The Russian Security Services has announced that they have taken down three scam call centers in Moscow, which had defrauded people in more than 20 countries out of tens of millions of dollars. pic.twitter.com/WC4e8oqGBJ
On December 9, the FSB Public Relations Center reported that law enforcement officers had stopped the activities of a large international network of call centers in Russia. Eleven managers and employees of the criminals' Russian offices were detained, including the head of one of the branches, Yakov Keselman. Some of the criminals were put on the wanted list.
Under the guise of investment deals, the criminals were engaged in telephone fraud on an international scale. Victims were found in the EU, Great Britain, Canada, Brazil, India, Japan and other countries. In total, more than 100 thousand people suffered, the income of the call centers was about one million dollars per day.
And already on the morning of December 11, the FSB Public Relations Center announced that three more call center offices had been identified in Moscow that had deceived tens of thousands of citizens from more than 20 countries. By gaining the trust of the victims, the criminals stole money sent for investment in cryptocurrency and trading platforms.
The criminals operated on a large scale: the call centers had about 500 workstations, their own recruiting agency for recruiting and training employees, as well as a security service guarding the staff and the premises. The fraudulent organization's turnover amounted to tens of millions of dollars.
Once again, the criminals operated on a large scale: the call centers had about 500 workstations, their own recruiting agency for recruiting and training employees, as well as a security service guarding the staff and the premises. The fraudulent organization's turnover amounted to tens of millions of dollars.
According to law enforcement officials, the money stolen by the three call centers was used, in particular, to finance the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
At those numbers, do they really need foreign funding?
The criminal organizations were part of an international network of fraudsters controlled by the wanted leader of the Khimprom organized crime group, Yegor Burkin.
UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE SBU
The Khimprom group was organized back in 2014, its inspirer and leader was a native of Russia, Yegor Burkin. In 2016, he moved to Ukraine, received a passport there in the name of Yegor Levchenko and developed active criminal activity. Khimprom distributes synthetic drugs via the Internet, and also maintains an extensive network of call centers.
Ukraine has long been one of the world's main drug "hubs", but many crimes there are not actually prosecuted, since the dealers in death and other criminals are under the protection of the Security Service of Ukraine. In exchange for patronage, both drug dealers and telephone scammers pay the Ukrainian security forces their share.
Yakov Keselman, who was detained in Moscow, admitted the day before that the criminals paid SBU representative Artem Shila for protection. For money, the Ukrainian authorities and security forces are ready to turn a blind eye to many things, and if we are talking about anti-Russian actions, they are also ready to encourage them in every possible way.
The FSB reported that in 2022, Keselman and his accomplices, on instructions from the SBU, spread false reports about terrorist attacks being prepared in Russia.
The investigation will have to find out how many people and for what amounts the criminals managed to deceive. At the same time, the general statistics of "IT fraud" in Russia are terrifying: 80% of money thefts in Russia occur remotely, and from January to November 2024, cyber fraudsters stole about 158 billion rubles from Russians.
FRAUD AS UKRAINIAN STATE POLICY
The problem of telephone fraud, whose roots go back to Ukraine, has noticeably worsened recently.
On December 9, the Russian FSB drew attention to the fact that the Ukrainian special services are not only extorting money from Russians, but are also increasingly involving them in illegal activities through blackmail, bribery, and deception.
On December 10, President Vladimir Putin noted that the actions of telephone scammers have become one of the lines of Ukrainian attacks on the Russian population. According to the country's leader, it is reliably known that the criminals are operating from the territory of Ukraine.
In addition, the head of state pointed out that the barrage of fraudulent calls to Russian numbers is under the control of Ukrainian government agencies and bodies.
“This has been elevated to the rank of state policy,” Putin emphasized.
Back in June, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Sberbank Stanislav Kuznetsov reported that 350-400 fraudulent call centers were working against Russians in Ukraine, with about 40% of their “income” going to finance the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS
Telephone scammers can be divided into two categories: ordinary criminals acting for profit, and those who are guided by political motives, said Artur Shlykov, Chairman of the All-Russian public movement "Civil Committee of Russia", in an interview with IA Regnum. At the same time, the punishment for "political" ones should be very harsh, because we are talking about more than just the financial well-being of citizens.
