Moscow: Kosovo, Aided by Western Countries, Aims for Escalation in Region

©Sputnik / Grigoriy Sisoev / Go to the mediabank

The authorities of the partially-recognized Republic of Kosovo are pursuing escalation, thus Western countries, with influence on Pristina, should force it to renounce belligerent plans, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Sunday that the republic intends to increase the presence of NATO military personnel in its territory for the sake of strengthening peace and security in Western Balkans. Kurti also noted that Kosovo was currently increasing defense spending and the number of its soldiers and reservists.

"We are following with great concern the evolution of the situation in and around Kosovo. We see that the Kosovar authorities are taking a course for escalation, while it is obvious to us that they are relying on overt and covert support from their curators, primarily from the European Union and Washington," Grushko said.

The official emphasized that all those who influence Kosovo’s course of action should "pressure it to find a political solution."

"First of all, force Pristina to abandon its belligerent plans, which are fraught with destabilization of the Balkans, and comply with all previous obligations, including from the [2013] Brussels Agreement that provides for the establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities as a central element in solution of the Kosovo problem," Grushko specified.

The situation in Kosovo and Metohija remains tense. On December 10, Serbs in the north of Kosovo began setting up barricades in protest against the arrest of several Serb police officers by the Kosovar authorities over alleged war crimes and terrorism dating back to the 1998-1999 conflict between the Serbian military and the the Albanian-led Kosovo Liberation Army.

In 2008, the Kosovo-Albanian structures in Pristina unilaterally proclaimed independence from Belgrade. Since then, Kosovo has been recognized by 98 out of 193 UN member states. Serbia does not recognize the breakaway region as an independent state.

In 2013, Serbia and Kosovo signed an EU-mediated agreement to normalize relations, but the dialogue soon came to a standstill.

Kosovo Wants to Increase NATO Presence in Order to 'Strengthen Security'

Kosovo intends to increase the presence of NATO military personnel in the republic for the sake of strengthening peace and security in Western Balkans, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Sunday.

"A significant increase in the number of NATO soldiers and military equipment… will enhance security and peace in Kosovo and throughout the Western Balkans region," Kurti told German media.

The partially-recognized Republic of Kosovo is currently increasing defense spending and the number of its soldiers and reservists, the prime minister noted.

"An increase in the number of soldiers in the NATO peacekeeping force KFOR (Kosovo Force) will support our defense efforts," Kurti said.

The NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo currently has about 3,800 KFOR soldiers deployed in the republic, including about 70 troops from Germany, the report said, adding that up to 400 German military personnel could be sent to Kosovo by decision of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament.

The situation in Kosovo and Metohija remains tense. On December 10, Serbs in the north of Kosovo began setting up barricades in protest against the arrest of several Serb police officers by the Kosovar authorities over alleged war crimes and terrorism dating back to the 1998-1999 conflict.

The Kosovo war broke out on 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999 due to the armed conflict between the Serbian military and the Albanian-led Kosovo Liberation Army, a separatist group aspiring to gain the status of a constituent republic in what was then Yugoslavia. Amid the hostilities, the region was subjected to unauthorized NATO airstrikes in March-June 1999. The illegitimate intervention resulted in the deaths of over 2,500 people, including 87 children, and caused over $100 billion in damage.

In February 2008, Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia and nearly 100 UN member states have since recognized its independence. Several countries, including Russia, Serbia, China, Greece, have not.

Loud Explosion Heard and Felt Across DC Sunday Night Blamed on Large Firework at Ice Skating Rink

A loud explosion in the Navy Yard neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Sunday night that rattled windows, set off car alarms and was heard and felt nearly two miles away was reportedly blamed by responding firemen on a large illegal firework device.

Photos taken at the scene show a modest sized crater at the Canal Park ice skating rink with a nearby glass barrier blown out. No injuries were reported, but nerves were shaken throughout much of the area.

The first eyewitness report was of car alarms going off and people running away after an explosion was heard, “Explosion in navy yard?…Car alarms going off. Saw a few people running away from canal park towards New Jersey Ave”

Video taken moments after the explosion shows smoke rising and car alarms sounding.

