♪ >> this is "dw news" live from berlin. russia's war on ukraine dominates the first big speeches at the world economic forum in divers. >> how does the world expect to reach climate neutrality if it cannot even stop the burning down of whole ukrainian cities? >> ukraine's first lady makes a new plea for support among the leaders gathered.

and taking over at a critical time with berlin under pressure to boost military support for ukraine. and prosecutors investigating a major eu corruption scandal strike a deal with a key suspect, former eu lawmaker antonio prince harry will reveal details in exchange for a lighter sentence -- antonio pan zeri will reveal details in exchange for a lighter sentence. it is good to have you with this. the president of the european commission has promised that support for ukraine will continue for as long as it is needed. addressing the what economic forum in the swiss resort of doubles, ursula von der leyen told leaders that europe took less than a year to free itself

from what she called a dangerous addiction to russian energy. her address followed that of ukraine's first lady. >> the ukraine house nonstop post, -- the ukraine house in davos during the international business gathering. ukraine and the russian war of aggression dominate the summit alongside the major issue of climate change. >> our generation has reached a turning point, confronted by truly existential problems. climate change, exploitation of nature, nuclear possible incidents, or even worse, extreme poverty and violence. >> the first lady of ukraine has come to speak on behalf of her country and to draw attention to the dramatic situation in ukraine.

>> how does the world expect to reach climate neutrality if it cannot even stop the burning down of whole ukrainian cities? this is what russia does with it artillery. missiles, iranian drones. you all know that russian aggression was never intended to stop at ukrainian borders. this war could progress and ignite a wider crisis if ukraine loses. >> of russia's aggression is driving european nations to help ukraine. eu commission president ursula von der leyen about massive support. >> we work hard with ukraine on any topic that is helping the economy. we have, for example, 60% of the grain has been exported via land through the european union. or, for example, we have

synchronized our electricity grid with the ukrainians. we are doing everything to keep the economy up and running, to support financially, to support militarily, and of course, morale. >> but the war in ukraine has fan the flames of energy and food crises. the question dominic this year's world economic -- the question dominating this year's world economic forum is what more can be done about it? >> our guest joins us from davos. you are there demanding support for ukraine. what kind of pledges would you like to see from world leaders there? >> it is very important today. we are speaking about world economic forum, and the world suffers from this war. if we want to finish this war and finish it quickly, we need

tanks, long-range missiles, heavy drones, fighters, and ukraine will finish everything in months, and that will be in the benefit of the whole world. that is what we are telling our partners here. >> after weeks of hesitation, the u.s. has announced it will send battle tanks to ukraine. nato allies will discuss all of this this week. what do you expect to come out of that meeting? are you hoping to make an impact while you're in davos with foreign leaders? >> we are very thankful for all support we are receiving and thankful to the united kingdom which again shows leadership in support of ukraine. they first decided to give to ukraine heavy western tanks, and

that is very important for us, but it is not enough. russia started this war against ukraine with 30,000 tanks. just imagine this number. understand that 12, 20, 30 tanks is not enough. i hope germany will be a very important part of this coalition, and i hope tomorrow, chancellor scholes -- chancellor scholz will announce germany supports the delivery of tanks to ukraine and will take active part in this for us to receive they really needed number of tanks to change the situation on the ground. >> the mayor of kyiv wrote today after meeting germany's economic minister that positive decisions have been made and good news is coming.

>> keep fingers crossed. we are looking for tomorrow's announcement. that is very important, to show that we really want to finish this war and we really want to restore international order because we are now in davos, world economy, but without international law, the world looks like a jungle, which will be dangerous for everybody. we desperately need western military help, including heavy armor, so we are waiting for tomorrow's speech of chancellor scholz, and i want to see germany to be a leader where

germany can really show that it is the biggest country in europe, the biggest economy, a very important leader, which is moving ahead, and which is moving the world in europe to a better situation. >> it was announced today that ukraine had reported more than 9000 civilian casualties and 80,000 russian war crimes. how are you hoping to be able to hold russia accountable? >> unfortunately, i think this number is much, much more. just the attack on a city which happened days ago, you can find it in social media. families with small children which were just killed in their kitchen when they were just sitting like those people who are now watching us.

maybe we are speaking about dozens of thousands of civilians killed. we don't know exactly because it is still occupied by russia. we need to take russia accountable for this. they should be responsible for what they did, not only for justice for ukrainians but to prevent such things, such atrocities to happen again anywhere on the planet. any criminal should know these things cannot be tolerated, and everybody will be punished for such things. that is so important. >> thank you for your time today. >> thank you very much. >> a deserter from russia's notorious wagoner -- wagner mercenary group made a dramatic escape across the border and is

filing for asylum. he commanded a troop of ex-convicts recruited by the wegner group -- the wegner group -- the wagner group. the group has taken on an increasingly prominent role in russia's invasion of ukraine. medvedev reported details of his time in ukraine before escape. let's take a listen. >> he changed my contract unilaterally without asking for my consent. they extended it to six months and then to eight months. after that, i left without authorization because i did not like the things that started happening there. after prisoners arrived, strange things happened. killings by our own people.

