- 16 Jan 2023 - 19:22(19:22 GMT)
UN condemns Russian missile attack in Dnipro as possible war crime
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the Russian missile attack on an apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro as a possible war crime, his spokesperson said.
“A strike hit a residential building in Dnipro on Saturday evening, in one of the deadliest attacks in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion last February,” Stephanie Tremblay told reporters.
“The secretary-general condemned this attack, saying that this was another example of a suspected violation of the laws of war,” she added.
The UN coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, “called for an effective investigation of suspected war crimes and appropriate prosecution of suspects,” Tremblay said.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 19:05(19:05 GMT)
German foreign minister backs special Ukraine tribunal
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called for a special tribunal to prosecute Russian leaders over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Baerbock called for a “new format” of court to “bring Russian leaders to justice” for their invasion of Ukraine, possibly using Ukrainian law but based abroad with international judges.
“We need to voice a clear message to the Russian leadership here and now that a war of aggression will not go unpunished,” Baerbock said in a speech to the Hague Academy of International Law.
Calls have grown for a way to try to punish Russian leaders for the crime of aggression, as the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) cannot do so under its rules.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 18:43(18:43 GMT)
Dutch, German ministers condemn child abductions in Ukraine
The German and Dutch foreign ministers have condemned the deportation by Russians of thousands of Ukrainian children, calling it a deliberate policy of cruel and inhumane abductions that is tearing families apart.
Since Moscow launched its war in Ukraine nearly a year ago, Russians have been accused of deporting Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-held territories to raise them as their own. At least 1,000 children were seized from schools and orphanages in the Kherson region during Russia’s eight-month occupation of the area, local authorities say. Their whereabouts are still unknown.
“This deliberate Russian policy is tearing families apart and traumatizing children,” Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said at a joint press conference with his German colleague Annalena Baerbock. “It is cruel and it is inhumane. And let me be clear that children abducted by Russia must be returned to their own country as soon as possible.”
- 16 Jan 2023 - 18:18(18:18 GMT)
Slovakia concludes first howitzer delivery to Ukraine
Slovakia has completed the delivery of eight Zuzana 2 howitzers ordered by Ukraine last year, the Defence Ministry in Bratislava announced.
“As of today, we have handed over to Ukraine a complete battery of high-quality artillery systems produced by our own defence industry,” Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said, according to the ministry’s website.
“We are convinced that with their help Ukrainian defenders will be able to save as many lives as possible and bring their homeland closer to unconditional victory over the enemy,” he added.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 18:06(18:06 GMT)
Ukraine says Russian strike pattern suggests it is low on ballistic missiles
Russia is stepping up its use of S-300 and S-400 air defence systems to conduct raids on ground targets, suggesting that Moscow’s stocks of ballistic missiles are running low, Ukraine’s Air Force spokesman said.
The official, Yuriy Ihnat, cited Ukrainian intelligence as claiming that Russia had fewer than 100 modern Iskander ballistic munitions left. He said Russia was, instead, using its S-300 and S-400 systems because of an abundance of munitions.
“The enemy is trying to use their potential, because there are many S-300 missiles already manufactured, [Russia] is a manufacturer of these missiles, and they are already using them in this way,” he told a briefing in Kyiv by video link.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 17:50(17:50 GMT)
Ukrainian troops in US for Patriot training: US military
Ukrainian soldiers have arrived in the United States to learn how to use the Patriot air defence system in hopes of protecting against Russian missile attacks.
The Ukrainian personnel arrived Sunday evening at Fort Sill in the state of Oklahoma for training at the US Army Air Defense Artillery School, Colonel Curtis King of that facility said in a video posted on Twitter.
Commandant Col. Curtis King of the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery school tells @WestfallAustin training will consist of operator and maintainer task. This training is expected to take several months, according to DOD pic.twitter.com/n77uWfWlQB
— Liz Friden (@Liz_Friden) January 16, 2023
Washington promised a Patriot battery – which fires missiles to take out missiles – to Ukraine late last year to help counter relentless aerial attacks by Moscow.
King did not say how many Ukrainian troops are in Oklahoma, but the Pentagon said earlier this month that 90 to 100 would come to the US to learn how to operate and maintain the Patriot system in a course lasting several months.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 17:33(17:33 GMT)
UK sets out further military aid package to Ukraine
Britain’s Defence Minister Ben Wallace has outlined further military support for Ukraine, confirming the supply of 14 Challenger 2 tanks and setting out a number of other details.
