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Author: dmitriy.vasyura@gmail.com

  • Ukraine has learned its opponent in the Nations League playoffs: who will it be

    Ukraine has learned its opponent in the Nations League playoffs: who will it be

    Ukraine has learned its opponent in the Nations League playoffs: who will it be

    Ukraine will play Belgium in the playoffs for the 2024/2025 Nations League A. The first match will take place at home on March 20, and the return leg will be played away on March 23, 2025.

    Today, November 22, the draw ceremony for the 2024/2025 Nations League playoffs took place in Nyon, Switzerland, which determined the rival of the national team of Ukraine, UNN writes with reference to the UAF.

    Details

    "In the playoffs for reaching the A-League, we will play against Belgium. on March 20, 2025, we will host the opponent at home, and on March 23, we will play away," the UAF said.

    According to the regulations, the third teams of League A groups and the second teams of League B groups will meet in the playoffs for places in League A of the 2026/2027 cycle. The latter, including Ukraine, will play the first matches on their home field. The matches are scheduled for March 20 and 23, 2025. So, the team will play against Belgium in a two-match confrontation.

    With the Belgian team, which became the opponent of the Ukrainian national team in the playoffs of the 2024/2025 Nations League for places in Division A the following season, the Blue-yellows met once in history and parted with it in a goalless draw.

    In the group stage of LN 2024/2025, the Belgians played in the A2 quartet and showed the following results: Belgium-Israel — 3:1, France — Belgium — 2:0, Italy — Belgium — 2:2, Belgium — France — 1:2, Belgium — Italy — 0:1, Israel — Belgium — 1:0.

    addition

    The national team of Ukraine in the last round of the group round of the 2024/2025 Nations League defeated Albania in Tirana – 2: 1, thanks to which it finished in second place in the B1 quartet.

    Nations League 2024/2025. Playoffs

    1/4 finals

    Netherlands – Spain

    Croatia – France

    Denmark – Portugal

    Italy – Germany

    Matches – March 20 and 23, 2025.

    1/2 final

    Italy/Germany – Denmark/Portugal

    Netherlands / Spain – Croatia / France

    Semifinals – June 4/5, 2025, final/match for 3rd place-June 8, 2025.

    For places in League A

    Turkey – Hungary

    Ukraine – Belgium

    Austria – Serbia

    Greece – Scotland

    The matches will take place on March 20 and 23, 2025.

    For places in League B

    Kosovo – Iceland

    Bulgaria – Ireland

    Armenia – Georgia

    Slovakia – Slovenia

    The matches will take place on March 20 and 23, 2025.

    For places in the C League

    Gibraltar – Latvia

    Malta – Luxembourg

    The matches will take place on March 26 and 31, 2026.

  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 reaches one million sales in less than half a week after release

    S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 reaches one million sales in less than half a week after release

    S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 reaches one million sales in less than half a week after release

    Ukrainian developer GSC Game World has announced the sale of one million copies of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. The game is also available on Game Pass and has outsold Counter-Strike 2 on Steam.

    Ukrainian computer game developer GSC Game World announced on the third day after the release that one million copies of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl have already been sold, UNN reports.

    Details

    "It's not surprising that the Zone is a bit crowded. One million copies have been sold, and many more stalkers have joined the artifact hunt with Game Pass. This is just the beginning of our unforgettable adventure. The heart of Chernobyl radiates stronger from each of us. Thank you, stalkers!" – said the developers in X.

    S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 caused a stir: first reviews and reaction of RussiansNov 21 2024, 10:56 AM • 117197 views

    Recall

    On November 20, at 18:00, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was released , which has been a long-awaited game for 12 years. The game has already overtaken Counter-Strike 2 in terms of sales on Steam and costs from 1399 to 2549 UAH.

    “The Internet in the country was broken not by missiles, but by a shooting game": memes about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2Nov 21 2024, 03:25 PM • 86820 views

  • Miami financier plans to secretly buy Nord Stream 2 to influence russia in negotiations

    Miami financier plans to secretly buy Nord Stream 2 to influence russia in negotiations

    Miami financier plans to secretly buy Nord Stream 2 to influence russia in negotiations

    Financier Stephen Lynch is asking for US permission to participate in the Nord Stream 2 auction. He plans to use the pipeline as leverage against russia in peace talks over Ukraine.

