Russia's defense minister spends his day on the phone to warn NATO countries about suspected radioactive bombs that Kyiv is said to be planning to detonate. President Zelenskyy calls on the world not to swallow such "dirt". As the destruction of Ukraine's energy supply continues, the SPD is demanding more diplomacy from Germany. The 242nd day of the war at a glance.
Zelenskyy: Russia is preparing something
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the international community to resist any further escalation of the war by Russia. When Moscow accuses Ukraine of wanting to throw a so-called dirty bomb, it is preparing something dirty itself. Zelenskyj said that in his evening video speech. He spoke of a "phone carousel" between the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the ministers of the NATO countries France, Great Britain, Turkey and the USA. In it, Shoigu warned of alleged plans by Ukraine to use a nuclear-contaminated bomb.
"If someone can use nuclear weapons in our part of Europe, then there is only one - and this one ordered Comrade Shoigu to call there," Zelenskyy said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The world must make it clear that it is not ready to swallow this "dirt". "Wherever Russia goes, it leaves behind mass graves, torture camps, destroyed towns and villages, mined lands, destroyed infrastructure and natural disasters," the president said. Ukraine, on the other hand, is trying to enable its people to lead normal lives again. "Where Ukraine is, no life is destroyed."
Shoigu talks to four NATO countries
Russia's Defense Minister had previously warned in talks with the NATO countries USA, Great Britain, France and Turkey that the Ukraine conflict would escalate. The situation is deteriorating rapidly, the ministry said. In a conversation with French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, Shoigu said there was a tendency towards "further uncontrolled escalation." Shoigu had conveyed Moscow's concern over the phone that Ukraine could detonate a "dirty bomb" - an explosive device laced with radioactive material.
Previous Russian claims that Ukraine might be using biological weapons, for example, had raised concerns in the West that Moscow could commit acts under a false identity and then blame Kyiv. After repeated setbacks in Ukraine, Putin said his country would resort to nuclear weapons if necessary to defend its "territorial integrity".
Second call within three days
Shoigu spoke to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for the second time in three days. The government in Moscow did not provide any further information on the content. Both spoke to each other for the first time since May on Friday. After the phone call, a top Russian diplomat was quoted as saying that "misunderstandings had to be cleared up so that accidents don't happen."
Paris and London react dismissively
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said after the call that he had reaffirmed France's desire for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine war. Paris also refuses to be drawn into any form of escalation. Britain said Defense Secretary Ben Wallace had rejected Shoigu's claims that Western countries were backing a plan by Ukraine to escalate the conflict. According to Moscow, Shoigu also mentioned concerns about a "dirty bomb" in a telephone conversation with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.
Wind and solar power plants in Ukraine were also destroyed
As a result of the Russian war of aggression, Ukraine has so far lost around 90 percent of its wind power capacity. In the case of solar energy, the loss is 40 to 50 percent, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said on Ukrainian television. He did not specify how large the installed capacities were. However, Ukraine has greatly expanded renewable energies in recent years, he said. Before the war, they accounted for ten to eleven percent of energy production. After the war, the expansion should be continued all the faster. The attacked country is thus even more dependent on fossil fuels and nuclear power than before. In the past few days, the Russian army has severely damaged the Ukrainian power and heat supply with airstrikes.
US experts assess war strategy: tie up resources
The US think tank "Institute for the Study of War" (ISW) evaluated the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian infrastructure as an attempt to break the Ukrainians' will to fight. In addition, Moscow wants to force Kyiv to use additional resources to protect the population and energy infrastructure instead of putting resources into counter-offensives. However, the think tank thinks it is unlikely that the will to fight will be weakened as a result. However, suffering among the population is likely to increase in the face of winter power outages and damaged buildings. Russian attacks on energy infrastructure have caused a humanitarian tragedy without major changes on the battlefield, according to an ISW assessment. About 30 percent of Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been damaged.
Second accident: Russian fighter jet crashes in residential area
Two pilots were killed when a Russian warplane crashed in a residential area in the Siberian city of Irkutsk. "The Su-30 aircraft crashed during a test flight," Russian civil defense officials told the Interfax news agency. The machine crashed in a residential area, but according to initial information from the authorities, there are no other victims on the ground. The fire has now been extinguished and the clean-up work is continuing. The amount of property damage is still being determined. In the affected residential area there are mainly small-storey private houses. Just a few days ago, a fighter jet crashed into a residential building in southern Russia. The number of civilian victims there now amounts to 15 dead.
Mützenich demands more diplomacy from Baerbock
SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich spoke out in favor of intensifying diplomatic efforts. It is important to strike a balance between Ukraine's right to self-defense and diplomatic initiatives, he said on ZDF. Opinion polls show that a majority of the population wants more diplomatic initiatives, said Mützenich. This was also addressed to Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock from the Greens: "She is the highest diplomat in Germany at the moment."
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