“Today, I can announce the most significant package of combat power to date to accelerate Ukrainian success. This includes a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks with armoured recovery and repair vehicles,” Wallace said to Parliament.
The package also included eight AS90 guns and hundreds more armoured and protective vehicles, including Bulldog personnel carriers.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 17:17(17:17 GMT)
Germany calls for special tribunal to prosecute Russians for Ukraine war
Germany has called for a special international tribunal to prosecute Russian leaders for the Ukraine war.
The court should be based abroad but derive its jurisdiction from Ukrainian criminal law, and be able to investigate and try the Russian leadership, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a keynote speech at The Hague Academy of International Law.
Baerbock said she discussed with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba the possibility of setting up such a tribunal along with some partners, public broadcaster ARD reported.
A special institution is “not an ideal solution, not even for me”, said Baerbock. “But the fact that we need this special solution is because our international law currently has a loophole.”
Baerbock stressed the need to convey a “very clear message to the Russian leadership … and everyone else in the world that a war of aggression … will not go unpunished”.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 16:52(16:52 GMT)
Russia intercepts a German aircraft
Russia said it intercepted a German naval plane over the Baltic Sea after it said the plane approached its territory.
The defence ministry said that the German aircraft, a P-3 Orion maritime patrol plane, did not cross Russia’s borders and turned back after the confrontation.
“After the foreign military aircraft turned away from the state border of the Russian Federation, the Russian fighter returned to its home airfield,” the ministry said.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 16:32(16:32 GMT)
Latvian president says attacks on civilians a ‘war crime’
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Latvia’s head of state, President Egils Levis, tells Al Jazeera’s James Bay that Russian attacks on civilians are a “war crime”.
“They are trying to target civilians in order to terrorise Ukrainian civilian people,” he said in an interview. “It’s a war crime, and the International Criminal Court is already dealing with Russian war crimes that are being investigated. But this is a tactic. [Because] they cannot win on the battlefield, they are now terrorising civilians.”
Levis said Latvia is calling for a special tribunal to be set up to deal with Russia’s “crime of aggression” in its invasion of Ukraine.
He added that weapons support for Ukraine is necessary because Russia is preparing a fresh offensive in February and March.
“There is a lot of potential for Western NATO countries to increase their support for Ukraine because it’s in the interest of the whole world,” Levis said.
“Only when Ukraine will have liberated the whole territory, then there would be peace, and we are all interested in peace, a lasting peace,” the president said.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 15:58(15:58 GMT)
Turkey renews calls to mediate an end to the conflict
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has renewed his offer to help mediate an end to the conflict in Ukraine during a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
“During the call, President Erdogan reiterated that Turkey is ready to undertake the task of facilitating and mediating for the establishment of a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine,” Erdogan’s office said in a statement.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 15:33(15:33 GMT)
Civilian death toll surpasses 7,000, UN says
More than 7,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded in February, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says.
“Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects, including shelling from heavy artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, missiles and air strikes,” a statement from the agency said.
The UN rights office said it had confirmed 7,031 civilian deaths but the actual toll could be “considerably higher” because casualty reports need to be corroborated and the areas where fighting is the most intense are inaccessible.
Most of the recorded civilian deaths – 6,536 – happened in government-held areas of Ukraine compared with 495 recorded in Russian-held areas.
The UN right office did not attribute responsibility for the deaths.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 15:08(15:08 GMT)
Kremlin denies responsibility for Dnipro attack
The Kremlin denies responsibility for a missile strike on an apartment block in the city of Dnipro that killed at least 35 people.
“The Russian armed forces do not strike residential buildings or social infrastructure. They strike military targets,” Peskov told reporters before the Kremlin spokesman referred to the “conclusion of some representatives of the Ukrainian side” that the strike could have been caused by air defence systems.
Kyiv says the apartment building was hit on Saturday by a Russian ship-to-ship missile that Ukraine does not have the capabilities to shoot down.
The strike on Dnipro has been the deadliest against civilians from Moscow’s recent barrage of attacks.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 14:48(14:48 GMT)
Putin, Erdogan discuss Ukraine in latest phone call
The Kremlin says Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had a phone call in which they discussed Ukraine.
