Live blog: No Ukraine deal without four regions joining Russia - Kremlin

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

No Ukraine deal without four regions joining Russia: Kremlin

There will be no “peace plan” possible with Ukraine if Kiev does not account for four of its regions joining Russia, Kremlin Spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said.

Peskov was quoted by Russia’s TASS news agency as saying that Ukraine should take into account “the modern reality” that those territories have now "joined" Russia.

In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced the annexation of Ukraine’s four regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia into Russia, saying they have used their right to “self-determination” enshrined by the UN.

The move was considered the biggest annexation of Europe since World War II. Kiev insists that the four regions are part of its territory, and the annexation was illegal.

Ukraine secures release of 1,450 POWs from Russia: Zelenskyy 

Ukraine has secured the release of at least 1,456 prisoners of war since Russia invaded on February 24, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told parliament in an annual address held behind closed doors.

Kiev and Moscow have held a series of prisoner swaps throughout the war which started in February. Zelenskyy has said the release of prisoners of war is a priority.

Russia is thought to hold thousands of Ukrainian prisoners of war, but the exact figures are not known.

Russia wants to 'settle situation' in Ukraine as soon as possible: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow would like to settle the situation in Ukraine as soon as possible.

Protecting the lives of soldiers and civilians is a priority for Moscow, Lavrov said in an interview on a Russian news programme.

“We would like to settle this situation as soon as possible, to end this war that the West was preparing and eventually unleashed against us through Ukraine,” he said.

Chechens in Bosnia seek to dodge Russian draft, reach EU

A group of ethnic Chechens fleeing Russia have arrived in Bosnia, hoping to use the Balkan country as a launchpad to reach the European Union and avoid getting sent to fight in Ukraine.

The group of some 50 people, predominantly from Russia’s Chechnya region, congregated near Bosnia’s northwestern border with EU-member Croatia, the Bosnian Security Ministry said.

Russians can enter Bosnia without a visa and are permitted to stay in the country for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period. But to enter Croatia, which is set to join Europe’s visa-free travel zone, the Schengen Area, on January 1, they must hold a valid visa.

France's defence minister visits Ukraine to boost support

France's defence minister has arrived in Kiev to discuss further military support for Ukraine, insisting the French government's backing is unflagging while efforts are made to reach an eventual negotiated end to the conflict with Russia.

French Minister for the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu traveled to Ukraine's capital after a trip to Poland, where he announced a deal to sell Poland two French-made military satellites.

In Kiev, Lecornu laid a wreath at a heroes' monument to pay homage to Ukrainians who have died defending their country against Russia’s invasion. He also met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and army officials.

Russia expels Lithuanian diplomat in tit-for-tat move

Russia's Foreign Ministry has ordered the expulsion of a Lithuanian diplomat, in what it said was retaliation for Lithuania expelling a Russian diplomat on December 1.

Lithuania has been assisting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, providing a training ground for hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Moscow while giving instructions on how to repair German artillery howitzers. 

Russian rouble slumps again as volatile year-end trade continues

Russia’s rouble has weakened anew, sliding to the 72 mark against the dollar, as sanctions on Russian oil and their probable impact on export revenues put pressure on the Russian currency.

By 1256 GMT, the rouble was 2.2 percent weaker against the dollar at 71.93, earlier hitting 72.09 and moving in the direction of the almost eight-month low of 72.6325 struck last week.

It also lost 1.8 percent to trade at 76.36 versus the euro and shed 2.3 percent against the yuan to 10.21.

Ship insurers to cancel war cover for Russia, Ukraine

Ship insurers have announced the cancellation of war risk cover across Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, following an exit from the region by reinsurers in the face of steep losses.

Reinsurers, who insure the insurers, typically renew their 12-month contracts with insurance clients on January 1, giving them the first opportunity to scale back exposure since the war in Ukraine started, after being hit this year by losses related to the conflict and from Hurricane Ian in Florida.

Ships typically have P&I insurance, which covers third-party liability claims including environmental damage and injury. Separate hull and machinery policies cover vessels against physical damage. The moves by the insurers will make it harder for ship owners or charterers to find insurance, increase prices and may mean some ships sail uninsured, industry sources say.

