Advertisement
For help, call:
Vladimir Putin threatened Finland and the broader NATO alliance, according to a U. S. war think tank, while Russian paramilitaries in Ukraine claimed responsibility for a cross-border attack.
The Russian president’s interview on his country’s national television on Sunday is indicative of the Kremlin’s “hostile intentions” toward the alliance, which poses a “credible and costly risk to Western security,” according to the Institute for the Study of War.
Meanwhile, the Freedom of Russia Legion – which says it was formed in spring 2022 to fight Putin’s forces from within the Armed Forces of Ukraine – claimed to have carried out a cross-border raid a few miles into Russia’s Belgorod region on Sunday.
The group, considered terrorist in Russia, claimed to have destroyed a stronghold of a platoon of Russian troops near the town of Trebreno, without specifying whether it destroyed infrastructure or killed soldiers, and said it had left mines.
It comes after Ukraine and Russia launched a swarm of drones at each other’s territories on Sunday as both sides step up attacks, with the Russian assault reportedly killing one person in Odesa and the Ukrainian strike targeting a Russian military airfield.
Putin ‘threatens Finland and broader NATO alliance’, says tank
Anti-Putin paramilitaries ‘destroy’ Russian squad
Hungary blocks £43 billion EU investment for Ukraine hours after Kyiv accession deal
Putin holds first major news conference since full-scale invasion of Ukraine
Watch Vladimir Putin’s press conference with translation here
10:15 , Tom Watling
One of Ukraine‘s top generals has warned that its military is already being forced to downsize some operations due to delays in Western support.
Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said troops were facing a shortage of ammunition on “the entire front line,” creating a “big problem” for Kyiv. Ukraine’s military has consistently asked for more weapons, adding ammunition, to combat the Russian invasion, but political disputes within the U. S. and the EU have delayed the delivery of tens of billions of pounds in military aid. This now has an impact on the battlefield.
Ukraine Scales Back Army Operations Due to Ammunition Shortages as West Lags Behind
10:00 a. m. , Tom Watling
Britain and France have pledged to support Ukraine for as long as it takes during a meeting of their foreign ministers in Paris.
Lord David Cameron and Catherine Colonna said they would continue to be staunch supporters of Kyiv. What would otherwise be a common statement of support has taken on renewed importance after rebels in both the US and the European Union blocked significant military and financial packages to Kyiv last week.
09:45, Tom Watling
The Russian prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, has touched down in China to meet with his counterpart, as well as the Chinese president Xi Jinping tomorrow.
Their two-day talks will focus on further industrial expansion and economic cooperation. Although China has not explicitly supported Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, it is one of Vladimir Putin’s most unwavering allies.
09:30, Tom Watling
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said Russia had not taken good enough measures towards civilians in Ukraine and there were indications that Russian forces had committed war crimes.
“The Russian Federation has not taken good enough measures to protect civilians and civilian objects from the effects of its attacks,” Turk told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
He added that checks carried out at his workplace revealed “serious violations of foreign human rights law, serious violations of foreign humanitarian law and war crimes, committed primarily through the forces of the Russian Federation. “
09:18, Tom Watling
More than 140 Ukrainian settlements have been shelled in the past 24 hours, according to the latest update from the Ukrainian military, and at least one user has been killed. Oleksander Prokudin, governor of Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine, showed that the eponymous city in the region had been shelled in the past 24 hours. It was hit about two dozen times and killed a civilian.
Along the war line, Russian forces made only marginal gains on the southern outskirts of a small Ukrainian town called Novomykhailivka in eastern Ukraine. The rest of the front line remained largely static.
Analysis of the shown losses of vehicles and equipment over the past four days suggests that Russian forces are wasting equipment twice as fast as Ukraine. At least 86 percent of the successful launches on both sides came from attack drones, which are considered the primary defining offensive weapon in this war.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s army leader, Valery Zaluzhny, gave the impression of retracting comments last month that the war was stalled. Asked Monday if he thought the battlefield scenario was a stalemate, Zaluzhny said “no. “reported media outlet RBC.
09:00, Tara Cobham
The eastern Ukrainian town of Olha Konoplenko is occupied by Russian forces, but that hasn’t stopped him from looking at the law remotely as a judge.
Residents who fled Bakhmut, captured last May after months of fierce fighting, are still counting on her and her exiled colleagues to make key decisions.
