More rocket attacks….
Putin is trying dance with Belarus …
To cause the Ukraine to worry about another possible front opening up….
So far Belarus has stayed out of the fight…
Zalensky is still begging for more air/rocket defence weapon systems….
As has been reported…Russian Darftee’s ARE being used as ‘throwaways’ …..
There ARE Russian troops that ARE deserting and refusing some missions….
Here’s what we know:
The Russian president said he and his Belarusian counterpart talked about a “unified defensive space.” Ukraine has warned that Russian forces could be preparing a new offensive from Belarus.
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Putin and his closest ally, Lukashenko of Belarus, speak of deepening their collaboration.
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Overnight drone attacks target Kyiv and two other regions of Ukraine.
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U.S. cybermilitary force reveals details of its support for Ukraine.
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The U.N. secretary general isn’t optimistic about peace talks in the near future, but maybe sometime in 2023.
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Russia’s pre-dawn drone strikes are part of a pattern: attacking under the cover of darkness.
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Families mourn in Kherson, where Russian attacks continue.
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In a bomb shelter-turned-TV set, Ukraine selects its Eurovision contestant….
At his meeting with Lukashenko, Putin said Belarus was “not only a good neighbor,” but “certainly our ally in the truest sense of the word.” Lukashenko said that the closer integration of Belarus and Russia will “once again demonstrate … that only together we can overcome any pandemics, crises or sanctions.” He said Russian troops were conducting exercises in Belarusian territory.
Early on Monday, Kyiv came under attack again, with the city’s military administration saying drones were shot down in Kyiv’s airspace. At least two people were injured, and critical infrastructure was hit, officials said. The attacks follow a barrage of Russian missiles that struck seven cities last week, prompting President Volodymyr Zelensky to renew his appeal to allies for better air defenses.
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
- The discussions between Putin and Lukashenko focused on economic cooperation, according to readouts from their offices. It is Putin’s first visit to Belarus in three years, and he was accompanied by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, suggesting the talks were more far-reaching than the economy. Following their talks, Putin and Lukashenko held a joint news conference in Minsk. Despite Belarus acting as a launch pad for the Russian assault on Ukraine, journalists present at the conference did not ask questions about the war, Reuters said.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called speculation that Putin is trying to persuade Lukashenko to join the war “stupid and baseless.” Belarus has served as a base for Russia to train thousands of conscripts, but Lukashenko has refused to commit his own troops to the conflict. Russian forces dispatched to Belarus in October are conducting tactical exercises to determine their combat readiness, the Russian Interfax news agency reported, citing the Defense Ministry.
- “The two of us are co-aggressors, the most harmful and toxic people on this planet. We have only one dispute: who is the bigger one. That’s all,” Lukashenko said in tongue-in-cheek remarks after his meeting with Putin.
- Iranian-made drones struck critical infrastructure in Ukraine’s capital on Monday, damaging a roadway and a high-rise building, Kyiv’s military administration said. The attacks came after officials worked through the weekend to restore power and heat, which were knocked out by strikes on Friday, to millions of city residents. Two people were injured in Monday’s strikes, according to Kyiv regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba. National operator Ukrenergo said the energy system is under strain from the latest attacks, with emergency shutdowns scheduled for several cities and regions, including Kyiv. In a statement, Zelensky said that 34 drones took part in the attack and that Russia had received a new shipment of the Shahed drones from Iran.
- The United States has accused the United Nations of “yielding to Russian threats” and not investigating the Iranian drones that Russia is using in Ukraine, U.S. diplomat Robert Wood said on Monday at a U.N. Security Council Briefing on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal resolution. “We see a disturbing trend of this Council turning a blind eye to open violations of its provisions. Tolerating these violations undermines the authority of this Council – and gravely harms our ability to respond credibly to threats around the world,” Wood said.
- Zelensky asked Northern European leaders for better air defense systems. Ukraine’s leader addressed a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force, a military and political coalition led by the United Kingdom that includes Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Iceland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway, and reiterated his request for “a 100 percent air shield for Ukraine,” according to Reuters.
- Ukrainian officials are preparing for a “peace summit” this winter, Zelensky said in his nightly address. Kyiv’s formula for peace will create a “new, globally important security architecture” that is applicable to Ukraine and a guarantee for other nations, he said. Zelensky indicated earlier that Ukraine was working on several proposals ahead of the Joint Expeditionary Force meeting.
- After months of talks, E.U. energy ministers on Monday reached an agreement to cap gas prices in the bloc when they hit 180 euros ($191) per megawatt hour for three days. Given the cap’s limited scope, however, it not clear what impact it will have on prices.
- Russia shelled Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv overnight, officials there said. Energy infrastructure and private residences were damaged, cutting off water supply to some villages in Dnipropetrovsk, according to regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko. The attack involved Iranian-made drones, he added. The head of the Mykolaiv regional council, Hanna Zamazeeva, said air defenses downed 10 Iranian-made drones heading toward the southern region.
- Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group probably views inexperienced recruits as “expendable,” Britain’s Defense Ministry said, and is sending them out around Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. The recruits “are likely issued a smart phone or tablet which shows the individual’s designated axis of advance and assault objective superimposed on commercial satellite imagery,” the ministry said. They often have fire support but are “less often” protected by armored vehicles, it added, while more experienced commanders “likely remain in cover and give orders over radios.”
- Soldiers who desert a military unit or refuse to carry out mission will face tougher penalties than before, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, said via Telegram on Monday. Zaluzhnyi said the amendment in the law had been adopted by the Ukrainian parliament, and he is now asking the president to sign it. Abandoned positions have to be regained at the very high cost of assault action, Zaluzhnyi said.
- Russians are sending handmade gifts to troops in Ukraine, in a Kremlin-led effort to reverse declining supportfor the war and to spur a renewed wave of patriotic fervor. Balaclavas, amulets and chunky socks are among the items being sent to the front line….