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The European Union is a partnership of 27 European countries, covering a significant part of the European continent. The EU is home to about 447 million people, or almost 6% of the world's population. Citizens of the EU countries are also EU citizens.

Ukraine also intends to develop relations with the European Union, in particular to become a full member of the bloc.

However, in recent years, the EU has faced many challenges, such as the global financial crisis of 2008, the influx of migrants from Africa and the Middle East, the UK's exit from the EU (Brexit), and the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Now the challenges have been added to by a full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine, because it was to the EU countries that several million Ukrainian refugees fled from the war. And many European countries also supply us with weapons, ammunition, or finance urgent social needs.

ICTV Facts have prepared a detailed analysis of how the European Union works, what institutions it has and what they are responsible for.

• When the European Union was created
• The main institutions of the EU
• The powers of the European Parliament
• Elections to the European Parliament
• What does the European Commission do
• How the EU implements foreign policy
• Does the European Union have its own army
• EU budget
• Schengen area
• Other EU institutions
• Ukraine — EU
• European Commission report on Ukraine, 30 October 2024
• War could affect the pace of accession
• Can Ukraine's integration change EU dominance
• Obstacles during Ukraine's accession talks to the EU
• Interesting facts about the EU

When the European Union was created

After World War II, in the 50s, European countries began talking about uniting for economic growth and future peace protection.

The Treaty on European Union was signed on February 7, 1992 in Maastricht, Netherlands. The Maastricht Treaty came into force on 1 November 1993.

The EU received its current structure and powers in 2007 under the Lisbon Treaty, also known as the Reform Treaty.

According to these documents, the bloc's 27 members agreed to pool their sovereignty and delegate many powers to the EU.

The EU's Main Institutions

The EU has seven main institutions, which can be roughly grouped according to their executive, legislative, judicial and financial functions.

The EU also has dozens of smaller bodies that make laws, coordinate foreign policy and trade, and manage the common budget.

European Council — the group of the EU's top political leaders — consists of the president or prime minister of each member state. At council meetings, they determine the general direction of the EU and decide on pressing high-level issues.

EU members elect a president, who can serve for up to two 2.5-year terms. The current president is the former Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel.

European Commission— the EU's chief executive. It proposes legislation, manages the budget, implements decisions, issues regulations and represents the EU worldwide at summits, negotiations and in international organisations.

The members of the Commission are appointed by the European Council and approved by the European Parliament. The Commission is currently chaired by former German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen.

The European Parliament is directly elected and its representatives are nominated by the population of each member state. The EP does not propose bills, but laws cannot be passed without the approval of MEPs.

The European Parliament also negotiates and approves the EU budget and oversees the Commission. The parliament is currently chaired by Maltese politician Roberta Metsola.

The Council of the European Union — or Council of Ministers— is the second legislative branch of government, and is also involved in passing laws.

The Council is made up of ministers from the governments of all EU member states. Ministers meet in groups based on their areas of activity: foreign ministers meet in one group, agriculture ministers in another, and so on.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is the highest judicial body of the EU, which interprets the bloc's legislation for national courts and resolves disputes. The CJEU consists of the European Court of Justice (which makes decisions on violations by member states, interprets legislation) and the General Court — there is a wide range of consideration of claims against EU institutions.

European Central Bank (ECB)manages the euro for the 19 countries that use the currency, and regulates the EU banking system. The ECB's director is the former head of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde.

The European Court of Auditors (ECA) audits the EU budget, checks how funds are spent, and reports fraud to parliament, the commission, and national governments.

The offices of the above-mentioned institutions are located throughout the EU, with headquarters in Brussels, Frankfurt, Luxembourg and Strasbourg.

Powers of the European Parliament

Although the European Parliament cannot initiate legislation, laws for the EU cannot be passed without its approval. It debates all laws, particularly budgetary laws, with the Commission and the Council of Ministers in a procedure known as co-decision.

International agreements, particularly trade agreements, also require the European Parliament's approval. The President of the European Parliament, who is elected by the body, must also sign laws into law for them to be adopted.

The European Parliament approves the members of the European Commission and can also force the Commission to resign. Although this has never happened before, in 1999 the commission resigned en masse due to a corruption scandal.

