UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights
Ukraine may face air defense shortages due to the war in Iran and depleted stockpiles.
According to a Bloomberg analysis, Iran has launched more than 2,100 attack drones and at least 688 ballistic missiles since the war began. This prompted the US and its allies to deploy more than 1,000 PAC-3 interceptors, straining global stockpiles and raising concerns about how quickly they can be replenished.
Ukraine typically uses Patriot systems to intercept the most difficult targets — ballistic and cruise missiles, including the hypersonic Kinzhal and Tsirkon.
For Kyiv, this means that allies, including the US, may limit the transfer of such missiles.
The Main Intelligence Directorate has obtained important documents regarding Russia’s assessment of its battlefield losses, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
In particular, a change in the ratio of killed to wounded Russian soldiers has been recorded. Out of 100% losses, 62% are killed and 38% wounded. According to closed official Russian reports, the level of their irretrievable losses is estimated at 1 million 315 thousand killed and seriously wounded. Ukraine has reason to believe that this figure is underestimated, the president said.
In addition, Zelenskyy noted that intelligence has received updated data on cooperation between Russia and the DPRK.
Another NATO country is reinstating conscription: Croatia has brought back mandatory military service after 17 years.
Authorities say the decision is linked to Russia’s war against Ukraine and the deteriorating security situation in Europe.
The first intake of 800 recruits will begin service soon. About half of them volunteered, and around 10% are women. The government plans to train about 4,000 recruits each year.
There are now 10 NATO countries with mandatory military service. In addition to Croatia, conscription is in force in Greece, Türkiye, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Ukraine has sent three teams of experts to the Middle East to help counter drones. They will work in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
🇪🇺👏 The European Commission has threatened sanctions against the Venice Biennale over Russia’s participation.
European Commission Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and European Commissioner Glenn Micallef said that culture cannot serve as a platform for propaganda of an aggressor state.
The leader of the Hungarian opposition party "Tisa" Peter Magyar said that the current Prime Minister Orbán's "Fidesz" party will launch a disinformation campaign in the coming days, prepared in conjunction with Russian political technologists. It will be focused on social media, primarily TikTok.
Ukraine will receive funding from EU countries to support its military efforts even if Hungary and Slovakia continue to block a promised €90 billion loan, POLITICO reports.
EU leaders will meet at a summit in Brussels next week in hopes of persuading Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to follow through on their promise to approve the loan. The funding is expected to provide two-thirds of the resources Ukraine needs to continue resisting the Russian invasion through the end of 2027.
However, if they refuse to change their position, the Baltic and Nordic countries have a plan to provide Ukraine with enough funding to support it through the first half of this year, two EU diplomats familiar with the talks said.
The amount under discussion is about €30 billion, another negotiator said. Because the loans would be bilateral, they would not require EU approval.
Separately, Dutch Finance Minister Eelco Heinen told colleagues on Tuesday that his government plans to provide Kyiv with €3.5 billion a year in bilateral support until 2029.
“This is not the first time we have faced such difficulties with Hungary. We will provide this loan one way or another,” EU Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said on Tuesday.
The idea of providing individual financing to Ukraine had already been discussed before the December summit, when leaders of all EU member states agreed to continue working on a single EU loan. At the time, the option of individual loans was considered unacceptable because it undermined EU solidarity with Ukraine and exposed deep divisions within the bloc.
But if Orbán maintains his opposition, this may become the only viable solution, the sources said.
The Kremny El plant, which was once again attacked today by the Ukrainian Defense Forces using Storm Shadow / SCALP missiles, is the second-largest manufacturer of electronic components in the Russian Federation, according to Defence Express.
It is possible that today’s strike was a combined attack involving the simultaneous use of various long-range weapons.
Kremny El is the second-largest producer of microelectronic components, 90% of which — even by 2022 — were supplied to other military plants. Its products are used in many electronic systems of Russian weapons.
The plant also supplies components for the BUBS-30 combat equipment control unit of the new Russian cruise missile “Izdelie-30”.
Semiconductor production requires extremely precise, sensitive, and scarce equipment. Although it is currently difficult to determine the full extent of the damage, it is safe to say that production at Kremny El has already been significantly disrupted.
💥 Satellite images have emerged showing the remains of the Kremniy El plant in Bryansk.
Five missile strikes were recorded on Building No. 4. Restoring the facility without a complete reconstruction is unlikely.
Russia is deploying military personnel on “shadow fleet” tankers, according to Helsingin Sanomat.
According to the Finnish newspaper, mercenaries monitor the crews and prevent the tankers from being seized by Western countries.
Investigators identified 17 individuals without maritime qualifications on shadow fleet vessels operating in the Gulf of Finland. Twelve of them had ties to the private military company Wagner or Russian military intelligence (GRU).
Finnish intelligence told the publication that Russian security guards deployed among the crews could, in some cases, serve as a link between the shadow fleet and the Russian armed forces, which have strengthened their presence in the Baltic Sea.
The Ukrainian national team finished first at the World Cup in underwater sports in Italy.
Our team won 29 medals: 13 gold, 7 silver, and 9 bronze across three age categories — adults, juniors, and boys.
Anna Yakovleva stood out in particular, winning three gold medals (200 m in fins, 400 m in fins, and 800 m in fins).
Ukrainians also dominated the relays — both the men’s team and the mixed quartet won gold.