Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:52 In Kiev, rescuers discovered the body of another person killed as a result of yesterday's missile strike - the number of victims increased to 17, said the head of the KGVA Sergei Popko. The search operation continues, January 1 is the Day of Mourning in Kyiv.
22:44 Zelensky, in an evening video message, promised Russia “fair responsibility - both political and very practical” for every drone and missile. He also emphasized that Ukraine is preparing to produce more weapons next year and is already working with partners “on solutions that every Ukrainian soldier, our entire people, our state needs, and these decisions will be strong.” In addition, the president thanked “all partners for the new operational work to strengthen our air defense.”
22:13 The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations stated that the number of deaths in Belgorod has increased to 18 people, 111 residents were injured.
22:10 In Kharkov, 20 people were wounded as a result of evening shelling , including two teenagers aged 16 and 14, the prosecutor’s office reported. A hotel, apartment buildings, a kindergarten, administrative buildings, shops, restaurants, shopping pavilions and cars were damaged. Among the wounded is the security adviser to a team of journalists of a German media, a British citizen.
21:16 In Kharkov, the Kharkiv Palace hotel was damaged as a result of shelling, said the head of the regional prosecutor’s office, Alexander Filchakov. Among the wounded are a child and a foreign journalist. The Russians hit the city with S-300 missiles from the Belgorod region. Mayor Igor Terekhov said that a total of 16 people were injured.
21:09 In Avdiivka, one person was killed as a result of Russian shelling, the prosecutor’s office reported. Another person died in the village. Progress of the Pokrovsky district. In Selidovo, the number of victims increased to six.
20:28 The Russian army fired at Selidovo, Pokrovsky district, Donetsk region - one person was killed, four were wounded, 38 private residential buildings were damaged, the State Emergency Service reported.
20:25 The Russians carried out more than six strikes on the center of Kharkov, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov. Civil infrastructure was damaged: medical institutions, apartment buildings, shops, transport. According to the city mayor Igor Terekhov, 14 victims are currently known.
19:06 Russia has requested a meeting of the UN Security Council for today in connection with the shelling of Belgorod, which Russian Foreign Ministry Speaker Maria Zakharova called a “terrorist attack.” At the same time, Moscow demanded the participation of the permanent representative of the Czech Republic in the meeting, “so that he would explain himself in connection with the supply of weapons to Kyiv.” Zakharova also stated that behind the shelling of Belgorod “is Britain, which, in coordination with the United States, is inciting the Kiev regime to terrorist actions.”
18:24 The Russians fired from a multiple launch rocket system from the territory of the Russian Federation at the central part of the city of Semyonovka, Novgorod-Seversky district, Chernihiv region, one person was killed, the prosecutor's office reported. More than 30 private houses and other civilian objects were damaged.
18:15 In Odessa, the number of victims of yesterday's Russian missile attack has increased to five - one of the wounded died in the hospital, said Oleg Kiper, head of the OBA. Another 27 people were injured, including two children.
18:08 Zelensky said that he held a final meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Headquarters: “We summed up the military results of the year. We analyzed the results of combat operations and our decisions. What we did right and what we could have done better. Taking into account these conclusions, forecasts and our capabilities, we determined strategy for the use of the Defense Forces for the coming year. This year, Ukraine did not retreat in any direction on earth, regained its sea and made the skies safer. We continue to work as one team."
17:22 The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation stated that in Belgorod, according to updated information, 14 people were killed, including two children, another 108 people were injured, including 15 children. The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that the Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly “attempted an indiscriminate combined strike” on the city - they used two Vilkha missiles “in prohibited cluster ammunition,” as well as “Czech-made Vampire missiles.”
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, air defense systems allegedly intercepted the Vilkha missiles and most of the Vampire MLRS rockets, and several rockets and cluster parts from the downed Vilkha missiles hit Belgorod. The department also stated that the Russian Armed Forces supposedly work “only on military targets and the infrastructure directly associated with them, and we will continue to do so.”
17:13 In the afternoon, the Russian army attacked Zaporozhye with one missile, preliminary - Iskander-M. Air defense forces neutralized the missile, the remains fell in an open area in the vicinity of the city, said the head of the Air Defense Forces, Yuri Malashko. In addition, the Russians fired at a residential area in Stepnogorsk with MLRS, killing one person.
17:00 The Russian army shelled Antonovka, Kherson region, one person was killed, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin.
16:26 The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation stated that in Belgorod, due to shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, ten people were killed, including one child, another 45 people were injured, including four children. Ukrainskaya Pravda reports, citing sources in the special services, that the Defense Forces worked on Russian military facilities in the Belgorod region, but due to the unprofessional actions of the Russian air defense, debris fell in the city center.
14:37 As a result of yesterday's missile attack, 120 people were injured and 39 were killed, Zelensky said. Almost 120 cities and villages and hundreds of civilian objects were damaged.
12:53 The attack on Kiev on December 29 set a record for the number of casualties among civilians in the capital, said Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko. To date, 16 bodies of the dead have already been recovered from the rubble of a warehouse in the Shevchenko district. Rescuers continue to work and will clear the rubble until tomorrow.
11:06 In Zaporozhye, the number of victims of yesterday's missile attack has increased to nine people, said the head of the OBA Yuriy Malashko.
11:02 The death toll as a result of yesterday's attack on Kiev has increased to 13 - the bodies of four more people were pulled out from under the rubble of a warehouse in the Shevchenko district, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said. 32 people were injured, 17 of them are in hospitals at medical institutions.
The Dnipro-M company, which sells power tools and equipment, reported that yesterday's fire destroyed its facility in the Podolsk region - in particular, goods and a service center for repairing products.
10:37 In 2024, the world should prepare for a number of military conflicts. This could also be a Russian tactic - inciting military conflicts to scatter the attention and help of Ukraine's partners. About where instability will be in 2024, see the material Year of Wars .
10:06 At night, the Russians attacked with ten Shahed-type UAVs from the Crimean Cape Chauda. Five drones were shot down by air defense within the Nikolaev, Kherson and Khmelnytsky regions. The main blow is the front-line zone of the Kherson region, the Air Force command reported.
09:01 At night, the Russians attacked Kherson with Shahed drones, hitting an administrative building, which was almost completely destroyed as a result of the strike. Windows in neighboring houses were broken by the blast wave, but no people were injured, said Alexander Prokudin, head of the OVA. Over the past 24 hours, five people were injured in the region as a result of Russian shelling.
08:55 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of December 30:
personnel - about 358,270 (+750) people,
tanks - 5969 (+16),
armored combat vehicles - 11,053 (+20),
artillery systems - 8434 (+17),
MLRS - 939 (+1),
air defense systems - 621 (+1),
aircraft - 329 (+0),
helicopters - 324 (+0),
UAV of operational-tactical level - 6554 (+15),
cruise missiles - 1708 (+88),
ships/boats - 23 (+0),
submarines - 1 (+0),
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 11,244 (+29),
special equipment - 1260 (+6).
07:23 Over the past 24 hours, 56 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report . In the Avdeevsky direction, the Defense Forces repelled eight enemy attacks in the areas of Stepnoy, Avdeevka and 21 attacks near Severny, Pervomaisky and Nevelsky of the Donetsk region. In the Maryinsky direction, nine attacks were repulsed in the Maryinka and Novomikhailovka areas of the Donetsk region.
In the Kupyansk direction, Ukrainian forces repelled seven enemy attacks near Sinkovka, Kharkov region; on Bakhmutskoye - two attacks in the Bogdanovka and Andreevka districts of the Donetsk region; on Zaporozhye - two attacks west and north-west of Verbovoy, Zaporozhye region; and on Kherson the enemy carried out more than ten unsuccessful assault operations.
06:12 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that air defense systems were allegedly destroyed in the air and intercepted 32 “Ukrainian drones” over the Bryansk, Oryol, Kursk and Moscow regions.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Ukrainian Armed Forces did not allow the Russian aggressors to capture Avdievka for the New Year. Ukrainian troops did not allow the enemy to improve the tactical situation near the villages of Pervomaiskoye and Nevelskoye in the Avdeevsky direction.
Since the beginning of the current day, Russian aggressors have unsuccessfully attacked in eight directions. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced this in an evening report on Saturday, December 30.
In total, 49 military clashes took place at the front. The enemy launched three missile and 36 air strikes, and carried out 31 shelling from MLRS at positions of Ukrainian troops and populated areas.
In the Kupyansk direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled eight enemy attacks near Sinkovka, Kharkov region. The enemy also carried out air strikes in the areas of Peschany, Kharkov region, and Novoselovsky, Stelmakhovka, Nadezhda, Lugansk region. About 10 settlements came under artillery and mortar fire, including Dveletnaya, Sinkovka, Petropavlovka, Ivanovka, and Berestovo in the Kharkov region.
In the Liman direction, the Defense Forces repelled two enemy attacks near Makeyevka, Lugansk region. The occupiers launched an air strike in the Belogorovka area. More than 10 settlements were damaged by enemy artillery and mortar shelling, including Nevskoye in the Lugansk region and Torskoye, Serebryanka, Spornoye, Razdolevka in the Donetsk region.
In the Bakhmut direction, our soldiers repelled nine attacks in the areas of Bogdanovka, Klishchievka and Andreevka, where the enemy tried to restore the lost position. More than 10 settlements came under artillery and mortar fire, including Bogdanovka, Ivanovskoye, Kalinovka, Klishchievka, Andreevka, Stupochki in the Donetsk region.