“There is no city, but its inhabitants are,” said Konoplenko, whose Artemivsk district court is now located in a city far removed from the front line of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
He asked that his exact location be revealed for security reasons.
Working in the war-torn east, parts of which have been occupied by Russian proxy forces since 2014, has never been straightforward for local judges. Moscow’s invasion in February 2022 further raised the stakes.
Konoplenko, 39, and other colleagues from the Donbas region preside under the normal risk of airstrikes. Their hearings, which defendants and plaintiffs attend remotely, are interrupted by power cuts.
At Konoplenko’s court, clerks were sitting in front of dark screens, leafing through documents as they waited for electricity to return.
The next day, a hearing was marked by the sound of explosions from a Russian attack.
08:33, Tom Watling
08:00 , Tara Cobham
Vladimir Putin is preparing for the possibility of “large-scale conventional war” with Nato, according to a major think tank, after moving troops towards Russia’s northwestern border and issuing a veiled threat to new alliance member Finland.
Russia has confirmed it is strenthening its military units in the northwest, where it shares borders with Finland, Estonia and Latvia, and has formed a new military zone – the Leningrad Military District (LMD) – in the wake of Finland’s decision to join Nato in April.
Speaking Sunday in a lengthy interview with Russian state television channel Rossiya 1, Putin said there would now be unrest with Finland and accused other NATO members of dragging Helsinki into the alliance. Finland has said it still has no choice to end decades of neutrality following Russia’s resolve to invade Ukraine.
Arpan Rai reports:
Putin threatens Finland and prepares for possible war with NATO, tank warns
07:00 , Athena Stavrou
06:00 , Athena Stavrou
Polish truckers resumed blocking the Ukrainian border crossing on Monday, Ukraine’s border service said.
The strike action has resumed just one week after it was lifted.
“Today, after 15:00 (13:00 GMT), Polish carriers started a protest action on the roads leading to the Dorohusk-Yahodyn checkpoint,” the service reported on the Telegram messaging service, citing data from Polish border guards.
This comes after Suspline, a Ukrainian state TV channel, reported that a third Ukrainian truck driver was killed while waiting at the border on Saturday.
The driver fell at the Krakivets-Korczowa border crossing, one of the four border points between Ukraine and Poland, and died while being rushed to hospital.
05:00 , Athena Stavrou
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron are expected to speak on issues such as Ukraine on Tuesday, according to a statement from Macron’s Elysee office.
Macron also said the two men are expected to talk about how to fight illegal immigration and the situation in the Middle East.
04:00, Athena Stavrou
One of Ukraine’s most level-headed generals has warned that Ukraine is already being forced to scale back some military operations due to delays in Western support.
Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said troops were facing a shortage of ammunition “all along the line,” creating a “big problem” for Kyiv.
Ukraine’s military has consistently asked for more weapons, adding ammunition, to combat the Russian invasion, but political wrangling within the U. S. and the EU have delayed the delivery of tens of billions of pounds in military aid. the battlefield.
Read the full report from my colleague Chris Stevenson here:
Ukraine Scales Back Army Operations Due to Ammunition Shortages as West Lags Behind
03:00 , Athena Stavrou
Russia’s diplomatic project to the European Union said on Monday that new sanctions imposed through the EU demonstrated the failure of punitive measures opposed to Moscow.
“The Russian economy is not ‘torn to shreds’, attempts to isolate us on the international stage, including the Brussels platform, have failed miserably, the goal of ‘inflicting a strategic defeat’ has not been achieved,” the mission said in a statement posted online.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry in Moscow issued no statement, saying only that a response to the sanctions would be forthcoming.
02:00 , Athena Stavrou
Ukrainian President Zelensky on Monday welcomed the EU’s adoption of a package of sanctions against Russia.
The package aims to impose more import and export bans on Russia and close loopholes, he said. It also prohibits the direct and indirect import, acquisition, or movement of diamonds from Russia.
“I welcome the adoption of the EU sanctions package against Russia,” Zelensky wrote in X.
“Total ban on Russian diamonds; closing loopholes in existing sanctions; restrictions on the import of dual-use parts and other parts, which bring Russia a total of €2. 2 billion in profits per year and help it continue its aggression against Ukraine. “
I welcome the adoption of the twelfth package of EU sanctions against Russia. Total ban on Russian diamonds; fill gaps in existing sanctions; restrictions on the import of dual-use parts and other parts, which bring Russia a total profit of 2. 2 billion euros per year and help Russia. . .