“Their goal is not personal enrichment, but sponsoring the enemy army, which is a completely different story,” says Shlykov.
He advised Russians not to use various kinds of Western Internet platforms, which have become “an instrument of influence for foreign intelligence services and are not subject to our legislation,” and to switch to domestic analogues.
“There is an immediate opportunity to respond to any prohibited, destructive, dangerous, criminal content or other activity that violates the rights of Russians,” the expert explains.
In addition, Shlykov emphasizes, it is necessary to create a competent and extensive system of educational work with the population of all ages in terms of safe use of the Internet.
“People simply may not become victims of crimes on the Internet because they are properly warned about the situation,” noted the source of IA Regnum.
"THREE BASIC RULES"
In order to avoid becoming a victim of Internet fraudsters, it is enough to follow three simple rules, cybersecurity specialist Alexander Dvoryansky noted in a conversation with IA Regnum.
First of all, remember that a real bank will never call a citizen via messenger.
"As a rule, they don't call from mobile phones either. But if they do call from a bank, which is extremely unlikely, it will be a landline, which can be easily checked on the bank's website or on the back of your card," says the expert.
Secondly, you should not tell anyone the access codes to resources and services, because, as Dvoryansky reminds us, “no employee will ever ask you for the authorization codes that he allegedly sent.”
Thirdly, today there are a large number of paid and free number identifiers that "highlight" the origin of the call - they should be used. The application will tell you that the call is from a fraudster or is spam. But here, the expert advises, you should not relax and lose vigilance, because criminals can resort to number substitution.
FSB shows footage of Moscow arrest of fraudsters from call center network
The footage shows security forces in special uniforms detaining several people near a car parked next to some administrative building and at the doors of the building itself. Also in the video are several dozen call center employees lined up in one of the work areas. Among them are both men and women. The center itself is equipped with tables with computers, headphones and equipment for making calls.
In one of the shots, you can see an action plan for employees drawn on a whiteboard, including identifying the client's needs, presentation, handling objections, and closing the deal. It also describes the search for new employees and the points for their selection.
In one of the offices, they found stacks of SIM cards with numbers from different countries and some ratings with the amount of cash revenue.
As reported by Regnum on December 11, three call centers were found in Moscow that deceived tens of thousands of citizens from England, Spain, Germany, Italy, France and other countries. The damage caused amounted to tens of millions of US dollars. About 500 workstations were equipped in the call centers. The stolen money was used, among other things, to finance the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Separately, nine suspects in fraud against Serbian citizens were taken into custody as part of a criminal case under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The victims lost about 30 million rubles.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/12/2024 2024-12-12 00:08 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11129 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Would it be silly of me to wonder if any of that money would be going home?
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/12/2024 8:57 Comments ||
Top||
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:23 Russia plans to strike Ukraine with an Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile in the coming days, but the exact date of the possible attack is unknown. This was stated by Sabrina Singh, deputy spokesperson for the Pentagon.
21:46 Fierce fighting continues in the Pokrovsk direction. The enemy prevails in manpower there. This was stated by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky.
20:37 Explosions were heard in the temporarily occupied Crimea on Wednesday evening, December 11. It was also reported that they "arrived" in the area of one of the bays.
18:39 The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has codified and cleared for operation the TOKKO unmanned aerial system of Ukrainian manufacture, which has two modifications of drones that differ in the weight of their combat load.
18:14 The ambassadors of the EU countries have agreed on the 15th package of sanctions in response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The new package adds even more individuals and entities to the existing sanctions list and targets organizations in Russia and third countries that indirectly contribute to Russia's military and technological advancement by circumventing export restrictions.
17.57 The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the attack on the Taganrog military airfield was carried out by six ATACMS missiles, noting that "this will not go unanswered."
Bloomberg, citing an American official, warns of a possible Oreshnik missile strike on Ukraine in the coming days.
17.45 Talk about the aggressive war waged by Russia cannot take place without Ukraine. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, commenting on the phone call between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
17.20 The issue of reducing the mobilization age in Ukraine was raised at the negotiations in the European Union. This was reported by the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration - Minister of Justice Olha Stefanishyna.
16:58 Since the beginning of the day, 140 combat clashes have occurred on the front, most of them in four directions. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on the latest events on the contact line.
