One of the major downstream effects is the ability of the Russian defense sector to build new warehouse space to support increased defense production was just shot in the head.
#1
But since Russians don't believe in economics - they just keep building staff. Mind you, a few people in banking & construction industry might have lethal accidents.
#4
But since Russians don't believe in economics - they just keep building staff.
The left here pretends not to believe in economics. Once or twice a year they tap the stategic oil reserve because they suddenly remember supply/demand curves, and then immediately afterwards go back to pretending there's no such thing.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kirill Semenov
[REGNUM] At a meeting on Tuesday, December 10, the State Duma adopted in the first reading a bill that provides for the possibility of excluding the Taliban movement (an organization under UN sanctions for terrorist activity) from the list of organizations banned in Russia.
The authors of the draft law (No. 778 284-8) were a group of parliamentarians, including senators Andrei Klishas, Andrei Yatskin and Yuri Fedorov, as well as deputies Vasily Piskarev, Andrei Lugovoy and Dmitry Vyalkin.
According to the draft law, “the ban on the activities of an organization included in the single federal list of organizations, including foreign and international organizations recognized as terrorist in accordance with Russian legislation, may be temporarily suspended by a decision of a Russian court based on an application by the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation or his deputy, if there is factual information that such an organization, after being included in the said list, has ceased carrying out activities aimed at promoting, justifying and supporting terrorism.”
Earlier, on November 25, the Afghan portal "Alemara" reported on the negotiations between the Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergei Shoigu in Afghanistan with the Afghan Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund. Shoigu emphasized Russia's readiness to develop bilateral cooperation with Afghanistan, pointing to plans to exclude the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) from Russia's blacklist in order to strengthen political and economic ties.
Akhund, who oversees economic issues in the Taliban-formed government, noted that Afghanistan intends to “play a key role in strengthening the North-South Economic Corridor, as well as economic ties in the region.”
At the moment, it has become obvious that all concerns about the hypothetical expansion of the Taliban into neighboring countries have remained at the level of conjecture and speculation. The Taliban movement has demonstrated in practice that it intends to build good-neighborly relations with all its neighbors.
In addition, the Taliban have demonstrated that they are willing to take into account the interests of the minorities living in the country. This is especially noticeable with regard to the local Shia Hazaras, who have been given the opportunity to openly practice their version of Islam, build mosques and hold holidays, including in Kabul, while representatives of the Hazaras have received various positions in the IEA administration.
For Moscow, the positive attitude of the Afghan government towards Russia itself and its approaches to international affairs, including its approach to the CIS, certainly plays a role.
Afghans look with hope at the confrontation between Russia and the collective West, with the hope that Russia “ will be able to withstand this onslaught, this pressure, and will be able to achieve a revision of this unipolar world order.”
Therefore, it can be said that the Taliban have passed the probationary period that Moscow set for them regarding their exclusion from the terrorist lists.
The Taliban's continued "terrorist" status has slowed down the development of bilateral contacts between Moscow and Kabul. This has an impact on trade relations and makes it difficult for entrepreneurs who want to do business with Afghanistan to do so, due to concerns, even if hypothetical, of being prosecuted for justifying or financing terrorism.
ATTACK ON HAQQANI AMID RUSSIAN INITIATIVES
However, it is obvious that the prospect of removing the Taliban from the terrorist list and their rapprochement with Russia does not suit everyone.
This also applies to external forces hostile to Afghanistan and Russia, which have tried to show that the IAE's merits in the fight against terrorism are exaggerated, and that the Taliban are not fulfilling their obligations to suppress the activities of the ISIS (an organization whose activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation) Khorasan Velayat (ISIS-Kh) (an organization whose activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation).
It was precisely the achievements in the fight against this cell that were noted as an important indicator that the Taliban itself is not a terrorist force, but rather a counter-terrorist force.
But on Wednesday, the day after the Duma vote, a suicide bombing in Kabul killed Khalil Haqqani, the Taliban's acting minister for refugees and repatriation. He was a high-ranking member of the influential Haqqani family.
The incident marked the first killing of a serving minister since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021. Experts say the attack is a "declaration of war" by ISIS-K against the Haqqani family, but both external and internal opponents may be behind it.
This attack on the Haqqani family, against the backdrop of Russian initiatives, can also be seen as a challenge to the reformist wing of the Taliban led by this clan, which is behind many of the initiatives to get closer to Moscow.
