Russia Selensky welcomes winter aid from Europe's north
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has expressed his delight and gratitude for winter aid for his country from northern Europe. This includes a support package of 260 million dollars (just under 240 million euros) from Norway, as Zelensky explained in his evening video report.
"The package is aimed at supporting our energy sector," he said. "Restoring destroyed facilities and building a modern infrastructure are what we need now before the winter."
Selenskyj reported on another aid package. During a visit to Odessa this week, the foreign ministers of Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Denmark agreed on a package worth 44 million euros for Kiev. Kiev will be able to use the money to buy power generators and solar panels.
Ukraine has been preparing intensively for the next, third winter of war for weeks. The main aim is to protect the energy infrastructure in order to counter the feared Russian attacks on the supply of electricity and district heating. With heavy attacks on power plants, transformers and energy facilities, the Russian military has put the Ukrainian civilian population under severe pressure over the past two winters. Russia has been at war with Ukraine since February 2022.
G7 renews pledge of support
The Group of Seven leading democratic industrialized nations (G7) has pledged "unwavering support" to Ukraine in the war against Russia, which has been going on for more than two and a half years. At a meeting in the southern Italian city of Naples, the defense ministers of the G7 countries accused Russia of waging a "brutal and illegal large-scale war of aggression".
The joint final declaration states: "We condemn Russia for taking a position of confrontation and destabilization on a global scale." In view of the repeated warnings from Moscow about the use of nuclear weapons, there is also talk of the "irresponsible use of nuclear rhetoric".
Italy is chairing the Group of Seven this year. Other members are the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Japan, France and Germany.
Several injured after Russian attack on Zaporizhia
Several people have been injured in a Russian airstrike on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia. According to official reports, the number had risen to eight by late evening, including two children.
According to Ukrainian media reports, at least two guided glide bombs detonated in the center of the city in the early evening. Several buildings were severely damaged. Rescue services searched for possible further victims under the rubble.
Heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine
Heavy fighting continued on the front lines in eastern Ukraine. "The situation on the front line is characterized by particular enemy activity in the Kurakhove, Kupyansk and Pokrovsk sectors," the General Staff in Kiev announced in its evening situation report. A total of 71 battles took place on the various sections of the front during the course of the day. The front lines remained unchanged.
An unusually large series of Russian air strikes was reported by Ukrainian troops in the western Russian region of Kursk, which they occupy. A total of 24 airstrikes were reported during the course of the day, in the course of which Russian fighter aircraft used 34 guided glide bombs. The frontline reports could not be independently verified.
Russian drone swarms reach Ukraine
The Russian armed forces have again covered Ukraine with swarms of drones. Late on Saturday evening, so-called kamikaze drones were reported flying into several regions in the south and east of the country. The Ukrainian air defense was called into action, the media reported. No further details were given.