16:12 Germany's total aid to Ukraine during the full-scale Russian invasion is 37 billion euros, which is the most among all European countries. This was announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during his visit to Berlin.
15:58 A Belarusian volunteer with the call sign Gaz died at the front in Ukraine.
15.30 A married couple died as a result of Russian shelling of the Sumy region border area. In the village of Belovody in the Khotyn community, on the territory of a private home, law enforcement officers found the bodies of a 55-year-old man and his 65-year-old wife in the ashes.
15.09 Russia has launched a large-scale hybrid offensive against Europe amid military aggression against Ukraine. Georgia, Moldova and Romania are the latest cases, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said .
14.05 Newly elected US President Donald Trump considers ending the war in Ukraine his top priority after taking office. He said this in an interview with the French magazine Paris Match.
13:30 Russian dictator Vladimir Putin held talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The main topic was the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin press service reported .
13:03 Russian invaders are suffering record losses at the front and losing military potential. This is the main goal for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, President Volodymyr Zelensky said after hearing the report of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrsky.
12:12 The Defense Forces received over 1.2 million unmanned aerial vehicles of various types, including reconnaissance, attack and FPV drones, over the 11 months of this year. The details were reported by the Ministry of Defense.
12:00 Russians tried to attack Dnipropetrovsk region. Air defense forces shot down two enemy missiles.
11:25 An aircraft repair plant was attacked in Taganrog, Rostov Region. This was reported by the Telegram channel Astra.
Journalists analyzed, geolocated and confirmed the authenticity of the video that had previously appeared on social networks. It turned out that the video was filmed near the parking lot of an aircraft repair plant on Tsiolkovsky Street. A boiler room on the same street was damaged as a result of the attack. The aircraft repair plant of JSC 325 ARZ is located at the site of the attack.
10:57 Russia reported a missile attack on Taganrog in the Rostov region on the night of December 11. Acting Governor Yuri Slyusar said that an industrial enterprise was damaged and 14 cars burned in a parking lot.
Taganrog Mayor Svetlana Kambulova said that a boiler room in the city was damaged. There is no heat supply in 27 apartment buildings.
10:35 The enemy attack on Zaporizhia on December 10 took the lives of seven people, and another 22 were injured. Today, a day of mourning for those killed in the attack has been declared in the Zaporizhia region.
10:20 On Wednesday night, the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck an oil depot of Russian occupiers in the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We are talking about the Druzhba oil pipeline loading point, the main function of which is the reception, storage, distribution and shipment of diesel fuel.
9:40 In the Russian city of Bryansk, two mainline diesel locomotives that provided for the logistics needs of the Russian army burned down. This was reported by the press service of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
"On December 5, a fire broke out at a railway depot in the city of Bryansk - two mainline diesel locomotives that provided logistical needs for the Russian occupation army burned down," the report says.
9:38 A column of Chinese Desertcross 1000-3 all-terrain vehicles was recorded moving along the M-4 highway in the direction of Kursk. This was reported by the Atesh partisan movement. The vehicles were seen between Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh. It is noted that the all-terrain vehicles are used for patrol and reconnaissance operations, raids, cargo transportation and evacuation of the wounded. The partisans admit that the accumulation of all-terrain vehicles may indicate that Russian troops are preparing for raid and sabotage operations in the Kursk region and other territories bordering Ukraine.
9:25 Hungary will continue its so-called "peacekeeping mission" to end the war in Ukraine this week, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.
"There will be at least two more events this week that will be part of the Hungarian peacekeeping mission, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow," he said.
8:57 Over the past 24 hours, 208 combat clashes took place on the front. The hottest ones were in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhovsk directions. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces hit two command posts, three ammunition depots and one area of concentration of Russian invaders' personnel.
8:36 Over the past 24 hours, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed 1,400 Russian occupiers. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The enemy's total combat losses from 24.02.22 to 11.12.24 were approximately 757,340 people.
7:23 As of the morning of December 11, there are no Russian ships in the Black and Azov Seas. This was reported by the Ukrainian Navy. There are currently six enemy ships in the Mediterranean Sea, four of which are carriers of Kalibr cruise missiles with a total salvo of up to 41 missiles.
Russia: Former deputy mayor of Krasnoyarsk, Alexey Davydov (39), fell out of an 11th floor window of the Investigative Committee building during interrogation. He was detained 5 days ago on suspicion of bribery. pic.twitter.com/vckKumOcJ6
Krasnoyarsk is the second-largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk, with a population of over 1.1 million. It’s an important junction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and a major aluminum producer. So why would a mere former assistant mayor be in need of interrogation with open windows?
Posted by: Fred ||
12/12/2024 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11130 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
Well, given how hot and humid it is in Siberia this time of year, it's logical that the windows would be open...
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[LB] Defense forces: the enemy is trying to break through the defenses of the city of Kurakhove.
The city remains under the control of the Defense Forces.
by Ivanna Kapustianska
The Russian army is trying to break through the defenses of the city of Kurakhove in the Donetsk region. At the same time, the city remains under the control of the Defense Forces.
This was announced on air by the spokesman for the Khortytsia Regional Administrative District, Nazar Voloshyn, Ukrinform writes.
The spokesman stressed that the activities of three Russian groups are concentrated in the Pokrovsky, Kurakhiv, and Vremovsky directions : "Center," "South," and "East." Their goal remains to reach the administrative borders and establish full control over the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
"Over the past day, our defenders have repelled 45 enemy assaults in that direction. Of course, there is a concentration of enemy personnel reserves. Russian groups from the 90th Tank Division, the 20th Motorized Rifle Division, the 5th and 110th Separate Motorized Rifle brigades are operating against us there. The armament and tactics of combat operations are standard, assaults are supported by armored vehicles, alternating with the use of small assault groups using mobile vehicles," the spokesman informed.
Voloshyn also reported that the enemy is trying to break through to Kurakhovo and take control of the commanding heights and roads leading to it.
"The enemy army is shelling the city, using both aviation and artillery. However, the Defense Forces are restraining the enemy's offensive actions, inflicting losses on it in civilian life and equipment. Units of the Armed Forces control the city of Kurakhove, and enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups that still manage to break through are being promptly destroyed," the spokesman said.
According to him, fighting continues in the Pokrovsky direction to restore lost Ukrainian positions.
"The enemy attacked our fortifications in the Pokrovsky direction, west of Vidrodzhennya, south of Novotroitsky, and as a result of prolonged clashes, two of our positions were destroyed and one was lost. Measures are currently being taken to restore the positions. Fighting is also ongoing on the southwestern outskirts of the Shevchenkove settlement. The enemy is trying to gain a foothold and infiltrate its DRGs. But the Defense Forces are restraining the enemy's offensive actions, inflicting losses on him in civilian life and equipment," Voloshyn noted.
Linked article is available only through a VPN
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Kharkov direction, the units of the Sever Group of Forces have defeated formations of one AFU air assault brigade and one border detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine close to Pervomayskoye and Alisovka (Kharkov region). The AFU losses were up to 25 troops and two 122mm D-30 howitzers.
The Zapad Group of Forces' units have improved the tactical situation and inflicted losses on military personnel and hardware of three mechanised brigades, one airmobile brigade, one assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, one territorial defence brigade, and two National Guard brigades close to Lozovaya, Zagryzovo, Kupyansk, Glushkovka (Kharkov region), Terny (Donetsk People's Republic), and Serebryansky forestry.
In addition, 11 counterattacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been repelled.
The AFU losses were up to 515 troops, three pickup trucks, one 122mm D-30 howitzer, and three U.S.-made 105mm M-119 guns. One ammunition depots and one Anklav-N electronic warfare station have been neutralised.
The Yug Group of Forces' units have taken more advantageous positions, defeated formations of five mechanised brigades, two airmobile brigades of the AFU close to Ulakly, Grigorovka, Seversk, Vasyukovka, Chasov Yar, Dachnoye, Kurakhovo, Annovka, and Uspenovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were up to 285 troops, one Kozak armoured fighting vehicle, and one pickup truck. Two ammunition depots have been wiped out.
The units of the Tsentr Group of Forces continued advancing to the depths of enemy defences, inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of three mechanised brigades, two jaeger brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, one assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as well as one naval infantry brigade near Dzerzhinsk, Krasnoye, Zarya, Novopustynka, Ukrainsk, Shcherbinovka, and Pushkino (Donetsk People's Republic).
