Ukraine war dwell updates: Russia and Ukraine carry out greatest prisoner exchange Kyiv claims there is no &#x27program B&#x27 to win the war

The head of the U.N. nuclear electric power watchdog claimed on Wednesday his inspectors experienced been denied entry to sections of Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear electrical power station and had but to obtain 2024 maintenance designs for the facility.

The Zaporizhzhia plant was seized by Russia in the days pursuing Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Each and every facet has accused the other of shelling all over the station, Europe’s major, while its 6 reactors now develop no electric power.

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Strength Agency, explained inspectors at the plant experienced for two months experienced no accessibility to the major halls of reactors one, two and six.

“This is the to start with time that IAEA experts have not been granted entry to a reactor hall of a unit that was in chilly shutdown,” Grossi reported in a assertion on the IAEA web page.

“This is where by the reactor main and expended fuel are situated. The team will carry on to request this entry.”

Inspectors experienced also been limited in their entry to turbine halls at the plant in southeastern Ukraine, he reported.

Grossi claimed the plant’s operators had taken action to assure again-up electrical power provides to the facility for circumstances when its most important external electrical power line is misplaced, which he explained as a “repeated” event.

— Reuters

Ukraine’s Overseas Minister Dmytro Kuleba said there is no “strategy B” for Ukraine, indicating Kyiv is self-assured it can earn the war against Russia with the resources available to it.

“We never have a prepare B. We are confident in prepare A,” Kuleba instructed CNN’s Christiane Amanpour Wednesday when questioned regardless of whether Kyiv was well prepared for a prospective minimize or shortfall in Western armed service help given increasing political wrangling more than continuing help deals, specifically in the U.S.

“Ukraine will often battle with the means available to it ..and what is specified to Ukraine is not charity, it is an expenditure in the protection of NATO and the protection of the prosperity of the American persons,” Kuleba claimed.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia and Ukraine stated on Wednesday that prisoners of war experienced been exchanged involving the countries.

More than 200 “warriors and civilians” experienced been returned, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported in a article on X, formerly Twitter.

That includes “soldiers, sergeants, and officers. Armed Forces, Countrywide Guard, Navy, and Border Guards. Some of the defenders fought in Mariupol and Azovstal,” he stated.

Russia’s Protection Ministry mentioned in a put up on Telegram, in accordance to a Google translation, that 248 Russian military services personnel experienced been introduced following “a intricate negotiation process.”

The trade was aided by the United Arab Emirates who furnished “humanitarian mediation,” the ministry extra.

— Sophie Kiderlin

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense mentioned it was “grateful” to Norway for supplying F-16 fighter jets to aid prepare Ukrainian pilots.

“Norway is presenting two F-16 fighter jets that will educate and teach Ukrainian staff in Denmark,” the ministry wrote in a put up on X, previously Twitter.

“We are grateful to our Norwegian close friends for their unwavering help!”

Norway’s Defense Minister verified before on Wednesday that the fighter jets would be donated for teaching applications.

Polish farmers will resume their blockade at the Medyka border crossing with Ukraine from Thursday as they say they have not received a signed assurance from the key minister that their demands will be fulfilled, state-operate information agency PAP reported.

The Polish farmers suspended their protest, which aims to protected authorities subsidies for corn and stop tax hikes, on Dec. 24.

Polish truck drivers, however, have continued to block numerous crossings with Ukraine since Nov. 6, to press their demand that the European Union reinstate a process that calls for Ukrainian companies to get permits to function in the bloc. The very same would apply to European truckers looking for to enter Ukraine.

“We have not acquired penned confirmation that our needs will be fulfilled, so we are continuing the protest,” farmers leader Roman Kondrow advised PAP.

Though Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski experienced furnished a notice telling the farmers their requires would be satisfied, Key Minister Donald Tusk has not supplied a signed declaration, Kondrow claimed.

He additional they would only allow for one particular truck for each hour go through the crossing. Tusk claimed in December that he believed Poland was shut to being able to close the truckers’ protest.

— Reuters

The latest missile assaults on Ukraine show that Russia is focusing on Ukraine’s protection business somewhat than vitality infrastructure, as witnessed previous yr.

“Since 29 December 2023, Russia has improved the depth of its long-array strike operations in opposition to Ukraine,” the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence claimed Wednesday.

It mentioned that Russian forces had committed a “sizeable proportion” of the stock of air-released cruise missiles and ballistic missiles that they had created up in the latest months to strikes on targets across Ukraine in the very last week.

“The recent strikes likely mainly specific Ukraine’s protection sector. This contrasts with its big attacks last winter which prioritised striking Ukraine’s electrical power infrastructure,” the ministry mentioned in an intelligence update on X, formerly recognised as Twitter, Wednesday.

“These new operations counsel at least a short term transform in technique in Russia’s use of very long-range strikes. Russian planners almost unquestionably realise the value of relative defence industrial capacity as they get ready for a extended war.”

— Holly Ellyatt