After the heavy Russian rocket attacks on many large cities in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized his country’s will to resist. “Ukraine will not be intimidated, it will only be more united,” he said in his evening video address in Kyiv on Monday. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior, 14 people were killed and almost 100 injured in the attacks nationwide in the evening.
In view of the escalation of the war of aggression ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukraine tried to mobilize further international aid. Selenski spoke to US President Joe Biden, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and other top Western politicians. At the United Nations (UN), Ukraine called on the world community to condemn the recent illegal annexation of its territories in the south and east by Russia.
The group of seven leading Western industrialized countries (G7) intends to hold a video conference on Tuesday to discuss the intensified Russian attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine. For the attacked country it is the 230th day of the war.
Zelensky is filming on the street in Kyiv
“The occupiers can’t face us on the battlefield and that’s why they resort to this terror,” Zelenskiy said of the attacks. His evening video was not, as is usual, recorded in the President’s Office. According to the head of state, he was standing at a damaged crossroads near the University of Kyiv. Excavators, trucks and other clearing equipment could be seen behind him.
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In many cities, municipal services are in the process of repairing disrupted power and water supplies, Zelensky said. He called on the population not to use high-consumption devices if possible. “The more Ukrainians save electricity, the more stable the grid works.” According to the utility Ukrenergo, consumption in the capital was actually a good quarter lower than usual on an autumn evening. The Kiev police increased their patrols on Tuesday night.
Putin called the rocket fire a reaction to alleged Ukrainian attacks against Russian territory. On Saturday, an explosion shook the 19-kilometer bridge that connects Russia and the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014.
According to the Ukrainian President, he recorded his video message on the street.
(Photo: dpa)
US President Biden pledged continued support to Ukraine in the face of massive Russian airstrikes. This also included other modern anti-aircraft systems, as he said in a phone call with Zelensky. When it comes to arms deliveries, air defense is currently the top priority, emphasized the Ukrainian President. The US should also show leadership in taking a tough stance from the G7 and supporting a UN General Assembly condemnation of Russia, he tweeted after the call.
Biden pledges continued support for Kyiv
In his video, Zelensky listed all discussions with international partners about the rocket attacks. He spoke to Chancellor Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Poland’s Head of State Andrzej Duda and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. There were further talks with the heads of government Justin Trudeau (Canada), Mark Rutte (Netherlands) and Liz Truss (Great Britain).
Ukraine calls on UN over annexations
Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Cherson – Moscow declared these four Ukrainian regions to be part of Russia at the end of September. In an emergency session of the UN General Assembly on Monday, Ukraine called for the illegal annexation to be condemned. “The so-called referendums had nothing to do with what we call expressions of the people’s will – neither from a legal nor from a technical point of view,” said Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UN, Serhiy Kislizia. He urged the largest UN body to pass a resolution requiring Russia to reverse its actions.
Meanwhile, Russia’s UN ambassador Wassili Nebensja complained about “dangerous polarization” at the UN and the formation of blocs that undermine international cooperation. At the end of the session, which could last until Wednesday, the UN body, the largest with 193 member states, is to vote on the resolution condemning Moscow. The vote is considered a global mood test on the Ukraine war.
UN agency expects more displaced people in Ukraine
Because of the escalation of the Russian war against Ukraine, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) expects new displaced persons. UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said in Geneva that if people were left with nowhere to stay, no heating or supplies as a result of the destruction, the number of people seeking refuge elsewhere would increase.
However, with international support, Ukraine is now better prepared than when the war began in February to take in compatriots in parts of the country less affected by the war. Therefore, the escalation does not necessarily mean a new wave of refugees in neighboring countries. According to Grandi, six to seven million people are currently displaced in Ukraine. Around four million people have applied for protection status in other countries.
Kiesewetter: Also prepare Germans for a longer war in Ukraine
According to the CDU foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter, the people of Germany must realize that Russia’s war against Ukraine could last longer. “Our population must also be prepared for the fact that this war can possibly go on for two more years and that it will expand,” he told the broadcaster Welt.
Ex-Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble prepared the people for deprivation in the winter in view of the energy crisis. “You don’t have to complain about that, you have to recognize that a lot of things are not self-evident,” Schäuble told the Bild-TV broadcaster. You should also have a few candles, matches and a flashlight at home – in case of a power failure, advised the CDU politician.
That will be important on Tuesday
Zelenskyi will also speak at the G7 video conference after the latest Russian attacks. The emergency session of the UN General Assembly on the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories by Russia continues in New York. In Brussels, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg provides information about a meeting of defense ministers planned for Wednesday and Thursday.
According to the Kremlin, Russian President Putin will meet the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in St. Petersburg. According to Rafael Grossi, he is negotiating with Kyiv and Moscow about a protection zone around the Russian-occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia in order to avert the danger of an accident.