Election Commission denies registration of Putin opponent + letters exchanged for prisoners UN: Hundreds of thousands in Gaza are threatened with famine – the night update without photos

Russia’s Central Election Commission has cleared the Kremlin-critical journalist Ekaterina Duntsova denied the registration of their initiative group for the presidential elections on March 17. The committee announced in Moscow on Saturday that there were several errors in the organization of the initiative group and in the documents submitted.

Duntsova, 40, had previously criticized Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s policies and war against Ukraine and offered herself as an alternative to voters. She would have needed the initiative group to obtain signatures in support of registration as a candidate for president.

According to Duntsova’s followers, individual letter twisters in names were ‘ “serious errors” in the documents designed. The head of the election commission, Ella Pamfilova, is considered a close confidante of President Putin. She said: “You are a young woman, you still have everything ahead of you. Every minus can be turned into a plus. Every experience is an experience.” Russian state media had previously linked the journalist to Putin’s opponent Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who lives in exile.

Putin’s opponents repeatedly complain that the election commission refuses to register candidates with formal errors. It is expected that candidates who do not pose serious competition to the incumbent president will only be admitted to the upcoming presidential elections. It is certain that Putin will emerge victorious in his fifth presidential election. The head of the Kremlin had the constitution changed specifically to return to power. According to the currently valid version of the constitution, the 71-year-old can compete for the last time in 2030. The presidential term of office in Russia is six years. (sda/dpa)

A Defense Ministry official has been arrested in Ukraine over a $1 million ammunition scam. The man is said to have been involved in the embezzlement of 1.5 billion hryvnias (about 36 million euros) in the purchase of artillery ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces., as the researchers in Kiev announced. The Public Prosecution Service published defaced photos of the suspect and seized evidence. Defense Minister Olexij Reznikov was also dismissed this year after corruption scandals at the ministry.

The official is said to have signed an unfavorable contract for the purchase of ammunition for the Ukrainian defenders in their fight against the Russian war of aggression. The costs of purchasing from an exporter would have been 30 percent higher than purchasing directly from the manufacturer, which also had shorter delivery times.

The armed forces at the front are constantly demanding more and faster ammunition deliveries in order to successfully repel the Russian attacks. The country, which has been defending itself against the Russian invasion since February 24, 2022, is dependent on billions in aid from the West.

A search of the officer’s offices and apartment seized documents confirming the illegal activity, investigators in the case that became public Friday said. According to the Ministry of Defense in Kiev, steps are being taken to return the stolen 1.5 billion hryvnias to the Ukrainian budget. The investigation was ongoing. If convicted, the officer faces a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly announced a rigorous fight against corruption and embezzlement of funds in the state apparatus. Proof of success in this struggle is also considered a prerequisite for Ukraine’s membership in the European Union. The EU has officially decided to start accession negotiations this month. Critics point out that the country is one of the most corrupt states in Europe. The American magazine ‘Time’ recently anonymously quoted a senior official in Kiev as saying that the country was stealing like there was no tomorrow. (sda/dpa)

A few days before the end of the year, relatives of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners of war exchanged mail and gifts for their loved ones for the first time. Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Tatyana Moskalkova, reported to the state agency Tass about this humanitarian action, which was agreed with Kiev. Mail and parcels were handed over at the Russian-Ukrainian border and should now be delivered to the respective POWs. (sda/dpa)

According to the General Staff in Kiev, Ukrainian armed forces repelled new attacks by Russian forces near the city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region and on the left bank of the Dnipro. Russia continues to try to encircle Avdiivka with its troops, its headquarters in Kiev said on Saturday. “Our fighters are holding the defense steady and inflicting significant losses on the occupiers”, the message continued. Fighting for the city has been going on for months. According to the General Staff, the Russian army is also unable to dislodge the Ukrainian troops established on the southern (left) bank of the Dnipro.

The Ukrainian air defense also reported that numerous Russian drone attacks had again been repelled. Once again the Odessa area on the Black Sea was hit by attacks.

The Western experts from the American Institute for War Studies (ISW) in Washington assume that Russia is sticking to its maximum goals in the war, wants to occupy more areas and has not been defeated. They also responded to statements by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who had previously given an interview with the dpa news agency spoke of a “strategic defeat” for Moscow had. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin could no longer achieve his war goals, Stoltenberg said.

Instead, the analysts pointed out that Putin was simply postponing the goals he had failed to achieve this year. Russia’s failures in Ukraine are not a permanent situation. According to ISW, Western assessments that Russia is failing to do so should not lead to a reduction or cessation of foreign aid to Ukraine. Russia is betting that the West will cut its aid to Ukraine, it was said. (sda/dpa)

Ukraine and neighboring Poland want to deepen their cooperation, especially in the military field. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj reported this on Friday in his evening video address about his meeting with the new Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, whose first foreign trip was to Kiev. “We discussed very serious possibilities for further joint work – work that will strengthen our two nations,” Zelenskiy said. “This applies especially to joint arms production.”



“We are renewing our relations,” Zelensky said. He had previously spoken of Poland and Ukraine as “very strong neighbors with a common history”.

Even before the change of government in Warsaw, Poland was considered one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters. Poland has already provided its neighboring countries with tanks and fighter planes that the Ukrainian armed forces urgently need in their defensive battle against the Russian army. (sda/dpa)

The southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa was attacked by several Russian drones on Friday evening. Local media reported several explosions initially attributed to the use of anti-aircraft guns. Air traffic control had previously reported the approach of several waves of so-called kamikaze drones over the Black Sea and asked residents of the city and surrounding areas to seek shelter. Air warnings were also activated in other regions of Ukraine. (sda/dpa)

According to the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, the Russian air defense system has again repelled several Ukrainian drone attacks, including in the capital Moscow.



Five drones were shot down in the Bryansk region and four in the Kaluga region, the ministry said on Friday. According to authorities, there were temporary restrictions on take-offs and landings at Kaluga International Airport due to the use of anti-aircraft defenses. Machines that were in the air therefore had to be diverted to other airfields.

In Moscow, authorities reported temporary delays in take-offs at the capital’s Domodedovo airport. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that anti-aircraft defenses had destroyed a drone heading towards the capital. There was no destruction or injuries, he said. However, the information could not be independently verified.

Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia’s war of aggression for almost two years with the help of Western allies. In its defensive campaign, the country repeatedly shells Russian territory, both in the border area and in the hinterland. However, the Russian damage or number of victims is disproportionate to the serious consequences of the war in Ukraine. (sda/dpa)