>> we can now talk to an associate director and associate fellow for the transnational threats project at the center for strategic and international studies in washington. first up, what is the wagner group, and what is its role in the war in ukraine? >> it is what we commonly refer to as a private military company that works closely with the russian government, though it is not technically linked to the government. even though we call it a company, it is better thought of as a loose network of different companies, shell companies, subsidiaries, basically a set of businesses tied back to a russian oligarch close to vladimir putin that are specifically designed to be as opaque as possible. in ukraine, we have seen it go

from operating in more of a shadowy, paramilitary context to know more or less acting as an informal unit of the russian military despite not technically being affiliated with the military. >> medvedev is the first defector we know of and has promised to cooperate with authorities. how crucial could his testimony be to prosecuting alleged war crimes? >>'s testimony in terms of war crimes and the group's broader operations could be extremely important to western nations. he would be able to bring insights both on conditions in the field and how things are going now but also help -- how the group's operations have gone over time, including the shift last fall to bringing in a lot of new recruits out of prisons

and bringing on conscripts with very little experience as opposed to previous reliance on those who had served in russian military services who brought some level of training and experience to the role. now it seems they are also dealing with the added trouble of having troops that are largely inexperienced, that lacked discipline, and that are more and more treated pretty openly as cannon fodder. >> we don't have much time, but i want to know if you will see more defectors as the war drags on and wagner fighters are forced to keep going. >> i think we will see more defectors, particularly as we see more individuals fighting with wagner who were conscripted and because the only alternative

was to spend years in russian prison. you have more and more people who not only are suffering in poor conditions and with poor treatment but also are not ideologically linked to the group's mission is much as they are to their own well-being. i think it is certainly likely we will see more defectors or even more individuals captured by ukrainian troops who are willing to give up more information in exchange for some guarantee of safety. >> thank you so much for your time. let's have a look now at more stories making headlines around the world today. the trial of a belarusian exiled opposition leader has begun in minsk. he's being tried under absence. he claimed victory in the 2020 presidential election but is now

facing a range of charges including high treason. climate activist greta thunberg is a number of german -- is among a number of demonstrators who have been detained after protesting the expansion of a coal mine in the area. the arrest comes a day after authorities managed to clear climate protesters out of the area. hundreds have gathered for the funeral of a prominent kenyan lgbtq campaigner. the 25-year-old model and fashion designer was found murdered two weeks ago, his body dumped in a metal box. rights activists in kenya and abroad have called for improved efforts to protect members of the lgbtq community. germany has named a new defense minister to replace the previous officeholder who resigned following a series of controversies.

in her face is the formidable task of overhauling germany's armed forces and overseeing key decisions on military support to ukraine. >> an old hand with a new job, taking the reins of germany's military during times of war in europe. he told reporters he was ready for the test. >> humility and respect for the enormous task before me. the ministry of defense is already a great challenge in peace time and even more in times when germany is involved in a war indirectly. i'm aware of the responsibility and the great significance and am all the more grateful that i have been entrusted with it. i will throw myself into this challenge 150% from day one. >> for the last 10 years, he has served as interior minister in the state of lower saxony,

burnishing a reputation as reliable and unafraid to speak his mind. chancellor olaf scholz hopes those qualities will help steer the armed forces through considerable change. >> he is not only a friend and good politician but also someone who has a lot of experience in security policy. who has worked very openly and closely in his previous function with the bundeswehr and who also possesses the strength and calmness needed for such a big task as the current changes. >> he will have plenty to do at the ministry. known as a career killer, modernizing the military, strengthening fighting forces, and handling weapons supplies to ukraine, opposition figures have called on him to turn germany's

turning point into a reality. >> he needs a steeper learning curve and has to start quite soon because the expectations on germany are not lowering. they will increase in the next month. therefore, he has to show leadership and bring into practical terms. >> he will have no time to settle in. his first big appointment, a meeting with his u.s. counterpart in berlin later this week. >> a former lawmaker implicated in a corruption scandal that has engulfed the european parliament has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. belgian prosecutors say the former mep who is in custody in brussels has agreed to work with authorities in exchange for a reduced sentence. he is one of numeral for people with links to the parliament charged with participating in the activities of a criminal organization, money-laundering laundering, and corruption. i asked our correspondent to

tell us more about the deal authorities struck. >> it is a real bombshell in this investigation and in this case. essentially, what antonio panzeri has agreed to do is to tell authorities everything about the corruption ring right at the heart of this scandal, how they worked, how they financed, how they were structured, and very crucially, he has agreed to tell them the involvement of known and unknown people that he himself admits to bribing. this means this investigation is very likely to get much, much broader. there will be some very nervous people in brussels and probably around the world watching and waiting to see what panzeri is willing or must as part of this deal tell authorities. in exchange, we will have a prison sentence -- we do know that. he will be put in prison. we do not know the length of it, but it will be reduced. also his profits from the

