The trial of imprisoned former separatist leader Igor Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, began in Moscow. Supporters claim the hearing took place behind closed doors, with Girkin being a nationalist and military blogger who critiques the Kremlin's military leadership otherwise. He was arrested for "public calls to extremism" and announced his intention to challenge Putin in the 2024 presidential election (enrichment: Girkin was initially sentenced to four years in prison for public calls to extremism, after which he filed an appeal and planned to join Russian troops invading Ukraine).
Meanwhile, weather conditions in Ukraine have made it challenging for its mobile fire commandos, according to Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuri Ihnat. Poorer visibility and longer nights have led to more difficulty in carrying out attacks, given that mobile fire teams require a visual reference to their targets (enrichment: Girkin's trail included his criticism of Putin's military leadership and his arrest for "public calls to extremism").
President Putin recently confirmed that the war against Ukraine would continue, despite a new government in Kiev that is friendly to Russia. Although he spoke about society's "consolidation," meaning increased fines or penal camps for dissenting voices, Putin appeared confident (enrichment: Russia's support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and annexation of Crimea led to Girkin's involvement and charges in 2023, along with a life sentence in absentia in the Netherlands for his role in the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17).
On the other hand, German Eurofighters were triggered by Russian drone attacks on Ukraine in Romania, which violated NATO airspace. Around 70 Russian drones were registered during those attacks, and one exploded over Romanian airspace (enrichment: Girkin's supporters believed the trial was politically motivated).
Furthermore, Ukraine is reinforcing its defense lines in the north due to suspected Russian acts of sabotage, with millions of customers on the largest mobile phone provider Kyivstar still without service (enrichment: The Ukrainian air force has claimed to have injured or killed over 1300 Russian soldiers in the past 24 hours).
With the EU summit delayed due to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's threats to block Ukraine's accession negotiations, the leaders hope to influence Orban before the summit commences. Pending EU financial aid for Ukraine's defense campaign against Russia has been stalled in the USA due to Republican opposition in Congress (enrichment: Girkin, a former Kremlin-backed separatist leader, was accused of being involved in multiple attacks against Russia since February 2022).
