Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:31 The Biden administration is ready to consider four separate bills to finance national security needs, including assistance to Ukraine, proposed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, White House National Security Council Speaker John Kirby said.
21:14 Latvia will send the first batch of drones to Ukraine as part of the drone coalition, Defense Minister Andris Spruds said. According to him, this is the country's first significant contribution to this coalition. Latvia will allocate at least 10 million euros per year for the development of the drone coalition. The countries included in the coalition intend to supply Ukraine with 1 million drones.
21:09 The West cannot create a system in Ukraine similar to the Israeli Iron Dome, Borrell said. He also explained that the United States cannot shoot down missiles over Ukraine, as in Israel, since there are no American military bases there that would be threatened by these missiles. At the same time, the head of European diplomacy said that he expects to receive “specific commitments” on the supply of air defense systems to Ukraine at the meeting of the heads of the EU Foreign and Defense Ministries on April 22.
21:05 Thanks to the creation of two levels of protection, it was possible to reduce the consequences of attacks on Ukrenergo substations by at least half, said the head of the company’s board, Vladimir Kudritsky. According to him, the third level is the most ambitious and requires the greatest investment and time for its construction, so construction work is still ongoing. “But only air defense can save power plants from a direct missile hit,” he added.
21:58 In Moscow, there is a fire at the Avangard military plant, which produces missiles for the S-300 and S-400 complexes, Russian media report. Fire on an area of 50 square meters. m occurred in workshop No. 12.
20:22 Ukraine has not received regular American aid since December last year. In March, the Pentagon sent a relatively small package worth $300 million to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, but both American and Ukrainian officials say this is not enough. Given the inability of the US Congress to timely allocate assistance, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are experiencing an acute shortage of ammunition. Read more in the material Situation with the help of the United States.
20:17 The EU Council on Monday, April 22, will discuss arms supplies to Ukraine, said official representative Peter Stano.
20:13 Zelensky in an evening video message confirmed the information about the destruction of the Russian radar station. He thanked the soldiers of the Special Operations Center “A” of the Security Service of Ukraine, who “are effectively destroying Russian air defense systems,” as well as employees of the 13th Military Counterintelligence Directorate of the SBU, “who are doing everything to destroy the Russian ability to terrorize Ukraine, destroying Russian radar stations that, in particular, worked for Russian aviation and bombing with guided bombs."
The president also said that Kyiv will request a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council on the issue of protecting the skies, air defense supplies, relevant systems and missiles. In addition, Zelensky commented on the statements of Western partners about the impossibility of providing the same assistance to Ukraine as to Israel: “In these two days, we have heard everything. About different conflicts - here in Europe and in the Middle East, different levels of threats, different airspace, although the same “martyrdom” and ballistics. About different threats of escalation. But are human lives different, we value each life equally?
19:59 The New York Times writes that Scholz, during his visit to Beijing, raised the topic of the war in Ukraine in a “non-confrontational tone,” at least publicly. The Chancellor, according to journalists, did not express direct concern about China’s support for Moscow’s economy. However, after three hours of negotiations with Xi, Scholz himself said that he called on the Chinese leader to put pressure on Moscow to stop the “senseless” war in Ukraine. Read more about the visit of the German Chancellor to China in the article Will there be friendship against Russia ?
19:25 The Supreme Council of National Defense of Romania stated that the country had become a target for a number of Russian spies who, in particular, tried to collect information about military exercises and assistance to Ukraine. The department's report says that the possible spies entered the country as Ukrainian refugees.
18:42 During the full-scale war, at least 37 thousand Ukrainians went missing, said Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets. He clarified that this includes both civilians, children and adults, as well as missing military personnel.
18:36 The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution to support the restoration of Ukraine. In the document, MEPs call on all countries where Russia has accounts to take the necessary measures to ensure the transfer of these assets to restore Ukraine's infrastructure. PACE also called for the creation of an international compensation mechanism under its auspices.
18:04 The media have collected in infographics the main changes contained in the law on mobilization:
17:18 The Russians hit the town of Zolochev with a controlled aerial bomb, Bogodukhovsky district, Kharkov region - they hit the Ukrposhta building, two people were injured, said the head of the OBA Oleg Sinegubov.
17:13 Brigadier General Gennady Shapovalov has been appointed commander of OK South, the command reported. In this position, he replaced Major General Andrei Kovalchuk, who now heads the Military Academy in Odessa. Shapovalov was the commander of a separate motorized infantry brigade named after Yakov Handzyuk, and graduated, in particular, from the US Army War College, where senior officers of the American Ground Forces are trained.
17:06 The new law on mobilization, which Zelensky signed today, contains a provision on the confiscation of vehicles for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from citizens who have more than one car. About what kind of cars they want to mobilize and who will be responsible for it, see the material Mobilization of cars from Ukrainians.
16:39 Scholz said that he asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to influence Russia so that Putin would withdraw troops from Ukraine: “China’s word has weight in Russia. Therefore, I asked President Xi to influence Russia so that Putin would finally stop his crazy campaign and withdraw his troops and ended this terrible war."
The Chancellor also noted that he and Xi had reached a consensus regarding the upcoming peace summit in Switzerland: “China and Germany want to intensively and positively coordinate efforts to facilitate the holding of the high-level conference in Switzerland and the upcoming international peace conferences.”
16:02 Zelensky signed the law on mobilization. After this, the document will be published in the official parliamentary publication Voice of Ukraine, the law will come into force one month from the day following its promulgation.
15:41 For the first time in history, a Ukrainian filed a lawsuit in Argentina due to torture in Russian-occupied territory. The procedure was organized by the war crimes documentation project The Reckoning Project. The Argentine Constitution, on the basis of universal jurisdiction, allows courts to try international crimes, including crimes against humanity and war crimes, regardless of where they occurred.
15:36 In a month, Ukraine lost 7 GW of generation, Energy Minister German Galushchenko said: “We roughly calculated that we lost up to 7 GW in our system. This is a gigantic amount of generation. Russia also destroyed a number of high-voltage transformers at substations transmitting electricity.”
15:17 In the occupied territory of the Zaporozhye region, a “deputy of the Akimov district council” was blown up, the occupation “authorities” of the region reported.
14:25 On the night of April 16, several military and industrial facilities were de-energized in Bryansk, Russia. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, as a result of the destruction of a transformer at an electrical substation with a capacity of 110 kW, in particular, military unit No. 33149, the 111th military plant and the 192nd central military plant were left without power supply.
14:11 The Russian army dropped a guided aerial bomb on Berislav, Kherson region, 15 people received shell shock, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. The blow hit residential buildings - the provider's building, a pharmacy, a residential building and other civil infrastructure were damaged.
13:52 Borrell said that it is cheaper to buy Patriot for Ukraine than to restore the thermal power plant destroyed by Russia: “Before we talk about restoring Ukraine, we must avoid its destruction. It is cheaper to buy Patriot systems than to restore the power plant that the Russians are targeting.”
13:16 Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev said that the investigation confirmed and procedurally consolidates the connection between the direct perpetrators of the terrorist attack in Crocus and “Ukrainian nationalists.”
12:35 Borrell said that he is “knocking on the doors” of EU member states so that they buy anti-aircraft batteries for Ukraine: “I am knocking on the doors of member states to tell them that if they do not have anti-aircraft batteries, then they should buy. Progress is slow, but contributions from member states vary widely." The head of EU diplomacy also said that he had convened the Foreign Affairs and Defense Council on April 22 to see how Ukraine's needs for ammunition and air defense systems could be met.
12:24 Peskov said that Moscow welcomes Beijing’s “balanced position” on the war in Ukraine and is familiar with the PRC’s proposals. At the same time, according to him, the Russian Federation “is not currently recording any changes in Kyiv’s position regarding the complete refusal of negotiations with Russia.” As for the Olympic truce proposed by Macron, then, according to Peskov, “Kyiv uses similar ideas for rearmament and regrouping.”
