United Media 24 (22nd & 23rd Nov)
🔷 Due to a malfunction, the Russians landed a stolen passenger plane in a field on September 12 in Siberia
The plane is still there, they couldn't take it away, so they built a fence around it. (Photo 1)
🔶 Forbes terminated the deal to sell the media company to billionaire Austin Russell. The Washington Post wrote that Russian oligarch Magomed Musayev was to become the shadow owner of the media group through him.
Forbes says that this will not affect their work and the company will continue to work on the development of the brand.
🔷 The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, promises to do everything possible so that Ukraine and Moldova receive a decision on the start of negotiations on joining the EU by the end of the year.
Zelenskyy said that the absence of a decision from the EU summit on the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union would be a victory for the Kremlin.
🔶 🇪🇺🇺🇦 According to Bloomberg, the European Commission has unveiled a preliminary decision outlining a series of commitments to bolster Ukraine's security. The proposed EU framework encompasses several key aspects:
▫️ Establishing a long-term mechanism to supply military equipment to Ukraine, leveraging the European defense industry.
▫️ Facilitating the training of Ukrainian armed forces.
▫️ Heightened collaboration with Ukraine's defense industry.
▫️ Enhancing Ukraine's resilience against cyber threats, hybrid tactics, and disinformation campaigns.
▫️ Aid in demining efforts and addressing pollution arising from explosive residues.
▫️ Supporting Ukrainian reforms associated with EU accession and fortifying control over firearms, light weapons, and ammunition to combat illicit trafficking.
▫️ Assisting Ukraine in its energy transition and nuclear safety initiatives.
▫️ Facilitating the exchange of reconnaissance and satellite imagery for enhanced situational awareness.
🔷 The Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Museum of the University of Amsterdam have reached an agreement to repatriate museum artifacts from four Crimean museums to Ukraine, including the renowned Scythian gold collection.
The Ministry's head conveyed appreciation to the Allard Pearson Museum for safeguarding these collections for a duration of 9 years. Additionally, gratitude was extended for the Dutch side's decision to waive any charges for storing these museum exhibits.
(Photo 2)
🔶 Zelenskyy expressed his readiness to engage in discussions with former U.S. President Donald Trump and stated his willingness to review any "peace plan" if such a proposal exists.
🔷 ❗️The EU transferred a new tranche of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 1.5 billion euros, the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen reported
🔶 ⚡️ The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has approved a draft law acknowledging English as an international language, marking a significant decision that is anticipated to catalyze economic growth, foster innovation, and accelerate Ukraine's integration into the European Union.
🔷 More than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians have tragically lost their lives since the commencement of the full-scale Russian invasion. Over the past three months, half of these fatalities occurred well beyond the front lines, according to the UN Human Rights Office.
The United Nations highlights that a significant portion of confirmed casualties stems from the use of wide-area explosive weapons, including shells, rockets, and cluster munitions. Almost half of the recent deaths, occurring far from the front lines, resulted from the deployment of long-range missiles by Russian forces and explosions caused by abandoned munitions.
The UN Human Rights Mission in Ukraine expresses concerns that the actual toll may be "considerably higher" than the documented figures, emphasizing ongoing efforts to verify this data.
Shockingly, the number of civilian casualties may be substantially greater. According to the officially confirmed data from the mayor of the city, in the occupied Mariupol alone, at least 20,000 residents lost their lives.
Danielle Bell, heading the UN monitoring mission in Ukraine, cautioned that the Russian Federation's ongoing war against Ukraine, now spanning 21 months, threatens to escalate into a protracted conflict, with a devastating and unimaginable human toll.
🔶 🇧🇬 Bulgaria will stop importing crude oil from Russia in March 2024, — Ministry of Energy of Ukraine.
The decision will prevent Russia from bypassing Western sanctions and block the opportunity to earn 1 billion euros.
🔷 Biden and Xi Jinping will not attend the G20 summit, where Putin will take part online for the first time since 2021, — Bloomberg.
🔶 Russian army received a new supply of Su-34 fighter-bombers — the United Aircraft Corporation.
The announcement did not specify the number of aircraft, but based on the previous two deliveries by the Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association Plant in 2023, the amount is expected to be two fighter-bombers.
It is stated that these aircraft constitute the third batch of modernized Su-34Ms delivered to the military of the aggressor country in 2023 and the sixth batch that was ordered by the Russian Ministry of Defense in 2020.
