Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Soviet Army serviceman Sergei Krasnoperov has returned to Russia after 40 years in Afghanistan. He was met at the airport under the name Nurmomad.
"In 1985, Krasnoperov was captured during a military conflict in the region. Before that, he had voluntarily left his unit after a quarrel with his fellow soldiers," RT journalists clarified.
Good to know it’s not just the occasional American who is that astoundingly stupid.
The man is now 60 years old. In Afghanistan, he converted to Islam, married a local girl and started a large family. Sergey has six children.
…five times more than his stay-at-home peers…
The man is involved in road construction and works at a local power plant.
Being able to read and write would put him ahead of at least 70% of his Afghan competition.
He hasn't seen his mother or family for 40 years. When he arrives in Russia, he plans to see them.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on February 15, 1989, Soviet troops were completely withdrawn from Afghanistan after an operation that lasted almost ten years. More than half a million Soviet soldiers were involved in this operation. On this day, Russia remembers the feat of the military who performed their official duty abroad. Veterans of military operations, activists of youth and patriotic organizations gather at memorials throughout the country to honor the memory of the internationalist heroes.
Political scientist Semyon Bagdasarov believes that the USSR should not have simply sent troops into Afghanistan. According to him, this measure was forced.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The General Staff assesses the situation at the front.
The enemy continues to exert the greatest pressure in the Pokrovsky direction, where 32 combat clashes occurred in 24 hours.
Since the beginning of the day on May 22, there have been more than 100 battles on the front. Russian troops dropped 78 guided bombs, used more than 1,300 kamikaze drones and carried out 4,183 attacks. The enemy's greatest activity is still recorded in the Pokrovsky direction. This was reported in the evening report of the General Staff on Thursday, May 22.
In the Kharkov direction, the enemy tried six times to break through the defensive lines of our defenders in the area of the settlement of Vovchansk and in the direction of Dolgenky. At the same time, the enemy launched an air strike on the area of the settlement of Rublenoe.
Three attacks were repelled by Ukrainian defenders in the Kupyansk direction, in the areas of Petrovpavlovka, Kolesnikovka, Kindrashevka, Novaya Kruglyakovka and in the direction of Peschanoye. Two more clashes are still ongoing.
Twelve attacks by the invaders were stopped by Ukrainian soldiers in the areas of the settlements of Grekovka, Novy Mir, Torskoye, Lipovoye and Ridkodub in the Liman direction.
In the Seversky direction, the enemy carried out two offensive actions in the areas of Grigoryevka and Belogorovka.
In the Kramatorsk direction, our defenders stopped three attempts by the invaders to advance in the areas of Chasovy Yar and Belaya Gora. One clash continues to this day.
In the Toretsk direction, the occupiers today stormed the positions of our defenders six times in the areas of Romanovka, Toretsk and Dilievka. The defense forces are steadfastly holding back the onslaught and have repelled four enemy assaults, two combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy carried out 32 offensive actions. The activity of the Russian occupiers is near the settlements of Elizavetovka, Lisovka, Malinovka, Zvirovo, Kotlyarovka, Dachenskoye, Udachnoye, Troitskoye, Andreyevka, as well as in the directions of the settlements of Promen, Shevchenko Pervoye, Mirolyubovka. Five combat clashes are still ongoing. The enemy also carried out air strikes on the areas of the settlements of Pokrovsk, Stepanovka, Novotoretskoye, Gnatovka.
According to estimates, our soldiers eliminated 83 occupiers in this direction and wounded another 70. One self-propelled artillery unit "2S1", 11 cars, eight motorcycles, an antenna for controlling unmanned aerial vehicles, a long-range visual observation complex "Murom-M", 13 unmanned aerial vehicles of various types, two satellite communication terminals and a mortar of the enemy were neutralized. A car, an ATV and an artillery system of the Russian occupiers were also significantly damaged.
In the Novopavlovskoye direction, Ukrainian units stopped 11 attacks by the occupiers near Constantinople and in the direction of Shevchenko and Novopol. One combat clash is currently ongoing. At the same time, the enemy carried out air strikes on the settlements of Komar, Novoukrainka and Novodarovka.
In the Gulyai-Polye direction, the Defense Forces successfully stopped one attempt by the invaders to advance near the settlement of Vysokoye. The settlements of Gulyai-Polye and Vysokoye were subjected to air strikes.