corruption scandal will be confiscated, which authorities have set are estimated to be about one million euros. >> do we know what his role in the scandal was? what information can he provide? >> he has been right at the heart of this. he started this ngo which became sort of a shell organization -- that's the allegation anyway. that was funneling money from qatar and morocco according to the investigation into different places and included them as part of this umbrella, came the sitting vice president who has now been ousted, her partner, who was panzeri's assistant, and another ngo whom they shared an office with. he really is at the heart of this. the question is how many more countries, how many more people may be involved in this scandal related to the investigation, the information he is now going

to give over to investigators. this really is quite a big bombshell. there must be so much evidence against him that the only way he could get to reduce his sentence was to cooperate with authorities. >> a lot of people watching this closely. the shock runs deep even weeks after the corruption scandal surrounding the then vice president became public. we will come back to you for a closer look at the fallout. >> they are back at work in strasburg but not back to business as usual. the corruption scandal continues to royal the european parliament, threatening to undermine the very credibility of the institution. of course, it is corruption. it is a crime, so justice will make their job. >> whenever you meet people, they ask about the corruption case. i think this is big damage to

the reputation and the work of more than 700 members. >> belgium police raided homes and offices of incumbent and former members of the parliament . bags of cash were found. they have been accused of taking bribes in exchange for favors for qatar and morocco, accusations the countries denied. >> she did not fit very well into the opinions of her other social democratic colleagues in the bureau of the european parliament, so then i could observe that she had her own way , some questions about it she had some sort of private interest maybe sometimes went through my head. >> as a consequence of the scandal, the parliament's president has proposed new rules

against corruption including better control of who has access to the chamber and its members. mep's would also have to declare their assets and who they meet when discussing legislation. quick slots of the rules we have are good compared to member states. we have reasonably high standards of transparency, but we also need to enforce them, and for that, we need an independent body to check on ethics rules. >> would an independent body do the trick? there are different proposals on the table with some members of the european parliament warning that freedom of their mandate needs to be protected as well, but given the seriousness of the accusations, most say now is the time for action to restore the trust lost in the scandal. >> now is the time to act.

you've got your ear to the ground. what are the consequences being discussed there in brussels? >> this is it, this 14-point plan that the european parliament president has outlined today could actually change some things. there are some very interesting details. one of the things proposed is ending the ability of former mep's from being able to access the parliament. he was there doing speeches in parliament committees and hearings and stuff, and that has just been a normal part and parcel thing of parliamentary life that mep's, even once they have lost their seat, can continue returning. there's also a plan to register all official meetings. the issue around qatari visa liberalization, access to airspace, all of that, questions around the corruption scandal, that this scandal has really focused on. i think one of the issues will be resistance from some of the

parliamentarians who want to make sure they are able to speak openly and here the political opinions of dissidents around the world without it being registered and with opposing parties being able to see those meetings. there is a sense in the european parliament that the optics and visibility of this means they know they have to do something to change what it looks like to the public. >> thank you so much, jack. china is the most populous nation in the world, but perhaps not for much longer. officials there say the population has declined for the first time in more than 60 years, shrinking by around 850,000 in the last year. an aging population coupled with a low birthrate means china is now facing a demographic crisis. >> a busy beijing street realize a burgeoning problem. for the first time since 1961, china's population has fallen.

birthrates had been sinking for years. many experts blame china's decades-long, punitive one-child policy that was only abandoned in 2016. beijing is trying to encourage families to have more children, but many chinese say they simply cannot afford to. >> there's a lot of pressure to have kids, but who dares to have kids? the unemployment rate is so high , covid destroyed everything, there's nothing we can do. next year, we will have declining growth again. >> we feel that the economic pressure on the young people is quite high, especially for those from outside of beijing living here. it is already difficult. for those of us born in the 1980's, there's more of us from one-child families. there's a lot of pressure when it comes to taking care of your parents and improving your quality of life in the future. >> for decades, china has relied on its vast population to drive

economic growth. now it is confronted with an aging, shrinking workforce. united nations experts predict this is just the start of a long decline with india soon set to overtake china as the world's most populous nation. >> and a reminder of our top story today -- european commission president ursula von der leyen has addressed world leaders on the opening day of doorposts. she vowed unwavering eu support and unveiled plans for the eu's green transition. state tune for "the day -- stay tuned for "the day." hope to see you there. ♪

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>> you are watching live from paris, these are the main headlines. survivors of the russian missile strike has been -- the search for people after the russian missile strike has been called off. people are still missing. karen thornburgh detained by german police, she had been a vocal protester at the village to be demolished to make way for