🔷 ⚡️Ukraine was elected to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the first time
Ukraine will be a member of the Committee from 2023 to 2027.
🔶 Finland will close all checkpoints on the border with Russia, except for one - Raia-Joosepi, — Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo.
They will not work on the night of November 24-25.
🔷 The Bulgarian Parliament has officially endorsed the transfer of 100 aging Nova BG armored personnel carriers to Ukraine.
This marks a significant moment as it's the first instance where the country is directly providing armored vehicles to Kyiv, bypassing intermediary nations.
The BTR-60 units date back to the 1960s and 1970s. While they belong to the Bulgarian Ministry of Internal Affairs, these vehicles have never been put to use. They will now be handed over to the Ukrainian army along with associated weaponry and spare parts.
Since August of this year, the country's government has been deliberating over the fate of these APCs.
🔶 Orbán has written a letter to European Council President Charles Michel threatening to block all decisions on funding Ukraine, opening EU accession talks, or further sanctions against Russia unless EU leaders revise their strategy to support Kyiv at a summit in December, — Politico.
"The European Council should sum up the implementation and effectiveness of our current policy towards Ukraine, as well as hold a frank discussion about the realism of the EU's strategic goals in Ukraine," the letter of the Prime Minister of Hungary states.
🔷 🇱🇹Lithuania has delivered 3 million units of 7.62×51 mm ammunition, remote detonation systems & winter equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
🔶 North Macedonia completed the successful training of the first group of Ukrainian soldiers — information about the training was still kept secret for security reasons.
🔷 Pakistan has applied to join BRICS.
Islamabad expects to become a member of the association as early as 2024.
The information was confirmed by Pakistan's ambassador to Russia, Muhammad Khalid Jamali.
🔶 North Korea has declared the successful launch of its inaugural spy satellite into orbit and has expressed intentions to conduct additional launches soon. The event was observed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Both South Korea and Japan have expressed uncertainty regarding the satellite's orbital placement. The United States is currently assessing the success of the launch.
🔷 In 2023, Ukraine set a new world sniper record with a confirmed range of 3,800 meters.
The previous record belonged to a Canadian sniper who hit a target in Iraq from a distance of 3,540 meters.
🔶 🇳🇱 In the parliamentary elections in the Netherlands, the anti-European ultra-right "Freedom Party" (PVV) led by Geert Wilders, who does not support the transfer of arms to Ukraine, won by a huge margin.
According to the results of counting 98% of the votes, the PVV received 37 mandates — two more than the exit poll predicted.
Wilders is likely to try to form a right-wing government with the VVD (Prime Minister Rutte's party) and the New Social Contract party, which together have an 81-seat majority in the 150-seat parliament.
Wilders, a supporter of Orbán's policies, has been openly anti-EU, calling for the Netherlands to control its borders, significantly cut its EU payments and block any new members from joining.
He also repeatedly stated that the Netherlands should stop supplying weapons to Ukraine, saying that they need weapons for defense. However, none of the parties with which he could potentially form a government share these ideas.
🔷 🛫 According to Main Intelligence Directorate reports, Russia's civil aviation sector is reportedly facing a severe crisis in 2023 due to sanctions, making flying three times riskier. Ukrainian intelligence obtained official documents from "Rosaviation."
▫️ In the initial 9 months of 2023, 150 instances of technical malfunctions in Russian aircraft were documented.
▫️ Over 35% of the aircraft were utilized for spare parts to repair other planes.
▫️ Nearly 70% of the aircraft fleet underwent unaccredited repairs using non-genuine spare parts.
▫️ In September 2022, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) flagged Russia in red, alongside Liberia and Bhutan, denoting an extremely high risk to flight safety.
🔶 The leader of the Russian party "Spravedlyvaya Rossia," Sergei Mironov, recently adopted a 10-month-old girl named Margaryta from the occupied Kherson region. She was previously reported kidnapped in 2022 and her name and birthplace were changed to "Vazhnye istorii."
This case marks the first documented instance of a Ukrainian child being adopted by a Russian politician of this stature. Legal experts, when interviewed by journalists, highlighted that, from an international law perspective, such actions are classified as a war crime and is considered as genocide.
🔷 The Russians lost two amphibious ships — the work of naval drones
Two weeks ago, the authorities of the terrorist country announced that they had successfully repelled an attack by drones — without destruction or casualties. However, it turned out that 2 enemy boats were "tired" and the commander of one of the ships died. The work of the world's first naval fleet of drones will definitely go down in history.