In the Orekhov direction, the enemy carried out two offensive actions today in the direction of Novodanilovka. At the same time, air strikes were carried out on the settlements of Kamenskoye, Novodanilovka and Stepnogorsk.
The enemy did not conduct offensive operations in the Dnieper direction.
There were 20 combat clashes in the Kursk direction today. The enemy carried out 12 air strikes, dropping 16 guided bombs on populated areas and Defense Forces positions. In addition, it carried out 191 artillery attacks, including three from multiple launch rocket systems.
In other areas, there were no significant changes in the situation.
The General Staff noted the soldiers of the 65th separate mechanized brigade "Velikiy Lug", the 406th separate artillery brigade named after General-Khorunzhy Alexei Almazov, the 1st separate territorial defense brigade named after Ivan Bohun, who are effectively repelling the enemy.
Earlier, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine made a statement regarding the fighting in the Kursk region of Russia .
Let us recall that on May 21, Russia lost almost 900 fighters killed and wounded in 24 hours. The total number of Russian losses will soon exceed the psychological threshold of 1 million people.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding back Russian attacks in the east and south of Ukraine.
Most of the fighting took place in the Pokrovsky direction. There the enemy tried to break through in the areas of nine settlements.
Since the beginning of the day, 69 combat clashes have occurred on the front. Almost a third of Russian attacks are concentrated in the Pokrovsk direction, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in an operational report as of 16:00 on Thursday, May 22.
Thus, in the Kharkov direction, the enemy attacked four times in the area of the city of Vovchansk.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy twice attempted to advance in the areas of Petropavlovka and Novaya Kruglyakovka. The defense forces successfully repelled these attacks.
In the Liman direction, six military clashes occurred in the areas of the settlements of Grekovka, Novy Mir, Torskoye and Ridkodub.
In the Seversky direction, two enemy attacks were stopped in the areas of Grigorovka and Belogorovka.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the enemy attacked three times near Chasovy Yar and Belaya Gora. One clash continues to this day.
In the Toretsk direction, the invaders advanced three times in the areas of Romanovka, Toretsk and Dilievka.
In the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy organized 20 assaults near the settlements of Elizavetovka, Lisovka, Dachenskoye, Udachnoye, Troitskoye, Andreyevka, as well as in the directions of the settlements of Promen, Shevchenko Pervoye, Mirolyubovka. Six clashes continue.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, the aggressor attacked nine times in the Shevchenko and Novopol directions. One combat clash continues.
In the Gulyai-Polye direction, the enemy attacked Vysokoye once. The Ukrainian Armed Forces successfully repelled this assault.
In the Orekhov direction, the enemy carried out two offensive actions in the direction of Novodanilovka.
Nine military clashes have already been recorded in the Kursk direction.
Let us recall that on May 21, Russia lost almost 900 fighters killed and wounded in 24 hours. The total number of Russian losses will soon exceed the psychological threshold of 1 million people.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 20:00 Footage released of defeats of a French VAB armored personnel carrier using an FPV drone in the Khar'kov direction. 20:00 Druzhkovskoye direction
Units of the South Group of Forces continue their offensive in the area of the “pocket”.
At the present moment, the assault on Ignatyevka (most of the village is under the control of our units) and Staraya Nikolaevka (the southwestern part of the village is under our control) is underway.
To the east of Romanovka, up to Leonidovka, they cleared the plantings in the fields and “leveled out” the front.
To the north and east of Romanovka, our assault units are driving the enemy from the heights along the Sukhaya ravine and in the landings in the direction of Katerinovka, advancing to the western outskirts of Petrovka (Novospasskoye), which threatens to disrupt the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ logistics route to the village.
Fighting continues on the approaches to Zarya/Alekseyevka.
To the northwest, the "left pincer" of the 20th Guards Motorized Rifle Division has advanced to the western and southwestern outskirts of Yablonovka. Assault units are fighting for the latter and enemy strongholds in the western part of the village.
The distance to the western part of the Kleban-Byk reservoir is 7-8 km.
19:35 Drone operators of the 51st Guards Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District destroyed enemy UAV calculation in the suburbs of Krasnoarmeysk.
