Ukraine successfully tested the new “Ruta” missile and sent negotiators to Trumpʼs new team, while in Georgia a new president was elected, whom neither the opposition nor the current head of state recognizes.
Babel has collected the main news of the week to keep you up to date.
"Ruta"
This is a new missile of domestic production. Successful tests are underway. The "Palyanytsia" missile has entered mass production, and the "Peklo" drone missile has already undergone its first combat applications. The latter has a speed of up to 700 km per hour and a range of 700 km.
Zaporizhzhia
Russian military forces fired a missile at a clinic in Zaporizhzhia on December 10. Eleven people were killed and 22 others were injured. The search and rescue operation lasted more than 46 hours.
North Korean military against Ukraine
Ukraine has received confirmation that the Russians have begun using "significant numbers" of soldiers from the DPRK in assaults on Kursk. The occupiers are including North Korean soldiers in consolidated units.
Peace
President-elect Donald Trumpʼs national security team has held discussions with the White House and Ukrainian officials to find a way to end the full-scale war. Trump believes that a ceasefire in Ukraine (if one is agreed upon by Kyiv and Moscow) should be monitored by EU troops.
Help to Ukraine
This week, the United States announced a new $500 million aid package. It included ammunition for HIMARS, drones, and Javelin. The US State Department also approved a $266 million F-16 fighter maintenance package for Ukraine, and the US Treasury Department decided to provide a $20 billion loan to Ukraine, which will be repaid with frozen Russian assets. However, the US House of Representatives, which approved the 2025 defense budget, did not include an extension of Lend-Lease for Ukraine in it.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Parliament approved nearly $600 million in military aid to Ukraine, and the World Bank will allocate $454 million for health care.
Elections in Georgia
Georgiaʼs electoral college, dominated by the pro-government Georgian Dream party, has elected Mikheil Kavelashvili, the sole candidate, as president. The election is not recognized as legitimate by incumbent President Salome Zurabishvili and opposition parties.
Mikhail Kavelashvili
Year-end results
The best game of 2024 was the Japanese platformer Astro Bot. The word of 2024, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, was polarization. Ursula von der Leyen topped Forbesʼ "100 Most Influential Women in the World" ranking for the second time in a row. Time magazine named Donald Trump "Person of the Year”. Elon Musk became the first person whose fortune exceeded $400 billion.
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