Russia-Ukraine updates: Belarus summons Kyiv envoy
Belarus’ defence ministry says its air defences shot down S-300 missile in a village near the Ukrainian border.
This blog is now closed. Thanks for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war for Thursday, December 29:
This blog is now closed. Thanks for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war for Thursday, December 29:
- Belarus summons Ukraine’s ambassador after its air defences shot down an S-300 missile in a village close to the Ukrainian border.
- Kyiv’s mayor says 40 percent of residents have been left without power after a new wave of Russian air attacks.
- Major Ukrainian cities including Kyiv and Kharkiv are under attack from a “massive” barrage of Russian missiles, according to Ukrainian officials.
‘Significant damage’ to Ukraine power grid after new Russian strikes: Operator
A barrage of Russian missile strikes on Ukraine has resulted in “significant damage” to the national power grid, already battered by repeated bombardment, officials said.
“Unfortunately, due to significant network damage, it is difficult for us to deliver electricity in Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson and Lviv regions,” said the head of Ukraine’s grid operator Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi.
Kazakhstan to deport Russian major who fled his country over war
Kazakhstan is preparing to deport a Russian security officer who had fled his country because he objected to the invasion of Ukraine and hoped to find refuge in the West, according to his wife, who was quoted by the Reuters news agency.
Hundreds of thousands of Russians fled to Kazakhstan and other neighbouring countries after the war started. Many of them were civilians, crossing legally as they sought to avoid mobilisation.
As an officer of the Federal Protective Service, which is tasked with protecting the Russian president, Major Mikhail Zhilin, 36, was barred from leaving Russia, and he illegally crossed into Kazakhstan in September when it became clear he could be sent to Ukraine.
Missile downed over Belarus may be Russian ploy: Ukraine
Ukraine has suggested a missile Belarus shot down over its territory might have been a move by Moscow aimed at bringing Minsk into the war.
“The Ukrainian side does not exclude a deliberate provocation on the part of … Russia, which laid such a route for its cruise missiles to provoke their interception in the airspace over the territory of Belarus,” said a defence ministry statement quoted by the AFP news agency.
Bulgaria summons Russian envoy over ‘wanted’ journalist
Bulgaria has summoned Russia’s ambassador “for explanations” after Moscow placed Bulgarian Christo Grozev, the executive director of the investigative website Bellingcat, on its list of wanted persons.
Bellingcat makes extensive use of open-source databases and online research tools and has won several awards.
After it began investigating Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, Moscow declared the Bellingcat organisation a “threat” that is “undesirable” on its territory.
Russia eases some restrictions on rouble transfers for ‘unfriendly’ banks
The Bank of Russia has said it is allowing banks from so-called “unfriendly” countries to transfer roubles out of Russia from correspondent accounts opened with Russian credit institutions.
“In the face of sanctions pressure, such a payment channel will help to raise the sustainability of international settlement infrastructure,” the central bank said.
It was not immediately clear how the move might impact foreign investors’ assets currently trapped in Russia in response to the sweeping sanctions that Western countries imposed on Moscow because of its military campaign in Ukraine.
Putin congratulates Netanyahu’s return to Israel’s government
Putin welcomed the return of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, noting an intention to strengthen cooperation with Israel, the Kremlin said
“I hope that the new government under your leadership will continue the line of strengthening Russian-Israeli cooperation in all areas for the benefit of our peoples, in the interest of ensuring peace and security in the Middle East,” Putin said in a message to Netanyahu, quoted in the statement.
German refineries under strain as government moves to ban Russian oil
Several refineries in Germany have come under strain due to the government’s decision to completely stop Russian oil imports at the end of December.
The Schwedt refinery, which supplies 90 percent of all petroleum products consumed in Berlin, will operate at 70 percent of its usual capacity from January, public broadcaster ZDF reported.
Michael Kellner, state secretary at the economy ministry, told ZDF that Russian oil will be replaced with supplies via pipelines from Germany’s Rostock port and neighbouring Poland.
According to the government’s plan, the pipeline from Rostock will fulfil about 55 percent of the Schwedt refinery’s supply needs.
Germany’s ban on Russian oil imports could also hamper production at other refineries, such as Leuna, one of the country’s biggest chemical industrial complexes.
Belarus summons Ukraine’s ambassador over S-300 missile
Belarus has summoned Ukraine’s ambassador after shooting down a Ukrainian S-300 air defence missile in a field.