18:34 Far Eastern soldiers continue the assault on Otradny –MAP
18:13 Specialists of the Rubicon Center destroyed UAV control point in the Rubtsovsk direction
17:25 Novopavlovskoye direction
2/3 of Otradny is under the control of our assault units.
A number of farm lands have been cleared to the east of Fedorovka.
16:49 A 122mm BM-21 Grad MLRS crew from the self-propelled artillery unit of the Dnepr group of forces struck the area of concentration of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, intercepted rotation of enemy units and delivery of ammunition to forward positions.
16:13 Tank crews of the "Vostok" group struck enemy positions, as well as places where personnel are concentrated in the area of the settlement of Otradnoye in the South Donetsk direction.
15:29 Crews of 152mm howitzers "Msta-B" of Ulyanovsk airborne artillerymen destroyed command post and control post of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' UAVs on the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region.
14:54 Summary of the Russian Ministry of Defense on the progress of the special military operation as of May 22, 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 concentrations of manpower and equipment of two mechanized, airborne assault brigades, an assault regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and three territorial defense brigades in the areas of the settlements of Konstantinovka, Ryzhevka, Vladimirovka, Pavlovka, Okop, Miropolye, Yablonovka in the Sumy region and Volchansk in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 215 servicemen, five combat armored vehicles, 17 cars and six field artillery pieces, including two US-made 155mm M-777 howitzers. Three electronic and counter-battery warfare stations and an ammunition depot were destroyed.
Units of the "West" group of forces improved their tactical position. They defeated formations of two mechanized, airmobile brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a territorial defense brigade and a national guard brigade in the areas of the populated areas of Petrovpavlivka, Grushevka, Podliman, Kupyansk-Uzlovaya, Sobolevka in the Khar'kov region, Redkodub, Yampol and Karpovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 220 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, seven cars and four field artillery pieces, including a British-made 105mm L-119 howitzer. Two ammunition depots were destroyed.
The units of the "Southern" group of troops occupied more advantageous lines and positions. They defeated the manpower and equipment of two mechanized, airmobile, assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Dyleevka, Nelepovka, Berestok, Katerinovka, Stupochki, Staraya Nikolaevka, Serebryanka, Aleksandro-Shultino, Zarya and Chasov Yar of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost up to 245 servicemen, five armored combat vehicles, including two US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, five cars and an artillery piece. An electronic warfare station and four ammunition depots were destroyed.
As a result of active and decisive actions by units of the Center group of forces, the settlement of Novaya Poltavka in the Donetsk People's Republic was liberated.
Defeat was inflicted on formations of three mechanized, assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, two territorial defense brigades and a national guard brigade in the areas of the settlements of Ulyanovka, Koptevo, Novoekonomicheskoe, Novosergeevka, Alekseevka, Kotlyarovka, Petrovskogo, Dimitrov and Nikolaevka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost up to 400 troops, seven armored combat vehicles, including a US-made HMMWV and MaxxPro armored vehicle, and a Canadian-made Senator armored personnel carrier. Two pickup trucks and three artillery pieces 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 the mechanized, airborne assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Zelenoye Pole, Novopol, Komar, Otradnoye of the Donetsk People's Republic and Gulyaipole of the Zaporizhia region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 215 servicemen, a tank, eight combat armored vehicles and six cars. Two field artillery guns and an ammunition depot were destroyed.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of two mechanized brigades, a coastal defense brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and four territorial defense brigades in the areas of the settlements of Stepnogorsk, Pavlovka, Kamenskoye, Malaya Tokmachka in the Zaporizhia region, Tyaginka, Sadovoe and Antonovka in the Kherson region.
Up to 75 servicemen, five vehicles, two electronic warfare stations, two ammunition and material depots were destroyed.
Operational-tactical aviation, strike unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the groups of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation inflicted damage on an aircraft repair shop, a defense industry enterprise of Ukraine, military airfield infrastructure facilities, air defense radar stations, missile and artillery weapons and unmanned aerial vehicle depots, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian Armed Forces units and foreign mercenaries in 138 districts.
In addition, during the missile strike, the Iskander operational-tactical missile system destroyed two launchers, a combat control cabin, and a radar station of the US-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile system.
