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Russia announces evacuation of 30,000 people from cities bordering Ukraine Asya Kovaleva

Russia announced about the evacuation of 30 thousand people from cities bordering Ukraine/Collage 24 Channel

Approximately 30 thousand people were evacuated from territories adjacent to Ukraine. In the Kursk region, the evacuation affected more than 100 thousand people.

This is reported by Russian media, 24 Channel informs.

Evacuation from border towns is underway in Russia

Today, in 65 Russian regions, there are 960 temporary accommodation points (TAP), in which 30,415 people are located, including 7,670 children, she said.

In addition, Moskalkova noted that, according to data EMERCOM, 112,337 people were evacuated from Kursk Oblast.

“12,328 residents of Kursk Oblast, including 3,685 children, have been placed in temporary accommodation centers, medical and social institutions, and children's camps on the territory of Russia. More than 100,000 have been placed independently with relatives and friends. And there are about 40,000 residents who refused to evacuate or have already returned to their permanent places of residence,” she added.

Earlier, Russia said it had evacuated 76,000 people from Kursk Oblast. Some Russians are being evacuated to the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine.

The European Union is moving towards investing in the defense industry of Ukraine. The EU recently decided to allocate about $440 million to revive the Ukrainian defense industry.

This is reported in The Washington Post.

EU Investments in Ukraine's Defense Complex

The EU will use the money from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets to develop Ukraine's defence industry. This funding comes in addition to about $190 million provided by the Danish government.

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— I think there is a realisation that Europe is not capable of producing the weapons that Ukraine needs, and the easiest way for the Ukrainians is to do it themselves. If the Ukrainians have the materials and the money, they can do it themselves much more quickly,— said a European diplomat.

Jan Lesser, head of the Brussels office of the German Marshall Fund, also believes that investments in the Ukrainian defense sector will provide Ukraine with greater potential in the short term, and will also reduce pressure on production in Western countries. However, increasing production in Ukraine will not replace large-scale arms supplies from the West, notes Jan Lesser.

At the beginning of the war, Ukraine's defense industry was unable to absorb large amounts of funding. But the country tripled its weapons production in 2023, and then doubled this figure in the first eight months of 2024, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said earlier.

According to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, about $4 billion was allocated for the development of Ukraine's defense industry this year. And Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko believes that the Ukrainian defense sector can produce significantly more — about 10-12 billion dollars.

However, even with the infusion of money from outside, Ukraine’s defense sector is still far from Russia’s. Ukraine still needs significant Western aid over the next few years, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a report.

Ukraine’s Defense Sector Is Growing

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine plans to produce about 1.5 million drones this year and has the capacity to make another 2.5 million. It is worth noting that before the war, this industry almost did not exist in Ukraine.

On Sunday, the Netherlands announced that it would spend $440 million to develop drones for Ukraine.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said that Russia will produce 1.4 million drones this year, compared to 140,000 in 2023. Now, both Ukraine and Russia are actively using drones at the front and against each other's military and infrastructure facilities.

In June, the EU and Denmark agreed on a mechanism under which Denmark will manage $630 million in revenue from frozen Russian assets, following the Danish model. The money will be used to pay for contracts that the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has already signed with arms manufacturers.

As part of this pilot project, 18 Ukrainian Bogdan 155mm self-propelled howitzers have already been manufactured.

— Denmark and the European Union will be able to show the rest of the world how effectively we spend Russian superprofits on weapons that are returning deep into Russia, — Dennis Virkelist, who heads the Ukrainian team at the Danish Defense Ministry, said that there would be no red lines for using such weapons.

In August, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that using frozen Russian assets and the profits from them was theft and would definitely have legal consequences.

Ukrainian weapons for export

Ukrainian officials hope that Ukraine will become a powerful arms exporter once it meets its own needs.

Ukrainian defense firms have already signed a number of agreements with Western companies for the joint production of drones and ammunition, as well as the creation of repair shops for Western military equipment.

By the way, such cooperation with Ukraine provides foreign companies with the opportunity to modify and test their products in real war conditions.

