Volodymyr Zelenskyi noted that the military proposes to mobilize an additional 450-500 thousand Ukrainians, which would mean a dramatic escalation of the war between Ukraine and Russia. At his press conference at the end of the year, the Ukrainian leader said it was an “extremely sensitive” issue that the military and government would discuss before deciding whether to send the proposal to parliament. Zelensky said he wanted to hear more arguments in favor of mobilizing more people. , before backing the measure, adding that “it’s a very large number.”

Basic information about the war in Ukraine, day 665, LIVETEXT:

07:44 Yesterday, Russia launched 19 Shahed attack drones from Crimea, 18 of which were destroyed, the Air Force of Ukraine reported. Drones were destroyed in Odesa, Kherson, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Chernihiv and Kirovohrad regions.

“In addition, the enemy launched two S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems with anti-aircraft guidance from the Belgorod region – the Russian Federation – in the Kharkiv region. There were no casualties,” said the Telegram post.

07:43 French sporting goods giant Decathlon secretly continued to sell sportswear in Russia despite an official withdrawal in protest of Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to a media investigation published Tuesday.

01:10Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced on Tuesday that Denmark had reached a defense agreement with the United States that would see American soldiers and equipment stationed in Denmark for ten years.

A brief summary of recent events:

• Zelenskyi said at the press conference that the Ukrainian military has requested the mobilization of another 450,000 to 500,000 soldiers, but no final decision has been made. Ukraine will produce a million drones next year, increasing the current level of production, Zelenskyi said.
• The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, who is considered the most feared general, said that the Russian army prevails around the city of Kupyansk in the northeast of the country, adding that the situation is “difficult”. Ukrainian commanders signal growing problems with military effort amid rising tensions with political leadership in Kyiv
• Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that he is ready to go “to the end” to protect the country’s interests in the conflict with Ukraine and what Moscow calls the “collective West”. Putin said that Russia would be ready to talk with Ukraine, the US and Europe about Ukraine’s future if they wanted, but Moscow would defend its national interests.
• In the Ukrainian international airport “Boryspil”, which was closed due to the war, it was reported on Tuesday that the Boeing 777-300 of the local airline Skyline Express was performing a maintenance flight.
• The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russia will “circumvent” new sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) on the lucrative trade in Russian diamonds.
• The President of the Czech Republic, retired general Petr Pavel, said that Vladimir Putin is waiting for the results of the presidential elections in the United States, hoping to reach an agreement with Donald Trump on ending the war in Ukraine without the participation of any European country.
• The Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Dorin Rechan, said on Monday that his country needs a modern air defense system to counter threats from Russia.
• France will begin training Ukrainian pilots on Western fighter jets in early 2024 as part of a training program that will be continued by European partners.

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• Tuesday’s events related to Russian aggression were broadcast LIVE on HotNews.ro