Photos from the scene show damage seemingly incongruous with the loudness of the explosion.

A big firecracker according to firemen:

D.C. Fire and EMS reported, “Box Alarm 3rd & L St SE for explosion heard and possible structure fire. Units on scene at skating rink where there is a haze and broken glass. No sign of fire. Investigating further.”

The explosion was loud enough to be heard and felt across DC.

“Explosion in Navy Yard area. Unclear cause. My house is almost 2 miles from there and I heard this loud and clear — even felt some shockwave. Must have been terrifying at the scene.”

“That loud explosion heard and felt for many blocks in and beyond the Navy Yard neighborhood was something that left a hole in the ice and broken glass at the Canal Park ice rink. Police just taped off the area.”

Good question. “At what point does a firecracker become a bomb?”

Maybe the FBI was doing some field training for the next J6 pipe bomb event?

Ini Maung : Luis Milla Akan Kumpulkan Pemain Jelang Duel Persib vs Persija

©Indosport

Arsitek Maung Bandung Luis Milla berharap laga tunda Persib Bandung lawan Persija Jakarta, yang akan digelar pada tanggal 11 Januari 2023, Maung Bandung bisa melanjutkan tren kemenangannya.

Pelatih asal Spanyol tersebut mengatakan, ia akan terus berusaha memperbaiki posisi klasemen Persib Bandung di Liga 1 2022/2023.

"Tentu saya juga berharap Persib Bandung bisa terus meraih hasil positif dalam setiap pertandingannya di putaran kedua nanti," kata Luis Milla, pada hari Minggu, 01/01/2023.

Luis Milla pun segera ambil ancang - ancang dengan mengumpulkan kembali para pemain untuk latihan jelang bergulirnya putaran kedua Liga 1 2022-2023.

Milla akan mengumpulkan pemainnya pada hari Kamis, 05/01/2023) di Stadion Siliwangi Bandung.

“Rencananya kami akan memulai latihan tanggal lima (05 Januari) di Siliwangi pada sore hari. Rencananya kami akan berlatih pukul 14.30 di tanggal 5,” terang Luis Milla pada hari Senin, 02/01/2023.

Berdasarkan jadwal Liga 1 2022-2023 pada putaran kedua yang sudah dirilis, Persib akan menjalani lima pertandingan.

Menurut Luis Milla, rancangan tersebut sedikit lebih baik daripada jadwal pertandingan di Bulan Desember saat kompetisi dijalankan dengan sistem bubble di Jawa Tengah.

“Jadwalnya menurut saya bagus. Pemain kami sebelumnya bermain 3-4 hari sekali dan saat ini lebih bagus karena antara 4-5 hari,” nilai Luis Milla.

Milla akan merancang program latihan dengan mengacu kepada jadwal yang tersedia. Ia ingin melanjutkan tren positif di sembilan pertandingan terakhir tanpa kekalahan.

Lima laga Persib di Putaran kedua, selain menghadapi Persija dan Bhayangkara FC, secara beruntun Maung Bandung bakal menghadapi Madura United pada hari Jumat, 20/01/2023, Borneo FC Samarinda pada hari Kamis, 26/01/2023, dan PSIS Semarang pada hari Selasa, 31/01/2023.

“Kami tetap siap untuk menghadapi ini dan menurut saya bagus. Rencananya kami tetap optimistis bisa meraih kemenanga. Tim saat ini punya sikap bagus, sudah semakin paham terhadap konsep yang diterapkan,” ungkap Milla.

Maung Bandung juga kerap kesulitan mencetak gol kala David da Silva absen.

“Rencananya kami juga tetap melakukan pembenahan dan tim bisa terus berkembang, itu keinginan saya. Tim ini harus lebih kompetitif dan harus lebih baik,” tuntas Milla.

Sementara itu 'wonderkid' Maung Bandung Kakang Rudianto gunakan waktu liburannya untuk berlatih.

Bek muda tersebut menjelaskan, dirinya ingin meningkatkan performanya menjelang pertandingan Persib Bandung di putaran kedua Liga 1 2022/2023.

