A snapshot of recent news from sources around the world on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Political Developments
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico traveled to Moscow this week for discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine. In a statement, Putin said that Slovakia “would be happy to provide their own country as a platform for negotiations. We are not opposed, if it comes to that. Why not? Since Slovakia takes such a neutral position.”
Russian air-defenses in the Russian republic Chechnya may be responsible for the downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight heading to Grozny. While the investigation is still ongoing, Azeri authorities have thus far publicly stated that Flight 8432 experienced “physical and technical external interference” while en route to Grozny, prompting an emergency diversion to Aktau, where it crashed, killing 38 and injuring 29 people.
Privately, however, Azeri government officials have gone further, pinning the blame for the crash on Russian air-defense crews operating Pantsir surface-to-air missile systems. Euronews reported that the Pantsir systems had been activated in response to Ukrainian drone strikes on Grozny on the same day.
Moscow has not directly addressed the shoot-down claim. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov instead has said that hypotheses on the event should wait until after the conclusion of an investigation.
Military Assistance to Ukraine
The incoming Trump administration will continue supplying U.S. military equipment to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported, citing private conversations President-elect Donald Trump has held with senior European officials. Along the campaign trail, Trump was a staunch critic of aid to the embattled country, but European officials told the Financial Times that he is seeking a “peace through strength” approach to wind the war down.
The Biden administration, meanwhile, is preparing its final military assistance package to Ukraine before handing over the reins to the Trump team. Sources told Reuters this batch of aid will be worth $1.2 billion.
Denmark announced recently that it will supply its 23rd assistance package to Ukraine, worth over $300 million. The package will help Ukraine maintain its F-16 fleet, the Danish government said in a statement.
Ukrainian Air Force pilots and maintainers have completed a six-month training program on the operation of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets, according to various media reports. Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, said on December 24 that the jets should be delivered ‘soon’.
To date, Berlin has delivered a dozen Diehl “Kinetic Defense Vehicles,” which are used to identify and respond to incoming drone threats, Hartpunkt reported this week.
Battlefield Updates
Russia carried out a major attack on Ukraine’s energy grid on Christmas day, firing 184 missiles and drones according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Kyiv said its air-defenses shot down 59 missiles and 54 drones, adding that another 52 Russian UAVs failed to hit any targets.
While Kyiv stated that some of these Russian missiles had crossed Romanian airspace as part of the attack, Romanian authorities stated that they could not confirm a violation of the country’s airspace. (Separately, Romanian radar picked up a drone entering its airspace the following day, the Defense Ministry said.)
On Thursday, Russian state media RIA Novosti claimed that a Ukrainian Air Force F-16 was shot down in Zaporizhzhia, which, if confirmed, would mark the second loss of the type after one crashed in August. As of the time of writing, Ukraine does not appear to have addressed the claim.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service confirmed reports that Ukraine captured a wounded North Korean soldier, the first POW from the country since Pyongyang deployed a contingent of thousands of troops to aid Russia’s war effort. The POW, however, is reported to have died from “serious injuries” sustained on the battlefield.
Particularly given limitations on the usage of Western-supplied missile systems as well as the high attrition rate of strike drones, Ukraine is in the process of building its own missiles, The Economist reported this week. One program under development is the Trembita, a missile that Ukraine can reportedly produce at a cost of $15,000. Initial versions of the missile can hit targets out to 200 kilometers, but Ukraine is aiming to extend the range to be able to reach Moscow.
Ukraine hopes to produce 3,000 missiles before the end of 2025.
Russia has a leg-up on Ukraine in terms of missile production, but does still rely on technology from Western-style firms to produce its offensive missile arsenal, the Financial Times reported this week. The manufacturer of the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, for example, has been putting out hiring notices for individuals familiar with German and Japanese systems used in metalworking.
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