People walk through the partially destroyed town of Borodianka, northwest of the Ukranian capital Kyiv, on 2 January 2023. Borodianka came under heavy air-strike and artillery bombardment by Russian forces as they tried to seize Kyiv early in their invasion of Ukraine. Once Russian forces withdrew at the end of March 2022, many of its residential buildings lay in ruins. (Photo: Spencer Platt / Getty Images) Ukraine warned that Russia may launch more attacks over the Orthodox Christmas holiday later this week, even as Kyiv continued to down Iran-made Shahed drones being sent into the country, Ukraine’s air defence command said on Monday.
Germany, meanwhile, is open to using billions of euros in frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine rebuild, as long as legal issues can be resolved and allies follow suit, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Key developments
- Germany open to seizing Russian assets to help Ukraine rebuild
- European gas swings after hitting lowest level since before war
- Russia’s oil flows slump to 2022 low as sanctions squeeze Moscow
On the ground
Two people died and nine were injured in Kherson and the regions due to Russian attacks, Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych said on Telegram.
Ukraine’s air defence systems intercepted every drone from two consecutive nights of Russian strikes since 31 December, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
Russian forces continued to carry out unsuccessful attempts to improve their tactical positions northwest of Svatove after a tactical pause, the ISW said.
UK’s Sunak pledges long-term support for Ukraine
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by phone, pledging long-term support for Kyiv. The commitment was demonstrated by the recent delivery of 1,000 anti-air missiles, Sunak’s office said in an emailed readout.
The UK is also working to “provide further equipment in the coming weeks and months to secure Ukraine’s victory on the battlefield,” Sunak said.
Russian oil flows slump as sanctions squeeze Moscow
Russian crude shipments slid to the lowest for 2022 in the final four weeks of the year, as sanctions crimped Moscow’s exports.
Cargoes bound for China, India and Turkey, which have become a lifeline for Russian supplies displaced from Europe, saw a third straight drop. The country’s overall seaborne flows fell by 117,000 barrels a day to 2.615 million barrels on a four-week average basis.
Germany open to seizing Russian assets to help Ukraine rebuild
Germany is open to using billions of euros in frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine rebuild, as long as legal issues can be resolved and allies follow suit.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government supports Ukraine’s demand for war reparations, but hasn’t yet taken an official position on seizing assets from the Russian state.
The issue is complex and some parts of the ruling coalition are more ardent than others, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Nato members want more ambitious spending goals — Stoltenberg
Some North Atlantic Treaty Organisation members want the alliance to sharpen its target of spending 2% of output on defence by making the guideline a minimum, according to Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
In 2014, Nato agreed that members whose military spending was below 2% would “aim to move toward” the goal within a decade, yet more than half remain well below.
“We will meet, we will have ministerial meetings, we will have talks in capitals,” Stoltenberg said in an interview with German news agency DPA, adding that the aim is to seal agreement no later than the next Nato summit in Vilnius in July.
Ukraine expects protracted drone attack from Russia
Moscow plans a protracted drone attack on Ukraine to “exhaust” the country’s energy infrastructure, air defences and people, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukraine’s anti-missile forces have intercepted more than 80 Iran-made drones launched by Russia against the power grid and civilian infrastructure since the beginning of the year, and many more are yet to come, Zelensky said in his nightly address to the nation on Monday.
“Over coming weeks, nights may be pretty troubled,” he said.
“We have information that Russia plans a protracted attack by Shahed drones.” The attack is meant to reassure the Russian people as its troops suffer painful battlefield losses, according to Ukraine’s leader. DM