Russian airlines, hampered by sanctions, saw traffic slump

 Russian airlines' passenger traffic was down 15.7 percent in November year-on-year to 6.94 million passengers, data from the Rosstat federal statistics service showed, as the industry feels the effects of Western sanctions.

Western countries banned Russian airlines from using their airspace in response to Moscow sending its armed forces into Ukraine in February, cutting the airlines off from lucrative routes to Europe and the United States.

Traffic for the first 11 months of the year was down 14.4 percent to 88 million passengers, Rosstat said.

Ukraine issues air raid alerts across its regions

Air raid sirens have sounded across all Ukraine's regions, officials said.

Ukrainian social media reports said the nationwide alert may have been declared after Russian jets stationed in Belarus took off.

Minister: Ukraine aims to develop air-to-air combat drones

Ukraine has bought some 1,400 drones, mostly for reconnaissance, and plans to develop combat models that can attack the exploding drones Russia has used during its attack on the country, according to the Ukrainian government minister in charge of technology.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov described Russia’s war in Ukraine as the first major war of the internet age.

He credited drones and satellite internet systems like Elon Musk’s Starlink with having transformed the conflict. 

Russia and China hold naval drills, practise submarine capture 

Russia and China have completed naval drills in the East China Sea, after a week of joint exercises which included practising how to capture an enemy submarine with depth charges and firing artillery at a warship, Russia's defence ministry said.

The December 21-27 exercises, entitled "Maritime Interaction-2022", included Russia's Pacific Fleet and were carried out in waters off Zhoushan and Taizhou in China's Zhejiang Province, China's official Xinhua news agency said. 

"Detachments of warships of the Pacific Fleet and the Naval Forces of the People's Liberation Army of China have completed practical tasks within the framework of the bilateral naval exercise," Russia's defence ministry said.

Top Putin aide visits Ukraine's Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

One of President Vladimir Putin's most powerful Kremlin aides has visited the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in a part of southern Ukraine Russia.

Sergei Kiriyenko, a Kremlin official responsible for overseeing Russia's domestic politics and a former head of the country's state nuclear corporation, discussed the safety of the plant, according to Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-backed local official.

"Sergei Kiriyenko visited the nuclear power plant — he checked the safety of the facility and the working conditions of Rosatom employees," Rogov said on Telegram.

Ukraine military command discuss new year fighting preparedness 

A meeting of Ukraine's military command has "established the steps to be taken in the near future," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

The situation in Bakhmut, Kreminna areas and the Donbass region, possible actions of the Russian troops and Ukrainian army were the main topic of the meeting, Zelenskyy said.

"We continue to prepare the defence and security forces of Ukraine for the next year. It must be a crucial year. We understand the risks in the winter, we understand what we have to do in the spring, and therefore we understand what results the entire defence and security sector must demonstrate,” he said.

Chechens in Bosnia seek to dodge Russian draft, reach EU

A group of ethnic Chechens fleeing Russia have arrived in Bosnia, hoping to use the Balkan country as a launchpad to reach the EU and avoid getting sent to fight in Ukraine.

The group of some 50 people, predominantly from Russia’s Chechnya region, congregated near Bosnia’s northwestern border with EU-member Croatia, the Bosnian Security Ministry said.

Russians can enter Bosnia without a visa and are permitted to stay in the country for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period. But to enter Croatia, which is set to join Europe’s visa-free travel zone, the Schengen Area, on January 1, they must hold a valid visa.

Russia expels Lithuanian diplomat in tit-for-tat move

Russia's Foreign Ministry has ordered the expulsion of a Lithuanian diplomat, in what it said was retaliation for Lithuania expelling a Russian diplomat on December 1.

Lithuania has been assisting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, providing training ground for hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Moscow while giving instructions on how to repair German artillery howitzers. 

Russian rouble slumps again as volatile year-end trade continues

Russia’s rouble has weakened anew, sliding to the 72 mark against the dollar, as sanctions on Russian oil and their probable impact on export revenues put pressure on the Russian currency.

By 1256 GMT, the rouble was 2.2 percent weaker against the dollar at 71.93, earlier hitting 72.09 and moving in the direction of the almost eight-month low of 72.6325 struck last week.

It also lost 1.8 percent to trade at 76.36 versus the euro and shed 2.3 percent against the yuan to 10.21 .

For live updates from Tuesday (December 27), click here.