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 18, 2023
01:00 , Athena Stavrou
Russian infantrymen will most likely return to fight with unhealed wounds, the British Ministry of Defense said on Monday.
In their latest defence intelligence update, Britain said that members of Russian units are “highly likely being returned to combat duties with unhealed wounds, and even after limb amputations”.
They added that the information follows credible reports that some units have frequently received minimal or no treatment.
Last Defense Intelligence update on Ukraine: December 18, 2023. Read more about Defense Intelligence’s use of language: https://t. co/WSVx04jw1i #StandWithUkraine ?? pic. twitterArraycom/6kbh5kJ3xe
– Ministry of Defense ?? (@DefenceHQ) December 18, 2023
00:01 , Athena Stavrou
Ukraine has been forced to reduce army operations due to a lack of foreign aid, a senior army commander said.
Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi told Reuters there was now a shortage of artillery shells and that the drop in foreign military aid was having an effect on the battlefield.
“There is a challenge with ammunition, especially post-Soviet shells, i. e. 122mm and 152mm. And today they exist all along the front line,” he said in an interview.
“The volumes we have are not enough for us given our needs. That’s why we’re redistributing it. We are replanning the responsibilities that we had set for ourselves and cutting them because we have to fulfill them,” he said, without offering details.
The comments underscore Kyiv’s reliance on help from the Western military to fight Russian troops on a 1,000-kilometer front, just 22 months after the biggest clash in Europe since World War II.
He added: “In some spaces we have moved (in defence) and in others we are proceeding with our offensive movements, through manoeuvres, shots and advances. And we are our reserves for our next large-scale moves. “
Monday, 18 December 2023 23:00 , Athena Stavrou
A Russian suspected of committing crimes in Ukraine in 2014-2015 has been arrested again in Finland.
The Finnish government arrested Yan Petrovsky in August after Ukraine issued an arrest warrant for the man suspected of involvement in a terrorist organization, according to court documents seen by Reuters.
Ukraine had requested extradition of Petrovsky but the Finnish Supreme Court earlier this month rejected this, citing the risk of inhumane prison conditions.
The deadline to register one is May 31, 2024, the High Court said on Monday.
Social media channels connected to Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group said in August that Petrovsky was a top fighter for Rusich, a far-right subunit affiliated with Wagner.
Rusich named Petrovsky as a founding member and leader of the unit that has been under sanctions from the European Union and the United States since last year, Reuters reports.
Monday 18 December 2023 22h00 , Athéna Stavrou
Denmark has set aside 1. 8 billion Danish crowns (£211 million) to fund armored fighting vehicles in Ukraine.
The Danish Defense Ministry announced on Monday that it would take a Swedish initiative to donate CV90 armored fighting vehicles to the occupied country.
Sweden has already donated 50 CV90s to the country as part of its war against Russia. The Danish donation would fund the production of more such vehicles, spare components, ammunition and a multi-year maintenance agreement, the ministry said.
Monday 18 December 2023 21h00 , Athéna Stavrou
Until 2027, around 4,800 combat-ready German troops will be stationed on Russia’s border with Lithuania, the German and Lithuanian defense ministers announced on Monday.
The agreement marks the first permanent deployment of German infantrymen since World War II.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius compared what he called a “historic” agreement to the stationing of Allied forces in West Germany during the Cold War, deployed to protect Western Europe in the event of a Soviet attack.
“The eastern flank has now shifted to the east and it is Germany’s duty to it,” Pistorius said at a joint news conference with his counterpart in Lithuania, which borders Russia and its close ally Belarus.
Most of the housing will arrive in 2025-2026, and they and their families will benefit from “attractive conditions,” as well as German-language schools, kindergartens, housing and air connections, Pistorius said.
Monday December 18, 2023 20:00, Athena Stavrou
Ukraine’s general on Monday criticized President Volodymyr Zelensky’s earlier resolution to fire army conscription chiefs.
Zelensky fired all recruiters from Ukraine’s regional army in August as part of an anti-corruption crackdown.
He said at the time a state investigation into centres across Ukraine had exposed abuses by officials ranging from illegal enrichment to transporting draft-eligible men across the border despite a wartime ban on them leaving the country.
