On the 1016th day of the war in Ukraine, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadirov claims that a Ukrainian drone reached the center of Grozny, hitting a special police forces unit and injuring individuals. The capital of the Chechen Republic is about 750 km from the Ukrainian border. This is the second reported drone attack on Chechnya.
Meanwhile, a pact between North Korea and Russia has entered into force, signed in June, coinciding with the deployment of North Korean troops to the Ukrainian front to support Moscow with around 11,000 soldiers, some of whom are reported to have already engaged in combat.
It is believed they have joined Russian troops fighting the Ukrainian Army in the Russian region of Kursk, partially occupied by Kiev's forces since August.
Today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is in Malta, his first visit to a country of the European Union since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, where his Ukrainian counterpart will also be present for the OSCE plenary session.
Russian Army Records Record Losses in November, UK Intelligence
The daily average of Russian casualties in the Russia-Ukraine conflict reached a new monthly peak in November 2024, both in deaths and injuries. The daily average casualties were 1,523 personnel, according to reports from the Ukrainian General Staff. It is the third consecutive month that Russian forces have recorded a new daily peak in casualties.
Russia saw its highest losses in a single day since the invasion began, with 2,030 casualties (exceeding 2,000 for the first time) on November 28, according to the latest report from UK Defense Intelligence.
November 2024 was also likely the most costly month of the war for Russia, with a total of 45,680 casualties recorded. November marked the fifth consecutive month in which Russian forces suffered an increase in the total monthly casualties.
Russian forces are intensifying pressure on several critical fronts, aiming to push back Ukrainian troops near Kursk, Kupiansk, Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Velyka Novosilka.
Sergei Lavrov Sets Foot in Europe for the First Time Since the War in Ukraine
The OSCE has started its annual Ministerial Council in Malta, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine once again at the center stage and the possibility of Russia and the West coming closer to agreements after years of deadlock on issues affecting the future of the world's largest security organization. Among the Foreign Ministers of the 57 participating States are also the American Antony Blinken and the Russian Sergei Lavrov, who is for the first time in a European Union country since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Russian Foreign Minister sets foot for the first time in an EU country since the invasion of Ukraine
OSCE Ministerial Meeting Begins with Possibilities of Agreement Between Russia and the West
The OSCE is starting its annual Ministerial Council in Malta, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine once again at the center stage and the possibility of Russia and the West coming closer to agreements after years of deadlock on issues affecting the functioning of the world's largest security organization, as reported by Efe.
Among the Foreign Ministers of the 57 participating States, the American Antony Blinken and the Russian Sergei Lavrov will also be present, with Lavrov setting foot for the first time in a country of the European Union (EU) since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In fact, the two will coincide in the plenary session held today, unlike last year in Skopje, when the American was present for just a few hours for bilateral meetings and an informal working dinner, to which Lavrov was not invited.
The Russian Foreign Minister even accused Blinken of "cowardice" and avoiding him.
Despite the enormous tension between Russia and the West, accumulated for years and heightened after the invasion of Ukraine, this meeting begins with the sense that both parties can reach agreements on issues affecting the internal functioning of the OSCE, one of the few forums where they sit at the same dialogue table.
In fact, Lavrov's presence in Valletta has caused less tension than last year in Skopje, and even the Ukrainian minister, who did not participate in the Council last year in protest, has attended this time.
Ukraine Calls on Europe and the US to Sanction Georgian Oligarch Ivanishvili
Ukraine has imposed sanctions on former Georgian Prime Minister and oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, considered the de facto leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, for the repression of protests in Tbilisi and other Georgian cities against the government's decision to postpone dialogue with Brussels until 2028 for the country's EU accession.
"Ukraine has approved sanctions against Ivanishvili and his accomplices," explained Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video statement, accusing a total of 19 individuals of "selling Georgia's interests" to Russia, as reported by Efe.
"We call on Europe, the United States, and the whole world to do the same," Zelensky declared, emphasizing the need to combat Russian influence in Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, where pro-European forces have denounced Moscow's interference in internal political and electoral processes.
The sanctions include freezing the assets of those affected in Ukraine. The sanctioned individuals are also prohibited from doing business in Ukraine, among other restrictions on their rights.
UNICEF: Over 2,400 Children Killed or Injured Since the Start of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
At least 2,406 children have died or been injured by the war in Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022, meaning an average of two children die or are injured every day, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), as reported by Europa Press.
"The UN has verified that at least 2,406 children have died or been injured since February 2022, an average of two children per day. We know the actual number is much higher," stated their executive director, Catherine Russell, during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
Russell warned that the situation has worsened during the thousand days of the conflict: "the UN verified more child victims during the first nine months of 2024 than in all of 2023."
The continuous attacks have forced many Ukrainian families to live in hiding, disrupting the lives of children, who can spend "up to forced many Ukrainian families to live in hiding."
Additionally, the bombings have damaged or destroyed "nearly 1,500 educational institutions and over 660 health facilities" and numerous energy infrastructures, reducing the country's electricity capacity to "only half of what is needed for the winter months" and causing power cuts of up to "18 hours a day" in some areas.