Ukraine Live Blog: ++ 100 million euros of winter aid for Ukraine ++

Foreign Minister Baerbock announced 100 million euros worth of winter aid to Ukraine. Russia said it shot down 16 Ukrainian drones over the border area this evening. All developments on our live blog.

Germany is providing Ukraine with an additional 100 million euros for winter assistance. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced this during her visit to the Republic of Moldova in Chisinau.

“It is clear that autumn is coming and winter is just around the corner,” Baerbock said ahead of the Moldovan Partnership Platform meeting in the former Soviet republic’s capital. Russia is planning another winter war to make life as miserable as possible for the Ukrainian people.

Ukraine has reported another large-scale Russian drone attack. The air force said its air defenses shot down 34 of the 51 Russian drones overnight. They were used in five areas. According to local authorities, the attacks also targeted energy infrastructure in the northeastern region of Sumy. There alone, 16 Russian drones were intercepted. No information on casualties or damage was initially provided.

Russia says it shot down 16 Ukrainian drones in the Bryansk-Kursk border area. The Moscow Defense Ministry announced via the short message service Telegram that 15 drones were intercepted over Bryansk during the night, and one over Kursk.

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is attending an international conference today to support the Moldovan state bordering Ukraine. The conference, held in the capital Chisinau, is the fifth meeting of the so-called Moldovan Partnership Platform, which was launched by Germany, France and Moldova’s neighbor Romania shortly after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine has raised fears of Russian influence in Moldova, while the small southeastern European country has taken in many Ukrainian refugees. According to the Foreign Ministry, the meeting will focus on Moldova’s economic development, energy security and rule of law reform. A German-Moldovan cybersecurity cooperation agreement is expected to be signed to help protect the small country from Russian influence.

The Ukrainian government wants to give the Russian people a realistic picture of the war situation and undermine the propaganda loyal to the Kremlin in the neighboring country. “It is important for us that the perception of the Russian war is worsening,” Russian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening video address. Russian society should learn what negative consequences the policies of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin have had.

At the same time, Zelenskyj spoke about his government’s “victory plan”, which he hopes to present to US President Joe Biden during his visit to the United States in the coming days. The president said that serious military issues should not be ignored. “Of course, we are also preparing for the next operation by Russia on the front,” Zelensky said. The Ukrainian leadership is constantly working to secure enough troops and resources to produce and deliver drones.

With the U.S. presidential election just seven weeks away, Facebook company Meta is working to block the spread of Russian government propaganda through media outlets including the TV channel RT. RT (formerly Russia Today) and several affiliated organizations will be banned from the company’s apps globally, Meta announced. In addition to Facebook, the group also includes Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads.

RT has been blocked in the EU since spring 2022 due to its disinformation campaign surrounding Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Last Friday, the US government accused RT of interfering in “sovereign affairs of nations around the world.” The state-run broadcaster is engaged in covert influence operations and is cooperating with the Russian military, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.