UNITED24 Media Telegram highlights
The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) have agreed to support Russia's initiative to create a grain exchange for the association. This new exchange will enable member countries to settle transactions in their national currencies, rather than relying on traditional reserve currencies like the US dollar.
This initiative reflects the significant agricultural contribution of BRICS countries, which collectively possess about 30% of the world's arable land. They produce approximately 40% of the world's grain crops, 50% of its fish, and 50% of its dairy products.
The Ukrainian army's ammunition supplies have significantly improved in recent weeks, particularly with regard to 155-millimeter artillery shells, according to several sources within the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as reported by AFP.
A Ukrainian sergeant with the call sign "Luntik" noted that the situation has markedly improved in the past month. Previously, his unit was rationed to six shells per gun per day, but now they can use up to 40 shells per day. In particularly active conflict zones like the Kharkiv region, there are no restrictions on ammunition use at all.
The US Army has signed a multi-year, $4.5 billion contract with Lockheed Martin to supply Patriot air defense systems, according to Reuters.
Austria plans to construct a new gas pipeline to reduce its reliance on Russian gas, announced Austrian Finance Minister Magnus Brunner.
The Burshtyn thermal power station in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, which sustained heavy damage from Russian shelling, has been deemed irreparable, according to Svitlana Onyshchuk, the head of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Military Administration, during an interview on the radio.
Onyshchuk stated that the Russian forces targeted the TPP more than 12 times, resulting in its severe destruction. As a consequence, the city of Burshtyn faces the risk of being without heat and hot water during the upcoming winter months. To mitigate this, the city has taken steps to allocate six boiler rooms specifically for social facilities and the general population.
All destroyed thermal power plants will be restored, but this will take time, according to DTEK. Russia has attacked the company's thermal power plants over 180 times, with some sustaining damage so severe that they cannot be quickly returned to operation. The losses exceed $350 million. By the end of the year, DTEK plans to invest $100 million of its own funds in repairs.
Russian propagandists have been disseminating anti-Ukrainian cartoons, falsely claiming their production by France, but have made notable errors that reveal their true origin, as reported by BBC Ukraine.