Kakang Rudianto bergabung dengan latihan Persib Bandung di Stadion Persib

"Jadi, saya harus lebih baik dan lebih kuat lagi dari sebelumnya. Saya tidak boleh berpuas diri dengan pencapaian saat ini," ujar Kakang Rudianto, hari Selasa, 02/01/2023.

Diketahui, pertandingan Persib Bandung vs Persija Jakarta akan digelar pada tanggal 11 Januari 2023.

Stadion Gelora Bandung Lautan Api (Stadion GBLA) atau Stadion Si Jalak Harupat, direncanakan akan menjadi tempat laga tunda tersebut pada pukul 16.30 WIB.

Sebelumnya, Maung Bandung saat ini berada di peringatan ke-5 dengan mengoleksi 30 poin dari 16 pertandingan.

Luis Milla vs Thomas Doll, Siapa Unggul?

Laga classico, Persib Bandung versus Persija Jakarta selalu menjadi sorotan dan ditunggu insan sepak bola Indonesia. Situasi itu terjadi karena kedua tim sudah dibelah rivalitas panjang di persepakbolaan Indonesia.

Pertandingan nanti diyakini bakal berlangsung ketat mengingat Persib dan Persija sedang dalam kepercayaan diri tinggi. Persija berada di urutan keempat, sedangkan Persib ada di posisi kedelapan.

Persija Jakarta belum terkalahkan lagi dalam sembilan laga terakhir dengan rincian enam kemenangan dan tiga kali imbang. Adapun Persib juga sedang pede-pedenya karena meraih tiga kemenangan beruntun di BRI Liga 1.

Selain bakal ditentukan kinerja pemain di lapangan, laga nanti juga akan menjadi panggung adu strategi antara dua pelatih top yakni Luis Milla di Persib Bandung dan Thomas Doll di Persija Jakarta. Laga nanti menandai sejarah baru pertemuan bagi kedua pelatih hebat tersebut.

Laga melawan Persija Jakarta bakal menghadirkan tantangan berat buat pelatih Luis Milla. Persija menjadi tim kuat kedua yang dihadapi Luis Milla bersama Persib Bandung setelah Arema FC.

Kepercayaan diri Luis Milla tentu berlipat karena menyapu bersih tiga laga di BRI Liga 1 dengan kemenangan. Pelatih asal Spanyol itu tentu bertekad memperpanjang tren positifnya di Persib musim ini.

Melawan Persija, Luis Milla punya keunggulan pengalaman. Sejumlah pemain Persija merupakan mantan anak asuhnya ketika menukangi skuad U-23 dan Timnas Indonesia senior.

Sebut saja Andritany Ardhiyasa, Rezaldi Hehanusa, Osvaldi Haay, Hanif Sjahbandi, dan Hansamu Yama. Mayoritas dari nama-nama tersebut merupakan andalan Luis Milla saat itu.

Sehingga Luis Milla tentu sudah paham betul akan kemampuan dan kelemahan dari pemain penting Persija di atas. Namun, tetap saja laga nanti akan menghadirkan atmosfer yang berbeda karena tak sekadar perebutan tiga poin, melainkan pertaruhan gengsi.

Sementara itu, pelatih Thomas Doll minim informasi mengenai gaya permainan Persib Bandung di bawah asuhan Luis Milla. Laga nanti menjadi debut Thomas Doll bersama Persija Jakarta dalam melawan Persib Bandung dan juga Luis Milla.

Meski demikian, Thomas Doll boleh berbangga karena sudah terbiasa melakoni laga-laga derbi dalam kariernya sebagai pemain dan pelatih. Thomas Doll tentu sadar, laga nanti bakal banyak hal yang dipertaruhkan.

Pelatih asal Jerman itu bakal dengan cermat mempersiapkan timnya. Misinya sederhana, yakni Persija minimal mampu membawa pulang poin dari markas Persija.

Sesuatu yang memang tidak akan mudah. Pemain Persija bakal mendapatkan tekanan besar sepanjang pertandingan dari suporter Persib.