In the Avdeevsky direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled four enemy attacks in the areas of Stepnoy, Avdeevka and another 13 near Pervomaisky and Nevelsky. Here the enemy tried unsuccessfully to improve the tactical situation. About 10 settlements were subjected to artillery and mortar shelling, including Keramik, Stepnoe, Avdeevka, Tonenkoe, Pervomaiskoe, Nevelskoe in the Donetsk region.
In the Maryinsky direction, our troops continue to hold back the enemy in the areas of Krasnogorovka, Maryinka and Novomikhailovka, where the enemy made seven unsuccessful attacks. Krasnogorovka, Marinka, Kurakhovo, Pobeda, Elizavetovka, Ekaterinivka found themselves under artillery and mortar fire from the occupiers.
In the Shakhtarsky direction, our defenders repelled two enemy attacks near Priyutnoye, Zaporozhye region. About 10 settlements were subjected to artillery and mortar shelling, in particular, Ugledar, Prechistovka, Zolotaya Niva, Urozhaynoye in the Donetsk region.
In the Zaporozhye direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled an enemy attack east of the village of Kopani. More than 25 settlements were subjected to artillery and mortar shelling, including Poltavka, Lugovskoye, Novodanilovka, Novoandreevka, Shcherbaki, Kamenskoye, Plavni in the Zaporozhye region.
In the Kherson direction, Tyaginka, Ivanovka, Antonovka and Kherson in the Kherson region were subjected to enemy artillery shelling. The enemy also carried out air strikes in the areas of Tyaginka and Kherson.
Also, the Russians do not abandon their intention to dislodge our troops from the bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnieper. During the day, the enemy carried out 11 unsuccessful assault operations, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces still held their positions and inflicted significant losses on the invaders.
During the day, Ukrainian aviation carried out strikes on 11 areas where enemy personnel were concentrated.
The missile forces hit three anti-aircraft missile systems, an area where personnel, weapons and military equipment were concentrated, seven artillery weapons and three electronic warfare stations.
Let us remind you that in 24 hours on December 29, 750 Russians were killed at the front. The enemy also lost several dozen armored vehicles.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces warned of the threat of the use of enemy kamikaze drones and ballistic missiles.
On Saturday evening, the movement of enemy attack UAVs from the southern and northern directions was recorded. The Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported this on Saturday, December 31.
The drone attack began around 7 pm on Saturday, December 30.
Around midnight, drone movement was recorded from the Vinnytsia region to the west. Also, enemy drones moved through the territory of the Cherkasy region.
The threat of attack UAVs was declared in Rivne, Zhytomyr, Khmelnitsky, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Kirovograd, Odessa, Kherson, Dnepropetrovsk and Donetsk regions.
The alarm was also declared in the Kyiv and Ternopil regions, Khmelnytskyi region.
Explosions were heard in the Kyiv region, Khmelnitsky and Zaporozhye regions. According to preliminary data, air defense is working.
In Kharkov, the number of victims of a missile attack by Russian aggressors continues to grow. 20 wounded are already known
Earlier on Saturday it became known that the Russians were launching attacks on Kharkov. The Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces warned of the threat of the use of ballistic weapons in the Kharkov region. Eight people were initially reported injured.
If I were the individual who authorized the artillery rocket strike on Belgorod, I would be seriously thinking about packing my shit and heading west.
The Belgorod rocket artillery attack is likely to be a factor in war-ending negotiations.
Indeed. There is no way Russia was going to tolerate being done to them what they’ve been doing repeatedly to Ukraine.
by Irina Alksnis
[RIA] For Russia, the year ends with a terrorist attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Belgorod: a missile strike was carried out on the city center - at the time of writing, fourteen deaths (including two children) and more than a hundred injuries (about twenty minors) are known. In general, the area was shelled more than 90 times during the day.
Despite the apparent senselessness of this barbarity, Kiev’s motives in this case are quite rational and diverse.
Firstly, to smooth out for your society the loss of Mar'inka and the success of the Russian massive strike on the military-industrial infrastructure on the night of December 28-29, and in general, to at least slightly dispel the depression of Ukrainians at the end of 2023. Judging by the reaction of the public there, the latter was quite successful: for a long time there has not been such a level of euphoria as because of the Russian children killed at the New Year's skating rink.
Secondly, to provoke - well, maybe you’ll get lucky! — Moscow to a symmetrical or even redundant response in its indiscriminateness, that is, instead of targeted strikes on military targets, the transformation of Kiev and other Ukrainian cities into ruins in the prototype of Gaza. By the way, Israel , of course, put a big screw on the Ukrainian authorities - and the West too - with its operation against Hamas : all Western propaganda is crumbling like a house of cards, since the world has the opportunity to compare with its own eyes the results of the work of the Russian Armed Forces and the IDF.
So, if it were possible to provoke Russia into a cruel and indiscriminate response for Belgorod, it would simply be the best New Year gift for Kyiv.
And because it would provide a tool for raising the patriotic spirit of Ukrainians, which had greatly faded over the year, which, in turn, would facilitate the process of mobilization, which in recent weeks has taken on very bizarre forms. And because this would inspire new Western interest in the Ukrainian topic - which, you see, would push the process of allocating military aid and new financial tranches, the absence of which is beginning to critically affect the performance of basic government functions by Kiev.
Thirdly, strike a blow to the spirit of Russian society. Considering the excellent health of Russians and the record-breaking optimistic assessments of people of the past year, according to sociologists, this is simply a disgusting, barbaric and bloody way to do something nasty: we cannot defeat you at the front, but we can kill you and your children at street holiday celebrations.
But what they just can’t understand in Ukraine (and in the West too): Russia has extensive experience in fighting terrorism—and defeating it. Our country knows exactly what needs to be done and how it needs to be done. The fact that this time we are faced with a terrorist state only adds nuances, but does not change the essence.
They don’t negotiate with terrorists—they are destroyed. Or they are imprisoned for a very, very long time.
Moreover, if someone is lucky enough to escape and hide in a remote hole on the other side of the world, this does not guarantee anything. Russia pursues terrorists until the last minute of their lives. Our country has already given dozens of examples of how for decades—literally decades—it has been searching for and finding those who have the blood of its citizens on their hands. And everyone else will now never know peace, realizing that Russia could come for them at any moment.
The latter especially concerns military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who give and carry out criminal orders to fire at obviously civilian targets.
As for the terrorist state, of course, you cannot put it in prison. This means that Russia has only one way to neutralize the threat posed by it: the state of Ukraine itself signed its own verdict.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] The real scale of the tragedy of the deportation of Kalmyks became known only almost half a century after it took place, since the USSR authorities forbade speaking on this topic, noted Inna Sangadzhieva, a native of Kalmykia, director for Europe and Central Asia of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. The scale of this tragedy has not yet been properly assessed by the authorities. On the 80th anniversary of the deportation, some Kalmyk media did not even mention these repressions; benefits for their victims exist only nominally, and payments from the state are low, residents of Kalmykia noted online.
As the "Caucasian Knot" reported, since 2004 in Kalmykia, December 28 is the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Deportation of the Kalmyk People.
On December 28, 1943, in accordance with the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the liquidation of the Kalmyk Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, the NKVD troops carried out Operation Ulus to evict Kalmyks to the regions of Siberia and the Far East. The Kalmyks were accused of treason, joining military detachments organized by the Germans, and organizing an anti-Soviet rebel movement. The deportation of Kalmyks was also considered as a means of resolving the national-political conflict (as defined by Joseph Stalin) that arose with the Kalmyks. The total number of deported Kalmyks, including soldiers and officers withdrawn from combat units, was about 120 thousand people, according to the Caucasian Knot reference material “ Deportation of Kalmyks.”
Director for Europe and Central Asia of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee Inna Sangadzhieva was born in the village of Adyk, about 130 kilometers from Elista. She learned years later about what the generations of her parents and grandparents went through, as reported on the committee’s website in a publication dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the deportation of the Kalmyks.
“In Soviet times, it was forbidden to talk about deportations, so I remember that this topic was mentioned completely without context in my childhood. About how my father grew up in Siberia, how my mother’s parents were left orphans, how my grandfather fought and my grandmother lost rumor in the taiga, and that some of the grandmother’s children died,” noted Sangadzhieva, whose words were translated by the Caucasian Knot using the Google Translate service.
She learned the history of her family only in the late 90s. “It turned out that my grandmother wrapped my father in a small carpet, where he sat in a cattle truck for about a month on the way to Siberia. This is how he survived. My grandfather was a front-line paratrooper, part of the Dnieper landing, a veteran of the Airborne Forces of the 3rd Guards Army. In the hospital "he was almost sent to the Gulag. Thanks to a brave doctor who said that he was an ethnic Kazakh and not a Kalmyk, he was not arrested, but sent back to the front," said Inna Sangadzhieva.
Upon arrival in Siberia, tens of thousands of Kalmyks were placed in special settlements with difficult conditions. Kalmyks worked as laborers in agriculture, mining, and forestry, performing forced labor in underdeveloped regions of Siberia.