Ukraine has already signed the first contracts with the German Rheinmetall and the French-German group KNDS. The latter has already opened its office in Kyiv and will produce 155-mm shells for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

For “stark warning”: China has launched new military exercises near Taiwan Asya Kovaleva

China has launched new military exercises near Taiwan/Collage 24 Channels

The People's Liberation Army of China has begun a new round of military exercises near Taiwan. Beijing says the moves are a warning against “separatist aspirations” of Taiwanese authorities.

Reuters reports. The completion date of these military exercises is still unknown.

China has launched new military exercises

According to the Chinese military command, the exercises, called “Joint Sword-2024B”, are taking place in the Taiwan Strait, as well as in areas north, south and east of the island.

The exercises also serve as a stern warning against separatist actions by Taiwan independence forces. This is a legitimate and necessary operation to protect state sovereignty and national unity, the PRC command said in a statement.

Recall that Russian and Chinese naval forces conducted anti-submarine defense exercises. They took place in the northwest Pacific Ocean during joint patrols in the Asia-Pacific region.

Recently, Russian invaders have resumed offensive operations on the border of the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions, achieving certain tactical successes, but so far this is not part of large-scale operational offensive actions.

Experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) report this.

Russian offensive actions in the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions: what is known

ISW recalled that on October 12 and 13 it became known that units of the occupation forces began an assault near Levadnoye (southwest of Velyka Novosyolka) and broke through the defenses Ukraine.

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According to a Ukrainian military observer, the enemy reached the outskirts of Levadnoye and advanced towards Novodarovka.

At the same time, Russian military bloggers claimed that Russian soldiers allegedly captured Levadnoye and advanced towards the southern outskirts of Novodarovka, but ISW did not find confirmation of these Russian statements.

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War believe that these tactical successes of the Russian Federation are not the result of a sudden or unexpected Russian breakthrough.

ISW experts recalled that earlier this month, Russian troops became more active on a section of the front in the west of the Zaporizhia region in the area of ​​Kamenskoye (south of Stepnogorsk). However, this activity has been limited and has so far resulted in only minor tactical successes.

It is noted that it is possible that the Russian invaders are becoming more active in less active areas of the front in southern Ukraine in order to distract the attention of Ukrainian troops from Russia's priority offensive operations in the Donetsk region and to consolidate Ukrainian forces on the front in southern Ukraine and prevent the Ukrainian Armed Forces from redeploying their forces to the Donetsk region.

However, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War have not recorded any reports of Russian forces conducting large-scale attacks on the border of the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions.

There are also no signs of accumulation of manpower and resources for a large-scale offensive comparable to Russia's operations in the east Ukraine.

At the same time, the occupation forces, on the contrary, redeployed forces that were previously located in the area of ​​the border of Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions and in other places in the south of Ukraine in order to respond to the operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation.

The West is afraid of one thing: a major of the Armed Forces of Ukraine suggested why there is still no permission to strike deep into Russia Petro Sineokiy

The allies still have not given Ukraine permission to strike Russia with their long-range weapons. The situation here is difficult due to the concerns of Western countries.

Ukrainian Armed Forces Major Yegor Checherinda told Channel 24 about this, noting that permission to strike Russia would significantly help bring the end of the war closer. But the West is still dragging its feet.

Why the West has not yet given permission

As Checherinda suggested, the West is globally afraid of Russia's collapse. They don't want their territory to split into 10-15 states, most of which will have their own nuclear weapons. That's why the allies aren't taking such steps to inflict a crushing defeat on Russia.

Putin is a collective Russia. And if Russia disintegrates, there will be 15 Putins with fewer capabilities. But that will also be dangerous, Checherinda said.

Despite this, the allies have their own problems. For example, Germany may still be experiencing “phantom pains” from World War II, so they are cautious about Western weapons strikes against Russia. And in the United States, presidential candidate Donald Trump has been quite specific in his statements regarding the war in Ukraine.

Everyone has their own story and their own problems. Therefore, no one wants to expose themselves to another huge global problem. Of course, it is difficult for us to understand this. If the allies had given more weapons and more money earlier, they could have driven the occupiers out of Ukraine a year ago. But it is what it is, – Checherinda noted.

Freelance author of Ukrainska Pravda Viktoria Roshchina, whose death was recently reported, was held by the occupiers in pretrial detention center No. 2 in Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, Russian Federation.