Asked by reporters about the effect of this resolution on mobilization levels, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, criticized the dismissal of the recruitment chiefs.
“They were professionals, they knew how to do this and they left,” he said, quoted by Interfax Ukraine.
Asked by reporters to comment on the Defence Ministry’s recent plan to boost military recruitment, Zaluzhnyi said the old system should be brought back.
He told Interfax Ukraine: “It’s still a bit early to assess recruitment. As for the problems of mobilization, it is not mandatory, but it must be brought back to the limits (and) to the frameworks that worked before.
Ukraine, which initially saw tens of thousands of volunteers queuing up to fight Russia’s invasion, is now looking to recruit more men to update those who have lately been on the front lines.
Angry social media posts have abounded in recent weeks purporting to show army recruiters turning up at gyms and resorts to hand out draft notices.
Monday, 18 December 2023 19:00 , Athena Stavrou
Russian President Vladimir Putin has appeared before Russia’s Central Election Commission to register as a candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
“He presented them,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media.
Putin’s supporters officially nominated him on Saturday to run in the 2024 presidential election.
Under Russian election law, nomination through an organization of at least 500 supporters is mandatory for those who are not on a party’s list.
Independent applicants will also need to gather at least 300,000 signatures from 40 or more regions.
The organization that appointed Putin included senior officials of the ruling United Russia party, Russian actors and singers, athletes and other public figures.
Monday, 18 December 2023 17:53 , Athena Stavrou
The United States is preparing a new aid package for Ukraine in December, the White House announced Monday.
“When this is done, we will no longer have resupply authority at our disposal and we will want Congress to act late,” said White House national security spokesman John Kirby.
Monday 18 December 2023 16:38 , Athena Stavrou
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron are expected to discuss issues such as Ukraine on Tuesday, according to a statement from Macron’s office at the Elysee.
Macron also said the two men are expected to talk about how to fight illegal immigration and the situation in the Middle East.
Monday, 18 December 2023 15:33 , Athena Stavrou
The Council of the European Union has adopted the twelfth package of sanctions against Russia, the European Commission announced on Monday.
The package aims to impose more import and export bans on Russia and close loopholes, he said. The twelfth package prohibits the direct and indirect import, acquisition or movement of diamonds from Russia.
It also introduces a new import ban on liquefied petroleum gas which would impact annual imports worth of 1 billion euros, the EU added in the statement.
European Commission Vice-President Josep Borrell Fontelles wrote in X: “With the twelfth package we are proposing a set of new lists and economic measures that will further weaken the Russian war machine.
“Our message is clear: we remain steadfast in our commitment to Ukraine and will continue its fight for freedom and sovereignty. “
With the twelfth package, we propose a physically powerful set of new lists and economic measures that will further weaken the Russian war machine. Our message is clear: we remain steadfast in our commitment to Ukraine and will continue its fight for freedom and sovereignty. . https://t. co/PeDkwHSNiz
– Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) December 18, 2023
Monday 18 December 2023 15:06 , Athena Stavrou
The European Union is expected to hold a summit in February to discuss its multi-year budget, adding investments for Ukraine.
EU leaders agreed last week to start accession negotiations with Ukraine, but it is possible they will reach an agreement on 50 billion euros in monetary aid for Kyiv due to Hungary’s opposition.
On Monday, European Council President Charles Michel said: “On Thursday and Friday we understood that it would take a little more time with Hungary to take a unanimous decision, that is, an agreement on the revision of the MFF (Multiannual Financial Framework). “
He said that in addition to investment for Ukraine, the EU27 also had proposals to provide more money to tackle migration, cover natural errors, and ensure security and defence.
Monday, 18 December 2023 14:13 , Athena Stavrou
Polish truckers resumed blocking the Ukrainian border crossing on Monday, Ukraine’s border service said.
The strike action has resumed just one week after it was lifted.
“Today, after 15:00 (13:00 GMT), Polish carriers started a protest action on the roads leading to the Dorohusk-Yahodyn checkpoint,” the service reported on the Telegram messaging service, citing data from Polish border guards.
Vans and trucks bound for Ukraine have been stuck in a queue of several kilometers at the border with Poland for weeks.
Polish protesters said their livelihoods were at stake after the European Union relaxed some shipping regulations and Ukrainian truckers cut their prices.
