UNITED 24 Media Telegram Highlights
🔹 In 2022, Ukraine held secret talks with Russia on humanitarian issues, consulting with the United States, Defense Minister Umerov told The Washington Post.
These contacts reportedly led to the creation of a humanitarian corridor that allowed 400,000 people to leave the occupied territories, an exchange of prisoners of war, and an agreement on grain exports through the Black Sea. The United States was aware of these talks, Umerov noted.
🔸 In the EU, starting next year when Poland's presidency of the Council of the European Union begins, discussions on strengthening sanctions against Russia are expected to revive, Politico reports.
Warsaw has already made it clear that it intends to use its six-month presidency to tighten controls on Russian fuel entering the EU.
🔹 The IAEA funded Russian scientific research in Crimea after its occupation, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports.
Two contracts with Russian scientific institutions that included work in Crimea were signed between 2016 and 2019. The IAEA stated that the research was "purely technical" and did not alter the agency's position on recognizing Crimea as part of Ukraine, according to the article.
Ukraine has condemned such projects, stating that they violate the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
🔸 The United States is providing Ukraine with a new $400 million military aid package, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
🔹 BRICS is a key element for Putin in his fight against the U.S., but not all members of the organization agree, The Washington Post reports.
With Putin increasingly confident of a Russian victory as his troops advance in eastern Ukraine, the summit aims to signal Russia's return as a powerful global player with plenty of allies, despite more than two years of U.S. efforts to isolate the country.
For Putin, BRICS serves as a crucial tool in the plan to overthrow U.S. global dominance and weaken the power of the American dollar. This goal is largely shared by China, but not by other members of the organization.
"The narrative for both the world and the domestic audience is that Russia is far from isolated. The West ostracizes Russia, but we are at home with the global majority. The West is now a global minority," says Alexander Gabuev, an analyst at the Carnegie Center in Berlin.
"Russia views BRICS as part of the vanguard in building a new world order. This view is not shared by most other countries," adds Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, executive director of the South African Institute of International Relations.
Putin's relentless propaganda plays on the mood of the Global South and the growing cynicism toward a rules-based world order that the U.S. disregards when it suits its needs.
"BRICS has become a powerful symbol of the decline of American prestige in the Global South. Many countries, disappointed by the U.S.'s catastrophic failures, such as the war in Iraq and the 2008 global financial crisis, are seeking new partners and expanding opportunities to pursue their national interests," the article states.
However, analysts say that the appeal of BRICS is driven more by the strength of China's economy and global discontent than by support for Putin or his anti-Western rhetoric.
As the group struggles with an identity crisis amid Russia's increasingly anti-Western stance, it remains attractive to countries in the Global South seeking greater leverage. But if China, Russia, and Iran continue to promote an aggressive anti-Western agenda, it could alienate countries that do not wish to choose sides between the West and its opponents, analysts warn.
Unlike China and Russia, Brazil and India seek to refine the existing global order in the interests of the Global South, rather than overturn it. These countries emphasize that the organization is not directed against the West.
🔸 "Instead of a buffer zone on Ukrainian territory, which the Russians had planned, we created a buffer zone near our border on Russian territory," Zelenskyy said following a meeting with military leadership.
"Kursk operation. We are maintaining our positions and preventing the enemy from expanding the war on our land," the president noted.
🔹 The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was disconnected from one of the power transmission lines following shelling by the Russian Federation.
Currently, the plant is operating on only one line. If it loses connection to the external power supply, a complete blackout could occur, posing a threat to radiation safety.
🔸 The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board is preparing to install a chain of buoys with blades along the water border with Russia, The Moscow Times reports, citing the deputy director general of the department, Veiko Kommusaar.
"The system is designed in such a way that if someone tries to cross this water infrastructure, there will be little left of their boat or vehicle," Kommusaar stated.
Additionally, it will not be possible to climb over these buoys, as "they will push the person back to where they came from." Testing is set to begin in 2025.
🔹 The hammer of justice: War criminal Dmitry Golenkov has been eliminated in Russia, according to the HUR.
On the morning of October 20, 2024, the body of war criminal Dmitry Vladimirovich Golenkov was found in an apple orchard in the village of Suponevo near Bryansk, Russia.
Golenkov was a pilot in the 52nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces (military unit 33310), based at the Shaykovka airfield and equipped with Tu-22M3 bombers. He held the position of chief of staff of the Russian aviation squadron.
He was involved in missile attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets, including the Amstor shopping center in the city of Kremenchuk, Poltava region. At the time of the attack on June 27, 2022, there were about 1,000 people in the shopping center, resulting in 22 deaths and dozens of injuries.
Golenkov was also responsible for the missile attack on a residential building in Dnipro on January 14, 2023, which killed 46 Ukrainian civilians, including six children.
🔸 Putin has handed the metallurgical plant in Mariupol over to looting by the Kadyrov clan, The Wall Street Journal reports.
It is noted that trucks carrying rolled products frequently depart from the plant's territory, heading to Russia.
The occupiers have also dismantled and sent to Russia a production line worth $220 million, which had been installed shortly before the full-scale war.
🔹 Zelenskyy: The U.S. will provide $800 million for drone production in Ukraine.
The head of state also mentioned that he discussed the implementation of Ukraine’s “victory plan” with Austin, including specific steps to achieve its objectives.
“We need the determination of our partners, especially in light of the new role of North Korea in supporting Russia,” Zelenskyy noted.
🔸 Russia and Iran will sign a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement by the end of the year, according to Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov.
“We have decided that this document will be signed during the new Iranian president’s visit to Moscow. I believe the parties will agree on the timing of the visit in the very near future,” Ushakov stated.
He noted that the agreement has been in preparation for the past several years and “covers all areas of bilateral cooperation, including energy, transport, industry, agriculture, culture, science, and technology.”
🔹 NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had a telephone conversation with South Korean President Yoon Seok-yol.
They discussed North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine and plans for a future response, according to the representative office of the President of the Republic of Korea.
🔸 Most of the foreign fighters captured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces who were fighting for Russia are from Sri Lanka and Nepal, The Economist reports.
The publication notes that Russia recruited several thousand to tens of thousands of foreigners to send to war in Ukraine. Some were recruited through deception. Many have died, as the Russians use foreigners as expendable assault troops. Their families receive no compensation.
The Economist also reports that, in addition to citizens of Sri Lanka and Nepal, Ukrainian camps hold people from Serbia, Slovakia, Cuba, Morocco, India, Egypt, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and various African nations.
🔹 North Korea could receive nuclear technology from Russia in exchange for soldiers, according to South Korea's ambassador to the UN, Hwang.
He stated that North Korea is likely to become an "active participant" in the war soon.
"For the participation of its troops, the DPRK will expect a generous payment from Moscow, which could include financial and military assistance, as well as technologies related to nuclear weapons," Hwang said.
🔸 North Korea denies sending troops to Russia, reports Yonhap.
A representative of North Korea made this statement at a UN meeting on disarmament and international security.
"As for the so-called military cooperation with Russia, my delegation does not see the need to comment on such baseless, stereotypical rumors aimed at tarnishing the image of the DPRK and undermining the legitimate, friendly, and partnership relations between the two sovereign states," he said.
❗️Three people, including a child, were killed in Sumy as a result of a Russian drone attack on the night of October 22