Estonia’s defense minister is certain that Russia will still learn militarily. Ukrainian Ambassador welcomes German Holodomor resolution. Chancellor Olaf Scholz is convinced that Russia “will not win this war”. All current voices and developments on the Ukraine war can be found in the ticker.

More on the course of the war in Ukraine.

6:29 a.m .: Former Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) has again defended her policy towards Russia and Ukraine in a large “Spiegel” interview. She “no longer had the strength to assert myself, because everyone knew: It will be gone in the fall,” she explained to the news magazine. In terms of power politics, she was through, Putin mediated her, said Merkel. The statement is bitter for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s adviser. “Why do people say today that at the end of the chancellorship they realized that Putin only understands power?” Mykhailo Podolyak told the “Bild”. “Wasn’t that clear?”

For him, Merkel’s statements are just excuses, after all, she was chancellor for a long time. She should have recognized Putin’s will to go to war years ago. Merkel is trying to “pray away her sins, but that won’t work,” said Podolyak. History will “show exactly” who helped make the “existence of Putin’s regime” possible.

5:10 a.m.: From the recently liberated regional capital Kherson in the south, further progress was reported with the power supply, which was almost completely destroyed under Russian occupation. In the meantime, around 17 percent of households have been connected to the electricity grid again, said regional governor Yaroslav Yanuschevych. The deputy chief of the presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, published a photo taken in the dark on Telegram, which shows individual illuminated house windows.

After several months under Russian occupation, the Ukrainian army recaptured the city of Cherson and other places in the region of the same name in mid-November. Since then, the city, which once had a population of 300,000, has not only been exposed to fierce Russian attacks, but has also been struggling with massive energy supply problems. In view of the difficult situation, the Ukrainian government started driving civilians to other parts of the country to spend the winter a few days ago.

Monday, November 28, 05:05: The Ukrainian army is preparing to repel further shelling, Zelenskyy said. “Russia is trying to use the cold against people this winter,” he said, referring to Moscow’s targeted attacks on Ukrainian power and thermal power plants. The head of state called on the Ukrainians to give special support to those in need during the cold season. Now cohesion is required. “Together we will get through anything.”

More than nine months after the start of the Russian war of aggression, particularly fierce fighting is raging in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. In freezing temperatures, many Ukrainian households are temporarily or even completely without heating, electricity and water.

1:50 p.m .: After the unexplained death of the Belarusian Foreign Minister, the suspicion arises that there is more to Makej’s death than just a tragic death. According to Anton Gerashenko, Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Gerashenko, there are already some rumors that he has been poisoned. Background: Vladimir Makej was considered a possible successor to Lukashenko – and was not under Russian influence. But one sentence suggests something else behind the rumors. According to Gerashenko, the alleged murder of Makej was a “pointer” to Lukashenko.

Even before Makej’s death, the US think tank Robert Lansing Institute for Global Threats reported on the Kremlin’s possible plan. Citing Russian military leadership sources, it was said that Putin had had enough of Belarusian President Lukashenko and had decided to take a radical step to force Belarus into the war against Ukraine.

Accordingly, in the coming days, the Russian military intelligence service (GRU) could try to either kill Lukashenko in an assassination attempt or imitate an assassination attempt to intimidate the Belarusian president. That should encourage him to order his troops to join the Russian army, according to US think tank sources.

If Lukashenko survived and gave in to Putin’s will to go to war, he would be de facto disempowered and part of the Kremlin’s puppet show, according to the analysis by the US factory. Should he die in the assassination, the pro-Russian OKVS Secretary General Stanislav Zas would immediately take his place. It doesn’t matter whether Lukashenko dies in the scenario or not – the USA and NATO should be held responsible.

11.43 a.m .: In response to the condemnation of Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, the Kremlin has accused the European Parliament of “unbridled Russophobia and hatred of Russia”. There is a “huge lack of professionalism” in the EU Parliament, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday, according to the Itar-Tass agency, on Russian state television. The parliamentarians are guided by emotions. In any case, the resolution is not legally binding and Moscow “does not take the condemnation to heart”.

A large majority of MEPs approved a resolution on Wednesday calling Russia a “state using terrorist means”.

So far, European law has not recognized a category or list for states that support terrorism. The EU Parliament had also called for further restrictions on diplomatic relations with Russia. The resolution also calls for further punitive measures such as an embargo on Russian diamonds. Roughly nine months ago, Russia launched a war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine.