11:47 Zelensky said in an interview with PBS that Ukraine has no chance of winning the war without American help: “I can tell you frankly: without this support we will have no chance of winning. You need to be much stronger than your enemy. Today the ratio of artillery shells Ours is 1:10. Will we be able to hold on? No. In any case, with such statistics we will be pushed back every day. To protect 100% of what is under our control, we will need to go to a ratio of 10:10."
The president also said that Russia has a large number of shells from Iran, in addition, Tehran transfers 300-350 attack drones to Moscow every month. In addition, Russia is bombarding Ukraine with planes from a distance of 300 km, and now there are no weapons to shoot them down. The ratio of aircraft between Ukraine and the Russian Federation is 1:30. Zelensky stressed that now Russia wants to destroy Ukraine, and it does not need any peace negotiations.
11:23 SBU drones hit a Russian long-range radar station in the Bryansk region, which controlled the sky 700 km deep into Ukraine, Ukrainian media write, citing sources. This is the second modernized Nebo-U complex, which was destroyed by the 13th Main Directorate of Military Counterintelligence of the SBU. The complex, worth $100 million, helped the enemy identify Ukrainian weapons and supported bombers attacking the Ukrainian border with KABs.
10:51 Trypilska Thermal Power Plant in the Kiev region was attacked by 11 missiles, seven of which were shot down, Zelensky said in an interview with PBS. The remaining four hit the target because the air defense ran out of missiles. “Why? Because there were zero missiles. We ran out of all the missiles that defended Tripoli,” Zelensky explained.
10:44 Xi Jinping, at a meeting with Scholz in Beijing, stated the need to hold a peace conference, which both Russia and Ukraine recognize, “with a fair discussion of all proposals.” According to him, in order to prevent the “Ukrainian crisis” from getting out of control, all parties must work to quickly restore peace.
10:26 The GUR stated that a new trend in TikTok called Everyday Life of a Dodger, which is rapidly gaining popularity, is a Russian IPSO. One after another, videos appear on social networks in which supposedly Ukrainian men film themselves abroad on vacation and call themselves “draft dodgers.” For this content, “folk” songs praising “draft dodgers” were simultaneously created.
Intelligence notes that the synchronicity of the appearance of numerous songs and videos of such content, the anonymity of their authors and the promotion of this content by organized groups of bots indicates a targeted propaganda campaign of the Russian Federation. Such IPSO is a classic technology for splitting society, when on one side there are “defencists” and there are “deviators.” The goal of the Russian Federation is to disrupt mobilization and increase tension in society due to internal confrontation, the Main Intelligence Directorate explains.
09:39 In the Kherson region over the past 24 hours, as a result of Russian shelling, two people were injured, including a child. Nine private houses, critical infrastructure facilities, and a post office were damaged, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin.
09:17 The Russians fired artillery at night and attacked the Nikopol district of the Dnepropetrovsk region with FPV drones. The power line was damaged, leaving a thousand subscribers without power, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Lysak.
08:55 Scholz said that during his visit to China he will discuss with Xi Jinping how to establish a “just peace” in Ukraine: “My meeting with President Xi will also be devoted to how we can make a greater contribution to a just peace in Ukraine. Good “After my last visit to China, there was an intensive exchange of views between our governments.”
08:23 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of April 16:
personnel - about 455,340 (+920) people,
tanks - 7189 (+9),
armored combat vehicles - 13,809 (+13),
artillery systems - 11,609 (+16),
MLRS - 1046 (+0),
air defense systems - 759 (+1),
aircraft - 347 (+0),
helicopters - 325 (+0),
UAV of operational-tactical level - 9277 (+11),
cruise missiles - 2092 (+0),
ships/boats - 26 (+0),
submarines - 1 (+0),
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 15,563 (+53),
special equipment - 1908 (+0).
07:59 Over the past 24 hours, 104 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report. In particular, in the Bakhmut direction, the Defense Forces repelled 33 attacks in the areas of Belogorovka settlements in the Lugansk region, as well as Verkhnekamennoye, Spornoye, Novy, Ivanovskoye, Kleshcheevka, Andreevka in the Donetsk region. In addition, the enemy tried 30 times to break through the defenses of Ukrainian troops in the Novopavlovsk direction - in the areas of Krasnogorovka, Novomikhailovka, Pobeda, Vodyanoye and Urozhaynoye of the Donetsk region.
The enemy did not conduct offensive actions in the Kupyansk direction. In the Liman direction, eight enemy attacks were repelled in the Ternov and Torskoye areas of the Donetsk region; in Avdeevsky - 15 attacks in the areas of the settlements of Novobakhmutovka, Berdychi, Semenovka, Umanskoye and Pervomaiskoye, Donetsk region; on Orekhovsky - seven attacks in the area of Staromayorskoye, Donetsk region, as well as north of Priyutnoye and southwest of Belogorye, Zaporozhye region; on Kherson - five attacks on the left bank of the Dnieper.
06:54 Air defense at night destroyed all nine attack UAVs of the Shahed-131/136 type, which Russia attacked from the Crimean Cape Chauda, the Air Force reported. The drones were destroyed within the Kherson, Nikolaev, Khmelnytsky, Poltava, Cherkassy and Dnepropetrovsk regions.
02:18 House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled his plan to support allies at a closed Republican conference, presenting four separate bills to help Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other national security priorities, The Hill writes.
At the same time, Democrats remain against such a division. President Joe Biden, hosting Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala at the White House, called on the House of Representatives to immediately pass the funding package previously passed by the Senate. “They must do this now,” the president emphasized. The White House also said that “a separate bill would not actually help either Israel or Ukraine—it would actually delay needed aid.”
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Ukrainian Armed Forces are confronting the Russian Army.
In the Bakhmut direction, 12 Russian attacks were repulsed; in the Liman direction, the Defense Forces repulsed 6 Russian attacks.
During the day, Defense Forces aviation carried out strikes on 5 areas where enemy personnel were concentrated and control points. Units of the missile forces inflicted a defeat on the area where enemy personnel were concentrated. 50 military clashes were recorded at the front. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on the evening of April 16.
In general, the enemy launched 2 missile and 43 air strikes, and carried out 39 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems on the positions of our troops and populated areas.
According to the General Staff, the operational situation in the Volyn and Polesie directions is without significant changes. No signs of the formation of offensive enemy groups were identified.
In the Seversky and Slobozhansky directions, the enemy maintains a military presence in the border areas, conducts sabotage and reconnaissance activities, shells populated areas from the territory of the Russian Federation, and increases the density of mine and explosive barriers along the state border of Ukraine. The enemy carried out air strikes in the areas of Popovka and Vozdvizhenskaya settlements in the Sumy region. More than 15 settlements were subjected to enemy artillery and mortar shelling, among them Liskovshchyna, Chernihiv region; Staraya Guta, Khleborob, Romashkovo, Svobodnaya Sloboda, Sumy region.
In the Kupyansk direction the enemy did not conduct offensive (assault) operations. Conducted air strikes in the areas of the settlements of Glushkovka, Kolesnikovka, Berestovo, Kharkov region. About 20 settlements came under artillery and mortar fire, including Sinkovka, Petropavlovka, Kislovka, Peschanoye in the Kharkov region.
In the Liman direction, the Defense Forces repelled 6 Russian attacks in the areas of the settlements of Terny, Torskoye, Grigorovka in the Donetsk region and Serebryansky forestry in the Lugansk region. The enemy carried out air strikes in the areas of the settlements of Terny and Zarechnoye, Donetsk region. More than 10 settlements were damaged by artillery and mortar shelling, including Makeevka, Luhansk region and Terni Yampolevka, Torskoye, Donetsk region.