The family's most influential representative, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, also held talks with Sergei Shoigu at the end of November.
Initially the most radical in the Taliban movement in matters of war and resorting to prohibited methods of waging it, Haqqani after its end turned out to be the most moderate in terms of state-building. It is with him that hopes are associated for a change in the internal policy of the Taliban.
It was Haqqani who was behind the amnesty of many members of the previous administration and tried to prevent reprisals.
His supporters also opposed the ban on female education.
In fact, because of Haqqani's position, a compromise system has essentially emerged in the country, where the so-called "Kandahar clique" from Emir Akhunzada's entourage is pushing forward more and more restrictive laws, but which, due to Haqqani's opposition to them, end up not being laws, but rather some kind of non-binding recommendations. Or loopholes appear in each of them, as in the issues of female education and employment, when in fact women can study in private schools for a fee or in religious schools for free, but the latter also provide for secular education.
Finally, the Haqqanists, unlike the Kandaharis, adhere to a more global agenda and, as noted by Russian observers who have been in contact with them, “like to talk” about multipolarity, which is why they more openly express their hopes for Russia’s success in the SVO.
SUCCESSES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM
However, despite the ongoing terrorist attacks, the Taliban's success in the fight against terrorism is hard to doubt. In fact, this became an important factor in the recognition of the Taliban and the removal of terrorist labels from the movement.
It is significant that the Americans, who spent 20 years trying to eradicate Osama bin Laden's brainchild in Afghanistan, were forced to acknowledge this success. But as soon as they left, the Taliban themselves solved this problem.
In particular, as Christie Abizaid, director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, stated on September 11, 2023, is in its historical decline in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and its revival is unlikely.”
The Taliban, despite the ongoing terrorist threat and isolated attacks, have been able to suppress ISIS-K activity in Afghanistan. After a significant increase in its activity due to the security vacuum created in parts of the country by the US withdrawal, the Taliban have changed this dynamic by denying the terrorists control over certain territories they were able to acquire by following the Americans fleeing the country.
Their activities were hit and their activity significantly reduced, which was noted in the relevant reports of international structures.
It is emphasized that the Taliban were able to conduct a successful campaign against ISIS-K and eliminated most of the sleeper cells that were ready to continue terrorist attacks in Afghan cities. After a surge in terrorist attacks in the first months after the Taliban came to power, their number is beginning to decline as a result of counter-terrorism measures by the IEA security structures.
In particular, in 2022–2023, the number of terrorist attacks and other attacks by ISIS-K has significantly decreased. If in the first year of the Taliban rule (2021–2022) there were 314 attacks and assaults, then in 2022–2023 there were only 69, that is, fewer than during any period of the group’s activity in Afghanistan since its emergence.
The Taliban's fight against ISIS is systemic and consistent, Khorasan itself is turning into a virtual province, and its connection with Afghanistan and the territory of Greater Khorasan is becoming more conditional, as stated in the UN report of January 2024.
As ISIS* researcher Aaron Zelin notes : “ Unlike most past cases of jihadist external operations, where basing was critical, a paradox occurred in which the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate effectively undermined much of the local capacity of the Khorasan Province in Afghanistan.”
At the same time, the main threat of ISIS-K now comes not from Afghans, but from citizens of Tajikistan. Rather, the reverse process of Tajiks moving to Afghanistan to participate in terrorist activities there is observed. Other citizens of the republic are drawn into ISIS-K activities through its cells in Iran and Turkey.
FIGHT AGAINST DRUG TRAFFICKING
Countering drug trafficking is another area where the Taliban have demonstrated success in their activities, which has also become an argument for removing the terrorist label from the movement.
The Taliban have already imposed a total ban on drug production and use in Afghanistan. They continue their campaign against the illegal drug industry, arresting drug addicts and drug dealers, and destroying opium poppy and cannabis fields. This has already led to a significant drop in production, but it also has a downside, hitting poor rural residents particularly hard.
In particular, the UN estimates that the cessation of opium poppy cultivation has affected the lives of almost seven million people.
According to a 2023 UN report, poppy cultivation in southern Afghanistan has declined by more than 80% as a result of Taliban campaigns to stop its use in opium production. For example, poppy cultivation in Helmand province has declined by 99%.
In November 2023, a UN report showed that poppy cultivation had declined by more than 95% across Afghanistan, stripping the country of its status as the world's largest opium producer.