    American billionaire and financier Stephen Lynch has asked the US government to grant him permission to participate in the auction for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if it is put up for auction in the Swiss bankruptcy process. This was reported by UNN with reference to the Wall Street Journal.

    Details

    Lynch, who spent two decades doing business in Moscow, now wants to buy the pipeline that connects Russia to Germany. He has argued to U.S. officials and lawmakers that American ownership of the pipeline would be leverage in any peace talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine and serve U.S. long-term interests.

    This is a unique opportunity for America and Europe to control European energy resources before the end of the fossil fuel era

    – Lynch said in an interview.

    According to a letter written by his lawyers at WilmerHale and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Lynch applied for the license from the US Treasury Department in February. The license would allow him to negotiate the construction of the pipeline with entities that are currently under US sanctions.

    The letter says that the Swiss bankruptcy proceedings for Nord Stream 2 have set a hard deadline of January for Nord Stream 2 to restructure its debt (which the letter says is unlikely) or face liquidation. Lynch argues that when the war is over, both Russia and its former customers in Germany and Europe will be tempted to turn on the pipeline, regardless of who owns it.

    Sources report that Lynch said he thinks he could buy Nord Stream 2, which is estimated to be worth about $11 billion, for a dollar. He said that many investors would not bid because of the complex geopolitics surrounding the pipeline, and that other bidders would likely include Russian proxies, Chinese entities, or others who are against US interests.

    A group of U.S. senators, as well as officials from the Treasury and State Departments, were briefed on Lynch's plan.

    During the last election, Lynch gave more than $300,000 to Trump's committees and the Republican National Committee.

    Add

    A series of explosions occurred on the Nord Stream pipelines – Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which transport gas under the Baltic Sea, suffered a series of explosions in September 2022. Germany, Denmark, and Sweden launched an investigation, and the Swedes found traces of explosives on several items recovered from the explosion site, confirming that the explosions were deliberate acts.

    Podoliak on the Nord Stream case pointed the finger at Russia – ReutersAug 15 2024, 09:58 AM • 35156 views

  • North Korea received anti-aircraft missiles, oil from Russia in exchange for troops, reports say

    North Korea received anti-aircraft missiles, oil from Russia in exchange for troops, reports say

    North Korea received anti-aircraft missiles, oil from Russia in exchange for troops, reports say

    Russia gave North Korea oil and anti-aircraft missiles in return for military support in Ukraine, according to a South Korean official, and satellite imagery analysis.

    North Korea has dispatched 10,000 troops to Russia, with most of them deployed in the western Kursk Oblast and taking part in combat, a Pentagon spokesperson said during a press briefing on Nov. 12.

    South Korea's national security advisor Shin Won-sik on Nov. 22 said Moscow had provided Pyongyang with economic and military technology in exchange for the troops.

    "It is understood that North Korea has been provided with related equipment and anti-aircraft missiles to strengthen Pyongyang's weak air defense system," Shin said in an interview with South Korea’s SBS News.

    Elsewhere, the BBC on Nov. 22 reported that Russia is estimated to have supplied North Korea with more than a million barrels of oil since March this year.

    The claim was based on an analysis of satellite imagery by the Open Source Centre, a non-profit research group based in the U.K.

    U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the BBC that the oil is payment for weapons and troops sent to Moscow to fuel the war in Ukraine.

    North Korean leader Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a strategic partnership agreement in June. Under the treaty, the two countries pledge to help each other if either is attacked.

    North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui visited Moscow and met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Nov. 4.

    "Our country will stand firmly by our Russian comrades until the day of victory," Choe said, calling Moscow's offensive against Ukraine a "sacred struggle."

    Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's former commander-in-chief and current ambassador to the U.K., claimed that the direct involvement of Russia's allies such as North Korea in the war against Ukraine was evidence of a global conflict.