Thomas Doll diyakini masih akan memainkan skema 3-5-2 untuk meredam agresivitas Persib. Duet Abdulla Yusuf Helal dan Michael Kremncik bakal jadi andalan di lini depan dan disokong pergerakan Hanno Behrens dari lini kedua.

Explosions Heard in Kiev, Ukraine-Controlled Zaporozhye

Multiple blasts were heard in the Ukraine-controlled Zaporozhye overnight, as well as in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, according to local authorities.

Explosions Heard in Kiev, Ukraine-Controlled Zaporozhye - Authorities Multiple blasts were heard in the Ukraine-controlled Zaporozhye overnight, as well as in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, according to local authorities.

"Explosions are heard in the regional center temporarily occupied by the regime of (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky. My countrymen report at least three explosions heard by the Zaporozhye residents," Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the Zaporozhye regional administration, said on Telegram.

According to Rogov, air defense was activated in Zaporozhye overnight.

The "Hyacinth-B" gun battery of the Southern Military District destroyed a group of Ukrainian armored vehicles in the direction of Zaporozhye, reports RIA Novosti correspondent.

In another post on Telegram, Rogov said that "two powerful blasts" were heard in the city of Melitopol in Zaporozhye Region at around 01:21 local time on Monday (22: 21 GMT on Sunday).

Meanwhile, Ukrainian media reported shortly after midnight that explosions were heard in Kiev and Dnepropetrovsk.

Ukrainian drone damages power installation in Bryansk Region – Governor

A Ukrainian drone attacked a power installation in the Klimovsky District, Governor of the Bryansk Region Alexander Bogomaz wrote in his Telegram account.

"A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle attacked the Klimovsky District this morning," the Governor wrote. "Nobody was injured... A power installation was damaged as a result of the delivered strike; there is no electricity in a settlement," the official said.

Rescue services are working at the incident scene.

DPR comes under Ukrainian fire twice last night

The Ukrainian Armed Forces shelled the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) twice last night, the DPR mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination said.

According to the mission, the Ukrainian military fired five NATO-standard 155 mm munitions at the Kirovsky District of Donetsk and another six 155 mm munitions at Gorlovka.

Gorlovka Mayor Ivan Prikhodko said earlier that one of the city’s residential areas had come under fire. He added that a shelling attack had left 1,455 households in a nearby settlement without power.

Meanwhile, the Lugansk People’s Republic’s (LPR) mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination reported that the Ukrainian army had fired HIMARS rockets at Chmyrovka, Rubezhnoye and Svatovo.

The wife of a DPR militiaman, convicted by a Ukrainian court, recalled how her case was fabricated in order to force her husband to come to Ukraine

Russian army hits Ukraine’s combat drone production sites on Dec 31

©Russian Defense Ministry

The Russian Armed Forces carried out a high-precision strike on Ukrainian defense industry sites involved in the production of combat drones on December 31, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.

"On December 31, 2022, the Russian Armed Forces employed long-range high-precision air-launched weapons to target Ukrainian defense industry facilities involved in the production of combat unmanned aerial vehicles that are used to carry out terrorist attacks on Russia," he noted.

Russian troops on the front line on December 31, 2022

"The move thwarted the Kiev regime’s plans to conduct terrorist attacks against Russia in the near future," Konashenkov stressed

Russian troops eliminate six sabotage groups in Zaporozhye Region, DPR

The Russian Armed Forces eliminated six sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the Zaporozhye Region and the Donetsk People’s Republic, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.

"Six Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups active near the Novoandreyevka and Dorozhnyanka settlements in the Zaporozhye Region and the Nikolskoye, Neskuchnoye and Novomikhailovka settlements in the Donetsk People’s Republic were destroyed," he specified.

Russian army destroys 15 Ukrainian drones - Defense Ministry

Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were destroyed by Russian air defense systems during one day, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.

"During one day, 15 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by air defense systems in the areas of Maksimovka, Nikolayevka, Nikolskoye, Metallist, Zelyony Gai and Slavnoye, in the Donetsk People's Republic, Ploshchanka, in the Lugansk People's Republic, Tsapovka in the Belgorod Region, Ocherevatoye, in the Zaporozhye Region, Ochakov in the Nikolaev Region, Liman Vtoroy, in the Kharkov region, and Dzhankoy, in the Republic of Crimea," Konashenkov said.