Many farmers have switched to growing wheat or cotton, but they struggle to make ends meet. Developing agriculture will require more irrigation systems, cold storage facilities, and better roads. The Taliban does not have the budget to develop such infrastructure. Perhaps establishing economic ties with neighbors after sanctions are lifted will help to partially solve this problem.
Overall, the Taliban have managed to stabilize the economy somewhat. Afghanistan's foreign trade has fallen since they seized power. However, despite the decline in imports, most of the country's income now comes from taxes.
As experts note, the Afghan economy is no longer in a state of free fall and appears to be frozen in a precarious equilibrium, albeit at its lowest level.
Modest positive trends include lower inflation, exchange rate stability, some recovery in imports, more than a doubling of exports, stability or a slight increase in labor demand, and stable wages.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 17.59 Three Ukrainian servicemen have died as a result of poisoning by chemicals used by the Russians during the war. This was stated by the head of the Department of Environmental Safety and Civil Defense of the Radiation, Chemical, Biological Defense Department of the Command of the Support Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Artem Vlasyuk.
17.02 Since the beginning of the current day, Russian aggressors have carried out 131 attacks. The enemy is most active in the Pokrovsky and Vremivsky directions, where it carried out almost half of all assaults. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a report as of 16.00.
17.01 Video of the moment a Russian ballistic missile "landed" on a clinic in Zaporozhye on Tuesday, December 10, has appeared online.
16:01 Russia does not need a truce with Ukraine, but peace, which will come after all of Moscow's conditions are met. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made this cynical statement at a briefing on Friday.
15.55 The Ukrainian Air Force Command demonstrated the combat work of air defense units during Russia's massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine. In the west, one of the cruise missiles was destroyed by an Igla MANPADS.
"The downed missile did not cause damage to critical infrastructure facilities. The crash site and the remains of the missile were found by a search group," the military noted.
15.22 Ukrainian military personnel in the area of the village of Uspenovka in Donetsk Oblast are taking the necessary measures to prevent the encirclement and capture of populated areas by the enemy. This was reported by the press service of the operational-strategic group (OSUV) Khortitsa.
At the same time, the Deep State monitoring project reports that the situation in the Uspenovka area is worsening.
15:05 During the morning attack, the Russian army attacked six critical energy infrastructure facilities in the Lviv region. Rescuers have already extinguished the fires that broke out as a result of the missile strike. There were no casualties.
14.35 Russia is "impressed" by the statements of the elected US President Donald Trump regarding Ukraine's use of long-range American missiles to strike Russian territory, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing on Friday.
13.40 In Burshtyn, the village of Demyanov and a number of settlements in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, heat and hot water supplies have been temporarily suspended following the Russian attack. This was reported by the Burshtyn Thermal Power Plant.
13.31 The government has allocated an additional UAH 1.1 billion for the purchase of drones. The money will go directly to the Ukrainian Armed Forces brigades, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at a government meeting. :10 Most of the units of Ukrainian nuclear power plants reduced their capacity during the Russian missile attack on Friday. This was reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
12:40 Another large-scale shelling by Russia was allegedly a response to the use of ATACMS missiles against a military airfield in the city of Taganrog. This was reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
12:14 On Friday night and in the morning, Russian aggressors launched 94 missiles and a record number of attack drones - 193 - at Ukraine. Air defense units destroyed most of the enemy targets, the Ukrainian Air Force reported .
12:12 Russians attacked populated areas in three districts of Chernihiv region with drones. A farm in Nizhyn district was damaged by a UAV attack - 11 cows died.
11:27 A large-scale fire broke out in Novosibirsk (Russia) on the night of December 13. One of the important strategic facilities of the Russian Federation burned down. This was reported by the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) Andrey Kovalenko. According to him, this warehouse was a military facility. Kovalenko noted that the warehouse belonged to a Russian company that provided services to a number of key industries, including energy infrastructure and the production of explosion-proof equipment.
11:16 On Friday morning, Prykarpattia was subjected to the most massive attack since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. This was reported by the head of the Ivano-Frankivsk OVA Svitlana Onyshchuk.
11:12 Russian troops shelled the village of Myrne in the Berestinsky district of the Kharkiv region. This was reported by the head of the Kharkiv OVA Oleg Sinegubov. As a result of the shelling, civilian infrastructure was damaged. At first, the head of the OVA noted that two workers of the enterprise were injured. Later he added that the number of victims had grown to four.
