Ukraine nationalizes war companies – the night update without photos WHO: “Climate change is already killing us”

Selenskyj praises international helpfulness

In view of the violent Russian attacks on his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the international willingness to help. “The current escalation of the Russian missile and drone terror has only led the world (…) to respond with new aid to Ukraine,” Zelenskyj said in his video address on Tuesday evening.

Zelenskyj also reported success in pushing back Russian forces in the occupied territories of southern and eastern Ukraine. According to him, hundreds of Russians die every day, especially in the Donetsk region. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow, on the other hand, denies such high losses in its own ranks. The information provided by both parties can hardly be verified independently of each other.

All major developments in the Ukraine war in the live ticker:

Ukraine gets more Western anti-aircraft systems

Shortly before that, Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov announced that Ukraine had received additional air defense systems from the West to provide better protection against Russian missiles and drones. “Look who’s here!” he wrote in the short-message service Twitter for photos that should show Nasams and Aspide-type air defense systems on the ground from the US and Italy. “We will continue to use it to shoot down enemy targets that attack us,” Reznikov promised. The minister thanked Norway, Spain and the US for the delivery.

Most recently, Russian missiles and drone strikes had destroyed significant parts of Ukraine’s electricity and water infrastructure. Since then, several million Ukrainians have electricity for only a few hours a day. Against this background, Germany already delivered the Iris-T air defense system in October.

Ukrainian state takes over five major war companies

To further support the war against the Russian invaders, Ukraine has also placed five major large companies under the direct control of the Ministry of Defense. Those affected include the formerly part-state oil producer Ukrnafta and the oil processor Ukrtatnafta, as Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal explained. The transformer manufacturer ZTR, the truck manufacturer Kraz and the aircraft engine company Motor Sich are also being expropriated. Going forward, the companies will now work around the clock for the defense needs of the state.

Baerbock: must invest in Franco-German confidence

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock underlined the importance of close Franco-German cooperation for Europe – both in supporting Ukraine against Russia and in the fight against climate change. “We have shown that together we are stronger than this terrible war,” said the green politician at the Franco-German parliamentary assembly in Berlin, with a view to the EU. “We couldn’t have done that without a strong Franco-German alliance.”

North Korea, meanwhile, has denied information from the US government that the internationally largely isolated state is secretly supplying ammunition to Russia. The Defense Ministry in Pyongyang accused the US of “hostile attempts” to damage North Korea’s reputation. “We are making it clear once again that we have never had an ‘arms trade’ with Russia,” a ministry’s deputy director of foreign affairs told state media on Tuesday. Nor is it intended to do so in the future.

What’s important on Tuesday

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday in the dispute over NATO’s northern expansion. Turkey has so far refused to pave the way for Sweden and Finland to join NATO by ratifying the so-called accession protocols. The country justifies this with the alleged Swedish and Finnish support of the Syrian Kurdish militia YPK. Of the 30 NATO member states, 28 have already ratified the Swedish and Finnish accession applications, only Turkey and Hungary are still missing. (sda/dpa)