Elections to the European Parliament

Direct elections to the European Parliament are held in all member countries of the European Union. Each country has its own quota of deputies, which is calculated depending on the size of the population.

The territory of the European Union is divided into constituencies, each of which occupies the territory of only one state.

In each of the states, members of the European Parliament are elected according to national rules, so the quota of members of the European Parliament can be distributed differently within the country and divided into several constituencies.

Currently, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Poland and France have more than one constituency. In the remaining states, the borders coincide with the borders of a single constituency.

The European Parliament consists of 751 members of the European Parliament. However, only 720 are elected because seats became vacant after Britain left the EU. Now these seats are being held in parliament in case of expansion.

What the European Commission is doing

The Commission consists of 27 Commissioners, one from each Member State, and is chaired by a President. The President is elected by the European Council and approved by the European Parliament after each parliamentary election, and leads the Commission for a five-year term.

The College of Commissioners consists of:

• the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy;
• the Trade Commissioner, who leads trade negotiations;
• the Competition Commissioner, responsible for bloc-wide corporate regulation;
  and 23 other commissioners, who deal with energy, jobs and growth, climate and financial regulation.

The Commission is responsible for drafting legislation, drawing up and distributing the EU budget, and implementing EU laws.

How the EU carries out its foreign policy

The common foreign and security policy concerns diplomacy, security and defence cooperation.

The highest level of governance is exercised by the national governments of the member states through the European Council and the Council of Ministers.

Foreign policy is carried out by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. This position is also known as the EU Foreign Minister. It is currently held by the Spanish politician Josep Borrell.

It is worth noting that the EU played a leading role in the negotiations on the Paris climate agreement and the nuclear deal with Iran, which were concluded in 2015. In 2016, the EU reached an agreement with Turkey to limit the admission of refugees.

The EU imposed sanctions on Russia after its annexation of Crimea in 2014. However, before the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2022, the bloc's members argued over how closely to cooperate with Moscow in energy and other areas, given the EU's dependence on Russian oil and gas.

But with the start of Russia's war against Ukraine in 2022, Germany stopped Russia's massive Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, and the EU as a whole increased sanctions against Russian financial institutions and individuals, and Putin in particular.

Does the EU have its own army

EU countries cooperate in military missions on a voluntary basis. However, there is no permanent EU army independent of the armies of the member states. Incidentally, the membership of countries in the EU and the military bloc NATO partially coincides.

In September, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had signed an application to join NATO on an accelerated basis.

The Lisbon Treaty recognizes NATO as the main means of collective defense for Europe.

EU Budget

The European Union's spending in 2020 (the last year for which the European Commission has published full accounts) amounted to more than $197 billion.

About 35% goes to agriculture, in particular payments to farmers, development of fisheries, forestry, and rural communities.

Money is also allocated for economic, social, and territorial cohesion, designed to help less developed EU countries.

About 14% of the budget goes to research and development, energy, transport and telecommunications.

The EU budget is revised annually.

Schengen Area

The Schengen Area includes countries that have agreed to abolish all border controls between themselves and to strengthen law enforcement cooperation.

The area includes: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Spain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Italy, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, as well as Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland (the last four countries are not members of the EU).

Other EU institutions

European Stability Mechanism (ESM) is an EU agency that provides emergency loans directly to governments or private banks in trouble.

The European Investment Bank (EIB), founded in 1958, is the EU's official investment bank, providing cheap loans, equity investments and other financing to thousands of businesses, government programmes and the like.

The European Economic Area (EEA) is a 1994 agreement that extends the EU's single market to three non-EU countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. These three countries, plus Switzerland, form the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), a separate free trade area.

Ukraine — EU

Our country borders four EU members: Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Romania.

On 5 March 2007, Ukraine and the EU began negotiations on a new agreement. On 9 September 2008, at the Paris Summit, Ukraine and the European Union agreed to conclude an Association Agreement.

The political part of the Association Agreement was signed on 21 March 2014, the economic part on 27 June 2014.

On 16 September 2014, the Verkhovna Rada and the European Parliament simultaneously ratified the Association Agreement. It entered into force on 1 September 2017.