In the Bakhmut direction, our soldiers repelled 12 Russian attacks in the areas of the settlements of Verkhnekamenskoye, Vyemka, Belogorovka, Chasov Yar, Ivanovskoye, Kleshchievka in the Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried to improve the tactical situation. Conducted an air strike in the Spornoye area of the Donetsk region. More than 10 settlements came under artillery and mortar fire, including Grigorovka, Kalinovka, Chasov Yar in the Donetsk region.
In the Avdeevsky direction, our defenders repelled 9 attacks by the invaders in the areas of the settlements of Ocheretino, Novokalinovo, Berdich, Semenovka, Netaylovo, Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried to oust our units from their occupied lines. He also carried out air strikes in the areas of the settlements of Pervomaiskoye, Solovyevo, Novobakhmutovka, Alexandropol, Donetsk region. About 10 settlements were shelled by artillery and mortars, including Novobakhmutovka, Semenovka, Netaylovo in the Donetsk region.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, the Defense Forces continue to restrain the Russians in the areas of the settlements of Krasnogorovka and Novomikhailovka in the Donetsk region, where the enemy tried to break through the defenses of our troops 14 times. He also carried out air strikes in the Antonovka and Konstantinovka areas of the Donetsk region. More than 10 settlements came under artillery and mortar fire from the invaders, among them Paraskoveevka, Konstantinovka, Ugledar in the Donetsk region.
In the Orekhovsky direction, the enemy attacked the positions of our defenders 3 times in the areas of Staromayorskoye, Donetsk region and Rabotinoye, Zaporozhye region. Conducted an air strike in the area of the village of Staromayorskoye, Donetsk region. About 20 settlements were shelled by artillery and mortars, including Poltavka, Malinovka, Krasnoye, Belogorye, Shcherbaki in the Zaporozhye region.
In the Kherson direction, the Russian Federation does not abandon its intention to oust our units from the bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnieper. Thus, within 24 hours he made five unsuccessful attacks on the positions of our troops in the area of the village of Krynki, Kherson region. Conducted air strikes in the areas of the settlements of Berislav, Odradokamenka and Kazatskoye, Kherson region. About 20 settlements were subjected to artillery and mortar shelling, among them Lvovoe, Tyaginka, Ivanovka, Novotyaginka in the Kherson region.
It was previously reported that 104 military clashes took place over the past 24 hours. In general, the enemy launched 16 missile and 31 air strikes, and carried out 79 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems on the positions of our troops and populated areas.
Let us remind you that the loss of manpower of the Russian troops exceeded 455,000 people.
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[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Kupyansk direction, the Zapad Group of Forces' units improved the situation along the front line and repelled two counter-attacks launched by the AFU 21st Mechanised Brigade's assault groups close to Terny (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 30 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, one U.S.-made 155mm Paladin self-propelled artillery system, one U.S.-made 155mm M198 howitzer, and one 152mm Msta-B howitzer. In addition, one AFU field ammunition depot was destroyed.
In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of the 46th Airmobile, 92nd Air Assault, 28th, 93rd Mechanised brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Andreyevka, Krasnogorovka, Kurdyumovka, and Kleshcheyevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
Up to 630 Ukrainian troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, and four motor vehicles were neutralised.
In counterbattery warfare, the U.S.-made 155mm Paladin and Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery systems, one 152mm 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, one U.S.-made 105mm M119 gun, as well as one Nota electronic warfare station were annihilated.
In Avdeyevka direction, the units of the Tsentr Group of Forces have improved the tactical situation and repelled eight counter-attacks of the assault groups of the 25th Airborne, 68th, 71st Jaeger, 23rd, 24th, 115th Mechanised brigades of the AFU close to Novokalinovo, Semyonovka, Petrovskoye, Netaylovo, and Berdychi (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to more than 380 Ukrainian troops, one infantry fighting vehicle, two motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155mm Paladin self-propelled artillery system, one 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, and three 122mm D-30 howitzers.
In South Donetsk direction, the Vostok Group of Forces improved the situation along the front line and hit manpower and hardware of the 58th Motorised Infantry Brigade of the AFU, 108th and 128th Territorial Defence brigades close to Lugovskoye (Zaporozhye region), Ugledar, Urozhaynoye, and Staromayorskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 80 Ukrainian troops, two motor vehicles, one 122mm BM-21 Grad MLRS, one Polish-made 155mm Krab self-propelled artillery system, one 152mm D-20 howitzer, and one Bukovel-AD electronic warfare station.
In Kherson direction, the units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on the 117th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU and 35th Naval Infantry Brigade near Orekhov (Zaporozhye region) and Ivanovka (Kherson region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 40 Ukrainian troops, five motor vehicles, and one U.S.-made M777 howitzer.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have engaged AFU ammunition and fuel depots, UAV production and storage facilities, as well as clusters of enemy manpower and military hardware in 133 areas during the day.
Air defence systems have shot down 155 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, six UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, two U.S.-made HARM anti-radiation missiles, four U.S.-made MALD decoy missiles, as well as two HIMARS and Uragan MLRS projectiles during the day.
In total, 583 airplanes and 270 helicopters, 21,292 unmanned aerial vehicles, 502 air defence missile systems, 15,793 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,267 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 8,928 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 21,063 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Newsfront] 21:35 Good coverage of enemy positions near Pervomaiskoye, which is developing simultaneously with the assault on Netailovo -map.
It is likely that the area between Pervomaisky and Nevelsk will soon come under the control of our troops.
20:15 Avdeevskoe direction. District settlement Ocheretino
Reported about a new successful attack by our assault units on Ukrainian Armed Forces strongholds.
Our strike units cut and wedge into enemy defensive lines using combined strike tactics.
19:18 Footage of the Hours of Yar, for which there are fierce battles -video.
An enemy drone filmed areas of the city being stormed by Russian troops.
18:41 Statements by representatives of the “West”, “South”, “Center”, “East” and “Dnepr” groups on the progress of the special military operation (as of April 16, 2024) –video.
17:54 Telegram channel “Fisherman":
Donetsk direction: Battles for Krasnogorovka, advance near Pervomaisky
Russian troops advance into Krasnogorovka on the southern and eastern outskirts of the city. According to the latest information, about half of the private sector south of the railway again came under the control of the Russian Armed Forces, and the assault groups managed to reach the station some time ago.
This is partly confirmed by footage of enemy strikes on various buildings in the south of the village. The Russian Armed Forces are striking with FABs with UMPC on the territory of the Krasnogorovsky refractory plant and the ruins of the industrial zone to the south.
To the north of the railway there is also progress in the private sector and around Vatutina Street. However, no attempts to advance from Staromikhailovka have yet been observed, since in this area there are fields well targeted by the enemy, as well as fortifications dating back to the days of the Minsk Agreements.
To the north, in the Nevelskoye-Pervomaiskoye section, the RF Armed Forces some time ago began eliminating the “pocket” in the area of ??the Domakha gully. Russian units occupied the territory of the gardens at least to the outskirts of the ravine.
At the same time, the rest of the “pocket,” apparently, has been at least partially abandoned by the enemy, but is not occupied by the Russian Armed Forces due to the complex mine situation and counteraction from enemy drones.
16:24 Special military operation. Situation on April 16 –map.
14:05 Statement by the head of the press center of the Vostok group -video.
Units of the Vostok group of troops continue to carry out combat missions in the South Donetsk direction.
During active operations, the group's units improved the situation along the front line and thwarted the enemy's reinforcement of forward positions in the areas of Urozhaynoye, Priyutnoye and Charivnoye.
Bomber strikes, artillery fire, and heavy flamethrower systems hit strongholds and areas where manpower and equipment accumulated in the 72nd Mechanized Brigade and the 128th Territorial Defense Drigade in the Vodyanoye, Urozhaynoye and Staromayorskoye areas.
Over the course of 24 hours, up to 90 enemy military personnel, three towed howitzers M777, FN-70 and 122mm D-30, three units of automotive equipment, and nine aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed.
