Category: World

The court in Georgia has arrested the opposition figure Nika Gvaramia after searches in the offices of opposition parties. Earlier, Ukraine imposed sanctions on 19 high-ranking Georgian officials who support the policy of Vladimir Putin.

In Georgia, the court arrested the leader of the opposition coalition "For Change" Nika Gvaramia for 12 days, reports UNN citing "Echo of the Caucasus".

Details

The Georgian politician was detained on December 4, when the police came with searches to the offices of opposition parties. In particular, law enforcement officers entered the offices of "Unity – National Movement" and "Coalition for Change".

A total of 8 people were then detained. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia opened a case on the organization of group violence and calls for violent actions.

The opposition forces and human rights defenders call such police actions political persecution, and their supporters organize new protest actions.

Supplement

On December 5, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine imposed 10-year sanctions on 19 representatives of the Georgian authorities, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. Sanctions were imposed on politicians who support Putin's policy.

Reminder

The President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, stated the invalidity of the parliamentary elections on October 26 due to massive violations.

After the official results of the elections, in which the ruling party "Georgian Dream" gained an absolute majority of seats in parliament, protests began.

Protests in Georgia continue against the backdrop of a political crisis caused by the decision of the ruling party "Georgian Dream" to suspend the process of European integration.

Oil supplies via Druzhba to the Czech Republic have been restored after a two-day break. The Czech diplomat considers the stop a deliberate provocation on the part of the Russian Federation, but the country has enough reserves and alternative routes.

Oil supplies via the Russian Druzhba pipeline to the Czech Republic were resumed after a two-day break. The supply stoppage was not explained, but during this time the Czech Republic used oil supplied from other destinations, in particular from the German pipeline. This is reported by UNN with reference to the Czech media.

This pipeline is one of the main sources of oil for the Czech Republic. From Russia, the country receives about 58% of its oil through Druzhba, and the rest — through an oil pipeline coming from Germany and connecting with Italy.

Due to the fact that oil stopped, the Czech government prepared an action plan in advance: Orlen Unipetrol received 330,000 tons of oil from the country's reserves to prevent disruptions in fuel production. However, these reserves were ultimately not used up, as oil supplies were restored earlier than expected.

This case was an important signal for the Czech Republic to strengthen its energy security. The country plans to increase oil supplies through another pipeline, TAL, which will allow it to reduce its dependence on Russian oil. This is part of a strategy to reduce risks from supply disruptions and ensure the stability of energy supplies in the future.

The Czech government is also working to expand the TAL pipeline, which will increase its capacity by 4 million tons per year. According to the plans, by the middle of next year, the Czech Republic should fully receive oil through alternative sources, which will allow the country to gradually abandon Russian supplies.

What could be the reason for the oil supply shutdown

Special Commissioner of the Czech foreign ministry for energy security Vaclav Bartuszka said that Russia deliberately stopped oil supplies to the Czech Republic via the Druzhba pipeline on December 4.

According to Radio Prague International, Bartushka called this situation a "classic game" on the part of the Russian Federation, noting that oil supplies to Slovakia and Hungary continue unchanged.

Bartushka urged not to succumb to provocations, emphasizing that the Czech Republic has enough reserves and alternative Western supply routes.

"We don't see any point in discussing it with Russia," he concluded.

addition

The Druzhba oil pipeline has two main branches – northern and southern. The southern branch runs through the territory of Ukraine, providing oil transportation to Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Due to Russian aggression and Europe's attempts to reduce its dependence on Russian energy carriers, the issue of using Druzhba has become one of the key issues in the region's energy policy.

The Czech Republic, like other countries receiving oil through this pipeline, is actively working to diversify supplies, but Druzhba remains an important element of their energy infrastructure.

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI has received a інвестицій 6 billion investment to expand the Colossus supercomputer. It is planned to increase the number of GPUs to more than a million units.

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence (AI) startup plans to expand its supercomputer to include more than a million graphics processors (GPUs).

Передаю повідомлення з повідомлень на Euronews.

Xai, Elon Musk's startup specializing in artificial intelligence, has raised свіжого 6 billion in fresh capital from investors. The Money will help significantly expand the number of artificial intelligence processors in Musk's Colossus Super Computer. In the middle of the week, it was announced that the company plans to include more than a million GPUs in its supercomputer. chipmaker Nvidia is also likely to benefit from this.

in October, ChatGPT competitor and developer OpenAI raised 6 6.6 billion. OpanAI is valued at 1 157 billion. The company does not disclose investor names, valuation, or revenue.

OpenAI launches voice ChatGPT in web version: what it changes for usersNov 21 2024, 02:31 AM • 18615 views

For reference

Musk's Colossus supercomputer was built earlier this year in Memphis, Tennessee, in three months. It now has 100,000 Nvidia GPUs to train Grok, the Xai chatbot.

Artificial intelligence companies are competing to create large clusters of GPUs or interconnected chips that can lead to better and faster artificial intelligence models.

Elon Musk confirms that he limits the ability of X users to share external newsNov 26 2024, 07:35 AM • 14735 views

Prime Minister Kristen Michal meets Frankenburg Technologies. Source: Frankenburg TechnologiesEstonian defence company Frankenburg Technologies will start testing its own anti-aircraft missiles in Ukraine next year.

