The EU approves the 15th package of sanctions against Russia, as well as against China and North Korea. The Ukrainian “Peklo” cruise missile is now in mass production, with 100 units manufactured in three months. North Korean army units receive reinforcements after losses in Kursk region, according to Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR)
EU approves 15th sanctions package against Russia, China and North Korea
The Council of the European Union approved the 15th package of sanctions against Russia, described as an aggressor country. This package targets 54 individuals and 30 entities in Russia, China and North Korea, according to a press release published Monday December 16 on the EU Council website.
Included in this list are Russian military personnel involved in the attack on the Ohmatdyt hospital in Kyiv, executives of energy companies, as well as those responsible for the deportation of children, propaganda and evasion of sanctions. .
The EU also imposed restrictions on two senior North Korean officials. The sanctions mainly target Russian defense companies and shipping companies responsible for transporting crude oil and petroleum products by sea.
For the first time, comprehensive sanctions (travel ban, asset freeze, ban on providing economic resources) are applied to several Chinese entities supplying drone components and microelectronics to Moscow.
“These measures aim to combat the circumvention of European sanctions, strike Putin’s ghost fleet and weaken the Russian military-industrial complex,” the statement said.
On December 14, Bloomberg reported that the EU was preparing sanctions against a dozen individuals and three organizations as part of measures to combat disinformation and hybrid actions by Russia.
Additionally, the EU was considering extending sanctions against Belarus. The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, confirmed on December 16 the intention to adopt this new package of sanctions.
The Ukrainian “Peklo” cruise missile enters series production: 100 units manufactured in three months
The new Ukrainian cruise missile “Peklo” has entered serial production – over the past three months the manufacturing company has produced about 100 units of this weapon.
This is stated in an article from Ekonomichna Pravda published on Monday, December 16. We learn that after the end of its development and codification, the “Peklo” missile was immediately launched into series production.
The contracts are awarded by the same units that operate long-range drones. Over the past three months, the developer company has produced around 100 missiles and is currently working to increase its production capacities.
The exact price of a production missile cannot be disclosed, but it will be lower than the cost of the Ukrainian “Lioutyi” suicide drone.
“According to the developer, the missile is made up of 70% Ukrainian components, manufactured by state and private companies. There are many bottlenecks in mass production, but we try to solve them through the interchangeability of elements. For example, the missile will be able to operate with different engines, depending on their availability on the market,” the article said.
On December 6, 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky handed over the first series of “Peklo” drone missiles to the Defense Forces.
These missiles are also called “drone-missiles”. It was from the idea of improving kamikaze drones that Ukrainian engineers created a hybrid between drones and missiles. This new weapon will occupy a niche between long-range drones, but its jet engine and advanced guidance system give it the right to be called a missile.
Even internationally, the designation of these small cruise missiles is debated. “Is it a missile or a drone? », asks an article in the American magazine The Warzone, which describes the concept of small, inexpensive missiles capable of striking hundreds of kilometers away.
In Ukraine, these weapons are called “missile drones”, as President Zelensky presented with the “Palianytsia” missile during this year’s Independence Day.
According to open sources, the “Palianytsia” has a warhead of around 100 kg, which is four times less than that of the Russian “Kalibr” missiles. However, this warhead is 2-4 times heavier than that of conventional Ukrainian long-range drones.
At the beginning of December, another missile, the “Peklo”, was presented. Its warhead is much smaller than that of the “Palianytsia”, which brings it closer to kamikaze drones. However, it can reach speeds of up to 700 km/h, while ordinary drones fly at 150-200 km/h. According to one of the developers of “Peklo”, from a technical point of view, a drone becomes a cruise missile thanks to the presence of a jet engine.
In a certain sense, the term “missile drones” seems justified. When it comes to cruise missiles, Ukrainians usually think of Russian missiles, which have an explosive charge of 400 kg or more, travel at a speed of around 1,000 km/h and are equipped with several missile defense systems. guidance.
On the other hand, kamikaze drones fly slowly, have a warhead ten times smaller and less sophisticated navigation.
North Korean army units are reinforced with new troops after their losses in the Kursk region – Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR).
The enemy reinforces North Korean army units after losses suffered during assaults in the Kursk region, Russia.
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (HUR) reported that on December 14-15, 2024, in the vicinity of the villages of Pliekhovo, Vorobja and Martinovka, located in the Kursk region of the aggressor state, the North Korean army units suffered significant losses – at least 30 soldiers killed or wounded.
Additionally, in the area of the village of Kurilovka, at least three North Korean servicemen were reported missing.
Due to these losses, the assault groups are being reinforced with new troops, notably from the 94th Independent Brigade of the North Korean army, in order to continue active fighting in the Kursk region, specifies the HUR report .
Ukraine’s armed forces have released photos and videos showing Russian and North Korean soldiers killed in the Kursk region after recent assaults. On December 15, HUR also reported that North Korean soldiers opened “friendly fire” and killed eight “Kadyrovtsy.”
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