Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Kyiv, October 3, 2024 (AP)

Wednesday’s Coverage: Putin’s Aircraft and Funds Used in Deportations of Children

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1121 GMT:

Ukraine Presidential Chief of Staff Andrii Yermak has held talks in Washington with the team of Donald Trump, who will re-enter the White House in just over six weeks.

Trump’s group included future Vice President J.D. Vance, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Representative for Ukraine Keith Kellogg.

The details of the discussions were not disclosed.

UPDATE 1020 GMT:

Russia has been accused of extending its electoral interference to Romania’s Presidential vote.

A little-known, pro-Russian ultra-nationalist Calin Georgescu led the first round with almost 23% of the vote on November 24. He will face pro-European Union reformist Elena Lasconi in the runoff on Sunday.

Georgescu boasted that he had run his campaign on TikTok, spending no money. But on Wednesday, Romanian authorities declassified evidence of a “highly organized” social media campaign backed by a “state actor”.

The Romanian foreign intelligence agency pointed to “aggressive Russian hybrid attacks, including cyberattacks, information leaks, and sabotage”.

A declassified intelligence report said Georgescu was boosted around 25,000 TikTok accounts that became highly active in the run-up to the elections. One account that paid $381,000 to users promoting Georgescu. Social media influencers, with a combined following of over 8 million, were used to shape public opinion

The agencies also reported 85,000 cyberattacks aimed at accessing and tampering with election data, with advanced methods indicative of “state-sponsored actors”.

“Romanians must decide with their vote whether they want to hand over Romania to Russia as a gift,” Lasconi said in response to the revelations. “We have a choice between Russia and the EU.”

UPDATE 0953 GMT:

The Netherlands is donating an additional $23 million to bolster Ukraine’s air defense systems and cyber-resilience.

After meeting Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp emphasized the need to address third countries aiding Russia’s war effort: “This demands a more robust and coordinated response from NATO and its Allies.”

UPDATE 0945 GMT:

At least four civilians were killed and 16 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.

A 40-year-old man was killed in the Kharkiv region in the northeast. In the Dnipropetrovsk region in south-central Ukraine, an 88-year-old woman was slain. Two people were slain in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine.

Air defenses intercepted 30 of 44 Russian drones launched overnight, and others were lost to electronic counter-measures. The Russians also fired two Iskander-M ballistic missiles.

UPDATE 0905 GMT:

The US has sanctioned five people and four entities over involvement in a global network of “sanctions circumvention on behalf of Russian elites”.

The US Treasury said the TGR Group was “an extensive sanctions evasion and money laundering network”.

“Through the TGR Group, Russian elites sought to exploit digital assets – in particular US dollar-backed stablecoins – to evade US and international sanctions,” said Treasury official Bradley Smith.

Britain’s National Crime Agency spoke of an international enforcement operation against TGR and another network, Smart, that helped sanctioned Russians use the financial system.

“For the first time, we have been able to map out a link between Russian elites, crypto-rich cybercriminals, and drugs gangs on the streets of the UK,” said Rob Jones, NCA’s Director General of Operations. “The thread that tied them together – the combined force of Smart and TGR – was invisible until now.”

The operation also involved authorities in France, Ireland and the UAE. There have been 84 arrests and the seizure of more than $25 million in cash and crypto-currency.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: NATO Foreign Ministers have concluded a two-day summit in Brussels with no invitation for Ukraine’s accession.

NATO head Mark Rutte and national leaders indicated on the eve of the summit that they would focus on military support rather than the invitation, which is being sought by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a precondition for any talks to end Russia’s 33-month invasion.

Rutte said on Wednesday after the summit’s conclusion, “Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine threatens us all. And that is why we will continue to stand together – Europe and North America – alongside our international partners, to keep our 1 billion people safe.”

However, he made no reference to Ukraine becoming the bloc’s 33rd member. Instead, he declared:

We discussed what more Allies can do to provide critical ammunition and air defenses, as Russia steps up its attacks and expands the war with the aid of North Korean troops and weapons.

Allies are working to deliver on the financial pledge of €40 billion in security assistance for Ukraine in 2024.

And I expect the new command in Wiesbaden, the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, to be fully operational by the end of this year.

Asked “Is Ukraine closer now to NATO membership than it was before this meeting?”, Rutte avoided an answer:

The first priority now should be for Ukraine to start negotiations from this position of strength with the Russians.

That now is priority number one, two and three, and that’s why I’m also avoiding to add my thoughts to the many thoughts going around now on what peace talks could look like, who should be sat at the table, what security guarantees would exactly look like, because first we have to do that first step.

In his nightly address to the nation, Zelensky made no reference to the summit, attended by his Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. Instead, he commented on mass protests challenging the pro-Russian government of the Georgian Dream party:

What is happening in Georgia is not just a challenge for one nation or our region. The current Georgian government is pushing the country into clear dependence on Russia. It’s disgraceful to see the steps they are taking against their own people.