Weekly Exclusives
Weekly Exclusives - a newsletter that contains author publications, interviews, exclusive comments, photos and videos.
Photos of the week
A soldier of the artillery crew of the 118th separate mechanized brigade in an ammunition storage facility at positions in the Zaporizhzhia direction, December 3, 2024.
Interview
“I was crawling like a worm so as not to die and get to Ukrainian positions”, - Dmytro Finashyn, aka Fin, NGU officer, Hero of Ukraine
Dmytro Finashyn, call sign Fin, is rightly considered to represent perfectly the spirit of the Ukrainian nation and people, their grit, bravery, and indomitability. With this interview Ukrinform held as part of its Victory Commanders project we took an opportunity to talk to a Hero of Ukraine, gain firsthand insight into what military service amid war is like, the challenges he encountered while fighting on the frontline, and his miraculous rescue, when he, severely wounded, was crawling for two days through a gray zone to finally get to a Ukrainian position. For a while, Fin was considered dead, but the courageous warrior survived. Even in the face of severe trials, including amputation, Dmytro, after recovery, is now back in the army, serving as UAV analyst.
What motivates Dmytro Finashyn to continue in defense of Ukraine? Our guest was very frank talking about his sentiments and beliefs, highlighting the situation on the frontline, the challenges of mobilization for war, unauthorized absence from unit or place of service, soldier motivation, combat training, and how it is like to be a commander in a modern war.
UK Defense Secretary John Healey
The UK Secretary of State for Defense, John Healey, paid a visit to Ukraine, where Ukrinform managed to get a blitz interview to highlight the pressing challenges related to the ongoing Russian aggression, Vladimir Putin’s nuclear rhetoric, UK security and defense support for Ukraine, war settlement prospects, as well as to find out how the UK perceives a military threat posed by Russia.
Fact Checks
Russian propaganda spreads fake news about U.S. journalists 'gloating over' Ukrainian Armed Forces losses
Pro-Kremlin media outlets, Telegram channels, and YouTube bots are circulating a manipulated video falsely claiming that journalists from an American TV channel laughed during a live program about the combat losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
This claim is entirely fabricated. The video features hosts from Good Day Sacramento, a morning show broadcast on the local TV channel KMAX, part of the CBS News network. However, Good Day Sacramento is an entertainment program focusing on lighthearted reports about city events, with no discussions of political or military topics.
Russian propagandists manipulated one of the show's episodes, using editing to alter the subtitles and the content displayed on a studio monitor. The original video dates back to December 2019, as evidenced by the New Year decorations in the studio, including garlands on the Christmas trees. These decorations match those in the fake video, while the current year's Christmas decor on Good Day Sacramento includes distinctive features, such as a large mask of the Grinch, which is absent from the doctored footage.
Russian propaganda spreads fake claims about European Parliament accusing Ukraine of crimes against its own children
Russian propaganda are disseminating a distorted narrative based on a speech delivered in the European Parliament by former Dutch MEP Marcel de Graaff. A member of the pro-Russian Forum for Democracy (FvD) party, de Graaff claimed that Ukrainian children abducted by Russia were "refugees" who had suffered from "Ukrainian bombardment." In his speech, he called on the International Court of Justice in The Hague to withdraw the arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and instead issue one against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, alleging Ukrainian culpability for crimes against children.
These claims are entirely false. First, de Graaff's statements represent his personal opinion and lack factual support. Furthermore, his rhetoric aligns with common Russian propaganda narratives, such as the supposed "victory" of Russia over NATO and the United States in Ukraine -- claims frequently amplified by Russian state-run news agency TASS. Neither NATO nor the United States is directly involved in the conflict. By echoing these narratives, de Graaff has become a tool in Russia's ongoing effort to justify its illegal and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine.
De Graaff has a history of anti-Ukrainian actions within the European Parliament. On March 2, 2022, he was one of only 13 MEPs who voted against condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
His ties to Russian influence operations have also come under scrutiny. In May 2024, as part of a European investigation into Russian information campaigns involving the Czech website Voice of Europe (reportedly financed by Viktor Medvedchuk), de Graaff's assistant was subjected to a search.
News:
War
Drones to independently identify targets due to AI – Ukrainian military
“When artificial intelligence becomes capable of independently identifying targets stored in its memory and distinguishing one type of equipment from another — not just in prototypes, which already exist and are even used in combat, but on a mass scale — the consequences of UAV use will become significantly more threatening,” stated Robert Brovdi (by the alias of Madiar), commander of the separate regiment of strike unmanned aerial systems Madiar's Birds..
According to Brovdi, the development of AI is the next stage in the evolution of drones. At present, both Ukraine and Russia are working on the widespread use of fiber-optic drones, which cannot be suppressed by electronic warfare (EW) systems. Such drones receive commands and transmit feedback digitally via a wire that unwinds from a spool over distances of 10-15 (or even more) kilometers. The drone's flight range depends on its payload capacity; a larger drone can carry a spool of up to 50 kilometers.
Efficiency of FPV drone use by AFU, Russian forces – 20-40% – Ukrainian military
According to Madiar, this figure specifically refers to cases where a drone reached its target, struck it, and the impact was recorded. The regiment's statistics are compiled based on this data using their own methodology.
Politics
Zourabichvili confirms intent to remain President of Georgia after election
Netherlands provides Ukraine with nearly EUR 4B security assistance – ambassador
Over 4,000 tonnes of fuel oil spill into Black Sea: Expert details Russian tanker accident
An accident involving Russian tankers in the Kerch Strait, caused by negligence on the part of the shipping company's management, has resulted in the spill of over 4,000 tonnes of fuel oil into the Black Sea, significantly impacting the local microflora despite experts ruling out a regional ecological catastrophe.
The expert explained that the Soviet tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, were built 50 years ago at a shipyard in Volgograd, Russia, and are no longer suitable for safe operation.
"Their breakdown was entirely predictable. This accident occurred due to the negligence of the shipping company's management," he said.
Economy
Frontline regions should be granted economic preferences – Mayor of Mykolaiv
Demining training programme for veterans to be expanded in 2025 with support from EU and Japan
Qatar-Türkiye gas pipeline project to intensify struggle with Russia on energy market – expert’s opinion
Water services companies owe about UAH 1B in taxes – Ukrvodokanalekologia
Society
Poland issues nearly 78K Pole’s Cards to Ukrainian citizens
Scheduled inspections of pharmacies will resume on January 1 - Liashko
Archaeologists discover clay figurines from Early Iron Age near Halych
Ukrainian arrested in Lithuania on suspicion of transporting illegal migrants – MFA
See you next Friday!