DIRECT. War in Ukraine: Turkey would have provided cluster munitions to kyiv

Russian military officials are said to be drawing up lists of high school students in the Donbass who can join the war in Ukraine when they have reached their majority. This is according to the National Resistance Center of the Ukrainian army. “First of all, those who will reach their majority in 2023”, therefore born in 2005. The Center calls on parents to leave the region to put their children in safety.

Ukraine has received about $48.5 billion in Western military aid since the start of Russia’s special military operation, which is almost equal to Russia’s defense budget for 2022, according to calculations by the TASS news agency.

Last year, Russia’s defense spending amounted to $51.1 billion.

British intelligence says in its daily update that on Sunday amateur observers noted the arrival of 12 Mi-8 support helicopters and Mi-24 and Ka-52 attack helicopters in Belarus, some bearing the mark “Z”. This new deployment of Russian aircraft near Minsk “is probably a real exercise, rather than a preparation for any additional offensive operation against Ukraine”, notes Great Britain.

Belarus has announced joint tactical maneuvers with Russia from January 16 to February 1.

Asked about the war in Ukraine during a visit to South Africa, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu expressed his support for the “peace formula” proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the G20 summit in November 2022. “Of course, our goal is a lasting peace and a mutually acceptable solution,” he said, referring to “new parameters and realities.” “Russia says it is ready for negotiations now. Zelensky offered a 10-point peace plan. We as Turkey support this plan and continue our work,” he said.

Besides that of the rich businessman Viktor Medvedchuk, close to Vladimir Putin, who joined Russia in a prisoner exchange, the Ukrainian president also signed the decree who withdraws their citizenship to three Ukrainian MPs. Renat Kuzmin was the First Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine from 2010 to 2013; Andrii Derkach was accused in 2021 by the United States of being a “Russian agent” involved in interference in the 2020 elections; and Taras Kozak, owner of numerous media outlets and mines in the Donbass, is close to Medvedchuk.

According to the American magazine Foreign Policy (FP), Turkey began supplying Ukraine with a US-designed form of cluster bomb in late 2022. These are Enhanced Dual-Purpose Conventional Munitions (DPICMs), designed to destroy tanks by bursting into smaller submunitions, which can linger on the battlefield for years if they don’t explode immediately. US law prohibits the United States from exporting DPICMs due to their high failure rate. “After the US denied Ukraine access to cluster munitions, Turkey was the only place they could get them,” a source told FP. Neither the Turkish Embassy in Washington nor the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reacted to the publication.

Turkey, a member of NATO, has already supplied Ukraine with armed Bayraktar TB2 drones, manufactured by a company whose board of directors is chaired by the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Ukrainian troops are expected to begin training on the Patriot missile system at Fort Sill in Oklahoma (USA) next week while others will train in the use of Bradley armored personnel carriers in the military training area in Grafenwoehr, Bavaria. Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder confirmed this yesterday.

Tonight, as Los Angeles held its 80th Golden Globes ceremony, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a video appearance there. On stage, Sean Penn spoke in particular of the Iranians’ fight for their freedom. From a “If the freedom to dream was a spear then I present to you its sharpest iron”, he brought the Ukrainian president to the screen. He recalled that the very first Golden Globes ceremony was held in January 1944 during the Second World War. “ There will be no Third World War” because “Ukraine will stop Russian aggression on our land”, he asserted.

“The war in Ukraine is not over yet, but the tide is turning and we already know who will win”, assured the Ukrainian head of state, thanking the Americans for their support.

In the early evening, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar reported “heavy fighting in defense of Soledar”. A little later, in his daily address, President Zelensky simply paid “a special tribute to the warriors of the 46th Airmobile Brigade for their bravery and firmness in the defense of Soledar”.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the purchase from the United States of a NASAMS air defense system to offer to Ukraine. This battery of surface-to-air missiles is intended for medium and long-range anti-aircraft combat, and must counter the massive bombardments of Russia on Ukrainian critical infrastructure. “It’s priority number one,” explained Anita Anand, Canada’s Defense Minister, after talking with her Ukrainian counterpart.

The price of a Nasams system is estimated at 282 million euros.

“Units of the private military company Wagner have taken control of the entire territory of Soledar. The center of the city has been surrounded, and urban warfare is ongoing. The number of captives will be announced tomorrow,” according to Russian news agency TASS, announced via his company’s Telegram channel, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. The town of Soledar, 10 km from Bakhmout, has been the scene of intense fighting in recent days.

On Telegram, it was also said that a handful of Ukrainian soldiers, surrounded in the city center, had been given an ultimatum to surrender before midnight.

None of this information has yet been independently verified.

Russian bombardments hit Kharkiv last night, hours after the surprise visit to this city in northeastern Ukraine by the head of German diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock. The city had been relatively spared lately from Russian strikes. “Stay in the shelters. The occupiers are bombing again!” Regional Governor Oleg Synegoubov warned on Telegram messaging.

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced last night in his daily address that he had revoked the Ukrainian citizenship of the wealthy businessman Viktor Medvedchuk, close to Vladimir Putin, accused by kyiv of high treason in favor of Russia. “Based on documents prepared by the security services and the State Migration Service, and in accordance with the Constitution of our state, I have decided to revoke the citizenship of four people”, including Viktor Medvedchuk and three other politicians, he declared.

Medvedchuk was handed over to Russia in a prisoner swap between Kyiv and Moscow in late September 2022 after being imprisoned for more than five months in Ukraine.

The United States will train Ukrainian forces in the operation and maintenance of the Patriot air defense system starting next week at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. “This training will prepare between 90 and 100 Ukrainian soldiers to operate, maintain and maintain the defense system through training that is expected to last several months,” said Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder.

Welcome to this live on the war in Ukraine and its consequences.