10:55 Ukrainian marines shoot down Russian "shaheeds" from American Island boats, which Ukraine received before the large-scale Russian invasion. The video was published by the Ukrainian Navy. "The boats are armed with a 25 mm Bushmaster automatic artillery mount and two 12.7 mm machine guns. The boat's crew consists of nine fighters."
10:50 Russian aggressors have dealt one of the largest blows to Ukraine's energy sector This is what the "peace" plan of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin looks like. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
10:26 Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major General Mykhailo Drapatiy, announced a large-scale transformation of the Ground Forces at the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief . According to him, the changes concern recruiting and military training. The issue also concerns the latest technologies and combat management, digitalization of processes in the army, transformation of management, logistics and social support for the military,
10:23 In the Ternopil region, the number of queues for power supply restrictions has increased due to the Russian attack. Now half of the region's residents are without power, the Ternopil OVA reported.
9:38 Over the past 24 hours, 210 combat clashes have been recorded at the front . This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The defense forces have struck seven areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment of the Russian invaders.
8:57 Energy Minister German Galushchenko said that the purpose of the massive missile strike of the Russian army on December 13 on Ukraine is energy. According to him, energy workers are taking all necessary measures to minimize the negative consequences for the energy system.
8:45 The US State Department has revealed the content of new $500 million in aid to Ukraine . The new aid package includes:
counter-unmanned aircraft systems (c-UAS) munitions;
ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS);
155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition;
High-speed anti-radar missiles (HARM);
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAS);
mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles (MRAP);
High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV);
light tactical vehicles;
means of protection against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons,
Javelin and AT-4 anti-tank systems;
heavy anti-tank missiles (TOW);
small arms ammunition;
grenades and training equipment;
equipment and ammunition for blasting operations;
spare parts, accessories, services, training and vehicles.
7:46 The Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed 1,390 Russian occupiers in one day. The total combat losses of the Russian Federation from 24.02.22 to 13.12.24 were approximately 760,120 people. This was reported by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. 7:24 On the morning of December 13, explosions were heard in Kharkov and its environs . The Ukrainian Air Force reported the use of ballistic weapons. Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov noted that the strikes hit the suburbs. Later it became known that explosions were also recorded in the area of the city of Chuguev.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Porkovsk is the last major operating coal and steel centre in Ukraine.
The Russians have come very close to Pokrovsk, the last major industrial center of the Donetsk region under Ukrainian control.
The occupiers are preparing to cut off Pokrovsk's supply chains and begin an operation to seize the city. The capture of Pokrovsk by the Russian army, analysts warn, could deal a heavy blow to Ukraine's economy. It is the last functioning major coal and steel center in the country.
DEFENSE ISSUES
Selidovo was captured at the end of October. Ukrainian units left the city to avoid encirclement. However, the Ukrainian Armed Forces failed to build a reliable defense in the city's outskirts, and the Russian army continued to advance further west, seeking to bypass Pokrovsk from the south and cut off the city from all logistical routes.
The Russian army moved mainly along the Solona River and the railway line. In a month and a half, the Russians managed to overcome about 11 km and take control of the villages of Vishnevoye, Grigoryevka, Petrovka, Zheltoye, and Novopustinka.
The enemy's further advance to the west was to be stopped by a powerful fortified area of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on a wooded hill between the villages of Novotroitskoye and Shevchenko.
Military observer Yuri Butusov says that the fortifications in this area were built very competently: the position was chosen correctly, the defense zone was prepared, the fortifications themselves were branched out and reliably protected from drones and artillery.
However, according to him, due to problems with the combat capability of the troops in this section of the front, the Russian army was able to seize these Ukrainian positions quickly and practically without resistance. Butusov believes that the command's miscalculations are to blame for this.
Nazar Voloshin, a spokesman for the Khortitsa operational-strategic group of troops, which is responsible for the area, says the Ukrainian army is trying to restore lost positions near Pokrovsk, in particular near the village of Vozrozhdenie (formerly Novy Trud), which is adjacent to the village of Shevchenko.
“The enemy attacked our fortifications in the Pokrovsk direction, west of Vozrozhdenie and south of Novotroitskoye, and as a result of prolonged clashes, two of our positions were destroyed and one was lost,” Voloshin said on the telethon.
If this fortified area is captured, Russian troops will be able to break through to the neighboring village of Peschanoye and seize the waste heap of the Taras Shevchenko mine. This commanding height will allow them to establish control over Pokrovsk's key logistical artery - the highway to Pavlograd and the Dnieper, which is seven kilometers to the north.