    Investigation: Who helped Russians increase production of domestic attack drones despite sanctionsAn American-made HIMARS artillery system races down a Ukrainian road as a kamikaze drone hunts it down. The drone flies into the vehicle, followed by an explosion. The scene was caught on video by a Russian reconnaissance drone in mid-November. The drone that hit the HIMARS was a Lancet — oneNorth Korea received anti-aircraft missiles, oil from Russia in exchange for troops, reports sayThe Kyiv IndependentAlisa YurchenkoNorth Korea received anti-aircraft missiles, oil from Russia in exchange for troops, reports say
  • Russians attacked a trolleybus with a drone in Kherson

    Russians attacked a trolleybus with a drone in Kherson

    Russians attacked a trolleybus with a drone in Kherson

    In the Dniprovsky district of Kherson, an enemy drone dropped explosives on public transportation. As a result of the attack, the windows of a trolleybus were smashed, and no one was injured.

    In Kherson, an enemy drone dropped explosives on public transport, no one was injured, Roman Mrochko, head of the Kherson CMA, said on Telegram on Friday, UNN reports.

    Details

    "The enemy is attacking public transport in Kherson with drones again. This time, the Nazis dropped explosives from a drone on a trolleybus in the Dniprovsky district. Fortunately, there were no injuries. The windows in the trolleybus were smashed," said Mrochko.

    According to the Kherson RMA, earlier today, around 10:00, Russian troops attacked the Korabelny district of Kherson. As a result of the enemy shelling, a 68-year-old man was wounded in the shoulder.

    Addendum

    Over the past 24 hours, according to the head of the Kherson RMA, Oleksandr Prokudin, Tyahyntsi, Beryslav, Stanislav, Komyshany, Sadove, Antonivka and Zelenivka came under enemy fire and air strikes. Russian troops shelled residential areas of the region's settlements, damaging 1 private house. The occupiers also damaged a gas pipeline, an outbuilding and a private car. As a result of the Russian aggression, 1 person died and 2 others were injured.

    Russians attack volunteers while distributing bread in Kherson regionNov 20 2024, 09:27 AM • 16226 views

  • Russian forces attack Dnipro, damaging infrastructure

    Russian forces attack Dnipro, damaging infrastructure

    Russian forces attacked the Dniprovskiy district of the city of Dnipro on 22 November, causing damage to urban infrastructure.

    Source: Serhii Lysak, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration

    Quote: "The Russian army attacked the Dniprovskiy district. Infrastructure has been damaged. We are currently clarifying all the details."

    Details: Lysak urged residents of the oblast to heed air-raid warnings.

    Background:

    • On 21 November, the Russians attacked Dnipro, damaging an industrial facility, a rehabilitation centre, residential buildings and garages. Two people were injured as a result of the strike.

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  • Orban wants to invite Netanyahu to Hungary and promises not to execute arrest warrant

    Orban wants to invite Netanyahu to Hungary and promises not to execute arrest warrant

    Orban wants to invite Netanyahu to Hungary and promises not to execute arrest warrant

    Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban plans to invite Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and guarantees him safety from the ICC warrant. Orban called the ICC's decision “wrong” and promised not to execute it in Hungary.

    Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he would invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Hungary and promised not to comply with the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant.

    UNN reports this with reference to Reuters.

    Orban, whose country holds the European Union presidency for six months, said on state radio that the ICC arrest warrant was “wrong” and said the Israeli leader would be able to hold talks in Hungary “in proper security.

    Today I will invite the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu, to visit Hungary, and in this invitation I guarantee him that if he comes, the ICC decision will not be valid in Hungary, and we will not follow its content

    – Orban said.

    Since Orbán and his nationalist Fidesz party came to power in 2010, he and Netanyahu have developed a close political relationship. Netanyahu visited Budapest in 2017.

    Israeli leaders and the White House strongly condemned the ICC's decision, while EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said that the warrants are not political and that all EU member states must respect and comply with the court's decision.

    Addendum [1

    On November 21 , the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant.

