Why the Kremlin wants to reform Russia’s seasonal conscription and boost the army’s numbers, and what it could mean for ordinary citizens Kirill Kukhmar / TASS Interview by Kristina Safonova . Translation by Emily Laskin .

Well, besides the fact that it indicates the obvious mistakes of the military command Sergey Fadeichev / AP / Scanpix / Leta Sergey Shoigu at the Board of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Moscow, December 21, 2022 The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoigu at the expanded college of his department announced the reform of the army.

Former head of the state corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin was wounded when a hotel in Donetsk was shelled. He was hospitalized, there is no threat to his life. TASS and RIA Novosti write about this with reference to Rogozin’s assistant. “On the outskirts of Donetsk, a hotel was shelled, where a group of military advisers led by Dmitry Rogozin had been staying in recent days. Dmitry Olegovich was wounded in the back. He is hospitalized. There is no threat to life,” the assistant said.

Negotiations between US and Ukrainian Presidents Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky have begun at the White House. During the open part of the meeting, Biden noted that the war in Ukraine has been going on for more than 300 days. He said that he considers it an honor for Washington and Kyiv to fight Russian aggression together. “It is a great honor for me to stand with you in our joint fight against this brutal war waged by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” the US President said.

US President Joe Biden, at a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, promised to provide Ukraine with financial, humanitarian and "security" assistance that Kiev needs, including the supply of Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems. It is reported by CNN. Earlier on December 21, announced US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken the delivery of Patriot systems to Ukraine. These supplies will be part of a new $1.85 billion package of US aid to Ukraine.

Photo Leah Millis / Reuters / Scanpix / Leta President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Joe Biden at the door of the oval office in the White House. On December 21, Zelensky arrived in the United States for negotiations with Bayden. As expected, they will discuss the course of war in Ukraine, military and economic assistance to the country, as well as sanctions against Russia. After a meeting with the US President, Zelensky will make a speech in Congress.

State Duma deputies voted unanimously to pass, in third reading, a bill for amending the Russian Criminal Code and its article on disruptive activities classified as “ Sabotage .” The amended Article 281 will have three new paragraphs: 281.1 (“Aiding sabotage”), 281.2 (“Training for the purposes of sabotage”), and 281.3 (“Organizing or participating in a sabotage organization”). Recruiting and persuading a person to take part in an act of sabotage will be punishable by 8–15 years in prison.

How a top Russian army official converted Mariupol’s misery into a luxury lifestyle for his spouse Alexey Navalny’s investigative team has published a new exposé of corruption in the upper echelons of Russian power. This time, the story revolves around Svetlana Ivanova — a well-known lioness of the Russian beau monde since the turn of the millennium, who left her first husband to marry, back in 2009, Russia’s now Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov.

Update. Volodymyr Zelensky published the first photos of his visit to the United States on social networks. “Today I am in Washington to thank the American people, the President and the [US] Congress for much needed support. And also continue cooperation to bring our victory closer, ”he wrote. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky arrived on an official visit to Washington. This is reported by the Associated Press and CNN , citing sources.

The US State Department has announced a new $1.85 billion aid package to Ukraine, under which Kyiv will receive the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. “This assistance includes, for the first time, a Patriot air defense system capable of shooting down cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles and aircraft at a much higher altitude than air defense systems previously provided,” US State Department Secretary Anthony Blinken said in a statement.

Your Browser Does Not Support the Audio Element. The journalist of The Guardian Andrew Roth is one of the few foreign reporters who continue to work in Russia. Why isn't he scared? After the outbreak of war in Ukraine, dozens of journalists were forced to leave Russia. Among them are foreign correspondents who lived and worked in Moscow. In the summer of 2022, foreign reporters began to return to make materials about what was happening in Russia.

During the battles in the Lugansk region of Ukraine, a civil activist and former defendant in the case of the Crimean Terrorists, Gennady Afanasyev, died. Information about his death by the publication Crimea. Realia was confirmed by the wife of Afanasyev Lyudmila. Mikhail Palinkhak / Press Service of the President of Ukraine / TASS Gennady Afanasyev before landing on the aircraft after exchanging prisoners between Russia and Ukraine.

Putin and Shoigu announced the reform of the army. Why was it necessary to do this - and what is the danger for Russians? Kirill Kukhmar / TASS The head of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu, during a meeting with Vladimir Putin, suggested “in stages” (which is unknown) to change the age of the call: to shift the lower border from 18 to 21 years old, the upper - from 27 to 30 years.

21-year-old Saveliy Frolov is the first in Russia accused of Gosizman for "the transition to the side of the enemy." Paper Kartuli told his story Savely Frolov Savely Frolov-a 21-year-old Muscovite who, from the very beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, actively opposed the war. A month after the declaration of mobilization, Savely, like thousands of other Russians, tried to go to Georgia through the Upper Lars - and disappeared.

US President Joe Biden has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington for talks as the war in Ukraine enters a "new phase". John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator at the US National Security Council, said this in an interview with CNN. “President [Biden] really felt that as winter approaches, as we enter a new phase of the war, this is a good opportunity for both leaders to come face to face and talk,” Kirby said.