It didn’t take long for Ukrainian maritime officials to receive comment.
Monday, 18 December 2023 13:25 , Athena Stavrou
The leader of Ukraine’s army said a secret listening device had been discovered in one of the offices where he works, and hinted that insects had been detected elsewhere.
Army commander Valeriy Zaluzhnyi told local media that the device, which was not working, was discovered through Ukrainian security facilities during a search for the regime.
“I have several offices where I work. It happened in one of them,” Mr. Zaluzhnyi said. “We checked (the part) and (the device). “
He added that not only were listening devices discovered at the workplace where he worked, but he did not provide additional details, so it is unclear whether more than one device was discovered at the premises of the General Staff of Ukraine.
Monday, 18 December 2023 12:21 PM , Tara Cobham
Ukrainian army leader Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said Monday that the scenario on the front line is not at a standstill.
Responding to a question about whether the battlefield scenario would be a stalemate, he replied “no,” Ukrainian media outlet RBC reported.
He declined to say whether Ukraine would continue its counteroffensive operations through the winter because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Monday, 18 December 2023 11:03 AM , Mark Galeotti
Last week, Vladimir Putin held his marathon annual press conference and public meeting, and left no hint of concessions in his strategy for the war. After all, he might feel that after a disastrous 2022, the past year has been more of a success than expected, allowing him to bet on 2024 as the year in which he would possibly score some sort of victory after the government’s catastrophic initial mistakes.
Certainly, he said he was satisfied with the scenario on the battlefield, saying that the Russian forces were doing well along the entire front line. As for this year’s Ukrainian counteroffensive, “nothing has worked anywhere,” he said. “I don’t even know. ” Why are they doing this. They simply send their men to destroy them. It’s a one-way ticket. Of course, this is not immune to natural fabrication, such as his claim that Ukrainian losses far exceeded those of the Russians, but, deep down, he is happy with the stalemate. For now.
Putin’s strategy for 2024 will not feature a breakthrough on the battlefield; The Russians can be expected to keep trying. Rather, it is about keeping up the pressure on Kyiv and letting “Ukraine fatigue” in the United States and Europe gradually grow. “Today Ukraine produces almost nothing, everything comes from the West, but the loose resources will one day run out, and it turns out that this is already the case. “
Read here:
How to Read Putin’s Impassive Face as He Gambles on Victory in 2024
Monday 18 December 2023 10:13 , Tara Cobham
A gloomy mood hangs over Ukraine’s soldiers nearly two years after Russia invaded their country.
Despite a disappointing counteroffensive this summer and signs of wavering financial support from allies, Ukrainian soldiers say they remain fiercely determined to win. But as winter approaches, they worry that Russia is better equipped for battle and are frustrated about being on the defensive again in a grueling war. Some doubt the judgment of their leaders.
Discontent among Ukrainian infantrymen, which was once incredibly rare and expressed only on a personal level, is now more common and open.
In the southern city of Kherson, where Ukraine is carrying out attacks on well-armed Russian troops across the Dnieper River, infantrymen wonder why such complicated amphibious operations were introduced months ago, in warmer weather.
“I don’t get it,” said a commander of the National Guard’s 11th Brigade’s anti-drone unit, known on the battlefield as the Boxer. “Now it’s harder and colder. “
“It’s just my feeling, a lot of sets I percentage,” said Boxer, who spoke on the condition that only his decision be used on the battlefield.
Russia, which illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014, controls about a fifth of Ukraine. After 22 months of war, the two countries are necessarily at a stalemate along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) long front line.
Monday, 18 December 2023 09:08 , Tara Cobham
Vladimir Putin risked Finland and NATO more broadly in an attempt purportedly aimed at dispelling considerations about the risk Russia poses to the alliance, a U. S. war think tank said.
The interview with Russian state TV on Sunday is indicative of the Kremlin’s “hostile intent” towards NATO, which poses a “credible – and costly – threat to Western security”, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
NEW: Russian President Vladimir Putin put Finland and the entire NATO alliance at risk in order to dispel considerations about the risk Russia poses to NATO in an interview on Russian state television on Dec. 17. ? (1/11) pic. twitter. com/ u1HGgoJRik
– Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) December 18, 2023
Monday, 18 December 2023 08:00 , Tara Cobham
The Freedom of Russia Legion, a Ukrainian-based paramilitary group of Russians who oppose president Vladimir Putin, claimed responsibility on Sunday for a cross-border attack into the Belgorod region.