It said the question of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine was raised after talks between human rights commissioners from both countries in Turkey last week.
“Vladimir Putin drew attention to the destructive line of the Kyiv regime, which relies on the intensification of hostilities with the support of Western sponsors increasing the volume of transferred weapons and military equipment,” the Kremlin said in its readout of the call.
It said the two presidents also discussed grain exports, ways to unblock Russian fertiliser shipments and energy issues.
“Among the priorities is cooperation in the energy sector, including the supply of Russian natural gas and the creation of a regional gas hub in Turkey,” the Kremlin said.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 14:27(14:27 GMT)
British foreign minister says he has been sanctioned by Russia
British Foreign Minister James Cleverly says the Russian government has placed sanctions on him.
“I’ve been sanctioned by the Russian government. Good. If this is the price for supporting Ukrainian freedom, then I’m happy to be sanctioned #SlavaUkraini [Glory to Ukraine],” Cleverly wrote on Twitter.
I've been sanctioned by the
Russian government.Good.
If this is the price for supporting Ukrainian freedom, then I’m happy to be sanctioned #SlavaUkraini
— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) January 16, 2023
- 16 Jan 2023 - 14:09(14:09 GMT)
Sweden condemns Russia’s attack on Dnipro
Sweden has condemned Russia’s attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure and civilian targets, including a missile strike on an apartment block in Dnipro, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson says at a news conference with European Council President Charles Michel.
“The Swedish government condemns in the strongest terms Russia’s continuing, systemic attacks against civilians, civilian objects and critical infrastructure, including Saturday’s attack on an apartment block in the town of Dnipro,” Kristersson said.
“Those responsible for war crimes will be held to account,” he said.
Sweden currently holds the rotating EU presidency.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 13:51(13:51 GMT)
Belarus, Russia drills focus on compatibility: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Moscow, says the military drills between Belarus and Russia are being referred to as “technical drills” focused on the compatibility of their two air forces.
“We all know that last month President Vladimir Putin went to Minsk, where he met his counterpart [Alexander] Lukashenko, where they agreed that Russia will provide the Belarusian air force with training to be able to use what they described as aircraft that could carry unconventional weapons,” Hashem said.
He added that the drills are to focus on patrolling during operations and have been “described as defensive drills, not offensive ones”.
However, as Russia begins its latest phase in the war with its offensive to capture the eastern town of Soledar and changes in its military leadership, “there are many concerns with the role Belarus is playing with respect to the war, whether this is going to have [an] impact,” Hashem said.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 13:23(13:23 GMT)
Minister: Germany will be able to fill up gas storage tanks over coming year
Germany can reasonably hope to fill up its gas storage tanks at favourable prices for next winter, Economy Minister Robert Habeck says, but he cautions that the energy crisis is not over yet.
“For the year 2023, and the winter of 2023-24, I think we have a more than justified hope that we will have full storage facilities at the beginning of winter as well and that we will then have energy security and stability … also at favourable prices,” he said at an energy summit organised by Handelsblatt newspaper.
Habeck added that Germany has built liquefied gas terminals as short-term gas import facilities that can handle 14 billion cubic metres (495 billion cubic feet) per year.
But 30 billion cubic metres (1.06 trillion cubic feet) are still needed to make up for Russian gas imports disrupted by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 13:10(13:10 GMT)
Who controls what?
Here are four maps we update daily, charting the latest war developments:
- 16 Jan 2023 - 12:43(12:43 GMT)
Donetsk football club to provide $25m for soldiers
Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk will allocate $25 million to help soldiers and their families, club President Rinat Akhmetov says a day after receiving a record transfer fee for the player Mykhailo Mudryk from Premier League club Chelsea.
After the transfer of Mudryk to Chelsea on Sunday, Shakhtar said the club “will receive 70 million euros [$76m] for the player, and another 30 million euros [$32.5m] is envisaged as a bonus payment”.
“I am allocating $25m today to help our soldiers, defenders and their families,” Akhmetov said in a statement on the club’s website.
He added that the money would go to help Ukrainian soldiers who defended the port of Mariupol while it was besieged by Russian forces and the families of soldiers who have been killed.