13:18 Statement by the head of the press center of the “West” group -video.
Units of the West group of forces continue to carry out combat missions in the Kupyansk direction.
Motorized rifle units, with the support of artillery and aviation, improved the situation along the front line, inflicted fire damage on the personnel and equipment of the 14th Mechanized Brigade and the 103rd Territorial Defense Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Zagoruykovka and Kotlyarovka.
During the counterbattery fight, artillery units and operators of Lancet loitering ammunition destroyed two towed howitzers M777 and M198 and an American-made M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery mount, as well as five mortar crews.
The group's air defense and electronic warfare systems destroyed seven aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles, including three Leleki-100s, two Valkyries, a Fury and a Spectator.
Enemy losses in the Kupyansk direction amounted to up to 30 military personnel, two electronic warfare stations "Enklav-N" and "Plastun", two vehicles.
12:33 Telegram channel “Fisherman":
Avdeevsky direction: Fighting in Semenovka and advance to Novokalinovo
The Russian Armed Forces continue to advance to Novokalinovo, north of Avdievka. According to our data, Russian forces managed to advance north almost to the intersection of Stepova and Pershotravneva streets (route O0544).
The situation in the Berdychi-Semyonovka section, where the Russian Armed Forces are also advancing, has become somewhat clearer. Most of Semenovka came under the control of Russian forces, but the enemy presence remains on the northern outskirts.
In addition, the western part of Berdychi is under enemy control. Apparently, the assault groups of the Russian Armed Forces that reached the outskirts were forced to roll back behind the reservoir due to difficulties with supplies and counterattacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Kazberova Street and the ruins of the agricultural airport.
The problem was the destruction of the dams through which communications went to Berdychi. In fact, from the eastern to the western outskirts and vice versa, you can only go on foot or extremely slowly by vehicle, which is obviously very difficult in a combat situation.
Apparently, this is precisely what is connected with the intensification of attacks in fields and plantings north of the populated area, where there is a very difficult mine situation.
11:30 Situation at the front as of April 16, 2024
Formations of the Vostok group of troopscontinueattack in different areas. Assault groups of the 139th motorized rifle battalion captured several enemy positions and continue assault operations. In addition, the 114th Motorized Rifle Regiment destroyed the observation post of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and advanced forward.
The enemy's attempt to strengthen positions in the area of ??the settlement was thwarted. Productive.
Bomber aircraft and artillery strike enemy positions. Thus, Far Eastern soldiers destroyed the M-113 armored personnel carrier, 122mm BM-21 Grad, 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika, 152mm D-20 howitzer, Starlink system, and ammunition depots
. 10:46 Summary on the morning of April 16, 2024
At night, strikes were carried out on enemy targets in Starokonstantinov, Khmelnytsky region, Uman, Cherkasy region, Kherson, Novy Bug, Nikolaev region, Mirgorod, Poltava region. At this point in time, the depletion of enemy air defenses makes it possible to solve problems with fewer weapons.
In the Kherson direction there were battles in the Krynok area; yesterday it was reported that small groups of the enemy were intensifying with the support of Ukrainian Armed Forces artillery. Drones continue to be a problem. The enemy is using a new tactic for using FPV in an electronic warfare environment: he is trying to use the drone as a projectile on the final trajectory of the attack, sending it to the target along a given trajectory without a control signal. The civilian population is under attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces: in Radensk, one person was injured, and nine residential buildings were damaged in Yubileiny.
On the Zaporozhye Front there were heavy battles in Rabotino. On a piece of land, everything is used - from assault groups and drones to tanks and rocket artillery. Fighting in the center of the village.
The Vrem'evsky salient is characterized by active actions of the Russian Armed Forces in the area of Staromayorsky and Urozhayny.
In the South Donetsk direction in Novomikhailovka there are battles for every house. Our troops are also trying to cover the settlement from the south and north. It is reported that the active phase of fighting has resumed in Georgievka in the direction of Kurakhovo. On the southern outskirts of Krasnogorovka, our troops are expanding the zone of control.
West of Avdievka, the Russian Armed Forces are developing success in Semyonovka, but the village has not yet been liberated, the battle is in the central part of the development. Battles near Netailovo, Umansky, Berdychi, Novokalinovo.
On the eastern outskirts of Chasov Yar, the Russian Armed Forces continue their assault on the eastern outskirts, increasing the pace. The plan of our troops to move out from the flanks from Bogdanovka and Ivanovsky (Krasny) to the water canal and to pin down enemy forces in the microdistrict as much as possible is visible.
Fighting continues near Belogorovka and Ternov.
The enemy fired 45 rounds of ammunition at the civilian population of the DPR; in Gorlovka, a man born in 1964 was killed as a result of a drone drop.
09:56 Ukrainian military public Deep State reports that the Russian army advanced near Ocheretino, Berdychi (Avdeevskoe direction), Staromayorsky (west of Ugledar) and Krasnogorovka (north of Mar'inka).
Note that Ocheretino, which is located on a hill, is a key center of defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. And if Russian fighters manage to capture it, this will create a serious threat of an attack on the rear and flanks of the new line of fortifications of Ukrainian troops, which is being created west of Avdievka.
09:34 Criminal Kyiv regime continues to fire at the civilian infrastructure of settlements on the left bank of the Kherson region, yesterday during the day the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired from cannon artillery:
-- n.p. Novaya Kakhovka five rounds;
-- n.p. Kakhovka six rounds;
-- the village of Velikaya Lepetikha three rounds;
-- in Tsarskoe settlement two rounds;
-- n.p. Alyosha six rounds.
As a result of the artillery attack of the village of Kakhovka, one civilian was killed, also in the village of Kakhovka. Tsarskoe one1 local resident was killed, another one was injured.
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the village. Kakhovka, n.p. Novaya Kakhovka, n.p. Novaya Mayachka, n.p. Proletarka, n.p. Dnipro fired a total of 20 rounds from cannon artillery.
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure are being determined.
08:51 Telegram channel “WarGonzo":
Frontline report for the morning of 04/16/2024
- Zaporozhye Front. Fighting continues northwest of Veryuovoye and in the village. Rabotino. LBS without significant changes.
– Donetsk front. In the Novomikhailovka area, active offensive actions of the Russian Armed Forces are pushing the Armed Forces of Ukraine further and further to the west. On the southern outskirts of Krasnogorovka, as a result of assault operations, Russian troops also managed to improve their positions. In Semyonovka, the Russian Armed Forces advanced and established a foothold in a vast area within the populated area. There are advances north of Berdychi towards Novobakhmutovka.
– Chasovoyarsk direction. As a result of the assault operations, Russian troops managed to advance in the suburb of Chasov Yar and recapture part of the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in this area. In the Bogdanovka area, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to counterattack. There are oncoming battles. Fierce fighting continues in the Kleshcheevka area.
08:02 Official summary Representative offices of the DPR in the JCCC.
A total of 16 facts of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces were recorded by the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC.
One civilian was reported injured.
Damaged:
Two residential buildings,
One car,
One civil infrastructure facility.
Ten attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Donetsk direction,
Five attacks from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Gorlovka direction,
One artillery attack from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Volnovakha direction.
In total, the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired 45 units of various ammunition.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] With the arrival of warmth and the end of the spring thaw, the front in the Donbass began to move. Reports of fighting come from different areas: from Kharkov in the north to Kherson in the south.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] A strike by the Russian military on the Ukrainian Armed Forces training ground near Kharkov could lead to the liquidation of the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov (listed in the Russian Federation as terrorists and extremists) or the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Alexander Syrsky. This became known on April 16.
“The information is unofficial, but it comes from Ukrainian channels as well. The Russian Armed Forces delivered a powerful blow to the training ground in the Chuguev area, Kharkov region. The head of the State Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, was allegedly there. Officers also came under attack,” the Military Delo Telegram channel reported.
