Dead and injured in attacks on Ukraine – night at a glance
Published: Friday, Feb 23rd 2024, 09:00
Back to Live Feed
According to official reports, several people have been killed and injured in new Russian attacks on Ukraine. At least three people were killed in drone attacks on the Black Sea city of Odessa, according to local authorities. Destruction was also reported from the city of Dnipro on Friday morning following a drone attack. The authorities there published images of a damaged high-rise building; eight people were injured. They said they were searching for people trapped under the rubble.
This Saturday marks the second anniversary of the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion on February 24, 2022, congratulated the Russian soldiers on Friday night on Defender of the Fatherland Day, one of Russia's most important national non-working holidays. The country repeatedly attacks Ukraine with drones and missiles.
According to the Ukrainian air defense, a total of 23 out of 31 Russian drone attacks were repelled on Friday night, nine of them in Odessa alone. The leadership in Kiev is repeatedly calling for more support from the West to expand its air defense system in order to better protect the country's cities from attacks by rockets, cruise missiles and drones and thus save more lives.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in Kiev on Friday morning that Ukraine was also waiting for the promised US F-16 fighter jets - for better airspace protection. The training of Ukrainian pilots on the aircraft is continuing.
The authorities had previously reported the death of one person following Russian attacks on the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. In addition, nine people were injured in the village of Kostyantynopilske, including four young people, as the military governor of the Donetsk region announced on Telegram on Thursday. 13 enemy shells were reported to have hit the village.
Borrell calls on EU states to provide more support for Ukraine
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell called on the EU member states to provide more ammunition for Ukraine. "The Ukrainian soldiers are determined to fight, but they need ammunition. Urgently and in large quantities," the High Representative wrote in a letter to the EU foreign and defense ministers, which was made available to the German Press Agency. Delays in the delivery of ammunition cost human lives and weakened Ukraine's ability to defend itself. "I therefore consider it my duty and responsibility to turn to you again to see how we can support Ukraine even more," wrote Borrell.
Ukrainian minister: Reconstruction could take up to ten years
Ukraine's deputy head of government, Oleksandr Kubrakov, believes that it would take up to ten years to rebuild his country if the war were over now. "I think the most urgent damage could be repaired in two or three years. But overall it would take five to ten years," said the minister responsible for reconstruction in an interview with the German Press Agency. However, the prerequisite is that the financial resources are available.
Putin praises Russian army on "Defender of the Fatherland Day"
Meanwhile, Kremlin leader Putin once again justified his war of aggression against Ukraine on the occasion of the military holiday and praised his own soldiers, many of whom have lost their lives since the invasion began two years ago. "You are our true national heroes," Putin said in a video message to the soldiers of the Russian armed forces, which the Kremlin published on Friday night. Defender of the Fatherland Day is traditionally celebrated in Russia on February 23. Referring to the Russian army, which has been bombing Ukrainian cities for almost two years, Putin claimed that it was fighting "for truth and justice" and showing "courage in the defense of Russia".
What will be important on Friday
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will represent Germany at several high-level events in New York on Friday to mark the second anniversary of the Russian attack on Ukraine. Among other things, the Green politician wanted to speak at meetings of the United Nations General Assembly and the UN Security Council. A meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres was also planned.
Shortly before the second anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine, an international conference in Berlin is also looking at how crimes under international law committed during the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine can be prosecuted. His Polish counterpart Adam Bodnar, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin and US government representatives will be among those taking part in the event on Friday (9.00 a.m.), to which Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) has invited.
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic