[Euractiv] Poland’s right-wing dominated parliament on Friday (22 July) recognised as "genocide" a massacre of 100,000 Poles by Ukrainian nationalists seven decades ago, in a move that quickly drew criticism from Kyiv.
"The victims of the crime committed in the 1940s by Ukrainian nationalists were not duly commemorated, and the mass murder was not defined as genocide in accordance with the historical truth," said a resolution adopted by 432 lawmakers in the 460-seat parliament.
Ukraine has refused to recognise the crime as genocide and its President Petro Poroshenko on Friday to expressed his "regret" over the Polish move, warning it could be used against his crisis-hit country.
Between 1942 and 1945, members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) hacked Polish victims to death and drowned women, children and the elderly in wells in the Volhynia region of what is now northwest Ukraine.
The UPA’s main objective was to win Ukraine’s independence by ousting Nazi and later Soviet occupiers and to clear Poles from territories that were historically Ukrainian land.
The killing provoked bloody reprisals by Polish partisans grouped in the anti-Nazi and anti-Soviet Home Army (AK). They killed 20,000 Ukrainians. Friday’s resolution also recognises these crimes saying: "Nor can one dismiss or downplay acts of Polish revenge on Ukrainian villages, during which civilian populations also perished."
It also "expresses parliament’s respect for and gratitude to Ukrainians who risked their lives to save Poles".
Poroshenko, meanwhile, invoking the teachings of late Polish-born pope John Paul II, called on people to "forgive and ask for forgiveness" while cooperating in order to "determine all the facts of this tragic page of our joint history".
The so-called Volhynia massacre was shrouded in silence during the communist era of 1945-1989, with regime authorities in Warsaw wanting to maintain ties with Ukraine, a Soviet republic until 1991.
But memory of the crime is etched deep in Polish national consciousness.
Ukraine’s EU membership?
Friday’s resolution reverses a 2013 decision by liberal lawmakers that stopped short of calling the massacre a genocide.
In 2013, the then governing liberals adopted a softer version of the resolution to keep relations with Ukraine amicable as it moved closer to the European Union.
The more cautious wording called the massacre "ethnic cleansing characterised by signs of genocide".
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 22:41 The United States advises Ukraine to withdraw troops from Bakhmut, AFP reports, citing a high-ranking American official. According to Washington, the increased attention of the Ukrainian command to holding the city hinders preparations for the expected spring counteroffensive. In addition, in the case of Bakhmut, time is on the side of Russia, which has more resources, but the capture of the city will not give it anything, since the Armed Forces of Ukraine will retreat to prepared positions.
Washington believes that Ukraine should consider "exchanging" Bakhmut for the training of its troops, since the Armed Forces of Ukraine may not have enough resources to both conduct military operations in the city and prepare for an offensive in the south of the country.
22:02 Portugal will send Ukraine a second batch of 14 M113 armored personnel carriers, eight powerful generators, 120-mm ammunition and two tons of medical and sanitary equipment, the country's Defense Ministry said following the Ramstein meeting.
21:49 In German Ramstein on Friday, January 20, the eighth meeting of the Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine was held. The meeting participants - and these are the heads of defense departments of more than 50 countries - did not agree on the supply of Leopard tanks to Kyiv. It is expected that a final decision on this matter may be made later. Details about the results of the meeting can be found in the material Disappointment from Berlin and US promises .
21:43 Reznikov praised the meeting in Ramstein: "The eighth meeting in Ramstein is over. It was a great meeting of friends. The free world supports Ukraine and applauds the brave Ukrainian soldiers and our courageous people. The Ukrainian army will receive more weapons and ammunition. We will win. There will be evil defeated."
21:17 The Russians have made progress in the area of Soledar and Bakhmut, but this will not change the strategic situation, said White House national security adviser John Kirby.
21:04 The Netherlands will supply Ukraine with two Patriot SAM launchers and missiles for them, Defense Minister Kaisa Ollongren said.
20:59 The United States has recognized PMC Wagner as a transnational criminal organization, the White House said. The US Treasury Department has been instructed to impose additional sanctions against Prigozhin's company.
20:20 Poland plans to arm and train Ukrainian soldiers on a brigade scale by the end of March, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said following a meeting at the Ramstein base. He clarified that we are talking about a tank brigade, which will be armed with infantry fighting vehicles and T-72 tanks. "If we add to this the contract concluded with the Ukrainian authorities by the Huta Stalowa Wola company for the supply of Krab artillery pieces, then we are dealing with a holistic project to support Ukraine," the minister added.
Blaszczak also said that he had held talks with representatives of 15 countries that use Leopard tanks: “No decisions have been made on this issue. We have further meetings planned. Probably now in the videoconferencing format. I am convinced that this coalition building will be successful, as well as the transfer of the Patriot system to Ukraine."
20:12 Senior US officials are advising Ukraine to refrain from launching a major offensive against Russian troops until the last shipments of US weapons have been received and military personnel have been trained, Reuters reports. A U.S. official, speaking to a small group of reporters on condition of anonymity, said Washington was "strongly sticking to its decision not to supply Abrams tanks to Ukraine at this time" amid disagreements with Germany over the tanks.
20:08 Zelensky met with US Senators Lindsey Graham, Richard Blumenthal and Sheldon Whitehouse, who are on a visit to Kiev, the presidential press service reported.
19:57 Zelensky said in an evening video message that it is not always possible to publicly announce Rammstein's agreements: "This is a closed discussion - and it should be so. In general, we can summarize that today's Ramstein will strengthen our stability. Partners are principled in their attitude - they will support "Ukraine, as much as is necessary for our victory. Yes, we still have to fight for the supply of modern tanks, but every day we make it clearer that there is no alternative to the fact that a decision on tanks must be made."
19:25 The British government is considering the option of transferring long-range missiles similar to the American ATACMS to Ukraine, CNN reports.
19:06 US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the supply of additional air defense systems to Ukraine. He recalled that several countries have already offered to help strengthen Ukrainian air defense, including France, Britain and Germany, which offered to transfer the Patriot battery. "The Netherlands is also donating Patriot missiles and launchers and will provide training on the system. In addition, Canada has acquired the NASAMS system and related equipment for Ukraine," Austin added.
18:53 The head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, said that the new package of assistance to Ukraine from the United States, together with packages from other countries, is the equivalent of two brigades: "Together with other assistance packages, this is an increase in artillery potential, maneuverability. This is the equivalent of two brigades or six mechanized battalions, ten motorized battalions and four artillery battalions. This aid package, together with packages from allies, demonstrates our determination to protect the Ukrainian population."
18:39 The head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, said that this year it will be difficult to force Russian troops out of the entire occupied territory of Ukraine by military means. "That doesn't mean it can't happen, but it will be very difficult," he added. At the same time, Milli noted that in Ukraine, the stabilization of the front can definitely take place, it is also possible to achieve a significant tactical or operational level of offensive in order to liberate as much territory as possible.
According to Milley, Russia was able to mobilize up to 250,000 people for the war in Ukraine out of 300,000. At the same time, Russian losses significantly exceed 100,000 people, he added.
18:28 US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said following a meeting in the Ramstein format that Ukraine's Western allies have a "window of opportunity until spring" before the UAF launches a counteroffensive. He also said that American Abrams tanks would not be transferred to Ukraine yet, but many EU countries agreed to supply Leopard.
18:23 The enemy is conducting offensive operations in the Bakhmut, Avdeevsky and Zaporozhye directions, increasing the intensity of the use of aviation. It is defending in the Kupyansky, Limansky, Novopavlovsky and Kherson directions, the General Staff reported in the evening summary.
The invaders are stepping up security measures in the Zaporozhye region. In particular, in Melitopol, a ban was announced on crossing checkpoints around the settlement from March 1 without special passes, which can be obtained at the so-called commandant's office only after providing one's personal data.
Mobilization continues in the Luhansk region. So, in the occupation administration of Alchevsk, regular lists have been prepared to make up for losses in the manpower of the Russian military, including at the expense of employees of the so-called "Ministry of Emergency Situations".