Air defense systems shot down three JDAM guided aerial bombs and four US-made HIMARS multiple launch rockets, as well as 317 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, during the repelling of a massive raid by enemy drones (from 8 p.m. on May 20 to 8 a.m. on May 22) outside the special military operation zone, air defense systems shot down 485 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles, including
- over the territory of the Oryol region – 135,
- over the territory of Kursk region – 121,
- over the territory of the Moscow region – 63,
- over the territory of the Bryansk region - 59,
- over the territory of the Belgorod region - 26,
- over the territory of the Tula region – 20,
- over the territory of the Ryazan region – 15,
- over the territory of the Kaluga region – 13,
- over the territory of the Voronezh region – 7,
- over the territory of the Vladimir region – 6,
- over the territory of Lipetsk region – 4,
- over the territory of the Republic of Crimea and the Black Sea – 3,
- over the territory of the Smolensk region – 3,
- over the territory of the Rostov region - 2,
- eight - on flight routes.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the following have been destroyed:
662 aircraft,
283 helicopters,
58,360 unmanned aerial vehicles,
606 anti-aircraft missile systems,
23,468 tanks and other armored combat vehicles,
1,563 multiple launch rocket system combat vehicles,
25,150 field artillery pieces and mortars,
35,790 units of special military vehicles.
14:21 As a result of active and decisive actions by units of the Center group of forces released the settlement of Novaya Poltavka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
13:02 Footage of the fire has been published show heavy flamethrower systems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stronghold in the area of the settlement of Chervone in the Zaporizhia region.
12:30 Servicemen of the 2nd Guards Artillery Brigade of the Yuzhnaya Group of Forces destroyed a 105mm L-119 howitzer made in Great Britain and a 120mm mortar of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the village of Serebryanka.
11:37 Far Eastern soldiers have established themselves in the southeastern and eastern parts of Otradny –MAP
11:20 Drone operators of the "East" group of forces, having destroyed the "Kozak" armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, intercepted rotation of enemy units and delivery of ammunition to forward positions in the South Donetsk direction.
10:42 Khar'kov region. Assault groups have taken up new positions in Vovchansk –MAP
10:30 FPV drone calculations at Rubicon Center destroyedT-64BV tank of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Sumy direction.
09:51 Combat work of UAV operators of the 6th Army: destroyed vehicles and a copter of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Servicemen of the 6th Army of the Leningrad Military District continue to identify and destroy enemy targets in the Volchansk direction.
07:51 From 00.00 to 05.30 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 105 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
35 UAVs – over the territory of the Moscow region,
14 UAVs – over the territory of the Oryol region,
12 UAVs – over the territory of the Kursk region,
11 UAVs – over the territory of the Belgorod region,
Ten UAVs – over the territory of the Tula region,
Nine UAVs – over the territory of the Kaluga region,
Seven UAVs – over the territory of the Voronezh region,
Three UAVs were destroyed over the territories of Lipetsk and Smolensk regions,
One UAV – over the territory of the Bryansk region.
07:33 Changes to map over the past 24 hours:
Advance in the area of the village of Popov Yar
Control zone in the Zelenoye Pole – Novopol area has been expanded
Russian Armed Forces Reach Outskirts of Novootradnoye
Ours reached the border of the Dnepropetrovsk region west of Troitskoye
05:04 Calculation of the MLRS "Tornado-S" of the "Center" group of forcesinflictedan attack on a temporary deployment point of Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Fighting for the last section of the border between the DPR and the Zaporizhia region has begun. This was reported by the chairman of the commission of the Public Chamber (OP) of the Russian Federation on sovereignty issues, co-chairman of the coordinating council for the integration of new regions Vladimir Rogov.
“Battles have essentially begun to liberate the last section of the border between the Zaporizhia region and the DPR, which is still under the control of Ukrainian Armed Forces militants,” RIA Novosti quoted Rogov as saying.
He specified that units of Russian forces are fighting near the settlements of Novopol and Zelenoe Pole, located at the junction of the regions. The Russian Armed Forces are also advancing in the Stepnogorsk and Orekhovo directions.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on May 21, Russian Telegram channels reported that the Russian Armed Forces had reached the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region. According to them, the first to cross the border were units of the 90th Guards Tank Vitebsk-Novgorod Twice Red Banner Division of the Center group of forces.