In addition, 10 AFU counter-attacks have been repelled. The AFU losses were up to 440 troops, one infantry fighting vehicle, one U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carrier, seven motor vehicles, three 152mm D-20 howitzers, two 152mm Msta-B howitzers, and one 122mm D-30 howitzers.
The units of the Vostok Group of Forces have improved the situation along the front line, defeated units of two territorial defence brigades, and one National Guard brigade close to Velikaya Novosyolka, Konstantinopol, Vremevka, and Storozhevoye (Donetsk People's Republic). One counter-attack of enemy assault detachment has been repelled.
The AFU losses were up to 150 troops, one U.S.-made HMMWV and MaxxPro armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, two 155mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery system, two 152mm 2S3 Akatsiya and one 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems.
The units of the Dnepr Group of Forces have delivered strikes at enemy manpower and hardware of one infantry brigade, one mechanised brigade, and two territorial defence brigades close to Orekhov, Novopokrovka (Zaporozhye region), Ponyatovka, and Antonovka (Kherson region).
The AFU losses were up to 40 troops, four motor vehicles, and one U.S.-made M777 howitzer.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have engaged AFU manpower and hardware clusters in 141 areas during the day
Air defence systems have shot down four U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles and 32 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 649 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 37,559 unmanned aerial vehicles, 586 anti-aircraft missile systems, 19,725 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,500 MLRS combat vehicles, 19,411 field artillery guns and mortars, and 29,138 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the operation to neutralise an enemy group, which broke into the territory of Kursk region.
The units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of three mechanised brigades, one heavy mechanised brigade, two tank brigades, two air assault brigades, one naval infantry brigade, and three territorial defence brigades of the AFU close to Guyevo, Lebedevka, Leonidovo, Malaya Loknya, Martynovka, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Nikolskoye, Novoivanovka, and Sverdlikovo.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of the enemy near Aleksandriya, Kruglenkoye, Mirny, Nizhny Klin, Basovka, Belovody, Vodolagi, Vesyolovka, and Zhuravka in Sumy region.
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses were more than 200 troops, one tank, three U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, seven motor vehicles, and six mortars. One AFU serviceman surrendered.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 39,860 troops, 235 tanks, 174 infantry fighting vehicles, 123 armoured personnel carriers, 1,249 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,111 motor vehicles, 308 artillery guns, 40 MLRS launchers, including 11 of HIMARS and six of MLRS made by the USA, 13 anti-aircraft missile launchers, seven transport-loading vehicles, 72 EW stations, 13 counter-battery warfare radars, four air defence radars, 27 units of engineering and other materiel, including 13 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, six armoured recovery vehicles, and one command post vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:59 Official summary of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC from 00:00 11.12.2024 to 00:00 12.12.2024.
A total of 18 cases of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces were recorded by the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC over the past 24 hours.
There were no reports of civilian casualties.
DAMAGED:
Four civil infrastructure facilities.
A total of 18 artillery attacks in the Gorlovka direction.
A total of 57 units of various ammunition were fied.
21:20 Telegram channel "Colonelcassad":
In Sevastopol, the military defended attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, air defense is working.
According to preliminary information, two UAVs have already been shot down over the sea. Also, two more air targets were shot down in the area of Balaklava and Inkerman.
21:00 Telegram channel "Rybar":
Pokrovsk direction: fighting in Novotroitskoye
- Russian troopsare being fixedon the western outskirts of the settlement of Novy Trud (Vozrozhdenie). The enemy has probably been driven out of the forest area to the south near the railway, since without control over it an attack towards the village would have been impossible.
- With the liberation of Novy Trud, the Russian Armed Forces provide a bridgehead for encircling enemy positions in Zeleny and Dachenskoye from the west, while simultaneously attacking from the east from the direction of Lysovka.
- At the same time, the enemy made an unsuccessful attempt to attack in the village of Shevchenko. Two armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and a tank were blown up by minefields on the northern outskirts of the village.
- To the west, fighting continues in Novotroitskoye, on the eastern outskirts of which Ukrainian formations are trying from time to time to carry out fire raids under the cover of armored vehicles.
20:10 Telegram channel "Colonelcassad":
Soldiers of the 16th Separate Special Forces Brigade using an FPV drone on fiber optics in the Serebryanskoye forest area struck a pickup truck with four militants.
