Russia is laying claim to the Donetsk region. More than half of the area along the border with Russia is under Russian military occupation.
In another decree, Selenskyj appointed Olexander Kowal as the new governor for the western Ukrainian region of Rivne. Kowal previously served as the head of the administration of Rivne district.
Ukraine rejects Kretschmer’s proposal for a ceasefire with Russia
6:19 PM: Ukraine has rejected the idea proposed by Michael Kretschmer, the Prime Minister of Saxony (CDU), for a ceasefire with Russia, potentially involving temporary territorial concessions. “If Ukraine accepts temporary territorial losses, Russian forces will advance closer to Germany and particularly to Saxony,” wrote the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kiev, Oleh Nikolenko, on Wednesday on Facebook. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is also well acquainted with Saxony from his time in Dresden.
Nikolenko recalled that both former Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) have tried to influence Putin. “Concessions on territories will inevitably lead to greater aggression from Russia, which will undoubtedly extend beyond the borders of Ukraine,” emphasized Nikolenko. Peace in Europe can only be achieved through a defeat of Moscow. The only possible “turnaround” is stronger German support for Ukraine. At the same time, Nikolenko thanked the federal government for the assistance provided so far.
Kretschmer suggests a “temporary” territorial concession for Ukraine
Wednesday, December 27, 6:46 AM: Michael Kretschmer, the Prime Minister of Saxony (CDU), has suggested to the Ukrainian government a temporary territorial concession for a ceasefire in the war against the Russian invasion troops. “It may be that, in a ceasefire, Ukraine will have to accept that certain territories are temporarily inaccessible to Ukraine,” said the deputy CDU federal chairman to the newspapers of the Funke Media Group on Wednesday.
“Not a single square meter of Ukrainian territory has become Russian,” emphasized Kretschmer. “But as in other major conflicts, it will take time here for a final solution.”
Kretschmer once again called on the federal government to not only supply weapons to Ukraine but also to take diplomatic initiatives. Allies are necessary to influence Russian President Vladimir Putin and make a ceasefire possible.
“Unfortunately, the federal government’s basic position is: We don’t want negotiations, only weapons deliveries,” the Prime Minister told the Funke newspapers. “The Americans are ahead in this regard. They have realized that the war cannot be won like this.”
A turnaround in Russia policy is necessary. “Russia is our neighbor. A dangerous, unpredictable neighbor,” said Kretschmer. “The idea of weakening Russia militarily, politically, and economically to the point where it can no longer pose a threat to us is an attitude that comes from the 19th century. It lays the foundation for further conflicts.”
Kretschmer has faced criticism for his comments on the Ukraine war. In November, the CDU politician advocated “freezing” the conflict.
Casualties in Russian attack on railway station in Kherson
10:26 PM: Russia has carried out an attack on the railway station in Herson.Südukraine zufolge hat den Bahnhof der Stadt Cherson, wie aus Kiew verlautet, einen Angriff erlitten. Der ukrainische Präsident Wolodymyr Selenskyj berichtete, dass sich zum Zeitpunkt des Angriffs viele Zivilisten auf einen Evakuierungszug warteten. Die genaue Anzahl der Toten und Verletzten wird noch untersucht. Ihor Klymenko, der ukrainische Innenminister, teilte hingegen auf Telegram mit, dass ein getöteter Polizist und zwei weitere Verletzte zu beklagen seien. Die Behörden kündigten an, dass mehr als 100 Zivilisten nun mit Bussen aus der frontnahen Stadt evakuiert und in Sicherheit gebracht werden sollen.
Cherson fungiert als Hauptstadt des gleichnamigen Gebiets im Süden der Ukraine. Sie wurde kurz nach Kriegsbeginn vor fast zwei Jahren von russischen Truppen besetzt, allerdings ein paar Monate später von ukrainischen Kräften zurückerobert. Seitdem sind die Menschen in Cherson immer wieder heftigem Beschuss durch die russische Armee ausgesetzt, die weiterhin Gebiete auf der gegenüberliegenden Seite des Flusses Dnipro kontrolliert.
Ukrainischer Oberbefehlshaber gesteht Rückzug aus Marjinka ein
17.01 Uhr: Walerij Saluschnyj, der ukrainische Oberbefehlshaber, hat einen weitreichenden Rückzug seiner Truppen aus der vollkommen zerstörten Kleinstadt Marjinka im östlichen Gebiet Donezk zugegeben. Der General erklärte vor Journalisten in Kiew, dass sich die Streitkräfte im nördlichen Teil befinden und außerhalb von Marjinka neue Verteidigungslinien vorbereitet wurden. Einen Tag zuvor hatte der russische Verteidigungsminister Sergej Schoigu die Eroberung der Stadt, die seit Februar 2022 umkämpft war, verkündet.
Gleichzeitig äußerte Saluschnyj die Möglichkeit, dass es den russischen Truppen gelingen könnte, die nördlich von Donezk gelegene Stadt Awdijiwka in „zwei bis drei Monaten“ zu erobern. Er betonte, dass es wichtig sei, die Soldaten für eine mögliche spätere Rückeroberung aufzusparen, obwohl die Verteidigung so lange wie möglich aufrechterhalten werde.
Kiew wehrt seit mehr als 22 Monaten eine russische Invasion ab. Nach einer als weitgehend gescheitert geltenden ukrainischen Gegenoffensive haben die russischen Truppen zuletzt vor allem in der Ostukraine die Initiative zurückerlangt. Einschließlich der bereits 2014 durch Russland annektierten Halbinsel Krim steht fast ein Fünftel des ukrainischen Staatsgebiets unter russischer Kontrolle.
mmo, al, ja, til, pip, shu, ter, daz, fil, sca, wop, lro, juw/mit Agenturmaterial
