Russia Ukraine war latest: Putin meets Slovak PM Robert Fico as Moscow video shows ‘Australian POW’s interrogation’

Ukraine’s air power stated it had shot down 47 out of 72 Russia-launched drones throughout the nation.

In an announcement on Telegram this morning, it stated that a further 25 drones had not reached targets and have been “locationally misplaced”.

Russia’s Gazprom stated that it might ship 42.1 million cubic metres of gasoline to Europe through Ukraine this morning, a quantity in keeping with current days.

Nato secretary basic Mark Rutte stated he thought-about the typically harsh criticism of German chancellor Olaf Scholz by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to be unjustified, information wire DPA reported.

Though Germany has been a significant ally of Ukraine, its hesitation in offering long-range Taurus cruise missiles has been a supply of frustration in Kyiv, which is battling a foe armed with a robust array of long-range weaponry.

“I’ve typically instructed Zelenskiy that he ought to cease criticising Olaf Scholz, as a result of I feel it’s unfair,” DPA quoted Mr Rutte on Monday as saying in an interview.

Mr Rutte additionally stated that he, in contrast to Mr Scholz, would provide Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles and wouldn’t set limits on their use.

“Usually, we all know that such capabilities are essential for Ukraine,”Mr Rutte stated, including that it was less than him to determine what allies ought to ship.

After a November phone name by Mr Scholz with Russia’s chief Vladimir Putin in November, Mr Zelensky stated it had opened a Pandora’s field that undermined efforts to isolate the Russian chief and finish the struggle in Ukraine with a “truthful peace”.

Ukrainian drones struck a significant Russian gas depot for the second time in simply over every week on Sunday, in response to a senior Russian regional official, as a part of a “huge” cross-border assault on gas and power services that Kyiv says provide Moscow’s navy.

The strikes got here days after Russia launched sweeping assaults on Ukraine’s already battered power grid, threatening to plunge 1000’s of properties into darkness as winter tightens its grip over the area, and as Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor nears the three-year mark.

A hearth broke out on the Stalnoy Kon oil terminal in Russia’s southern Oryol area, native Gov. Andrey Klychkov stated in a submit on the Telegram messaging app, including Russian forces downed 20 drones concentrating on “gas and power infrastructure” within the province.

The Australian authorities is making pressing inquiries after a video on social media appeared to indicate a citizen captured by Russian authorities.

Within the video, a 32-year-old man recognized himself as Oscar Jenkins, a biology trainer from Australia. Mr Jenkins’s fingers have been certain by tape as he answered questions on his identification in English and damaged Russian. Within the footage circulating on-line, the person, wearing navy fatigue, may very well be seen being struck on his head with a cane, as he stated: “I’m Australian…Oscar Jenkins. 32 years previous … I research biology.”

“That is regarding information, and we’re working by means of the Division of Overseas Affairs and Commerce to supply help, together with, for this gentleman, making an attempt to establish the main points and the details that are there,” Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese instructed reporters on Monday morning.

The appearing overseas affair minister Mark Dreyfus, in the meantime urged Russia to deal with Mr Jenkins as per worldwide legal guidelines.

“We urge the Russian authorities to completely adhere to its obligations beneath worldwide humanitarian legislation, together with with respect to prisoners of struggle. Our instant precedence is knowing the place Mr Jenkins is and confirming his wellbeing,” he stated.

In a significant reshuffle, Volodymyr Zelensky has introduced changing Sergiy Korsunsky because the nation’s ambassador to Japan.

On Friday, the Ukrainian president authorized appointment of 30 new ambassadors together with the envoys to China and Lithuania. Nevertheless, Mr Korsunsky’s successor in Japan has not but been introduced. He’s anticipated to remain within the nation until February, he instructed NHK.

Mr Korsunsky, named as ambassador to Japan in 2020, has been actively campaigning throughout the Asian nation, looking for help for his nation and had in previous expressed gratitude for the financial donations delivered to the Ukrainian embassy in Ukraine.

By way of the provision of troops and weapons, North Korea is aiding Moscow within the areas it wants probably the most help, stated a Canadian basic.

“North Koreans usually are not solely changing some Russian personnel however they’re additionally making up for the shortage of munitions and different belongings that Russia both can’t produce by itself or can’t exchange as quick as wanted to maintain a struggle of attrition like this one,” Main Normal Greg Smith, director-general of worldwide safety coverage with Canada’s Division of Nationwide Defence instructed The Japan Instances.

“Because of this North Koreans are bodily combating and dying for Russia, which is a really troubling growth that highlights the rising internationalization of the battle,” Mr Smith instructed the outlet.

The Ukrainian navy intelligence company stated at the least 30 North Korean troops have been killed or wounded, whereas a US official instructed the determine for North Korean casualties was within the “a number of lots of”.

Ukraine’s safety service has named a Russian basic it suspects of ordering a missile strike on a lodge in jap Ukraine in August and stated he acted “with the motive of intentionally killing workers of” Reuters.

The Safety Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated in an announcement on Friday that Colonel Normal Alexei Kim, a deputy chief of Russia’s Normal Workers, authorized the strike that killed Reuters security adviser Ryan Evans and wounded two of the company’s journalists on 24 August.

In an announcement posted on Telegram messenger the SBU stated it was notifying Mr Kim in absentia that he was an official suspect in its investigation into the strike on the Sapphire Lodge in Kramatorsk, a step in Ukrainian legal proceedings that may later result in expenses.

In a separate, 15-page discover of suspicion, during which the SBU set out findings from its investigation, the company stated that the choice to fireplace the missile was made “with the motive of intentionally killing workers of the worldwide information company Reuters who have been engaged in journalistic actions in Ukraine”.

The doc, which was revealed on the web site of the Normal Prosecutor’s Workplace on Friday, stated that Mr Kim had obtained intelligence that Reuters workers have been staying in Kramatorsk. It added that Kim would have been “absolutely conscious that the people have been civilians and never taking part within the armed battle”.

The Russian defence ministry didn’t reply to a request for touch upon the SBU’s findings and has not replied to earlier questions concerning the assault. The Kremlin additionally didn’t reply to a request for remark.

Russian forces captured two villages in Ukraine, one in Kharkiv area within the northeast and one in jap Donetsk area, the Russian defence ministry stated on Sunday.

Donetsk area is the place Moscow is concentrating most of its efforts to grab two cities.

Russian forces, making regular progress throughout Donetsk area, are transferring on the cities of Pokrovsk, a logistics centre and web site of an vital coking colliery, and look like closing in on Kurakhove, farther south.

The Defence Ministry assertion stated troops had taken management of Lozova, close to the city of Kupiansk, in an space north of Donetsk area additionally beneath Russian stress in current weeks. The village of Sontsivka, north of Kurakhove, was additionally captured.

The ministry on Saturday introduced the seize of one other village close to Kurakhove, Kostiantynopolske.

The Ukraine navy’s basic workers made no point out of these villages falling into Russian fingers, however stated Sontsivka was in a sector topic to 26 Russian assaults prior to now 24 hours. The overall workers additionally reported heavy combating close to Pokrovsk, with 34 Russian makes an attempt to pierce defences.

The favored Ukrainian navy weblog DeepState stated Sontsivka was beneath Russian management.

Russian studies have described intensified stress on Kurakhove.