Prigozhin told RIA Novosti that a large number of Ukrainian soldiers were captured by the Wagner group

In all, since the beginning of the special military operation the Ukrainian military has lost 355 aircraft, 199 helicopters, 2,779 unmanned aerial vehicles, 399 anti-aircraft missile systems, 7,350 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 957 combat vehicles of multiple launch rocket systems, 3,756 field artillery pieces and mortars have been destroyed, as well as 7,859 special military vehicles.

Russian troops eliminate six sabotage groups in Zaporozhye Region, DPR

The Russian Armed Forces eliminated six sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the Zaporozhye Region and the Donetsk People’s Republic, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.

"Six Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups active near the Novoandreyevka and Dorozhnyanka settlements in the Zaporozhye Region and the Nikolskoye, Neskuchnoye and Novomikhailovka settlements in the Donetsk People’s Republic were destroyed," he specified

Ukrainian Missile Attacks Killed Almost 170 People in LPR in 2022

About 170 civilians, including 21 children, were killed in the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) last year due to shelling by Ukrainian troops, the representative office of the LPR in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of issues related to Ukraine's war crimes (JCCC) said on Sunday.

"Aggression of the armed formations of Ukraine during the above period [2022] claimed the lives of 624 civilians, including 50 children. As a result of shelling, 169 people died and 455 were injured, of which 21 children died and 29 were injured," the agency said on Telegram.

Ukraine shelled the territory of the republic 1,353 times with the use of heavy weapons, the statement noted, adding that more than 11,000 pieces of ammunition was fired, including 609 HIMARS rockets and over 200 shells with a caliber of 155 millimeters.

According to the statement, more than 3,600 houses in 84 settlements and 413 civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged due to strikes.

Merkel and Hollande’s Confessions Represent ‘Formalization of Betrayal’ by West Says Russian Senator

©Sputnik / Go to the mediabank

An influential member of Russia’s Federation Council wrote that the former EU leaders admitting they never intended to honor the Minsk agreements means they have the blood of the thousands of victims of the Donbass civil war on their hands.

A top Russian legislator said the recent admissions by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande that they had no intention of honoring their commitments under the Minsk agreements represent a “formalization of betrayal... by the West” of the people of the Donbass.

On Wednesday, Hollande acknowledged that the international agreements for which France served as a guarantor were little more than a ploy to buy time for the Ukrainian regime to increase its military capabilities with NATO weapons and training.

“Since 2014, Ukraine has strengthened its military posture… It is the merit of the Minsk Agreements to have given the Ukrainian Army this opportunity,” the former French president told a Ukrainian outlet.

His comments echoed a similar confession by Merkel, who admitted in early December that Minsk was merely “an attempt to buy time for Ukraine,” and that “Ukraine used this time to become stronger.”

Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Speaker of the Russian Federation Council and long-time Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Duma, issued a harsh condemnation of Western duplicity on Telegram.

In what appears to be the first public denunciation of both Hollande and Merkel’s comments by a senior Russian official, the influential legislator wrote Friday that “the confessions of Merkel and Hollande are a formalization of betrayal.”

Косачев Константин Said

Not festive, sadly.

Now Hollande's acknowledgment, following Poroshenko and Merkel, that the Minsk agreement was necessary only as a time gain for Kyiv's accumulation of military power, speaks for at least two things.

First, for the West, the integrity of Ukraine (as opposed to, say, the integrity of Great Britain with Scotland and Spain with its Catalonia) is precisely control over territory, and not public approval. This is land, not people. This is violence, not negotiation. It is an occupation of a part of one's own country against the wishes of part of its citizens. And all this is in direct contrast to the so-called European values, blown up from within by Ukrainian-style geopolitics.

And the second. Our country turned out to be the only co-author of the Minsk agreements (although Moscow did not sign them), consistently and honestly trying to act as their guarantor. It is Russia, unlike Ukraine, Germany and France, that is on the side of the people in this matter, setting aside the territorial question - as long as (at least in theory) it is still possible to implement the Minsk agreements as they are. written there.

