PoliticsWar Macron plans to discuss the deployment of a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine with Poland. Thursday, December 12, 2024
French President Emmanuel Macron shared an idea for a European peacekeeping mission in Ukraine that could involve 40,000 troops. The mission would become a new safeguard against future Russian attacks, following the Korean security guarantee model. This will be possible with an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to end the war’s current phase. Discussion of this mission will be a key topic of Macron’s talks in Warsaw, where he is due to visit on December 12. There are also assumptions that he has already discussed the concept with US President-Elect Trump and President Zelenskyy last Saturday in Paris. Additionally, Macron has conveyed a message to Trump that Europe cannot be excluded from negotiations with Russia, as it has important security interests at stake. France is ready to support this process financially and assume risk to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty. The biggest problem, however, remains with Putin’s position: Thus far, he has not given any signal that he is ready to relinquish control over Ukraine.
The organizers of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris made a profit of €26.8 million. Revenues amounted to €4.48 billion with expenses of €4.45 billion, of which 60% of the profit will be used to develop sports in France.
The organizers of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris reported that the Games were held with a surplus of 26.8 million euros, part of which will be spent on the development of sports in France. This was reported by France info, according to UNN.
I am extremely pleased to present these figures as they are positive,
– Tony Estange, President of the Organizing Committee, said at the press presentation of the general budget of the Games.
Details
According to the organizers, the Olympics earned more than €4.480 billion, while spending €4.453 billion on it.
Fabrice Lacroix, the financial director of the organizing committee, said that there is a surplus of 26.8 million euros. It is planned that the French Olympic Committee will receive 20% of this amount, the IOC will receive 20%, and 60% will be spent on the promotion and development of sports in France, leaving €9 million for the National Paralympic Committee.
According to the organizers, the popularity of the Games ensured good financial results. In particular, the success of the opening ceremony on July 26 accelerated ticket sales for both the Olympics and Paralympics.
Revenues from ticket sales reached €1.489 billion. Over 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympic Games and over 2.5 million for the Paralympic Games.
Recall
Ukraine finished in 22nd place in the medal standings of the 2024 Olympics, its best result in 12 years. The United States won the medal standings, outpacing China in terms of silver medals.
Battles in the front-line city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast is "exceptionally tough," requiring Ukraine's military leadership to make "non-standard decisions," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Dec. 11.
Previously on Dec. 11, military spokesperson Nazar Voloshyn confirmed that Russian forces had destroyed two Ukrainian positions near Pokrovsk.
Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub for Ukrainian forces in the east, has seen heavy fighting in recent months as Russian forces continue their relentless advance in Donetsk Oblast.
Syrskyi's comments followed a visit to the 38th Separate Marine Brigade, operating on the front lines in the Pokrovsk sector.
"We have to make non-standard decisions to increase the resilience of the defense and more effectively destroy the occupiers," he said in a Facebook post Dec. 11.
"The battles are of an exceptionally tough nature."
The Ukrainian military also confirmed on Dec. 11 that Russia had gained ground in Pokrovsk. Speaking in a televised broadcast, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces, said that Russian troops had destroyed two Ukrainian positions in the area.
"As a result of prolonged clashes, two of our positions were destroyed, one was lost," Voloshyn said.
"Currently, measures are being taken to restore positions."
According to Syrskyi, the Ukrainian military is at a disadvantage, especially in terms of manpower. Russian troops outnumber Ukrainian units and "are throwing all available forces forward."
Syrskyi did not say what kinds of unconventional decisions would be required in the coming days, but said a priority was to deliver sufficient quantities of ammunition to the front line. He also said he responded to "existing problems" by issuing "appropriate orders."
Russian forces are now only 3 kilometers (1.5 miles) from Pokrovsk, according to the crowd-sourced monitoring website Deep State.
Observers and the Ukrainian military have previously warned of an increasingly difficult situation in Pokrovsk as Russian forces push forward. Syrskyi ordered additional reserves and weapons to Pokrovsk on Nov. 29 in an effort to stall Russia's assault.
Russia's grinding advance in eastern Ukraine continues to gain momentum at the cost of heavy personnel losses.
EU and US companies continue to supply weapons to Russia through intermediary countries. Arms exports to Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and other countries have increased 2.5 times in three years, from where they end up in Russia.