"On my mother's side, some Buddhists were either sent to camps or died in Siberia. It was only in the 1990s that Buddhism began to be practiced again in Kalmykia. I am afraid that the Kalmyk language, culture and identity were lost after Kalmyks were resettled throughout Siberia. My grandmother was sent to Kokshetau (now Kazakhstan), and her brother ended up in Kamchatka in the Russian Far East. They have not seen each other for 13 years,” the human rights activist explained.
She explained that the deportation of her ancestors from Kalmykia influenced her choice to engage in human rights activities. "When glasnost and perestroika were announced, society itself began to reveal the terrible secrets of the past. The more history was revealed, the more questions arose. Why was my grandfather unable to visit Austria, which he helped liberate? Why did the victory cost so many lives? Why did they have to endure so much "Lie? Why couldn't Russia be a free country?" – said Sangadzhieva.
According to her, to find answers to questions, she began to study political science. “My dream is to write the name of every victim of repression on stones and spread them throughout the Russian Federation so that we remember. But the question remains: will there be enough space?” – said the human rights activist.
Other residents of the republic also spoke out that the authorities are not paying enough attention to the tragedy of the deportation of the Kalmyks. In particular, on December 29, a post about a memorial rally in Elista was published on the VKontakte social network in the “Overheard Kalmykia” public page. As of 12.25 Moscow time on December 30, this post received 140 likes with user reactions and 10 comments.
“I waited on the central channels, and they didn’t say a word. Even in the “Calendar” section on OTR on the 28th. It’s a shame,” wrote Svetlana Konkina.
“Still, we will coordinate more rallies. But not in large cities,” says Philip Zhilin.
On December 23, the Kalmykia News telegram channel published a post stating that rehabilitated residents of Kalmykia, born before December 28, 1943, will receive a one-time payment of 10,000 rubles. As of 12.25 Moscow time on December 30, this post received about 3,500 views and 12 comments.
“By such a date as 80 years from the date of deportation, all Kalmyks (of any age) from the category of repressed people deserve this one-time payment. What kind of frivolous selectivity is there, which should not be discussed at all?” – Elvira Sh asked herself.
“There are still those born on the day of deportation and those who were born on the way. But birth records go back to January 1944,” noted Marina Kucherova.
“And the children who were born to humiliated, hungry parents didn’t deserve this money? How much did they also have to endure? They were third-rate. And what kind of coupons do they give out in social security? If only they would think that the majority of repressed people are already over 70 years old. Who will go to by bus around the republic? There are no bus stations in the regional centers. Where should older people go, where should they wait for this bus? They have to get to Elista. And this is called payments to the repressed? We have benefits only on paper. What about benefits for medicines? The list changes every month. And expensive medicines are not included in this list. Eye medications are not included at all. And what are these benefits?" – a user with the nickname Valentаin was indignant.
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[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces supported by helicopters and artillery repelled six attacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 14th, 30th, 57th Mechanised brigades, 25th Airborne Brigade, and 10th Mountain Assault Brigade near Sin'kovka (Khar'kov region) and Novoselovskoye (Lugansk People's Republic).
Moreover, the Russian Armed Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU 25th Airborne Brigade and 101st Territorial Defence Brigade near Berestovoye and Peschannoye (Zaporozhye region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 50 Ukrainian troops, two infantry fighting vehicles, and two motor vehicles.
In Krasny Liman direction, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces repelled one attack launched by an assault squad of the 5th Ukrainian National Guard Brigade north of Grigorovka (Donetsk People's Republic), as well as inflicted losses on AFU manpower and hardware near Serebryansky forestry.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 100 Ukrainian troops and three armoured fighting vehicles.
In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery repelled two attacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 24th Mechanised Brigade and 79th Air Assault Brigade close to Shumy and Mar'inka (Donetsk People's Republic).
In addition, strikes were delivered at AFU manpower and hardware near Razdolovka, Pereyezdnoye, Andreyevka, Kurdyumovka, Kleschcheyevka, and Bogdanovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses in this direction amounted to up to 350 Ukrainian troops killed and wounded, two armoured personnel carriers, and six pickup trucks.
In the course of counterbattery warfare, one U.S.-made M777 artillery system and one U.S.-made M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery system were eliminated.
In South Donetsk direction, units of the Vostok Group of Forces supported by helicopters and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU 72nd Mechanised Brigade, 79th Air Assault Brigade, and 128th Territorial Defence Brigade near Ugledar, Novomikhailovka, and Vodyanoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses in this direction amounted to up to 115 Ukrainian troops, two infantry fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, and one electronic warfare station.
In Zaporozhye direction, units of the Russian Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU 33rd, 65th, and 117th Mechanised brigades close to Rabotino (Zaporozhye region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 20 Ukrainian troops and three pickup trucks.
In Kherson direction, as a result of actions of the Russian Group of Forces supported by artillery and aviation, the AFU losses amounted to up to 25 Ukrainian troops and six motor vehicles.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces eliminated one Olkha MLRS near Liptsy (Kharkov region).
In addition, POL and missile artillery armament depots at Starokonstantinov airfield (Khmelnitsky region) and Chernobayevka (Kherson region) were wiped out, as well as manpower and hardware were engaged in 118 areas during the day.
Air defence units intercepted 15 HIMARS and Olkha projectiles, as well as three HARM anti-radiation missile during the day.
In addition, 35 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been shot down near Spornoye, Mar'inka, Verkhetoretskoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Novaya Kakhovka, Babino, Kairy, Vasileyvka, Malaya Lepetikha (Kherson region).
In total, 564 airplanes and 263 helicopters, 10,241 unmanned aerial vehicles, 445 air defence missile systems, 14,403 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,191 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 7,566 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 16,868 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:55 Official summary of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC from 00:00 12/30/2023 to 00:00 12/31/2023
Over the past 24 hours, the Representation has recorded 53 incidents of firing by the Ukrainian forces.
Information has been received about the death of two civilians in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk.
Seven civilians were injured of varying degrees of severity in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk.
In addition, in the Kirovsky (https://t.me/DNR_SCKK/18211) district of Donetsk, three employees of the EMS brigade were wounded.
Eight residential buildings were damaged in the Kuibyshevsky district of Donetsk, Nikitovsky district of Gorlovka, Sovetsky district of Makeyevka, as well as four civil infrastructure facilities.
The areas of four settlements of the Republic were under enemy fire: Gorlovka (Nikitovsky district), Yasinovatsky district, the capital city of Donetsk (Kyiv, Kuibyshevsky, Kirovsky, Petrovsky districts), Makeevka (Sovetsky district).
In the Donetsk direction, the enemy carried out 31 attacks from 155mm artillery and attack UAVs.
At Gorlivske there were 19 artillery attacks from 152mm, 122mm and 155mm artillery, incl. with a cassette warhead.
On Yasinovatsky there were three artillery attacks from 155mm artillery.
A total of 181 units of various ammunition were fired.
In the previous day, 81 artillery attacks were recorded from the AFU.
22:00 Front bird broadcasts: Kharkov region (border region). 30.12 21:30
It was reported that they had arrived at the military supply workshop of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Our tactical aviation has worked.
21:15 Governor of the Belgorod region Gladkov:
“It’s loud in Belgorod -work The armed forces of the Russian Federation are on the other side."
20:25 Front bird broadcasts: Artyomovskoe (Bakhmutskoe) direction 30.12
Our assault units move forward every day, inflicting significant damage on the enemy.
19:20 Tank commander with the call sign Kino told about his combat work in the Special Military Operation zone. His unit of the Guards Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District is fighting Ukrainian troops in the Zaporozhye direction.
18:40 Today the Kyiv regime undertook an attempt to launch an indiscriminate combined strike on the city of Belgorod with two Vilkha missiles in prohibited cluster ammunition, as well as Czech-made Vampire MLRS missiles.
Air defense systems intercepted the Alder missiles and most of the Vampire MLRS rockets.
Several rockets and cluster parts from the downed Vilkha missiles hit the city of Belgorod.
As a result, 12 adults and two children have so far died, and 108 people have been injured.
In the event of a direct hit by Vilkha missiles with cluster munitions on the city, the consequences would be immeasurably more severe.
The Kiev regime, which committed this crime, is trying to distract attention from defeats at the front, and also provoke us to similar actions.
We emphasize that the Russian Armed Forces work only on military facilities and infrastructure directly related to them.
We will continue to do so. This crime will not go unpunished.
17:50 Russian Ministry of Defense transmits Statement by the head of the press center of the Dnepr group
In the Zaporizhzhya direction, units of the Russian group of troops, using air strikes and artillery fire, defeated the manpower and equipment of the 33rd, 65th and 117th Mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the village of Rabotino, Zaporozhye region.
Enemy losses amounted to up to 20 military personnel and three pickup trucks.
In the Kherson direction, as a result of the actions of units of Russian troops, artillery fire and air strikes, enemy losses amounted to up to 25 military personnel and six vehicles.
16:50 Telegram channel «Colonelcassad": The official death toll in Belgorod is 10 people. 45 people were injured.
Data from the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation.
16:00 Russian Ministry of Defensetransmits: Crews of the MLRS "Tornado-G" of the "West" group of troops destroyed camouflaged artillery firing positions and military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kupyansk direction.
15:15 Front birdnbroadcasts: Belgorod. artillery attack of the city center. 30.12 15:30
Two children were killed after a deliberate artillery attack of a civilian area by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
About two dozen citizens were injured and wounded.
The city center is in smoke.
Fires in several places.
