Russia trains kamikaze drone operators on the Ukrainian civilian population – FT, Zelensky discusses with Rutte the importance of inviting Ukraine to NATO, Ukraine refuses any agreement similar to Yalta-2 or Minsk-3 – MAE
Zelensky discussed with Rutte the importance of inviting Ukraine to NATO
On Thursday, December 5, President Volodymyr Zelensky had a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The head of state announced it on X (Twitter), reports Yevropeïska Pravda.
Zelensky said he thanked Rutte for holding the Ukraine-NATO Council meeting at the level of foreign ministers in Brussels.
“I stressed the importance of inviting Ukraine to NATO and timely strengthening our combat brigades with ammunition, weapons and equipment, as well as consolidating the defense of Ukraine against Russian aerial terrorism this winter,” he added.
The president also specified that he is coordinating, with the NATO Secretary General, positions to “bring closer to a just and stable peace”.
He affirmed that support for Ukraine is crucial not only for his country, but also for all European partners, “because the security of one is the basis of the security of all”. As a reminder, the Ukrainian authorities have clearly declared their refusal to accept security guarantees which would not be equivalent to full membership in the Alliance.
Moreover, Kyiv insists that it is not asking for immediate membership in NATO, taking into account the position of certain member states.
Russia trains suicide drone operators on Ukrainian civilian population – Financial Times
Russia is using the civilian population of Ukrainian cities to enhance its attacks with kamikaze drones and the skills of their operators. Western media believe that the occupiers are “experimenting” on civilians.
According to the Financial Times, since mid-summer, the civilian population of Kherson has become the object of an experiment unprecedented in modern European wars: a coordinated Russian campaign aimed at destroying the city by hunting down its inhabitants with aid armed drones.
Drones, sometimes in swarms, are reported to fly over homes, enter buildings and pursue residents in their cars, on bikes or on foot. Their targets are civilians.
The head of the military administration of the Kherson region, Oleksandr Prokudin, claims that the Russians are “hunting” civilians: “Imagine the psychological effect that this has on a person.”
According to Prokudin, the regional prosecutor's office and the police, since mid-July, Kherson and neighboring villages on the west bank of the Dnipro have suffered more than 9,500 small drone attacks, causing the deaths of at least 37 people and causing hundreds of injuries.
Prokudin also noted that Russia has deployed some of the “best drone units” across the Dnipro. From this bank opposite the city center, the Russians launch the most modern drone models, perfect their tactics and train new operators for their future offensives.
Dozens of videos of drone attacks on civilians have been posted on Russian military and pro-military Telegram channels. The CIR project analyzed and verified 90 of them in a new report.
-The CIR found that the “vast majority” of attacks targeted moving or stationary vehicles. According to Prokudin and other officials, Kherson was used as a training ground for “target shooting.”
Devices used include FPV drones, Chinese Mavic drones and sometimes larger models like “Lancets”. These devices target vulnerable everyday places: crowded markets, gas stations, cafes, post offices and humanitarian aid centers.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the population of the Kherson region, which had a million inhabitants, has increased to 158,000. Kherson itself has fallen from 250,000 inhabitants to only 60,000 currently.
Ukraine will not agree to a Yalta-2 or a Minsk-3 — Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said Ukraine would not agree to agreements similar to the 1945 Yalta conference or the Minsk agreements.
The minister was quoted by the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
At the OSCE Council of Ministers meeting in Malta, Sybiha stressed that as long as Russia violates OSCE principles and commitments, this organization must remain a platform to hold Moscow accountable for its actions.
The annual meeting of foreign ministers from the 57 OSCE member countries takes place on December 4 and 5 in Malta. Sybiha and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken are participating, among others.
It was previously reported that Sybiha left the OSCE plenary hall before Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's speech. Before that, he had called the Russian minister a war criminal. Other foreign ministers and diplomats also left the room after Sybiha.
The foreign ministers of Poland and the Czech Republic also announced that they would boycott Lavrov's intervention at the OSCE.
On December 3, marking the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Budapest Memorandum, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry declared that Ukraine would not agree to any “alternative, substitute or ersatz” to full membership in the Budapest Memorandum. NATO.
On February 4, 1945, the Yalta Conference opened with the participation of the leaders of the USA, Great Britain and the USSR. At this conference they decided the fate of post-war Europe. Among the decisions taken were: Poland's eastern borders on the Curzon Line with minor adjustments in favor of Poland, compensation for Poland with eastern German territories, and the creation of a so-called “Government of national unity” in this country. The principles of the dismemberment of Germany, the occupation regime and reparations were also approved.