Despite years of sanctions, Russia annually purchases thousands of Western rifles and millions of rounds of ammunition from companies in the European Union and the United States. No one sells them directly, but large batches of various weapons reach Russia through third countries and are then used in the war with Ukraine. This is stated in a joint investigation by The Insider with Czech Investigace.cz, Italian IrpiMedia and Kazakh Vlast.kz, UNN reports.
Details
The journalists found out that in recent years, companies from the European Union, the United States (US) and Turkey have been sending more weapons to Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Weapons exports to these countries have increased two and a half times in three years: from 19,556 guns in 2020 to 53,211 in 2023,
– the publication says.
Investigators note that the export of rifles and shotguns from Italy to Armenia has increased almost 30 times in four years – from 68 weapons in 2019 to 1,862 in 2023. Kyrgyzstan did not buy weapons from Italy in 2020 and 2021, but received 882 weapons in 2022 and 4434 in 2023. Arms exports from Turkey to Georgia increased from 8,426 in 2019 to 18,843 in 2023.
The largest European arms manufacturer with ties to Russia is the Luxembourg-based Beretta holding. In June 2024, the Russian importer of Beretta was included in the U.S. Treasury Department's sanctions list. Despite the sanctions, Beretta Holding remains the majority owner of the Russian company.
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Among the German arms manufacturers, Hans Wrage & Co from Hamburg maintains ties with Russia. Its head, Frauke Löhmann, still owns 15.96% of the Russian Rusimpeks.
"Despite the war in Ukraine, this company continues to import Japanese Miroku carbines, German Anschutz, Krieghoff hunting rifles, Ruag Ammotec and RWS ammunition, including army calibers," The Insider writes.
Russian snipers, both civilian and military, continue to use Western rifles and ammunition instead of Russian weapons. This is confirmed by the protocols of sniper competitions that took place last September at the Angarsk training ground in annexed Crimea,
– the publication writes.
EU countries have imposed an arms embargo on Russia since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. But, as the investigation notes, there are still no controls on exports to the Customs Union countries of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, which share a common customs space with Russia and the CSTO military-political bloc.
Recall
The President of Ukraine saidthat Russian missiles attacking Ukrainian schools may have components from America, Europe and Asia. He emphasized that the safety of children is everyone's concern.
On 11 December, the Russians hit Sumy Oblast 20 times, with strikes registered in 8 hromadas. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories – ed.]
Source: Sumy Oblast Military Administration on Telegram
Quote: "During the day, the Russians attacked Sumy Oblast’s border territories and settlements 20 times. There were 114 strikes recorded. The Khotyn, Myropillia, Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Putivl, Esman and Svesa hromadas were targeted."
Details: In the Velyka Pysarivka hromada, FPV drones damaged non-residential premises.
PoliticsWar The US will sell Ukraine $266M in F-16 equipment and Canada will provide $587M in military assistance. Thursday, December 12, 2024
The US State Department has preliminarily approved the sale of maintenance-related equipment for F-16 fighters to the Ukrainian government, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement. Earlier, Kyiv officially requested necessary equipment and services to support F-16 operation. The estimated total cost of the equipment is $266.4M. This assistance package will improve Ukraine’s ability to withstand current and future threats through a more powerful air defense system. In turn, the House of Commons of the Parliament of Canada approved CAD 764M ($587M) for Ukrainian military assistance. The funds will be spent on ammunition, training, and other critically needed resources. The package also provides CAD 400M ($307M) for financial assistance through a special IMF account. Another CAD 45M ($35M) will support humanitarian demining and strengthening Ukraine’s cyber resilience. The decision still must be approved by the Canadian Senate.
Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 men’s football World Cup, while Spain, Portugal and Morocco will be joint hosts for the 2030 tournament.
The hosts for both World Cups were confirmed at Wednesday’s Extraordinary Fifa Congress meeting following a vote, where it was also decided that three games in the 2030 tournament would take place in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark 100 years of the competition.
All 211 of Fifa’s member nations were represented at the meeting over a video link and gave their votes by ‘acclamation’ – clapping in front of their cameras via their video links. No, seriously.
All three decisions were already made, with only one voting option available.
Norway opted to abstain because of “concerns regarding the current Fifa World Cup bidding process”, while Switzerland’s football association asked for its observations to be included in the congress minutes.
On Tuesday, the Swiss FA had said it would approve the Saudi bid for the 2034 World Cup, but demanded human rights must be monitored by both Fifa and the international labour organisation.