The organization said it had destroyed a stronghold of a platoon of Russian troops near the village of Terebreno, without specifying whether it had destroyed infrastructure or killed soldiers, and said it had left mines behind.
“Russia is not able to guarantee security within its borders. Putin’s security forces cannot guarantee the protection of their citizens,” a Ukrainian intelligence source was quoted as saying by the Kyiv Post.
Namita Singh reports:
Ukrainian saboteurs claim to have successfully attacked the stronghold of the Russian platoon
Monday, 18 December 2023 07:00 , Maira Butt
Russian president Vladimir Putin has responded to Joe Biden’s claims that support for Russia could mean an attack on Nato.
Earlier this month, Biden warned that if Putin wins over Ukraine, Russia will attack a NATO country. Biden provided transparent evidence of his comments.
“It is complete nonsense – and I think President Biden understands that,” Putin said in an interview published on Sunday by Rossiya state television, saying it was an attempt by Biden to justify his “erroneous policy” on Russia.
“Russia has no motive, neither geopolitical, nor economic, nor political, nor military, to fight with NATO countries. “
Monday, 18 December 2023 06:02 , Maira Butt
Monday December 18, 2023 05:08, Maira Butt
Karl Ritter reports:
Russia and Ukraine presented more than a dozen drones to each other for the second day in a row.
Russia and Ukraine introduced more than a dozen drones into each other’s territories on Sunday for the second day in a row, one of them targeting a Russian army airport, while a Ukrainian civilian was killed after drone debris hit his home near the Black Sea.
At least 35 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight in three regions of southwestern Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a message posted on the Telegram messaging app.
Also Sunday morning, Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched overnight by Russian troops in southern and western Ukraine, as well as one X-59 cruise missile launched from the country’s occupied south.
Drone attacks target Putin’s air base and Black Sea coast
Monday, 18 December 2023 04:05 , Maira Butt
In an interview published Sunday on state television Rossiya, Russian President Putin asked how no unusual ground could be found with the West, given the rhetoric from both sides. Putin said: “They will have to find not unusual terrain because they will have to take into account the problems that are vital to us. “
The West, Putin said, failed to perceive the magnitude of the adjustments brought about by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, which he said eliminated any genuine ideological foundation for a relationship between Russia and the West.
“The truth is that after the fall of the Soviet Union, they felt that they had to wait a little while to destroy Russia completely,” Putin said.
Monday 18 December 2023 03:04 , Maira Butt
Russia announced on Sunday that it would increase the cut in its oil exports in December, potentially to 50,000 barrels per day or more, earlier than promised, as the world’s biggest exporters try to prop up global oil prices.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, Putin’s most sensible oil and fuel official, was quoted by Russia’s three main news agencies as saying Russia would deepen cuts beyond 300,000 barrels consistent with the day already agreed for this year.
“Already in December we will add additional volumes,” Novak was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency. “By how much, we’ll see based on the results of December – there may be an additional 50,000 bpd, maybe more.”
Monday December 18, 2023 02:05, Maira Butt
President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech at the 21st congress of the United Russia political organization. It is the largest in the Russian Federation, with 325 of the 450 seats in the State Duma.
He said: “Together we have achieved success, and we still have a lot more to do together in the interests of Russia.
“Today, everyone bears an enormous responsibility. We have, without exaggeration, historic challenges facing us. Their magnitude requires joint efforts and cohesion of all patriotic forces.
“For United Russia and our supporters, who constitute the whole of our multi-ethnic society, all regions, all social strata and strata, this means, above all, being in a position to work hard, in a position to advance and achieve more: to protect, together with the rest of the people of Russia, the sovereignty, freedom and security of the country, Everything we hold dear: our history, our culture, our values and our traditions.
“It is also about taking care of the economy, the social sphere, the clinical and technological perspective in order to gain advantages for others and for the well-being of millions of Russian families. And, of course, that means running into society. “
Monday 18 December 2023 01:02 , Maira Butt
A civilian who died in Sumy Oblast on Sunday has been identified as a 69-year-old woman according to Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office.
