The foreign ministers of seven Nordic and Baltic nations pledged on Monday to increase military, economic, and humanitarian assistance to help Ukraine fend against Russian attacks against civilian targets, which make up the majority of the Kremlin's objectives.
Ukraine is experiencing an energy crisis as winter approaches and several areas of the nation have already seen below-freezing temperatures due to Russia's weeks-long bombardment of its power plants with air strikes. The energy sector in Ukraine has suffered damage or destruction to the tune of 40%.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, met in Kyiv with the ministers from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Iceland. "We have agreements on further cooperation in the defence and energy spheres, in the reconstruction projects of our state, and in the sanctions sphere," Zelenskyy said.
Sweden claimed to have sent the military a package worth close to $280 million that included air defence systems, ammunition, all-terrain vehicles, and individual winter apparel. Finland committed to accepting further Ukrainian refugees. John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said in Washington that the United States is collaborating with allies and partners to provide energy and water replacement equipment.
Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign minister of Ukraine, requested stronger air defences "to end this never-ending cycle of infrastructure destruction by Russia and reconstruction by Ukraine.
Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine's defence minister, tweeted that 97% of the more than 16,000 missiles Russia has shot at Ukraine during the conflict were intended for civilian targets. "We are engaged in combat with a terrorist state," Reznikov declared. "Ukraine will triumph and prosecute the war criminals,"
Latest developments:
– Zelenskyy noted that the front-line situation is still "extremely challenging," particularly in the Donetsk province, which is a section of the eastern Donbas that Russia has allegedly annexed. Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko of Donetsk claimed that the city's citizens "had been enduring appalling conditions without heat or electricity."
– Russian military will not depart the captured Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Energoatom's CEO, Petro Kotin, stated last week that his company had noticed indications that Russia was getting ready to depart the damaged plant.
– This month, Russian troops withdrew from the southern city of Kherson, although they have since continued to shell it from the other side of the Dnieper River. An all-time high 54 strikes were announced by the British Defense Ministry on Sunday.
– The Kremlin-friendly President Alexander Lukashenko's longtime ally, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, passed away unexpectedly over the weekend at the age of 64. His death was reported by the ministry, but no cause was given.
Putin using 'winter as a weapon'
According to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to use ice, snow, and frost to his advantage on the battlefield and against Ukrainian civilians who must endure a winter with unstable energy supplies amidst relentless Russian bombings.
On the eve of the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Bucharest, Romania, Stoltenberg stated that this is the reason why NATO's allies are increasing their support for Ukraine.
"President Putin is attempting to wage war against Ukraine by using the cold as a weapon, "said Stoltenberg. "This is terrible, and we must be ready for other assaults.
In order to assist the Ukrainians, who are preparing for temperatures in the teens next week, the seven foreign ministers who visited Kyiv on Monday promised to send generators, cold-weather clothing, and food.
Zelenskyy forewarned that Russian forces were getting ready for fresh attacks.
Zelenskyy cautioned, "Unfortunately, they won't stop as long as they have missiles." "The coming week could be just as challenging as the one before."
Kyiv gets ready for evacuations as the bombings get worse
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Monday that some of Kyiv's 3 million residents may need to be evacuated to areas where basic services are less likely to be disrupted by Russia's escalating missile threats. Power outages and disruptions in the city's water supply have been caused by Russia's onslaught of missile and drone attacks on energy facilities in the area of Kyiv. Klitschko preferred the term "relocation" over "evacuation," saying that the "worst-case scenario" cannot be completely ruled out.
"There won't be a total departure. Possibly a partial one "Klitschko stated to RBC, a Ukrainian media organisation. Certain groups of individuals are being temporarily relocated to the suburbs, where there may be services.
Rolling outages return to Ukraine, blaming demand due to the chilly weather
In order to balance the electrical system and reduce network emergencies, Ukraine's state grid operator Ukrenergo resumed emergency cutoffs across the whole nation on Monday. According to a statement from the corporation, consumption is increasing as a result of the bad weather. There was a 27% power shortage. Russian rocket attacks caused "massive" damage to the system, according to the company, but repairs are ongoing round-the-clock.
The blocs will resume operation once the emergency outages' root causes have been addressed, the company claimed, decreasing power shortages and consumer restrictions.
According to a report, the Pentagon may send Ukraine weapons with a nearly 100-mile range.
According to Reuters, the U.S. is debating whether to give Ukraine small precision bombs with a range of over 100 miles that might strike beyond Russian lines.
With the help of HIMARS launchers from the Pentagon, which are capable of rockets that can travel up to 45-50 miles, Ukraine has had great success destroying Russian weapons depots and disrupting their supply lines.
The Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb is a new weapon that is being considered based on a Boeing proposal. According to the report, its 94-mile range may allow Ukraine to advance with its counteroffensive by hitting farther-off Russian targets. Delivery would be planned at the beginning of spring.
First lady of Ukraine: "Another weapon" in battle for the Russians is rape
Ukraine's first lady claimed Monday in London that Russian troops have been "systematically and openly" raping and committing other sexual assaults against Ukrainian women as part of Moscow's war effort.
Olensa Zelenska said that Russia must be held accountable for sexual aggression so blatant that its soldiers have been captured on phone recordings openly discussing it with family members back home. Zelenska was speaking at an international conference on preventing sexual violence in conflicts.
Sexual abuse is the most inhumane, animalistic way to establish dominance over someone, according to Zelenska. This is an additional tool in (Russia's) arsenal in this conflict,
As part of her trip to the UK, Zelenska is scheduled to address British lawmakers on Tuesday.
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