This was reported by the executive director of the public organization Media Initiative for Human Rights Tatiana Katrichenko.

Former prisoners reported that this detention center is known for its brutal torture.

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For her part, the human rights activist says that Viktoria Roshchina was held in at least two prisons: correctional colony No. 77 in Berdyansk and pretrial detention center No. 2 in Taganrog.

– Since the first months of the full-scale invasion, the Russians have been using both places to hold both Ukrainian military personnel and civilians, in particular women, – Katrichenko informs.

In addition, she noted that Taganrog and Berdyansk are known as some of the most brutal places for holding Ukrainians in the Russian Federation. In particular, the pretrial detention center in Taganrog is called hell on earth.

– In particular, Azovites from Azovstal are held in Taganrog. Those released tell of terrible torture. There, everyone they want to make criminals out of confesses to crimes — incriminates themselves. Then they are transferred to Rostov and tried, she adds.

Journalist Roshchina held in pretrial detention center in Taganrog

The human rights activist notes that “Viktoria was held in Taganrog, at least from May to September 2024. In a solitary confinement cell. On the eve of the exchange on September 13, 2024, Roshchina and at least one other woman from Melitopol were taken out of Taganrog, but where exactly is unknown”.

The IHR reported that, according to the released prisoners of war, the guards of the detention center in Taganrog use a rubber truncheon, a wooden hammer, and electric shockers for torture. The prisoners are beaten during reception, daily searches, and interrogations. During interrogations, the prisoners are forced to confess to crimes they did not commit.

– There was a man in the cell with me. He was taken for interrogations every day. The Abkhazians said they would beat him until he signed a confession. They drowned him in water, threw a rag on his face, and poured water on him. As a result, he signed everything, – says one of the released soldiers, whose name the IHR is not disclosing for security reasons.

Another former prisoner recalls hearing screams, because someone was always being beaten somewhere. According to him, these sounds could be heard for 15-20 minutes, and then the person could not stand, he was thrown into the cell almost unconscious.

Recall that Roshchina was first detained by the FSB of the Russian Federation in March 2022, when she was preparing materials on military actions in Zaporozhye and the Donetsk region. She was held for ten days, but was subsequently released.

In August 2023, Victoria Roshchina disappeared in the temporarily occupied territories. It was only in May 2024 that the Russian Federation confirmed for the first time that the journalist was in captivity.

On October 10, Petro Yatsenko, a representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War in Ukraine, announced that the death of journalist Victoria Roshchina in Russian captivity had been confirmed.

Roshchina worked for the publication Hromadske. She also later published in Ukrainska Pravda and Radio Liberty. In 2022, she received the International Women's Media Foundation award for Courage in Journalism.

Law enforcement officers detained a man with a firearm near a Trump rally in California Polina Buyanova

A third assassination attempt could have been prepared against Trump./Collage 24 Channel

A man with a firearm was detained by police at the site of Donald Trump's rally on October 12 in California. Law enforcement officials noted that the weapon was loaded.

A man with a shotgun, a loaded pistol, and ammunition in his car was arrested at a checkpoint at a rally near Trump in Southern California. Associated Press journalists reported this.

A third assassination attempt may have been prepared against Trump

The suspect is 49-year-old Las Vegas resident Vam Miller. The man was driving an unregistered black SUV with a “homemade” license plate. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department said he was stopped by police officers in the city of Coachella, east of Los Angeles.

The man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine. However, he was released later that day on $5,000 bail. The suspect is now scheduled to appear in court on January 2, 2025.

This incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or the event participants, the official statement said.

At the same time, the Coachella sheriff said that this could have been preparation for a third assassination attempt on the Republican presidential candidate.

Earlier, US intelligence warned that Iran has not abandoned its previous intentions and wants to kill Donald Trump. This is because Iran believes him to be guilty of killing General and IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani.

Over the past year, the opinions of US citizens regarding how much their country spends to help Ukraine in the war with Russia have changed somewhat. Fewer Americans now believe the U.S. is spending too much to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

This is stated in the findings of a Pearson Institute/AP-NORC poll.

How Americans feel about providing aid to Ukraine

According to the results of the poll, fewer Americans believe the U.S. is spending too much to help Ukrainians compared to October of last year – 34% versus 52%.