THEY ARE CUTTING OFF LOGISTICS
Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups are already trying to infiltrate Pokrovsk, DeepState reports.
Ukrainian historian and military analyst Mikhail Zhirokhov, citing his sources, says that the Pokrovsk-Pavlograd-Dnepr highway can no longer be used for military supply purposes. Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers have been advised to look for other roads.
In addition, according to his data, a partial withdrawal of Ukrainian units, primarily artillery, outside the city has begun.
According to the analyst, if the logistics situation deteriorates significantly, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will completely leave the city. A repeat of the Bakhmut meat grinder, that is, heavy fighting for every street in the town, is unlikely to be expected, he is convinced.
Sergei Filimonov, commander of the Volki da Vinci battalion, which is part of the 59th motorized infantry brigade and is fighting in the Pokrovsk direction, also speaks about the intention of the Russian military to cut off the logistics of the Ukrainian army.
"Right now I don't see any need for the enemy to attack Pokrovsk head-on. I think that he will try to reach the highway between Pokrovsk and Pavlograd and can do this through the territory of both Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions," he said in an interview with the 1+1 TV channel in early December.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The situation in the Pokrovsk area is very difficult.
The hottest situation is now in the Pokrovsky direction. Russians have organized 32 attacks in the areas of nine populated areas.
Since the beginning of the current day, Russian aggressors have carried out 131 attacks. The enemy is most active in the Pokrovsky and Vremevsky directions, where it carried out almost half of all attacks. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a report as of 16:00 on Friday, December 13.
Thus, in the Khar'kov direction, the Russians tried to advance near Vovchansk. One combat clash continues.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy attacked six times near Kolesnikovka, Boguslavka and Lozovaya. All assaults were repelled.
In the Liman direction, enemy units continue to attack in the areas of the settlements of Grekovka, Nadezhda, Zeleny Gai, Shiykovka, Makeyevka, Terny, Zarechnoye, Torskoye, Dibrova and Grigoryevka. Ten attacks have already been repelled. Nine battles are still ongoing.
In the Seversky direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled one assault in the Belogorovka area.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the occupiers attacked five times in the area of Chasovy Yar.
Seven attacks have occurred in the Toretsk direction . The enemy is active in the areas of Toretsk and Dilievka. Our defenders are giving a worthy rebuff - two attacks have been stopped, five clashes are ongoing.
The hottest today is in the Pokrovsky direction - 32 enemy assaults in the areas of the settlements of Mirolyubovka, Lisovka, Promin, Dachenskoye, Shevchenko, Novy Trud, Zelenoe, Peschanoye and Pushkino. The defense forces repelled 23 attacks. Nine combat clashes continue.
There are 18 combat clashes in the Kurakhovsky direction . The invaders are trying to advance in the areas of Starye Terny, Solntsevka, Zarya, Kurakhovo, Dalny, Dachny, Annovka and Uspenovka. Seven combat clashes are ongoing.
In the Vremevsky direction, the Russians launched an offensive 29 times near the settlements of Trudovoye, Vesely Gai, Konstantinopolskoye, Sukhie Yaly, Blagovatnoye, Storozhevoe, Neskuchnoye, Makarovka and Novodarovka. 10 clashes are ongoing.
In the Dnieper direction the enemy launched one unsuccessful attack.
In the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, Ukrainian troops have repelled nine Russian attacks. Five more clashes are ongoing
It should be noted that the Russian Ministry of Defense in the last few weeks or so has stopped identifying Ukrainian units by number and type in its operational reports, instead using just the type of unit.
[EngMilRu] From 7 to 13 December 2024, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation delivered 15 group strikes by precision weaponry and attack unmanned aerial vehicles at power objects ensuring operation of Ukrainian defence industry enterprises, infrastructure of military objects, UAV workshops and depots, ammunition depots, deployment sites of AFU formations and foreign mercenaries. The goal of strikes has been achieved.
Over the past week, units of the Sever Group of Forces continued to eliminate AFU formations on the territory of Kursk region.
As a result of active offensive operations, Plyokhovo, Daryino, and Novoivanovka in Kursk region were liberated.
Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of two tank brigades, six mechanised brigades, two air assault brigades of the AFU, one naval infantry brigade, and four territorial defence brigades.