  • White House sees no indication of Russia preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

    White House sees no indication of Russia preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

    White House sees no indication of Russia preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

    The Biden administration has not seen any "indications of Russia preparing to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine," White House Press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said on Nov. 21.

    Speaking at a press briefing, Jean-Pierre also said the administration was "not surprised by Russia's announcement that it would update its nuclear doctrine," and they believed it was "irresponsible rhetoric."

    Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the country's new nuclear doctrine on Nov. 19. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the changes should be seen as a "certain signal" to the West.

    "This is more of the same irresponsible rhetoric that we continue to hear from Russia, which we have seen for more than two years now, if you think about their aggression, their war against Ukraine," Jean-Pierre said.

    "We haven’t seen any indications of Russia preparing to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine. We just have not seen that.

    "And observing no changes to Russia’s nuclear posture, we have not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture or doctrine in response to Russia’s statements."

    Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh on Nov. 20 also dismissed Russia’s rhetoric surrounding its nuclear policy as a continuation of its behavior over the past two years.

    Since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has made a series of nuclear threats against Ukraine and the West, none of which have materialized.

    Investigation: Who helped Russians increase production of domestic attack drones despite sanctionsAn American-made HIMARS artillery system races down a Ukrainian road as a kamikaze drone hunts it down. The drone flies into the vehicle, followed by an explosion. The scene was caught on video by a Russian reconnaissance drone in mid-November. The drone that hit the HIMARS was a Lancet — oneWhite House sees no indication of Russia preparing to use nuclear weapons in UkraineThe Kyiv IndependentAlisa YurchenkoWhite House sees no indication of Russia preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine
  • Russia and the DPRK exchange military resources: what both sides got

    Russia and the DPRK exchange military resources: what both sides got

    Russia and the DPRK exchange military resources: what both sides got

    North Korea received anti-aircraft missiles and air defense equipment for the capital from Russia. In exchange, the DPRK sent military personnel to support the Russian occupation forces.

    Anti-aircraft missiles were transferred to the DPRK from the Russian Federation in exchange for the deployment of Pyongyang's troops to the Russian occupation forces. Reported by UNN with reference to AP.

    Details

    Air defense missiles in exchange for sending troops – this is the deal that Russia and North Korea have probably made. A high-ranking South Korean official reports that Russia is most likely interested in such an exchange.

    Shin Wonsik, President Yun Suk-yeol's national security adviser, told SBS television on Friday that South Korea has discovered that Russia has provided missiles and other equipment to bolster its air defense network in the capital Pyongyang.

    – reports Associated Press.

    Recall

    Colonel General Kim Yong Bok, deputy head of the KPA General Staff, arrived in Russia among 500 officers. His specific mission is unknown; he previously commanded the DPRK Special Forces Corps.

    South Korean intelligence reveals the real number of DPRK troops in RussiaNov 21 2024, 07:21 AM • 15358 views

  • NATO-Ukraine Council to convene for urgent meeting due to Russian attack on Dnipro with Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile

    NATO-Ukraine Council to convene for urgent meeting due to Russian attack on Dnipro with Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile

    The NATO-Ukraine Council will meet next Tuesday in connection with Russia's first use of an experimental ballistic missile on Ukrainian territory.

    Source: French news agency AFP, citing officials familiar with the matter, as reported by European Pravda

    Details: A meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council is being convened on 26 November in Brussels at Ukraine's initiative to discuss Russia's use of a medium-range ballistic missile in an attack on the city of Dnipro. Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin presented the Oreshnik missile as an experimental weapon derived from the older RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile, which has the potential to carry a nuclear warhead.

    Background:

    • Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia had used an intercontinental ballistic missile during the attack on Dnipro on the morning of 21 November. Ukrainska Pravda sources suggested that the weapon in question could have been a Rubezh missile, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
    • Subsequently, Russian leader Vladimir Putin stated that a medium-range Oreshnik missile had been used in Ukraine.
    • The United States confirmed that it had received a warning from Russia about the planned launch half an hour before the very launch took place.

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