Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

Keen followers of Russian news and politics will be interested to see how much of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s public phone-in and press conference features the war in Ukraine, or “special military operation,” as Russia calls it.

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told the Rossiya-24 television channel Wednesday that questions submitted by the Russian public ahead of the phone-in mainly relate to the “special military operation” in Ukraine and the “international situation.”

Peskov said many questions refer to “the special military operation in all its aspects,” such as the current situation in the war, Russia’s objectives and the future of servicemen who are returning from the battlefield, news agency Tass reported.

Russians are also asking Putin “whether the Russian economy and social sphere are resilient enough and whether the state will continue to fulfil its social obligations,” the news outlet added.

It’ll be interesting to see how many of these thorny issues are actually posed to Putin in the carefully curated combined phone-in and end-of-year press conference, particularly given reports that the president wanted to avoid focusing on the war ahead of the 2024 election.

Peskov said the president prepares thoroughly for the event, reviewing questions grouped in main thematic blocks. The Kremlin spokesperson said none of the messages will be left unanswered and all problems reported by citizens will be resolved within the next year.

The Kremlin had received a huge amount of support for Putin from Russian citizens ahead of the event, Peskov claimed. It’s been reported that over two million calls and messages have been made by Russian citizens posing questions for the president.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russian President Vladimir Putin has a busy day ahead of him, with his annual “Direct Line” phone-in being combined this year with his year-end press conference, known as “Results of the Year.”

Previous events have lasted over four hours, with Putin answering up to 70 questions from the public and press. This year’s combined event begins at 9:00 a.m. London time.

The events take place against a backdrop of Putin’s decision, made last Friday, to run for office again in the March 2024 election. With little to no “non-systemic” opposition in Russia, he is highly likely to win the vote, keeping him in office until 2030.

The two-in-one press conference and “Direct Line” format was also used in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic gripped Russia and the rest of the world. The last combined event lasted almost four and a half fours, and the head of the state gave answers to 50 questions asked by journalists and citizens, Tass news agency noted Thursday.

This time, correspondents from federal and regional media outlets, as well as foreign journalists accredited in Russia, will be present in the hall, the state-run news agency noted.

The discussion will be moderated by Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, Channel One TV host Ekaterina Berezovskaya and Rossiya-1 journalist Pavel Zarubin.

— Holly Ellyatt

The Kremlin claimed Wednesday that the West is likely to be gripped with what it described as “Russophobic outbursts” ahead of Russia’s presidential election in March 2024.

“During these Russophobic outbursts, the election campaign will definitely be the main target,” Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian television channel Rossiya-24.

“They are struggling to comprehend the level of consolidation in society, the level of public support for the president even before the start of the election campaign,” Peskov told the network, according to comments published by Tass news agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last Friday that he would run for reelection as he met Russian soldiers who had fought against Ukraine. In the apparently choreographed moment on Russian television, Putin was asked by one of the war veterans to run for president again.

Putin responded by saying, “I will not hide that I have had different thoughts at different times but it is now time to make a decision,” according to comments reported by Reuters. “I understand that there is no other way.”

“I will run for the post of president,” Putin said.

Peskov told Rossiya-24 that the Kremlin had received a huge number of messages of support for the president ahead of his public phone-in on Thursday in which the president answers (highly curated) questions from the public on a variety of issues ranging from potholes to pensions.

“There [in the West] it is impossible to understand this,” Peskov said, before claiming the election campaign would be the target of unspecified “attacks.”

“Moreover, the hybrid war against us is still ongoing. In these conditions, the election campaign merely cannot but be a target for attacks. On the other hand, we have acquired some immunity against such attacks. I am sure this immunity will work,” Peskov added, without providing further detail.

— Holly Ellyatt

Nordic leaders on Wednesday reaffirmed their “unwavering support” for Ukraine, following talks and a news conference during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“We convey our deep respect for and recognition of the persistence and spirit of the Ukrainian people, soldiers and leadership,” the prime ministers of Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden and the president of Finland said in a joint statement.

They called Ukrainian resistance a “fight for our common security and fundamental principles of international law,” and said this was why they had collectively provided military and civilian support and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine totalling around 11 billion euros ($11.8 billion) since February 2022.