In Kharkov direction, losses were inflicted on units of one motorised infantry brigade, two air assault brigades of the AFU, one territorial defence brigade, and one border detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
Over the week in the area of responsibility of the Sever Group of Forces, the AFU losses amounted to up to 2,230 troops, seven tanks, 33 armoured fighting vehicles, including four U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 34 motor vehicles, and 22 field artillery guns.
Units of the Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation along the front line and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of six mechanised brigades, one airborne brigade of the AFU, one naval infantry brigade, two territorial defence brigades, and one national guard brigade. Seventy-one counter-attacks launched by AFU assault detachments were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to more than 3,350 troops, five tanks, six armoured fighting vehicles, 23 motor vehicles, and 48 field artillery guns, including eight NATO-made 155mm howitzers.
Units of the Yug Group of Forces achieved more advantageous tactical situation and inflicted losses on formations of five mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, one mountain assault brigade, two airmobile brigades, one air assault brigade of the AFU, one naval infantry brigade, and one territorial defence brigade. Nine counter-attacks launched by AFU units were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to more than 1,830 troops, ten armoured fighting vehicles, 11 motor vehicles, 10 field artillery guns, including three Western-made ones.
As a result of decisive actions, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces continued advancing to the depth of the enemy defences and liberated Zhyoltoye, Berestki, and Zarya (Donetsk People's Republic).
Losses were inflicted on units of five mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, two infantry brigades, one naval infantry brigade, one special operations brigade, three territorial defence brigades, and one national guard brigade.
Russian servicemen repelled 64 counterattacks launched by the enemy.
During the week in this direction, the AFU losses amounted to more than 3,340 troops, two tanks, 15 armoured fighting vehicles, including one U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and five U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carriers, 20 motor vehicles, and 38 field artillery guns.
As a result of active actions, units of the Vostok Group of Forces liberated Blagodatnoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
Losses were inflicted on units of two mechanised brigades, one mountain assault brigade of the AFU, and six territorial defence brigades.
Twenty counterattacks launched by AFU assault detachments were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted up to 1,050 troops, nine armoured fighting vehicles, including three U.S.-made MaxxPro and two U.S.-made HMMWV armoured fighting vehicles, 12 motor vehicles, and 22 field artillery guns, including three 155mm self-propelled artillery systems.
Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades, one infantry brigade, four territorial defence brigades, and one national guard brigade.
The AFU losses amounted up to 290 troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, 32 motor vehicles, and eight field artillery guns.
Three Olkha MLRS launchers were eliminated.
Air defence units shot down 21 U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS and 12 Czech-made Vampire projectiles as well as 279 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Black Sea Fleet's Naval Aviation and water patrol boats destroyed eight uncrewed surface vehicles.
Over the past week, 87 Ukrainian servicemen surrendered on the line of contact.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 649 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 37,633 unmanned aerial vehicles, 586 anti-aircraft missile systems, 19,775 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,500 MLRS combat vehicles, 19,549 field artillery guns and mortars, and 29,190 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.
In the course of offensive actions, 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 two territorial defence brigades of the AFU near Viktorovka, Guyevo, Kruglenkoye, Lebedevka, Leonidovo, Martynovka, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Nikolsky, Sverdlikovo, and Staraya Sorochina.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery inflicted losses on AFU manpower and hardware close to Aleksandriya, Bondarevka, Malaya Loknya, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Novaya Sorochina, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye as well as Basovka, Belovody, Veselovka, Zhuravka, Loknya, Miropolye, and Pavlovka in Sumy region.
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to more than 200 troops, three tanks, including two UK-made Challenger tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles, including one German-made Marder infantry fighting vehicle, two armoured personnel carriers, one armoured fighting vehicle, nine motor vehicles, one artillery gun, six mortars, and one electronic warfare station.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 40,260 troops, 239 tanks, 177 infantry fighting vehicles, 125 armoured personnel carriers, 1,252 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,124 motor vehicles, 309 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, 73 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] 21:16 Drone operators of the "North" groupdestroyeda camouflaged position of the crew of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' 122mm D-30 howitzer in the Khar'kov region. 20:47 A Ukrainian Armed Forces missile was shot down over the center of Donetsk, operational services reported.
19:11 Assault troops of the Russian Armed Forces entered the village of Shevchenko in the Kurakhovo region.