19:20 Russian Ministry of Defense:
Six ATACMS missiles released by Ukrainian Armed Forces militants in Taganrog last morning.
Two missiles were shot down by the combat crew of the Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and gun system, the rest were suppressed by electronic warfare systems.
As a result of the falling missile fragments, there were casualties among the personnel, but there was no destruction.
Two buildings in the technical area of ??the airfield, three military vehicles, and civilian cars in the parking lot were slightly damaged
. 17:56 Volchansk. Khar'kov region. The movement has intensified.
It is reported about clearing the area behind the high-rise buildings in Volchansk itself.
The Russian army uses precision weapons on enemy positions, and our special armored vehicles clear the way of enemy mines.
17:50 Russian Ministry of Defense:
Drone operators of the "West" group hit equipment and personnel of the armored group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Khar'kov region.
Ukrainian Armed Forces militants attempted to attack the positions of Russian servicemen with an armored group on a T-80 tank supported by a BMP-1U Shkval. The enemy tank and infantry fighting vehicle were stopped by a mine explosion. The enemy crews abandoned the armored vehicles, awaiting evacuation.
17:45 Ukrainian militants gave up and were captured after the storming of their positions.
The position of the Ukrainian occupation forces in the Kurakhiv direction was stormed, during which servicemen of the 102nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 150th division of the 8th Guards Army threw grenades at the Ukrainian dugout. Four Ukrainian soldiers decided to stop resisting and surrendered.
16:35 Russian fighters in the Pokrovsky direction released Novotroitskoye and Shevchenko.
In Toretsk, the Russian Armed Forces have taken complete control of the Central mine.
The liberation of Kurakhovo continues, new high-rises have been liberated. To the south of Kurakhovo, the Russian army entered the settlement of Vesely Gai
16:27 Russian attack aircraft blew up a bunker together with the garrison of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
- Near Kurakhovo, fighters from the 112th regiment of the 51st Guards Army of the Southern Military District carried out an operation, installing anti-tank mines with remote detonation on one of the bunkers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, inside which there were Ukrainian Armed Forces militants who refused to surrender.
13:20 Russian Ministry of Defense:
At about 12:50 Moscow time, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using an aircraft-type UAV against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation was thwarted.
A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was destroyed over the territory of the Belgorod region by air defense systems on duty
. 12:13 Russian Ministry of Defense:
Su-34 crew struck a Ukrainian Armed Forces position along with personnel and armored vehicles in the border area of the Kursk region.
11:05 Russian attack aircraft broke through the fog to deliver cluster munitions to enemy positions at Chasy Yar
- Paratroopers in BMD-2 stormed a stronghold of Ukrainian militants. The crews of the combat vehicles managed to deliver the attack aircraft and cover our fighters.
- After our combat vehicle was hit by a kamikaze drone, the crew continued to carry out the combat mission, and then was able to safely take the BMD to the rear.
9:47 Telegram channel "WarGonzo":
Frontline summary as of the morning of 12/11/2024
- Zaporizhzhya Front. Here, mainly positional battles with the use of long-range weapons continue. No significant changes in the LBS have been observed over the past day.
- Donetsk Front. Fighting continues in the area of ??Velyka Novosilka. Russian troops continue to put pressure on the enemy's defense both south and north of this settlement. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are putting up serious resistance. There are further advances of our troops in Kurakhovo. There, as a result of successful assault actions, the Russian Armed Forces took control of the grain elevator, which is an important height.
Also, the offensive of Russian troops on the flanks continues to develop, with the goal of completely cutting off the Ukrainian garrison from supplies. There are advances in the Pokrovsk direction, where the Russian Armed Forces continue to develop the offensive in several areas. In Dzerzhinsk, urban battles continue, there are further tactical successes.
- Chasov Yar direction. Urban fighting continues in Chasov Yar. Russian troops, taking advantage of favorable weather conditions, were able to enter the territory of the fireproof plant.
9:10 Governor of Belgorod Region Vyacheslav Gladkov:
Information about strikes on Ukrainian Armed Forces on our region over the past 24 hours:
– In the Belgorod district, six rounds of ammunition were fired at the village of Malinovka and the village of Shchetinovka during one artillery attack and one drone was attacked. No casualties or damage.
– In the Borisovsky district, the Kazachye-Rudchenskoye farm was shelled with five artillery rounds. There were no consequences.
