The situation at a glance: Russia is attacking Ukraine from the air again

Russia attacked Ukraine again from the air last night. Anti-aircraft fire could be heard over Kiev shortly before midnight on Thursday evening because combat drones were threatening the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced. Falling debris damaged a polyclinic and surrounding buildings.

Swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles were also detected over the Sumy, Chernihiv, Poltava and Kirovohrad regions, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Coming from the Black Sea, more drones attacked the coast near Odessa. Explosions were also reported in the southern city of Kherson.

According to the governor, at least 30 Ukrainian drones were repelled in the Rostov region of Russia, the Russian state agency Tass reported. No people were harmed. However, a major fire broke out in an industrial complex, which was being fought by more than 100 emergency services. According to authorities, two Ukrainian drones were also shot down over the Bryansk region of Russia.

The attacks on Ukraine this time initially remained weaker than the night before. On Thursday morning, Russia carried out one of the heaviest attacks in more than 1,000 days of war with around 90 missiles and almost 100 drones. US President Joe Biden spoke of an “outrageous attack” that once again showed how urgently the Ukrainians needed help.

The attack was aimed at the already damaged energy system of the attacked country. Hundreds of thousands of households were temporarily without power. The Ukrainian energy suppliers have also announced power cuts for Friday in order to stabilize the system.

Putin threatens further missile attacks

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has ordered the war of aggression against Ukraine, threatened new missions of his new medium-range missile against targets in the neighboring country, including Kiev. Moscow is currently selecting targets for further strikes. “These can be military facilities, defense companies or decision-making centers in Kiev,” Putin said at a meeting of the Russian-dominated military alliance Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana. Last week, Russia fired the new missile called Oreshnik for the first time at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

Zelensky: Putin sabotages Trump’s efforts for peace

Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyj assessed Putin’s missile threats as a disruption to possible peace efforts by future US President Donald Trump. “Putin now wants to escalate the situation so that President Trump fails, so that he cannot end the war,” said Zelensky. “Putin is the only one responsible for this war and the only one who believes in the war.” The Republican Trump has announced that he will be able to end the war quickly. It is unclear how. He will move into the White House for the second time on January 20, 2025.

Questions about the age of mobilization in Ukraine

Ukraine, meanwhile, faces questions from allies over its mobilization strategy. The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Kiev, Heorhij Tychyj, said this, confirming media reports from the USA. But he denied that this was a point of contention with his Western partners. Ukraine lowered the mobilization age from 27 to 25 this year in a bid to attract more soldiers to its army.

Other armies draft young men when they come of age, i.e. from the age of 18. However, these vintages are numerically weak in Ukraine. Tychyj said recruiting is less a question of age. The country lacks equipment and weapons to equip soldiers who have already been mobilized. Meanwhile, Zelenskyj signed a controversial law, according to which a one-time desertion by soldiers who voluntarily return to military service remains unpunished.

Defense accounts for almost two-thirds of Ukraine’s budget

The president also signed Ukraine’s budget for 2025 into force. It envisages spending 3.6 trillion hryvnia (around 82 billion euros). Almost two thirds of this, namely 2.23 trillion hryvnia, are earmarked for defense and armaments. Ukraine expects 2.05 trillion hryvnia as its own revenue. Taxes for citizens and companies will be increased significantly from November. The country relies on foreign financial aid to cover the shortfall. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal nevertheless said that Ukraine was heading into the new fiscal year with confidence.

Norway gives more money

The Norwegian parliamentary parties want to support Ukraine with at least 35 billion Norwegian crowns next year, as the government of the Russian neighboring country announced after a meeting in parliament in Oslo. That’s the equivalent of almost three billion euros. Almost two thirds of this will go to military support, the rest will be earmarked for humanitarian and civilian support. It is an important signal for Ukraine, but also for those who attack the country, said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, according to the NTB news agency.