Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu continues to falsely characterize Russia’s offensive actions as part of “active defense” in an attempt to reduce expectations about the Russian military’s ability to hit strategically important targets operationally, the Institute for the Study of War notes. Shoigu said during a teleconference with his military command that Russian troops are conducting “active defense” in Ukraine and gaining more advantageous positions in all operational directions.

Basic information about the war in Ukraine, day 647, LIVETEXT:

08:57 Ukraine has strengthened over the past year and will soon be able to reopen Kyiv International Airport, the head of President Zelenskyi’s administration said on Friday.

Andriy Yermak promised this while addressing foreign diplomats at the capital’s Boryspil International Airport.

“This return to the elements of peace is possible because Ukraine has become stronger. Now we can protect this place. Thank you to our defense forces and our friends, your countries. I am sure that the symbolic boarding passes that were issued to you when you arrived today will soon turn into real ones,” Yermak told the diplomats. (Reuters)

00:50 In his message on Friday evening, Volodymyr Zelenskyi noted that changes are needed to improve Ukraine’s mobilization system as part of the overall strategy to improve the country’s military position.

In a video message, Zelenskyi said that scenarios for obtaining “concrete results” for 2024 in war conditions were discussed at the meeting of the military command.

A brief summary of recent events:

• On Wednesday, Ukrainians blew up a train in Russia’s longest tunnel, and after the Russians began using a detour route, several explosive devices exploded on a railway bridge as a fuel train passed over it. The Russian investigation confirmed that a “terrorist act” had taken place.
• Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a decree to increase the size of the Russian army by 15%, the reason for this increase Moscow called “increased threats” due to the conflict in Ukraine.
• Poland has signed a $2.6 billion contract with South Korea to buy 150 more K9 self-propelled howitzers, the government said in Warsaw on Friday.
• Slovak truckers began to block the border with Ukraine: “We will be here until measures are taken to limit the competition of Ukrainian carriers.”
• .The presidents of Poland, Latvia and Lithuania refused to appear on Friday in a family photo of the heads of state and government participating in the COP28 climate change summit in Dubai, due to the presence of the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.
• A British man married to a Romanian woman founded a charitable organization in the Republic of Moldova: “The situation of Ukrainian refugees here is getting complicated because many agencies are leaving because they don’t have a budget.”
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused European Foreign Minister Josep Borrell and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken of “cowardice” for not participating with him in the OSCE meeting.
• Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday that the Russian army was advancing in Ukraine “in all directions” and that his forces were increasing pressure on the eastern front.
• Zelenskyi said the war is at a new stage and winter will make fighting difficult, after a summer counteroffensive failed to produce the desired results due to a lack of weapons and ground forces. However, despite the setbacks, he said that Ukraine will not give up.
• Russia is starting from the assumption that the sanctions imposed against it by the United States and its allies will last for many years, as well as from the idea that the influence of the United States on the world economy is decreasing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

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• Lenskyi-demands-the-erection-of-fortifications-on-key-areas-of-the-front-Kyiv-forts-made-progress-on-the-left-bank-of-the-Dnieper.htm” >Friday’s events regarding Russian aggression were broadcast LIVE on HotNews.ro