It is noted that, according to also unofficially unconfirmed information, it was not Budanov who could have come under attack, but Syrsky.
“All messages come with an emphasis on the fact that important officials have been killed,” the message says.
There have been no official messages from either the Russian or Ukrainian sides.
As Regnum reported, Budanov repeatedly promised reprisals against Russians and admitted the involvement of the Kiev regime in terrorist attacks on Russian territory. One of his loudest statements were the words that Kiev “killed and will kill Russians” anywhere in the world. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate threatened new terrorist attacks in Crimea and voiced plans to destroy “everything Russian” on the peninsula, calling for the transfer of hostilities to Russian territory.
In December 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs put Budanov on the wanted list. By a decision of the Basmanny Court, he was given a preventive measure in absentia in the form of arrest, he was accused of 104 terrorist attacks and was added to the list of terrorists and extremists.
FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov stated that Budanov, like others involved in crimes against Russia, is a legitimate target of the Russian Armed Forces.
The assassination attempt on Ukrainian blogger Anatoly Shariy living in Spain, which occurred in March, was personally supervised by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kirill Budanov (listed as terrorists and extremists in the Russian Federation), RIA Novosti reported on April 16, citing a source in Russian law enforcement agencies.
As the interlocutor told reporters, the Main Intelligence Directorate, in collaboration with the Security Service of Ukraine, developed an operation “under a false flag.” The plan was to eliminate the blogger and make it look like Russia organized the murder.
“As part of the operation, surveillance was carried out, traffic routes were identified, weapons were delivered and handed over to the criminals,” the publication quoted the interlocutor.
According to him, the Ukrainian special services, posing as Russian agents, recruited Ukrainians living in Spain and representatives of the local criminal environment. The formal attitude of the Spanish law enforcement agencies during the investigation of the assassination attempt is also noted, since law enforcement officers did not even inspect the fired car and the scene of the incident, and also did not interview witnesses.
As reported by IA Regnum, on March 6, Shariy reported an attempt on him and his wife. The blogger said that they were driving a car when two people opened fire on the car with a machine gun with a silencer. He also stated that two weeks before the incident, Spanish law enforcement agencies received information about an impending assassination attempt.
On March 12, Shariy accused Spanish law enforcement agencies of incompetence and lack of professionalism, as well as reluctance to investigate the attempted murder. He appealed to the Russian special services with a request to thoroughly investigate this case.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Brigadier General Gennady Shapovalov was appointed commander of the Operational Command “South” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The command announced this on April 16 on social networks.
The new commander was introduced to the personnel by the Commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Alexander Pavlyuk.
Previously, this post was held by Andrey Kovalchuk. Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexei Goncharenko (listed in Russia as a terrorist and extremist) announced his dismissal from his position on his Telegram channel. The parliamentarian wrote that the commander of the operational command “West”, Sergei Litvinov, was also fired. At the same time, Goncharenko expressed the opinion that these are “not the last changes.”
According to official information from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Shapovalov was born in 1978 in the Kirovograd region. In 2000, he graduated from the Institute of Tank Forces of the Kharkov State Polytechnic University, and also in 2012 from the Command and Staff Institute for the Use of NBU Forces.
In addition, Shapovalov studied at the US Army War College. Previously, he commanded a separate motorized infantry brigade named after. Yakov Handzyuk. In March 2022, he was promoted to brigadier general.
As Regnum reported, Goncharenko announced the dismissal of Sergei Litvinov and Andrei Kovalchuk from their posts as commanders of the operational commands of the Armed Forces of Ukraine “West” and “South” on April 9, but there was no official confirmation then.
On March 26, the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, signed a decree dismissing Alexey Danilov from the post of Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC). By another decree, he appointed Alexander Litvinenko, who previously held the position of head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, to this post. Later that day, Zelensky called Danilov’s dismissal a continuation of the reboot of the control system.
In February 2024, Zelensky dismissed Valery Zaluzhny from the post of commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and appointed Alexander Syrsky to this position. He explained this decision by military failures during the widely announced counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Text taken from the Telegram account of South Front
[ColonelCassad] At the end of 2021, even before the start of the Russian special military operation, the military-political leadership of Ukraine, at the direction of the British special service Mi6, began to form an armed formation called the “Russian Volunteer Corps” on the territory of Ukraine and NATO countries.
In August 2022, this initiative was transferred to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR). The military unit received a clear ideological coloring, a kind of crazy combination of the ideas of Nazism, neoliberalism (more precisely, extreme transhumanism) and ordinary mercenaries.
The priority task was to carry out sabotage and reconnaissance activities on Russian territory.
The basis of the unit were nationalists with citizenship of the countries of the former USSR (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, etc.), who fought as mercenaries on the side of Kyiv from 2014-2018.
At the same time, from August 2022, the unit began to actively recruit persons with Russian citizenship who left the territory of the Russian Federation, citing their decision as a protest against the Kremlin’s policies. The overwhelming majority are those who previously declared their belonging to the LGBT community, the values of the New World Order of the collective West and/or to the creative intelligentsia with neoliberal ideology, that is, those who are accustomed to declaring and considering themselves the “new aristocracy” of Russia. Unemployed “creative” youth with a criminal behavior pattern were also recruited. In fact, all these people were united by one personal complaint against the Putin regime - these are the imaginary lost opportunities that would continue to allow them to lead their usual idle lifestyle.
Surprisingly, by the fall of 2022, the number of such people from the 150 million population of Russia and the 250 million population of the countries of the former USSR turned out to be insufficient to form any large unit. Therefore, the curators of the RDK decided to form a combat base from mercenaries from NATO countries, mainly from Poland, France, Canada, the USA, the Baltic countries and Latin America, and military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Their number at the first stage was at least 25%, excluding persons with Ukrainian citizenship. From the very beginning of its activities, the corps was financed from budget funds allocated by the Government of Ukraine for the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
By 2024, the number of military personnel of the “updated” RDC with citizenship of NATO countries and Latin America exceeded 40%. Militants with Russian citizenship remain no more than 15% of the total composition of the RDK, the remaining 40-45% are military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with Ukrainian citizenship. The total number of the RDK payroll, that is, those who were paid money as a serviceman of the RDK or a serviceman of the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine attached to the RDK, by this period was about 372 people, of which no more than 50 people had Russian citizenship, probably someone else could have dual citizenship.
Back in November 2022, the group of militants, which today is known as the RDK, was formally reassigned and became one of the units of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as part of the International Legion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. At the same time, the unit continues to directly report and act on the instructions of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Currently, members of extremist and nationalist organizations, as well as supporters of opposition movements to the current government of the Russian Federation from among citizens and residents of Russia, whose candidacies are approved by name by the GUR, continue to be invited to participate in the RDC. Since the end of 2022, all of them began to receive the status of military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Since the second half of 2022, RDK military personnel have been directly involved in combat operations against units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (RF Armed Forces). Thus, from July to November 2022, members of the corps participated in military operations against the Russian Armed Forces in the Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions. However, representatives of the RDK did not achieve significant successes at the front.
The reasons are obvious - small numbers and poor military training. Rare forays onto the line of combat contact were carried out under the leadership of Ukrainian paramilitary right-wing radical units (Right Sector, Freikorps, Kraken) and were aimed only at creating a media effect.
During this period of time, RDK suffered its first significant one-time losses. So, after participating in the next action, the unit concentrated in the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the city of Zaporozhye, where their location was revealed by Russian military intelligence. As a result of Russian rocket fire, up to 20 RDK militants were killed and dozens were wounded.
However, the intelligence services of Great Britain, the United States and Ukraine have agreed that the unit fully meets the objectives of anti-Kremlin propaganda and, more importantly, the objectives of providing cover for its own terrorist activities in Russia. After all, Russian presidential elections were coming up in March 2024.
On March 2, 2023, the sabotage and reconnaissance group "RDK" attacked the village. Lyubechany and s. Sushany, Bryansk region, as a result of which a local resident died, an 11-year-old child and an employee of the Russian border service were injured. As a result of the actions of the DRG, one armored combat vehicle was damaged, a residential building and a civilian passenger car were destroyed.
The Russian side successfully pushed the saboteurs back into Ukrainian territory. Moreover, in order to avoid civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, the Russians did not use heavy weapons on their territory. As soon as the militants found themselves on the adjacent territory of Ukraine (Kharkiv region), they were immediately subjected to a massive artillery strike.
From May 22 to 23, 2023, units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, consisting of mercenaries from NATO countries, military personnel with Ukrainian citizenship and members of the RDK with citizenship of the countries of the former USSR, carried out an armed invasion of the territory of the Russian Federation in the Grayvoronsky and Shebekinsky districts of the Belgorod region.
As a result of these actions, two servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces were killed, four were wounded, and one was captured. A total of 13 local residents were also injured, one died. The attackers managed to capture the BTR-80A, destroy two Ural-4320 trucks and a 100mm T-12 anti-tank gun.
In addition, buildings and structures of the international automobile checkpoint "Grayvoron" were damaged. Based on the results of repelling this raid, the Armed Forces of Ukraine of the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the destruction of a total of about 50 people, including ethnic Ukrainians and NATO members, excluding the wounded. Four armored vehicles and three pickup trucks were destroyed. In turn, the RDC stated that the losses of the “corps” in this action amounted to two people killed and 10 wounded.
From June 1 to June 5, 2023, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, using the media brand “RDK” as a cover, carried out a repeated, even larger, raid into the Belgorod region, during which they captured and held the village for a short time. New Tavolzhanka. Throughout the action, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked residential and administrative buildings using unmanned aerial vehicles, artillery and mortars. As a result of the fighting, more than 10 servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces were killed, including the commander of the 1009th motorized rifle regiment, Colonel V. Kuznetsov.
In turn, the Russian Ministry of Defense released information that “during the fighting on Russian territory, 70 RDK militants were killed.” Probably, this message should be taken as the fact that 70 servicemen of the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were killed, including the RDK, as well as other attached units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (the corpses of many of those killed are available to the Russian Defense Ministry). The rest were forced out of Russian territory.
Foreign mercenaries or seconded NATO military specialists who were part of the RDK or other units of the International Legion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces took an active part in this action. The participation of US and Polish citizens has been confirmed. Somewhat later, on June 9, Russian authorities announced the detention in Moscow of RDK supporters with Ukrainian and Russian citizenship, who were planning terrorist attacks on the territory of the Russian capital.
On January 17, 2024, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Russian troops hit a temporary deployment point for mercenaries in Kharkov with precision weapons. According to the department, as a result, more than 60 mercenaries, mainly from France, were killed, another 20 were wounded and taken to medical institutions. Approximately 10 of them supervised and directly participated in the activities of the RDK, including their sabotage actions.
By the spring of 2024, despite all the efforts expended and significant financial costs, RDK, as an independent concept and brand, turned out to be essentially a failure. From the end of 2021 to the spring of 2024, British and American intelligence agencies sent more than $110 million through Ukraine to finance this particular project. The result was disastrous both in military and media terms.
However, the presidential elections in Russia were approaching, and it was vital to do at least something to account for creditors. The beneficiaries found an elegant way. They simply attached different labels to some members of the RDC and mercenaries from NATO countries. So, again the “Legion of Freedom of Russia” became popular, and a certain “Siberian Battalion” appeared as part of the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On March 12, 2024, the RDK, together with the Russian Freedom Legion and the Siberian Battalion, also formed from former Russian citizens, attempted to break through the Russian state border in the Belgorod region. The Russian Defense Ministry managed to prevent the enemy from penetrating deep into Russian territory.
Russian military correspondent Evgeniy Poddubny, who was at the scene at the time, reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost five tanks, three self-propelled guns, one MLRS, several pickups and infantry fighting vehicles, as well as up to 70 people killed and wounded. There is numerous video evidence. The Russian military managed to capture one RDK participant.
Thus, this action turned out to be a failure both militarily and in information terms.
The latter fact turned out to be extremely painful for the Ukrainian special services.
After all, the entire project of the RDK and other collaboration units was initially focused precisely on creating the required anti-Kremlin effect in the information space. The actions of the RDK were intended to inspire various radicals among Russian citizens and demonstrate the vulnerability of the vertical of power. To effectively implement this task, the GUR, in agreement with Mi6, carefully selected candidates for the formal commander of the RDK and his closest assistants.
As a result, the special services chose Denis Nikitin. His real name is Kapustin Denis Evgenievich, born 03/06/1984. In 2001, he and his mother emigrated from Russia to Germany. According to Der Spiegel, the Kapustin family's repatriation from Moscow to Cologne in 2001 was subject to special procedures due to their Jewish origins. However, his Jewish roots did not prevent Kapustin from becoming an ultra-right football hooligan, who later gained popularity among European and Russian nationalists. Thus, the Ministry of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia called him “one of the most influential neo-Nazi activists” in Germany.
However, Kapustin’s actual ideological position is more likely to be in the plane of the superiority of the Anglo-Saxon-Judean elites
Eh? That’s a new one. Does England know that’s who they are?
over the rest of the world, and not in the plane of the superiority of a separate nation or race. That is why Mi6 chose him to be the formal leader of the RDK. In any case, Denis Kapustin is an extraordinary person with strong leadership qualities.
In 2008, Kapustin founded the White Rex clothing brand. The logo was based on the “black sun” - a symbol that was used in Nazi Germany instead of the swastika. Kapustin sold the first batch of clothes from his brand at the “Spirit of a Warrior” tournament of fighting without rules, which he organized in Russia in the city of Voronezh. The entrepreneur stated that White Rex is “not just a clothing brand, but a union of people with common views.”
Since 2012, Kapustin has been actively developing relations with right-wing organizations throughout Europe, promoting his brand. Five years later, in 2017, he moved to Ukraine, where he established stable contacts with representatives of the nationalist Azov battalion, whose activities he spoke with enthusiasm about on his trips abroad.
In 2019, Kapustin tried to bring the White Rex brand to the American market, using his connections with the organizer of the “Right March” rally in the city of Charlottesville in the USA and the founder of the neo-Nazi organization from California “Rise Above Movement” Robert Rundo. However, problems arose with this project due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Quite a lot is known about the current activities of Denis Kapustin, as the formal head of the RDK, as well as about his immediate circle and supervisors from the Main Intelligence Directorate.
Today, Kapustin is mainly located on the territory of Ukraine, while periodically making trips to NATO countries, where he is in contact with representatives of the American and British intelligence services, as well as with representatives of the Russian opposition. Kapustin uses phone numbers:
All the contact information can be seen at the link for those interested.
The activities of the RDK and directly D. Kapustin from the Ukrainian special services are coordinated by a citizen of Ukraine Andrey Alekseevich Bulakh, born July 24, 1986, who is probably an employee of the Main Intelligence Directorate, since he is currently registered at the address:
Again, all that contact information can be seen at the link.
Coordination of the activities of members of the “RDK” is carried out by the special services of Ukraine through representatives of Ukrainian nationalist structures under their control, in particular:
- Roman Vasilyevich Stoika, born 08/18/1983, citizen of Ukraine, member of the sabotage and reconnaissance unit of the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps “Right Sector”, registered at the address:
Ditto.
- Bogdanov Dmitry Ivanovich, born 06/19/1988, citizen of Ukraine, member of the volunteer reconnaissance battalion “Solnyshko” of the DUK “PS”, registered at the address:
Ditto.
As stated above, the RDK included, among other things, representatives of the neoliberal movement in Russia, who did not agree with the policies of the official Kremlin and emigrated from Russia. One of the active members of the unit is Kirill Kanakhin, who participated in the attack on the village of Lyubechane in the Belgorod region on March 2, 2023. In the past, he is a “poet”, a yoga teacher, and an actor at the Academic Maly Theater of Russia. He starred in films together with Ksenia Sobchak, also a representative of the neoliberal movement in Russia.
In 2012, Kanakhin left the stage and began teaching yoga. During his “spiritual” preparation, he visited India, changed his appearance, covered most of his body with tattoos, as a result of which he was no longer offered roles in the theater where he was still working at that time. Kanakhin himself, according to their testimony, found the reasons for his creative failures in the high level of corruption among artists, as well as in the lack of rights of artists who are subjected to professional discrimination due to disagreement with the policies of the Russian state.
While also disagreeing with state policies, Kanakhin eventually developed his own philosophy of life and formed a complex system of views and moral values, after which he became a supporter of racist and far-right views and became interested in paganism. Being an opponent of the annexation of Crimea to Russia, Kanakhin took part in protests that took place in Moscow. In March 2015, during a march in memory of Boris Nemtsov, Kanakhin was arrested and received eight days of arrest. In 2018, after a criminal case was opened against him on charges of participating in illegal protests, Kanakhin fled Russia and moved to Ukraine, where he joined the Azov battalion, later the RDK.
Kanakhin Kirill Nikolaevich, born 04/09/1982 uses the following telephone numbers for communication:
Ditto.
Kirill was an active buyer of the Sportmaster store even before 2023.
This review provides examples and data from individual RDC members. In general, RDK consists of a very motley and diverse public, which is united, perhaps, only by envy, anger and resentment against the backdrop of extremely inflated self-esteem, which their curators from the GUR and Mi6 successfully use.
At the moment, the RDK project can be considered a failure. The activities of the RDC for two years did not bring any significant results either on the battlefield or in the information space of Russia. They failed to ignite protest sentiments in Russia. On the contrary, their activities led to a change in the rhetoric and behavior of some citizens who previously could be classified as anti-Putin opposition. Members of the RDK began to be perceived exclusively as traitors and degenerates.
Even the far-right part of the Russian population refused to support Denis Kapustin, who came from their midst, and, on the contrary, became more active in joining Russian volunteer units. For example, to the Espanyola volunteer detachment.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Gregor Spitzen
[REGNUM] For many German chancellors, relations with China over the years have been a yin and yang: war and peace, trade and boycott, human rights and Realpolitik.
The leaders of the Federal Republic of Germany, since the time of Helmut Schmidt, were well aware of the huge role of China in global geopolitics and trade, and therefore always tried to build relations with Beijing as pragmatically as possible, avoiding slippery topics that could disrupt the fragile consensus.
“We have very good continuity in relations with China when it comes to German chancellors,” says Jörg Wuttke, honorary president of the European Chamber of Commerce in Beijing. “It started with Schmidt, continued under Kohl, and then under Schröder and Merkel, who always tried to recognize China as an equal partner and interact with it on economic issues.”
For their constructive approach and some understanding of the “oriental” mentality in the Middle Kingdom, both Helmut Kohl, who did not pay much attention to the situation with “human rights” in the PRC, and Angela Merkel, who visited China 14 times during her 16 years of rule, were really highly valued.
Olaf Scholz, according to some European experts on China, is viewed in Beijing as “a pragmatist who continues Merkel’s policies through social democratic means.”
Scholz is not the first German chancellor to have to balance good economic relations with political distancing from China. This line has always been a thin line, and the heads of government of Germany, which has powerful exports, had to overcome it. But it was much easier to do this before.
If during Kohl’s time, China’s share in Germany’s foreign trade was just over 1%, then when Angela Merkel left her post in 2021, the Celestial Empire’s share in the German economy was already 10%.
A year later, already in the first year of Scholz’s chancellorship, China bought 30% of the capacity of the seaport of Hamburg, the main trade gateway of Germany, which best characterizes the scale of bilateral economic relations between Germany and China.
THERE WILL BE NO AGREEMENTS
According to statements made in Berlin the day before Scholz's trip, the German government wants to continue doing business with China by developing bilateral relations.
Although many Western partners have criticized Berlin for refusing to follow the pro-American policy of “de-risking” (reducing the level of dependence on Chinese markets, goods or investments), the German government continues to treat China as one of its most important trading partners.
If the breakdown of ties with Russia brought Germany to recession and deindustrialization, then much more extensive trade ties with China, if broken, threaten Germany with real economic collapse. This is well understood both in the Bundeschancellery and even in the Ministry of Economics of Robert Habeck.
Olaf Scholz's visit began in a warm and friendly atmosphere, except for the chancellor's meeting in Chongqing with a third-rate official - the city's deputy mayor. Such a diplomatic heel, experts say, signals that Scholz arrived in China as a supplicant, who, in fact, has nothing to offer his Chinese partners.
There were rumors in Beijing long before the chancellor's visit that no important agreements would be signed.
“Every time the head of the German government came to China, one of the main events was the signing of trade agreements and treaties, but that, unfortunately, is in the past,” says Cui Hongjian, a Europe specialist at Beijing Foreign Studies University.
“Compared with his predecessors, Scholz has to take a broader position,” says Jörg Wuttke of the European Chamber of Commerce in Beijing. “On the one hand, he must continue to develop the German and European economies and protect them from excess capacity, and on the other, solve the geopolitical problem: China is increasingly tied to Russia in the conflict in Ukraine.”
China remains a huge market for large German companies. For example, in the chemical industry, China accounts for half of the world market, and in automobile manufacturing it accounts for about a third.
Unlike companies from other countries, the largest German players in these industries have decided to continue playing in the People's Republic. For example, BASF, Bosch, Daimler and Volkswagen.
It's also about jobs, a key issue for the SPD chancellor, although there is not much of classical social democracy left in Germany's modern, big-business-oriented Social Democratic party.
The main political topics of the Chancellor's visit to China are undoubtedly the Iranian-Israeli and Russian-Ukrainian conflicts.
Although Beijing has made it clear that it will maintain Russia's benevolent neutrality in Russia's operation in Ukraine and will side with Iran in the Middle East conflict, Berlin hopes that it can try to achieve success by calling on China to act on the "correct" side, from the German point of view. side of history.
It is not entirely clear on what such hopes are based, given that so far the appeals of Western politicians, and above all US President Joe Biden, to Xi Jinping have not had any impact on the situation.
That Beijing has no intention of changing its attitude towards Russia was further demonstrated just a few days ago when Xi personally received Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
China shares Russia's position in "maintaining social security and stability," Xi said, pointing to the two countries' joint efforts to "reform" a "rules-based world order" that Beijing and Moscow say is unfairly dominated by the West.
CHINESE DUMPING
China believes it can afford a difficult balancing act between partnerships with the United States and Europe. In Germany, they believe that the less Beijing can count on America and the more it finds itself in an economic crisis, the more the Celestial Empire depends on the EU.
Nevertheless, Beijing categorically refuses to feel dependent and continues to flood the European market with cars, solar modules and other goods produced at dumped prices.
According to some EU experts, China is playing with fire by underestimating the capabilities of European regulators, who may lose patience by responding to China with prohibitive tariffs and other anti-dumping measures.
During his trip, Olaf Scholz expressed support for open car markets in Europe for Chinese cars, but called for equal access to the Chinese market for European cars.
“The one thing that should always be clear is that competition must be fair,” Scholz said during a talk with students at Tongji University in Shanghai. “In other words, no dumping, no overproduction and no copyright infringement.”
In Brussels, however, things are not viewed as rosy as in Berlin. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claims that China is currently experiencing “a dramatic overproduction of electric vehicles coupled with huge government subsidies”, and therefore the US, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey have already closed their markets from Chinese electric cars.
“The EU cannot be the only market that remains open to Chinese overproduction,” von der Leyen said. “We must not allow the same thing to happen in Europe as with solar panels: European manufacturers are unfairly forced out of the market due to dumping prices subsidized by the state, and as a result, production goes to China.”
In September, von der Leyen announced an antitrust investigation into market distortions caused by Chinese subsidies.
If the investigation finds that China is violating trade laws, the EU could impose punitive tariffs.
However, the German Automotive Industry Association (VDA) has already opposed the idea of the overly proactive President of the European Commission, trying to avoid a trade conflict with China for fear of jeopardizing many jobs in Germany tied to cooperation with the Middle Kingdom.
INCOME FROM THE MIDDLE EAST
Iran's strike on Israel significantly changed the political priorities of Scholz's meeting with Xi and Chinese Prime Minister Li Qian on Tuesday morning.
Initially, Beijing's role in the Ukraine conflict and China's excess production capacity were on the agenda.
Now Scholz wants to convince the country's leadership to use its influence on Iran to de-escalate the conflict in the Middle East.
Middle East expert Ahmed Abuduh of the British think tank Chatham House says China's leadership views both the Iranian drone attack on Israel and attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea as consequences of the war in Gaza.
With this position, China wants to increase pressure on the United States to use its political weight against Israel to end the war.
In turn, the US’s constant calls for China to use its influence on Tehran are, according to a British analyst, an attempt by Washington to “draw attention to China’s inaction and selfish behavior.”
Since the US is well aware of China's limited influence on Iran, the main purpose of the constant demands is to show countries in the region that "Beijing is an unreliable partner, and the US is the only power that can guarantee regional security," Abuduh continues.
Beijing could ask Tehran to show restraint and then leave everything as it is, Abuduh said. Ultimately, it is not in China's interest to escalate the conflict in the Gulf region.
This could jeopardize the rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia that China sees as a diplomatic success.
“If the situation worsens, it will have a serious impact not only on China, but also on the entire regional situation and global security, which China does not want,” said Zhu Yongbiao, a professor at the Department of Politics and International Relations at Lanzhou University.
In recent years, China's leadership has been expanding its influence in the Middle East. It wants to secure access to energy resources and markets - especially in the face of growing geopolitical tensions.
Between 2017 and 2022, Chinese merchandise trade with the region nearly doubled. The People's Republic gets nearly half its crude oil from Gulf countries, including Iran, which the West has imposed sanctions on.
China has become the most important trading partner for many Gulf countries. It is logical that this strengthens Beijing’s political influence in the region.
China is trying to capitalize on this: the state wants to fill the power vacuum left by the United States in the region and find allies for a new world order without American dominance.
GERMANY'S EXPECTATIONS ARE CLEARLY TOO HIGH
The Chinese side, judging by the non-verbal signals sent through diplomacy, clearly does not perceive Scholz’s visit as fateful and breakthrough, capable of turning the page in relations between the two countries and bringing them to a qualitatively new level.
China knows that Europe, which has been in a state of economic crisis since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, cannot afford to risk its relations with the Middle Kingdom, and therefore makes maximum profit by actively dumping its high-tech products on the European market. China is clearly not going to give up its strategic alliance with Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese President Xi Jinping
It is also unlikely that Beijing in the Middle East conflict will abandon its important ally and trading partner in the region - Iran, which is opposed to Israel, which has turned on the “berserker” regime and, with its actions in Gaza, has alienated most of the civilized world community.
However, Olaf Scholz’s visit still achieved one important goal. A year later, the polite, diplomatic and good-natured Scholz, acting as a supplicant, managed to smooth out the negative impression from the visit of Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock, who tried in a defiant manner to lecture her Chinese colleagues on the nature of democracy and almost provoked an unprecedented cooling in German-Chinese relations.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Chinese President Xi Jinping, at a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, proposed four principles for resolving the Ukrainian conflict and quickly restoring peace. The Xinhua agency reported this on April 16
It is noted that during the meeting the parties exchanged views on the conflict in Ukraine.
“First, we must prioritize maintaining peace and stability and refrain from seeking selfish gain. Secondly, we must cool the situation and not add fuel to the fire,” Xi Jinping said.
He also called the third principle for resolving the Ukrainian crisis the creation of conditions for restoring peace and the need to refrain from continuing to escalate tensions.
The fourth principle proposed by Xi Jinping was to reduce the negative impact of the conflict on the global economy and the need to refrain from undermining the stability of global industrial and supply chains.
As Regnum reported, earlier on April 16, Xi Jinping said that China supports the convening of an equal international peace conference to resolve the Ukrainian conflict, which is recognized by both Russia and Ukraine. He stressed that Beijing encourages and supports all efforts that contribute to the peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict.
Later that day, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov called China's position on the conflict in Ukraine balanced. The Kremlin representative clarified that the Chinese side maintains a fairly high diplomatic activity, including on this issue. He added that Moscow welcomes this approach, but so far sees no change in the Kyiv regime’s position on a complete refusal of negotiations.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Russian delegation was invited to the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy during World War II, which will take place on June 6, 2024. Agence France-Presse reported this on April 16,citing the organizers of the event, Mission Libération.
“Given the circumstances, [Russian ] President Vladimir Putin is not invited [to the ceremony]. However, Russia is invited and will be represented in order to honor the importance of the participation and sacrifice of the Soviet people, as well as their contribution to the victory of 1945,” a company representative said.
As Regnum reported, earlier on April 16, the leader of the French Patriots party, Florian Philippot, wrote that Paris’s invitation to Russia to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Allied landing in Normandy would be bad news for the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky. According to him, Kiev will try to put pressure on French President Emmanuel Macron in this regard.
Earlier on the same day, French media reported the intention of the country's authorities to invite the Russian delegation to the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the Allied landing in Normandy, which will take place in early June. According to radio station Europe 1, it will be difficult to do without Russia at the celebration, despite the difficult geopolitical situation.
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on April 16 that Moscow has not yet received an invitation from France to the celebrations dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Allied landing in Normandy.
The landing of the military of the United States, Britain, Canada and their allies on the territory of France occupied by the Nazi army (Operation Neptune) took place in Normandy on June 6, 1944 during the Second World War. Soviet soldiers did not directly participate in it, but the USSR made it possible through its military operations, paying the highest price during the Second World War.
Vice Admiral of the NATO Joint Naval Command Didier Malter spoke about the vulnerability of underwater communications in Europe and North America and called for their protection from possible “underwater hybrid warfare”, which should supposedly be expected from Russia. The British newspaper The Guardian reported this on April 16.
“Right now we are paying special attention to the Russians, but it is very difficult to constantly monitor every cable. This is impossible,” he said.
Malter said that over 90% of Western communications that provide Internet connections between the United States, Canada and Europe are underwater. As arguments about the supposed danger threatening them, he cited the incident with damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland.
Despite statements by Finnish authorities that they had found evidence of the involvement of a Chinese ship, the vice admiral called for keeping an eye on Russia.
The NATO representative emphasized that the alliance will not be able to protect all areas of underwater communications. According to Malter, each state is obliged to ensure the protection of its own communications.
As Regnum reported, the damage to the Baltic connector gas pipeline was discovered in October 2023. In November, Risto Lohi, a spokesman for the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation, said that an anchor found nearby that damaged the pipeline most likely belonged to the Chinese vessel Newnew Polar Bear, which was passing through this area of water before the accident was discovered.
The West has repeatedly made unfounded claims that Russia has plans to attack Europe. President Vladimir Putin called this nonsense on March 27, 2024. In his opinion, such rumors are spread in the West to intimidate the population and thus extort money from them.
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.
In Kupyansk direction, the Zapad Group of Forces' units improved the situation along the front line and repelled two counter-attacks launched by the AFU 21st Mechanised Brigade's assault groups close to Terny (Donetsk People's Republic).
