Zelenskyj welcomes winter aid from northern Europe

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has expressed his joy and gratitude for winter aid for his country from northern Europe. This includes a support package worth 260 million dollars (almost 240 million euros) from Norway, as Zelensky explained in his evening video report.

“The package aims to support our energy sector,” he said. “Restoring destroyed facilities and building modern infrastructure is what we need now before winter.”

Zelenskyj reported another assistance. The foreign ministers of Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Denmark agreed on a package worth 44 million euros for Kiev during a visit to Odessa this week. Kyiv should be able to use this to buy electricity generators and solar cells.

Ukraine had been intensively preparing for the next, third winter of war for weeks. The main aim is to protect the energy infrastructure in order to counteract the feared Russian attacks on the supply of electricity and district heating. With heavy attacks on power plants, transformers and energy facilities, the Russian military has put the Ukrainian civilian population under heavy pressure over the past two winters. Russia has been waging war against Ukraine since February 2022.

G7 renew commitment of support

The group of seven leading democratic industrial nations (G7) has pledged “unwavering support” to Ukraine in the war against Russia, which has already lasted more than two and a half years. At a meeting in the southern Italian city of Naples, the defense ministers of the G7 countries accused Russia of a “brutal and illegal large-scale war of aggression”.

The joint final declaration states: “We condemn Russia, which is taking a position of confrontation and destabilization on a global level.” With regard to the repeated warnings from Moscow about the use of nuclear weapons, there is also talk of “irresponsible use of nuclear rhetoric”.

Italy is chairing the Group of Seven this year. Other members include the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Japan, France and Germany.

Several injured after Russian attack on Zaporizhia

Several people were injured in a Russian air strike on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia. According to official information, the number rose to eight later in the evening, including two children.

According to Ukrainian media reports, at least two guided glide bombs detonated in the center of the city early in the evening. Severe damage was caused to several buildings. Emergency services searched for possible additional victims under the rubble.

Heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine

Heavy fighting continued on the fronts in eastern Ukraine. “The situation on the front line is characterized by the enemy’s particular activity in the Kurakhove, Kupyansk and Pokrovsk sectors,” the General Staff in Kiev said in its evening situation report. In total there were 71 battles on the various sectors of the front during the day. The front lines remained unchanged.

An unusually large series of Russian airstrikes have been reported by Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region they occupy in western Russia. In total there were 24 air strikes during the day, during which the Russian fighter jets used 34 guided glide bombs. The frontline reports could not be independently verified.

Russian drone swarms reach Ukraine

The Russian armed forces have once again covered Ukraine with swarms of drones. Late Saturday evening, arrivals of so-called kamikaze drones were reported in several regions in the south and east of the country. The Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense went into action, the media reported. No further details were given.