Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] On August 23, the Federal Security Service published footage of the arrest of an accomplice in the murder of the Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik.
In the published footage, the detainee says that in July 2023, he contacted a Ukrainian intelligence officer via messenger and agreed to carry out activities against the Russian Federation for money.
He also said that he was a native of Saratov. According to him, he had been following a number of employees of a defense enterprise in Saratov.
Ukrainian special services did not have time to “carry out their plan to kill these people,” he said.
General Moskalik died in Balashikha on April 25 when his car was blown up. Ignat Kuzin was detained on suspicion of committing the terrorist attack. The Russian Investigative Committee later reported that the criminal acted on the instructions of the Security Service of Ukraine for a promised reward of $18,000. He also admitted that the SBU recruited him back in 2023.
The general was buried on April 29 at the Federal Military Memorial Cemetery in Mytishchi, Moscow Region. The funeral ceremony was attended by the leadership of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Russian Army, representatives of the central military command bodies, the deceased lieutenant general's colleagues and veterans.
On April 28, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, commenting on Moskalik’s murder, emphasized that the involvement of the Kiev regime in this crime once again confirmed its terrorist nature.
Earlier, on August 23, security forces detained an accomplice in the murder of Moskalik. According to the FSB, the detainee is also involved in collecting and transmitting information about the Russian Aerospace Forces military to Kiev. During interrogation, the defendant admitted his guilt.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] According to one forecast, the remnants of Hurricane Erin, raging in the United States, may reach Europe and cause warming in Central Russia at the end of August. This was reported on August 23 by Marina Makarova, a leading employee of the Russian Hydrometeorological Center.
"It will get warmer in the last days of August. One of the forecast options is the remnants of Hurricane Erin. It remains very powerful, and will circle between the British Isles and Greenland. According to one of the options, a cyclone may form on its remnants, which will reach Europe and, possibly, pass slightly north of Moscow," the specialist said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
Makarova also noted that more rain will reach the more northern regions, while it may be warm in Moscow.
Earlier, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency in connection with the approach of Hurricane Erin, which formed in the Atlantic Ocean. Heavy rains, coastal flooding, strong gusts of wind up to 80 km/h and waves up to 5 m high are predicted in the state.
Earlier, forecasters reported a cold snap in Moscow on August 17.During the week of August 18–24, the air temperature was expected to be around +20°, 1–2 degrees below the average long-term figures, and then a new cyclone with showers and thunderstorms is expected, the forecaster added.
Earlier, Yandex Weather meteorologists reported that in many regions of Russia, the temperature in autumn will be higher than in the last 30 years. New records of average seasonal and monthly temperatures are expected, in particular, in Novosibirsk, Kazan, Samara, Krasnoyarsk, Chelyabinsk and Perm, and the greatest excess of usual values is predicted for November, which may become the warmest in the last decade.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Russians continue to try to reclaim this settlement, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces stand firm, the OSUV Dnepr emphasized.
The Ukrainian Defense Forces have regained control over the village of Zeleny Gai in Donetsk Oblast. This was reported by the OSUV Dnepr on Telegram.
"Fighters from the 37th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade, together with the 214th Separate Sssault Battalion of the OPFOR, stopped the enemy's advance and established control over the village of Zeleny Gai, in the Donetsk region," the statement said.
The military noted that as of August 23, the Russians continue active attempts to recapture this settlement and other settlements in the Donetsk region in the eastern direction.
However, the OSUV Dnepr emphasized that the Armed Forces of Ukraine stand firm, and on the Day of the State Flag of Ukraine, Zeleny Hai remains under the blue and yellow banner.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced some successes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Pokrovsk direction. According to him, the defense forces are actively pressing and not allowing the Russians to gain a foothold.
Let us add that on August 14, the General Staff announced that the situation in the Dobropolsky direction was stabilizing. Our military took all necessary measures to identify and destroy groups of Russians.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:12 In the laboratory, servicemen of the "East" military group are repairing "Mavics", which are actively used by motorized riflemen in combat operations. 19:49 Ministry of Defense RF:
Drone operators of the "East" group of forces disrupted the enemy's night rotation in the South Donetsk direction.
UAV operators of the 56th Separate Special Forces Battalion destroyed enemy armored vehicles in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
The operator of a strike UAV of the Yaroslavl paratroopers shot down a heavy cargo hexacopter of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with mines west of Chasov Yar.
FPV drone crews from the Rubicon Center continue to burn enemy equipment.
18:36 122mm D-30 howitzer crews of the North group of forces destroyed ammunition depots, UAV crews, machine gun positions and Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower in Sumy Oblast.
18:10 Fighters of the North group of forces struck three Ukrainian Armed Forces Baba Yaga drones in the Liptsov direction.
17:50 In the period from 14:00 Moscow time to 17:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 32 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
– 10 UAVs – over the territory of the Kaluga region,
– Seven UAVs – over the territory of the Bryansk region,
– Five UAVs – over the territory of the Novgorod region,
– Four UAVs – over the territory of the Leningrad region,
– Three UAVs – over the territory of the Tver region,
– Two UAVs – over the territory of the Smolensk region,
– One UAV – over the territory of the Tula region.
16:50 In the village of Repyakhovka, Belgorod district, as a result of a targeted strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces using an FPV drone a civilian died. The man died from his wounds on the spot.
Also in the area of the village, a passenger car was blown up by an explosive device. Thank God, the man only suffered a bruised leg. He received medical assistance at the Rakityanskaya Central District Hospital. Hospitalization was not required, the victim was sent home for outpatient treatment. The vehicle was damaged.
16:00 Armed Forces of Ukraine inflicted drone strike on Lisichansk. As a result of the strike, a resident of the city was injured and received medical assistance.
15:45 A resident of Aleshkisufferedas a result of shelling of the residential sector by the Ukrainian Armed Forces
“A woman born in 1952 was hospitalized in the Aleshkovskaya Central Regional Hospital with a mine blast injury and a shrapnel wound to the chest,” emergency services reported.
15:10 Investigators of the Russian Investigative Committee will investigate further crimes committed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces against civilians in the Kherson region
"As a result of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two men and a woman were killed in the village of Novaya Zburyevka, and two more civilians were injured. Two men were injured in Novaya Kakhovka and Aleshki," the Russian Investigative Committee found.
14:32 In the period from 12:00 Moscow time to 14:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 20 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
– Eight UAVs – over the territory of the Bryansk region,
– Seven UAVs – over the territory of the Smolensk region,
– Three UAVs – over the territory of the Kursk region,
– Two UAVs – over the territory of the Kaluga region
. 13:26 The concentration of Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower in the forest on the left bank of the Volchya River was subjected to a massive attack, –video.
12:52 In the period from 9.30 Moscow time to 12.00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed 13 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type:
12 UAVs – over the territory of the Bryansk region,
One UAV – over the territory of the Kaluga region.
12:27 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation as of August 23, 2025
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct a special military operation.
Units of the North group of forces inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of two mechanized, airborne assault, and ranger brigades and two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Staraya Guta, Novaya Guta, Pavlovka, Novaya Sich, Kondratovka, Varachino and Yunakovka in Sumy Oblast.
In the Khar'kov direction, the situation along the front line has been improved, and units of the mechanized and motorized infantry brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been defeated in the areas of the settlements of Granov, Veterinary, Okhrimovka and Volchansk in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 150 servicemen, two combat armored vehicles, eight cars, three field artillery pieces, including a US-made 155mm howitzer M-777. Six ammunition and material depots were destroyed.
Units of the "West" military group actively liberated the settlement of Sredneye in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Formations of two mechanized, assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Ol'govka, Kupyansk, Andreyevka, Osinovo, Kovsharovka in the Khar'kov region, Karpovka, Kirovsk and Kolodezi in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost over 230 servicemen, four armored combat vehicles, including a French-made VAB armored personnel carrier, a MaxxPro armored vehicle, and a U.S.-made HMMWV armored combat vehicle. Fourteen vehicles, an artillery piece, seven electronic warfare stations, and five ammunition depots were destroyed.
As a result of decisive actions by units of the Southern Group of Forces, the settlement of Kleban-Byk in the Donetsk People's Republic was liberated.
The manpower and equipment of three mechanized, mountain assault, airmobile, assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a territorial defense brigade were damaged in the areas of the settlements of Chervone, Seversk, Minkovka, Vasyukovka, Markovo, Berestok, Dronovka, Svyato-Pokrovskoe, Nikolaevka and Konstantinovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost over 210 servicemen, a tank, five armored combat vehicles, seven cars, a field artillery gun, six ammunition depots and supplies.
Units of the "Center" group of forces took up more advantageous lines and positions. They defeated formations of two mechanized, assault, two airborne assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a territorial defense brigade and a national guard brigade in the areas of the settlements of Udachnoye, Dimitrov, Krasnoarmeysk, Belitskoye, Sukhoi Yar, Muravka, Rodinskoye, Novopavlovka, Chunishino of the Donetsk People's Republic and Filiya of the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Ukrainian armed forces lost over 430 servicemen, nine armored combat vehicles, including a Spartan armored personnel carrier and a British-made Mastiff armored vehicle. Thirteen vehicles, three artillery pieces, and two Israeli-made RADA radar stations were destroyed.
Units of the "East" group of forces continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defense. They defeated the manpower and equipment of mechanized, assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a naval infantry brigade in the areas of the settlements of Kulturnoe, Poltavka, Zeleny Gai in the Zaporizhia region, Novokhatskoe, Kamyshevakha in the Donetsk People's Republic, Novonikolaevka, Zaporizhzhya and Velikomykhaylovka in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 245 servicemen, three armored combat vehicles, 15 vehicles and three field artillery pieces, including a US-made 155mm M198 howitzer.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of the mechanized, mountain assault brigades, the coastal defense brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the territorial defense brigade in the areas of Kamenskoye, Stepnogorsk, Malaya Tokmachka in the Zaporizhia region, Antonovka, Kazatskoye and Nikolskoye in the Kherson region.
The enemy's losses amounted to 60 servicemen, 11 vehicles. Seven electronic warfare stations, seven ammunition depots, material resources and military-technical property were destroyed.
10:49 In the period from 8.20 Moscow time to 9.30 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed nine Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles over the territory of the Bryansk region.
08:41 Russian Aerospace Forces inflicted air strikes on targets in the DPR
As a result of the airstrike, the FAB-3000 with a universal planning and correction module was successfully used to destroy the temporary deployment point of the 5th Separate Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the village of Konstantinovka.
A FAB-500 strike hit the temporary deployment point of the 4th Separate Rapid Reaction Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine in the area of the settlement of Belitskoye.
A light multi-purpose guided missile hit a temporary deployment point of the 54th separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the settlement of Seversk.
07:45 Changes to map over the past 24 hours:
Advance south of Varacino
Vladimirovka has been liberated➡️
Katerinovka has been liberated
Advance in Udachny
Expansion of the control zone north of Yalta➡️
Advance in Yunakovka👉
Enemy controls positions in the industrial zone in the western part of Stepovoye.
07:24 During the past night from midnight to 01:40 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed seven Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
Four - over the territory of the Rostov region,
Two - over the territory of the Volgograd region,▫️
One - over the territory of Krasnodar Krai
. 05:03 Crew of the 152mm towed gun 2A36 "Giatsint-B" of the "Center" group of forces destroyed Ukrainian nationalists' UAV control point on the outskirts of Krasnoarmeysk in the DPR.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The number of fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) who have fled to Romania since the beginning of the Second World War is equal to an army corps. This was reported on August 23 by the TASS agency, citing a source in the Russian security agencies.
“If we take statistics from the beginning of the Special Military Operation, the total number of those who fled to Romania could reach 26,000, and that is already a full-fledged army corps,” the agency’s source said. A Russian army corps is a mix of a division and two brigades.
According to him, this is precisely why the Ukrainian authorities are actively working to strengthen the western borders. They are doing that because that is their job.
He also noted that, according to the statistics of the DPSU, since the beginning of 2025, about 5,000 people have left Ukraine for Romania, which makes it possible to form a full-fledged mechanized brigade from this number.
“More than 6,000 Ukrainians were caught attempting this,” the source added.
On August 20, it became known that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had lost 1.7 million servicemen. The information was obtained as a result of hacking the database of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by Russian hackers. They provided personal data of the soldiers, photos of their documents and dog tags of the deceased.
The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) refuses to acknowledge the veracity of the data. The media also referred to the statement of the head of the Kiev regime that the number of the Ukrainian army in January 2025 was 880 thousand people.
Almost 400,000 people have left the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Verkhovna Rada deputy Anna Skorokhod said on August 3. The number of deserters continues to increase, while the command does not plan to solve this problem. In her opinion, one of the main reasons for the mass flight was the deep moral and physical fatigue of the servicemen.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The restoration of Ukraine after the conflict should be carried out at the expense of Germany, France and Great Britain. This was stated on August 23 by the State Duma deputy from Crimea Mikhail Sheremet.
“Such a vital issue as the restoration of post-war Ukraine should be carried out at the expense of Britain, Germany and France, as the most treacherous beneficiaries and sponsors of the Ukrainian conflict,” Sheremet said in a conversation with RIA Novosti.
According to the MP, the US should force these countries to form a fund from their own reserves for the purpose of restoring Ukraine.
Sheremet stressed that the West bears moral and political responsibility for the Ukrainian provocation aimed at inciting a conflict with Russia.
In July, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, reacted sharply to the statement of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who claims that Russia should pay Ukraine 500 billion euros in compensation for damages. The diplomat suggested discussing who owes Russia and how much.
The Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported on August 23 that the European Union has sent Ukraine 10.1 billion euros from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets since the beginning of the year. The article specified that the EU is using Russian assets to support “military and civilian projects” in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that the West’s theft of Russian funds and their use against Russia will not go unpunished.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are withdrawing elite brigades from the Khar'kov direction to the rear, preliminarily, for replenishment. This was reported on August 23 by the Russian security agencies.
"In the Khar'kov direction, there is a lack of units of the 92nd and 82nd separate airborne assault brigades on the LBC (line of combat contact. - Ed.). Their positions have been taken over by territorial defense," a TASS source said.
According to him, the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which claims to be an elite unit, was also withdrawn to the rear by the enemy.
He suggested that, after completing the reinforcement, the Ukrainian Armed Forces could again try to break through the front with the forces of elite brigades.
On August 17, the security forces reported that due to a shortage of personnel, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command is forming female UAV operator crews in the Khar'kov direction. The source noted that several such units are already operating in the Khar'kov region, recruited mainly from medical companies and mobile air defense fire teams, previously used only in the rear.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin is in italics.
[ColonelCassad] Interesting details of the story about the recent attempt by the Ukrainian Armed Forces sabotage forces to be active near the Chornomornaftogaz rigs off the western coast of Crimea. They are natural gas rigs.
At that time, the enemy denied having suffered losses, but as it turned out, several valuable specialists went to feed the fish. Enemy resources report that on August 13 of this year, during another attempt to attack the rigs in the Black Sea, one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces units suffered losses.
In total, three people were reported killed, including an officer with the rank of captain 2nd rank named Marchenko. The obituary states that Marchenko had been involved in military operations in Donbas since 2014. Marchenko was a Ukrainian naval spetsnaz commander.
For some time, he served in the 140th Marine Reconnaissance Battalion as a deep reconnaissance company commander, but later transferred to the 801st PDSS Center. It is also stated that the unit of the 801st center allegedly received an order from the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Syrsky, to carry out a mission in the area of the towers, but the commander of the center refused the mission, for which he was immediately transferred.
Captain Marchenko also refused, and was also removed from the staff. Be that as it may, but on August 13, 2025, Marchenko still found himself in the area of the towers as part of one of the units, where he was overtaken by the hand of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Of course, this is not the same epic landing on Tendrovskaya Spit, where ours mowed down quite a few "saboteurs" (one was captured), but it's also normal. P.S. The enemy also admitted today that a MiG-29 (most likely Polish) was destroyed at night under unknown circumstances. The pilot died.
[KhaamaPress] Kim Pudge Jong-un ...the overweight, pouty-looking hereditary potentate of North Korea. Pudge appears to believe in his own divinity, but has yet to produce any loaves and fishes, so his subjects remain malnourished... acknowledged North Korea ...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche... n troop losses in Ukraine for the first time, honoring fallen soldiers, while intelligence reports suggest thousands killed amid deepening Russia alliance.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has, for the first time, publicly acknowledged that his country’s soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine have suffered casualties. His comments came during a memorial ceremony on August 22, where he honored 100 fallen "hero soldiers" and met with grieving families.
Kim praised the troops’ sacrifice, declaring that "combat operations abroad have proven the strength of our heroic army without regret." It was the first official confirmation from Pyongyang of battlefield losses in Ukraine.
South Korean intelligence, however, suggests the toll is far higher than North Korea admits. According to the National Intelligence Service, nearly 600 North Korean soldiers were killed in fighting around Kursk alone. Out of roughly 15,000 troops deployed since April 2024, around 4,700 are believed to have been killed, with thousands more maimed.
By late 2024, reports indicated about 12,000 North Korean troops remained stationed in Kursk, with an additional 3,000 reinforcements sent in April 2025. The scale of deployment highlights Pyongyang’s deepening military support for Moscow, which has come under widespread condemnation from the West.
Meanwhile,
...back at the shootout, Butch clutched at his other leg...... fighting in the Kursk region continues. Fox News reported that despite Russia reclaiming parts of the territory, Ukrainian forces are conducting cross-border operations. The Institute for the Study of War noted that Ukrainian long-range drones recently struck the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in southern Russia, a vital supplier of fuel for Russian troops.
Kim, in his speech, insisted that North Korea’s overseas operations were "approaching victory." However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... he gave no indication of whether the soldiers deployed to Russia would eventually be brought back home.
The admission signals a significant shift in Pyongyang’s narrative, confirming what analysts long suspected: North Korea’s military is directly engaged in Russia’s war. This cooperation has tightened ties between Moscow and Pyongyang while drawing sharp criticism from Washington, Seoul, and European capitals.
Experts warn that continued casualties could undermine Kim’s domestic image, even as he frames the losses as heroic. At the same time, sustained deployments risk entangling North Korea more deeply in a costly foreign war, further isolating the regime internationally.
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.
...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...
