Ukraine war on news ticker: Due to destroyed infrastructure: Ukraine sets up more than 4,000 “warm rooms” for people

5:22 am

With thousands of public warming rooms, Russia-occupied Ukraine wants to get its people through the cold and dark winter. More than 4,000 such “stability points” have already been prepared in schools and administrative buildings across the country, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday. More to follow. “All basic services are provided there,” he said in a video address in Kyiv. “This includes electricity, mobile communication and internet, heat, water and first aid. Completely free and around the clock.»

Vitaliy Klitschko, mayor of Kyiv, underlined the seriousness of the situation in the Ukrainian capital of three million people: “This is the worst winter since World War II,” he told “Bild” newspaper. Ukraine is struggling with power outages as a result of Russian rocket attacks on the electricity grid, and the attacks are causing major problems with district heating, water and gas supplies. The European Parliament plans to vote on a resolution on Wednesday that would designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism because of attacks on civilian targets.

Klitschko: Kiev must prepare for “worst case scenario”.

“If there is another massive Russian attack and the power supply cannot be restored within a few hours, the work of the “stability points” will be activated,” Zelensky said. Local authorities should provide information on where to get support in the event of a prolonged power outage. Organizations are requested to provide rooms and other assistance.

The official name of collection points on the government website can also be translated as “fixed points”. Mothers with children should also take refuge there. “I am sure that we will live together this winter if we help each other,” said the head of state.

For the megacity of Kevin, Mayor Klitschko said one should be prepared for the “worst case scenario” of widespread power outages in low temperatures: “Then parts of the city would have to be evacuated, but we don’t want to get that. That far.”

The former boxing world champion has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to force more Ukrainians to flee by attacking civilian infrastructure. ‘But that won’t happen. My impression is that people are angry and over-determined. We will not die or run as Putin would like. Klitschko asked Germany to urgently send generators, protective clothing and humanitarian supplies along with weapons.

Security Council: Russia has enough missiles to launch further strikes

According to the Ukrainian Security Council, Russia has enough missiles for three to four attacks of the same scale as on November 15. About 100 rockets were launched then. “The Russians have resorted to the shameful practice of destroying the infrastructure on which the lives of the elderly, children and women depend,” Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov told Radio Liberty. “That means we’re going to have a tough winter. But that doesn’t mean we have to give up or surrender.”

Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov released an overview of the alleged Russian missile arsenal, although Kyiv’s information could not be independently verified. It said 829 Iskander-class missiles were launched, more than four-fifths of the time. In the case of Ch-101 and Ch-555 air-to-air missiles, half of the arsenal is still available.

As in previous days, the ground fighting was mainly reported from the Donbass in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian drones were reported to have launched an attack from the city of Sevastopol on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula on Tuesday evening. City Mayor Mikhail Rasvozayev announced that two drones had been shot down. They must have attacked a power and thermal plant in Balaklava district. The Black Sea Fleet intercepted three more drones in the sea near the port city.

As the naval base of the Black Sea Fleet, Sevastopol is strategically important to Russia. The Ukrainian military has repeatedly attacked the city from the air using combat drones and once from the sea using remote-controlled drones.

The Czech Republic is changing its defense plans

NATO member the Czech Republic is shifting its defense plans to prepare for possible expansion because of Russia’s war on Ukraine. According to the CTK agency in Prague, one must first prepare for a large-scale war against a highly developed enemy.

The Czech Republic has almost 27,000 professional soldiers and about 3,600 reserve soldiers. More recently, training has focused more on participating in peacekeeping and counter-terrorism operations overseas, such as in Mali.

This is important on Wednesday

Ukraine speaks of terrorism in the face of Russian military atrocities against civilians and attacks on civilian objects. That is why Kyiv is trying to have Russia condemned internationally as a state sponsor of terrorism. The parliaments of the Czech Republic, Estonia and other countries have already passed such resolutions. A similar vote is pending in the EU Parliament in Strasbourg.

Designating Russia as a terrorist state would have consequences, especially in the United States. But President Joe Biden’s administration is wary of pitting Russia against countries like Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea. Legal classification is an obstacle if negotiations and peace processes are to take place.