On 28 February 2022, Ukraine applied for membership in the European Union. On 17 June 2022, the European Commission recommended that the European Council grant Ukraine candidate status. At the same time, official Brussels put forward seven demands for reforms in Ukraine.

On 23 June 2022, the European Council granted Ukraine candidate status for accession to the European Union.

On June 25, 2024, the European Union began accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, noting that the process would not be easy and would lack shortcuts.

European Commission report on Ukraine dated October 30, 2024

On October 30, the European Commission published a report on the state of Ukraine's European integration aspirations, which noted that the first negotiation clusters could be opened as early as 2025, subject to further necessary steps being taken.

The report notes that Ukraine pays attention to protecting the rights of national minorities. Hungary insisted on this point. Ukraine is also actively working on the integrity of the judicial system and strengthening anti-corruption institutions. The number of cases of corruption investigations among officials has increased significantly. But despite the progress, the European Commission calls for further active combating corruption and organized crime.

EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernová said that the European Commission's report on Ukraine's European integration aspirations is positive for us. According to her, there is progress in all areas.

Hungarian European Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi said that Ukraine, provided that all necessary reforms are carried out, will be able to become a member of the European Union within the next five years — that is, by 2030. According to him, additional instruments have been created for Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkan countries that will help speed up reforms.

Vladimir Fesenko, political scientist, chairman of the board of the Penta Center for Applied Political Research, in a commentary to ICTV Fakty noted that 2030 had previously been named by other leaders of the European Union — Josep Borrell and Ursula von der Leyen.

— As I understand it, this is an approximate political benchmark for the leadership of the European Union, given the experience of negotiations, for example, with Romania, Bulgaria, and even earlier with Poland and the Baltic countries. This is a benchmark, given the pace of negotiations, the implementation of changes agreed upon during the negotiations, and the final procedure for accepting Ukraine's accession, when each country of the European Union must give consent, — says the political scientist.

In total, from today's stage, from the moment negotiations on individual clusters began, it turns out to be about 5 years. The procedure for negotiations, by the way, is also being adjusted, changed.

Therefore, 2030 is a benchmark for the European Union. And this is a fairly realistic position, believes Volodymyr Fesenko.

War may affect the pace of accession

According to Volodymyr Fesenko, the state of war will undoubtedly affect the pace and the final decision on Ukraine's accession to the EU.

— If, for example, the war drags on not for 2-3 years, but for 5 years, this will undoubtedly interfere. And some countries in the European Union will put forward the state of war itself as the main argument against Ukraine's accession, — says a political expert.

On the other hand, if the war ends and our country begins to recover, even if there is no peace agreement, but simply an agreement to cease hostilities and everything looks stable enough, then this will be a favorable prerequisite, at least for most EU countries.

There is a question that is often raised — what to do with the occupied parts of Ukrainian territory? Volodymyr Fesenko noted that, as experience shows, this should not prevent Ukraine from joining the EU. After all, Cyprus once became a member of the European Union, although Northern Cyprus was occupied by Turkey.

— So the main thing here — is precisely the end of the war, — noted Vladimir Fesenko.

Can Ukraine's integration change the EU's dominance

According to Volodymyr Fesenko, there is no coalition of Slavic countries in the European Parliament. There are coalitions based on ideological principles and political similarities. That is, there is a coalition of center-right parties — this is the European People's Party — the largest faction in the European Parliament. There are social democratic parties or parties close to them.

There is a coalition of liberal parties, which includes, in particular, the Servant of the People party.

— There is no coalition of Slavic countries. Moreover, different political forces are represented in the EP from the Slavic countries, sometimes opposing in their positions. There are right-wing populist parties, for example, in Hungary. And there are centrist parties that support Ukraine. By the way, right-wing populist parties, like in Italy, also support Ukraine. Therefore, the situation here is ambiguous, — emphasized Vladimir Fesenko.

In addition, we see how different the position of some Slavic countries – the Czech Republic and Slovakia – is on Ukraine. (Recall that the President of the Czech Republic strongly supports Ukraine and provides military assistance to Kyiv. The government of Slovakia, in particular Prime Minister Robert Fico, is against military assistance and anti-Russian sanctions).

