Kiev under drones, four US missiles shot down by Moscow near Ukraine, an afternoon meeting between Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus… Le Figaro This Monday, December 19, provides an update on news of the war in Ukraine.
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Putin is in Belarus for talks with his ally Lukashenko
Russian President Vladimir Putin assured on Monday that Russia “not interested” absorb Belarus, its closest ally, which is heavily dependent on Moscow for gas and oil supplies. “Russia is not interested in absorbing anyone. It just doesn’t make sense.”At the end of the negotiations held in Minsk, Vladimir Putin said during a press conference with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. “Russia and Belarus are open to dialogue with other countries, including European countries.”According to the images broadcast on Russian television, he had earlier assured Alexander Lukashenko at the beginning of this meeting. However, he appealed to Westerners “Listen to the voice of reason” and called for closer cooperation with Moscow, considering “hard times” current
This summit of the heads of state of Russia and Belarus takes place at a time when the Ukrainian authorities say they fear the possibility of a Russian attack on Kiev in the first months of 2023, which will be launched from the territory of Belarus, repeating the launch scenario. the February 24 raid. Adding to the concerns, the Russian military announced on Monday that it would take part in the drills “tactic” In Belarus, after the announcement of the creation of a joint force of several thousand in October. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, denied that Vladimir Putin went to Belarus to convince Minsk to take direct part in the conflict in Ukraine. “stupid” and: “unreasonable”.
Moscow announced that it shot down four American-made missiles near Ukraine
The Russian military said on Monday that it had shot down four US-made HARM missiles over its territory in the skies over the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, where Moscow has been waging an offensive since February. “Four American HARM anti-radar missiles were shot down in the airspace of the Belgorod region”.This is stated by the Russian Ministry of Defense in its daily report published on Telegram, without further details.
The United States has supplied Ukraine with an unspecified number of AGM-88 HARM missiles. This type of weaponry was launched for the first time in 1984 and has a range of more than 48 kilometers. They are designed to target radar-armed air defense systems and are adapted to shoot down Soviet-era Ukrainian warplanes. Asked by AFP about the Russian claims, the Pentagon said “Cannot verify this information”.
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Kiev under drones, blackouts
Kyiv suffered from a new mass attack of drones sent by Russia from Sunday to Monday night. According to the local authorities, 23 of these devices were seen in the sky of the capital, 18 of which were neutralized by anti-aircraft defense. This was reported by the local authorities “some infrastructure and houses” was “damaged” and at least three people were injured.
According to the national operator Ukrenergo, power cuts were introduced in Kyiv and 10 regions due to the current situation. “difficult” after these keyboards on the net. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky assured that Moscow has received it “new batch” 250 drones from Iran. At the European summit in Riga, he requested Norwegian NASAMS missile batteries, German Leopard tanks, Swedish Archer artillery systems and French Caesar guns.
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The Kremlin called the EU’s wholesale gas price cap “unacceptable”.
The Kremlin on Monday called a“unacceptable” the limitation of the wholesale price of gas, which was approved by the energy ministers of the EU member states at a meeting in Brussels. “It is a violation of the market process of pricing.”“, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, quoted by Russian news agencies. “Any reference to the ‘price’ threshold is unacceptable”he insisted.
Russia announces naval exercises with China
Russia announced on Monday that several of its warships will take part in exercises with the Chinese navy starting this week, as Moscow and Beijing strengthen ties amid the Ukraine conflict. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the drills will take place from December 21 to 27 in the East China Sea, and that they are planning joint missile, artillery and anti-submarine warfare exercises for sailors. “The main purpose of the exercises is to strengthen naval cooperation between Russia and China, to maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.”continued the ministry.
According to this source, Russia will deploy the “Varyag” missile cruiser, the “Marshal Shaposhnikov” frigate, as well as two corvettes. In turn, according to the Russian Ministry, China will send two destroyers, two patrol ships, a supply ship and a submarine with a diesel engine. “Airplanes and helicopters of the (Russian) Pacific Fleet and the Chinese Navy will be used in the exercise.”– said the Ministry of the Russian Federation.
Source: Le Figaro
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