A new barrage of Russian missiles hits Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine. While the repair work in the capital is progressing well, Zelenskyy attests to the total futility of the Kremlin’s warfare. Also because the anti-aircraft defenses are getting better and better.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the latest Russian rocket attacks against the Ukrainian energy network have not changed anything about the Ukrainians’ readiness to defend themselves. “Whatever the rocket worshipers in Moscow hope for, it will not change the balance of power in this war,” Zelenskyj said in his daily video address in the evening. Russia still has enough missiles for further massive attacks. “But we have enough determination and confidence to throw our own after those punches.”
Zelenskyy emphasized the effective work of the Ukrainian air defense, which shot down most of the incoming cruise missiles and rockets in the morning. “But unfortunately there were also goals,” he said. “Terrorists need such a mass of rocket attacks that at least some of their ‘products’ reach their intended targets.” After the war, most people in the world would probably associate the meaning of the word “terror” with “Russia’s crazy actions”.
According to their own statements, the Ukrainian air defense system intercepted almost 80 percent of the 76 projectiles in the Russian missile strike. Of the 72 cruise missiles and four guided missiles, 60 were shot down. According to the Kyiv military administration, the main blow was aimed at the capital. Of 40 rockets, 37 were intercepted over the city of three million.
During the day, technicians in Kyiv restored part of the district heating and water supply. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Ukrainian television that about a third of the city’s residents were supplied with district heating and water. The heating and water in the rest of the city should be working again by Saturday morning. At the same time, around 40 percent of the residents have electricity. “We understand that the main thing for us is to get the subway back to work,” emphasized the 51-year-old in the evening. Work is underway on the “main artery for passenger transport”.
Given the ongoing Russian attacks, Ukraine still needs around 17,000 industrial or larger power generators this winter. Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal called this number at a government meeting, as reported by the Unian state agency. “So far, small and medium-sized enterprises have already imported around 500,000 smaller generators,” he said. “But to get through the winter, we still need around 17,000 larger or industrial generator systems.” He hopes for the support of foreign partners.
NATO assumes that Russia is prepared for a “long” war in Ukraine. There is no sign that Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has given up on his goal of “controlling Ukraine,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. “We shouldn’t underestimate Russia. Russia is planning a long war,” Stoltenberg said. The Russian leadership is mobilizing more forces and is prepared to accept “numerous casualties” among its soldiers. It can also be observed that Russia is trying to procure more weapons and ammunition for its war of aggression. Stoltenberg described it as necessary for the NATO countries to continue to support Ukraine with arms deliveries. These deliveries must continue until Putin understands that he “cannot win on the battlefield”.
Meanwhile, the United States has announced that it intends to expand the training of Ukrainian soldiers in Germany. The new program should start at the beginning of the year and “train about 500 Ukrainian soldiers per month,” announced a spokesman for the US Department of Defense. Washington has been providing massive military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s war of aggression began in February. Ukrainian soldiers were also trained for the weapons supplied by the USA.
After the rocket attacks were averted, the Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov thanked his German counterpart Christine Lambrecht. “No matter how many heinous missiles the Russian terrorists fire, we will not be intimidated or frightened,” the 56-year-old wrote on Twitter. Thanks to Lambrecht, the Ukrainian army has gained new missile defense capabilities and now knows how to protect the skies. The day before, the federal government announced the delivery of further missiles for the Iris-T air defense system delivered by Germany to Ukraine. Resnikov’s contribution, featuring an image of an iris, fueled speculation that Berlin might already have deployed more than one system.