Source: Frankenburg Technologies CEO Kusti Salm in an interview with Estonian public broadcaster ERR, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Salm stated that the technology is promising, and as a result, the company would begin testing it in Ukraine next year. He added that an agreement for the testing had been finalised, and the company's technology had garnered significant attention.

"The technology is promising and we will start testing it in Ukraine in the new year," he stressed.

The broadcaster reports that this is confirmed by a recent Bloomberg article, which listed Frankenburg as one of the four leading high-tech defence startups in Europe.

According to Frankenburg's website, the company aims to revolutionise missile guidance systems using an artificial intelligence-based situational awareness programme.

Bloomberg notes that Salm, who recently served as secretary at the Estonian Defence Ministry, brought four Special Foces generals to the company. Among them are Martin Herem, the former chief of Estonia's Defence Forces, and Veiko-Vello Palm, an Estonian division commander and former chief of staff.

Background:

• In early November, Ukraine's Defence Ministry announced that Ukraine would receive air defence missiles from Estonian defence company Frankenburg Technology for testing by the end of 2024.
• On 16 November, the Estonian government supported Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur's proposal to send Ukraine a new military aid package.

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Invaders blocked traffic on the Crimean Bridge, explosions are heard in Kerch near the Zatoka shipyard. In the Kerch Strait, they report the possible appearance of Ukrainian naval drones.

On the morning of December 6, Russians blocked the Crimean Bridge, and social networks report explosions in Kerch. This is reported by the Telegram channel "Crimean wind" and Russian publics, writes UNN.

Traffic on the Crimean Bridge is temporarily blocked. Those who are on the bridge and in the viewing area are kindly requested to remain calm and follow the instructions of transport security personnel.,

– the message says.

Subsequently, the Telegram channel "Crimean wind" wrote about the loud sounds of explosions in Kerch near the Zatoka shipyard, as well as a glow in the Kerch suburb of Arshintsevo.

After some time, the same Telegram channel added With reference to subscribers ' information that Ukrainian naval drones are making a breakthrough in the Kerch Strait, and "the Z-military is trying to destroy them from the sea, from the shore and from the air.

The barriers used by Russia to cover the Kerch Bridge were washed up on the shores of KerchOct 13 2024, 02:30 PM • 34120 views

Ukrainian air defence units shot down more than 10 Russian UAVs targeting Kyiv overnight, with drone wreckage spotted falling in one district.

Source: Kyiv City Military Administration (KCMA)

Details: The KCMA reported that Russian drones were entering the Ukrainian capital in waves, mostly as single targets and from different directions.

Two air-raid warnings were issued in the city overnight, being in effect for a total of 4 hours.

Quote: "Assets and personnel from the defence forces detected and destroyed over 10 Russian UAVs targeting Kyiv…"

"Early reports indicate that [UAV wreckage – ed.] fell in the city but caused no serious damage or casualties."

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the Kremlin launched a large-scale campaign to spread anti-Ukrainian fakes in the United States after Trump's victory. Fake videos and regulations are aimed at undermining American support for Ukraine.

After the US presidential election, Russia has launched a new disinformation campaign that should undermine support for Ukraine among Americans. This is reported by AP, writes UNN.

Details

The publication notes that the Kremlin uses state-owned media, as well as fake news sites and social media accounts, to promote narratives that cause controversy in American society.

For example, they distributed a fake video of "Ukrainian soldiers" burning an effigy of Trump. In other videos, the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly shoot at a mannequin with a red hat with the inscription "let's Make America Great Again", burn the books of the newly elected president and call him a coward. Several researchers denied the video, noticing signs of digital manipulation.

The publication writes that a few weeks after the election, the videos spread far beyond the borders of Ukraine and Russia, circulating among Trump supporters and supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Analysts say the content, translated into English for an American audience, is intended to reverse sentiment against Ukraine at a tipping point in hopes of reducing U.S. military aid and ensuring Russia's victory.

By discouraging U.S. support for Ukraine, the Kremlin hopes to shut down the most important source of military aid that has supported Ukrainian hopes since Russia's February 2022 invasion.,

– the publication writes.

recall

Russian propaganda channels continue to actively distribute "reports" from Syria, trying to create a fictional picture of Ukraine's involvement in the aggravation of the security situation in this country.

Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has signed a decree allowing additional payment options for Russian gas, bypassing Gazprombank, which is sanctioned by the United States.

Source: a document on the Russian legal information portal on Thursday, 5 December

Details: Putin's decree amends his 31 March 2022 order, stipulating that payments for Russian gas are no longer tied to Gazprombank until sanctions against it are lifted.

In addition, the decree effectively allows payments for Russian gas to be made through mutual debt cancellation. Previously, Russia had insisted on payments in roubles to bypass restrictions on working with dollars and euros.

At the same time, there is a possibility that Western sanctions could extend to other banks through which some EU countries make payments for Russian gas.

Of the EU states, only Hungary and Slovakia continue to receive Russian pipeline gas, with Austria having been on this list until recently. Serbia is another European consumer of Russian gas.

Background:

• On 21 November, the US Department of the Treasury blacklisted Gazprombank, the last major Russian bank not yet under sanctions.
• The Hungarian government subsequently submitted a request to US authorities for an exemption from the sanctions on Gazprombank to allow continued payments for Russian gas supplies through the bank.

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