And then it became clear that it was impossible. The secret becomes clear. The sabotage of the Minsk accords by the frenzied Kyiv and irresponsible Brussels collectives fueled the development of events according to the only remaining scenario. As Russia, though almost alone, though in other ways, actually continues to protect the peoples of the region who were thoughtlessly rejected from Ukraine by Kyiv on the Maidan and, as it turned out, betrayed by Berlin and Paris on Minsk.

Appropriate. Merkel's and Hollande's confessions are a fixation on betrayal. The southeast of Ukraine was initially betrayed by the West, despite the verbal tinsel surrounding it. The price for this betrayal was thousands of human lives during the last eight years of the Ukrainian civil war. Which the West did not stop at first, which turned the Minsk agreement into a thin letter. But what Russia is now forced to stop with its special military operation.

https://kyivindependent.com/national/hollande-there-will-only-be-a-way-out-of-the-conflict-when-russia-fails-on-the-ground

“The southeast of then-Ukraine was initially betrayed by the West… The price of this betrayal was thousands of human lives over the last eight years of the civil war in Ukraine – which was not initially stopped by the West, which turned the Minsk agreements into scrap paper – but which Russia is now forced to stop with its special military operation,” Kosachev noted.

“For the West, the territorial integrity of Ukraine is all about control over land,” he continued. “It’s about territory, not people.”

“It’s about violence, not negotiations” – an attitude which he noted “directly contradicts so-called European values.”

Ultimately, Kosachev explained, “our country turned out to be the only co-author of the Minsk agreements… which consistently and honestly tried to act as their guarantor. It was Russia, unlike Ukraine, Germany and France, that was in this case on the side of the people.”

Kiev Regime Tried (And Failed) to Shake Down Israel for Weapons in Exchange for UN Vote – Report

©Photo : Telegram / Zelensky Official

The public admission that Ukrainian officials see their UN votes as little more than leverage to extract concessions from their counterparts suggests an unprincipled and highly transactional understanding of global politics.

The Ukrainian regime refused to vote against a UN General Assembly resolution calling on the International Court of Justice to weigh in on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to provide them with weapons in return, a new report says.

“A Ukrainian official said [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky told Netanyahu that in return for voting against or abstaining he wants to hear how the new Israeli government is going to change its policy” and provide the Ukrainian regime with weapons, an Israeli reporter wrote Saturday on Twitter.

4 \ A senior Israeli official told me Netanyahu called Zelensky as part of a series of phone calls with leaders of countries that Israel wanted to change their country’s vote and oppose the resolution or at least abstain

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) December 31, 2022

According to the journalist, the Ukrainian source said Netanyahu refused to capitulate but said he would be “ready to discuss Zelensky’s requests in the future.”

In October, Kiev sent Tel Aviv an official request for “Iron Beam, Barak-8, Patriot, Iron Dome, David's Sling, Arrow Interceptor” weapons systems, as well as “Israeli support in training for Ukrainian operators.” But Israel has declined repeated requests from the Ukrainian regime for Israeli arms.

“Zelensky didn’t like Netanyahu's answer and didn’t agree to vote against the resolution or abstain,” the reporter wrote.

The discussion between the heads of state took place as Netanyahu made a round of last-minute phone calls on Friday night in an effort to drum up diplomatic support for the Israelis ahead of the UN vote, which ultimately passed 87-24 with 53 countries abstaining.

Under the terms of the resolution – which was opposed by Washington but supported by Russia, China, and nearly every Arab state – the World Court is set to issue an advisory position on the legal impacts of Israel’s “occupation, settlement and annexation … including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and from its adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures.”

At a UN committee vote earlier this month, Ukrainian officials voted in favor of the measure, in what they privately painted as an effort to signal their displeasure with Israel’s relative neutrality amid NATO’s ongoing proxy war against Russia.

During the final vote on Friday, the Ukrainian delegation was nowhere to be found. “Zelensky decided that we will not attend the vote in order to give a chance to the relationship with Netanyahu,” an official reportedly claimed.