General Tkachenko's dismissal and the arrest of the KRAIL head: key highlights from December 18.

Tkachuk Dismissed from the Sahaidachny Academy

Lieutenant General Pavlo Tkachuk has been dismissed from his position as the head of the National Academy of Land Forces named after Hetman Petro Sahaidachny by an order from the Minister of Defense.

Previously, the Main Inspection of the Ministry of Defense conducted an audit of the academy's activities and uncovered numerous violations.

Zelensky on Potential Negotiations: We Are Neither in a Weak Nor Strong Position

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the country is currently not in a weak position, but also not strong enough to initiate peace negotiations.

In his opinion, starting negotiations under the current conditions would mean "giving Putin the right to decide everything in our part of the world." He also emphasized that a plan of action, specifically a peace plan, needs to be developed before negotiations can begin, which could later be presented to the Russian side.

Head of KRAIL Arrested for Assisting Russian Online Casinos

Law enforcement arrested the head of the Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL), Ivan Rudy. He is suspected of facilitating the activities of Russian online casinos in Ukraine.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, KRAIL has recently come under scrutiny from the media and law enforcement due to the operations of online casinos in Ukraine that are linked to Russia.

Ukraine Received Another €4.1 Billion from the EU

Ukraine received an additional €4.1 billion in financial aid from the European Union under the Ukraine Facility program. The total aid for this year under the initiative amounts to €16.1 billion.

Syrskiy Discussed the Kursk Operation: I Had No Choice

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskiy considers the Kursk operation a success, achieved through an element of surprise, despite the relatively small number of Ukrainian troops involved. This offensive prevented the Russians from meeting their targets for 2024.

He also explained the reasons for initiating this operation, stating that he "had no choice." At that time, it was necessary to disrupt the assault on Kharkiv, relieve pressure on other fronts, and prevent the Russians from advancing towards Sumy.

Rada Did Not Support Boyko's Dismissal from the Human Rights Committee

The Verkhovna Rada did not vote for the dismissal of people’s deputy and leader of the “Platform for Life and Peace” Yuriy Boyko from the Rada's Committee on Human Rights, De-occupation, and Reintegration of Occupied Territories.

Only 217 deputies voted for this decision, which was insufficient.

In Russia, a Citizen of Uzbekistan Arrested for the Murder of General Kirillov

In Russia, authorities announced the arrest of a suspect in the murder of the commander of the radiation, chemical, and biological protection troops of the Russian army, Igor Kirillov, and his assistant, Ilya Polikarpov.

The arrested individual turned out to be a citizen of Uzbekistan. During the interrogation, he claimed that he had allegedly been recruited by Ukrainian special services.

Meanwhile, the United States stated that Washington was not informed of the intentions to eliminate Kirillov.