Ukraine attacks Russian targets in Zaporizhzhia
Guns continued to explode on the fronts
Ukraine on December 28 said it had destroyed a warehouse and maintenance site for long-range Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Oryol region of Russia.
The Office of the Chief of General Staff of the Ukrainian Army stated that the above steps of the Ukrainian army “significantly weakened” Russia’s ability to launch large-scale UAV attacks on Ukrainian territory, according to Reuters.
Specifically, the attack was launched on December 26 and carried out by the Ukrainian Air Force.
Moscow has not commented on the above information.
Also on December 28, the Ukrainian Air Force announced that it had shot down 15 out of 16 UAVs originating from Russia overnight, and the remaining 1 UAV disappeared from radar screens.
For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense said on the same day that the country’s air defense systems within 24 hours shot down 3 US-made HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) missiles and 104 hard-wing UAVs. , including 57 UAVs shot down.
Russian units also announced bombardment of the infrastructure of a military airport, a fuel depot of the Ukrainian army and troops and military equipment in 148 areas.
And in Russia’s Kursk province, US officials warned that Ukrainian forces could be pushed out of this Russian region early next year. Since August 6, Ukraine has launched a campaign to pull troops across the Russian border and concentrate firepower in the Kursk region.
The Russian Ministry of Defense recorded that since the beginning of the Kursk campaign, the enemy lost more than 43,900 soldiers and 255 tanks.
Ukraine has not commented on this information.
Russian authorities used a robot to recover the bomb
Russia said it foiled Ukraine’s next assassination plot
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on December 28 that it had foiled terrorist attack plots against a senior officer of the Russian Ministry of Defense and a military blogger reporting on a special military operation. in Ukraine, according to TASS.
Specifically, investigators discovered that a Russian citizen had connected with an official from the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Agency via Telegram.
Based on this official’s instructions, the Russian citizen retrieved a bomb from a secret hiding place in Moscow.
The bomb was homemade and was loaded with explosives equivalent to 1.5 kg of TNT, stuffed with ball bearings and stuffed into a portable music player. However, the plot was foiled and Russian authorities used a robot to recover the bomb.
The FSB did not mention the names of the two targets. Ukraine has not commented on the above information.
On December 17, General Igor Kirillov of Russia’s agency for the prevention of radiological, chemical and biological weapons was assassinated outside his Moscow apartment in a car bomb attack carried out by Ukrainian intelligence, according to Reuters.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (left) said he is ready to hold peace talks on the Ukraine issue if chosen
Is Slovakia Russia’s only option?
While the fronts continue to be tense, the prospect of peace talks has been considered by Russia after President-elect Donald Trump in the US prioritized resolving the Ukraine conflict on his agenda when he returned to the White House.
Slovakia on December 27 confirmed its readiness to host negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
“If someone wants to organize negotiations for peace in Slovakia, we will be ready and hospitable,” AFP quoted Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s statement posted on his Facebook account.
However, a day later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that any country with a neutral stance could hold peace talks on the Ukraine issue, and Slovakia was not the only choice.
“We are talking about countries that maintain a neutral stance and are committed to equal dialogue with both Kyiv and Moscow. There are a number of such countries,” according to Mr. Peskov, but did not reveal which countries they were. .
Previously, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Prime Minister Fico, who recently visited Moscow, expressed his willingness to organize peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. According to Mr. Putin, Russia does not oppose this idea.