– An air defense system shot down a UAV over the Volokonovsky district. There was no damage.
– In the Grayvoronsky municipal district, 21 munitions were fired during five artillery attacks at the villages of Bezymeno, Dronovka, Kozinka and Spodaryushino. There were no casualties or destruction.
– In the Krasnoyarsk region, two artillery rounds were fired at the village of Staroselye. No damage.
– In the Shebekinsky municipal district, attacks were carried out using two drones in the city of Shebekino and the village of Mukhin. No consequences
. 8:15 Special forces of the Russian Guard destroyed Ukrainian Armed Forces pickup truck in Kursk region – video.
The Rosgvardia UAV operators discovered an enemy vehicle that was transporting infantry to the combat contact line. The driver and the Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel who were in the vehicle at the time of the strike were killed.
8:10 Direct fire: tankers of the "East" group of forces destroyed a firing position of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, –video.
To support the combat work of the motorized rifle units, the crew of the T-72B3M tank moved to the forward edge of the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces unit and immediately launched a powerful fire strike, working according to the given coordinates.
8:01 Russian Ministry of Defense:
During the past night stopped an attempt by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to carry out a terrorist attack using an aircraft-type UAV against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] It is important for Russia to maintain the significance of the Russian language as a language of communication for all peoples of the country. This was stated on December 11 by Russian President Vladimir Putin during the plenary session of the international conference AI Journey 2024 “Journey into the World of Artificial Intelligence” in Moscow.
“Here it is very important for us... in this case, in our case... to support the importance of the Russian language as the state language, as the language of communication of all the peoples of the Russian Federation,” the head of state said.
Putin recalled that 190 ethnic groups live in Russia and therefore there are a large number of languages in the country.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on November 5, Putin ordered the preparation of a draft of the principles of state policy in the linguistic sphere. The Russian President emphasized that the law on the languages of the peoples of Russia, adopted in 1991, needs to be revised. Support for the Russian language and its popularization throughout the world is a primary role, he added.
The head of state also pointed out that the Russian Federation is currently strengthening its position in the world, and therefore interest in the Russian language is growing. He added that Russia is fighting on the front line to preserve its values and the Russian language.
#1
Gotta love Russian as a language to learn. No articles, no verb of being : Where restaurant? Not Where is the restaurant? Now if y'all would just do something about that funky alphabet...
[FoxNews] NATO chief says Putin is trying to 'crush our freedom and way of life'
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte painted a grim picture of the world and called on Europe and Canada to ramp up their defense spending Thursday.
Rutte made the comments during an address to member countries at a Carnegie Europe conference in Brussels. He issued stark warnings about Russia's alleged ambitions beyond Ukraine as well as China's own growing aggression.
"I'll be honest, the security situation does not look good," Rutte began, calling it the worst in his lifetime. "From Brussels, it takes one day to drive to Ukraine. That's how close the Russian bombs are falling. It's how close the Iranian drones are flying, and not much further, the North Korean soldiers are fighting."
Rutte went on to argue that Putin poses a wider threat to Europe beyond Ukraine, saying he "wants to crush our freedom and way of life."
"This all points in one clear direction: Russia is preparing for long-term confrontation – with Ukraine and with us," Rutte said. "It is time to shift to a wartime mindset."
Rutte's remarks come just weeks before President-elect Trump enters office after campaigning on an anti-war platform. Trump has, however, likewise urged NATO's other members to pay their fair share of the organization's defense budget.
Trump has also said he does not plan to abandon Ukraine. He said he will advocate for a peace agreement with Russia, but has not elaborated on what that would entail.
NATO members agreed to work toward spending 2% of their annual GDP on defense, following Russia's annexation of Crimea a decade ago.
Only six member nations met the 2% goal in 2021, but this year, NATO expects a record 23 of 32 member nations to hit the Western military alliance's spending goals, according to data released over the summer.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO leaders have emphasized that the 2% target should be considered a minimum.
Poland and Estonia both led the United States this year in the percentage of their GDP they spend on defense, according to NATO. The U.S. is estimated to spend 3.38% of its GDP on defense.
Rutte, who stepped into the NATO role on Oct. 1, was the Dutch prime minister during Trump's first term and had a reputation as a "Trump whisperer," Politico reported.
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.
