Explaining: German support, demining in Ukraine, collapse of Kremlin’s “alternative Olympics”
GERMAN SUPPORT
On December 2, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Kyiv.
● The main topic of the talks was the military strengthening of Ukraine and diplomatic support for Kyiv.
● Germany is the leader among European countries in terms of the amount of aid provided to Ukraine, which has reached around €28 billion since the start of the full-scale war.
● In December, Ukraine will receive a new military aid package from Germany worth €650 million, including another IRIS-T system, Patriot and Gepard systems.
● In 2025, Germany will continue to support Ukraine, including the supply of air defense systems, howitzers, combat and reconnaissance drones, and armed Sea King helicopters.
● Scholz stressed that Germany would support Ukraine for as long as needed.
DEMINING OF UKRAINIAN TERRITORIES
In November, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine cleared more than 18,000 hectares of mines.
● Most of the areas cleared of explosive ordnance are agricultural land.
● According to the government, the potentially mined territory of Ukraine is about 139,000 square kilometers.
● Ukraine's annual losses due to mined fields amount to $11 billion.
● In 2024, the first Ukrainian mine-clearing vehicle Zmiy w developed, tested and certified.
● Nearly 70 mine action operators are working on demining in Ukraine, and the Humanitarian Demining Coalition of Ukraine brings together about 50 partner countries.
COLLAPSE OF KREMLIN'S “ALTERNATIVE OLYMPICS”
Putin cancelled the World Friendship Games, which were to be held in Russia in 2024.
● “The Friendship Games” were launched by Moscow in 2023 due to the massive suspension of Russian athletes from international competitions.
● According to the Kremlin's plan, these competitions were supposed to be an “alternative” to the Olympics, against which Russian propaganda launched an aggressive disinformation campaign.
● In November 2023, the International Olympic Committee called for cancelling the “The Friendship Games” as a completely politicized sporting event.
● “The Friendship Games” were supposed to take place in Yekaterinburg and Moscow in September 2024, but were postponed and now cancelled.
● The failure of Putin's “alternative Olympics” demonstrates Moscow's inability to create real alternatives to international institutions, particularly in the field of sports.
