Ukraine war briefing: ‘Shameful’
Only shoot at Russian occupiers, president says, after three officers wounded in clash; Patriots could take years to make, says Rubio. What we know on day 1,653
TL;DR
- President Zelenskyy criticized a clash between Ukrainian intelligence services (SBU and GUR) that resulted in three officers being injured, stating that shooting is only permissible against Russian occupiers.
- Russia has continued intense drone and missile strikes across Ukraine, hitting Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipro, causing casualties and damage to residential, university, and power facilities.
- Norway has seized a Russian cruise ship, the Professor Molchanov, in partial fulfillment of a tribunal order for Russia to pay compensation to Ukraine's Naftogaz for seized Crimean assets.
- Ukraine has urged the UN's aviation agency to ban airlines from Russian airspace due to safety concerns, prompting the ICAO to call for member states to ensure civilian aircraft safety.
- US Senator Marco Rubio stated that building Patriot air defense interceptors could take years and is not an immediate solution for Ukraine's needs, as global demand for these systems is high.
- President Zelenskyy announced revisions to Ukraine's air raid alert system, introducing tiers for missiles and drones, and plans to reduce curfew hours and increase above-ground transport options.
- Belgium continues to block EU attempts to use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine, preferring member states to provide loans, while other countries are pushing to revisit the frozen asset discussion.
- Britain's sanctions enforcer fined Citibank £4.7 million for failings that allowed banned Russian entities access to funds between February and November 2022.