According to the political expert, Ukraine's appearance in the European Parliament will certainly make changes, because we are the largest country in Europe.

According to Volodymyr Fesenko, the size of our country was previously a certain obstacle. Many in Europe feared that such a large country, both in population and territory, would be too big an object for integration into the European Union.

For example, the subsidization of the Ukrainian agricultural sector could become a challenge for the EU. This is causing concern in a number of countries, such as Poland.

— And here a paradox arises. From a political point of view, we are close to the Poles. And economically — we are competitors. And this competition is only getting stronger, — says Volodymyr Fesenko.

Therefore, whether Ukraine will change the balance of political forces in the European Union is better to say when we are approaching accession. We will see which political forces in Ukraine will dominate then.

Obstacles during negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU

By the way, it is economic competition that may be perhaps the main obstacle during the negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU. For example, the Poles and some other countries in certain sectors view us as powerful competitors, since Ukraine has a large agricultural sector. And here our government will have to look for difficult compromises, the political scientist notes.

— If we enter the European Union under the current rules, we must become the main consumer of agricultural subsidies from the European Union. And this is the lion's share of their budget. And this means that other countries will not receive these subsidies, — says Vladimir Fesenko.

According to him, our farmers have a good understanding of the situation and are ready to refuse some of these subsidies.

We may also have problems with the integration of new EU environmental standards — the so-called Green Deal. But in fairness it should be noted that in Europe this work is also quite difficult.

These are the key problems that are currently arising and will influence the negotiation processes in the future, summed up Vladimir Fesenko.

Interesting facts about the EU

• The European Union has 24 official languages.
• The euro is used by 19 out of 27 countries.
• The EU slogan — Unity in diversity.
• With about 83 million inhabitants, Germany is the largest EU country by population, and Malta, with a population of 500,000, is the smallest.
• Eight Central and Eastern European countries joined the EU in 2004: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Estonia.
• The UK left the EU in 2020.
• The countries are currently — The candidates for EU membership are Ukraine, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, and potential candidates are Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.

Drone invasion: over 60 UAVs “shot down” over Kursk region in a few hours, Anastasia Lukashevskaya

Russians said that on the night of November 1 they actively repelled the drone attack. In particular, in the Kursk region they counted more than 60 targets. In general, throughout Russia they recorded more than 80 drones.

It is difficult to judge the “effectiveness” of the Russian air defense. However, if we are guided by the official reports of the Russian authorities, the night was restless.

Thus, the head of the Kursk region Smirnov stated that from 19:00 on October 31 to 00:30 on November 1, 61 Ukrainian aircraft-type drones were shot down in the skies over the region.

But the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that 83 Ukrainian drones were allegedly intercepted and destroyed by air defense systems on duty.

The Russians reported the downing of:

• 36 UAVs over the territory of the Kursk region region,
• 20 – over the territory of the Bryansk region,
• 12 – over the territory of the Republic of Crimea,
• 8 – over the territory of the Voronezh region,
• 4 – over the territory of the Oryol region,
• 3 – over the territory of the Belgorod region.

By the way, on the evening of Thursday, October 31, drones attacked fuel and energy plants in Bashkortostan, and on the night of November 1, a drone allegedly damaged a high-rise building in Bryansk

On October 30, Russia and the DPRK signed a digital communications cooperation agreement that is intended to bolster the Kremlin's digital authoritarianism in order to strengthen domestic repression.

This is stated in a report by analysts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Agreement on cooperation between North Korea and the Russian Federation in the field of communications

Recall that in July 2024, the Prosecutor General's Offices of Russia and North Korea signed an agreement on joint work. Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov said that the Russian Federation would like to study Pyongyang's judicial practice in the field of communications and information technology.

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According to ISW analysts, these Russian-North Korean agreements are likely to help Moscow expand its methods of internal control and strengthen its control over the Russian information space, including through messaging platforms and VPN (virtual private network) services.

The details of the October 30 agreement are not yet known, but it is also likely aimed at suppressing the Russian Federation's internal information space.

Russia was massively attacked by drones in the evening, and Crimea also got it Margarita Voloshina

The evening of October 31 was restless for Russians, in a number of regions explosions were heard due to the alleged shooting down of air targets by air defense forces. There is also information about a drone attack on the temporarily occupied peninsula.