14:15 The main thing from the news briefing of Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation:
– In the Kupyansk direction, six attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were repelled and a number of strikes were carried out, Kyiv lost up to 50 military personnel, two infantry fighting vehicles;
– In the Krasnolimansky direction, an attack by the National Guard of Ukraine north of Grigorovka in the DPR was repelled, the enemy lost up to 100 military personnel;
– In the Donetsk direction, two attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were repelled, Kyiv lost up to 350 military personnel killed and wounded, two armored personnel carriers, as well as during the counter-battery fight, the M777 artillery system and the M109 “Paladin” self-propelled gun;
– In the Yuzhnodonetsk direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were hit by fire near Ugledar, Novomikhailovka and Vodyanoy in the DPR, the enemy lost 116 military personnel;
– In the Zaporozhye direction, the forces and equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were defeated in the Rabotino area, Kyiv lost up to 20 military personnel and three pickup trucks;
– In the Kherson direction, Kyiv lost up to 25 military personnel.
13:15 Front bird broadcasts: Zaporozhye region 30.12 12:55
Arrival at the military warehouse in full force. Pre-arrival of ballistics.
12:30 Front bird broadcasts: Kupyansk direction 30.12 12:30
It is reported that our fighters identified enemy military equipment that was hidden by Ukrainian Armed Forces militants in a forest plantation.
The equipment was discovered by UAV crews from the reconnaissance unit of the motorized rifle brigade of the 1st Guards Tank Army of the West group of forces.
They fired at the enemy with artillery and heavy mortars.
There is a hit in BC.
11:30 Soldiers of the southern group of troops in the special operation zone, in a laboratory equipped at the forefront, create and modify devices for the front.
10:35 Telegram channel «WarGonzo": Frontline report for the morning of December 30, 2023
In the Zaporozhye direction, the Russian Armed Forces attacked west of the village of Rabotino, from Novoprokopovka and Novofedorovka.
In the Ugledarsky sector - an attempt by Russian troops to advance from the west to Staromayorskoye.
On the Donetsk front, the Russian Armed Forces are storming Novomikhailovka. Fighting on the southern and southeastern outskirts of the village. Russian troops advanced to the northwestern outskirts of Marinka. This is across the Osikova River.
The operationally important Georgievka is on the other side. The assault on Nevelskoye and Pervomaiskoye was unsuccessful. There is progress towards Severny (a settlement west of Avdievka). Also tactical successes of the Russian Armed Forces on the southwestern outskirts of Avdievka.
This is a new direction for offensive development. Attacks from the northeast on the coke plant and near Stepnoye (not to be confused with the settlements of the same name in the Zaporozhye and Ugledar directions) were unsuccessful. The attack bypassing the village of Berdychi forced the Ukrainian Armed Forces to abandon a number of positions.
In the Bakhmut direction, the Russian Armed Forces continued the assault on the heights north-west of Kleshcheevka. LBS unchanged. The Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to retake several positions from Khromov, but lost them from Grigorovka.
In the Lugansk direction, Russian troops attack at Ternov and Sinkovka. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding their positions.
09:40 105th Motorized Rifle Regiment NM DPR reports: Kherson direction. Krynki. More precisely, a “near-market” springboard. Which, we note, has almost halved over the last decade.
But to the point. Yesterday (there will be new data by this evening), our guys laid four boats and sixty Mykols on the bottom of the Dnieper. And somewhere nearby, a group of our enthusiasts made a physical comment on the Iris-T air defense system of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The air defense missile system itself and its staff did not survive the remark.
09:20 Telegram channel «Two majors": overview #summary for December 30, 2023
The last week was a kind of summary of the outgoing year 2023.
The Russian Army has confirmed the possibility of launching massive strikes with missiles and the new generation Geranium UAV. The enemy demonstrated the ability to attack targets in our rear areas, sinking the Novocherkassk BDK in the port of Feodosia with foreign missiles, as well as striking at front-line regions, including aircraft-type UAVs. Russians admit the Novocherkassk was sunk instead of damaged.
At the front, the situation is also indicative: after the official statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense about the capture of Mar'inka, heavy fighting is taking place south of the city. Despite the involvement of TOS, aviation and artillery, the enemy stubbornly holds Novomikhailovka, regardless of losses.
Using the same principle, the enemy solves defense problems in the Kherson, Zaporozhye, Avdeevsky, Artemovsky, and Kupyansky directions. This indicates Kyiv’s readiness to lose any number of soldiers and officers for the sake of the political interests of a narrow group of people.
Deliberately deplorable stories in the Ukrainian media about the difficult situation at the front, as well as the issue of the upcoming conscription of half a million Ukrainians to the front, solve several problems for the coming year. This is a bloody call to the West to continue supplying Ukraine with weapons and equipment (by the way, Washington did give $250 million last week), and an “explanation” to the population of the gravity of the situation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the front in order to retain it at any cost.
Enemy soldiers, no matter how much they resist mobilization and sending to the front line, once they reach it they put up fierce and skillful resistance. They are not given the opportunity to retreat or surrender - evidence of the work of the Ukrainian Armed Forces barrage detachments and attacks on their own freshly taken captive “brothers” is multiplying. The depth of thought of many thousands of Ukrainian mobilized people is also at the level of “I was sent - I went.”
The “enemy” still remains in many ways the level of organization of interaction in the Russian Armed Forces, the issues of passing objective information to the top, and the ability to use all forces and means at full force and simultaneously on a narrow sector of the front. The long-suffering Krynki are a particular example of this, not in terms of the ability of the Russian Army to take them (why do they need to recapture and hold ruins and wastelands in targeted areas), but in terms of the ability to fully use all available forces in a single plan.
Of course, a turning point has occurred at the front. The enemy is gradually but inexorably going on the defensive, fulfilling its main task - retaining Russia’s enormous resources in the Ukrainian direction and causing constant comprehensive damage to our country. Our own problems also remain, albeit to a lesser extent: the Avdeevka offensive operation of the Russian Armed Forces, which has been going on since October 10, 2023, indicates unresolved issues and unused reserves, which does not detract from the courage and dedication of our soldiers and commanders.
Russia enters 2024 “in a strong position.” But the Kiev regime is also harshly mobilizing its existing human, economic and military potential, without thinking about what will be left for Ukraine after the war.
Rumors about “negotiations” and the end of the North Military District are increasingly being heard, the Western press is broadcasting signals from Washington about its readiness to give Russia the territories of a dying Ukraine, and the population of Ukraine is not yet exhausted enough to accept a capitulation catastrophic for Kyiv. In addition, Moscow is not yet interested in such “limited” proposals. Objective reality also does not yet suggest a speedy end to the conflict in this way; several times during this war, experts have in vain prophesied “agreements” that never came true.
Russia is expanding its Army, increasing its pace in the military industry, and carrying out weeding in the domestic political field. The country's leadership would not simply concentrate political and economic resources on military affairs. On the foreign policy front, our country’s successes at the front also demonstrate the ability to resist the collective West on several levels, which brings dividends to the Russian state beyond the Ukrainian direction.
08:40 Telegram channel «Fisherman": chronicle of a special military operation for December 29, 2023
The Russian Armed Forces carried out one of the most massive attacks on military installations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since the start of the special operation.
In Odessa, a blow was struck to the port infrastructure, and an abnormal descent of an anti-aircraft missile was noted, which damaged a multi-storey building.
In Kyiv, the target of the raid was warehouses in the Podolsk and Shevchenko districts.
In Kharkov there were visits to one of the enemy’s military units and to the Malyshev tank plant. In Zaporozhye, the target of the attack was the Iskra military plant.
In Lvov, the target was a local tank factory, the plant's workshops were damaged, the strike was confirmed by local authorities.
In the Drohobych region, an infrastructure object was also hit.
There have been no significant changes in the situation at the front; positional clashes are ongoing. However, in the Avdeevsky sector, units of the Russian Armed Forces were able to improve their positions in the Novokalinovo area, and the battles shifted to the Zarya SNT.
In the evening, the enemy launched a massive artillery attack of the border area of the Bryansk and Belgorod regions, using rocket artillery and drones. In Belgorod there were casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure, in Bryansk all air targets were shot down, but repeated strikes are possible.
08:10 Official summary of Representative offices of the DPR in the JCCC from 00:00 December 29, 2023 to 00:00 December 30, 2023
Over the past 24 hours, the Representation has recorded 81 incidents of firing from the AFU.
Information was received about the death of a civilian, a man, in the Nikitovsky district of Gorlovka.
Also, a man was injured in the Nikitovsky district of Gorlovka.
A total of 15 residential buildings were damaged in the Kuibyshevsky district of Donetsk, Nikitovsky and Tsentralno-Gorodsky districts of Gorlovka, as well as five civil infrastructure facilities.
Districts of four settlements of the Republic were under enemy fire: Gorlovka (Nikitovsky, Central City districts), Yasinovatsky district, the capital city of Donetsk (Kievsky, Kuibyshevsky, Kirovsky, Petrovsky districts), Makeevka (Chervonogvardeysky district).
In the Donetsk direction, the enemy carried out 31 attacks from 155mm artillery.
On Gorlovsky there were 49 artillery attacks from 152mm, 122mm and 155mm artillery, incl. with a cassette warhead.
On Yasinovatsky one artillery attack from 155mm artillery.
A total of 290 units of various ammunition were fired.
