UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights
Hungary Blocks €35 Billion EU Loan to Ukraine
Hungary has once again suspended a €35 billion loan proposed by the European Commission to support Ukraine's struggling economy, as reported by Euronews. The Hungarian government confirmed it will hold off on the loan until the United States elects its next president on November 5.
According to Ukrainian military sources, Russia’s dominance in visual intelligence gathering has been significantly reduced in recent months due to Ukraine’s innovative drone tactics. Prior to June 2023, Russian drones such as the Orlan-10, ZALA, and Supercam dominated the skies over Ukrainian positions, flying at altitudes of up to 5,000 meters, making them invulnerable to ground fire. Even attempts to jam their signals were often unsuccessful, as most Russian drones employed artificial intelligence algorithms that automatically directed them back to Russian territory if their GPS signal was disrupted.
Russian reconnaissance UAVs, which greatly outnumbered Ukrainian drones, played a critical role in identifying and targeting Ukrainian soldiers and equipment. Within 15 minutes to two hours of spotting an important target, the Russians were able to strike with deadly precision from up to 300 km behind the front line. For example, in March, two Patriot launchers en route from Germany to Ukraine were destroyed by Russian drones—an immense loss for Ukrainian forces.
However, on June 24, 2023, this dominance shifted. Ukrainian marines from the 38th Marine Brigade in Kherson, frustrated by continuous Russian surveillance and artillery fire, experimented by launching a small FPV suicide drone at maximum altitude to chase a Russian ZALA drone detected at 1,300 meters. The Ukrainian drone caught up and destroyed the ZALA, marking the first time a Ukrainian unit had downed a Russian reconnaissance UAV in this manner.
This tactic quickly spread among Ukrainian units, and by June, Ukrainian forces were sometimes taking down up to four enemy reconnaissance drones a day in the Kherson region alone. Notably, the cost of a Ukrainian modified FPV drone is around $600, while Russian drones like the ZALA can cost up to $40,000.
In response to this new threat, Russia has adapted by increasing the altitude and speed of their flights, flying more frequently at night, and camouflaging their UAVs. Some drones are even marked with deceptive Ukrainian insignia and equipped with rear-view cameras to watch for pursuing drones.
Ukrainian forces have also adapted, deploying high-altitude suicide drones with thermal imaging optics. They have discovered that the friction from air on the wings of Russian reconnaissance drones leaves a thermal trail, which can be tracked at night, allowing for more precise targeting of enemy UAVs.
The occupying authorities of Feodosia are evacuating the civilian population from the Severnyy microdistrict
Meanwhile, the area of the fire increased to 2,500 square meters.
Ukraine has begun issuing grants for missile production, ensuring investors that their investments will yield returns. Next year, grants will be issued to support powder factories.
Ukraine is also creating simulators to test defense technologies and building the necessary infrastructure for this. Over the past two years, more than 200 companies have developed robotic ground platforms, 500 companies have produced drones, and over 100 are focused on electronic warfare (EW) development.
🇩🇰 Denmark Donates 18 Emergency Rescue Lifts to Ukraine
The lifts will be used to rescue people from buildings after explosions and to extinguish fires in high-rise structures, according to the Danish Emergency Management Agency
Slovaks Raise €4 Million for Artillery Shells for Ukraine
Ukraine has received a shipment of artillery shells funded by a €4 million collection organized by Fedir Blaschak in Slovakia.
During the year, the Russians took over 180,000 tons of stolen Ukrainian grain through the port of Mariupol, Prime Minister Shmyhal said
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that Russia demands Ukraine withdraw its forces from four partially occupied regions—Donetsk ("DPR"), Luhansk ("LPR"), Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—and abandon plans to join NATO.
In Russia, a Ukrainian woman has been sentenced to prison for allegedly "preparing a terrorist attack in Mariupol."