29.12.2024

BBC News: Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has called on Russia to accept blame for a plane crash on Christmas Day that killed 38 people.

AFP: The International Air Transport Association called Sunday for a thorough, impartial and transparent investigation into the fatal Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash. IATA said that if a probe finds the passenger plane was brought down by combatants, the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

The Kyiv Independent: Latvia will transfer over 1,000 "combat drones of various types" to Ukraine through the international drone coalition, the country's Defense Minister Andris Spruds announced.

AFP: A probe of the sabotaged Baltic Sea power cable has uncovered a drag trail stretching dozens of kilometres on the seabed, Finnish police said on Sunday.

Sky News: There is a "real prospect" an unconventional attack by Russia against NATO - such as an act of sabotage or arson - will cause "substantial" casualties, a top alliance official said.

The Kyiv Independent: Four facilities housing telecommunication equipment for the illegal operator Phoenix, used by Russian forces, were destroyed in the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on Dec. 29.

Bloomberg: Poland is prepared to step up electricity exports to Ukraine if Slovakia’s PM Fico follows through on his threat to cut off back-up power supplies to the war-torn country, a senior official said on Sunday (archive).

The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine has received over 150 million euros in funding from Denmark, France, and Lithuania to bolster its defense industry, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on Dec. 29.

FT: Poland aims to complete a border wall and seal off its border with Belarus by next summer, in order to stop an influx of migrants Warsaw describes as Russia’s hybrid war (archive).

The Kyiv Independent: A number of major Russian news outlets had their Telegram channels blocked across several European Union countries on Dec. 28. Users attempting to access these channels now see a notice saying that the content has been restricted and is no longer available.

28.12.2024

AFP: Russia's Gazprom announced Saturday that it will halt gas supplies to Moldova from January 1 over a debt dispute during a state of emergency over energy security in the tiny country.

The Kyiv Independent: Greece will provide Ukraine with 24 Sea Sparrow anti-aircraft missiles to defend against ongoing Russian aerial attacks, the Greek news outlet Kathimerini reported on Dec. 28.

RFE/RL: Germany's foreign minister described the suspected sabotage of a Baltic Sea power cable as a "wake-up call" for the West and urged the European Union to impose new sanctions targeting what is known as Russia's "shadow fleet."

Reuters: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Slovakia's PM Fico on Saturday of opening a "second energy front" against Ukraine on the orders of Russia, as a gas transit dispute between the countries deepened.

BBC News: Putin has apologised to the president of neighbouring Azerbaijan for the downing of a commercial airliner in Russian airspace, in which 38 people were killed - but stopped short of saying Russia was responsible.

Reuters: Hackers targeted around ten official websites in Italy on Saturday, including the websites of the Foreign Ministry and Milan's two airports, putting them out of action temporarily, the country's cyber security agency said. The pro-Russian hacker group Noname057(16) claimed the cyber attack.

The Kyiv Independent: Kyiv possesses drones capable of operating at a distance of up to 2,000 kilometers (roughly 1,243 miles), Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) spokesperson Andrii Yusov said.

Reuters: Ukraine said on Saturday it had struck a storage and maintenance depot for long-range Shahed drones in Russia's Oryol region, adding that this had "significantly reduced" Russia's ability to launch mass drone attacks on Ukraine.

AP News: US to send $1.25 billion in military aid to Ukraine. The upcoming aid package is expected to include a substantial supply of air defense munitions, along with Stinger missiles and artillery rounds, according to US officials.

ISW: Russia has continued to expand its domestic production capabilities of Iranian-designed Shahed drones ahead of its Winter 2024-2025 strike campaign against Ukraine.

27.12.2024

The Kyiv Independent: U.S. officials told Bloomberg on Dec. 27 that they believe Ukraine may only have a few months left in its incursion into Kursk Oblast until Ukraine's military is forced to retreat from the region or risk being encircled by Russian forces.

Lloyd’s List: Eagle S, the Russia-linked tanker suspected of damaging an underwater electricity cable on Christmas Day, was kitted out with special transmitting and receiving devices that were used to monitor naval activity, according to a source with direct involvement in the ship, which has since been detained by Finnish police.

The Kyiv Independent: The construction of fortifications in Zaporizhzhia and nearby settlements has been "100% completed," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Dec. 27.

Reuters: The United States on Friday sanctioned Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, a former prime minister widely seen as the country's de facto leader, saying he was undermining democracy and allowing Russia to benefit.

Politico: Azerbaijani, Kazakh and Israeli airlines suspended flight to several Russian cities.

Reuters: NATO said on Friday it would boost its presence in the Baltic Sea after the suspected sabotage this week of an undersea power cable and four internet cables, while alliance member Estonia launched a naval operation to guard a parallel electricity link.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian troops have thwarted a Russian attempt to gain a foothold on one of its islands on the Dnipro River delta, Vladyslav Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Southern Command, said on Dec. 27.

Reuters: North Korean forces are experiencing mass casualties on the front lines of Russia's war against Ukraine, with a thousand of their troops killed or wounded in the last week alone in Russia's Kursk region, White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Friday.

AFP: Ukraine on Friday received its first batch of liquefied natural gas from the US, a deal that Kyiv says will boost Ukrainian and European energy security as a major gas transit deal with Russia ends.

The Kyiv Independent: Three senior Russian officers have been killed in a Ukrainian strike using HIMARS and drones in an occupied area of Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) said on Dec. 27.

Russa-Ukraine Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Do you think your friend or colleague should know about this newsletter? Forward it to them, please. They can also sign up here.

Here are my: Telegram & Socials

Please do support my work