In the previous day, 69 artillery attacks were recorded from the Ukrainian forces.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Denis Davydov
[REGNUM] The traditional forecast according to the Chinese calendar for Ukraine, oddly enough, came true. On the eve of 2023, the Ukrainian media talked about the capricious Black Water Rabbit, and the predictions of experienced astrologers that “next year many unions that have already outlived their usefulness are likely to fall apart” turned out to be true.
Having started the year on a cheerful note of victory, Ukrainian propagandists trumpeted an imminent offensive, and experts predicted the imminent collapse of weak Russia, which only needs to be put under a little pressure.
Even artificial intelligence has been involved in forecasting. Chat GPT expressed confidence that “Ukraine is likely to experience progress in modernizing and reforming its own economy and other institutions.”
But by mid-summer it became clear that something was going wrong despite all efforts. Even the installation of a huge trident on the shield of the Motherland in Kyiv and the raider seizure of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra did not help. Ukrainians are ending the year in a depressed mood.
Society suddenly realized that it had been lied to all this time, and the new mobilization bill caused real panic.
Politicians are frantically looking for a new formula for “victory,” and the fate of Vladimir Zelensky is intriguing. Will he call an election and use the chance to leave, or will something happen to him?
Cracks began to appear in the “Ukrainian unity” like a web. And how long the entire structure will now last will be shown by the next year of the Green Wooden Dragon.
WINTER. THE FIRST SWALLOW
After the New Year holidays of 2023, an incident with a helicopter thundered throughout Ukraine, in which the Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Denis Monastyrsky and his team crashed. They fell on a kindergarten in the Kiev suburb of Brovary, as a result of which children died.
According to investigators, the cause of the plane crash was pilot error. However, unofficially, there was a widely spread version that the plane crash could be an execution by decision of Zelensky himself - for Monastyrsky’s defection to the side of the pro-American lobby and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny. Even then, it was discussed in politics that the general was playing his own game against Zelensky - and this competition intensified in the fall.
But the sadness quickly dissipated - a new minister was appointed, and on January 21, the Ministry of Reintegration excluded Kyiv from the list of territories of possible military operations. As confirmation that the capital was safe, two days later she was visited by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who visited Bucha and Borodyanka. At that time, no one knew that the war could have been prevented if it had not been for him: Johnson’s role in the breakdown of peace negotiations would become known only in November.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine worked in its usual format.
In January, journalists published an investigation alleging that food for the Ukrainian Armed Forces is purchased at prices 2-3 times higher than market prices. For example, eggs cost 17 hryvnia apiece, which immediately became a meme, and ultimately cost Minister Alexey Reznikov his job.
In winter, the Ukrainian authorities began to actively accumulate armored vehicles for the summer offensive. For the first time, conversations began about the prayed-for “Leopards,” which were harshly demanded from Germany, criticizing it for its indecisiveness. The USA and Britain provided large quantities of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles.
In a conversation with the Commander-in-Chief of the NATO Armed Forces in Europe, Christopher Cavoli, Zaluzhny said that the victory of Ukraine means the complete liberation of the territories plus such a strengthening of the Ukrainian army that Russia could never attack again.
However, the recently fired presidential adviser Alexei Arestovich became the first big swallow to chirp that all these were empty hopes.
“If everyone thinks that we are guaranteed to win the war, then it is very unlikely. Since the 14th it has ceased to look like this. Do you think President Duda’s assessment that it is unknown whether Ukraine will survive in the coming months was just said? Or is he speaking based on some information?” - Arestovich asked a rhetorical question, but then was not heard.
SPRING. LAVRA, ATOM AND BLOCKADE
The seizure of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, one of the main Orthodox shrines, began in November 2022, when the SBU searched the Lavra premises. At the beginning of December 2022, it was registered as a monastery within the political Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), and on March 10, 2023, the inhabitants were ordered to vacate the monastery by the end of the month. Or go to the OCU.
A “prayerful standing” began, ending predictably: at the end of July, “on the day of the Baptism of Russia-Ukraine,” the Primate of the OCU, Epiphanius, performed a solemn liturgy in the Dormition Cathedral of the Lavra. After that, it is empty - believers stopped going there, and the new church has practically no parishioners.
In March, the first wave of fear-mongering began about a possible “nuclear disaster” at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. The American Institute for the Study of War stated that Russia may try to contain the upcoming counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by creating threats around the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
Already on March 9, the nuclear power plant was de-energized by the Ukrainian side under the pretext of a “Russian missile attack” - the only power transmission line that met the nuclear power plant’s own needs came from the territory of Ukraine. There they announced an imminent accident “with radiation consequences for the whole world.” This only calmed down in July, after an IAEA inspection was carried out at the station.
Zelensky immediately used the situation to demand sanctions for Russian nuclear energy.
However, storm clouds began to gather above him.
In early April, the opposition, represented by the party of ex-president Petro Poroshenko, accused Zelensky of being the one who started a full-scale war, and for the first time, demands were made for holding elections.
On the other hand, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia struck, and in April they introduced a ban on the import of Ukrainian agricultural products. The initiator was Poland, until that moment an exemplary ally. A blockade of Ukrainian trade began, which collapsed export-import operations, and by the end of the year this crisis had not been resolved.
And in May, preparations for a decisive counter-offensive in the south had already begun: the Leopards finally arrived. The direction of the strike was announced in advance, which Zelensky later blamed as the main reason for the failure. However, even then there were calls not to expect this to become a “decisive battle.”
SUMMER. BIG BREAK.
In terms of the number of events, the Ukrainian summer turned out to be extremely eventful, starting with the fact that on the eve of the long-awaited “counter-offensive” (which began on June 4–5), electricity prices for the population increased. Although the Ukrainian government promised to freeze prices “until the end of the war,” it could not resist the IMF’s demands.
On the night of June 6, everyone had already forgotten about this problem. One of the largest man-made, environmental and humanitarian disasters in the world occurred: the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station was destroyed. As a result of flooding in the Kherson region, about 30 settlements on both banks of the Dnieper were flooded.
The Ukrainian side and international media immediately blamed Russian troops for the incident, despite the fact that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had been targeting the dam with Himars missiles since October 2022. The Ministry of Agricultural Policy of Ukraine complained that the disaster “virtually left 94% of the irrigation systems in Khersonskaya, 74 without a source of water.” % - in Zaporozhye and 30% - in Dnepropetrovsk regions." However, the bottom line is that this was one of the main goals of the crime, which fits into the general logic of the “dehydration” of Crimea, to which two more regions have now been added within Russia.
In addition, the Ukrainian Armed Forces intended to liquidate in this way the defensive structures of the Russian Armed Forces on the left bank in order to strike from Kherson. As a result, such a plan was not implemented, but on July 1, during a visit to Kiev by CIA Director William Burns, he was told about the plans: by the fall, Ukraine should regain all territories within the 1991 borders and by the end of December negotiate a ceasefire with Russia.
At the same time, it became clear that hopes of joining the North Atlantic Alliance were in vain.
Following the 74th NATO summit in Vilnius in mid-July, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN that Ukraine's accession "would mean war with Russia." “They were frank with Zelensky,” and as a consolation, the G7 signed a declaration of support for Ukraine and assistance in governance reforms necessary for “Euro-Atlantic aspirations.”
Finally, the Ukrainian leader was publicly flogged by British Defense Minister Ben Wallace, who suggested paying more attention to gratitude for Western help: “You know, we are not Amazon. I told them this last year when I drove 11 hours to get the list.”
Nevertheless, the weapons provided were enough to carry out several high-profile attacks on Crimea. On July 17, a Ukrainian surface drone (presumably British-made) blew up the Crimean Bridge. In response, Russia launched massive attacks on Ukrainian Black Sea ports and withdrew from the “grain deal.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned this decision, calling it a “cynical step.” “The EU will continue to export agricultural products from Ukraine to world markets through solidarity routes,” she said, adding that the EU is working to ensure food security for vulnerable segments of the population.
Life has shown that Ursula is much more cynical.
Just on July 19, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia asked the EU to extend the moratorium on the import of Ukrainian agricultural products at least until the end of the year. And 10 days later, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Poland would unilaterally extend the ban, even without the EU.
Thus, the calculations made by Chat GPT at the beginning of the year collapsed along with the remnants of the Ukrainian economy. But the Kyiv authorities did not lose heart.
As part of the “renunciation of the Russian heritage,” on July 14, parliament legislatively approved the postponement of Christmas celebrations from January 7 to December 25. A law on the legalization of cannabis was passed in the first reading, there was a debate about the special status of the English language, parliamentarians prepared a bill decriminalizing pornography and brothels, and took up the issue of same-sex marriage. And on August 6, at the Motherland Monument in Kiev, instead of the Soviet coat of arms, a huge trident was installed
August was also remembered for the dismissal of all military commissars in the country - following a major scandal with the arrested military commissar of Odessa Evgeniy Borisov, whose family was found to have property in Spain worth $4.5 million. Defense Minister Reznikov again found himself under fire, now due to the purchase of summer jackets at the price of winter ones, and resigned in early September.
And by the end of August, the rhetoric about the prospects had changed radically. “How long will the war continue? Must be honest. In this war, the path to victory will be long and difficult. “2-3 weeks”, “until the end of the year”, “next spring” - all this is not true,” Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Irina Vereshchuk wrote in her Telegram channel. In her opinion, one should “get ready for a long and difficult war.”
