Dismissal of General Tkachuk and detention of UGLC head: highlights for December 18

Tkachuk dismissed from Sahaidachnyi Academy

Lieutenant General Pavlo Tkachuk has been dismissed from his post as head of the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy by order of the Minister of Defense.

Earlier, the Defense Ministry's Chief Inspectorate conducted an audit of the academy's activities and numerous violations.

Zelenskyy on possible negotiations: We are not in a weak, but not in a strong position

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the country is not in a weak position, but at the same time not in a strong enough position to start peace talks.

In his opinion, starting negotiations under the current circumstances would mean “giving Putin the right to decide everything in our part of the world”. He also emphasized that in order to start negotiations, it is necessary to create an action plan, i.e. a peace plan, which can then be handed over to the Russian side.

Head of UGLC detained for facilitating the work of Russian online casinos

Law enforcement officers have detained Ivan Rudyi, the head of the Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (UGLC). He is suspected of facilitating the activities of Russian online casinos in Ukraine.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, UGLC has recently come under the scrutiny of the media and law enforcement in connection with the operation of an online casino in Ukraine that is linked to Russia.

Ukraine receives another €4.1 billion from the EU

Ukraine has received another €4.1 billion in financial assistance from the European Union under the Ukraine Facility program. This year's total assistance under the initiative is €16.1 billion.

Syrskyi spoke about the Kursk operation: I had no choice

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, considers the Kursk operation a success due to the element of surprise, despite the involvement of a relatively small number of Ukrainian troops. Thanks to this offensive, the Russians did not achieve their goals for 2024.

He also spoke about the reasons for launching this operation, explaining that he “had no choice”. At the time, it was necessary to disrupt the offensive on Kharkiv, relieve other areas, and prevent the Russians from moving on Sumy.

Ukrainian parliament does not support Boiko's dismissal from the Human Rights Committee

The Verkhovna Rada did not vote to dismiss Yurii Boiko, MP and leader of the Platform for Life and Peace, from the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Human Rights, De-occupation and Reintegration of the Occupied Territories.

Only 217 MPs voted for this decision, which was not enough.

Russian Federation detains Uzbek citizen accused of murdering General Kirillov

Russia has announced the detention of a suspect in the murder of the commander of the Russian army's radiation, chemical and biological defense troops, Igor Kirillov, and his assistant, Ilya Polikarpov.

The detainee was a citizen of Uzbekistan. During interrogation, he explained that he was allegedly recruited by Ukrainian special services.

Meanwhile, the US stated that Washington had not been warned about the intention to eliminate Kirillov.

Other important news

• The number of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine is constantly growing. According to Kyiv, this year alone, it is about 100,000 additional troops.
• Keith Kellogg, who was appointed by US President-elect Donald Trump as a special envoy for the war in Ukraine, believes that both Kyiv and Moscow are ready for peace talks.
• Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga has agreed with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong to reopen the Australian Embassy in Ukraine for the first time since 2022.
• The Czech Senate unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the deportation of Crimean Tatars in May 1944 as an act of genocide.