Russian losses in Syria — BBC identifies 543 soldiers, Wagner mercenaries who died since 2015
Of the total number, 346 were employees of the Wagner company, a private mercenary group also deployed in Russia's war in Ukraine and elsewhere.
Boldizsar Gyori
Articles
Russian troops sabotage their boats to avoid Dnipro River crossing, Ukrainian partisans claim
Russian soldiers increasingly sabotage their own boats and equipment to avoid having to attack the Dnipro River islands on the southern front, Ukrainian resistance group Atesh claimed on Dec. 10.
China curbs sale of drone parts to US, Europe, hindering Ukraine’s war effort, Bloomberg reports
Chinese manufacturers began limiting their sales of vital drone components to their U.S. and European customers, preluding a broader ban on exports by officials, Bloomberg wrote, citing undisclosed sources on Dec. 9.
Hungary's PM Orban meets with Trump, Musk, says 'future has begun'
"The future has begun — an afternoon in Mar-a-Lago," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
German opposition leader proposes European contact group to unify Ukraine peace strategy
Speaking to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the German politician said that this united vision should be then presented to the U.S. leadership. Zelensky voiced his support for the proposal, Ukrinform reported.
Russia claims bodies of Il-76 crash victims given to Ukraine, Kyiv says examinations ongoing
Russia has transferred the bodies of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) who died in a plane crash over Russia’s Belgorod Oblast in January, Russian Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova claimed in an interview with state-run RIA Novosti published on Dec. 9.
Syrian opposition takes full control of Latakia province hosting Russian bases, Russian media reports
Syrian opposition fighters took control of the Latakia province, where Russian military facilities – the Kheimin airbase and the Tartus naval base – are based, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Dec. 9, citing a Syrian source.
Estonian PM arrives in Kyiv to meet Zelensky
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal arrived in Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the PM said in a post on X on Dec. 9.
Russian attacks kill 1, injure 9 civilians in Kherson, Donetsk oblasts over past day
Overnight on Dec. 9, the Russian military attacked Ukraine with two Kh-59/69 cruise missiles from the Black Sea. During the night attack, Russia also launched 37 Shaheds and other unidentified drones, Ukraine’s Air Force reported.
Russia has spent $200 billion on full-scale war in Ukraine, suffered 700,000 casualties, Austin says
Russia has spent at least $200 billion on its war with Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at a conference on Dec. 7 in California.
Russia’s Oreshnik strike aftermath was a carefully orchestrated psyop, media reports
The propaganda offensive was coordinated between government, military, and intelligence officials, as well as PR experts, the Moscow Times wrote.
Ukraine's new Palianytsia missile-drone enters serial production, minister says
"A new start-up implemented the Palianytsa missile project, which has already entered serial production thanks to the support of the Defense Ministry," Defense Minister Rustem Umerov wrote in a piece published by the LB.UA outlet.
Abducted mayor tortured to death in Russian captivity, governor says
Yevhenii Matvieiev, the mayor of the occupied Dniprorudne town, was tortured to death in Russian captivity, Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Ivan Fedorov said on his Telegram channel on Dec. 4.
German FM doesn't rule out deploying troops to Ukraine in case of ceasefire
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told journalists that in order to achieve long term peace in Ukraine, security guarantees such as Ukraine’s NATO membership and deployment of international troops, including German ones, are conceivable.
Chinese man arrested in US on suspicions of arms shipments to North Korea
A Chinese man illegally residing in the U.S. was arrested for illegally shipping weapons to North Korea from the U.S., the Justice Department said in a statement on Dec. 3.
Russia to send mercenaries to Syria to reinforce its troops, Ukrainian intelligence claims
Russia is sending private mercenaries to Syria to reinforce its troops, possibly its so-called Africa Corps, the Ukrainian military intelligence agency (HUR) claimed on Dec. 3.
Western sanctions force Russian importers to smuggle their goods, media reports
The latest Western sanctions against 50 Russian banks forced Russian importers to use complex and underhand schemes to pay their Chinese sellers, the Moscow Times reported on Dec. 2, citing undisclosed business sources.
Ukraine won't accept security guarantees substituting NATO membership
"Having the bitter experience of the Budapest Memorandum behind us, we will not settle for any alternatives, surrogates, or substitutes," the Foreign Ministry said.
Slovakia’s PM Fico lashes out at EU for expressing support for Ukraine
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he called European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen to convey to her his disagreement. The Slovak prime minister has repeatedly criticized the EU's support for Ukraine.
Russia trained 300,000 reserve soldiers for war in Ukraine, Russian defense official claims
"Seven companies of instructors and eight training companies for specialists... have trained over 300,000 service members," said Ivan Buvaltsev, the head of the training department at the Armed Forces.
Russia fired at least 60 North Korean missiles against Ukraine, military intelligence says
"Their accuracy, in principle, is not very high. We understand that the technologies by which they were manufactured are outdated," Andrii Cherniak, a military intelligence spokesperson, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Poland shuts down Druzhba pipeline section after oil leak
Supply to customers was not affected by a leak on one of the branching pipes of the Russian Druzhba pipeline in Poland, the Polish operator Pern said in a statement on Dec. 1.
Romania's ruling social democrats on course for most votes, far-right comes in second, preliminary results show
Romania’s ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) received 22.5% of the votes during the parliamentary elections, according to results from more than 99% polling stations published on Dec. 2.
Russia claims Ukraine's drones, missiles attacked Crimea, explosion reported near airfield
Ukrainian drones and missiles attacked Sevastopol in occupied Crimea on Nov. 27, its Russian-installed proxy head Mikhail Razvozhayev claimed.
UK cabinet members on list of those barred from entering Russia
Russia’s Foreign Ministry barred 30 U.K. nationals, including lawmakers, journalists, and ministers like Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Finance Minister Rachel Reeves, from entering its territory in a decision published on Nov. 26.
Russia's ruble sinks to 2022 March levels after US sanctions on Gazprombank
Russia’s ruble took a blow following the news of the U.S. imposing sanctions on 50 Russian banks, including Gazprombank, hitting 108 against the U.S. dollar during early morning trade on Nov. 27.
Russia using bombers it received from Ukraine in 1999, RFE/RL reports
Russia uses at least six Tu-160-type bombers that Ukraine gave to Russia in 1999 as a payment of gas debt, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Schemes' investigation showed on Nov. 26.
Once liberated Kupiansk braces for worst as Russian troops approach, and future Western support looks uncertain
KUPIANSK — Volodymyr paused his Sunday stroll from a shopping center in Kupiansk to take pictures of rubble from a Russian strike that almost killed his wife late last month. "It was broad daylight when they struck," he said. "Our only luck was that my wife was in the kitchen, so
EU's upcoming Russia sanctions to target North Korean officials, Chinese, Indian companies, Ukrainian official says
The EU's 15th sanctions package will include 30 legal entities from eight countries and 50 individuals, the Ukrainian president’s commissioner for sanctions, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, said on Nov. 26.
Russian soldiers suspected of executing 5 Ukrainian POWs near Pokrovsk
Russian forces apparently shot five unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) in Donetsk Oblast earlier this November, the Prosecutor General's Office said on Nov. 26, launching a war crime investigation.
NATO Parliamentary Assembly calls for Ukraine's accession 'as soon as possible'
The assembly urged member states "to step up political and practical efforts to help Ukraine receive an invitation and become the 33rd member of NATO as soon as possible," the resolution read.
Ex-Minister Kuleba calls out Joe Rogan over 'freaking at Ukrainians,' asks for 'real conversation'
"If you ever feel like having a real conversation, let’s sit down and chat about anything Ukraine-related – dragons included. You know your stuff, I know mine. Cigars on me," Dmytro Kuleba said.
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