And since the war will be long, the entire male population of the country will go to it.
AUTUMN. IT'S TIME FOR DESPONDENCY
In September it became known that in 2023, among first-year students of paid education, the number of men increased to 70%, and in two years the number of such students increased 23 times.
By December, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported that 6,000 males were leaving the country every day, and only 200–300 were returning. Therefore, the government has taken on women: those of them who have medical and pharmaceutical education must be required to register with the military from October 1, 2023.
Meanwhile, problems with “good European neighbors” reached a critical point during the election campaign in Poland. President Andrzej Duda, in a commentary to Polish media, even compared Ukraine to a drowning man who “grabs at everything he can” and is “incredibly dangerous because he can drag down rescuers with him. ”
“Therefore, we must take care of our interests, and we will do this effectively and decisively,” Duda said at a briefing, as was proven in the case. On November 6, Polish carriers blocked checkpoints with Ukraine, demanding the return of permits for commercial transportation to Ukrainians. Also contrary to EU rules.
The fall will be remembered for several other high-profile stories.
Thus, during Zelensky’s visit to Canada at the end of September, Yaroslav Gunka, a 98-year-old veteran of the SS Galicia division, was invited to a ceremonial meeting of parliament in his honor. He was awarded a standing ovation, joined by both Zelensky and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. All this backfired: the reception he received had a huge international resonance, including requests for Gunka’s extradition.
And the real sensation was the arrest of the co-owner of one of the largest financial and industrial groups in the country, Privat, Igor Kolomoisky. It was this oligarch who played an important, if not key, role in Zelensky winning the 2019 presidential elections and becoming a shareholder in the new government team, receiving his “quota” in it. Everyone knew about the contradictions between him and the president, about Kolomoisky’s problems with the United States, but few believed that he would end up in a pre-trial detention center with dim prospects.
Plans for further management also became unclear.
The prime ministers of Hungary and Slovakia, Viktor Orban and Robert Fico, blocked a €50 billion aid package for Ukraine from the European budget. Also, the EU was unable to approve the allocation of promised assistance of 500 million euros in weapons. The $60 billion from the United States is also stuck tightly: Republicans blocked the document in the Senate.
A hole of more than $30 billion has formed in the budget of the Ukrainian state, and First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko said that in an independent state without Western help, 10 million pensioners will not receive pensions on time, and 500 thousand officials and 1.4 million teachers will not receive salaries.
TIME OF DARKNESS
December is presented by the Ukrainian authorities as a fateful month.
European leaders have decided to open negotiations with Ukraine on EU membership, calling it a victory “that motivates, inspires and strengthens.” But unofficially, European officials openly say that all this is just a symbolic gesture to maintain the mood. Ukraine is unlikely to be able to pass 75 consensus votes on the results of the implementation of European laws and standards.
Especially by digging “holes” for yourself with your own hands, as in the case of the final deprivation of the rights of the Russian language - formally fulfilling the requirements of the European Commission on languages of national minorities.
Meanwhile, the country's national debt exceeded UAH 5 trillion. (or $140.8 billion) and equals 85% of GDP by the end of 2023. Nobody knows what to do with this. The blockade of the border by neighbors continues. In Kiev, six metro stations have stopped due to flooding of the tunnel, and a key section on Podol may be closed, which will cut off the huge Obolon district from communication.
But the real hit was the mobilization bill, thanks to which the government and the command hope to put half a million Ukrainian men under arms. This is exactly what the front needs after two years of attempts to end the war “in two or three weeks” and a failed counteroffensive.
Recently, the “united country” was talking with all its might about slavery, resistance, expressing seditious thoughts that maybe Russia really was going to liberate them. People suddenly came to the conclusion that their only way was not to go to any war, since this was the true salvation of the nation.
So the main goal of mobilization - “to preserve and protect the country” - will definitely not be achieved as a result of the adoption of such a law. Because now for Ukrainians there is only one question on the agenda: do they need a country in which they are just a consumable resource. And for Ukraine this is, perhaps, the main result of the outgoing year.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Denis Davydov
[REGNUM] The integration of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions into Russia was in many ways easier for them than for the Donbass republics. There was no long period of independent navigation, when the solution to literally all vital problems depended on themselves.
The transition to Russian standards and laws began immediately, as did direct assistance from the mainland, which became involved in the development of regions that froze in the late 80s.
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At the same time, the region lived through 2023 with almost half of its territory and without regional centers, where the main industrial enterprises remained. Currently, these are agricultural areas with small settlements, the largest of which are Melitopol and Berdyansk.
Part of the territory continues to be shelled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the right bank of the Dnieper, a considerable part of the population has fled their places of residence, and the Kherson region experienced severe flooding last summer after the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam by Ukraine.
Nevertheless, life does not stand still. The regions are systematically developing, programs for their socio-economic development have been adopted, and, probably, for the first time in more than 30 years, people see that this is not just a piece of paper for elections. For example, a beautiful road from Crimea along the Sea of Azov appeared without cutting ribbons or pretentious speeches, in working order. And those who work “on the ground” unanimously claim that the main achievement over the past year is the changed consciousness of local residents.
They saw the practical difference between Ukraine and Russia, felt their involvement in a big country, and received hope for a better future, standing on a solid foundation. And the further they go, the more they get involved in work that they previously avoided “just in case.” Qualitative changes and stability are the basis that will inevitably ensure the return of people. Especially when peace comes, which everyone is looking forward to.
And the restoration of new regions of Russia, according to experts, will stimulate the development of the entire country.
GRAIN AS A DRIVER
The economy of the southern macroregion primarily rests on three pillars: agriculture, fishing and tourism, as well as the transport infrastructure deeply connected to them. These areas were the main focus of the authorities last year.
So far, the main driver is agriculture; last year, 2.2 million tons of grain alone were collected from a million hectares of available land in the Zaporozhye region, and 1.5 million tons in the Kherson region. Moreover, the harvest was sold to the markets of Africa and the Middle East thanks to the state “grain operator” created by the Cossacks, an intermediary between farmers and wholesale buyers. The organization is engaged in purchasing grain and leguminous crops and their subsequent sale.
“This allowed farmers to sell their crops at the market price and be guaranteed to receive the proceeds,” explains Deputy Head of the Regional Government Andrei Kozenko. “This year the company also began to independently cultivate land plots.”
The assets also include the famous Melitopol cherries, grapes, orchards and greenhouses, on which a big bet is made. According to the governor of the Zaporozhye region, Evgeniy Balitsky , immediate plans include the implementation of a large-scale project to irrigate agricultural land worth about 500 billion rubles. It is expected that it will triple yields and effectively grow inexpensive vegetables.
“In the Soviet Union, this project began to be implemented, but was not completed. When we implement it, without special investments in the agricultural sector we will be able to harvest not 2.2 million tons from our million hectares, as now, but six million tons, and this will not only be grains, but also vegetable crops,” Balitsky said journalists.
Agricultural producers are not left to their own devices; they have access to all types of support and benefits valid on the territory of the Russian Federation. Since the beginning of last year, the Russian authorities have been supplying farmers in the Kherson region with equipment, and the regional Ministry of Agriculture has been accepting applications for leasing of agricultural equipment. Over the past year, 166 agricultural enterprises received support in the amount of 350 million rubles.
Without such support, they are unlikely to be able to swim out on their own.
For example, until 2022, the villages of the Kherson region located along the Dnieper lived at the expense of high-tech greenhouse farms and the wholesale market in Velikiye Kopany. The flood after the release of the Kakhovka Reservoir hit this business hard. However, they intend to return the former glory of the “main vegetable garden of the country” to the region, including through direct financial assistance.
To promote the products, it is planned to launch a regional brand “Made in the Kherson region”. Currently, fairs are actively held in many towns and villages, where residents can buy vegetables, fruits, and sausages at low prices, and farmers can show and sell their products.
The preferential taxation system, which is being introduced thanks to the free economic zone created in two regions, should also contribute to active development. The special regime will affect all entrepreneurs: both those who are just starting to implement projects and those who are already working. Previously and O. Minister of Economic Development of the Zaporozhye Region Yuriy Guskov said that about 100 companies express a desire to become residents of the SEZ in this territory.
At the same time, a lot depends on irrigation. The decline in the level of the Dnieper has made the reclamation systems built in Soviet times useless, and in the steppe zone with an arid climate without water it is hardly possible to develop agricultural production. This is a key challenge for regional authorities, as is the construction of processing facilities that will allow them to develop the Russian market with its complex logistics much more efficiently.
DREAMS OF INDUSTRY
It will be possible to truly talk about the launch of industrial production only after the reunification of the entire territory of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions within single borders. Kherson has traditionally been one of the largest shipbuilding centers; a machine plant and port facilities have been preserved there. Zaporozhye, in turn, is the center of metallurgy - both ferrous and non-ferrous. And without high-quality metal, it is unlikely that the enterprises that have survived in Melitopol will be able to fully operate. Primarily in the field of machine tool building and engine production.
The largest industrial facility so far remains the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which operates as one unit to meet its own electricity needs. The entire distribution infrastructure around it was purposefully destroyed by Ukraine, and throughout 2023 there was a constant threat of attack on the station itself. Its inclusion in the network is also one of the prerequisites for economic development and investment in new territories; for business (especially manufacturing), a guaranteed connection to the network is almost more important than the taxation system.
