The Russian invasion. The outside world's response

 

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response 

 

"The West must be prepared for long-term support for Ukraine" 

 

 Russia shows no signs of backing down - therefore the Western countries must prepare for long-term support for Ukraine, says NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg to the BBC. 

 

Ukraine has had the upper hand in the fighting in recent months - but at the same time Russia has mobilized a large number of soldiers, many of whom are now being trained, he says. 

 

- All this indicates that they are prepared to continue fighting and possibly even launch a new offensive.  

On New Year's Eve, Vladimir Putin gave an embattled address to the nation, standing before a group of soldiers, in which he argued that Russia's future depends on the outcome of the war in Ukraine. 

 

Falling place in Kyiv. Efrem Lukatsky / AP  

 

The Russian InvasionThe Battles  

At least four dead and dozens injured in the New Year attack  

 

At least four people were killed and dozens injured in the Russian wave of attacks against Ukraine on New Year's Eve, writes AFP.  

 

The capital Kyiv and several other cities were attacked with robots and drones - on at least one of them the Russians had written "Happy New Year".  

 

According to President Zelenskyi's adviser Mychajlo Podoljak, the Russians targeted urban centers in major cities. 

 

"Russia no longer has any military targets and is trying to kill as many civilians as possible," he tweeted.  

Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery fire.  Illustration image. Libkos / AP  

 

The Russian InvasionThe Battles  

Think tank: Russia's ammunition is about to run out 

 

Russia is expected to run out of its stockpile of artillery ammunition - something that will affect the army's ability to maintain the current intensity along the front in Ukraine. That assessment is made by the American think tank ISW. 

 

Ukraine's head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, claims according to TT that Russian forces previously used around 60,000 artillery shells per day, but that this has now decreased to around 20,000 shells. 

 

According to Budanov, the Russians have also emptied their artillery stocks in Belarus for use in Ukraine. 

 

On Twitter, the think tank writes that Putin's combative New Year's speech shows that he wants to defend the decision to invade Ukraine at all costs despite the high cost