The leaders said this would continue individually and collectively, and that “the Nordic countries will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Military contributions from the Nordics have included training and the provision of air defence systems, artillery systems and munitions, Leopard tanks, armored combat vehicles, field medical support and mine clearance equipment.

The countries remain committed to increasing international pressure on Russia through sanctions, the leaders said, and to Zelenskyy’s Ukraine Peace Formula, a list of conditions for Russia which includes the re-establishment of Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders.

— Jenni Reid

Germany will continue to support Ukraine for as long as necessary despite adjustments and cuts to its budget, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a press conference on Wednesday.

This includes weapon deliveries, financial support for Ukraine’s budget and assistance for Ukrainian refugees in Germany, Scholz explained.

If the situation in Ukraine changes, “we will have to react,” which could include requesting an emergency exception for Germany’s budget, he said. This would allow Germany to expand its monetary support for Ukraine.

Finance Minister Christian Lindner said 8 billion euros ($8.6 billion) was currently allocated for “direct, bilateral support for Ukraine” in 2024.

— Sophie Kiderlin

Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. poured scorn on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s trip to the U.S. this week, stating that “everyone is tired of the beggar from Kyiv.”

“Zelensky’s trip turned out to be empty,” Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said on the Russian embassy’s Telegram channel.

“It was not possible to convince that Ukraine is more important than the security of the United States. Everyone is tired of the beggar from Kyiv,” Antonov claimed.

Antonov’s comments come a day after Zelenskyy met his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden as well as lawmakers from both parties as he pressed home Ukraine’s need for additional funding to help it to continue to fight Russia’s invasion.

The U.S. also announced on Tuesday further, sweeping sanctions on more than 250 individuals and entities accused of helping Russia to evade sanctions imposed on it following its invasion of Ukraine. It also announced a new package of weapons and equipment for Kyiv.

Antonov said the measures would not work, and would not help Ukraine, saying that “restrictions and supplies of military products will not affect Russia’s foreign policy priorities.”

“The anti-Russian steps announced today – new sanctions and another shipment of weapons – are nothing more than an attempt to put a good face on a bad game. Nothing will help Zelenskyy,” he added.

“The Americans risk getting even more bogged down in the quagmire of the Ukrainian conflict,” he said.

— Holly Ellyatt

The European Union’s chief executive called on Wednesday for the bloc to support Ukraine as long as it takes, her remarks ahead of a key European leaders’ summit standing in sharp contrast with Hungary’s criticism of giving more aid to Kyiv.

Hungary is opposed to granting Ukraine more financial aid and has threatened to veto plans to advance Kyiv’s EU membership bid at a summit of the bloc’s leaders in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.

Ukraine is looking to the summit for a positive signal on its future in the European Union and existential budget aid as the country is increasingly exhausted from nearly two years of fighting a war against a Russian invasion.

“As the war drags on, we must prove what it means to support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament ahead of the leaders’ summit.

Her Commission has proposed that the summit takes a decision this week to start EU membership talks with Ukraine once it meets the four outstanding conditions set out previously to advance Kyiv’s EU hopes. The Brussels EU executive suggested that could happen in March.

Von der Leyen said on Wednesday the laws Ukraine passed last week — including on national minorities, an issue raised by Hungary — cleared three of the remaining tasks, meaning that only one was missing: a new lobbying law to rein in oligarchs.

While EU officials and Budapest say they may work around Hungary’s opposition to a proposal to give Ukraine 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in economic aid through 2027, advancing Ukraine’s European aspirations requires unanimous backing of all the bloc’s 27 states.

Hungary — whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban boasts about his ties with Moscow at a time the bloc is trying to isolate it for waging the war against Ukraine — has dug its heels in, setting the stage for a showdown at the year’s final summit of EU heads.

— Reuters

Over 50 people have been injured after Russia targeted the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with ballistic missiles overnight, city officials said Wednesday.

A hospital, school, kindergarten, morgue and residential buildings were damaged in the attack, Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, with the latest update stating that 53 people were injured. Twenty of them, including two children, were hospitalized as a result of the strikes.

Images taken in the city show the extent of the damage caused by the latest attack: