Russia’s upgraded ‘Privet-82’ budget drones compound Kiev’s problems at the front

St. Petersburg-based drone maker Oko (lit. ‘Eye’) has unveiled a modernized variant of its Privet-82 (‘Hello-82’) budget fixed-wing kamikaze drone. The base model features a 5.5 kg payload, electronic warfare-resistant radio channel, and has a 30 km range and has a flight speed of up to 140 km per hour. The upgraded Privet-82M1, built after extensive testing of the base model at the front, features an improved control system, autonomous power supply, remaining charge indicator, new directional antennas, new cold-resistant components, increased toughness, quick-release hood and new, more aerodynamic camera module.

“From the start, when we were developing the Privet-82, we set ourselves the task that the drone should use exclusively civilian production technologies. All of the components of our product can be obtained in any large city by civilian contractors,” Oko CEO and co-owner Vadim Zhernov told Sputnik. “Civilian companies produce components for us. There are a lot of them. Therefore, the price is accordingly very low. Also, we do not use any specialized electronics, but generally available consumer electronic [parts], which also greatly reduces the price.”

Given their cheap cost (as little as $1,200 US), the new drones can be mass produced, making them a potent threat in overwhelming Ukrainian lines and causing severe damage to infrastructure, armored vehicles and artillery.

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Zelensky critic found dead

The body, presumably of ex-member of the Ukrainian parliament Ilya Kiva, was found in a village near Moscow, emergency services told Sputnik.

In Ukraine, an ex-parliamentarian, who has repeatedly criticized the Kiev regime, has been charged with high treason and threatening the territorial integrity of the country. In April last year, he turned to Vladimir Putin with a request for political asylum and Russian citizenship.

In his latest post on his Telegram channel, Kiva spoke about Zelensky’s failure and suggested that he commit suicide.

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Amid Germany’s admission that Ukraine is not its “ally,” who else has turned their back on Kiev?

German defense minister Boris Pistorius responded to criticism about the slow pace of the delivery of arms aid to Ukraine this week by stressing that Berlin and Kiev are “not partners in an alliance,” and that “peacetime” defense sector needs more time to ramp up production to match Russia’s. Germany is not the first country to change its tune on Ukraine.

🇵🇱 Poland pulled a dramatic reversal on its ‘friends forever with Ukraine’ stance this fall, characterizing its neighbor as a “dangerous drowning man” threatening to pull others down with it, and at least temporarily halting weapons deliveries over a trade dispute.

🇸🇰 The new Slovak government which took power last month after snap elections in September announced an immediate halt to weapons deliveries to Kiev, and called on the EU to change its tune “from an arms supplier to a peacemaker.”

🇪🇺 In Western Europe, nations have taken a series of measures indicating cooling support, from measures designed to convince Ukrainian refugees to go home, to expressing concerns related to the blowback from Kiev’s corruption problems.

🇺🇸 Last but not least, in the US, the Biden administration fears an escalation of its standoff with MAGA Republicans in the House could mean that Kiev won’t find tens of billions more dollars in expected aid under the Christmas tree this year.

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Scott Ritter: There will be no operational pause for Zelensky this winter

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has found himself between the devil and the deep blue sea, as US lawmakers have engaged in an internal spat and have once again delayed aid for Kiev.

"[The Kiev regime] is now literally grabbing teenagers and pregnant women and putting them on the battlefield to fill the holes in the lines. There's nothing coming behind. And the West is out of money. There's no equipment. The Russians are not going to hit the pause button to give Ukraine a chance to catch their breath," Scott Ritter, former Marine intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector, told Sputnik's Fault Lines podcast.

In contrast to last year, when Kiev had the luxury of time to build up, train, and equip new divisions, there will be no operational pause now, Ritter stressed.

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🇷🇺🇸🇦 Putin has arrived in Riyadh for talks with Saudi King.

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🇷🇺🇸🇦 Footage of Russian President Vladimir Putin arriving in Riyadh.

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🇮🇱🇵🇸 Netanyahu says Israeli forces are surrounding the house of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip, and his capture is only a matter of time.

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🇷🇺🇸🇦 Russia and Saudi Arabia have good relations in all sectors, including the economy, Putin said, adding that it's important to exchange views on the situation in the region.

