The Russo-Ukrainian War at a Glance: What We Know on Day 281 of the Invasion | Ukraine

A security officer at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid was injured when he opened a letter bomb addressed to the ambassador on Wednesday. Mercedes Gonzalez, a Spanish government official, told TeleMadrid that the security officer was slightly injured.

In the aftermath of the incident, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba ordered all Kyiv embassies abroad to “urgently” beef up security. said a ministry spokesman.

The President of the European Commission proposed the creation of a special court to investigate and prosecute the “crime of aggression” committed by Russia against it Ukraine. Ursula von der Leyen also wants to use the proceeds of Russian funds that have been frozen under Western sanctions to help Ukraine.

Russian forces tried to advance in eastern Ukraine and trained tank, mortar and artillery fire on Kherson in the south. The Ukrainian military said, while the Western allies sought to support Ukraine and its neighbors against Moscow.

Ukraine needs US-made Patriot missile defense systems to protect its civilian infrastructure, in the face of a fierce attack by Russia, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, adding that he would work with the German government on the issue. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned NATO on Tuesday against supplying Patriot systems to Ukraine, Reuters reports.

The UK announced a new round of sanctions against 22 Russians, Including those the State Department says are involved in recruiting criminals to fight Ukraine. On Wednesday, Secretary of State James Cleverly said his department would target a new group of officials, including Denis Manturoff, the deputy prime minister, who is responsible for supplies of equipment to the troops.

US President Joe Biden’s nominee for ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, vowed on Wednesday to make the release of detained Americans a priority. If is appointed to one of America’s most important and challenging diplomatic posts.

Ukraine’s state emergency service said nine people had been killed in fires in the past 24 hours. After violating safety rules trying to heat their homes after the Russian attacks on energy facilities. “On the last day alone, there were 131 fires in Ukraine, 106 of them in the residential sector. Nine people were killed and eight injured,” the emergency service said.

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, has arrived in Kyiv for a three-day visit to show solidarity with the people and churches of Ukraine. Welby will meet with Ukraine’s church leaders, refugees and internally displaced persons.

The head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergey Naryshkin, discussed nuclear issues and Ukraine RIA reported a meeting this month with CIA Director William Burns. Elizabeth Rudd, chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Moscow, told RIA that Burns “did not negotiate anything and did not discuss the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.”

Moscow has promoted the chief engineer of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, Yuri Chernychuk, to become its chief, According to the Russian nuclear agency Rosenergoatom. The post has been vacant since October, when Kyiv said the head of the plant, Ihor Murashov, had been kidnapped by Russian authorities.

Oleksandr Starukh, head of the Zaporizhia regional military department, said on cable Early Wednesday morning, Russian strikes in the area at night hit a gas distribution point, It caused a fire which has since been put out. There were no casualties or injuries.

One person was killed and another was injured in Russian bombing of the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine today, Wednesday. said the district governor. Yaroslav Yanushevich wrote on messaging app Telegram that many residential buildings and medical facilities have been damaged in the city, which was liberated this month after months of Russian occupation.

Ukraine claims to have killed another 500 Russian soldiers in the past 24 hours. This brings the death toll in battles since February 24 to about 88,880. The Armed Forces General Staff said it captured three more tanks and six armored personnel carriers.

Ukrainian forces shot down three Russian reconnaissance drones in the past 24 hours, according to its armed forces. In the early morning bulletin from UkraineA spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Alexander Ottobon, said that Ukraine had been hit by a number of missile attacks from aircraft and artillery, including Kivsharivka in Kharkiv and Sloviansk in Donetsk.

A presidential aide said that a boy was killed in the Russian bombing of a hospital in the Sumy region of northern Ukraine. Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, said on the messaging app Telegram that Russian forces have bombarded the area with artillery and mortars in the past 24 hours.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he did not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin would use nuclear weapons. He made the comment while speaking via video link at the New York Times “DealBook” Summit in New York City. This comes at a time when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that it is necessary to avoid any kind of military confrontation between the nuclear powers, even if it is only related to conventional weapons, the Tass news agency reported.

Russia’s defense minister said he would focus on nuclear weapons infrastructure in 2023, including facilities to accommodate new missile systems. This will be a priority for Russia next year, Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting of the board of directors on Wednesday. “When drawing up the list of major construction facilities for 2023, special attention will be paid to construction for strategic nuclear forces,” Shoigu was quoted as saying by the RIA news agency.

The city council in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa has voted to remove and move a monument to Empress Catherine the Great. Russia It has been painted red at least twice. The statue of the city’s founder, which rises above a central square, has been repeatedly vandalized since the invasion Ukraine This has led many Ukrainians to reject their country’s historical ties with Moscow, Reuters reported.