Page 65 - RusRPTJun24

Russia lures Cubans to army with offers of high pay, Russian passport. Leaked documents reveal that Russia has been coercing Cuban citizens into the Russian Armed Forces with salaries of approximately $2,000 per month, in addition to offers of a Russian passports within months of signing up, a BBC investigation revealed on May 4.
Putin aims to control Baltic Sea, has his eye on Gotland Island. Russian President Vladimir Putin may be seeking dominance over the Baltic Sea and has his sights on the island of Gotland, Micael Byden, Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, said in an interview with RND published on May 21.
Russia speeds up recruitment of mercenaries from Africa, military intelligence says. New mercenaries from Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, and Uganda are being recruited as assault troopers by a specially created unit of the Russian Defense Ministry, the agency said.
● Weapons
China denies UK claims of supplying lethal weapons to Russia. "We condemn the U.K. politician's groundless and irresponsible vilification of China," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.
Russia aims to produce 6,000 Shahed-type drones a year in Tatarstan. Russia aims to reach the production level of 6,000 Shahed attack drones a year at the Alabuga facility, while the factory was already ahead of its production schedule in April
Since Russia’s special operation in Ukraine began in February 2022, NATO members delivered around 800 tanks, 270 multiple-launch rocket systems, 130 planes and helicopters and over 30,000 drones to the armed forces of Ukraine, said Igor Kostyukov, the chief of the Main Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff.
Watchdog: Russian, Ukrainian accusations of chemical weapons use ‘insufficiently substantiated.’ Hundreds of cases of Russia using suffocating and tear gas grenades usually dropped from drones have been recorded since the start of the full-scale invasion, with the number of incidents increasing significantly in 2024.
Half of North Korean missiles fired by Russia blow up in mid-air, Ukraine's top prosecutor says. While the number of missiles Pyongyang has given to Moscow remains a tiny percentage of Russia's overall stockpiles, Ukraine and its allies are concerned about the growing ties between the two countries.
65 RUSSIA Country Report June 2024 www.intellinews.com