Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg will assemble a conference in between NATO diplomats and authorities from Ukraine onJan 10, following a current wave of heavy Russian air campaign on the nation, the transatlantic defense alliance stated onThursday

The conference, taking the format of the freshly develop NATO-Ukraine Council, was being assembled at Kyiv’s demand following rocket and drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians, cities and towns, a NATO representative stated.

Russia has actually heightened attacks over the New Year duration, with President Vladimir Putin caution that a Ukrainian air campaign on the Russian city of Belgorod, which Moscow stated eliminated 25 civilians, would”not go unpunished”

–Reuters

The head of the U.N. nuclear power guard dog stated on Wednesday his inspectors had actually been rejected access to parts of Ukraine’s Russian- inhabited Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station and had yet to get 2024 upkeep prepares for the center.

The Zaporizhzhia plant was taken by Russia in the days following Moscow’s 2022 intrusion ofUkraine Each side has actually implicated the other of shelling around the station, Europe’s biggest, though its 6 reactors now produce no electrical energy.

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, stated inspectors at the plant had for 2 weeks had no access to the primary halls of reactors one, 2 and 6.

“This is the first time that IAEA experts have not been granted access to a reactor hall of a unit that was in cold shutdown,” Grossi stated in a declaration on the IAEA site.

“This is where the reactor core and spent fuel are located. The team will continue to request this access.”

Inspectors had actually likewise been limited in their access to turbine halls at the plant in southeastern Ukraine, he stated.

Grossi stated the plant’s operators had actually done something about it to make sure back-up electrical energy materials to the center for examples when its primary external power line is lost, which he referred to as a “repeated” event.

–Reuters

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated there is no “plan B” for Ukraine, stating Kyiv is positive it can win the war versus Russia with the resources readily available to it.

“We don’t have a plan B. We’re confident in plan A,” Kuleba informed CNN’s Christiane Amanpour Wednesday when asked whether Kyiv was gotten ready for a prospective decline or deficiency in Western military help offered increasing political wrangling over continuing help bundles, especially in the U.S.

“Ukraine will always fight with the resources available to it ..and what is given to Ukraine is not charity, it’s an investment in the protection of NATO and the protection of the prosperity of the American people,” Kuleba stated.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia and Ukraine stated on Wednesday that detainees of war had actually been exchanged in between the nations.

Over 200 “warriors and civilians” had actually been returned, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in a post on X, previously Twitter.

That consists of “soldiers, sergeants, and officers. Armed Forces, National Guard, Navy, and Border Guards. Some of the defenders fought in Mariupol and Azovstal,” he stated.

Russia’s Defense Ministry stated in a post on Telegram, according to a Google translation, that 248 Russian military workers had actually been launched after “a complex negotiation process.”

The exchange was helped by the United Arab Emirates who offered “humanitarian mediation,” the ministry included.

— Sophie Kiderlin

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense stated it was “grateful” to Norway for providing F-16 fighter jets to assist train Ukrainian pilots.

“Norway is presenting two F-16 fighter jets that will train and educate Ukrainian personnel in Denmark,” the ministry composed in a post on X, previously Twitter.

“We are grateful to our Norwegian friends for their unwavering support!”

Norway’s Defense Minister validated previously on Wednesday that the fighter jets would be contributed for training functions.

Polish farmers will resume their blockade at the Medyka border crossing with Ukraine from Thursday as they state they have actually not gotten a signed guarantee from the prime minister that their needs will be satisfied, state-run news company PAP reported.

The Polish farmers suspended their demonstration, which intends to protect federal government aids for corn and avoid tax walkings, onDec 24.

Polish truck motorists, nevertheless, have actually continued to obstruct a number of crossings with Ukraine becauseNov 6, to push their need that the European Union renew a system that needs Ukrainian business to acquire licenses to run in the bloc. The exact same would use to European truckers looking for to go into Ukraine.

“We have not received written confirmation that our demands will be met, so we are continuing the protest,” farmers leader Roman Kondrow informed PAP.

Although Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski had actually offered a note informing the farmers their needs would be satisfied, Prime Minister Donald Tusk has actually not offered a signed statement, Kondrow stated.

He included they would just enable one truck per hour go through the crossing. Tusk stated in December that he thought Poland was close to having the ability to end the truckers’ demonstration.

— Reuters

The newest rocket attacks on Ukraine show that Russia is targeting Ukraine’s defense market instead of energy facilities, as seen in 2015.

“Since 29 December 2023, Russia has increased the intensity of its long-range strike operations against Ukraine,” the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence stated Wednesday.

It kept in mind that Russian forces had actually devoted a “significant proportion” of the stock of air-launched cruise rockets and ballistic rockets that they had actually developed in current months to strikes on targets throughout Ukraine in the recently.

“The recent strikes likely primarily targeted Ukraine’s defense industry. This contrasts with its major attacks last winter which prioritised striking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure,” the ministry noted in an intelligence update on X, formerly known as Twitter, Wednesday.

“These new operations suggest at least a temporary change in approach in Russia’s use of long-range strikes. Russian planners almost certainly realise the importance of relative defence industrial capacity as they prepare for a long war.”

— Holly Ellyatt