The EU adopts a 15th package of sanctions against Russia that also hit China and North Korea. Ukraine\u2019s new cruise missile, known as \u201cPeklo\u201d enters series production. North Korean units are being staffed with fresh personnel after taking casualties in Kursk region, Ukraine\u2019s defense intelligence says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The EU on Monday adopted a 15th package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The new restrictions add 54 new individuals and 30 entities, including several Chinese persons and entities, and two senior officials from North Korea, the EU Council said in a statement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs regards individuals, the EU is sanctioning the military unit responsible for the striking of the Okhmadyt children hospital in Kyiv, senior managers in leading companies in the energy sector, individuals responsible for children deportation, propaganda and circumvention,\u201d the Council said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs to entities, the EU targeted primarily Russian defence companies and shipping companies responsible for the transportation of crude oil and oil products by the sea, providing important revenues to the Russian government,\u201d the statement reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Chinese additions are the first fully-fledged sanctions on the country which include a travel ban, asset freeze and prohibition to make economic resources available. EU officials have pointed to China as the main route for sales of foreign technology to Russia, including components for drones and microelectronics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese measures are designed to address the circumvention of EU sanctions through targeting of Putin\u2019s shadow fleet and weaken Russia\u2019s military and industrial complex,\u201d the EU Council said of the new package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, Bloomberg said the EU was proposing to sanction more than a dozen individuals and three entities as part of the bloc\u2019s first set of measures hitting Russia for its disinformation operations and other hybrid activities. The EU was also proposing further sanctions on Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukraine\u2019s new cruise missile, known as \u201cPeklo\u201d (or \u201cHell\u201d in Ukrainian), enters mass production. The manufacturer produced around 100 pieces of weapon in the past three months, Ukrainian news site Economichna Pravda said Monday. The Peklo entered series production immediately after it was designed and assigned a code. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The orders for the missile are placed by the same military units that operate long-range drones, it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The manufacturer is aiming to ramp up its production. The news site said it was not authorized to reveal the munition\u2019s production cost, but added it was cheaper than Ukraine\u2019s Lyutyi kamikaze drone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seventy per cent of the missile\u2019s components are homemade with both public and private companies involved in their production. To address a lack of spare parts for series production, some components are used interchangeably. For example, the missile can use different engines, Economichna Pravda said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During an official ceremony on December 6, 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said the first batch of the weapon had been delivered to the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The munition is often referred to as a drone-missile. The hybrid weapon emerged when Ukrainian engineers were working to enhance capabilities of one-way attack drones. The Peklo is in the niche of long-range drones, but its jet engine and a more advanced guidance system put it into a rocket class. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The article argues that the name \u201cdrone-missile\u201d rightly reflects the nature of hybrid munitions as some Russian cruise missiles carry a 400-kilogram warhead, have a speed of up to 1,000 km\/hour and several guidance systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The discussion on how to name cruise missiles \u201cwith long-range, yet tiny enough to fit into a small launch tube\u201d is also vibrant in the U.S., according to an article by The Warzone article that opens with a passage, asking: \u201cBut is it a missile or a drone?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Ukraine the weapon of this class is called a drone-missile, in the way the President referred to the hybrid called \u201cPalyanytsia\u201d when unveiling it on Ukraine\u2019s Independence Day this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Palyanytsia carries a 100-kilogram warhead, four times smaller than that of Russia\u2019s Kalibr missile, but two to four times the warhead of Ukraine\u2019s long-range drones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Peklo\u2019s warhead is smaller than that of the Palyanytsia, putting it closer to a kamikaze drone. The munition can reach the speeds of up to 700 km\/h, while drones fly at a speed of 150-200 km\/hour. The Peklo has a range of 700 kilometers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine\u2019s Defense Ministry said Monday at least 30 North Korean troops had been killed or wounded during battle with the Ukrainian army over the weekend in Russia\u2019s Kursk region. The casualties occurred around the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba, and Martynovka. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least three North Korean soldiers went missing around the village of Kurilovka, Ukraine\u2019s defense intelligence said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDue to the losses, the assault groups are being replenished with fresh personnel, in particular from the 94th separate brigade of the DPRK [North Korean] army, to continue active combat operations in Kursk region,\u201d the defense intelligence said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Sunday, Ukrainian service members released photos and videos of what they said were the bodies of Russian and North Korean soldiers killed in assaults in Kursk region. Also on Sunday, Ukraine\u2019s defense intelligence said North Korean troops killed eight Kadyrovites in a friendly-fire incident.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"