In a message on the Telegram messaging app they said:
“According to the investigation, on December 17 2023, at around 12:50 p.m, the enemy, according to preliminary information from a self-propelled artillery installation, fired at the civilian infrastructure of the city of Krasnopill, Sumy region.
“A projectile fired by its occupants hit a house and the 69-year-old owner was killed. Homes and cars were also damaged.
They added that an investigation had been opened into violations of the laws of war:
“Under the procedural direction of the Sumy Regional Prosecutor’s Office, an initial investigation has been opened into the fact of violation of the customs and customs of war, combined with intentional homicide (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). “
Monday, 18 December 2023 00:03 , Maira Butt
Sunday, December 17, 2023 11:10 PM , Matt Mathers
The Freedom of Russia Legion, a Ukrainian-based paramilitary group of Russians who oppose President Vladimir Putin, claimed responsibility on Sunday for a cross-border attack a few miles into Russia’s Belgorod region.
The group, designated as terrorist in Russia, said it had destroyed a platoon stronghold of Russian troops near Trebreno village, without specifying whether it had destroyed infrastructure or killed soldiers, and said it had left mines behind.
Reuters may simply not be able to determine the claims of the group, which says it was formed in the spring of 2022 to combat Putin’s forces in the ranks of Ukraine’s armed forces, which in the past has denied any involvement in the Belgorod attacks through Russia’s Freedom Legion and some other Russian anti-Putin groups.
Earlier on Sunday, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod region, which experiences frequent attacks by Ukrainian forces, said Trebreno was under fire from Ukraine’s Armed Forces and that a “shooting battle” was under way on the village edge.
He said no civilians were injured and three houses and lines of force were damaged. On Saturday, he posted on the Telegram messaging app that 19 villages or farms had been targeted by Ukrainian shelling or drone-launched explosive devices.
Sunday December 17, 2023 23:00, Maira Butt
On Sunday, relatives and friends of Ukrainian army prisoners of war held banners at a demonstration calling for a quick exchange with Russian prisoners of war.
The captives were arrested after the defense of Mariupol and dubbed “defenders of Azovstal. “
The protest took place in Kyiv’s Hagia Sophia Square.
Sunday December 17, 2023 22:04, Maira Butt
Yuras Karmanau reports:
“All political prisoners with yellow tags are subject to additional riots and humiliations every day,” Sudalenka said. “Intimidation strategies can range from the disciplinary cell to total isolation of information, to refusing to meet with an attorney and denying medical care. and medication. “
About a third of the 1,000 detainees at Vitba-3 are political prisoners, he said, noting that their numbers “increased especially after the start of the war in Ukraine,” when detentions against Belarusians opposing the Russian invasion intensified.
Belarusian opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, whose husband is serving a 19-and-a-half year prison term, met this month with State Department officials and lawmakers, and a Belarus-US working group on political prisoners was formed.
“We are in a position to communicate about the policy change, the easing of sanctions, and our appointments once the regime releases all its political prisoners, ends its repression against the Belarusian people, and ends its complicity in Russia’s war against Ukraine,” the state said. Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Belarusian Political Prisoners Face Abuse, Neglect and Isolation, Says Former Detainee
Sunday, 17 December 2023 20:58 , Maira Butt
Ukraine’s President Zelensky took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to say it had been an “important week” for the country.
He shared photographs of visits to Cape Verde, Argentina to attend the inauguration of its new president, the United States to meet with President Biden, and Norway and Germany to meet with state leaders.
He said: “It was a critical week. Supporting Ukraine means protecting the rules-based external order. I am grateful to all the leaders and countries who are helping us save lives. I thank you for your criticism in our defense.
It was a critical week. Supporting Ukraine means protecting the rules-based external order. I am grateful to all the leaders and countries who are helping us save lives. I thank you for your criticism in our defensa. pic. twitter. com/CYRcRDpaQb
– Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 17, 2023
Sunday, 17 December 2023 19:51 , Maira Butt
As the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine approaches, Vladimir Putin is convinced that the cards are in his favor. However, according to Russian expert Mark Galeotti, there is a mistake in their game plan, and it may simply prove fatal.
Mark Galeotti reports:
Last week, Vladimir Putin held his marathon annual press conference and public meeting, and he left no hint of concessions in his strategy to war. After all, you might well feel that after a disastrous 2022, the following year was more successful than expected, allowing you to bet that 2024 would be the year you could achieve some sort of victory over the government’s catastrophic initial mistakes. invasion.
