United24 Media:
🇪🇺 The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has urged Germany to expedite the transfer of Taurus missiles to Ukraine, DW reports.
“Ukraine cannot wait forever,” Metsola stated, emphasizing the urgency as Ukraine’s military faces time constraints. She also highlighted that the European Parliament backs this call.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, however, have resisted the transfer, citing concerns about escalating Germany’s involvement in the war and doubts that the missiles would significantly alter the situation.
🔹 95% of Released Ukrainian Defenders Were Tortured in Russian Captivity — Andriy Yusov, HUR Representative
Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR), stated that nearly all Ukrainian defenders released from Russian captivity experienced torture.
According to Yusov, Russia has established a systematic approach to violating prisoners’ rights. Torture was not primarily used to extract information but to crush resistance, destroy personalities, and humiliate dignity. Specialized personnel are reportedly trained for this purpose.
He criticized the lack of enforcement of the Geneva Conventions, noting that monitoring organizations like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have been largely ineffective. Russia, he said, hinders the ICRC’s access to detention facilities and exchanges while the organization’s response remains insufficiently proactive.
Since the full-scale invasion began, there have been 58 prisoner exchanges, allowing nearly 4,000 Ukrainians to return home. However, Yusov emphasized that thousands remain in captivity, including both military personnel and civilians, and urged continued efforts to secure their release.
🇹🇷 Erdogan to Meet NATO Secretary General Rutte to Discuss Ukraine War — Reuters
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday in Ankara to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. Specific details of the meeting have not been disclosed.
Erdogan has previously criticized the U.S. decision to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles, arguing that it could escalate the conflict further.
He has also reiterated Türkiye’s readiness to serve as a negotiating platform for talks between Kyiv and Moscow, emphasizing Ankara’s role in seeking a diplomatic resolution.
🔸 Russia Allegedly Deceives Hundreds of Yemenis into Fighting in Ukraine — FT
The Financial Times reports that Yemeni citizens were recruited under false pretenses, brought to Russia, and forcibly enlisted into the military to fight in Ukraine.
A document dated July 3, signed by the head of a recruitment center in Nizhny Novgorod, may serve as evidence of the alleged contract. The report claims at least 200 Yemenis were recruited in this manner.
The recruitment is believed to have been facilitated by the Houthis, who are reportedly seeking to strengthen ties with Moscow.
🔹 Russia is integrating artificial intelligence into Shahed drones to create swarms capable of coordinating attacks to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses, The Guardian reports.
On Thursday, Russia used an Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile for the first time, targeting Dnipro. The attack drew global attention, and on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted the rising number of strikes by Shahed drones.
The Ukrainian president stated that 50 out of 73 drones launched on Sunday night were intercepted. In the previous week, Russia had launched a total of 460 Iranian-made drones into Ukrainian airspace.
“Ukraine is not a weapons testing ground. Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state. But Russia continues its efforts to kill our people, sow fear and panic, and weaken us,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on Sunday morning.
Ukraine reports that Russia has established two factories to produce the Shahed 136 delta-wing drones—known in Moscow as Geran-2—in Tatarstan, about 1,600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. According to a government source in Kyiv, production is running at “hundreds per week.”
These drones are often deployed as soon as they are ready. While easier to shoot down or neutralize than high-speed missiles, they tie up Ukraine’s air defenses and can inflict significant damage with their 50-kilogram warheads when they reach their targets.
Russia is continually modifying its drones to make them more lethal. Earlier this month, the Ukrainian military released footage of a thermobaric warhead, which produces a fiery explosion with temperatures reaching approximately 2,000 degrees Celsius. Such warheads are particularly devastating when detonated inside buildings.
Ukrainian military sources suggest that Russia is working to integrate artificial intelligence into its drones to create “swarms.” These swarms would allow the Shaheds to communicate and coordinate attacks more effectively, potentially overwhelming air defenses. However, the effectiveness of this technology remains unclear.
Zelenskyy emphasized Ukraine’s need for additional air defense systems to counter these growing threats.
“We are working with our partners on this. Strengthening the protection of our skies is extremely important,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian specialists are developing cost-effective FPV drones, priced under $1,000, to intercept Shaheds. However, their efforts face challenges, as the turbulent airflow generated by the Shahed in flight significantly disrupts the smaller FPV drones’ navigation.
🔸 The world is ruled by the elderly. Zelenskyy is one of the youngest leaders — The Economist.
The advanced age of many world leaders became evident in 2024, when 81-year-old Joe Biden withdrew from the US presidential race amid concerns about his mental acuity.
Americans then elected Donald Trump, who is 78 and also far from young.
However, Biden is not the world’s oldest leader. Paul Biya, who has governed Cameroon since 1982, is now 91.
In the world’s two most populous countries, China and India, leaders are also in their 70s.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stands out as one of the youngest leaders, at just 46 years old.
Over the past five decades, the average age of leaders globally has risen from 55 to 62.
In democracies, however, the trend is reversing. The average age of freely elected leaders is now 59, slightly younger than it was 50 years ago.
Meanwhile, the global shift toward older leaders is most pronounced in autocracies. The average autocrat is now 64—12 years older than in 1975.
This is unsurprising, as autocratic leaders have historically been reluctant to relinquish power.
🔹 European countries have resumed discussions on the possible deployment of troops to Ukraine — Le Monde.
As the war in Ukraine escalates, Western nations have reopened discussions about deploying troops and private defense companies to Ukraine. These sensitive talks, most of which are classified, have gained urgency amid concerns about the potential withdrawal of U.S. support for Kyiv if Donald Trump assumes the U.S. presidency on January 20, 2025.
The debate, initially proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron during a February meeting in Paris, faced strong opposition from several European nations, led by Germany. However, the idea “has not been shelved.” According to Le Monde, it has gained renewed momentum in recent weeks, particularly following British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to France during the November 11 celebrations.
"Negotiations are underway between Great Britain and France on defense cooperation, aimed at forming a strong coalition of European allies with a focus on Ukraine and broader European security," a British military source told Le Monde.