Mykhailo Podolyak attacks Iran over possible arms shipments after Monday’s drone strikes. Sanctions are not enough. The news ticker.
- Federal Defense Minister Lambrecht: Russian threats to use nuclear weapons should not be dismissed as a bluff.
- million children in Poverty driven: You will feel the effects of the war strongly.
- This news ticker for diplomacy in the Ukraine war is updated regularly.
Updated October 17, 9:30 p.m: As part of a prisoner exchange, 108 Ukrainian women have been released by Russia. Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Andriy Yermak said on online platforms on Monday that it was an “all-female exchange” with Moscow. The women are mostly members of the army.
Update from October 17, 4:50 p.m.: The head of the German intelligence services BND Bruno Kahl has clearly condemned the Russian aggression in Ukraine and found clear words. At a public meeting of the parliamentary control committee on Monday, he described the actions of the Russian President as “a declaration of war on the entire free democratic world.”
The BND has always pointed out that Putin – as in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, Crimea and Donbass – will continue to use violence to achieve his political goals, Kahl continues. The Russian aggression against Ukraine therefore came as no surprise to the foreign intelligence service.
“What we see as the result of professional intelligence work has shaken up large parts of the German population, since it has unfortunately become common practice in public discourse over the past few decades to repeatedly ignore and suppress real threats – and corresponding warnings from the security authorities as scaremongering and To do away with pomposity,” criticized Kahl.
Zelenskyj adviser rumbles after drone attack: Iran responsible for “mass murders in the heart of Europe”
Update from October 17, 3:03 p.m.: Mykhailo Podolyak has made serious allegations against Iran regarding the Russian attacks on several major Ukrainian cities on Monday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s close adviser wrote on Twitter: “Iran is responsible for the murder of Ukrainians. A country that oppresses its own people is now giving the Russian monsters weapons for mass murder in the heart of Europe.” Sanctions are not enough in this case, Podolyak continued.
Russia is said to have carried out the attacks on Monday primarily with Kamikaze drones of the type Shahed 136. These weapons were reportedly given to Russia by the Iranian government. However, Moscow has so far remained silent on the use of these weapon systems.
Putin spokesman sees NATO interference in Ukraine war — “No impact on Russia’s goals”
Update from October 17, 12:30 p.m.: NATO has pledged its support to Ukraine for as long as it is needed. Even if the Western military alliance is not actively involved in the war, the nations supported Kyiv in the fight against the Russian invaders, primarily by supplying arms or providing military training.
A circumstance that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov apparently does not see as a major problem. “In fact, NATO got involved in the Ukraine conflict. But this in no way affects Russia’s goals,” Peskov told Russian TV channel Rossiya-1. The Kremlin spokesman described the potential of NATO as an “additional burden”. “Nevertheless, we are able to continue the special operation through our own potential,” Peskow continued.
Lambrecht warns of “paralysis” by Putin’s nuclear threats – NATO practices defense with nuclear weapons
First report from October 17th:
Berlin/Kyiv/Moscow — Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) has sharply condemned the recent Russian airstrikes on civilian targets in Ukraine. “What is happening to the population is unbelievable. It’s so stressful,” she said on Monday in the ZDF morning magazine.
The delivery of modern air defense systems is therefore currently crucial. However, according to the minister, the remaining three of a total of four Iris-T SLM air defense systems from Germany will only be able to take place “over the course of the next year”. Industry could not provide these any faster, she said.
Federal Defense Minister Lambrecht: Take Russia’s nuclear weapons threat seriously
Lambrecht has also warned against dismissing threats by Waldimir Putin to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war as a bluff. You have to take these threats seriously, “but taking them seriously doesn’t mean letting them paralyze you, it means watching them closely,” she said.
Exercises such as the NATO maneuvers “Steadfast Noon” to defend the European alliance area with nuclear weapons, which begin on Monday, made an important contribution to this. Up to 60 aircraft will be involved in the exercise over the next two weeks. Lambrecht left open the question of whether the Bundeswehr would also play through scenarios of a nuclear attack on Germany.
Ukraine-News: Still no access to prisoners of war — Red Cross rejects Zelenskyj’s criticism
Meanwhile, the Red Cross is defending itself against criticism from Kyiv that it has not yet visited numerous prisoners of war. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has moral obligations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj said last week and demanded immediate visits. “Blaming the ICRC for being denied full and immediate access does not help prisoners of war or their families,” the ICRC said on Sunday evening. Eleven employees, including a doctor, are available for such visits in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region, but have not yet received permission.
This must come from the participating states. According to the Geneva Conventions, they are obliged to grant access to the ICRC. For almost eight months, the ICRC has been asking in vain to be able to freely and regularly visit all the places where prisoners of war are being held.
Million children pushed into poverty — 2.8 million in Russia
The young in particular suffer from the Russian war of aggression and the associated economic downturn. The war is said to have driven an additional four million children into poverty in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This is the result of a study by the UN children’s fund Unicef published on Monday. The study includes data from 22 countries in the region.
The effects of war are particularly strong for children in Russia and Ukraine. According to the study, an additional 2.8 million children live in households below the poverty line in Russia. In Ukraine, half a million additional children lived in poverty, then Romania followed with an additional 110,000 children.
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