Zelenskyj: Moscow also wants war in the Middle East – the nightly update without photos Attack on Israel: caught in a spiral of hatred

‘Moscow wants to start war in the Middle East’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of trying to start a war in the Middle East in addition to attacking his country. “We have data that clearly proves that Russia is interested in starting a war in the Middle East so that a new source of pain and suffering undermines the unity of the world,” Zelensky said on the social network X on Monday. no details. He also warned of the danger of a world war in his evening video message broadcast in Kiev.

“The world wars of the past started with local aggression,” Zelensky said, also referring to attacks on Israel by the militant Hamas. He did not explain what information he had that Russia was interested in starting a fire in the Middle East. “We see that Moscow’s Iranian friends openly support those who attacked Israel,” said Zelensky, who himself has Jewish roots. He also accused Russian propagandists close to the Kremlin of rejoicing in violence against Israel.

“And all this is a much bigger threat than the world is currently experiencing,” the Ukrainian president said. During Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, he had repeatedly accused Iran of supporting Moscow’s terror with drones and other weapons.

“Fight against terror”

As in his video message on Sunday, Zelensky again called for a joint fight against terror. International law must be defended against attempts by terrorists to take power. “I am grateful to all leaders and states who are aware of the danger and are willing to work together to contain the situation and prevent the sponsors of terror from becoming more involved.”

On Monday morning, in a video address to parliamentarians of NATO member states in Copenhagen, the president compared Hamas’s atrocities against Israel to those of Russia against Ukraine. “The only difference is that there it is a terrorist organization that attacked Israel, and here it is a terrorist state that attacked Ukraine.”

According to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow, Russia also has contacts with the militant Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, EU and Israel. For example, the Kremlin’s representative for the Middle East, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, has held talks with Hamas representatives several times this year – on the phone and in personal meetings. The Kremlin only commented on the violence in Israel for the first time on Monday and expressed its concerns.

Zelenskyy replaces the head of the regional armed forces

In his video message, Zelensky also announced that he had replaced the commander of the Area Defense Forces for the second time since the beginning of the Russian invasion. He appointed Major General Anatoly Barhylevych as the new boss by decree. Ihor Tanzjura had previously been discharged with the same military rank. Tanzjura has held this position since May last year. Initially, nothing was known about the reasons for the dismissal.

The main task is not to stop the development of the units, Zelensky said. As a substructure of the army, the area defense forces are primarily responsible for organizing defense in the regions. Barhylewytsch had been involved in setting up the regional armed forces since 2020.

With Western military aid, Ukraine has been waging a defensive battle against Russian attacks for almost twenty months. President Zelensky repeatedly emphasizes that Ukraine is fighting its fight against Russian aggression not only for its own independence, but for freedom throughout Europe. The head of state calls for more support from the West for the defensive struggle to permanently weaken Russia militarily through defeat.

What will be important on Tuesday

Zelenskyj travels to Romania for a short visit to the capital Bucharest, to meet his colleague Klaus Iohannis and ask for support. At the same time, Ukrainian defenders continued their counter-offensive to liberate the Russian-occupied territories. (sda/dpa)