UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights
🇪🇺 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to unveil proposals on Wednesday that will reshape the EU's approach to accepting new members, reports Politico.
Under the new approach, instead of the current all-or-nothing stance, Brussels aims to gradually ease the accession process for countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkans. This strategy would enable these countries to access some of the benefits of EU membership without waiting for years or decades to complete necessary reforms.
German Defense Minister Pistorius has announced that Berlin will cover the cost of 180,000 shells as part of the Czech initiative to supply artillery ammunition for Ukraine.
President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, has stated that in the near future, European companies will be capable of producing the necessary amount of ammunition, both for their own needs and for Ukraine.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has accused Russia of politicizing sports with its plans to host the summer and winter Friendship Games
"The Russian government has initiated an intense diplomatic campaign, involving government delegations and ambassadors worldwide. To underscore their purely political motives, they deliberately bypass sports organizations in target countries. This flagrantly violates the Olympic Charter and various UN resolutions, constituting a cynical attempt by Russia to politicize sports."
"The Russian government also demonstrates complete disregard for global anti-doping standards and competition integrity. This is the same government implicated in the systematic doping program during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and subsequent manipulation of anti-doping data."
🇱🇺An agreement on technical and financial cooperation was signed with Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel during the Ukrainian government team's visit to Luxembourg.
Putin has announced the construction of a railroad from Mariupol to Crimea.
Russia wants to make this railroad an alternative to the Crimean bridge: it will simplify military logistics and reduce the dependence of the Russian army on it, the Mariupol City Council reports.
Fears of loud sounds and aircraft noises, grieving, depression and stigmatization by Russian peers based on Ukrainian accent and origin. This is exactly what Russian-kidnapped and transferred Ukrainian children keep living through every single day based on the Meduza investigation. https://t.me/United24media/19839 Russian students are pumped up with toxic propaganda calling Ukrainians ‘neonazis’ and ‘fascists’. That’s why children from Ukraine are often beaten and bullied after being enrolled into Russian schools.
The Kremlin released a specific manual teaching competent bodies and organizations of how to deal with it to transform their identity into the Russian one. Russian officials keep convincing illegally deported children from Ukraine that none will come after them and they should forget their homeland. In case a child's parents or relatives are missing it’s talked into believing they are dead even if it’s not proven.
Due to pressure from US sanctions, Emirates NBD, the main state-owned bank in Dubai, has closed its Russian division along with numerous Russian accounts, including those of Russian oligarchs and oil traders, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
During its nearly two years of operation, the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine in the Ramstein format has facilitated the allocation of over $88 billion to support Ukraine in the security sphere, announced Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin.
Pentagon launches website to track US weapons and equipment provided to Ukraine — The Hill.
The Pentagon's inspector general said in a statement that the website provides resources and information about the work more than 20 US oversight agencies — known collectively as the Ukraine Oversight Interagency Working Group — are doing to ensure Ukraine aid is not being misused.
The website also includes contact information to report any allegations of fraud, waste or misuse related to Ukraine aid.
It also has fact sheets about how much the US has provided in aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in 2022 — $113.4 billion — along with details about oversight projects from agencies tasked with ensuring against the misuse of weapons.
Former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has stated that the possibility of British troops participating in the war in Ukraine "cannot be ruled out," as reported by the Daily Mail.
Furthermore, he advocated for establishing a minimum level of defense spending at 3% of GDP
Canada has completed the ratification of the updated Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine.
In the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the introduction of American armored personnel carriers M1117 has been announced.
A total of 250 M1117s were included in a US aid package announced on November 4, 2022, totaling $400 million. This package also included 45 T-72 tanks, 1,110 Phoenix Ghost drones, river boats, missile repairs for the MIM-23 HAWK air defense system, communication systems, and marking equipment, among other items.
British intelligence has revealed unsuccessful attempts by the Russian Federation to camouflage planes and ships. Camouflage efforts include the use of airplane models and tires placed on the wings of aircraft. Additionally, painted silhouettes of aircraft gliders have been observed at 9 Russian airbases. [and other techniques have been observed. The question does arise - how many camoflage attempt have been successful and undetected?]
Russia is nearing completion of a military port in the unrecognized region of Abkhazia, as reported by TV Pirveli.
The port, situated in Ochamchir, is designed to accommodate warships and is currently undergoing continuous construction efforts.