05:55: Estonia’s Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur does not see Russia significantly weakened after nine months of war in Ukraine. “We have to be honest and clear: the Russian Navy and the Russian Air Force are more or less as big as they were before the war,” Pevkur told the German Press Agency during a visit to Berlin. Although the Russian land forces had clearly lost strength, they would have the pre-February 24 size or even be larger “sooner rather than later”.

He also expects that Russia will learn from the course of the war. “That means they will invest more in the skills that they see as successful in Ukraine in the coming years,” Pevkur said. “We have no reason to believe that the threat from Russia is any less, or the threat to NATO is reduced.”

According to the minister, Estonia, a rather small NATO country, intends to spend 2.84 percent of its gross domestic product on defense in the coming year. In 2024, the amount is expected to rise to 3.2 percent. About 1 percent of their own gross domestic product has already been given to military support for Ukraine against the Russian attack.

“We all have to do more,” said Pevkur. Ukraine shares the values ​​of freedom, a rules-based world and human rights. In particular, they currently need anti-aircraft systems as well as heavy artillery and ammunition.

Pevkur warned of “war fatigue” in western countries. “This is exactly what Russia wants to achieve, and that is why we say that they are in no hurry. Russia is definitely ready to suffer longer.” He assumes that Russia “mentally is ready for a long war”. However, in view of the heavy losses in the land forces – possibly now 50 percent – the leadership in Moscow wants “a kind of break” to gather strength again. Only in the spring of next year will it become clearer how long the war could last. Pevkur: “Will it be years? Hard to say.”

5:09 a.m .: According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine wants to deliver grain for 150 million dollars to the poorest countries in the world with the help of the western industrialized countries. “Food security is one of the key elements of global stability,” said the 44-year-old in his daily video address on Saturday. He presented the “Grain from Ukraine” program – marketed in English under the catchy name “Grain from Ukraine” – as an important step in combating the global food crisis.

After the end of the Russian naval blockade, Ukraine had already shipped 12 million tons of food to 40 countries via its Black Sea ports. According to Zelenskyy, the country is preparing 60 grain ships for poor countries. More than 20 countries are supporting Kyiv with 150 million dollars.

Sunday, November 27, 3:03 a.m.: The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksiy Makeyev, welcomed the resolution planned by the Bundestag on the “Holodomor” famine in Ukraine caused by Soviet dictator Stalin 90 years ago. “It’s about acknowledging the truth. The truth that has been tried to cover up for decades. And the truth that can never become statute-barred,” Makejew told the editorial network Germany (Saturday).

The ambassador stressed that the recognition will restore justice to millions of people and establish the truth about the crimes of Stalin and the Soviet regime. “This recognition is also extremely important for understanding and processing the historical context of today’s Russian genocidal warfare,” said the Ukrainian diplomat.

According to the draft, the resolution, which is to be dealt with in the Bundestag on Wednesday, provides for a recognition of the Holodomor (“murder by hunger”) of 1932/33 as genocide and will be approved jointly by the parties of the traffic light government, SPD, Greens, FDP and worn by the CDU/CSU parliamentary group.

Meanwhile, Roderich Kiesewetter (CDU) described the planned resolution as a step that was overdue. “In its unique cruelty, the Holodomor in Ukraine is unique among Stalin’s crimes,” the spokesman for the Union faction for crisis prevention also told the editorial network Germany.

The aim of the genocide was to break down the resistance of the Ukrainian people to forced collectivization and to destroy the national understanding of the Ukrainians. “In view of the war of annihilation now being waged by Russia, it is all the more important to clearly name this genocide against the Ukrainians,” said Kiesewetter.

SPD treasurer Dietmar Nietan, the rapporteur responsible for the topic in his parliamentary group, also spoke of an important signal: “With the historical-political classification of the Holodomor as genocide, we are sending an important and overdue signal,” he told the editorial network. The historic crimes against the Ukrainian people are a reminder to take responsibility for the past and today to “defend our European peace order by all means”. “The state terror of totalitarian systems is again very topical in a frightening way with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which violates international law,” emphasized Nietan.

6:58 p.m .: Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) currently considers a Russian victory in Ukraine to be unlikely. In view of Germany’s support for the attacked Ukraine, it is becoming increasingly clear “that Russia not only must not win this war, but will not win it,” Scholz said on Saturday at the SPD Brandenburg state party conference in Cottbus. The Chancellor renewed his promise to support Ukraine as long as necessary. “We do that financially, humanitarianly and we all know: also with arms deliveries.”

