About this Episode
The EU says it will condemn Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine at the upcoming G20 summit in Miami regardless of whether President Vladimir Putin attends. EU officials stressed the G20 remains a key forum to address global challenges created by the war, noting recent deadly escalation in attacks on Ukrainian civilians. The US has formally invited Putin—whose last in-person G20 was 2019—but Europeans worry the invitation risks normalising Russian leadership; some EU figures have called the move wrong. Kyiv says a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin could be considered if Moscow agrees, while G20 membership also includes states maintaining closer ties with Russia.
A massive wave of Russian drone and missile strikes hit Ukraine yestarday – killing at least eight people—six agricultural workers in the east and two in Kyiv—while damaging homes, a shopping mall, a Nova Post depot and a warehouse in Kharkiv’s Chuguiv district. Authorities reported use of low-cost “Banderol” cruise-drone hybrids to overwhelm air defences. The attacks, which forced air-raid sheltering and renewed concerns about winter energy disruption, came as Kyiv and Moscow traded vows at the UN to continue long-range strikes. President Zelenskyy urged stronger Western sanctions and more missile interceptors; Russia’s FM Lavrov said the war would not pause.
A UN monitoring team reports that between 15,000 and 30,000 North Korean workers were in Russia at the end last year, with up to 25,000 reportedly assembling drones—largely in Tatarstan’s Alabuga special economic zone—often registered on student or tourist visas to evade UN sanctions. Most wages are seized by Pyongyang, financing its weapons and nuclear programmes, while workers live under strict control and harsh conditions. The arrangement helps Russia scale low-cost drone production, including mass-produced “Shahed” variants and jet-powered UAVs, intensifying swarm attacks on Ukraine and raising legal, humanitarian and security concerns for the West.