18:54 Calculation of the FPV drone of the "North" military group in the Khar'kov regiondestroyedcamouflaged position of the 122mm D-30 howitzer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
18:42 Two Ukrainian drones hit on a minibus carrying people in the Golaya Prystan area of the Kherson region. One passenger was killed and two others, including a high school teacher, were injured, Governor Volodymyr Saldo said.
18:22 The Uspenovsky cauldron has been completely liquidated. The settlements of Trudovoe, Annovka and Uspenovka have been completelycrossed overunder the control of the Russian Armed Forces.
18:15 The Ukrainian Armed Forces fired at a bus in the Kherson region, one person was killed and two were wounded, the governor’s press secretary Volodymyr Vasylenko reported.
18:05 The Russian Armed Forces advanced on a broad front in the Borovsk direction in the Khar'kov region –map.
17:55 Russian military using FPV drone destroyed in the border area of the Kursk region, an underground shelter with Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel.
17:44 Enemy reports: "on the Vrem'evsky direction, southeast of Velikaya Novosyolka, the Russian Armed Forces have taken control of a 4 by 1.6 km area. West of Velikaya Novosyolka, the advance of Russian troops is being recorded in the direction of the settlements of Storozhyevoye and Neskuchny."
17:17 Russian Armed Forces kamikaze drone operators shot down two British Challenger tanks in the Kursk region.
16:54 Footage of the entry of assault groups of the Russian Armed Forces into the settlement of Annovka and the beginning of the clearing of the village.
16:35 Russian Armed Forces entered Annovka –map.
16:14 UAV crews are constantly attacking Ukrainian positions in the Orekhov direction, said a reconnaissance officer of the Dnepr group with the call sign "White" -video.
15:55 Russian military carried out 15 group strikes on Ukrainian targets over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
The targets were energy facilities that supported the operation of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, the infrastructure of military airfields, UAV assembly and storage sites, as well as arsenals, ammunition depots, and deployment sites of Ukrainian Armed Forces units and foreign mercenaries.
Russian fighters also liberated seven settlements in a week: three in the Kursk region and four in the DPR.
15:34 Video the local Telegram channels published information about the “paired” force mobilization in Krivoy Rog.
15:40 The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the shooting down of a Ukrainian drone over Crimea.
15:17 The village of Vesely Gai was fully released by fighters of the 39th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces
There were 11 civilians left in the village, mostly pensioners, who were used as “human shields” by Ukrainian militants.
14:55 The Russian Armed Forces have advanced in the Kursk region towards the settlement of Kurilovka. The liberation of most of the village of Cherkasskaya Konopelka has also been confirmed.
14:07 Crews of the 122mm BM-21 Grad MLRS of the Tula paratroopers destroyed accumulation of Ukrainian Armed Forces infantry in the border area of Kursk Oblast.
14:00 UAV calculations of the "West" are destroying military equipment and manpower of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Khar'kov region.
13:45 The settlement of Pushkino west of Selidovo came under the control of the Russian Armed Forces.
13:34 Russian units have made significant progress in the urban development of Volchansk –map.
13:11 Map with the flight trajectories of Russian missiles and Geraniums at targets in Ukraine.
12:45 In response to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attack with American ATACMS missiles on Taganrog, the Russian military launched a massive strike with high-precision weapons and attack drones on critically important fuel and energy infrastructure facilities in Ukraine that ensure the operation of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, the Defense Ministry reported.
12:22 Calculations of the ATGM "Metis" of the Dnepr group of troops destroyed personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Orekhov direction in the Zaporizhia region.
12:21 Russian forces launched a missile strike on airport facilities in Kyiv where F-16 pilots were training. This was reported by Vladimir Rogov on air at the Komsomolskaya Pravda radio station.
12:16 A fire broke out in the Drohobych district of the Lviv region after an “arrival”.
12:05 Destruction of Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower and equipment by VT-40 FPV drones in the Kherson direction –video.
12:00 Enemy reports: “In the Kurakhovsky direction, the situation for the Ukrainian army is close to critical.
The situation in the "Kurakhovo pocket" (a salient south of Kurakhovo, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been operationally encircled) is close to critical. The Russian Armed Forces have consolidated their positions in Uspenovka, and the communication routes with the villages to the southeast are limited by drone fire control and artillery from Russian troops."
11:54 Head of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Military Administration Svitlana Onyshchuk stated that a number of critical infrastructure facilities were damaged during the most massive attack in the region during the entire conflict.
"This morning, Prykarpattia was subjected to the most massive attack during the full-scale war. Critical infrastructure facilities are in the crosshairs. There are hits," Onyshchuk wrote on her Telegram channel.