The same applies to other supporting infrastructure.
Thus, Ukraine did not want to engage in gasification of the Kherson region; according to this indicator, the region was covered by no more than 27%. And in July, the Ukrainian side cut off the gas pipeline to the south, from which the Zaporozhye region was supplied. But this confirmed the truth “every cloud has a silver lining.” By the beginning of the heating season, a main gas pipeline from Crimea was laid in the Kherson region, from which a new branch was diverted from to Genichesk. Another gas pipeline will connect Genichesk and the village of Novotroitskoye, the center of one of the largest agricultural areas in the region.
In addition, the possibility of constructing a gas pipeline from the Zaporozhye region is being studied; three branches will make it possible to loop the gas transportation system of Crimea and the entire Azov region. In October, the Zaporozhye region was connected to the unified GTS of Russia. Berdyansk was the first to receive Russian gas, then its supply was resumed in Melitopol, and from the beginning of November the phased connection of residential buildings and social facilities of Energodar began.
In total, this is the base that will allow the implementation of the plan to launch in 2024–2025 the production of electric welding equipment, aerated concrete blocks, paper filters, ketchups, mayonnaise and sauces, processing of polyurethane and polymers. In the Kherson region they want to build a plant for the production of lines for the food processing industry, and since the beginning of 2022, 13 new enterprises have already been opened here.
In March, Governor Vladimir Saldo signed a decree establishing the Industrial Development Fund. Investment-oriented loans are planned to be provided at a rate of 1% to 2%, depending on the characteristics of the project. In the Zaporozhye region at the beginning of 2023, there were 183 enterprises, 65 of which are working at full capacity and producing products that are in demand on the Russian market. According to Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov , they plan to create a powerful cluster of high-tech foundry production in the region.
The Melitopol Automotive Parts Plant is currently working on domestic orders throughout the country, as well as to Belarus and Kazakhstan. And in September, Nikolai Elantsev, Minister of Industry and Energy of the region, spoke about plans to create an industrial park .
“The Zaporozhye region has always been famous for the automotive industry and its component base. It is planned that foundry production and machining will be developed on the site, and it is planned to launch new production facilities in terms of the component base,” he emphasized.
And the inclusion of the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk (and, possibly, small ports of the Kherson region) into the transport and logistics network of Russia will not only speed up the integration of new territories, but will also greatly accelerate the development of any industry.
HUMAN FACTOR
The southern regions experience the most acute shortage of people, and this problem cannot be solved by conventional organizational methods. As mentioned above, the two regions did not include the entire territory of Russia, which has already reduced the human resource. A lot of people left after the start of the SVO, and first of all these were the working population and young people.
In many settlements, it is mainly the elderly who remain, with no one to care for them except social services. In Velikaya Lepetikha, for example, each employee has 13–15 people in his care who require constant attention. We even had to organize the work of a free hairdresser - there was not a single one left in the city. And the humanitarian and environmental disaster caused by a major flood crippled the Kherson region even more.
Nevertheless, she showed her true attitude towards people. All possible resources were used to save residents of water-damaged cities and villages. As the Minister of Labor and Social Policy of the region Alla Barkhatnova says , for the first two weeks her employees practically did not sleep. About 5.5 thousand people were settled in quickly equipped temporary accommodation centers, and about 6 thousand more were taken to other villages and to relatives.
“Today, there are only 702 people left in the TAP; 17,590 citizens have been provided with both one-time payments and compensation for lost housing and property in a timely manner. 15,970 people have received housing certificates and have already purchased housing, while 5,200 citizens are awaiting approval of their request. No new entity has had such support; they even envy us. But I believe that the residents of the Kherson region should have received such support,” says Barkhatnova.
In the new regions, almost 90 percent or more of people received Russian passports, took out insurance policies and received pensions. The regional social protection system has been restored from scratch, and a completely different quality of medical services has emerged. In Genichesk, local residents told Regnum news agency that under Ukraine they had to go to Crimea for any more or less complex help. Now it is available right on site.
Last year, 1.5 billion rubles worth of medical equipment alone was sent to the Zaporozhye region from Greater Russia, and 2.1 billion rubles were invested in the repair of medical institutions. According to Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin , in the new regions over the year, 1,857 residential buildings and 635 healthcare, educational, cultural and sports facilities were restored, 205 roads were repaired, 914 heat and power supply facilities and systems were established, including 28 water supply and water disposal, 22.9 km of networks were repaired, of which 18.8 km were heating mains.
“The Russian Federation invests a lot of money in its land, in its region, in its people. This allows us to work normally, people see that there are no temporary workers here, as was the case in Ukraine, people have come here who are investing in roads, medicine, and social services. They see that Russia is forever. That in Russia, words are followed by deeds, and this begins with the president: he said it, so it will be so. When they realized this, they began to work differently,” says Zaporozhye governor Evgeniy Balitsky. Although it notes an acute and widespread shortage of doctors.
In the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, something unprecedented has begun - clearing the beds of small rivers, organizing normal work with garbage, and environmental projects. The work of the Askania-Nova biosphere reserve has been restored, and the improvement of popular recreation areas has begun.
One of the main “folk crafts” here has always been tourism; cities and towns on the coast of the Black and Azov Seas lived at the expense of vacationers. But it was a wild development without any plan. Now the official guidelines of local authorities are the construction and restoration of infrastructure, the development of transport, and the creation of full-fledged tourism clusters. Last year, the Zaporozhye region signed the first agreements on cooperation in the field of tourism with the Kaluga and Yaroslavl regions.
Thus, everything on which the usual life stood received a powerful impetus, and only military operations are a deterrent to a sharp increase in the standard of living. But as soon as they run out, the grain thrown in 2023 will sprout abundantly. And people will certainly return home, and others will come after them - closer to the fertile land, the sea and the hot southern sun.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The number of people killed in a Ukrainian Armed Forces missile attack on Belgorod has risen to 21 people, two of whom are children. The number of wounded reached 108 people, including 15 children, the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported.
“According to updated information, 12 adults and 2 children died in Belgorod. Another 108 people, including 15 children, were injured,” the statement said.
Earlier, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported ten dead and 45 injured.
The missile hit in the city center was captured by the video recorder of one of the cars. The footage shows that the explosion occurred near the Belgorod Department Store shopping center.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that 10 fires broke out in Belgorod after the rocket attack. Rescuers quickly eliminated them all. The city has opened a hotline to collect data on victims and damage by calling 122.
The Investigative Committee opened a case under three articles after the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck the center of Belgorod, the department’s press service reported on December 30.
“A criminal case has been initiated based on the elements of crimes provided for in Part 3 of Art. 30 tbsp. 105, art. 105, art. 167 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (attempted murder, murder, intentional destruction or damage to property),” the message says.
The head of the department, Alexander Bastrykin, sent investigators, criminologists and experts from the central office of the department to the Belgorod region to clarify all the circumstances of the incident. The head of the Investigative Committee also ordered to identify all those responsible for the missile attack on Belgorod, including those who gave criminal orders.
On the evening of December 30, Ukrainian formations attacked the center of Belgorod. According to the latest data, the number of people killed in the shelling has reached 14 people. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, another 108 people were injured, including 15 children. At the same time, the Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of Russia, Maria Lvova-Belova , stated that 17 minors were injured, four of them were in serious condition.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces used cluster munitions. The department added that air defense forces intercepted most of the Vampire MLRS rockets. Several rockets and cluster parts from downed missiles hit Belgorod. The department also promised that the crime of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will not go unpunished.
The situation in the region after the missile attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was reported to President Vladimir Putin
During the shelling of the Urazovo village in the Valuysky district of the Belgorod region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine damaged 48 households, one social facility, a store, 37 outbuildings and six cars, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported on December 30 in the Telegram channel.
“Twelve shells from the Grad MLRS were fired at the village. Thank God no one was hurt. Various damages - mainly broken windows, chopped facades and fences,” he wrote.
Gladkov also reported damage to the power line, which was quickly repaired. Two households were particularly hard hit. In one of them, the whole family was in the house when a shell hit it; fortunately, no one was injured.
In the damaged houses, temporary measures have been taken so that residents do not freeze. Full repairs, according to the governor, will begin on January 8 with the start of working days.
As Regnum reported , the Ukrainian Armed Forces shelled Belgorod on the night of December 30. One of the shells hit a residential building, killing a man and injuring four people, including a 10-year-old child. All those injured were hospitalized.
The Ministry of Defense stated that on the night of December 30, air defense forces shot down 13 multiple launch rocket systems over the Belgorod region. Gladkov reported downed targets on approach to Belgorod.
[EngMilRu] Today the Kiev regime attempted to launch indiscriminate attacks at Belgorod by two Olkha missiles with cluster submunitions and Czech-made Vampire MLRS projectiles.
Air defence systems intercepted Olkha missiles and the majority of Vampire MLRS projectiles.
Several projectiles and cluster submunitions hit Belgorod.
As a result, 12 adults and two children died, 108 people were injured. Death toll stands at 21
In the event of a direct hit by Olkha missiles with cluster submunitions on the city, the consequences would have been immeasurably more severe.
The Kiev regime by indiscriminately striking large areas and committing this offence is trying to divert attention from the defeats on the front lines and to provoke us into taking similar actions.
