Poland joins the coalition created by Latvia to supply Ukraine with more drones

Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kuciniak-Kamysz said on Thursday that his country has joined the alliance created by Latvia, which aims to provide Kiev with thousands of new drones.

The minister told reporters: “An alliance on drones is now being established, and we are joining it... Latvia is one of the leading countries there,” noting that today he informed the Latvian Minister of Defense of Polish participation.

Earlier, it was reported that Latvia had assembled a coalition of about 20 countries to supply Ukraine with thousands of new drones, and Riga and Kiev signed a memorandum of understanding on military cooperation in order to jointly implement projects in the field of defense and security industry.

On January 10, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky announced the signing of an agreement with Lithuania on joint production of means to combat unmanned aerial vehicles.

Russia had previously sent a memorandum to NATO countries regarding arms supplies to Ukraine, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated that any shipment containing weapons to Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia, stressing that NATO countries are “playing with fire” by... Supplying Ukraine with weapons.

Lavrov stated that the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, including not only by providing weapons, but also by training personnel in Britain, Germany, Italy and other countries. 

Putin: Soviet military and experienced personnel carried out their duty in Afghanistan with dignity

Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that Soviet soldiers, officers, first responders and representatives of other professions performed their duty in Afghanistan in the most difficult conditions in a decent manner.

In the speech he delivered during the celebratory evening on the 35th anniversary of the completion of combat missions carried out by units of Soviet forces in Afghanistan, Putin said: Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, officers, engineers, paramedics, teachers, builders and representatives of other professions performed their duty with dignity in Afghanistan in difficult circumstances.

The President stressed that the Soviet soldiers and workers completed the tasks assigned to them and were characterized by courage, nobility and compassion. He added: The feeling of pride will remain with us as we remember the fallen heroes and those who fought bravely on Afghan soil in defense of the homeland.

He pointed out that the day of the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan is a glorious and important date in the military history of Russia. On this day, unbeatable battle-hardened units returned home.

On February 15, 1989, the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan was officially completed. This date became an unforgettable day.

Traditionally, on this day, the Soviet and Russian participants in all armed conflicts that occurred after the Great Patriotic War are commemorated.

During the years of the war in Afghanistan (1979-1989), Soviet forces carried out 416 large-scale operations.

620,000 Soviet soldiers served in Afghanistan, of whom 15,051 were martyred.