The published footage shows servicemen unfurling the Russian tricolor. However, there was no official confirmation of the information about the Russian Armed Forces reaching the border with Ukraine.
On May 12, the adviser to the head of the DPR, Igor Kimakovsky, reported that the Russian Armed Forces had reduced the distance to the Dnepropetrovsk region in the Krasnoarmeyskaya direction to 1 km. According to him, Russian troops are advancing along the entire front line in the DPR.
On May 20, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 1,290 servicemen in the area of the special military operation. The enemy suffered the greatest losses in the area of responsibility of the Russian Armed Forces Group "Center" - up to 425 servicemen, nine combat armored vehicles, six cars and three field artillery guns. Russian troops also hit the infrastructure of the enemy's military airfield and a drone production workshop. Air defense systems shot down 89 Ukrainian drones in one day.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] On May 22, Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the Rossiya Segodnya media group and the RT TV channel,responded to a question about RT’s accusations of propaganda with a Russian proverb.
In an interview with the French channel GPTV, Simonyan stated that the BBC and CNN channels, which themselves produce propaganda materials, often make such accusations.
“You know, there is a Russian proverb: ‘You can’t judge people by themselves.’ The biggest propagandists are the BBC, CNN, which even the president [ Donald Trump ] calls propagandists, they say that,” Simonyan said.
According to the editor-in-chief of RT, normal people would not speak the way the BBC and CNN do, and she does not consider it necessary to justify herself to abnormal people.
In March, Trump said CNN and MSNBC were political tools of the Democratic Party and that their actions were illegal. The head of the White House criticized the media for coordinating with each other, adding that they influence judges and help change laws.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, on March 1, 2022, the largest American satellite provider DirecTV announced that it was excluding RT from its broadcasting program. Since March 3 of the same year, RT America has stopped broadcasting live. American journalist Tucker Carlson, in a conversation with his colleague Rick Sanchez, said that the then US administration violated the country's constitution with its ban.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Eight people were injured in the village of Panteleimonovka near Avdeevka in the DPR in a HIMARS missile strike. This was reported on May 22 by operational services.
"Eight civilians were wounded in Panteleimonovka. The shelling was carried out by four HIMARS missiles," a TASS source in the operational services said.
On May 15, it was reported that Ukrainian troops launched a HIMARS multiple launch rocket system at a hospital in the village of Tyotkino in the Kursk region. In addition, a bridge in the Kursk village of Korenevo was completely destroyed. There were no casualties as a result of the strikes.
On May 11, the Ukrainian Armed Forces used HIMARS to shell the Kursk city of Rylsk with missiles. Three civilians were injured and hospitalized in the district hospital. A hotel at the entrance to the city was also seriously damaged.
The following day, a crew from the Russian Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system destroyed a HIMARS multiple launch rocket system in Sumy Oblast, which had been used to strike Rylsk.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Baltic Sea could become a place of permanent confrontation between Russia and the West. This was stated by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on May 22.
"The Baltic Sea will become a place of permanent confrontation (between Russia and the West. - Ed.)," Tusk said at a meeting with the commanders of the Navy in Gdynia, his speech was broadcast by the TVP Info television channel.
According to the prime minister, incidents near infrastructure facilities in the Baltic "will occur more and more often." The day before, Tusk reported "suspicious activity of a sanctioned vessel" in the area of the underwater cable that connects Poland and Sweden. According to the republic's Defense Ministry, the vessel was in neutral waters and allegedly changed course due to the impact of Polish aviation.
In December 2024, several DC submarine cables failed in the Baltic Sea. Following this, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that the alliance would deploy military patrols in the region to protect underwater infrastructure.
In January, two NATO warships entered the Gulf of Finland. At that time, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, noted: The West took advantage of the incident in the Baltic Sea to expand its military presence, and is now undermining international energy security.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on May 20 Zakharova stated that the provocations of the North Atlantic Alliance countries in the Baltic Sea should receive a clear assessment from the world community. On April 30, the Russian Presidential Aide and the head of the Maritime Collegium Nikolai Patrushev called for additional measures to be taken against Russia's threats at sea.
According to him, the military-political situation in the world currently demonstrates a high level of tension, including due to NATO's military activity in the Baltic and North Sea, as well as in the North Atlantic and the Asia-Pacific region.
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.