How to Read Putin’s Impassive Face as He Gambles on Victory in 2024
Sunday, December 17, 2023 6:57 PM , Maira Butt
Vasilisa Stepanenko reports:
When Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked a war in Moscow, a young Russian man who is now going through the Karabas call was plunged into despair. Shocked by photographs of what was happening to Ukrainians in Russian-occupied areas, he refused to act. to Russia, opposed to his country, and opposed to his country.
Today, he is part of the Siberian Battalion, a unit made up of Russians who have joined Ukrainian military ranks to fight against their homeland, hoping someday to help oust Russian President Vladimir Putin. Its members hail mostly from ethnic minorities from Russia’s far east.
“I was disappointed in my own people,” said Karabas, who, like other fighters in the battalion, spoke to The Associated Press on the condition that only his army call signal be used.
Read the full story here.
Sunday December 17, 2023 18:06, Maira Butt
Delegates from Russia’s ruling party unanimously endorsed President Vladimir Putin’s bid for re-election at a convention in Moscow, state news agencies reported.
The move comes a day after supporters of the Kremlin leader officially nominated him as an independent candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
A little-known Russian presidential hopeful calling for peace in Ukraine has also officially registered as a candidate, earning a nomination from an organization of more than 500 supporters in the Russian capital.
Dmitry Medvedev, president of United Russia and former Russian president and prime minister, called on other party members to “mobilize all activists and activists” in Medvedev. Putin ahead of the vote, scheduled for March 15-17, according to data provided through the Russian state. Agencies.
In a speech at the conference, Mr Medvedev referred to Mr Putin as “our candidate”, and asserted that his re-election for a fifth term as head of state “should be absolutely logical, legitimate and absolutely indisputable”.
Sunday 17 December 2023 17:22 , Maira Butt
Karl Ritter reports:
A civilian was killed overnight near Odesa, a key port on Ukraine’s southern Black Sea coast, after the remnants of a destroyed drone fell on his house, Ukraine’s military said.
The intensification of drone strikes over the past month comes as both sides must prove they are at a stalemate as the war nears its two-year mark. The Russian Defense Ministry said late Friday that its anti-aircraft teams had destroyed 32 Ukrainian drones over the Crimean peninsula, annexed through Moscow from Ukraine in 2014. The Ukrainian Air Force claimed on Saturday to have shot down 30 of the 31 drones introduced through Russia in opposition to 11 Ukrainian ones. regions beyond the night.
Neither side has gained much ground despite the Ukrainian counteroffensive introduced in June.
Read the full article below.
Drones target Putin’s air base and Black Sea coast
Sunday, December 17, 2023 4:30 PM, Maira Butt
Russia has no intention of extending the Black Sea grain deal, news firm RIA reported on Sunday, citing Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev.
He added that to a large extent this is a political decision, but Russia will continue to export its grain, as it has its buyers.
“Our grain export volumes, taking into account the finalization of the grain agreement, have not decreased in any case, even increased slightly,” Patrushev quoted RIA as saying.
Russia withdrew in July from the deal that allowed Ukraine to safely export grain from its Black Sea ports. Russia says it left the deal because it failed to deliver grain to poorer countries and because it still faces hurdles in its own grain and fertilizer exports.
Sunday 17 December 2023 15:45 , Maira Butt
Russia and Ukraine brought more than a dozen drones into their respective territories on Sunday for the second day in a row, one of which targeted a Russian army airport, while a Ukrainian civilian died after drone debris hit his home. house near the Black Sea.
At least 35 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight in three regions of southwestern Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a message on the Telegram messaging app.
Also on Sunday morning, Ukraine’s air force said it had shot down 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones introduced overnight by Russian troops into southern and western Ukraine, as well as an X-59 cruise missile introduced from the country’s occupied south.
Sunday 17 December 2023 15h00 , Maira Butt
Sunday, December 17, 2023 2:15 PM , Maira Butt
Putin claimed that there would be “problems” with Finland after NATO.
In an interview published Sunday on state television Rossiya, he said Finland’s accession to NATO in April would force Russia to “concentrate some army units” in northern Russia, near its border.
However, in the previous interview, he had no dispute with NATO and called US President Biden’s claims that he would attack “complete nonsense. “
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement