11:22
Maintenance work at the center of Zaporizhia
Repair work should begin at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe and should extend the life of three reactors, according to the plant’s Telegram channel. “As of this year, work should begin both on the repair campaign and on the extension of the life of powertrains n°1, 2 and 6”, indicates the plant again.
11:06
Norway to replenish ammunition stockpile
This NATO member country, bordering Russia, will replenish its stock of ammunition by ordering up to 2.6 billion crowns (243 million euros) of artillery shells, the government announced on Friday.
The Norwegian Ministry of Defense has concluded an agreement with the national ammunition producer Nammo which, thanks to this “biggest contract” ever concluded by the group, will be able to increase its production capacities.
“There is a new geopolitical situation, there is a war in Europe and the alert level has been raised,” Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said at a press conference.
“This generates a need for more military equipment, including ammunition, (…) because Norway and other countries have to reinforce their own stocks and because Ukraine has a great need for military equipment”, explains Minister again.
10:56
Medvedev praises the “truth” work of Russian journalists
On the occasion of Russian Press Day, the deputy head of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, expresses his gratitude to Russian war reporters. “What you are doing is extremely important for our state and our society, for each of us, he wrote on Telegram. You tell the truth about war and heroism. On our soldiers fighting the enemy. On the volunteers who help the army. On our people living in difficult conditions. The truth you see with your own eyes. The truth for which you risk your life and your health.”
10:33
Ukrainian delegation expected in Davos
Almost a year after Russia invaded Ukraine, the conflict and its effects on global energy and defense policies will dominate the debates in Davos, where next week the global political and economic elite.
If the Russians are absent for the second consecutive year, a Ukrainian delegation is expected in Switzerland, and President Volodymyr Zelensky has planned to intervene remotely.
The opportunity for them to address hundreds of political figures such as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres or NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg, some 600 business leaders, many media, and representatives of civil society: NGOs, researchers, and even stars like actor Idris Elba or soprano Renee Fleming.
10:21
France promises delivery of tanks in two months
This is to honor the promise made by Macron to Zelensky at the beginning of January. During a telephone conversation between Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the French Armed Forces and his Ukrainian counterpart, it was agreed that these AMX 10-RC light tanks will be delivered in two months and Ukrainian soldiers will be trained there “quickly”, indicates the minister. Armies in a press release.
09:54
Russian prisoners in the service of war?
This is what the British Ministry of Defense claims on Twitter. According to the United Kingdom, Russia is “most likely” using detainees “to rmeet wartime production requirements.
09:34
“The night was hot, the fighting continued” in Soledar
According to Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Malia, “this is a difficult phase of the war, but we will win it”, she promises, referring to the clashes in Soledar. “Our fighters are bravely trying to hold our defence,” she adds.
08:53
Ukraine claims to contain ‘high intensity’ Russian offensive in Soledar
“The enemy has thrown almost all of its main forces in the direction of (the region of) Donetsk and is maintaining a high-intensity offensive,” Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar announced on Telegram. “It’s a difficult phase of the war”, she adds, specifying that “the fighting continues”.
08:27
IAEA agents in southern Ukraine
The International Atomic Energy Agency plans to deploy inspectors to nuclear power plants in southern Ukraine, Rivne, Khmelnitsky in Ukraine, reports the Wall Street Journal, citing sources among Western diplomats. During a visit scheduled for next week in Ukraine, the head of the agency Rafael Grossi hopes to obtain the consent of the Ukrainian authorities to deploy them in these power stations located in the territories controlled by kyiv. The objective would be “to intensify efforts to prevent a nuclear accident”.
08:07
Japan to the rescue of Ukrainian transport
“Japan allocates $95 million to restore Ukraine’s critical infrastructure,” according to the kyiv Independent newspaper. “The funds will be spent to restore transport communication in the liberated territories, create conditions for the return of citizens to their homes and support the economy in the oblasts,” the daily adds.
07:36
Confiscate the property of Russians who condemn the invasion?
This is proposed by the Chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin. According to him, some Russians living abroad, “scoundrels” he writes on his Telegram channel, consider it possible to “insult” Russia and “openly support Nazism”. According to the parliamentarian, these remarks, made to secure the esteem of the countries which welcome them, can be considered as calls for extremism and discredit the Russian army. Vyacheslav Volodin explains: “In this situation, it would be right to supplement the relevant articles of the Criminal Code with a clause on the confiscation of the property of villains in the Russian Federation, from which they have enough to compensate for the damage.”
07:22
If talks resume, it will be ‘live’, says Russia
Moscow no longer wants intermediaries in its negotiations with kyiv. “If and when these contacts resume, they will most likely be as direct. And that would be the best option, because, as practice shows, Western mediators often pursue their own goals and try to influence the course of negotiations, acting not to resolve the conflict, but in their own political and economic interests ” , believes Alexey Polishchuk, head of Russian Foreign Affairs, interviewed by the Russian agency TASS.
07:05
US and Dutch support for Ukraine
US President Joe Biden will receive Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the White House on Tuesday, January 17, the services of the two leaders announced on Thursday.
Allies within NATO, they want to “reaffirm their efforts to strengthen transatlantic security and economic prosperity”, according to a statement from the White House.
According to the same press release, Mark Rutte and Joe Biden intend to speak of their “firm support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal aggression. »
06:58
Five years in prison for a Russian who refuses the fight
A Russian court has sentenced a contract soldier to five years in a camp for refusing to fight in Ukraine. The trial took place at the military court in Ufa, in the Republic of Bashkortostan (Urals). Not wanting to “take part in the special military operation”, Marsel Kandarov, 24, did not show up. In September, he was “found” by the police. He was found guilty of evading military service for more than a month during a period of mobilization.
06:47
No new prisoner swap deal between Russia and Ukraine
Russia and Ukraine have not signed a new prisoner swap deal with Turkey, the Moscow human rights ombudsman has claimed. Ukrainian and Russian human rights officers Dmytro Loubinets and Tatiana Moskalkova held talks earlier this week in Ankara. The Turkish state news agency Anadolu had announced an agreement for the exchange of more than 40 prisoners from both sides.
06:44
A meeting of the Security Council in the evening
The UN Security Council is due to meet at 8 p.m. GMT on Friday to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
06:39
Zelensky promises to provide “everything necessary” to his men deployed in Soledar and Bakhmout
“I want to emphasize that the units defending these cities will be supplied with ammunition and all the necessary in a quick and uninterrupted way,” the Ukrainian president said on Facebook Thursday after a meeting with his general staff.
06:39
Hello and welcome to this live.
We will follow the situation in Ukraine together.