18:17 The Ministry of Reintegration, by its order, excluded the city of Kiev from the list of territories of possible hostilities. The corresponding order was issued in agreement with the Ministry of Defense on the proposals of the relevant regional, Kyiv city military administrations.
18:06 Stoltenberg said that the new military assistance will allow Ukraine to launch an offensive: "Hundreds of new infantry fighting vehicles, armored vehicles and battle tanks are now provided to Ukraine, this will be of great importance for the country ... This support will allow Ukrainians not only to defend themselves against new offensives Russia, but also launch their own offensive actions to retake the territory."
17:45 During the war, 127 DTEK employees were killed, said Dmitry Sakharuk, executive director of the company. 319 workers were injured, 46 were missing, and four more were captured.
17:37 German intelligence is concerned about the daily triple-digit losses of Ukraine in the battles for Bakhmut, Spiegel writes, citing data from a secret meeting that took place this week in the Bundestag. Its participants also noted that the fall of Bakhmut would have consequences for the entire line of Ukrainian defense. Russia is now abandoning soldiers like cannon fodder, since losses there do not play any role for her.
17:21 Erdogan had a telephone conversation with Zelensky. According to the office of the Turkish President, it was about the humanitarian and energy support of Ukraine from Turkey, as well as the functioning of the grain corridor. Erdogan said that Ankara is ready to take on the role of a facilitator and mediator to establish a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine. He also said that work is underway on the exchange of prisoners, and expressed his readiness to make a "diplomatic contribution to accelerating the process that is taking place at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant."
16:34 In the Kherson region, the Russians fired on two settlements: in Antonovka, a 15-year-old boy was injured, and in Novodmitrovka, Beryslav district, a man's leg was torn off, the President's Office reported.
16:10 German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced a spring package of military assistance to Ukraine worth more than 1 billion euros. According to him, the package will include 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, seven Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery mounts, additional guided missiles for the Iris-T air defense system and another Iris-T anti-aircraft missile system.
15:35 The new German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that at the meeting in Ramstein it was not possible to agree on the supply of tanks to Ukraine, since "there is no consensus among the partners."
14:46 German Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze during her visit to Odessa promised further support to Ukraine and announced the allocation of 52 million euros to provide electricity and heat supply.
14:23 The Swiss government supports the confiscation of frozen Russian assets, but this requires legal grounds, said Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis. According to him, Switzerland has already frozen the assets of Russians for about 7.5 billion euros. Under current Swiss law, assets cannot be confiscated. A referendum will most likely be required to change the law.
The NZZ newspaper writes that banks were very critical of the idea, as it could violate property rights and undermine Switzerland's status as a financial center. Bankers consider this a "death sentence" for Swiss banks.
13:44 The official representative of the German Cabinet, Steffen Hebestreit, denied the information that Scholz demanded that the United States transfer Abrams tanks to Ukraine as a prerequisite for providing Leopard: "It's hard for me to imagine that the German Chancellor put conditions on the American president. In no case was there a demand so that if one thing happens, another will follow."
13:33 In Moscow, air defense systems began to be installed directly on the roofs. In particular, judging by the photo on the Internet, Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and gun systems were deployed at the business center and the building of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Ukrainians reacted to this with a wave of memes and photoshops. More details in the material Iron Dome .
13:25 In Soledar and Bakhmut, the Russians are suffering huge losses, Alena Shevtsova, adviser to the Command of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said: "The goal of the opponents' efforts is to break through our front. Neither Soledar nor Bakhmut, as settlements, are worth the efforts and losses that are already the Russians suffered. Moreover, the enemy failed to break through the front, and therefore the operation continues for the Russians. We keep everything under fire control and deplete their resources and initiatives. Our soldiers already call Soledar an analogue of Chernobaevka. Similar mass pressure could be on any other sector of the front this situation was inevitable.
13:03 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation allegedly announced the capture of Klescheevka in the Donetsk region, as well as the settlement of Lobkove in the Zaporozhye region.
12:59 The Russians involved in the Svatovo-Kremensk direction and freshly mobilized, and convicts, and professional military personnel, said the head of the Luhansk OVA Sergey Gaidai. According to him, the enemy is pulling more and more personnel and equipment to the Luhansk region, trying to prevent the advance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but to no avail.
Gaidai also said that Russians "celebrated" Epiphany in Starobelsk, as a result of which about 30 invaders were poisoned with alcohol. Some have died, others are in the hospital.
12:33 Reznikov named three priorities at the Ramstein-8 meeting: air defense systems, weapons for offensive operations (tanks, howitzers), as well as the systematic supply of ammunition, maintenance and repair of equipment.
12:08 Zelensky connected via video link to the meeting in the Ramstein format and called for tanks to be provided to Ukraine: "I ask you to make the necessary decisions to stop Russia. There should be no more time to waste, as Russian troops are now regrouping. The Kremlin must lose."
Zelensky also said that time is playing against Russia and called on the allies to speed up: "We have very little time - we need to do everything faster, we need more weapons." At the end of his speech, he called for long-range missiles and F-16 fighter jets to be provided to Ukraine.
11:57 The head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, in his speech at the opening of the next meeting in the Ramstein format, said that a turning point is coming in the war in Ukraine.
11:54 The Netherlands is ready to consider the possibility of supplying Ukraine with F-16 fighters if a corresponding request is received from Kiev, NL Times writes with reference to Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra.
11:28 Electricity consumption in Ukraine on January 20 is predicted to be slightly higher than the previous day, at the same time, electricity production has increased. The power deficit has decreased, but is still significant. During the evening peak, generation can cover just over three-quarters of consumption, Ukrenergo reported. Consumption limits for the whole day have been brought to all oblenergos.
11:02 Russian publics write that air defense was also installed in the Moscow region , a few kilometers from Putin's residence.
10:44 The SBU has exposed a network of agents that may be involved in the recent attack on a residential building in Dnipro. Security officers simultaneously detained seven spotters and gunners who worked for the Russian GRU.
10:28 Finland announced the 12th package of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of more than 400 million euros - this is many times more than all the previous ones. Defense Minister Mikko Savola said it would include "heavy weapons and ammunition."
09:56 British intelligence reports that PMC Wagner has up to 50 thousand militants involved in the war in Ukraine, and thus has become a key component of the Russian military campaign. Analysts note that the recent registration of the Wagner group in the Russian Unified State Register is likely to maximize Prigozhin's commercial benefits and further legitimize the organization, which had previously been in the shadows.
09:17 In the Kherson region over the past day, one person was killed due to Russian shelling, three more were injured, the head of the OVA, Yaroslav Yanushevich, said.
09:13 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, four civilians were killed - two in Drobyshevo, one each in Bakhmut and Maksimilianovka. Three more people were injured in the region, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.
09:07 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that a Russian offensive from Belarus may be more likely at the end of 2023. Senior Kremlin officials continue to hold high-level meetings with the Belarusian leadership, which could create conditions for a Russian attack on Ukraine from the territory of Belarus, although not necessarily and not in the coming weeks, experts say.
08:50 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the enemy as of the morning of January 20.
personnel - about 119,300 (+770) people liquidated,
tanks - 3139 (+3),
armored combat vehicles - 6241 (+6),
artillery systems - 2129 (+7),
MLRS - 442 (+0),
air defense systems - 220 (+0),
aircraft - 287 (+0),
helicopters - 277 (+0),
UAV operational-tactical level - 1886 (+4),
cruise missiles - 749 (+0),
ships/boats - 17 (+0),
automotive equipment and tankers - 4903 (+7),
special equipment - 190 (+0).
08:27 The enemy is focusing its main efforts on conducting an offensive in the Bakhmut and Avdeevsky directions. On Kupyansky, Limansky, Novopavlovsky and Kherson - it is defending itself, the General Staff said in the morning report .
Over the past day, units of the Defense Forces repelled the attacks of the invaders in the areas of the settlements of Novoselovskoye and Belogorovka in the Luhansk region; Verkhnekamenskoye, Krasnopolevka, Soledar, Krasnaya Gora, Paraskoveevka, Bakhmut, Ivanovskoye, Dilievka, Vodyanoye, Maryinka, Pobeda, Novoselka, Donetsk region, and Malaya Tokmachka and Stepnoye, Zaporozhye region.
In Crimea, Russia is preparing for covert mobilization. In particular, in Sevastopol, calls to the military commissariats began to come to IT specialists, financial workers and other specialists who had a reservation from mobilization.
06:22 The European Union stated that the theft of about 50 OSCE vehicles by Russia is unacceptable, and demanded the return of the property. This is stated in the EU statement, announced during the meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna. The EU is also demanding the release of three of its employees who have been held by Russia since April on dubious charges.
02:50 CIA chief William Burns secretly visited Kiev last week to meet with Zelensky and inform him of his expectations about Russia's military plans, writes The Washington Post, citing sources.
01:43 The United States announced the provision of a new $2.5 billion military aid package to Ukraine. As part of the tranche, Washington will transfer 59 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and 90 Stryker armored vehicles to Kyiv. In addition, the new package will include ammunition for the NASAMS anti-aircraft missile system and the Avenge air defense system.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Dmitry Bavyrin
[RIA] In a situation where Bulgaria is arming Ukraine, one can only sympathize with the Bulgarians. Brotherly.
"And what about the Bulgarians?" is almost a meme, born from Russian news about the opinion of Bulgarian bloggers. We report: the Bulgarians are still great.
They are still the most pro-Russian people in the European Union, according to a poll commissioned by the European Commission. The vast majority of them oppose sending weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other assistance to Kiev. Since February, they have been holding processions, demonstrations and strikes with anti-Ukrainian and anti-NATO slogans, and sometimes under Russian flags.
They even put a snowball in the face of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, forcing him to retreat behind the backs of the guards and to the cries of "Traitor!" Jurisdiction, among other things, a form of popular protest.
Therefore, there are no claims to the Bulgarians as a people, only sympathy. For a long time they did not wipe their feet on this people as revealingly as they wipe them now (the last one was, it seems, Hitler, but this is not certain).
Now Sophia is arming Kiev officially - by decree of the People's Assembly, that is, the Parliament. This is its fourth composition in two years, and this year the Bulgarians are likely to elect the fifth due to the chronic inability of the main forces to agree among themselves on a coalition.
But in our situation, this is not important, but the fact that the previous composition still managed to appoint a full-fledged government - the government of that same Petkov. Two months later, the SVO began, and the National Assembly directly forbade the Cabinet of Ministers to supply the Armed Forces of Ukraine: repairing equipment - yes, sending weapons - no.
In theory, this was an important decision that few here appreciated. In Bulgaria, since the First Cold War, extensive arsenals of Soviet-style weapons have been preserved. Many production facilities are also in place - no miracles, but so that small arms and ammunition can be riveted at an enviable pace for other Eastern Europe.
The role of Bulgaria in the NWO could be significant - and it really became significant. As it turns out now, Petkov and his maschera, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Asen Vasilev, nevertheless gutted the Bulgarian arsenals in favor of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, contrary to the resolution of the parliament and the opinion of the people.
A parliamentary investigation has now been launched into this matter. Since the composition of the People's Assembly is the same that the Ukrainian Lend-Lease approved, it is unlikely to have unbearably unpleasant consequences for Petkov, like accusations of treason or something in the same spirit, which he well deserved.
Petkov and Vasilev admitted themselves, one might even say they boasted. According to the ex-premier, it was he who came up with the scheme with an interlayer in the form of other NATO countries , thanks to which weapons were not sent directly to Kiev, that is, the parliamentary ban was formally observed. He allegedly proposed this scheme at an urgent meeting of the leaders of the countries of the alliance after the start of the special operation. And he personally made sure that Bulgaria replaced Ukraine with a significant part of those diesel volumes that were previously purchased from Belarus .
According to Petkov, diesel for Ukrainian military equipment was produced, among other things, from Russian oil, including at a refinery owned by Lukoil. The ex-premier also attributes the authorship of this combination to himself.
Thanks to all this, even the authoritative American publication Politico now claims that Bulgaria literally saved Kiev. That is, it turns out that Petkov and Vasilev saved him - against the will of the Bulgarians, against the elected parliament, against even the international rules of the arms trade, according to which the final recipient must be specified in the contract.
There is nothing surprising in the fact that these two are participating in the competition for the title of Kyiv's best friend. There are many people participating in this competition - the Americans, the British, the Poles, and Emmanuel Macron with his wheeled tanks.
But it seems that only Petkov and Vasilev are participating in this way - toe to toe and with testimonies of how they fooled the people, parliament and government colleagues, otherwise, they say, they could not, since there are too many "pro-Russian agents" in Bulgaria.
It is important to emphasize here that this couple are not pensioners, but active politicians who claim to vote and return to power. They cannot fail to know that what they have done is contrary to the position of the overwhelming majority of Bulgarian citizens and has signs of a state crime. This is usually admitted to investigators, not to journalists.
But if you keep your answer not before the people, but before the American embassy, everything falls into place. True, not everyone gets such a vivid demonstration of the fictitiousness of Bulgarian democracy and the country's lack of sovereignty.
Bulgarians are far from alone in not being able to choose their country's foreign policy, many peoples have this problem. But they wiped their feet about them so revealingly that a completely conspiracy version creeps in about the deliberate punishment of the pride of those who dare to step out of step.
Against the background of the events described, Kyiv appointed a new ambassador to Sofia - a "sexologist", "hypnotist" and "Gestalt therapist" (a rare case when so many quotes are needed for professional identification) Olesya Ilashchuk with a complete lack of experience in public service and diplomatic practice. A rather eloquent gesture of respect for the state, which "saved Ukraine" at the cost of a big lie and plundering arsenals.
Thus, Bulgaria is both a vassal of the pro-Ukrainian coalition and a bit of an outcast, because at the level of the people it glances towards Russia without hatred now. Uncommonly unfortunate.
Another thing is that this is a path well known to the Bulgarians, their own level. Both before the restoration of independence, and after the restoration of independence, the population of Bulgaria for the most part sympathized with the Russian brother, and the government was almost always not only pro-Western - with a focus on the Germans and the British, but also fundamentally anti-Russian.
The roots of this are sometimes sought in the historical conflict with Serbia and jealousy towards St. Petersburg , which, as it seemed to Sofia, chose Belgrade as his "beloved wife" , although he preferred Sofia just the same (by the way, "brothers" is exactly about the Bulgarians, this word is for the Serbs lexically alien). The same jealousy was in Belgrade, where there were also enough Anglophiles with Russophobes. But if the Serbs alternated between anti-Russian elites and Russophile ones, in the Bulgarian case it seemed to be stuck - only the 45-year period of comrade Zhivkov looks like an exception.
As a result, the state, restored by the forces of Russia, fought on the side of its enemies in both world wars. And here it seems again. Why be surprised?
Unless the fact that the well-bred boy prodigy Petkov turned out to be worse than the Bulgarian "enfan terrible" - a hardened Russophobe, Atlanticist, autocrat, boor and mafioso Boyko Borisov, who ruled the country for ten years before him. Since Borisov was (and remains) an honest enemy, staked out Bulgaria as a feudal land for himself, and his successor is a vile, cowardly type, who finally handed over the keys to government somewhere in Brussels and Washington .
Therefore, we sympathize with the Bulgarians. Therefore, and because they sympathized with us.
Years will pass. Borisov, Petkov, Vasilev will go into oblivion, and their boss Biden will leave even earlier. Any politicians leave sooner or later, but the peoples remain.
And if we are not talking about some kind of secret sorcery, finally created by the Ottomans fleeing Bulgaria, then sooner or later, even seemingly hopeless in this sense, the Bulgarians can turn off their strange level, when the most pro-Russian people of Europe are ruled by Russophobic scoundrels from time to time, signing their homeland on other people's adventures.
From the point of view of friendship between peoples, the snowball caught by Petkov's face is more important than all that he made with his hands.
The Bulgarians at least tried. Many others go to the slaughter in silence.
#1
I might add a little bit of information. 15% of the monies sent to Ukraine is all they actually get. The rest is payoffs and kickbacks. EU and Washington are ruled by greed.
Kindly note that several entries in this article may have been removed because they included discussions of the grand strategic level.
[NewsFrontInfo] 23:12 According to the Russian Defense Ministry, more than 220 Ukrainian soldiers were destroyed in the main areas. 22:31 The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the liberation of the village of Lobkove in the Zaporozhye region and Klescheevka in the DPR.
21:30 Situationson the Kinburn Spit, where the Armed Forces of Ukraine “landed, parachuted, but never landed.”
20:43 Ukrainian troops fired on civilian infrastructure on Thursday in three cities of the Kherson region, located on the left bank of the Dnieper, there is destruction, a representative of the region's emergency services told reporters on Friday.
The Cossack Camps, Kakhovka and Naked Pier were subjected to shelling from cannon artillery.
19:25 Kyiv security forces used to attack the Belovodsky district, unmanned aerial vehicles of the Mugin-5 Pro type, which could be in the sky for more than seven hours, were the expert of the LPR representative office in the JCCC Alexei Getmansky.
18:13 The German Foreign Intelligence Service (BND) reports: the Ukrainian army loses a three-digit number of soldiers every day, fighting with Russian troops in Bakhmut, Der Spiegel reports, citing the information received.
18:04 Situation in Artemovsk close to the operational environment, Wagner units are advancing day and night, the head of the DPR said.
17:55 A Ukrainian soldier complains about broken machine guns from NATO.
Reported also that decommissioned shells often explode in cannons or self-propelled guns, but it was ordered to be silent about this so as not to discredit partners.
Ukraine receives mainly old or decommissioned weapons that have been in warehouses for years.
In the course of conducting reconnaissance at night, scouts of the 3rd Guards Separate Special Forces Battalion discovered the advance of a sabotage and reconnaissance group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The special group was destroyed by a well-aimed ATGM launch.
17:31 Footage of the destruction of the howitzer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson region.
The enemy howitzer was spotted and destroyed by the RF Armed Forces in time during the counter-battery fight.
Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that there weredestroyed American self-propelled artillery M109 "Paladin", howitzers 122mm D-30 and 152mm "Msta-B", as well asshot down Mi-8 helicopter in the air.
17:28 In the Kherson direction during the counter-battery fightdestroyedAPU technology.
This was reported in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
17:26 RF Armed Forces are continuously working on Ukronazi positions non-stop, not letting them raise their heads -video
17:23 Armed forces of the 128th Brigade (Transcarpathian region) complain to volunteers about problems with medical support -video
It is reported that doctors do not have bandages, tourniquets and other essentials. Also, the command of the brigade does not make up for losses in equipment, so in some units there are no vehicles left to take out the wounded.
Volunteers call on Ukrainians to solve problems in the brigade by announcing fees for the purchase of SUVs and medical supplies worth thousands of dollars.
16:52 Circumstance in the Donetsk-Zaporozhye direction as of 16.00 January 20, 2023
At the Orekhovsky sector, servicemen of the 58th Combined Arms Army of the RF Armed Forces storm the defensive line of the 128th Guards Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Malye Shcherbaki - Stepovoye. Russian fighters managed to knock out the forces of the 2nd battalion of the 9th Gepard special forces regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and liberate the village of Lobkove, destroying at least 15 Ukrainian fighters and taking control of three enemy strongholds.
To the east, Russian fighters are advancing on the suburbs of Orekhov in the area of Novoandreevka, Novodanilovka and Malaya Tokmachka. Taking control of these settlements will allow you to surround the city from the south and southeast.
Orekhov is one of the key transport hubs in this area, and its release will greatly facilitate the supply of Russian troops on the line of contact and will strengthen positions before further advance to Zaporozhye.
In the Pologovsky section, units of the 5th combined-arms army occupied the dominant heights near the village of Malinovka east of Gulyaipol. During the offensive, at least 20 members of Ukrainian formations were liquidated. At the moment, the RF Armed Forces are fixed on the liberated lines.
The Ukrainian command is also waiting for the resumption of the assault on the Belogorye-Charivnoe line, where territorial defense units are deployed, reinforced by ATGM crews.
In the Ugledar sector, Russian reconnaissance groups uncovered the positions of the Ukrainian army in a forest belt near the village of Elizavetovka. Pinpoint strikes by the artillery of the RF Armed Forces hit the firing positions of the artillery together with the personnel.
In Marinka, on the western outskirts of the city, positional battles continue, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to hold back the advance of Russian troops. One of the companies of the 79th brigade was destroyed in full force.
Despite this, the Ukrainian command is pulling additional forces to the site . This indicates plans to continue to hold the defense in this direction.
16:51 Air raid alert again announced in Kirovograd, Nikolaev and Odessa regions of Ukraine.
16:05 Destruction of positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the border area in the Kharkiv region
In the north of the Kharkiv region, the RF Armed Forces constantly conduct reconnaissance and hit the identified accumulations of enemy manpower, equipment and artillery positions.
Near the village of Veterinary Russian troopsdestroyed deployment point of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The UAV operator noticed the movement of the infantry and gave target designation to the artillery, which covered the house from the first shot.
Regular strikes against targets in the border areas are essential: the more targets are precisely destroyed, the less Ukrainian formations will shell the cities and villages of the Belgorod region.
15:49 Artillery strikes on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Kremennaya.
On the Starobelsky direction of the RF Armed Forcesstartled positions of Ukrainian formations located to the west of the settlement of Torskoe.
The enemy was identified using a drone: the operator noticed the movement of the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine between the fortifications. Then they were covered by Russian artillery.
Heavy fighting has been going on in the area near Kremennaya for several months. Ukrainian formations are trying to reach the city from the south through the wooded area and create a threat to the operational encirclement of the garrison.
15:28 In the Bakhmut (Artyomovsky) section, the Ukrainians continue to suffer heavy losses in killed and wounded -video
14:15 Report of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress holding special military operation on the territory of Ukraine (20.01.2023)
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct a special military operation.
In the Kupyansk direction, army aviation and artillery of the Western Military District inflicted fire damage on units of the 14th and 92nd mechanized brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Timkovka, Tabaevka and Berestovoye of the Kharkov region. Up to 30 Ukrainian servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, two pickup trucks, as well as two 152mm D-20 and 122mm D-30 howitzers were destroyed.
In the Krasno-Limansk direction, artillery fire from the Central Military District inflicted damage on units of the 92nd and 66th mechanized brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Stelmahovka and Makeyevka of the Luhansk People's Republic, as well as the 95th Airborne Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of Serebryansky forestry.
In the area of the settlement of Krasny Liman of the Donetsk People's Republic, a warehouse of artillery ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was destroyed. Enemy losses per day in this direction amounted to over 40 military personnel, two infantry fighting vehicles, four armored fighting vehicles and a 152mm D-20 howitzer.
In the Donetsk direction, volunteers of assault detachments, with fire support from operational-tactical and army aviation, missile troops and artillery of the Southern Military District, liberated the settlement of Klescheevka of the Donetsk People's Republic. In the area of the settlement of Zvanovka of the Donetsk People's Republic, a warehouse of rockets for multiple launch rocket systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was destroyed.
In addition, up to 60 Ukrainian servicemen, three armored combat vehicles, two cars, two 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mounts, as well as 152mm Giacint-B and D-20 howitzers were destroyed in a day.
In the Zaporizhia direction, the settlement of Lobkovoe, Zaporozhye region, was liberated by successful offensive actions of the units of the Eastern Military District. A hangar with weapons and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was destroyed near the village of Kamianske, Zaporozhye region.
Also, in the area of the settlement of Malaya Tokmachka, Zaporozhye region, a US-made AN/TPQ-37 counter-battery radar was destroyed. The total losses of the enemy per day amounted to 90 Ukrainian servicemen killed and wounded, four armored combat vehicles, three vehicles, an 152mm Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer, as well as two 152mm D-20 and 122mm D-30 howitzers.
In the Kherson direction, during a counter-battery fight, an American M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery mount was destroyed in a firing position, as well as two howitzers: 122mm D-30 and 152mm Msta-B.
Operational-tactical aviation, missile forces and artillery of groups of troops (forces) of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation defeated 78 artillery units in firing positions, manpower and military equipment in 103 districts.
Fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the area of the settlement of Posad-Pokrovskoye, Kherson region, shot down a Mi-8 helicopter of the Ukrainian Air Force in the air.
Russian air defense systems shot down a Mi-8 helicopter of the Ukrainian Air Force near the village of Lozovaya, Kharkiv region.
Also during the day, five unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed in the areas of the settlements of Chervonopopovka of the Luhansk People's Republic, Berdyansk of the Zaporozhye Region, Kyrylivka and Zeleny Gay of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Six rockets of the HIMARS and 220mm BM-27 Uragan multiple launch rocket systems were intercepted in the areas of the settlements of Mirne and Lyubimovka in the Zaporozhye region.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the following have been destroyed: 374 aircraft, 202 helicopters, 2908 unmanned aerial vehicles, 401 anti-aircraft missile systems, 7583 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 985 combat vehicles of multiple launch rocket systems, 3,878 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 8,121 units of special military vehicles.
14:03 Attack on Zaporozhye: the Russian army took under CONTROL locality Lobkove.
A hangar with equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was destroyed in the area of Kamensky, Zaporozhye region.
Enemy losses per day in this direction amounted to 90 militants.
14:00 Cossacks of the Terek Cossack army firmly hold the defense on the Kinburn Spit in the Kherson region -video
Russian units, in cooperation with volunteer Cossacks of the Terek Cossack Army, successfully carry out combat missions to protect the civilian population, and also repel attempts by Ukrainian militants to land enemy troops on the Kinburn Spit.
The Ukrainian military act vilely: they use banned phosphorus munitions, they fire at civilians on Orthodox holidays.
The enemy by his actions only strengthens the determination of the Cossacks.
"The Cossacks, like their ancestors, stand in positions. We will not let anyone in here, no matter how they use their prohibited weapons. They won't come through here. That is why we are here," says Vitaly Kuznetsov, ataman of the Terek Cossack Army.
13:59 Assault aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces continues to successfully carry out the tasks of destroying manpower and equipment of Ukrainians -video
13:58 Nikolaev also does not lag behind the forced burial, handing out subpoenas wherever possible -video
13:57 All over Ukraine announced air alert.
Ukrainian media reports about a drone in Kyiv.
13:56 Summaries from the Zaporozhye Front
In the Zaporozhye direction, the intensity of hostilities sharply increased.
The Russian Armed Forces fired at the enemy from tanks, mortar and artillery fire in the Vremovka and Novopol areas in the DPR and Olgovskoye, Malinovka, Gulyaipole, Zaliznichnoye, Gulyaipolskoye, Charivnoye, Belogorye, Malaya Tokmachka, Orekhov, Nesteryanka, Malye Shcherbaki and Kamenskoye in the Zaporozhye region.
Our army launched a local offensive in the Orekhov area. 4 n.p. released from the Armed Forces of Ukraine and are under close fire control of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
During the counterbattery fight, 152mm Akatsiya howitzers were destroyed in the area of the settlement. Preobrazhenka and 152mm D-30 in the area of the settlement Orekhov.
During the counter-sniper fight and a whole range of activities, eliminated enemy sniper instructor of the highest class.
12:38 Army and assault aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the area of the special operation -video
11:45 "Mission - lay 40 shells on the enemy's fortified area" - reactive aircraft ensured the advancement of our attack aircraft -video
After artillery preparation, the 1st Viking Group and the 1st OBSPN occupied the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the DPR.
10:48 Kherson direction, an example of a successful counter-battery fight -video
The howitzer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was spotted in time and destroyed along with the ammunition with a well-aimed blow.
10:38 During the night strikes in Kherson, an ammunition depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was destroyed. The consequences of secondary detonations and fire are still observed -video
10:36 Air raid alert announced in Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava and Kharkiv regions of Ukraine.
09:45 Footage of the work of our tankers to destroy the calculation of the AGS of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on a pickup truck in the Zaporozhye direction -video
09:37 Destroyed Ukrainian BTR-4E in the NVO zone -video
09:25 Forced distribution of subpoenas in Ukraine is gaining new momentum -video
This time in Rivne, representatives of the soldiers of the Ukroreich frankly spit on the constitution of their country, about which they directly say this to a local resident and try to take him to a forced grave.
09:14 Showed courage and determination by pulling the combat vehicle out of the blow -video
During the attack on the positions of Ukrainian nationalists, the MLRS crew, in which Private Andrey Poverinov performed combat missions, fired at the identified fortified defense areas of the militant units.
During the counterbattery fight, the enemy revealed the position of the combat vehicle of the multiple launch rocket system and began to return artillery fire according to the calculation of Andrey Poverinov.
Despite the shelling of the enemy, Private Andrei Poverinov rushed to the combat vehicle and brought it out of the shelling of the militants to a safe place.
Having quickly moved to a new position, the calculation continued to provide artillery support to the advancing units of the Russian troops.
Thanks to the support of rocket artillery, Russian troops managed to break through the defensive line of the militants and force them out of their positions.
09:12 An effective link between the work of UAV operators and gunners in the destruction of Ukrainians in the Bakhmutsky (Artemovsky) sector -video
09:11 Another footage of the night work of the Russian artillery in the area of the settlement. Marinka, including incendiary ammunition -video
08:15 Find and defuse: how servicemen of engineering and sapper units of the Western Military District carry out demining of liberated territories -video
In the same ranks with the engineers of the ZVO units, combat missions are performed by military personnel called up from the reserve as part of partial mobilization, and volunteers.
Sapper units are the first to go through minefields and engineering barriers, make passages for equipment and units, ensuring the offensive of Russian troops. During engineering reconnaissance, sappers detect and destroy both anti-tank and anti-personnel mines on the spot.
The sappers inside huge backpacks have everything they need for a combat mission. This is the most modern electronics, which is included in the sapper complex.
Today, several anti-tank mines have been found on the site, sappers are neutralizing them with an overhead charge. Each such cleared mine is another step closer to peaceful life.
08:05 Summary on the morning of January 20, 2023
PMC "Wagner" released N. p. Kleshcheevka south of the city of Artemovsk (Bakhmut). On the northern side of the Artemovsky sector of the front - fighting in the settlement. Krasnaya Gora and Paraskovievka.
In the Zaporozhye region, the Russian Armed Forces, as a result of a reconnaissance in battle in the Orekhovsky direction, occupied several enemy strongholds.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducting offensive operations in Novoselovskoye (northwest of Svatovo, in the "gray zone") with the support of armored vehicles.
In a number of areas, the enemy is waiting for the offensive of the Russian Armed Forces and is preparing for defense, transferring reinforcements.
Yesterday the Armed Forces of Ukraine fired on the settlement. Beams of the Shebekinsky district of the Belgorod region.
In the LPR, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked the Belovodsk region of the LPR using seven UAVs. Six strike UAVs were shot down and did not reach their targets. One UAV damaged the premises of the mechanical workshop of the stud farm. Two tractors damaged.
In the DPR, the enemy fired 219 rounds of ammunition at the civilian population in Donetsk, Gorlovka, Yasinovataya, Makeevka, and Volnovakha. Two civilians were killed in Volnovakha.
❗️In Moscow, air defense systems "Pantsir" were installed on the roofs of buildings.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFrontInfo] 23:17 The Spiegel publication reported that, according to intelligence agencies, Ukraine is losing a three-digit number of soldiers per day in the battles for Artemovsk. 22:42 Pushilin said that the situation in Artemovsk is close to the operational encirclement, Wagner units are moving forward.
21:44 AFU attacked the Petrovsky district of Donetsk, a civilian was wounded.
19:24 Denis Pushilin declared that Russian troops are close to the operational encirclement of Artyomovsk
According to him, the fighting is now taking place directly in Artyomovsk, specifically in the area of the meat processing plant.
“The divisions of the Wagner PMC are advancing day and night. They are also advancing in the vicinity of Soledar, a serious cleansing is taking place there. After the liberation of Kleshcheevka in Artyomovsk, new horizons are opening up and, I would say, a radical improvement in positions.
In Artemovsk, we can say that the situation, if not close to completion, then to the operational environment, which the Wagner PMC units located there are now striving for, ”the Acting Head of the DPR answered a question on Friday at the opening ceremony of the first semi-final of the Leaders revival. Donetsk People's Republic.
19:16 In the DPR, attempts by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to transfer equipment to Maryinka are recorded, Acting Head of the DPR Denis Pushilin said.
"As for Maryinka, the fighting continues in those positions after the capture of skyscrapers for the private sector, there are some industrial buildings that the enemy is still trying to hold and hinder the advance of our units. It’s difficult for us, it’s not easy, the enemy doesn’t give up, doesn’t drop his weapon – until we fix this. The enemy is transferring reserves, trying to transfer equipment as well, in order to detain our guys for as long as possible," said Denis Pushilin.
18:54 In the Luhansk region (closer to the border with the Rostov region), before our eyes, air defense was clearly working out.
18:53 In morgue in Kramatorsk, where the dead UAF soldiers are brought from the Soledarsky and Artemovsky directions, there is an announcement with a call not to rob the dead and remain people. Apparently there were precedents.
18:34 As a result of the night shelling of Volnovakha died husband and wife, they left four children.
18:12 On the operational lines of the DPR JCCC for January 20, received additional information on civilian casualties in the cities of the Republic:
Donetsk (Kirovskiy district):
- on the street. Biryuzova, a guy born in 2003 was wounded.
18:09 The situation in Artemovsk (Bakhmut) is close to the operational encirclement, Wagner units are advancing day and night - Acting head of the DPR Denis Pushilin.
17:37 Two civilians were wounded in Gorlovka and Donetsk due to shelling by Ukrainian troops, reported at the headquarters of the defense of the DPR.
17:36 Ukrainian troops fired six rockets from the MLRS at Karlo-Marksovo in the DPR,reportedat the DPR office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC).
17:35 APU lost 450 people in Zaporozhye in two weeks: details
According to RT, in the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Orekhov region (Zaporozhye region), a sharp surge in losses among personnel is recorded. Over the past two weeks, in the 108th and 109th territorial defense brigades, as well as in the units of the 23rd separate public order brigade of the National Guard and the 65th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, about 450 people were killed and seriously injured.
The greatest number of losses in these units was recorded after hits by Krasnopol-M high-precision artillery rounds of 152mm caliber, as well as high-precision missiles of the 300mm BM-30 Smerch and Tornado-S systems of 300mm caliber.
Located to the west, in the village of Shcherbaki (20 km from Orekhov), units of the 65th Specialized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 98th Territorial Defense Brigade cannot be transferred to Orekhov to provide assistance. Every attempt to break through to the city is frustrated due to the fire control of the RF Armed Forces over a section of the T-1802 highway. According to radio intercepts, the command of these formations expresses fears that an attempt to strengthen Orekhov by moving units could weaken other sectors on the line of contact and bring down the front in Stepovoe and Kamenskoye.
Due to heavy losses in the 108th and 109th territorial defense brigades, the command of the units cannot organize the protection of especially important facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine both on the first lines of defense and inside the city. Also, due to high losses, filtration measures among the local population are disrupted.
17:25 According to eyewitnesses, the Ukronazis fired at the Kirovsky district of Donetsk, a man was wounded. The information is being specified.
17:02 Servicemen of the RF Armed Forces in the area of the Spornovo inflicted fire defeat on the positions of Ukrainian nationalists.
16:57 According to the operational lines of the DPR JCCC for January 20, information was received about civilian casualties in the cities of the Republic:
n.p. Golmovsky:
- on the street. Zarechnoy wounded a man born in 1979.
Information was received about damage as a result of shelling of the VFU cities of the Republic:
n.p. Karlo-Marxovo:
- st. Kosmonavtov, 2, 4, 5 - apartment buildings;
- st. Pravda, 4 - multi-apartment residential building;
- st. Promyshlennaya, 4, 6 - multi-apartment residential buildings;
- st. Shchorsa, 35 - a private residential building;
- st. Shchorsa, 37 - a power line support was damaged;
- at the intersection of St. Shchors and st. Bunin, the medium-pressure gas pipeline was damaged.
16:26 "Over 32,000 hectares of territory cleared of mines"
Yury Stavitsky, Chief of the Engineering Troops of the RF Armed Forces, told Krasnaya Zvezda about the effectiveness of the actions of military engineers in the special operation zone.
“To date, more than 32,000 hectares of territory have been cleared of mines, more than 2,800 buildings and 280 kilometers of roads have been checked, more than 975,000 explosive objects have been discovered and destroyed,” Stavitsky said.
15:41 Capture of Lobkovy in the Zaporizhia direction worsens the situation for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kamianske-Zaporozhye section. The reasons for the loss of this village and a number of other positions were the withdrawal of part of the brigades from the direction in the interests of holding the front near Artemovsk, Soledar and Maryinka. Only now the front began to crackle.
14:40 Highlights from the new briefing of the RF Ministry of Defense:
-- The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Krasnolimansky direction amounted to more than 40 military;
-- The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed up to 30 Ukrainian soldiers in the Kupyansk direction during the day;
-- The Russian Armed Forces destroyed US-made M109 Paladin self-propelled guns, as well as 122mm D-30 towed howitzers and 152mm Msta-B howitzers in the Kherson direction;
-- More than 2,900 unmanned aerial vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been destroyed by the Russian army since the start of the special military operation;
-- The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed up to 60 military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donetsk direction in a day;
-- During the day, Russian air defense systems shot down a Mi-8 helicopter, intercepted five drones and six HIMARS and 2200mm Uragan MLRS rounds;
-- Russian troops destroyed a US-made radar station and a hangar with Ukrainian military equipment in the Zaporozhye region;
-- The Armed Forces of Ukraine lost up to 90 soldiers, four armored vehicles and three howitzers in a day in the Zaporozhye direction;
-- The RF Armed Forces hit 78 artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in firing positions;
-- The Russian Armed Forces destroyed a warehouse of rounds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for MLRS in the Zvanovka area in the DPR.
14:28 Ukrainian troops fired six rounds with a caliber of 155mm in the Kirovsky district of Donetsk, therepresentation of the DPRat the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC).
14:04 Russian Defense Ministry announced the liberation of two settlements
Over the past day, Russian troops advanced in the Zaporozhye direction, liberating the village of Lobkove in the Zaporozhye region. In addition, a hangar with equipment was destroyed in the Kamensky area. The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in this direction amounted to 90 people over the past day.
In addition, the defense department confirmed the complete liberation of Kleshcheevka:
"Volunteers of the assault detachments, with fire support from the troops of the Southern Military District, liberated Kleshcheevka in the DPR," the report said.
13:30 Destruction of observers and the point of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by a point hit. Video.
11:52 Russian forces liberated Kleshcheevka near Artemovsk.
11:30 Summary of the Luhansk People's Republic Representation in the JCCC for the past 24 hours, January 19
From the armed formations of Ukraine, a strike was recorded on the Belovodsk region using seven UAVs. As a result of the impact, the premises of the mechanical workshop and two tractors of the state Derkul farm No. 63 in the village were damaged. Novoderkul Belovodsky district.
11:28 Has APU in a kindergarten in Kramatorsk after arrival.
They also write that information about the presence in the building of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was leaked by local residents.
10:52 Ukrainian troops fired three NATO-caliber 155mm rounds at the Kirovsky and Kuibyshevsky districts of Donetsk - the DPR representative office in the JCCC.
10:50 AFU shelled the village of Golmovsky, a man was wounded.
10:48 During the day, two civilians were killed on the territory of the DPR
Over the past 24 hours, from 08:00 on January 19 to 08:00 on January 20, two civilians were killed as a result of shelling of the VFU in the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic.
10:24 Official summary of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC from 00:00 01/19/2023 to 00:00 01/20/2023
Over the past day Representation reported about 35 facts of firing by the VFU.
In the Donetsk direction, the enemy made 23 artillery attacks from the MLRS, artillery 155mm and 152mm.