This was reported by 24 Kanal with reference to Russian media and local Telegram channels. Ukraine was traditionally blamed for the attack.

UAVs attacked Crimea and Russia

Air defense systems shot down 41 UAVs over the Kursk, Bryansk, Oryol, Belgorod regions and Crimea in an hour and a half, the Russian Defense Ministry reported, the statement said.

In particular, locals from the Bryansk region are releasing footage in which the sounds of UAV movement can be heard over the region.

Drone attack on the Bryansk region: watch video

In addition, Russians complained about a UAV attack in Crimea. According to preliminary information, “at least three cannon shots” were heard in the center of Simferopol. It is noted that most likely air defense was operating there. The enemy Ministry of Defense confirmed the attack, noting the alleged downing of a drone, but there is no confirmation of this.

Also, shortly before this, the Russian defense department reported the downing of a UAV after reports of explosions in the area of ​​Dzhankoy and the Dzhankoy region. Subsequently, they announced a third target, which was also allegedly shot down. There they blamed Kyiv for everything, while the Ukrainian government has not yet commented on this.

Recall that on the evening of October 31, there were also reports of explosions in Ufa. They even introduced temporary restrictions there due to the danger of UAVs. Rosaviatsia reported a temporary suspension of flights, without specifying the reasons. Preliminary, there is an alleged hit on the Sterlitamak petrochemical plant.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the night strike of a guided aerial bomb on a nine-story building in Kharkov, where, according to the latest data, there are two dead and more than 30 injured.

Zelensky's reaction to the explosion in Kharkov

— Russia hit a nine-story building in Kharkiv with a guided bomb. Unfortunately, there are casualties, including children. There may be more people under the rubble. All necessary services are on site, the president said.

According to him, Western partners see what is happening in Ukraine every day. Therefore, each of their delayed decisions (regarding long-range strikes with Western weapons against military targets in the Russian Federation, – Ed.) — is at least dozens, if not hundreds of such Russian bombs against Ukraine.

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Vladimir Zelensky noted that the lives of our people depend on the decision of our partners. Therefore, Ukraine and the West must stop Russia together and do it with all possible force.

FAB strike on Kharkov on October 30

Recall that on the evening of October 30, the Russian military launched a high-explosive aerial bomb (FAB-500) at Kharkov. The heavy enemy shell hit a residential high-rise building. Almost an entire entrance was destroyed.

As of 08:00, the Kharkov Regional Military Administration reported that a 12-year-old boy had died and fragments of a human body had been found. Another child, a 15-year-old teenager, was under the rubble. At least 34 people were injured.

Emergency rescue operations are ongoing. The head of the Kharkiv OVA, Oleg Sinegubov, noted that the search is complicated by significant damage to the building's structure and the threat of collapse.

The full-scale war in Ukraine has been going on for 981 days.

You can monitor the situation in cities on the interactive map of military operations in Ukraine and on the air raid map in Ukraine.

Elite Russian special forces units suffered devastating losses during the invasion of Ukraine, – media Yaroslav Pogonchuk

Russia continues to send thousands of its soldiers to certain death in Ukraine every day. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, elite Russian special forces units have suffered colossal losses.

Channel 24 reports with reference to The National Interest. Journalists say that one of the reasons for the devastating losses among elite special forces units is Russia's desire for an “easy victory”.

What was the role of Russian special forces in Ukraine

Russian elite military units suffered colossal losses during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Their main task was “the elimination of the Ukrainian leadership.”

The publication stated that the Russian military command was striving for an “easy victory” in Ukraine, so it brought in special forces units. For example, at the beginning of the invasion, when Russian paratroopers attacked the Gostomel airport near Kiev, the special forces intended to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky and other high-ranking officials.

How many elite fighters could Russia lose

Since elite forces are difficult to replace on short notice, it could take Moscow up to a decade to restore its special forces to their pre-war potential, which is a critical setback for Russia's strategic special operations capabilities against adversaries, the publication notes.

The journalists noted that the Kremlin deployed special forces whenever Russian occupiers encountered significant resistance. In particular, they participated in battles in Mariupol, Kherson, Liman, Kharkov, Kyiv and Donbas.