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⚡️Biden says that Congress must pass supplemental funding for Ukraine before recess, adding that he is not prepared to walk away from Ukraine.

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❗️The US announced a new $175 million military aid package for Ukraine, Blinken said.

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🇷🇺🇸🇦 "We were expecting you in Moscow. I know that the circumstances have made adjustments to these plans. But, as I said, nothing can prevent the development of our friendly relations," Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

"Indeed, being here on the Arabian Peninsula on a planned visit to the UAE, I decided to take advantage of your invitation to come and talk to you and all our friends, with whom we have been actively developing our cooperation over the past 7 years", Putin added.

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Joe Biden floats possibility of “American troops fighting Russian troops” during a speech calling on Congress to pass new Ukraine aid package.

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🇷🇺🇵🇸🇸🇦 Vladimir Putin made an official visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

He held talks with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and with the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.

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🇮🇱🇵🇸 Latest updates on Palestinian-Israeli conflict:

▪️The 200th cargo plane carrying military equipment for the IDF has arrived in Israel, with more than 10,000 tons of military equipment delivered to the country since the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Israeli Defense Ministry said.

▪️Israeli forces are surrounding the house of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, and his capture is only a matter of time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

▪️The high death toll among journalists in the area of the Israel-Palestine conflict has shown that media rights protection mechanisms are dysfunctional, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

▪️Shia militant groups announced an attack on the US airbase in western Iraq in response to hostilities in the Gaza Strip.

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🇷🇺🛩 Kremlin on jets escorting Putin's plane: Measures taken to ensure safety of President

The plane of Russian President Vladimir Putin was accompanied by Russian Su-35S fighter jets during his visits to Abu Dhabi and Riyadh due to the fact that the head of state worked in a turbulent region, and all measures were taken to ensure the safety of the president, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

"The region is turbulent. While the UAE and Saudi Arabia are stable and safe countries… The adjacent region is certainly full of dangers and unpredictability, therefore, naturally, all measures are being taken to ensure the security of the head of the Russian state at the proper level," Peskov told reporters.

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💵 US Senate fails to advance supplemental funding request with Ukraine, Israel aid

The US Senate failed to advance a supplemental funding bill valued at more than $100 billion, as congressional Republicans continue to insist on the inclusion of border security measures in the legislation.

Senators rejected a measure on Wednesday evening to begin debate on the bill, which required 60 votes to pass.

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🇷🇺 President Vladimir Putin’s trip to the UAE and Saudi Arabia could be used by Arab states “as leverage relative to the Palestinian issue,” Abdulaziz Algashian, a Saudi political analyst, told Sputnik.

From an economic aspect, "OPEC+ is the core issue," with the oil powerhouses likely to “strategize, to see how they could move forward with the pricing of oil in the future,” stressed the research fellow with SEPAD international research network.

“For the Gulf States, relations with Russia are seen as an essential leverage in adapting to their changing relationship with the US,” agreed Sami Hamdi, Saudi political analyst and head of the International Interest, a risk analysis group.

👉 Follow the link to learn more

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🇸🇦🇷🇺🇦🇪 President Vladimir Putin's visits to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia have once again shown that the West's efforts to isolate Russia over its Ukraine operation had totally failed, Mideast experts told Sputnik.

"The Global Rest has not followed the Global West," said Dr. Marco Carnelos, former Italian diplomat. "World politics is slowly turning more multipolar, and such a context provides better and wider opportunities, especially from an economic point of view. Both Saudi Arabia and UAE do not want to miss such a unique train."

In addition to flourishing trade and OPEC+ collaboration with Russia, "Russia has a great deal of influence [in Arab countries] because of its support for Palestine," Mehmet Rakipoglu, a scholar at Dimensions for Strategic Studies think tank told Sputnik, citing the ongoing Palestine-Israel crisis.

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Donetsk People's Republic shelled by Ukraine 39 times in past day

The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) representative office in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) of issues related to Ukraine's war crimes said Ukrainian troops shelled the DPR territory 39 times over the past day.

"Over the past day, the office reported 39 cases of fire by Ukrainian armed units," the office said in a statement on Telegram.

According to the statement, one civilian was killed and 18 others wounded.

Overall, the Kiev regime fired 132 rounds of various ammunition. A total of 56 shelling attacks by Ukrainian forces were recorded in the previous day.

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