Russia steps up efforts to produce advanced weapons for the military

Russia's Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said the country is stepping up efforts to produce advanced weapons for the military to deter Western countries supporting Ukraine.

According to RT, Mr. Medvedev's statement on December 11 was clearly in response to a statement the day before by Aleksey Danilov, head of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, that Kiev did not rule out attacks inside Russian territory.

Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev. Photo: Sputnik

On December 9, The Times also quoted a US defense source as saying that the Pentagon had allowed Kiev to carry out long-range attacks on Russian territory.

Writing on his Telegram channel, former Russian President Medvedev stressed that Moscow's "enemies" are not only in Kiev, but also in Europe, North America and a number of other places. "Therefore, we are increasing the production of the most powerful weapons and ammunition, including those based on new principles," Medvedev added.

US denies encouraging Ukraine to attack Russian territory

Asked by ABC News on December 11 whether he thought Ukrainian drones should attack “airfields deep inside Russian territory,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby replied: “Let the Ukrainian armed forces speak out about their activities.”

“We certainly do not encourage or facilitate Ukrainian activities inside Russian territory,” Mr. Kirby later clarified. “We are trying to ensure that they are able to defend their territory and reclaim their territories in Ukraine.”

Mr. Kirby noted that from the beginning, the US mentioned controlling the risks of escalation because it was “not good for the Ukrainian people, not good for American interests and not good for the Russian people”.

EU admits it is running out of weapons to help Ukraine

On the same day, Josep Borrell, the European Union's (EU) foreign policy chief, admitted that the bloc was running out of military reserves as it continued to supply weapons to Kiev. Mr. Borrell also pointed out that the Russia-Ukraine conflict was a "wake-up call" for the EU about the bloc's military capabilities.

European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Photo: AP

According to Sputnik, this is at least the second time the EU's foreign policy leader has warned that Europe is running out of military reserves, after a similar statement in September.

Also at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared that member countries of this military alliance need to reinvest in their arms industries.

Other notable news:

- Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as emphasizing that instead of Russian gas, Europe is now shifting to dependence on American liquefied natural gas.

- Four anonymous US officials told Politico that the US Air Force wants to transfer older Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Ukraine. However, after months of "internal disagreement and debate", Pentagon leaders have yet to make a final decision because of concerns that the advanced reconnaissance equipment on this long-range UAV model could pose a danger to the US if it falls into the hands of Russian forces.

- A team of international legal advisers has been working with Ukrainian prosecutors in the city of Kherson in recent days, as they begin collecting evidence of the allegations against Russian troops in a comprehensive investigation.

- After Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed the Black Sea grain export deal with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy wrote on Twitter that he discussed “further work and the possibility of expanding the grain corridor” with Erdogan.