The situation at a glance: Ukraine relies on its own mass production of missiles

Ukraine is increasingly relying on long-range missiles and drones of its own production to defend itself against Russia’s war of aggression. Until now, projects like this were science fiction, “today they are reality,” said President Volodymyr Zelensky. Among other things, he mentioned the new jet-powered drone Paljanytsya, which was reportedly first used in August. “The Palyanytsya rocket has entered mass production,” Zelensky said.

Meanwhile, international efforts continue to provide support for the war-torn country, which has been fending off a Russian invasion for more than 1,000 days. According to the Treasury Department, the USA is paying out a promised loan of 20 billion US dollars (around 19 billion euros). But how long will the fighting last? Poland’s government can imagine negotiations to end the war as early as this winter.

The situation remains difficult for Ukraine militarily. The General Staff in Kiev reported almost 200 Russian attacks along the front in the east and south of the country. There was an air alert in the Kharkiv region in the east on Tuesday evening. The Ukrainian Air Force warned of Russian glide bombs being dropped from aircraft.

Ukraine wants to make up for its missile disadvantage

Ukraine relies on home-made missiles because Western weapons with longer ranges are only supplied in small numbers. They are also often subject to operational restrictions, which were only recently relaxed in the case of the ATACMS missiles from the USA and the Storm Shadow and Scalp missiles from Great Britain and France. The Russian arsenal of rockets and cruise missiles is much larger.

Zelensky reported that the Peklo drone missile with a range of 700 kilometers had successfully completed its first combat mission. A rocket called Ruta was also successfully tested. He also mentioned the advanced anti-ship missile Neptune.

Dead in Russian attack on Zaporizhia

According to the regional administration, at least four people were killed and another 20 injured in a Russian rocket attack in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia. According to a report by public broadcaster, the building of a private clinic was damaged. It was said that the Russian military had used ballistic missiles.

Russian authorities later reported a rocket attack on the port city of Taganrog on Russia’s Black Sea coast. An industrial plant was damaged, the governor of the Rostov region said, according to the state news agency Tass. No one was harmed, but 14 vehicles burned down. As a rule, the information provided by both warring parties can hardly be verified independently.

Tusk does not rule out early Ukraine negotiations

Poland will take over the EU Council Presidency for six months in January 2025 and then wants to coordinate diplomatic efforts to end the war. “Our EU Council Presidency will, among other things, be responsible for what the situation looks like in the negotiations that could begin in the winter of this year,” said liberal-conservative Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw.

He announced a series of meetings with foreign politicians. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected in Warsaw on Thursday. According to the Polish news agency PAP, Tusk could also meet Zelensky this week. And at the beginning of the Polish EU Council Presidency, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is scheduled to come to Warsaw. Tusk will also travel to the Norwegian capital Oslo to coordinate closely with the Scandinavian countries.

Russia has to indirectly pay for US loans to Ukraine

The United States is paying out a promised $20 billion loan to Ukraine, part of a broader package: In October, the Group of Seven leading Western industrialized nations (G7) granted Ukraine a $50 billion loan. dollar pledged, backed by interest income from frozen Russian assets. The EU countries raise a similar amount to the USA. The remaining ten billion US dollars are to be taken over by Great Britain, Japan and Canada.

Drone attack on nuclear inspectors

With the Russian war of aggression and the occupation of the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the risk of a potential nuclear catastrophe in Ukraine has also increased. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are supposed to ensure that this does not happen. A vehicle belonging to the authority was now damaged in a drone attack in Ukraine, as IAEA boss Rafael Grossi announced on Platform X. Nobody was injured.

The IAEA has constantly stationed experts at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to monitor the situation in the facility near the front. The teams are changed regularly. The drone incident occurred during the most recent rotation. Grossi condemned the attack: Attacks on nuclear power plants are fundamentally unacceptable, but “attacking those who ensure the nuclear safety of these power plants is even more unacceptable.”

The German-Ukrainian Economic Forum in Berlin is all about Ukraine’s economic resilience. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal from Kiev are scheduled to speak there. According to the organizers, particular attention will be paid to Ukrainian energy supplies and cooperation between defense companies in both countries.