The Danish Football Union (DBU) said it supported the overall package of the two World Cup bids but wants Fifa to oversee human rights improvements.
Saudi Arabia has been accused of ‘sportswashing’, using its extraordinary wealth to invest in sport to improve the reputation of a country where there are huge concerns over human rights.
Amnesty International condemned the decision to hold the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia and released a joint statement on behalf of 21 separate organisations.
“Fifa’s reckless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place will put many lives at risk,” said Amnesty International’s head of labour rights and sport, Steve Cockburn.
“Based on clear evidence to date, Fifa knows workers will be exploited and even die without fundamental reforms in Saudi Arabia, and yet has chosen to press ahead regardless.
“The organisation risks bearing a heavy responsibility for many of the human rights abuses that will follow.”
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The English Football Association showed its support for the bids.
England’s FA said in a statement: “After a careful review of both proposals, we supported the two World Cup bids – from Spain/Portugal/Morocco in 2030, and Saudi Arabia in 2034. Both bids are technically strong and meet the Fifa criteria to host the men’s World Cup.
“Our focus is on ensuring that all our fans can attend and enjoy tournaments.”
The Football Supporters’ Association said fans had “very serious misgivings about how these World Cups were awarded and questions around the supporter experience, particularly in Saudi Arabia”.
It added that human rights criticisms had been “brushed aside and concerns from LGBT+ supporters completely ignored” and said it had raised these issues with the FA.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino responded to criticism the organisation has received over the decisions.
“We are aware of critics and fears and I fully trust our hosts to address all open points,” he said.
“We have a transparency that will shape real and lasting change. That is what we expect and what we look forward to – social improvements and positive human rights impacts.
“That is one of the responsibilities of hosting a World Cup, and the world will of course be watching.”
In 11 months, the Armed Forces of Ukraine received more than 1.2 million drones of various types, including reconnaissance and attack UAVs. By the end of the year, it is planned to transfer about 100 thousand more drones.
The Ministry of defense handed over more than 1.2 million drones of various types to the Defense Forces, writes UNN with reference to The Ministry of defense of Ukraine.
Details
The Ministry of Defense transferred more than 1.2 million drones of various types to the Defense Forces in 11 months of 2024, in particular: 40,000 reconnaissance multi-rotor drones, including more than 12,000 "night" 5,000 aircraft-type reconnaissance UAVs, such as Shark, Gore and Fury; 6,000 units of Deep-Impact attack drones, including an-196 "February", Firepoint and others; 2,000 multiple attack drones UAVs such as nemesis, bat, vampir5,000 reusable FPV copters. 1.1 million FPV kamikaze drones, commissioned by the Ministry of Defense in accordance with the needs of combat units, were transferred by the State Special communications service.
By the end of the year, it is planned to transfer about 100,000 more drones.
Providing the defense forces with modern UAVs remains a priority, which makes it possible to strengthen the country's defense capability and the effectiveness of combat operations.
recall
The Ministry of defense of Ukraine has allocated more than UAH 87 billion for the purchase of drones, of which 59 billion – for DeepStrike. Umerov said that 82% of electronic warfare equipment and 41% of UAVs were contracted in three months.
Ahmad al-Sharaa plans to disband the Assad regime's security forces and close prisons. The rebels will grant amnesty to conscripts and form a new government of technocrats by March 2025.
Syrian rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, plans to disband the security forces of the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad. Ahmad al-Sharaa announced this in a letter to Reuters, UNN reports.
Details
The rebel leader's office said in a written statement to the agency that Sharaa would "disband the security forces of the previous regime and close the notorious prisons.
It is estimated that the Assad regime held tens of thousands of prisoners who were desperately searching for their loved ones. Some have been released alive, others have been identified as dead, and thousands more are still missing.
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In addition, the statement says, the military command, which is affiliated with the Sharaa group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, is granting amnesty to conscripts.
The rebel leader also said that he was closely monitoring possible chemical weapons sites and coordinating with international organizations to secure them. The group has already announced that it will not use chemical weapons under any circumstances.
In the statement, Sharaa reiterated that he would form a government of technocrats, and that the current transitional government would remain in place until March 2025.
Recall
Syrian rebels, who have made significant progress in their offensive since last week, announced the capture of the capital Damascus on December 8 and announced the fall of ruler Bashar al-Assad. Assad himself fled to Russia.
Mohamed al-Bashir has been appointed acting prime minister of Syria for the transitional government until March.
The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell
