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Ukraine Invasion
Defense Policy / Programs
Foreign Policy
News Reports

Ukraine Invasion

• Moscow Accuses Kyiv Of Shooting Down Plane With Ukrainian POWs On Board RFE/RL 24 Jan 2024 -- Russia accused Ukraine of shooting down a Russian military cargo plane that crashed on January 24 in the Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine, killing all 74 people on board, including 65 Ukrainian POWs who were on their way to a prisoner exchange.
• Moscow Blames Kyiv for Crash of Russian Military Plane It Claims Carried Ukrainian POWs VOA 24 Jan 2024 -- Russia on Wednesday accused Ukraine of shooting down a military transport plane that Moscow said was carrying 74 people, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were set to be swapped for Russians held by Kyiv.
• Foreign Ministry statement on the destruction of a Russian Il-76 military transport Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24 Jan 2024
• Statement by Russian Defence Ministry Russia MoD 24 Jan 2024 -- Today at 11.15 a.m., the Kiev regime carried out a terrorist act, as a result of which an aircraft of the Russian military transport aviation on a flight from Chkalovsky to Belgorod airfield to transport Ukrainian servicemen for exchange, was shot down.
• Statement by Russian Defence Ministry Russia MoD 24 Jan 2024 -- Today in the morning, the Russian Armed Forces have foiled another attempt launched by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack with a fixed-wing UAV against facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation.
• Russian Foreign Ministry Calls Il-76 Plane Crash Ukraine's Deliberate Attack Sputnik 24 Jan 2024 -- Ukraine's attack on the Russian Il-76 plane that led to its crash in the Belgorod Region was "deliberate," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, and called the incident a "terrorist act."
• Russian Forces Destroyed French-Made Samp-T for First Time in Special Op Zone - MoD Sputnik 24 Jan 2024 -- The Russian military destroyed a French-made Samp-T anti-aircraft complex for the first time, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
• Two Ukrainian Missiles Caused Russian Il-76 Crash in Belgorod Region - Defense Ministry Sputnik 24 Jan 2024 -- The Kiev regime shot down the plane, seeking to pin the blame on Russia for the deaths of the Ukrainian POWs, the Russian Defense Ministry stated.
• Moscow Insists on Having Reliable Information About French Mercenaries in Ukraine — Kremlin Sputnik 24 Jan 2024 -- Moscow insists it has reliable information that suggests there are French mercenaries in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Russia Eyes Nuclear Deterrent After Military Losses in Ukraine, Report Warns VOA 24 Jan 2024 -- Russia's heavy losses in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine mean that Moscow now sees its battlefield nuclear weapons as increasingly important in deterring and defeating NATO, according to a new report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), which warns that the West must wake up to the rising nuclear threat.
• How A Russian Fighter-Jet Manufacturer Continued To Import Western Aviation Parts Despite Sanctions RFE/RL 24 Jan 2024 -- One of Russia's leading manufacturers of fighter jets and civilian aircraft continued to import parts and other equipment from European and U.S. suppliers despite the imposition of Western sanctions following the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
• Russia Sees No US' Intentions to Withdraw Military Contingent From Syria Sputnik 24 Jan 2024 -- Russia sees no intentions and aspirations on the part of the United States to withdraw its military contingent from Syria, Russian special presidential envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev said Wednesday.

Foreign Policy

• Talks with transitional President of Chad Mahamat Idriss Deby President of Russia 24 Jan 2024 -- Vladimir Putin met with transitional President of the Republic of Chad Mahamat Idriss Deby, who is in Russia on an official visit.
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks and answers to media questions following a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine and an open debate on "The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question," New York, January 24, 2024 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24 Jan 2024
• Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's meeting with Permanent Representatives of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) nations to the UN Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24 Jan 2024
• Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24 Jan 2024
• Russian FM Lavrov: Russia Has No Need to Attack Anyone, Statements Suggesting Otherwise are Nonsense Sputnik 24 Jan 2024 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has held a press conference at the UN headquarter in New York finalising his official visit. The top diplomat answered various questions touching upon the most hot topics of the day.
• Talks on Gaza useless without ceasefire: Russian FM IRNA 24 Jan 2024 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the UN Security Council that any discussion on the future of the Gaza Strip is useless without an immediate ceasefire there.
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's statement at the UN Security Council Ministerial Meeting on the Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question, New York, January 23, 2024 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24 Jan 2024
• Analysts: US, South Korea Should Be Ready for Russia-North Korea Alliance VOA 24 Jan 2024 -- Depending on what kinds of weapons technology Moscow transfers to Pyongyang, the United States and South Korea may need to update their measures for dealing with North Korean threats, said analysts.

News Reports

• Serbia Mulls Buying 2 More Russia's Ka-32 Helicopters for Firefighting Sputnik 24 Jan 2024 -- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday he intended to buy two more Russian Ka-32 multipurpose helicopters for firefighting following a fire that broke out in a large Chinese indoor market in Belgrade earlier in the day.
• Three Dutch Drones to Be Sent to Romania to Monitor Russia's Activity - Reports Sputnik 24 Jan 2024 -- The Netherlands, following the NATO chief's statement that the alliance does not see an immediate threat from Russia, will send three MQ-9 Reaper drones to the bloc's eastern border in Romania in February to monitor Russia's military activity, Dutch newspaper Parool reported.