According to the Pentagon, four of the five Russian special forces brigades had suffered significant losses by the summer of 2022. One of the special forces brigades had only “125 active troops out of 900 deployed.” Analysts suggest that “a unit that has lost almost 90% of its combat capability is considered ineffective and is withdrawn behind the front lines.”

Photo: Kharkivska OVA

Photo: Kharkivska OVA

Photo: Kharkivska OVA

Photo: Kharkivska OVA

Photo: Kharkivska OVA

Photo: Kharkivska OVA

Photo: Kharkivska OVA

Photo: our website

On the evening of October 30, after powerful explosions in Kharkov, almost the entire entrance of a multi-story residential building was destroyed. It is known about the dead 12-year-old and 15-year-old boys and a man.

Explosions in Kharkov — what are the consequences

Explosions were heard in Kharkov on the evening of October 30, the city mayor Igor Terekhov reported.

After the KAB hit the fourth floor of a multi-story building in Kharkov, a fire broke out. According to preliminary data, the enemy hit with a FAB-500. The State Emergency Service reported that the entrance of a 9-story building was destroyed from the first to the fifth floors. The destruction of the building from the enemy KAB is quite significant, which threatens a collapse.

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As noted by Ukrainian journalists, in part of Kharkov after the explosion, the power went out. Civilian cars were damaged.

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Shelling of Kharkov — what is known about the victims

According to the head of the Kharkov OVA Oleg Sinegubov, a 12-year-old boy was found under the rubble. The child suffered severe head injuries and fractures. Medics spent more than half an hour performing resuscitation measures, but, unfortunately, they were unable to save the boy.

Rescuers also recovered body fragments from under the rubble. Sinegubov later reported that the fragments found belong to a preliminarily identified person. He also reported that rescuers had unblocked the body of a civilian male aged approximately 25-30 years.

As reported by the head of the Investigative Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Kharkiv region, Serhiy Bolvinov, a Russian aerial bomb flew into the Saltovka district.

— It was a FAB-500 with an UMPK, a 12-year-old boy was pulled out from under concrete slabs, but they did not even have time to take him to the hospital, the child died in the ambulance, — he wrote.

The body of fifteen-year-old schoolboy Boris, who was visiting his grandparents, was difficult for rescuers to retrieve from the rubble for a long time because his apartment was covered with concrete slabs from the upper floors.

The teenager's family lives in Severnaya Saltovka and the parents took their son to where they thought it would be safer, closer to the metro. At the time of the strike, the boy was in an apartment on the first floor, on the very side where the Russian air bomb landed. The adults were in another room at the time of the strike and survived.

— The body of 15-year-old Boris, who remained under the rubble on the first floor, was pulled out from under the concrete slabs. Until the very end, they hoped that the child would be saved, but unfortunately, the boy died under the rubble. This is the third victim of the Russian strike on the multi-story building, — said Sergei Bolvinov.

The identity of the man who was found earlier has not yet been established. It is known that he lived on the upper floors, he was about 35 years old.

The State Emergency Service reported that the number of people injured as a result of the airstrike on the multi-story building has increased to 36 people, three of them were saved by emergency workers.

Rescue operations were completed only on the evening of October 31.

Strike on Kharkov — Zelensky's statement

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that Russia had hit a nine-story building in Kharkiv with a guided bomb. According to him, partners see what is happening in Ukraine every day.

According to the head of state, in such conditions, every delayed decision is at least dozens, if not hundreds, of such Russian bombs against Ukraine.

— Their decisions — the lives of our people. Therefore, we must stop Russia together and do it with all possible force, — the President of Ukraine stated.

Before the explosions, the Ukrainian Air Force recorded Shahed attack drones in the north of the Kharkiv region, which were heading southeast.

Then, enemy tactical aviation activity was observed in the southeastern direction, and the Ukrainian military warned of the threat of using air strikes for frontline areas.

Kharkiv on the map

Russian troops have repeatedly shelled Kharkov with guided aerial bombs, drones and missiles.

Kharkiv is a city in northeastern Ukraine, with an area of ​​about 350 square kilometers. km.