The military commissar of the Brest region, Oleg Konovalov, told locals they had “absolutely nothing to worry about”.
“Unfortunately, these things happen,” he said.
“The Belarusian side views this incident as extremely serious,” Belarusia’s foreign ministry spokesman Anatoly Glaz said.
“We demanded that the Ukrainian side conduct a thorough investigation … [and] hold those responsible to account and take comprehensive measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.”
A Ukrainian military spokesman acknowledged that the missile was a Ukrainian stray, saying the incident was “nothing strange, a result of air defence” and something that “has happened more than once”.
Belarus said the missile had come down near the village of Harbacha in the Brest region, some 15km (9 miles) from the border with Ukraine, at around 10am (07:00 GMT).
Poland ready for Russian oil ban
Poland is prepared for Russia’s response to the G7 price cap, which will stop the sale of oil to participating countries, the climate minister said.
In response to a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian seaborne crude, Putin on Tuesday signed a decree that bans the supply of crude oil and oil products from February 1 for five months to nations abiding by the cap.
PKN Orlen, Poland’s top refinery, has secured alternative oil supplies via its partnership with Saudi Aramco.
“We are prepared to process all types of crude oil, this is our advantage,” Minister of Climate and Environment Anna Moskwa told a news conference.
Moskwa also said that she believed the next EU sanctions package would include a decision on banning Russian oil.
Is the prospect of a ‘winner’ out of the question? | The Bottom Line
As 2022 comes to a close with no end in sight for the war in Ukraine as Russia unleashes another barrage of missiles, when will this war end and who will come out on top?
Al Jazeera’s The Bottom Line speaks to experts on how the war could end and why Kyiv and Moscow will have to make an unwanted compromise.
Two dead and 12 wounded on Wednesday, says Ukrainian official
According to the Ukrainian deputy head of the president’s office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, two people died and 12 were wounded on Wednesday.
On Telegram, he wrote: “Victims among the civilian population as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation” for December 28, as of 9am (07:00 GMT) on December 29, 2022:
“Zaporizhia region – one dead. Kharkiv region – three wounded [including two by mines]. Kherson region – one dead, nine wounded, according to regional military administrations.”
Russia to build new ballistic missile submarines: Putin
Russia will build four new ballistic missile submarines that will ensure the country’s security for decades, Putin said.
The new submarines and ships with modern navigation, communication and sonar systems will be equipped with high-precision weapons and robotic systems.
Putin added that the Generalissimus Suvorov submarine, armed with Bulava (Mace) ballistic missiles, would “significantly increase the capabilities” of the country’s nuclear naval forces.
“And I would like to note that within the framework of the current state armament programme, four more such submarines will be built, which will ensure Russia’s security for decades to come,” he said.
In addition, Putin said that the small rocket ship, Grad Sviyazhsk, is also a new-generation project, specifying that ships effectively perform combat tasks in Syria and during the “special military operation” in Ukraine.
No signs that Russia wants peace, says Italian PM
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says there are no signs that Russia wants peace in Ukraine, urging continued international backing for Kyiv.
The prime minister said supporting Ukraine was key to maintaining a balance of power on the battlefield and creating conditions for peace.
Speaking at an end-of-year news conference, Meloni also said she intends to visit the Ukrainian capital before the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, which began on February 24.
‘Nothing to worry about’, says Belrusian official after S-300 missile
A Belarus military official says there is no cause for concern after air defence forces shot down a Ukrainian S-300 missile over a village near the Belarus-Ukraine border on Thursday morning.
In a video message shared on social media by the state-run BelTA news agency, the military commissar of Belarus’s Brest region said, “Locals have absolutely nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, these things happen.”
Russia says it has shot down a drone near Engels air base
A Russian regional governor says air defences had shot down a drone near the Engels airbase.
Russia says Ukraine has already tried to attack the base twice this month, killing at least six Russian servicemen, although it said there was only slight damage to two aircraft.
“Air defence systems shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle in the Engels region,” Saratov Governor Roman Busargin wrote in a message on Telegram on Thursday.
Falling debris damaged residential property, but nobody was injured, he said.
The Engels base is one of two that host Russia’s airborne nuclear forces.
The strikes have raised questions about the effectiveness of Russian air defences, mainly when the front line is so far away.
