On Monday, member states of the European Union approved plans for five comprehensive defense projects on the continent covering air, sea and anti-drones defense measures, making them eligible for funding from the European Union.
The Council of the European Union said, in a statement announcing the approval of these projects: “European defense projects of common interest allow European countries to cooperate in major defense initiatives that may be too large for a single member state to undertake or too complex for it to be able to develop alone.”
Here are the most important details:
The five projects that have been approved for funding focus on developing drone warfare and countering technology, as well as protecting Europe's eastern flank.
The European Commission originally proposed these projects last July, and they also include an integrated project for maritime defense and confronting undersea threats, in addition to another for air and missile defense and early warning, and a space defense project.
The Irish Minister of Defense, who holds the rotating presidency of the Council, said in a statement: “Working closely with our partners Norway and Ukraine, together we are taking decisive steps to protect space, our airspace, our maritime borders, submarine cables, and our citizens who depend on them.”
The “European Union” was designated; Under its European Defense Industry Programme, a budget of €325 million ($370 million) for defense projects of mutual interest, with the potential for more funding in the future.
The Kremlin confirmed, on Monday, that Russian forces continue to launch large-scale operations in Ukraine, and threatened the Ukrainians that they will “pay the price” for their attacks in recent months deep inside Russia. In the first political indication from the Kremlin that the efforts currently being made by Washington to resume the negotiation process must be linked to stopping Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russian territory, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that his country will not stop its military operations before ensuring complete security and Russia’s national interests. He stressed in a press briefing that Russian forces “continue their special operations and launch continuous raids on military targets.”
Raid on the Academy of Sciences in Kyiv
This statement came in conjunction with a Russian raid that targeted the “Academy of Sciences” in the heart of Kiev, on Monday, causing a massive fire. Video clips posted on social media showed people looking out of windows to catch their breath, while thick black smoke and flames enveloped part of this historic building. The building is located in central Kiev in a neighborhood that is usually highly protected, near embassies and government buildings.
Russia also launched massive raids on Sunday, targeting communications infrastructure and several vital sites in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities. Peskov said that Kiev “has begun to pay the price for its attempts in recent months to attack Russia,” referring to the expansion of the scope of Ukrainian drone attacks against strategic facilities and sites deep inside Russia. He added: “Of course, President (Vladimir Putin) spoke about this matter as well. Ukraine will have to pay for what happened in recent months. This is what is happening now.” Peskov pointed out that the forces “continue their special operations and launch continuous raids on enemy military targets.” The Kremlin spokesman added that Russia's national interests are clear, "and we must ensure security and ensure that no party dares to announce plans to strike a fatal blow to our country." He also described Putin's statement regarding Moscow's position on proposals to resolve the conflict as "comprehensive and very clear."
A few days ago, Putin confirmed that Russia was ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine after the Duma elections, but he linked this directly to stopping Ukrainian attacks, and said that the Ukrainian armed forces attempted to launch a large-scale attack on Moscow during the voting days. Putin added that his country “takes its decisions regarding the peace settlement based on its interests.”
The Kremlin's announcement came after a day that witnessed a violent escalation against Ukrainian infrastructure, especially in the communications sector. After a massive attack on the largest communications service provider on Sunday evening, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Monday morning, directing massive night strikes on communications, energy, infrastructure and port sites in Ukraine, and damaging two cargo ships carrying military supplies for Kiev forces in the Black Sea.
The statement said that Moscow “cut off the Ukrainian army’s communications and sank its supply ships.” According to the statement, the sites targeted by the massive Russian strike included the data processing center of the company “Okretelecom”; One of the largest fixed and mobile phone and high-speed Internet services companies for the Ukrainian forces, as well as the “Dream Line” data processing center; One of the largest providers of high-speed Internet services to Ukrainian forces, intelligence data storage and locations in fuel and energy infrastructure.
Local media in Ukraine quoted Kyiv Star, the largest mobile phone services provider in the country, as saying that Russia bombed its headquarters on Sunday, at a time when Moscow continued to bomb data centers and communications infrastructure. Kyiv Star reported to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency that its headquarters in Kiev was attacked, but no casualties were reported.
In what appeared to be a continuation of the attack on communications infrastructure, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that it had targeted a data center belonging to Vodafone Ukraine, the second largest mobile phone network provider in the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia bombed a data center in Kiev twice on Monday morning, wounding two children and an adult.
Moscow also targeted data centers belonging to Ukrainian entities that provide Internet service during the past week, causing a service outage for about 100,000 families in Kiev and the surrounding area, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Affairs. The recent Russian attacks also included a precise strike on Vasilkov Military Airport in Kiev Province, and a logistics center in Odessa that stored military shipments. In the port of Chernomorsk, a dry cargo ship carrying military equipment and a dual-use cargo for Ukrainian forces was targeted, according to the Russian statement.
In Port Ismail, the infrastructure of the “Donaisodoservice” factory, a shipbuilding and repair enterprise that repairs and modernizes floating means, technical maintenance and re-equipment of patrol boats, was hit. The permanent deployment point of a unit of the Ukrainian Border Guard Service at the factory was also targeted, and a cargo ship that was transporting military cargo to the port of Odessa was damaged at sea.
In a related context, the Ministry of Defense reported that air defense systems shot down 254 drones during the night over Russian areas. The Ministry also announced in a separate statement that its forces “succeeded in liberating the town of Ulanovo in the Sumy District in northern Ukraine and the town of Novovodyannoye in the Donetsk Republic in eastern Ukraine, and the enemy killed more than 1,350 individuals within 24 hours.”
“Recruiting opponents”
On the other hand, the Russian Federal Security Agency (Ministry) accused London of activating recruitment operations for Russian dissidents in Europe in general, and in Britain in particular. The security authority said in a report published on Monday that it possesses lists of “the names of all immigrants who linked their fate to Britain and wish for Russia’s defeat.” The Commission explained that Britain intensified its efforts to unify what is called the “Russian opposition abroad” after the start of the special military operation (the official name for the war), and that the blocs of this opposition are subject to direct control by foreign intelligence services, and that London seeks to create the illusion of the existence of a political alternative forming within the Russian emigration due to its ability to change power in Moscow.
The authority affirmed its intention to “continue to thwart terrorist activities driven by London by exploiting some Russian immigrants who are already wanted in cases of corruption and crimes.”
In the same context, the Russian Federal Security announced the inclusion of the “Russian Democracy Society” in the United Kingdom on the terrorist list after “it was proven that it collected funds and in-kind aid for the Kiev regime, and worked for Britain.” The Russian Federal Security indicated that a criminal case had been opened against citizen Ksenia Maksimova, for her participation in the activities of a terrorist organization, in her capacity as founder and leader of the “Russian Democracy Society” organization in the United Kingdom. The Russian Federal Security Service explained that Maximova also holds the position of so-called “consul” in the United Kingdom for the “Russian Anti-War Committee” movement, which the Russian Supreme Court previously recognized as a terrorist organization.
According to Russian data, the “Russian Democracy Society” succeeded in attracting Russian immigrants residing in the United Kingdom and uniting them around it, and Maximova organized operations to collect funds, equipment, and other forms of assistance for Kiev. Federal Security added that Maximova was included on the wanted lists at the federal and international levels, and the Russian Federal Financial Supervision Authority also included her on the list of organizations and individuals involved in extremist or terrorist activities.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergei Korytsky called on people with disabilities and limited mobility in cities to consider moving to alternative accommodation before winter arrives, to ease the burden on emergency services in the event of new Russian attacks.
The capital, Kiev, in particular, was plunged into darkness for weeks last year, as a result of Russian strikes on the Ukrainian energy sector, which led to a power and heating outage as temperatures dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius.
As winter approaches, many residents are beginning to think about the options available to them if energy facilities are targeted again, including leaving the city with their families, according to Agence France-Presse.
Koretsky stopped short of calling on all residents to leave cities during the winter, considering that this would be an “extreme measure,” but he urged people with disabilities and limited mobility to consider alternative options.
He said in an interview with TSN television broadcast on Sunday evening that he discussed the issue with Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
He wondered: “Why don’t the relatives of these people or social services in the city take care of them?” adding: “This can be done in advance, before winter comes.”
He continued: “If, for example, a person lives on the sixteenth floor and the electricity goes out, why are we forced at that moment to care for people who need additional care, while emergency teams should focus on dealing with the repercussions of the attacks?”
He added: “It is better to find alternative accommodation for these people during the winter.”
Russia has intensified its attacks on Kiev in recent weeks, targeting the capital with drones and missiles, which led to sirens sounding throughout the day and night.
The strikes included civilian infrastructure, including transportation networks and warehouses, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of deliberately seeking to paralyze his country's economy.