Kharkov on the map. Photo: Google Maps

On the evening of October 30, Russian troops attacked the Dnieper, resulting in the injury of a 14-year-old boy.

That same evening, Russia carried out a massive shelling of the Odessa region, launching 10 missiles of various types.

The full-scale war in Ukraine has been going on for 981 days.

You can monitor the situation in cities on the interactive map of military operations in Ukraine and on the map of air raids in Ukraine.

They are being trained to fight from the cradle, – Chernik estimated the age of the DPRK military Melania Golembyovskaya

South Korean intelligence reported that North Korea is sending soldiers under the age of 20 to war against Ukraine. However, such soldiers should not be underestimated.

This opinion was expressed to Channel 24 by retired colonel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, military expert Petr Chernik, noting that the DPRK soldiers are trained from childhood for war with “evil” countries. He also suggested why the Russians disguise them as Buryats.

Chernik estimated the age of the DPRK soldiers

A reserve colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine explained that each person “grows” from a certain social worldview. He noted that the military from North Korea should definitely not be underestimated.

They are trained to fight the “evil West” or the “evil South Korea” from the cradle, – Chernik emphasized.

In terms of physical ability, then 20 years old, apparently, is almost the best for a soldier. According to the reserve colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the best age for a military attack aircraft is from 20 to 28 years old. He noted that the average age of US Army servicemen is 26 years old.

“Of course, I share the opinion that in our worldview and mental coordinates, 18 years is definitely early. However, an indicator of when a person becomes fully formed both physically and mentally is higher basic education. At 18, he entered and at 23 he is already ready, the same applies to military education,” Chernik noted.

Interesting! Former head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense in 2015-2016 Valery Kondratyuk believes that the military from the DPRK do not have sufficient experience of service and training. At the same time, he noted that they belong to the assault units that were supposed to be sent to the war against South Korea, this indicates that they are the most combat units.

According to him, the North Korean military is disguised as Buryats so that later it would be impossible to accurately count their losses. However, in addition, there is an important point here – the Russians simply want to “throw up their hands and say that they do not have any North Korean troops here.”

The Russians have a very specific way of thinking. They can present the same information very, very differently, depending on the propaganda situation. They are preparing various propaganda tools, – noted the retired colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Chernik added that the DPRK troops would not have arrived in Russia without China's permission. The country can at any time, due to certain events, force Kim Jong-un to take them away. Then the DPRK will simply say that “they were not there, they were Buryats.”

By the way, Vladimir Zelensky believes that the number of troops sent to Russia will depend on the West's reaction. If the reaction is not decisive, Kim Jong-un can provide 100 thousand soldiers.

The United States will soon announce a new military aid package for Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced this during a press conference he held jointly with Pentagon Secretary Lloyd Austin and colleagues from South Korea.

— We continue to provide assistance to Ukraine from the United States and will announce more in the coming days, — he emphasized.

Blinken did not announce details about the contents of the new package in advance.

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Military aid to Ukraine from the United States — $400 million package

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, visiting Kyiv on October 21, announced a $400 million military package for Ukraine.

He then indicated that it would include ammunition, military equipment, and weapons.

The Pentagon chief emphasized that Washington would remain a reliable partner for Kyiv in accordance with the bilateral security agreement signed by Presidents Zelensky and Biden.

Where is Ufa located on the map, which was attacked by drones Yaroslav Pogonchuk

On the evening of October 31, drones attacked the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan in Russia, Ufa. The Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim plant was hit

Note that the distance from Ukraine to Ufa is more than 1,400 kilometers. 24 Channel shows where the city is located on the map.

Where is Ufa located

Russian media reported on the evening of October 31 that one of the drones crashed in the industrial zone of Ufa. The plant “Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim” was hit. In particular, they claim that the drone allegedly got entangled in gratings and cables, which helped to avoid a direct attack on the enterprise.

Traditionally, the Russians said that there was no explosion, and there was a “bang” at the site of the impact.

Emergency services are currently working at the scene. Note that as a result of the UAV attack, the local airport ceased operations.

It is also interesting that the distance from Ukraine to Ufa is more than 1,400 kilometers.

Where is Ufa located: see the map