UK to commit 2.3 billion pounds to Ukraine
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says that the UK will allocate 2.3 billion pounds ($2.77bn) in aid to Ukraine in 2023, adding that some of it would be non-military and humanitarian support.
“From the financial year 2023, we’ll put in another 2.3 billion [pounds],” Wallace told reporters about Britain’s aid to Ukraine.
Italinan PM hopes Russia will realise its ‘enormous error’
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says she believes Russia will realise the “enormous error” it made in invading Ukraine and that Rome would help Kyiv’s war effort.
“We will defend Ukrainian international rights, sovereignty and freedom,” Meloni told reporters at the prime minister’s traditional end-of-year news conference.
Who controls what?
Here are four maps we update daily, charting the latest war developments.
Ukrainian S-300 missile shot down in Belarus: BeITA
A Ukrainian S-300 missile fell onto the territory of Belarus, the Belarusian state-run BelTA news agency reported.
The Belarusian defence ministry was investigating whether its air defence systems had shot down the rocket or it was a misfire.
BelTA said there was no information about casualties.
Odesa takes down monuments to Catherine the Great
Ukraine’s port city of Odesa has taken down monuments to two Russian heroes, including Catherine the Great.
The city council took down the monuments under a November 30 decision, which also posted pictures of the process on its Telegram account.
Under the city council decision, the monument to Catherine the Great, known as the “founder of Odesa” and one honouring 18th century Russian General Alexander Suvorov, are headed to the Odesa Fine Arts Museum, said a statement.
The war began amid claims that Ukraine was part of Russia. Still, the ongoing conflict has meant a diminished affinity for Russian culture, language, and history among Ukrainians, according to observers.
Bulgaria to summon Russian ambassador over Bellingcat journalist
Bulgaria’s foreign ministry says it will summon the Russian ambassador to Sofia “for explanations” after Moscow put Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian citizen and executive director of investigative news outlet Bellingcat, on a wanted list.
Bellingcat’s chief investigator on Russia is “wanted under an article of the Criminal Code”, according to information published on Russia’s interior ministry website earlier this week.
“The Russian ambassador will be summoned for explanations,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said after leading Bulgarian political parties called for official support for Grozev.
Grozev has said he was the first foreign journalist to be put on a Russian wanted list and said it might be a move to prevent other journalists from looking into what is happening in Russia.
A general comment: I have no idea on what grounds the Kremlin has put me on its "wanted list", thus I cannot provide any comments at this time. In a way it doesn't matter – for years they've made it clear they are scared of our work and would stop at nothing to make it go away. https://t.co/fd4Evbd7gJ
— Christo Grozev (@christogrozev) December 26, 2022
Kazakhstan to send more oil to Germany
Russian oil pipeline operator Transneft says Kazakhstan’s KazTransOil has requested 1.2 million tonnes of capacity on the Druzhba pipeline for 2023 to facilitate additional oil shipments to Germany, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
The EU pledged to stop buying Russian oil via maritime routes from December 5 as part of broader sanctions over Ukraine.
The Druzhba pipeline remains exempt from sanctions, but Germany’s refineries in Leuna and Schwedt, are no longer ordering Russian crude for next year, Germany’s economy ministry has said.
According to RIA, Transneft said KaztTransOil – Kazakhstan’s national oil transporter – had asked to ship an additional 300,000 tonnes of oil during the first quarter of next year.
Ukrainian military says it shot down 54 out of 69 Russian missiles
Ukraine’s military said it had shot down 54 missiles of 69 launched by Russia in its latest air attacks.
“This morning, the aggressor launched air and sea-based cruise missiles, anti-aircraft guided missiles to the S-300 ADMS at energy infrastructure facilities of our country,” wrote Ukraine’s top general, Valery Zaluzhny, on Telegram.
Putin, Xi to speak on Friday
Putin will speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping via video link on Friday, according to the Kremlin.
The leaders will discuss a series of bilateral and regional issues, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Nearly half of people in Kyiv without power, says mayor
After a new barrage of missiles hit Ukraine on Thursday morning, Kyiv’s mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko, says 40 percent of people are now without energy.
On Telegram he said: “40 percent of the capital’s consumers are without electricity after the missile attack. In connection with the necessary safety measures used by power workers during an air alert. Power engineers are currently working on restoring the power supply.
“The city supplies heat and water as usual. In addition to houses where there is no energy supply, on which the operation of boiler rooms depends”.