We once again point out that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation strike only military objects and directly related infrastructure.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will continue to do so. This crime will not go unpunished.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The FSB added the “Russian Volunteer Corps” (an organization whose activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation) to the list of terrorist organizations.
This was reported by Rossiyskaya Gazeta, which on December 30 published updates included in the Unified Federal List of Organizations recognized as terrorist in accordance with Russian legislation.
RDK was formed in Ukraine in 2022 with the support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This structure is a combat unit of the Ukrainian army. On November 16, 2023, the Second Western District Military Court recognized the RDK as a terrorist organization; on December 2, this decision came into force.
The Russian FSB recognized the founder of the RDK Denis Kapustin (listed as terrorists and extremists) as the organizer of the attack on the Bryansk region in March 2023.
In November, the Second Western District Military Court sentenced Kapustin in absentia to life imprisonment. The court found him guilty of treason and terrorist activities.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] Positive 2023.
1.Victory in the Zaporozhye defensive operation. Huge losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Destruction of myths about Western technology.
2.Victory in the Battle of Artyomovsk. Liberation of Artemovsk.
3. Liberation of Marinka and several dozen villages in different directions. The enemy did not capture a single city in 2023.
4. Growth in production volumes of the domestic military-industrial complex. Development of the UAV industry and the general growth of their numbers and types.
5. The collapse of attempts to politically isolate Russia. The growth of BRICS and the processes of de-dollarization. Super successful African campaign.
6. The collapse of the strategy of economic destruction of Russia. The country's transition to economic growth.
7. Increased assistance from allied countries and the influx of foreign volunteers. We are not alone.
8. General increase in the grouping of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine and the Russian Armed Forces as a whole. Active formation of new parts and connections.
9. Active restructuring of the state and society on a war footing. It's crooked, askew, but we're going in the right direction.
10. Activation of internal SVO processes. The fight against the fifth column. It’s crooked, askew, but we press.
NEGATIVE 2023
1. Prigozhin's rebellion. Death of pilots and PMCs. Surovikin's disgrace.
2. Death of Prigozhin and Utkin. Disbandment of PMC Wagner in its previous form.
3. The death of Vladlen Tatarsky and many other good people at the front and in the rear. We remember.
4. Unsuccessful attack on Ugledar. The most offensive military failure. There were chances.
5. Losses of the Black Sea Fleet. Including optional ones.
6. The death of pilots in the Bryansk region and a number of other losses of military pilots.
7. Mistakes of some generals and unnecessary losses. Every commander is a general, but not every general is a commander.
8. Revealed facts of corruption and theft of logistics. The problems stretch back to pre-war times. Plantings are underway.
9. Problems with counter-battery warfare and artillery range. The army needs longer-range systems.
10. Continued problems with safety equipment, special equipment, communications, cars, etc. It is necessary to increase the equipment of the troops.
Overall, the 2023 campaign ends in Russia's favor.
Two major battles were won, Russia’s strategic positions in Ukraine and in the world were strengthened. There is the bitterness of losses and various annoying mistakes and shortcomings, but there was clearly more good than bad. The country is gradually being rebuilt to new realities - the Special Military Operation has a huge impact on the transformation of society and the state.
The goals of the SMO, stated and unstated, must and will be achieved.
Text taken from an article which appeared on telegra.ph
[ColonelCassad] At the end of the year, it’s time to strike a balance on Russian strategic nuclear forces, fortunately, a fair amount of official information has been added.
In general, the nuclear factor was mentioned quite often this year, with or without reason; accordingly, we note the quote from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief:
“In the context of the changing nature of military threats and the emergence of new military-political risks, the role of the nuclear triad, which ensures the balance of forces, the strategic balance, has grown significantly forces in the world"
As usual, we cannot live without percentages of the "level of modernity of weapons." In the strategic nuclear forces declared in general - 95%, in particular in the strategic nuclear forces - “almost 100%”. The mention of the strategic nuclear forces clearly indicates that only missiles are taken into account in this case, because boats of Project 667BDRM cannot in any way be considered modern, unlike the completely modern SLBM R-29RMU2/2.1 “Sineva”/“Liner”.
The construction of infrastructure for strategic complexes with unlimited-range nuclear cruise missiles "Burevestnik" and carriers of unmanned underwater vehicles "Poseidon" continues - another reminder that the programs are not closed. This is especially true for the Burevestnik, which, even though, according to officials, was successfully tested not so long ago, still remains a very mysterious product.
Russia and the United States continue to notify each other at least 24 hours in advance of any planned launches of ICBMs and SLBMs, and this is good.
At the same time, our early warning system detected 78 launches of ballistic missiles and 168 launches of launch vehicles in 2023 (until an unspecified date). Traditionally, no one showed us the breakdown, and in general, more than two hundred launches of space rockets have already happened in the world this year. However, nothing new.
Now for the individual “legs” of the nuclear triad.
According to the Strategic Missile Forces, the share of modern weapons “until the end of 2023” now 88%, with land-based ICBMs accounting for the largest number of carriers and charges in the nuclear triad, approximately 60% of the total “ceiling” under the suspended New START Treaty. We are probably talking about ~420 deployed carriers with ~930 nuclear warheads. The ratio of carriers in the PGRK and silos, i.e. in mobile and stationary groups, approximately equal, but the latter have slightly more warheads. The last missile regiment with the Topol PGRK was re-equipped with the Yars in 2023 - as usual, the specific modification (-S, -M, you understand) is not indicated.
“The re-equipment to the modern Avangard missile system has been completed.” We can probably assume the completion of the deployment of ICBMs with a hypersonic glide unit in its current form with the UR-100N UTTH as a “booster”. By the way, the prospects for the appearance of PCBs on lighter PGRKs are quite directly indicated, and the corresponding R&D is underway. Will wait.
“By the end of the year, 15 launchers of the Yars and Avangard missile systems will be put on combat duty in the strategic missile forces - apparently, we can actually consider it a fait accompli.
It seems that they have not forgotten about the infrastructure for missile divisions and their combat duty; 592 “high-tech facilities” have been announced.
In 2024, the main task is to place the heavy Sarmat ICBM on combat duty in Uzhur, i.e. in the attack 62nd missile division. Whether it is there on experimental combat duty, as was reported in the fall, is unknown. Frankly, we were expecting something symbolic already under this Christmas tree, well, there, the activation of a regiment from a command post and a pair of silos, but it seems that we will be left without a reason for jokes.
The number of ICBM launches for 2024 has been announced again, namely seven. We assume.
By the end of 2025, they promise to complete equipping the 28th Missile Division with silo-based Yars. Near Kozelsk, work is proceeding slowly but progressively. Separately, we would like to point out that it was in the context of the ministerial visit to these guys that active protection systems for silos against enemy high-precision weapons were mentioned, but, apparently, for now we are talking exclusively about electronic countermeasures and camouflage.
Apparently from 2026-2027. we can expect the beginning of the replacement of the Topol-M ICBMs, which still seem to be in good condition, but nothing lasts forever, especially if it is something - a solid propellant rocket engine. On the agenda, as you know, is the 60th missile division in Tatishchevo (SPU) and two missile regiments with a PGRK from the Teikov missile division. But what they will be re-equipped with - modifications of the Yars or something new (remember, they mentioned Aspen, Kedr... Anchar...) - that’s the question.
In general, at this stage there are no plans to change the ratio of the PGRK and silo launchers, nor is the formation of new formations and units planned. Well, fine.
Yes, it should also be noted that “if necessary” the Strategic Missile Forces can “in the shortest possible time” receive medium or shorter range missiles. Probably this question answers the subordination of at least the MRBM in the Russia of the Future, but with the CBMD and BRMD the question may remain open. #MoratoriumLive !
The Long-Range Aviation unit received four Tu-160Ms (obviously including modernized ones), which even exceeds the three aircraft announced in 2022.
The delivery of two Tu-160Ms (apparently new construction) is planned for 2024. Also mentioned are “completely new aircraft, on new principles, with new aerodynamic and combat qualities.” It’s difficult to guess here, PAK DA is unlikely to reach this stage, and what’s new from the point of view of aerodynamics in the Tu-160M and even the Tu-22M3M is not very clear. Yes, don’t forget, the dagger-bearing MiG-31Is are also in the YES, no one is particularly shy about talking about this.
In terms of the naval component, everything is quite simple and progressive: the SSBN “Emperor Alexander III” of Project 955A has been adopted, at the end of 2024 it is planned to transfer the SSBN “Prince Pozharsky” of Project 955A to the fleet, and the only surprise is the plan to return the SSBN K-117 “ Bryansk" of project 667BDRM after completion of the medium repair in November 2024.
To summarize: our strategic nuclear forces remain the most important element of strategic deterrence. The processes of rearmament and modernization are progressing quite steadily, but not without some rough edges. First of all, Sarmat and PAK DA are causing concern, but we are not particularly worried about new nuclear-powered toys. No particularly new details have appeared about the strategic nuclear forces combat control systems, which, in principle, is not surprising. It needs to be better and more sustainable - well, no one argues. True, overseas counterparties have recently begun to look at this more closely - perhaps we will be pleased with a new level of transparency. But obviously not today and not tomorrow.
Perhaps the main conclusion is the imperceptible desire for quantitative growth. This is good, this is correct, my head hurts about something else now. No one should have any doubts about the possibility of delivering a crushing blow in accordance with the Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the field of nuclear deterrence.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
