Day: December 28, 2024

Drone supply to the Defense Forces increased to a record level in 2024, with volumes rising 19-fold, according to the Facebook page of Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi.

In 2024, the Ukrainian Armed Forces established the Unmanned Systems Forces, according to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

“Compared to last year, the supply of unmanned systems to our units increased 19-fold. The number of enemy targets neutralized and destroyed rose by 3.7 times,” he stated.

Syrskyi emphasized that Ukraine will continue to strengthen this critical component, essential for modern technological warfare.

Establishment of the Unmanned Systems Forces in Ukraine

In early September, the Verkhovna Rada approved amendments to the Law on the Armed Forces of Ukraine, creating a separate branch within the Armed Forces — the Unmanned Systems Forces.

By mid-September, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the law integrating the Unmanned Systems Forces into the structure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Additionally, the Ministry of Defense previously announced plans to boost weapons production in 2025, focusing on drones and long-range weapons, including ballistic missiles. Ukrainian forces are set to receive over 30,000 DeepStrike strike drones.

New elections for the Bundestag in Germany will be held on February 23, 2025. However, Olaf Scholz’s chances of being re-elected for a new term are rapidly decreasing, Bild reports.

According to surveys referenced by the media, Scholz’s chances of re-election are shrinking daily. The support for his party, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), stands at only 14-16%, while the CDU/CSU bloc (which includes the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and the Christian Social Union in Bavaria) is gaining 31-33%.

For comparison, the gap between the parties was only 9.5% before the 2021 elections, and Scholz managed to make a breakthrough, surpassing his competitors. However, experts believe that repeating this success now is almost impossible.

“The gap is too large to overcome,” said Hermann Binkert, Head of the INSA Sociological Institute.

Analysts interviewed by the media believe that Scholz could only win if Friedrich Merz or his party made serious mistakes. Otherwise, Scholz is likely to lose the position of Chancellor to his opponent.

Elections in Germany

Recently, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier dissolved the current parliament, stating that in challenging times, Germany needs “an effective government and stability in the parliament.”

As a result, preparations have begun for the elections to the new Bundestag, which will take place on February 23, 2025. The term of office for Bundestag deputies is 4 years.

The main candidates for the position of Chancellor are the current head of government, Olaf Scholz (SPD), and the leader of the opposition, Friedrich Merz (CDU).

Earlier, on November 6, Chancellor Scholz dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner. At that time, it was speculated that the “traffic light coalition” might collapse. For more on the political situation in Germany, read our article on the topic.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi stated in his Facebook post, that Russia’s military losses in the war in 2024 have exceeded 421,000 soldiers.

“We are destroying the aggressor by all possible means. Since the beginning of 2024, the total losses of the enemy forces involved in the offensive have already exceeded 421,000 killed and wounded,” Syrskyi said.

According to Syrskyi, this year, the Russians have paid the highest price since the beginning of their invasion of Ukraine.

“Overall enemy losses during this entire period amount to approximately 785,000 soldiers,” the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces added.

Russian losses in Ukraine

Over the past 24 hours, from December 27 to 28, the Russian army lost 1,690 soldiers, 19 armored fighting vehicles, and 66 units of automotive equipment.

As previously noted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia’s losses on the front in November and December 2024 have been record-breaking.

At the same time, Russia has identified the names of only 80,973 invaders who were killed on the front in Ukraine since February 2022. Most of them were volunteers.

Furthermore, according to a recent Ukrainian intelligence interception, there are still 56,000 unidentified Russian casualties in Rostov.

Special operations forces have revealed a new part of the notes from a North Korean soldier killed in the Kursk region. It has been discovered that he was not an ordinary soldier, according to the Special Operations Forces.

Ukraine’s Special Forces operators eliminated Private Gyeong Hong Jong. His notes reveal that North Korea sent not ordinary soldiers, but elite fighters to Russia. He was one of them.

The eliminated North Korean wrote that he was sent thousands of kilometers to assist Russian forces due to his guilt. He was dispatched under the order of Kim Jong Un.

The Special Operations Forces have published the third part of the diary entry.

Screenshot: facebook.com/usofcom

It’s worth recalling that the Special Operations Forces previously published the first parts of the notebook of the North Korean soldier killed in the Kursk region.

North Korea fights against Ukraine

North Korea previously supplied Russia with artillery ammunition and ballistic missiles, and in the fall, sent troops. North Korean soldiers are participating in combat in the Kursk region.

The HUR reported that combined North Korean and Russian units are suffering losses. Additionally, it was reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to capture a North Korean soldier.

For more details on the involvement of North Korean fighters in the battles and their impact on the frontlines, see the full report by RBC-Ukraine.