Kyiv colpisce 2 aerei spia russi e sale la tensione nel Mar Rosso 🗞️ Rassegna 16/01/2024

Ucraina

(EuroNews) Zelienskyy a Davos

• Martedì saranno presenti contemporaneamente nella cittadina svizzera il premier cinese Li Qiang, il presidente dell’Ucraina Volodymyr Zelensky, il consigliere per la Sicurezza nazionale degli Stati Uniti Jake Sullivan e la presidente della Commissione europea Ursula von der Leyen.

(BBC) Ukraine's military says it has shot down a Russian military spy plane over the Sea of Azov

• Army chief Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi said the air force had "destroyed" an A-50 long range radar detection aircraft, and an Il-22 control center plane. The A-50 is a Soviet-era spy plane designed to detect and report back the coordinates and movements of enemy objects for Russian jets.
• A briefing from the UK's Ministry of Defence on 23 February said that Russia "likely" had six operational A-50s in service. The planes can cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build.

Russia

(Meduza) More than 20 Finnish companies are supplying Russia with military goods, reports Finnish news agency Yle, after studying customs documents

• According to Yle journalists, the companies are small-scale logistics and freight forwarding firms owned by “individuals with Russian backgrounds.” 
• One company shipped sensors, diesel engines, fuel pumps, and transmission equipment to Russia. The investigation’s authors say that at least two of the company’s Russian clients are linked to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
• The companies in question either exported goods directly to Russia or acted as intermediaries. Goods from Finland were also sent through other countries, such as Uzbekistan, allowing Russia to circumvent sanctions, according to Yle.

(Meduza) Russia sees increase in alcohol dependence diagnoses for first time in decade

• According to Russia's Federal State Statistics Service’s report “Healthcare in Russia 2023” approximately 54,200 patients received the diagnosis in 2022, compared to about 53,000 in 2021. Before that, the number had fallen every year since 2010, when about 100,000 patients received the diagnosis.
• Experts who spoke to Kommersant attributed the increase in alcohol dependence to the COVID-19 pandemic, “socioeconomic shocks,” and an “intensification of geopolitical confrontations.”

(Associated Press) North Korean foreign minister visits Moscow for talks as concern grows over an alleged arms deal

• The Biden administration said it has evidence that missiles provided by North Korea to Russia have been used in Ukraine. In a joint statement last week, the U.S., South Korea and their partners said the missiles support Russia’s war, while North Korea receives valuable technical and military insights in return.

Politica internazionale

Medio Oriente

Yemen 

(Reuters) Houthi forces in Yemen struck the U.S.-owned and operated dry bulk ship Gibraltar Eagle with an anti-ship ballistic missile

• The vessel's U.S.-based operator Eagle Bulk Shipping said that it was hit by an "unidentified projectile" while sailing 100 miles off the Gulf of Aden and suffered limited damage to its cargo hold, and no seafarers were injured.
• Earlier in the day British Maritime Security firm Ambrey said that a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned bulk carrier was reportedly struck by a missile while transiting near Yemen's port of Aden.
• The latest attack suggests that despite the U.S. strikes, the Houthis appear undeterred.

Asia e Pacifico

Taiwan

(Reuters) Taiwan lost one of its few remaining diplomatic allies Nauru to China on Monday, just days after it elected a new president

• Taiwan security officials told Reuters before Saturday's election that China was likely to continue to whittle away at the handful of countries - now down to a dozen - that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taipei.

Cina

(Reuters) China's military and government acquire Nvidia chips despite US ban, a Reuters review of tender documents show

• Purchasers included elite universities as well as two entities subject to U.S. export restrictions - the Harbin Institute of Technology and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, which have been accused of involvement in military matters
• The graphic processing units - a type of chip - that are built by Nvidia are widely seen as far superior to rival products for AI work as they can more efficiently process huge amounts of data needed for machine-learning tasks.
• The sales by largely unknown Chinese suppliers highlight the difficulties Washington faces, despite its bans, in completely cutting off China's access to advanced U.S. chips that could fuel breakthroughs in AI and sophisticated computers for its military.
• The Reuters review found neither Nvidia nor retailers approved by the company were among the suppliers identified. It was not clear how the suppliers procured their Nvidia chips.