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For example, in October 2023, 52% of respondents said that, in their opinion, the United States spends a lot on supporting Ukraine, 31% – that the United States spends as much as necessary, and 15% – that the United States spends little.

However, already in September of this year, only 34% of respondents said that the United States spends a lot on aid to Ukraine, 39% noted that the Americans spend as much as necessary, and 21% – that the United States spends little.

The survey results show a difference in views between supporters of the Democratic and Republican parties.

Thus, according to the survey, respondents who associate themselves with the Democratic Party view Russia as an enemy, and Ukraine — as an ally.

Party differences in attitudes toward Ukraine and the Russian Federation

The survey results conclude that there is no public consensus on supporting Ukraine, but there is a significant party difference in attitudes toward Ukraine and Russia.

Americans are divided in their views regarding US spending on helping Ukraine to counter Russian aggression.

However, a decrease in the percentage of those who believe that the United States spends too much on helping Ukrainians is observed among both Republicans and Democrats.

In the case of supporters of the Republican Party – from 69% in 2023 to 50% in 2024. Among supporters of the Democratic Party – from 37% to 20%, respectively.

According to the survey results, half of the respondents consider Russia an adversary, and 43% consider Ukraine an ally.

67% of supporters of the Democratic Party consider Russia an adversary, compared to 43% of independent respondents and 40% of Republicans.

59% of Democrats, which is also more than independents – 30% and Republicans – 31% believe that Ukraine is an ally that shares US values.

Stoltenberg named NATO's key mistake regarding the war in Ukraine Margarita Voloshina

Former NATO Secretary General Admits Big Mistake of the Alliance Regarding Ukraine/Collage 24 Channel, illustrative photoMore interesting audio newsListen00:0000:511.25×1.25xAudio synthesized using AI.More Audio NewsTurn off

The failure to provide Ukraine with significant military support made it easier for Russia to launch a full-scale invasion. This should be a lesson for all partners for the future.

This opinion was voiced by former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in an interview with Spiegel. In his opinion, partners must admit that they are investing in military force not to wage war, but to prevent it.

Former NATO Secretary General Admits Major Mistake of the Alliance

As Stoltenberg noted, this lesson must be learned, because otherwise, neither Russia nor anyone else will take the North Atlantic Alliance seriously. According to him, NATO saw that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was becoming increasingly aggressive.

That is why, Stoltenberg notes, NATO members strengthened their defenses after the illegal annexation of Crimea. This is the first time since the end of the Cold War that they deployed combat troops on the eastern flank of the Alliance. Therefore, the former Secretary General assures that the allies did not turn a blind eye to the Russian threat.

Despite this, the former NATO Secretary General still believes that former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's strategy towards Russia is correct.

It was right to try to build better relations with Russia after the Cold War. Even after the annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of hostilities in Donbas, we continued to meet in the NATO-Russia Council. The last time was in January 2022, he said.

Earlier, he admitted that he regretted not providing Ukraine with enough weapons on time. He also said that he took his share of responsibility for this. According to him, before the full-scale invasion, NATO was “very afraid of the consequences” of military aid.

Hezbollah militants have launched at least three drone strikes on Israel, injuring more than 60 people.

This is reported by Israeli media.

Hezbollah drone strike on Israel

Reported , that two Hezbollah UAVs were shot down near Haifa, and a third struck in the Binyamin area.

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The Times of Israel, citing medical data, writes that the number of wounded in as a result of a drone attack in the area Binyamina has risen to 67 people.

At the same time, the number of critically wounded remains at four, five were seriously wounded and 14 were moderately wounded.

As the Jerusalem Post notes, the air target detection system failed to work before the attack, which is why the air raid sirens did not go off.

The drones themselves were launched from Lebanon, as JP reports, under the cover of a missile attack from Hezbollah.

Recall that on October 1, Iran launched a massive attack on Israel, firing approximately 180 ballistic missiles rockets. At that time, official Tehran declared that the shelling was revenge for the deaths of the leaders of the Hamas and Hezbollah groups, which Iran supports.

In parallel, Israel is striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, in particular in the city of Beirut, which is the capital of the country. In addition, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is also conducting a ground operation in southern Lebanon.