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Ukraine Invasion
Defense Policy / Programs
Foreign Policy
News Reports

Ukraine Invasion

• Ukraine drones kill 50 North Koreans in battle in Kursk region Radio Free Asia 18 Dec 2024 -- Around 50 North Korean soldiers were killed in a battle against Ukrainian army drones in the Kursk region this week, video of the battle shared on social media revealed.
• Russian Defence Ministry reports on repelling AFU attempt to invade Russian territory in Kursk region (18 December 2024) Russia MoD 18 Dec 2024 -- The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the operation to neutralise an enemy group, which broke into the territory of Kursk region.
• Russian Forces Liberate Two Settlements in Donetsk People's Republic Sputnik 18 Dec 2024 -- Russian armed forces have control of two settlements — Trudovoye and Starye Terny — in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - First Deputy Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Valery Gerasimov held a briefing for military attaches of foreign states Russia MoD 18 Dec 2024 -- Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - First Deputy Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Valery Gerasimov held a briefing for military attachés of foreign states in Moscow. The briefing with the participation of foreign military attachés was devoted to the results of the Russian Defence Ministry's activities in 2024.
• US Withdrew From Arms Treaties to Develop New Weapons - Russian General Sputnik 18 Dec 2024 -- The US pulled out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM), Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) and Open Skies treaties so it could build more destructive weapons, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov has said.

Foreign Policy

• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow, December 18, 2024 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 18 Dec 2024
• Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's telephone conversation with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan Ayman Safadi Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 18 Dec 2024
• U.S., U.K. Say Medvedev's Comment Calling NATO Officials 'Legitimate Targets' Irresponsible RFE/RL 18 Dec 2024 -- The U.K. and U.S. governments on December 18 said the comments of Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev following the assassination of a high-ranking Russian general by Ukrainian security services were irresponsible and yet another sign of Moscow's desperation.
• Re-Imposing Sanctions on Certain Entities Involved in Nord Stream 2 US Dept. of State 18 Dec 2024 -- Fact Sheet

News Reports

• FSB Arrests Ukraine-Recruited Terrorist For Deadly Blast That Killed General Kirillov Sputnik 18 Dec 2024 -- Russian chemical defense chief Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov and his assistant were killed on Tuesday morning by an explosion of a device planted on an electric scooter at the entrance of his apartment building in Moscow.
• Russia arrests suspect 'recruited by Ukraine' over killing of top general Press TV 18 Dec 2024 -- Russian authorities say they have arrested a suspect in connection with the assassination of top General Igor Kirillov, head of the country's army's chemical weapons division, adding that he was recruited by Ukraine.
• Migrants On Edge As Russia Arrests Uzbek Over Ukraine's Assassination Of General RFE/RL 18 Dec 2024 -- Russia accused Kyiv of "terrorism" after authorities said they had detained an Uzbek citizen who confessed to planting an explosive device that killed a high-ranking Russian officer on the instruction of Ukrainian intelligence.
• Fear And Economic Uncertainty Weaken Russia's Pull For Central Asian Migrants RFE/RL 18 Dec 2024 -- Aktilek, an entrepreneur from Kyrgyzstan, worked in Russia for a decade as a street-cleaner, cook, and taxi driver before returning to his homeland due to illness.
• Expert: Several African governments unaware of young workers in Russian drone factories VOA 18 Dec 2024 -- They were promised a chance to earn money, get an education abroad, and gain work experience. Instead, they found themselves assembling military drones in Russia and, in one case, subjected to a Ukrainian drone strike.
• Democratic People's Republic of Korea Faces Security Council Scrutiny Over Military Aid to Russian Federation amid Reports of Troop Deaths UN Security Council 18 Dec 2024 -- Following reports of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's troops killed in the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine, the Security Council today examined growing military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow amid ongoing disputes over sanctions on the North-East Asian country.
• Expert: North Korea accelerating production, transfer of arms to Russia VOA 18 Dec 2024 -- An independent weapons expert told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that North Korea is procuring parts for missiles from third countries and producing and transferring them to Russia faster than previously thought, for use in its war against Ukraine.
• DPRK must cease its support for Russia's illegal war in Ukraine: UK statement at the UN Security Council UK FCDO 18 Dec 2024 -- Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on North Korea.