UPDATE 00:30 – Kissinger’s proposal to speed up the Ukraine-Russia peace has been criticized by Kiev, through President Zelensky’s adviser, Mihail Podoliak: “Your proposal appeases the aggressor. Mr. Kissinger still hasn’t figured anything out…nor the nature of this war nor its impact on the world order.”
“The time approaches to build on the strategic changes that have already been made and integrate them into a new framework to achieve negotiated peace,” Kissinger wrote in an editorial for The Spectator on Dec. 17.
UPDATE 11:30pm – Vladimir Putin goes to Belarus on a working visit for an “exchange of views” with Lukashenko. At the same time, the Russian president will make a major announcement next week at a meeting at the Defense Ministry, a public television station announced.
UPDATE 10pm – The mayor of Melitopol says that there will be street clashes in the coming days, because the Russians are preparing barricades.
Russians inside #Melitopolis are preparing for street battles, – said the mayor of the city Fedorov
For the second day right in the center of temporarily occupied Melitopol, the occupiers are placing concrete barriers. pic.twitter.com/vcQsVp4O3c
— NEXT (@nexta_tv) December 18, 2022
UPDATE 21:00 Russia has transferred at least 50 Ural military trucks to Belarus in the past two days, according to Hajun tracking of Russian troops, writes Independent Kiev. A week ago, on December 11, a convoy of 30 Russian trucks was transferred.
UPDATE 8pm – Restoration of the electricity grid after continuous bombing in Ukraine. Zelensky announced that 9 million Ukrainians have electricity, 3 million more than on Saturday, according to Nexta.
UPDATE 6pm – Zelensky posted on Instagram the message which he wanted to convey at the World Cup final in Qatar.
UPDATE 5pm – Strong explosions in Belgorod in southern Russia near the border with Ukraine. At least one person died and five others were injured. The governor of the Russian region says there have been attacks from Ukraine.
Belgorod. Consequences of the fall of a downed rocket. Here’s a short one. We all have a pussy pic.twitter.com/zEYXGzGHEu
— Oles Filonenko 🤷🏼♂️ (@taxfreelt) December 18, 2022
UPDATE 09:00 – Britain has confirmed it will send Brimstone 2 high-precision missiles to Ukraine.
Britain has confirmed it has sent high-precision Brimstone 2 missiles to Ukraine as part of its military support.
The British Ministry of Defense wrote about it Twitter, reports Ukrinform.
“As part of the aid package, the UK has supplied the Ukrainian Armed Forces with Brimstone 2 high-precision missiles. This aid has played a decisive role in deterring the Russian offensive,” it said on Twitter.
UPDATE 07:30am – Russian oligarchs filed lawsuit in EU Court of Justice against sanctions
Russian oligarchs and companies have filed a total of 61 lawsuits in the Court of Justice of the European Union against EU sanctions imposed following the invasion of Ukraine, according to Saturday’s edition of German tabloid Bild, inform dpa.
Russian oligarchs Grigori Berezkin and Ghenadi Timchenko, for example, are seeking compensation for the “non-pecuniary damage” they allegedly suffered as a result of EU sanctions, according to documents available on the court’s website.
Berezkin says he has “suffered serious damage to his reputation” and that “there is no material connection between him and Russia’s policy in Ukraine,” according to his file. The oligarch also claims that he does not support the government of the Russian Federation and is demanding a symbolic payment of 1 euro as compensation.
Ghenadi Timcenko, who lives in Switzerland, however, is asking for compensation of 1 million euros, accusing the EU of an “error of judgement” regarding the “relationship between the actor and President Putin”.
UPDATE 0700 – Zelenskiy calls again for a reliable air defense shield
“I will constantly remind… Dear partners! Find an opportunity to provide Ukraine with reliable protection of the sky, a reliable air defense shield. You can do it. You can provide protection for our people – one hundred percent protection against these terrorist attacks Russians. When that happens, Russia’s main form of terror – missile terror – will simply become impossible. And that will mean security for Ukrainians, security for millions of people, and a strategic realignment of the entire military situation. The fewer opportunities Russia has to terror, the more opportunities we will have to restore and secure peace,” he said, according to News.ro.
Zelensky also spoke of the fact that the supply of electricity for nearly 6 million Ukrainians was restored on Saturday.
“Of course, there is still a lot of work to stabilize the system. There are problems with heat supply, big problems with water supply. The most difficult situation is in Kyiv city and region, Vinnytsia and region, Lviv and in the region.But unfortunately there are large-scale disruptions in many other regions (…) Russia spares no resources for the war against our people, against all Ukrainians from Lutsk to Kharkiv, from Sumy to Odessa. And I am grateful to every leader, I am grateful to every nation – our partners who understand that Russia’s large-scale “investment” in terror is already more than 4,000 missiles! It is necessary to overcome this with even more help for the people against which this terror is directed,” the Ukrainian president added.
