Ukraine’s interior minister and other senior officials were killed when a helicopter crashed near a kindergarten on the outskirts of Kyiv in the town of Brovary, the national police chief said. Nine people on board were killed, bringing the official death toll to 18, including three children. Chief of the National Police of Ukraine, Ihor KremenkoMinister said in a statement Denis MonastelskiHis Deputy Minister Yevhen Yenin and Secretary of State, Yuri Lubkovichall died in the crash.
A search and rescue operation has been completed in the rubble of an apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Dnepr following a Russian missile attack on Saturday, authorities said. The head of the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Military Administration said the death toll now stood at 45, including a child. At least 19 people were still missing and 79 others were injured, according to local officials. A makeshift memorial has emerged in Moscow to honor the victims of a Russian missile attack.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Arestovich resigns It comes after a public outcry over his comments suggesting a Russian missile that hit a building on the Dnieper River was shot down by Ukraine. The Ukrainian air force said the apartment complex was hit by a Russian Kh-22 missile that Kyiv did not have the equipment to shoot down.
Russia announced on Tuesday that it would make a “major restructuring” of its armed forces from 2023-26, Pledged to restructure its military after months of setbacks on the Ukrainian battlefield. In addition to administrative reforms, the Ministry of Defense said it would strengthen the combat capabilities of its naval, aerospace and strategic missile forces. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the changes were necessary because of the West’s “proxy war” in Ukraine.
More than 9,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion last February, including 453 children, according to Ukraine. “We will not forgive anyone [act of] torture or take life. Every criminal will be held accountable. “.
Ukrainian top general Valerii Zaluznyi spoke face-to-face with U.S. President General Mark Milley for the first time near the Ukraine-Poland border on Tuesday. Milley, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with Zarrouzhny for several hours on Tuesday at an undisclosed location in southeastern Poland. The two have spoken frequently over the past year but have never met in person.
Ukraine urged world leaders to step up efforts to withdraw Vladimir Putin’s troops from its territory, as its war with Russia dominated the first day of a gathering of global elites in Davos. With the war clouding the global economic outlook for 2023, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko urged allies to step up supplies of military equipment to defeat Russia more quickly. Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska made a special speech Tuesday asking those at the World Economic Forum to use their influence to end Russian aggression.
German Chancellor Olaf Schulz picked little-known Boris Pistorius as Germany’s new defense minister on Tuesday, Put him in charge of guiding the armed forces through an era of major change. It comes after the resignation of Christine Lambrecht at a critical time in the ministry and Germany is under intense pressure to send main battle tanks to Ukraine.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told Joe Biden that the Netherlands would supply Ukraine with Patriot missiles. Rutte told Biden at the White House that the Netherlands would join the United States and Germany in sending the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine. Biden thanked Rutte for his “very, very firm” support for Ukraine.
UK foreign secretary James Cleverly justifies supplying Ukraine with Challenger tanks Saying this is for a quick end to a war that is morally imperative to end as soon as possible because of casualties and costs. His remarks appeared to be aimed at encouraging the US to bolster its own arms supply.
Finland ready to support Ukraine “As long as needed”, said its Prime Minister Sanna Marin. “I think the only message we need to send is that we will support Ukraine for as long as it takes. One year, two years, five years, 10 years, 15 years,” Marin said in Davos.
British defense secretary Ben Wallace will join his Polish and Baltic counterparts in Estonia in a final attempt to pressure Germany Authorization to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine this week. Defense sources said the purpose of Thursday’s meeting was to “encourage the Germans” if no decision had been made in Berlin before then.
The EU executive has confirmed a 3 billion euro emergency aid for Ukraine, The first tranche of the 18 billion euro fund aims to help run essential public services in winter. The money will pay public sector salaries, pensions, and keep schools and hospitals running, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyensaid in Davos.
The former commander of the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary who sought asylum in Norway last week, has spoken of how he was “terrified for his life”. Andrey Medvedev, 26, told the Guardian last month that he had witnessed the summary killing of Wagner fighters in Ukraine whom his commanders accused of disobedience.
The Serbian president has called on Russia to stop recruiting Serbs to fight alongside his Wagner bloc in Ukraine. Aleksandar Vucic has criticized Russian websites and social media groups for advertising in Serbian, calling for volunteers to join him. He denied reports of the Wagner Group’s presence in Serbia, where pro-Kremlin and ultranationalist groups supported the invasion of Ukraine.