Chelsea was formerly owned by the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. He put the club up for sale after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
Akhmetov said Shakhtar would play a friendly against Chelsea at their Donbas Arena.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 12:18(12:18 GMT)
India looks to trade in rupees with Russia
India is hopeful that trade in rupees with Russia will pick up after the two countries spoke about facilitating transactions in local currencies, an Indian trade ministry official said.
India has been exploring a rupee trade settlement mechanism with Russia soon after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February, but the countries have not formalised the rules yet.
India is looking to step up its exports of electronics to Russia, Satya Srinivas, a secretary at the trade ministry, told reporters in New Delhi.
The two countries are engaging “at all levels” to resolve issues related to trade barriers and a payments mechanism, he said.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 11:56(11:56 GMT)
Poland calls on Germany to send Ukraine all the weapons it needs
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Germany should send Ukraine all the weapons it needs, including tanks, to defend itself against Russia.
Delivering the keynote speech at a ceremony marking former German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaueble’s half-century in parliament, Morawiecki criticised German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s reluctance to send heavier weaponry.
“I call for decisive actions by the German government,” he said to applause from the mostly conservative German legislators at the ceremony.
“The battle for freedom and our future is raging as we speak. … Tanks must not be left in storehouses but placed in their hands,” the prime minister said.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 11:29(11:29 GMT)
European Commission to launch joint gas purchase scheme
The European Commission aims to launch its scheme for EU-wide joint gas purchases “well before summer”, Commissioner Maros Sefcovic says.
Following the first meeting by EU representatives to coordinate the planned purchases, Sefcovic said he had urged member states to swiftly engage with key market players in their countries to estimate the volumes of gas needed to fill storage tanks before the next winter.
Sefcovic said the commission aims to publish the aggregate demand to attract buyers in the next several months.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 11:15(11:15 GMT)
Ukraine expected to receive $3.25bn from EU this week
Ukraine expects to receive the first 3-billion-euro ($3.25bn) instalment of an 18-billion-euro ($19.5bn) support package from the European Union this week, its prime minister says.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal wrote on Twitter: “Ukraine and the EU have just signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the provision of 18 billion euros in macro-financial assistance.
“We expect to receive a tranche of 3 billion euros this week. Many thanks to Ursula von der Leyen and Valdis Dombrovskis. This will help maintain macroeconomic stability going forward.”
Ukraine and the EU have just signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide €18bn in macro-financial assistance. We expect to receive a tranche of €3bn this week. Many thanks to @vonderleyen & @VDombrovskis. This will help maintain macroeconomic stability going forward.
— Denys Shmyhal (@Denys_Shmyhal) January 16, 2023
The EU reached an agreement to provide the financing to Ukraine at a summit last month as Kyiv faces a shortfall in government revenues and high expenditures as it battles the Russian invasion.
- 16 Jan 2023 - 10:54(10:54 GMT)
Kremlin denies rift between Wagner Group and defence ministry
The Kremlin denies any conflict between the Ministry of Defence and the Wagner mercenary group, calling such reports an invention of the media.
The tension between Wagner and the defence establishment was exposed on Friday when the ministry claimed to have captured the town of Soledar but did not mention Wagner’s role in the fighting.
The head of the mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, complained of attempts to minimise his forces’ role and belittle their achievements.
The ministry later issued an update praising the “courageous and selfless actions” of Wagner fighters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia recognised both state and Wagner fighters as heroes and “both of them will be forever in our memory.”
“Everyone is fighting for their country, so this is how it should be viewed,” he said.
Russia-Ukraine updates: Germany backs Ukraine special tribunal
All the updates from January 16, as they happened.
This blog is now closed, thanks for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Monday, January 16.
- German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called for a special tribunal to prosecute Russian leaders as Moscow faces war crimes accusations over an attack in Ukraine’s Dnipro.
- Sweden, which currently holds the European Union presidency, condemns Saturday’s attack on Dnipro that left more than 30 dead, saying those responsible for “war crimes” must be held to account.
- An apartment building was hit in the attack that Ukraine blames on Russia, but the Kremlin suggests Kyiv’s air defences knocked a Russian missile off course.
- Russia warns British tanks will burn “just like the rest” in Ukraine after the United Kingdom announced it would send Kyiv 14 battle tanks.
- Russia and Belarus are holding air force drills on Monday, stirring fears in Kyiv and the West that Moscow could use its ally to launch a new ground offensive in Ukraine.
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies