NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced a consensus on the priority of protecting Ukrainian infrastructure. The alliance plans to ensure the supply of necessary equipment to Ukraine in the near future.
For the sake of our efforts in Brussels, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the Siberian member of NATO have been waiting, for the creation of systems of internal defense for the destruction of the infrastructure of Ukraine, the Russian attacks are guilty of being a priority, stating the new year to the journalists of the Secretary General of the Alliance Mark Rutte, for example UNN iz posilannam on Tagesschau.
Last night, a clear consensus was reached at the table that supporting Ukraine, especially its infrastructure, should be a priority
– declared Rutte.
He expressed confidence that the allies will ensure the supply of everything they can provide to Ukraine in the coming days and weeks.
addition
On December 3, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga called on NATO countries to provide an additional 20 air defense systems to protect energy infrastructure in winter.
After that, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in evening addressand indicated that Ukraine expects air defense in Decemberfrom several partners, because winter is a huge temptation for Russian terrorists.
Russian authorities claimed Ukrainian drones attacked Ryazan Oblast overnight on Dec. 4, with Telegram channels reporting explosions in the area of the Dyagilevo airbase.
At least four drones were shot down over the western Russian region overnight, Governor Pavel Malkov claimed.
"At the crash site of a downed drone in the Korablinsky district, windows of four nearby houses were damaged. There were no casualties," Malkov claimed. The Korablinsky district lies roughly 60 kilometers (around 40 miles) south of the regional center, Ryazan.
Russia's Defense Ministry reported destroying 35 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions, including four over Ryazan Oblast.
The Russian news channel Astra wrote that Ryazan residents heard explosions near the Dyagilevo airbase on the city's outskirts. There have been no official comments on the situation in the regional center or the airbase.
Kyiv has not commented on the claims, which could not be independently verified.
The Dyagilevo airbase, lying almost 500 kilometers (300 miles) from the Ukrainian border, reportedly hosts the 43rd Center for Combat Training with Tu-22M3, Tu-95MS, Tu-134UBL, and An-26 aircraft, as well as Il-78 tanker planes and a repair plant.
A Ukrainian drone is said to have struck the airbase in December 2022, killing and injuring several soldiers. The military facility was allegedly targeted again in July 2024.
Kyiv's forces have been launching drone attacks ever deeper into Russian territory, targeting military bases and industrial facilities to undermine Moscow's war effort in Ukraine.
On the night of December 4, Russia attacked Ukraine with 50 drones and an X-59/69 missile. Air defense destroyed 29 UAVs over nine regions, 18 drones were lost in location.
Ukraine's air defense forces destroyed 29 out of 50 drones launched by the Russian army in the night of December 4, according to the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as reported by UNN.
Details
According to the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the night of December 4 (from 8 pm on December 3), the enemy attacked with an X-59/69 guided air-to-surface missile from the airspace of the Kursk region and 50 Shahed-type strike UAVs and other types of drones (launch areas – Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Oryol, Millerovo – Russia).
As of 9 am, the air defense missile forces, electronic warfare, and mobile fire groups of the Air Force and the Defense Forces of Ukraine shot down 29 enemy UAVs in the Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Khmilnytskyi, Ternopil, Mykolaiv, and Donetsk regions
– according to the report of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
It is noted that 18 drones were lost in location, and 1 went out of the controlled airspace towards the temporarily occupied territory.
Supplement
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on December 3 about the expectation of new air defense systems from partners in December and January. Germany will transfer the sixth IRIS-T system, as well as Patriot and Gepard launchers.
The BBC's "100 Women 2024" list, which was published on Dec. 3, featured two Ukrainians, Olha Olefirenko and Olha Rudnieva.
Rudnieva founded the Superhumans center in Lviv, which provides prosthetics and rehabilitation to war-injured Ukrainians, serving over 1,000 people in its first two years.
Ukrainian officials estimate that over 50,000 Ukrainians have lost limbs as a result of Russia’s war.
Olefirenko, a farmer, fulfilled her late father's dream by modernizing her farm, supported by the Ukrainian Veterans Fund. Through her initiative, she was able to create many new jobs for her community. Olefirenko’s father was killed on the front lines in Donbas, while on duty.
The BBC list selects women with exceptional resilience. “BBC 100 Women acknowledges the toll this year has taken on women by celebrating those who – through their resilience – are pushing for change, as the world changes around them,” the website says.
Rudnieva, when asked to describe resilience, said that it’s “waking up daily to air sirens yet continuing the fight for one's country.”
Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets predicts a reduction in the population of Ukraine from 42 million in 2022 to 35.8 million this year. To prevent a demographic crisis, the authorities are implementing reproductive medicine programs.
The population of Ukraine may be reduced by almost half – Lubinets
The population of Ukraine will decrease this year to 35.8 million from 42 million that were in 2022, and by 2051 it may decrease to 25.2 million. This was stated by ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets, writes UNN.
Details
To prevent a demographic catastrophe, Lubinets proposed to include expenditures in the budget for cryopreservation of reproductive cells of Ukrainian defenders and defenders, and in the state budget for 2025, these proposals are taken into account.
"By Togo in 2024, for the first time in the program of medical guarantees, infertility treatment with Assisted Reproductive Technologies was introduced, in particular, 20 contracts were concluded with medical institutions, which were used by 1,080 people. UAH 106.5 million has been allocated for the implementation of the program," Lubinets said.
He believes that in Ukraine should strengthen informing citizens about the possibilities of state medical guarantees.
"The issue of reproductive health and preserving the gene pool of the Ukrainian people is critically important and should become a priority of State Policy," the Ombudsman stressed.
On October 2, The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the demographic development strategy of Ukraine until 2040.
The reasons for the adopted strategy are war, low birth rates, migration, high rates of premature mortality, an unbalanced labor market, and so on.
the document also states that on the date of the All-Ukrainian population census on December 5, 2001, the population of Ukraine was 48.5 million people, on July 2024, the population of the country was estimated at 35.8 million people, of which 31.1 million people lived in the territories controlled by Ukraine
Chief Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine names the biggest threat to public health during the warNov 26 2024, 10:11 AM • 14216 views
Russian presidential administration last week held a seminar for vice-governors to discuss an "image of victory" in the war against Ukraine, the Russian pro-regime Kommersant news outlet reported on Dec. 2, citing its undisclosed source.
The news comes as Western media report that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is exploring the possibility of freezing the war between Ukraine and Russia on the current front lines. Given the territory currently occupied by Moscow and potential military threats from Russian in the future, Kyiv publicly opposes such a move.
The Kremlin held the seminar because Russia's war against Ukraine will "end," and "it is necessary to be prepared for it," the source told Kommersant.
The future results of the war must be seen as "a victory" in society, although different social groups perceive it differently, the source added.
Therefore, officials need to focus on the "quiet majority" that will be "satisfied with the achievement of the war's goals and the retention of the Russian-occupied territories," as advised by the presidential administration.
During the seminar, the vice-governors were also told about the importance of working with public opinion regarding Russian military personnel returning from Ukraine.
The presidential administration recommended that rehabilitation and employment of military personnel "be kept in focus" so that former soldiers "do not join protest movements or criminals."
The risk is that former soldiers will find it hard to find the same salaries in civilian life, the source said. Thus, authorities must consider encouraging them and fostering respectful attitudes toward them in society.
President Volodymyr Zelensky previously suggested ending the "hot phase of the war" by offering NATO membership to Ukrainian territory under government control.
Kyiv submitted its application to join NATO in September 2022, and in July 2024, the alliance affirmed Ukraine's "irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership," — although Ukraine has not received any definitive news about its future accession.
Yale University has found evidence of the use of Putin's administration planes to deport Ukrainian children. The study tracked 314 deported children, of whom 148 were included in the adoption databases of the Russian Federation.
Planes and funds belonging to the administration of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin were used to illegally deport Ukrainian children. This is reported by Reuters with reference to a study by the Yale University School of Public Health, writes UNN.
Details
It is noted that the new report, transmitted to Reuters, contains detailed information about the likely deportation program and those involved in it, including what, according to a leading researcher, are new ties with Putin.
Nathaniel Remont, executive director of the Yale University Humanities Research Laboratory, said that he plans to present the results of the study to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, December 4.
According to Raymond, the study contains evidence that supports the ICC's additional accusations against Putin of "forcibly moving" people from one national and ethnic group to another.
He also noted that the report proves that "the deportation of Ukrainian children is part of a systematic, Kremlin-controlled program" aimed at making them Russian citizens.
Two Ukrainian children returned from the temporarily occupied territories thanks to The Bring Kids back UA initiativeNov 26 2024, 11:35 PM • 17051 view
The report, in particular, says that in the period from May to October 2022, the Russian Aerospace Forces and aviation, which are under the direct control of the Putin administration, transported several groups of Ukrainian children on military transport aircraft with the flag of the aggressor country.
In May and October 2022, at least two groups of children were transported on planes of the Presidential Administration under the Putin administration.
In particular, on September 16, 2022, children who were illegally abducted from the occupied Ukrainian territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions were brought to the Chkalovsky military airfield near Moscow. For their transportation, a Tu-154M aircraft of the 223rd flight detachment of the Russian Defense Ministry was used.
It is noted that the study lasted 20 months, during which analysts tracked and identified 314 Ukrainian children deported by Russia. 148 children from this list were included in Russian adoption databases, and 42 of them have already been adopted, taken into custody, or have a designated Russian Guardian. Another 166 children were placed in Russian families.
recall
Recently, Yale researchers identified hundreds of children abducted by the Russian Federation from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. 148 children are already in Russian databases, 166 are placed in Russian families.
Russia has about 50 programs to manipulate the minds of Ukrainian children – GURNov 23 2024, 12:33 PM • 22428 views
With the fate of further U.S. support for Ukraine, and thereby the future of the country, up in the air as Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, the EU wants to send the message to Kyiv that it has its back.
Kaja Kallas, the EU's new top diplomat, was in Kyiv on her first day in office on Dec. 1. In an exclusive interview, Kallas told the Kyiv Independent that "the EU is the biggest investor in the Ukrainian defense industry."
"So 400 million euros this year, 1.9 billion euros next year. This is definitely something that's going to boost the defense industry in Ukraine with the help of the EU," said Kallas, the former Estonian prime minister turned high representative for EU's foreign affairs.
Talking to the Kyiv Independent after a long first day in office, and less than an hour before leaving the country, she focused on three main topics — doing more to support Ukraine militarily and economically, showing the U.S. that supporting Kyiv is in its best interest, and bleeding out Russia's economy to make sure that when the time for negotiations comes, Moscow doesn't have the means to continue its war.
Europe's quest for political will
Kallas' visit, together with that of new European Council President Antonio Costa, was a sign that, at least for now, the EU will attempt to keep Ukraine's economy and military industry in shape.
"I think the investments into the Ukrainian defense industry are very, very welcome because these things are produced here and immediately used as well," Kallas said.
"We are thinking about different initiatives, how we can support and help Ukraine," she added.
In the first public mention of the figure, Kallas said Ukraine had finally received the 1 million shells from the EU, which were badly needed and long overdue.
For a just and lasting peace, for Ukraine, together in a united Europe.@antoniolscosta @kajakallas pic.twitter.com/f9dnSPRl2a
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 1, 2024
"Yes, this 1 million rounds of shells have been delivered, but of course, as we know here, it's not enough, more needs to be done," Kallas acknowledged.
For comparison, Russian factories could produce or refurbish 4.5 million 152 mm shells in 2024, according to a Spring report by Sky News.
With the change in EU leadership chewing up the last months of 2024 and the election campaign in Europe's biggest economy, Germany, set to take up the first few months of 2025, Kallas was not ready to discuss European production in the upcoming year.
"There is no actual number yet," she said. "We need to really speed up the process of producing more."
Kallas gave a sneak peek at Europe’s strategy going forward — making sanctions against Moscow more effective and using Russian Central Bank assets frozen in the West to keep Ukraine afloat.
"First, in March, the criminalization of circumvention of sanctions will enter into force," Kallas said.
"I think this is a good thing. And a signal to everybody not to circumvent sanctions. But there is so much more we have to do to make sure that the sanctions are really followed," she added.
"What I want to stress is that we also see the sanctions working, but if we concentrate all our efforts on implementing the sanctions properly, we could achieve more results, which is weakening Russia," Kallas said.
The Russian economy has in fact experienced several challenges over the past few months, with a record-high interest rate unable to stop the accelerating inflation, set to hit around 10% in 2024.
The U.S. government's Nov. 21 decision to impose new sanctions on dozens of Russian banks has added insult to injury for the country's economy, with the value of the Russian ruble dropping over 10% within a week, hitting an exchange rate of 113 rubles per $1.
"If you think about the interest rate of the Russian bank, it's 21%. Their national fund is completely depleted. They can't get the revenues from the gas that they used to get. And they have a very difficult situation with the employment market because everything is going to the military industry," Kallas said.
In 2025, Russia will spend around 40% of its budget on the country’s defense sector.
"We shouldn't overestimate the power of Russia. We should not underestimate our own power,” Kallas said, referring to the fact that the EU, with an economy eight times larger than that of Russia, must approach Moscow from the position of strength.
"We shouldn't overestimate the power of Russia. We should not underestimate our own power.”
While in Kyiv, European Council President Costa assured that the EU would continue to provide economic, humanitarian, and military assistance to Ukraine, including 4.2 billion euros ($4.4 billion) to support the Ukrainian budget by the end of the year. In 2025, the EU will transfer 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) to Ukraine monthly, obtained from profits received from the frozen Russian assets.
Costa said those funds can be used for military needs.
"We also need to discuss how we can proceed with the use of frozen assets because it's clear that we have the Russian frozen assets, and it's clear that Russia is causing all the damages to Ukraine, so it should be also Russia that pays for those damages," Kallas echoed Costa's earlier remarks.
It all circles back to US
At multiple points throughout the interview, Kallas mentioned that the EU has been pulling its weight in supporting Ukraine. However, maintaining the current level of support Kyiv is enjoying in case the U.S. decreases its commitments seems hard to achieve.
"Of course, it's challenging, it's clear," she said.
European officials are now attempting to make a case for the U.S. support to continue.
"The EU has been the biggest supporter of Ukraine, and we intend to be so. We also intend to talk to our American allies about why it's in their interest to also invest in Ukraine's security," Kallas said.
"Ukraine aid is not charity, it's an investment into our own security, and in the interest of the U.S. If we look at the bigger picture, we see North Korea, Iran, China, and Russia working together. We see the North Korean soldiers now also recruited by Russia in the fight in Ukraine,” she added.
"So if the U.S. is concerned about emboldening China, then they should first also deal with Russia because, in all the places, Russia is their biggest adversary."
Kallas is adamant that it’s “up to Ukraine to decide” when to hold peace talks, which President-elect Trump’s incoming team appears eager to initiate.
"Right now, it is our obligation to support Ukraine so that it can strengthen its position on the battlefield," Kallas said.
"The stronger Ukraine is on the battlefield, the stronger Ukraine is around the negotiation table."
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In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, there is a critical situation in boarding houses for the elderly due to a lack of medicines and staff. Recently, a 73-year-old woman died in Crimea due to the replacement of necessary medicines with existing ones.
In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, inhumane conditions in "boarding houses" for the elderly. This is reported by the Center for National Resistance, writes UNN.
Inhumane conditions, rudeness and lack of vital medical supplies. This is what the situation looks like today in most of the so-called boarding houses for the elderly in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. But now the managers have already managed to pass 100% certification of their wards with Russian pieces of paper. In most cases, people didn't even understand what documents they were filling out and signing,
– it says.
According to the central nervous system, recently in the annexed Crimea, a 73-year-old woman died in a boarding house for the elderly only because the manager-collaborator of the institution decided to change the necessary drugs to those that were simply available.
The reason for such" negligence " of medical workers in Ukraine was a critical shortage of personnel.
Since the beginning of the Russian occupation, most doctors have refused to cooperate with the enemy. And those who have collaborated with the Kremlin are often responsible for treason after meeting with representatives of the Resistance Movement.,
– added to the central nervous system.
recall
In the temporarily occupied areas of Zaporizhia region, housing and utilities workers have not received salaries since the summer. Because of this, there is a massive layoff of employees and a critical shortage of staff.
Paris and London are exploring options to support Ukraine in potential peace talks with Russia, including deploying French and U.K. troops to monitor a ceasefire along the contact line, a senior NATO official told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
The official, who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly, noted that these discussions are happening in individual capitals, not within the formal NATO structure.
The aim is to prepare for various scenarios, ensuring European countries are ready to assist Kyiv if the new U.S. administration requests greater European involvement. According to the official, the proposals also seek to secure European allies' participation in peace talks that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could mediate.
French and British discussions on leading a military coalition in Ukraine have gained momentum, with Le Monde reporting renewed talks about deploying troops. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told BBC News that while France is not currently planning to send troops into combat, the country "does not discard any option."
"(France) will support Ukraine as intensely and as long as necessary. Why? Because it is our security that is at stake. Each time the Russian army progresses by one square kilometer, the threat gets one square kilometer closer to Europe," Barrot said.
The idea of sending Western troops to Ukraine resurfaced in February when French President Emmanuel Macron first raised the possibility. He revisited the topic in May, suggesting that if Russian forces breached Ukraine’s front line and Kyiv requested assistance, France would have to seriously consider deploying troops.
The debate over the role of Western military involvement in Ukraine highlights a broader divide among European leaders on how best to support Kyiv in the face of Russian aggression.
Speaking at the Halifax International Security Forum, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur stressed that Ukraine needs greater investment in its military production capabilities, not foreign troops on its battlefield.
The Kyiv IndependentChris York
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