Scholz again emphasized the importance of his meeting with China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping, at which both had warned against the use of nuclear weapons. The G20 countries also said that nuclear weapons should not be used in this war. At the recent summit in Indonesia, the vast majority of the group of leading industrial and emerging countries, despite major differences of opinion, strongly condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine. Russia’s dissenting stance was also recorded.

5:07 p.m.: Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makej has died at the age of 64. The state news agency Belta reported a “sudden death” on Saturday, without giving further details. Nothing was known about diseases. Makej had been Foreign Minister of the authoritarian country for ten years and was one of the confidants of long-time ruler Alexander Lukashenko. Before becoming a minister, he was head of the presidential administration. At times, Makej was also traded as a possible successor to Lukashenko.

The first expressions of condolences came from Russia, the closest ally of Belarus (formerly Belarus). “We are shocked by the reports of the death of the Foreign Minister of Belarus,” said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Lukashenko has been in power in the former Soviet republic for more than a quarter of a century.

2:35 p.m .: The Mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, has warned of political disputes after criticizing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Klitschko told the “Bild am Sonntag” “The key to Ukraine’s success after Russia’s attack on our country is cohesion, both nationally and internationally. We must continue to work together to defend the country and protect the infrastructure.”

Klitschko went on to say that work was being done in Kyiv “at record speed” to solve the problems: “The city has water again and 95 percent heating, now we are working primarily to ensure that electricity comes back everywhere.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had criticized the fact that the restoration of the power supply in the capital Kyiv was progressing slowly.

10.50 a.m .: According to a “meduza” report, Russia is planning a stronger new offensive in Ukraine next spring. The Kremlin is currently trying to buy time to stabilize the front with the help of mobilized soldiers until conscripts finally come back to the front, reports the Russian investigative portal “Important Stories” from exile in Latvia. The exile medium draws on information from an informant close to the Russian Secret Service (FSB) and a source within the Russian General Staff.

The Russian military and the Kremlin are aware that there will be some losses among the mobilized soldiers until the new offensive. Russia expects a total of 100,000 dead or wounded among the mobilized soldiers.

Saturday, November 26, 8:30 a.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized the work of the Kiev city administration in repairing damage after the massive Russian attacks on the energy supply. “Tonight 600,000 subscribers in the city are switched off,” said Zelenskyj in his evening video address on Friday. “Many Kiev citizens were without electricity for more than 20 or even 30 hours.” He expects quality work from the mayor’s office.

The President did not name Mayor Vitali Klitschko. He was particularly annoyed that there were fewer heat rooms than necessary in the capital, which has three million inhabitants. Klitschko had reported in the morning that 400 of these contact points had been set up. In the event of power outages lasting more than one day, citizens should be able to warm up there; there should be electricity, water, first aid and internet.

5:50 a.m.: Ukraine is grappling with the devastating effects of recent Russian attacks. At least 15 civilians were killed in Russian shelling in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Friday, according to the authorities. 35 other people were injured, including a child, a representative of the recently recaptured city said in online networks. Meanwhile, technicians across the country scrambled to restore heat, water and electricity supplies to major Ukrainian cities.

According to the information, several residential buildings and multi-storey buildings were damaged in the shelling in Cherson. The region’s military administration announced on Friday that hospitals would be evacuated because of “continued Russian bombing”. The city council of Kherson said it offered to evacuate civilians to other regions.

Saturday, November 26, 05:20: After the Russian rocket attacks with massive destruction, Ukraine is making progress in restoring its power supply. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, criticized the fact that progress in the capital Kyiv was slow. “Many Kiev citizens were without electricity for more than 20 or even 30 hours,” he said on Friday evening. He expects quality work from the mayor’s office, he said in a rarely open criticism of Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

The situation in the city of Cherson in southern Ukraine, which was recaptured two weeks ago, was even more difficult than in Kyiv. From there, the government began evacuating civilians. A train brought 100 people to the city of Khmelnytskyi in the west of the country. Saturday is the 276th day of Ukraine’s defense against invasion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the war more than nine months ago, held appointments in Moscow on Friday. He spoke to the mothers of soldiers deployed in Ukraine, met the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, and attended the anniversary of the Russian armaments holding Rostec.

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