….Putin’s party creating own private army: Kyiv
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s political party has begun recruiting for its own “private military” to fight in the war against Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (GUR).
Kyiv officials said in a release Wednesday that United Russia, a conservative political party that holds the most seats in Russia’s parliament and backs Putin, has started to put together a private military company (PMC) known as Hispaniola.
The group was previously a part of the Russian-aligned Vostok battalion, a militant group fighting alongside Moscow’s troops in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the GUR said.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities rounded up thousands of suspected illegal migrants on New Year’s Eve, and some outlets have reported many of the detained migrants were forced to enlist in the war against Ukraine.
Russia is attempting to disguise details about its cruise missile production and stockpiles, according to a new report, after Moscow launched devastating large-scale strikes across Ukraine on consecutive days.
Ukrainian outlet Defense Express reported on Tuesday that missiles used in a Russian aerial assault in the early hours of January 2 were manufactured in the last few months of 2023. Serial numbers found on recovered cruise missiles are “cryptic” and “deliberately difficult to decipher,” the outlet reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said Russia has attacked his country with at least 500 missiles and drones in the past five days. The Ukrainian leader provided the estimate to U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a phone call, according to a press statement posted online by Zelensky’s office.
The Kyiv Independent noted the conversation between Zelensky and Sunak occurred after Russia had unleashed another large air attack across Ukraine that officials said resulted in five people being killed and 130 injured.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s propaganda machine was dealt a blow on Wednesday after authorities in Kazakhstan removed several Russian channels from its television network.
Kazakh TV broadcasting company TVCOM announced that the Russian TV channels will no longer be broadcast in Kazakhstan as a result of a policy that aims to reduce access to channels “with an informational agenda,” Russia’s state-run news agency Tass reported.
….Putin’s party creating own private army: Kyiv