On Gorlovsky Six artillery attacks from 152mm artillery.
On Yasinovatsky Three artillery attacks from 155mm artillery.
on Volnakhsky Three artillery attacks from MLRS, artillery 155mm.
Having fired 219 units of various ammunition.
Under enemy fire were areas of five settlements of the Republic: the capital city of Donetsk (Kyiv, Kuibyshevsky, Kirovsky, Petrovsky districts), Gorlovka (Nikitovsky district), Yasinovataya, Makeevka (Chervonogvardeysky and Kirovsky districts), Volnovakha.
Over the past day, information was received about the death of two civilians in the previously liberated Volnovakha.
Over the past day, information was received about damage to 10 housing constructions inKirovsk,Kiev and Kuibyshevdistricts of Donetsk,Volnovakha, as well as one object civil infrastructure.
AT previous, 41 attacks were recorded from the side of the VFU per day.
09:46 Chronicle of blows and mutual shelling in the NWO zone for the night from January 19 to January 20, 2023
Russian artillery hit targets in Zeleny, Volchansk, Staritsa in the Kharkiv region.
In the Starobelsk direction, the RF Armed Forces attacked the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of Dvurechnaya, Tavolzhanka, Stelmakhivka, Novoselovsky, Olshana, Novoegorovka, Makeevka and Kupyansk.
In the Bakhmut (Artemovsky) direction, Russian forces worked on targets in Bakhmut, Belogorovka, Krasnaya Gora and Belaya Gora.
The enemy fired on Kurdyumovka, Kleshcheevka and Soledar.
In the Donetsk direction, the RF Armed Forces were struck by the concentration of manpower and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Avdeevka, Vesele, Krasnogorovka, Georgievka and Maryinka.
Ukrainian formations fired rocket artillery at Volnovakha: School No. 5 and the gas pipeline were hit, two people were killed.
In the Zaporizhia direction, the RF Armed Forces hit the enemy positions near Malinovka, Gulyaipol, Orekhov, Belogorye and Maly Shcherbakov.
On the southern sector of the front, the RF Armed Forces worked on accumulations of manpower and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Republican, Tyaginka, Ivanovka, Tokarevka and Ingultsa.
In Kherson, an ammunition depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was destroyed in the industrial zone.
09:09 Frontline summary on the morning of 01/20/2023
In Zaporozhye, the Russian army, with the support of artillery, attacked the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Stepnoe in order to reach an important section of the road leading to Orekhovo. To the south-east of this city, she tried to move towards Malaya Tokmachka. There is also a section of the rockade. Thus, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are striving to reach Orekhov from two sides. Artillery hit Gulyai-Pole and Poltavka. (Fig. 1)
On the Donetsk front, Russian troops attacked in the direction of the local Paraskoveevka. In Marinka, they are pushing the APU on the western outskirts of the city, advancing in the Vodiane area. Artillery is working in the Ukrainian fortified area in Avdiivka. (Fig. 2)
South of Bakhmut, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have serious problems. PMC "Wagner" from Kurdyumovka attacks in the direction of Dyleevka. And a little to the north, an assault is already underway at the White Mountain. That is, the "musicians" set their sights on Konstantinovka, through which the supply of the Ukrainian garrison in Bakhmut passes.
Moreover, this city, like Chasov Yar, is the command center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donbass and the place of concentration of forces and reserves. Konstantinovka is also the southern gate of Kramatorsk. After PMC "Wagner" took Kleshcheevka, the way to Bakhmut from the south is open.
There are no more settlements here. On the eastern outskirts of Bakhmut itself, the Wagner operators are also advancing. But this is more likely a diversion of enemy forces. It is obvious that they will try to encircle the city. This is evidenced by the events north of Bakhmut. PMC "Wagner" attacks Krasnaya Gora and Blagodatnoe. And to the east of Seversk, Russian troops are already trying to advance towards Verkhnekamenskoye. (Fig. 3)
In the Lugansk direction, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation again attacked in the Belogorovka area. They also tried to advance from Zhitlovka to Terny. The Armed Forces of Ukraine, in turn, are conducting offensive operations on Kuzemovka. For Russian troops, this is a dangerous direction. There are no settlements behind this village, rather open area. Quite a convenient way to Svatovo from the north-west. (Fig. 4)
08:10 Aviation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine creates the appearance of any actions," the fighter pilot spoke about his work in the air -video
Su-35S fighters cover our bomber and attack aircraft from enemy aircraft. “They don’t come close to us, because they know that they have no chance of surviving,” the pilot sums up. /Ministry of Defense, TK Zvezda/
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[REGNUM] For Moscow, repressions against Russian Orthodoxy in Ukraine are not only a purely religious problem, but also affect the prospects for a peaceful settlement in the country. In addition, protecting the rights of Ukrainian believers can become a model for protecting the rights of believers around the world.
“There are a lot of people in Ukraine who understand what is happening and give the right assessment, ” Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday, January 18, at a meeting with veterans of the Great Patriotic War, residents of besieged Leningrad and representatives of public patriotic associations.
"Especially after what the modern rulers of Ukraine began to do with the civilian population, with the creation of the so-called detachments — they recreated, in fact, the detachments that were used during the Second World War — and with the Russian Orthodox Church. All this will not be in vain for them, I have no doubts."
An unusually blunt statement for a normally reserved Russian president. First of all, with regard to the ecclesiastical issue, which has again become aggravated, as in the times of the Ruins, in Ukraine. Russian Orthodoxy and Russian statehood have gone hand in hand for centuries.
In the east, Russian monks moved forward, and the state followed them. To the west, where the Orthodox found themselves in the hostile environment of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the indifference of the Ottoman Patriarchs of Constantinople, who de jure ruled the Kyiv Metropolitanate, things came later, in the 17th century, when religious questions forced people who did not want to enter into conflict with Warsaw over political and political issues to react. military considerations of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
Born in the Tauride fonts of Chersonesos and Kyiv, Russian Orthodoxy was reunited in 1686, the canonical justification for which was the tomos on the transfer of the Kyiv Metropolis under the omophorion of the Moscow Patriarch from the Orthodox Church of Constantinople.
However, in 2018–2019, the Administration of the President of Ukraine intervened in these sacred issues. Petro Poroshenko, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and the administration of US President Donald Trump . The Phanar pretended that the Tomos of 1686 was of no importance, and together with the Poroshenko regime acted as the creator of a “remake” under the name of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, whose creation was blessed in Washington.
It would be easiest to reduce this intrigue to interchurch issues, canonical territories and the right to grant autocephaly. But for Moscow, this problem is existential in nature, as Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's permanent representative to this organization, spoke about during the January 17 meeting of the UN Security Council on the persecution of Orthodoxy organized by the Ukrainian authorities.
"At the same time, I would like to emphasize that Russia continues to proceed from the fact that the issues of protecting human rights are not within the competence of the Security Council and should be discussed in the relevant UN body," - said the Russian diplomat in his opening speech.
"On the agenda of the Council today is not human rights as a separate topic, but the next provocative steps of the Kyiv regime, which put off the prospect of a peaceful settlement in the country. Surely many of you wondered why we convened this meeting, which focused on the internal situation in Ukraine. We emphasize that this is not about interference in the affairs of the Church and not about purely church affairs. The fact is that we are convinced that the processes taking place in Ukraine are directly related to international peace and security and directly affect the prospects for establishing peace in this country ."
Thus, the "Orthodox factor" acquires a geopolitical significance that determines the future of Ukraine. And not only her.
For the first time at a meeting of the UN Security Council, the floor was given to the Russian Orthodox hierarch, who was the chairman of the department for external church relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Anthony.
And he began his speech with the following words: " At present, we are extremely concerned about flagrant violations of the universal and constitutional rights of Orthodox believers in Ukraine."
Moscow puts the main emphasis on the persecution of religious freedoms, which, with the connivance of the West, allows itself the Kyiv regime and its repressive apparatus. It is no longer a matter of some kind of inter-church proceedings, the authoritarian Ukrainian state puts pressure on believers, forcing them to switch to a “politically correct” confession. This is seen outside Ukraine as well.
"State terror is experiencing its peak literally in the last days," notes the Serbian Bishop of Bach Irinej .
An illustration is not only the blasphemous invasion of the police and “security officers” into the greatest shrine of Ukraine and the entire Russian Orthodox world, the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, but also the outlawing of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the threat that, with God’s permission, “pro-European ” and the “democratically” oriented Ukrainian state will simply ban it, if not abolish it. It goes without saying that the virtuous representatives of democracy and human – including religious – rights and freedoms on both sides of the Atlantic are wisely silent .”
In their opinion, in Kyiv they defend their “values” and “ideals” chivalrously (!) In addition to the United States, Poland is also interested in suppressing Russian Orthodoxy in Ukraine, hoping, as in the times of the Commonwealth, to “intercept” believers and use them for their own purposes. Unfortunately, some European national Catholic Churches also contribute to these processes, turning a blind eye to the state nature of the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
For Moscow, the repressions against Orthodoxy in Ukraine are beginning to go beyond that country alone. As Metropolitan Anthony noted in his speech, “The Russian Orthodox Church, both independently and in cooperation with other Orthodox Churches, the Catholic Church, Protestant denominations, representatives of the world’s traditional religions, takes all possible part in protecting the rights of believers all over the world, especially Christians .” This is an alternative to the Western approach, primarily the American one, which uses the topic of protecting religious freedoms in political interests.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] "Russia is a big country, she's used to fighting to the end, she's used to almost losing and then rebuilding everything. She did it to Napoleon, she did it to Hitler. It would be absurd to think that Russia lost the war or that its military is incompetent. Therefore, it is necessary to continue arming Ukraine "(c) Borrell
Well, they were also offended by Lavrov, who told them the same in plain text.
They themselves put themselves in the successors of the work of Napoleon and Hitler. Therefore, of course, we must make every effort not to disgrace our ancestors and do with Ukraine and NATO what they already did with Napoleon and Hitler.
[AlAhram] European countries are on high alert for Russian spies in their military, intelligence services and other state agencies following a growing number of espionage scandals that have caused blushes from Bulgaria to Berlin.
On Thursday, a Swedish court sentenced a former intelligence agent to life in prison and his brother to 10 years behind bars for passing sensitive information to Russia's military intelligence service, GRU.
Here are some other cases of Europeans caught up in Russian spying scandals in recent years:
GERMAN SUSPECTED DOUBLE AGENT
German police in December 2022 arrest a suspected double agent within the BND foreign intelligence agency for allegedly sharing state secrets with Russia.
The arrest of the man, identified only as Carsten L., comes a month after a German man was given a suspended prison sentence for passing information to Russian intelligence services while working as a reserve officer for the German army between 2014 and 2020.
ITALIAN CAPTAIN
In March 2021, an Italian navy captain and father of four is arrested after being caught handing over a memory card containing 181 pictures of confidential documents to a Russian military officer.
Walter Biot, who worked in the office of the Chief of the Defence Staff and had access to classified documents, was allegedly paid 5,000 euros.
His wife tells the Corriere della Sera newspaper he was "desperate" for money to support his family.
BULGARIAN DEFENCE OFFICIALS
In March 2021, Bulgarian authorities break up a suspected Russian spy ring comprising several defence ministry officials.
The ring is allegedly led by a former intelligence officer whose Russian-Bulgarian wife played the role of intermediary with the Russian embassy.
Two Russian diplomats are expelled over the affair.
AUSTRIAN COLONEL
In 2018, a retired Austrian army colonel is arrested on charges of spying for Russia for decades, starting in the 1990s.
Under questioning he reveals the Russians wanted information about weapons systems and the migrant crisis in Europe. In 2020, he is sentenced to three years in prison.
POLISH ENERGY OFFICIAL
In March 2018, a Polish energy ministry official is arrested for passing information to Russia about Poland's stance on the Nordstream 2 gas pipeline project.
Poland staunchly opposed the pipeline built to transport Russian gas through the Baltic Sea to Western Europe, bypassing transit countries Poland and Ukraine.
The official is sentenced to three years in prison.
HUNGARIAN POLITICIAN
In 2017, a Hungarian member of the European Parliament from the nationalist Jobbik party, Bela Kovacs, is charged with spying on the EU for Russia.
Kovacs, whose father was Russian, was a frequent visitor to Moscow, where is now believed to be living.
He is sentenced in absentia to five years in jail in September 2022.
FORMER MOLDOVAN POLITICIAN
A former MP in the former Soviet republic of Moldova, Iurie Bolboceanu, is arrested in March 2017 on charges of regularly selling information to Russia.
Moldova has been pushing to rid itself of Moscow's influence.
Bolboceanu is sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for treason.
LATVIAN RAILWAY WORKER
In late 2016, Latvian railway worker Aleksandrs Krasnopjorovs is arrested for recording videos of NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... troops and cargo being moved by rail and then sending them to contacts in Russia.
An ethnic Russian and former Soviet Red Army soldier who served in Afghanistan during the 1980s, he is sentenced to 18 months behind bars.
[Yahoo] A judge on Thursday handed a life sentence to a former Swedish intelligence official convicted of spying for Russia for a decade and tossed in the slammer Book 'im, Mahmoud! his brother for 10 years.
A Stockholm court found 42-year-old Peyman Kia, who served in Sweden's intelligence service Sapo and military intelligence units, and his brother Payam, 35, guilty of "aggravated espionage".
It is considered one of Sweden's most serious espionage affairs in history given Peyman Kia's access to highly classified information, which he is convicted of gathering for Russian military intelligence from 2011 to 2021.
The brothers, Swedish citizens of Iranian origin, "illegally and for the benefit of Russia and the GRU, acquired, transmitted and disclosed information whose disclosure to a foreign power could harm Sweden's security", the court ruled.
It found Peyman Kia guilty of gathering some 90 classified documents, some of which he did not have security clearance to access.
His brother was found guilty of planning the crime and managing contacts with the GRU, passing on about 45 of the classified documents.
They were arrested in 2021, several years after Sapo first suspected a mole and counterintelligence began investigating Peyman Kia.
The pair have been held in jug since their arrest. Both denied the charges and few details about the secrets they exposed have come to light due to their sensitive nature.
- POSSIBLE MONEY MOTIVE -
Peyman Kia was handed a life sentence for espionage "of the most serious category", Judge Mans Wigen said.
The defendant abused the trust placed in him as an intelligence official in order to aid Russia, which poses "the biggest threat to Sweden," the judge added.
Peyman Kia's lawyer Anton Strand told Swedish media his client would appeal the verdict, while the younger brother's lawyer, Bjorn Sandin, said he would recommend his client do the same.
Despite a trove of evidence, including USB sticks, laptops, hard discs and mobile phones, the court acknowledged that there was much it had been unable to ascertain.
"It is clear that some pieces of the puzzle are missing and it has therefore not been possible to establish with certainty what has happened", the court wrote, speculating that the brothers may have been motivated by money.
The court found that Peyman Kia handled cash worth around 550,000 kronor (around $50,000) in 2016-2017, most of it in US dollars, which it said was likely payment from Russia for the classified documents.
The court said Kia's various explanations for the cash and the classified documents found on his computer were "not credible".
Much of the investigation and trial, and Thursday's court ruling, were classified and therefore barred to the public.
The case has led to changes in military routines in order to improve security, an armed forces spokeswoman told news agency TT.
Sapo chief Charlotte von Essen said her organization had taken "measures to cope with the harm done" by "an employee who grossly abused the trust placed in him".
The trial coincides with another spectacular spying case involving a couple of Russian origin arrested last year at their home in a Stockholm suburb in an airborne police raid at dawn. Moscow allegedly installed the couple, named by the Bellingcat investigative website as Sergei Skvortsov and Elena Koulkova, as sleeper agents in the late 1990s. According to Swedish media, the pair managed specialist import-export companies dealing in electronic components and industrial technology.
Skvortsov was placed in temporary custody in November for "illegal intelligence activities". His companion was detained on suspicion of complicity before being released, although she remains a person of interest in the investigation.
Swedish authorities say the case is not linked to that of the Kia brothers.
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.