11:42 In the Boguslavsky direction of the Russian Armed Forces launched a counterattack and took more advantageous positions east of Lozovaya. A mortar crew and an assault group of nine Ukrainian Armed Forces militants were destroyed.
Significant losses have been noted in the 77th Separate Airborne Brigade, where three battalions of the brigade have lost their combat capability in a month of active combat operations, two of which have already been withdrawn for restoration.
11:06 TCC employees tried to mobilize a Kiev resident during an air raid. An air raid alarm was declared in Kyiv today, and the city residents went into shelters. It was dangerous to be outside, but that didn't stop the TCC: they detained a man and tried to mobilize him.
11:14 UAV operators of the 64th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 35th Army in the Pologsk direction are destroying enemy manpower –video.
11:08 The Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked eight districts of the Belgorod Region with 52 munitions and 41 drones over the past 24 hours. One person was killed and one was seriously injured, Gladkov said.
11:02 Airborne artillerymen of the Dnepr group destroyed observation post of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kakhovka direction.
During aerial reconnaissance over the right bank of the Dnieper, the UAV operator identified an observation post of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. After additional reconnaissance and confirmation of the target, the coordinates were immediately transmitted to the crew. The 122mm D-30 artillery crew deployed the gun in a matter of minutes and inflicted fire damage on the enemy.
10:55 Russian fighters told details of the liberation of the village of Zheltoe in the DPR –video.
10:36 Explosions in Vinnytsia region.
10:30 Massive missile strikes are being carried out on energy facilities in Ukraine, the country's authorities have stated.
10:28 The Gauleiter of Khar'kov reported that the Russian Armed Forces attacked an enterprise in the village of Mirnoye.
10:25 “Arrivals” in the area of Bila Tserkva (Kyiv region).
10:23 According to preliminary information from monitoring services, missile strikes were carried out on a military unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and an airfield in Voznesensk, Nikolaev region.
10:22 Explosions in the Kyiv region.
10:17 “Arrivals” in Voznesensk (Nikolaev region).
10:11 More than 10 explosions were heard in the area of the city of Burshtyn in the Ivano-Frankivsk region in western Ukraine, the publication Strana reported.
10:09 The Russian army liberated Vesyoliy Gai in the DPR.
09:47 In Odessa, electricity and water were partially lost.
09:46 Enemy resources reported the launch of Kinzhal missiles in the area of Poltava and Dnepropetrovsk.
09:44 The Ukrainian group was blocked in the area of the village of Uspenovka to the south of Kurakhovo in the DPR, reportedin Russian security forces.
"At the line from the villages of Vesely Gai to Uspenovka south of Kurakhovo, our forces have blocked the enemy. The group will obviously not be able to escape the fire pocket unharmed," the security forces noted.
They specified that they were talking about a “fire pocket” more than 4 km long.
09:40 Destruction of the Bogdan self-propelled howitzer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by the Lancet in the Sumy region –video.
09:37 The criminal Kiev regime continues to shell the civilian infrastructure of the settlements of the left bank of the Kherson region, yesterday during the day the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired from barrel artillery:
– Five rounds to the settlement of Dnepryany;
- according to n.p. Novaya Kakhovka for rounds;
– Five rounds to the village of Aleshki;
– Four rounds in Solontsy settlement;
– Three rounds to the settlement of Tavriysk;
– Three rounds to the village of Lyubimovka.
As a result of artillery attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, civilian infrastructure was damaged in the village of Novaya Kakhovka.
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the settlements of Novaya Kakhovka, Knyaze-Grigorovka, Babine, and Golaya Prystan, firing a total of 18 rounds from barrel artillery. Civilian casualties and infrastructure destruction are being clarified.
09:34 Explosions in Ivano-Frankivsk, Odessa, and in the Khar'kov region.
09:32 “Arrivals” in the city of Burshtyn (Ivano-Frankivsk region).
09:31 Explosions in the city of Stryi (Lviv region).
09:26 Missiles are entering Lviv airspace, Ukrainian monitoring channels reported.
09:21 Explosions in Vinnytsia region.
09:17 “Arrival” at the military airfield in Starokostiantyniv (Khmelnytsky region).
08:59 Investigators of the Russian Investigative Committee recorded another round of artillery attack of the territory of the DPR, carried out by armed formations of Ukraine.
Residential areas of the Nikitovsky and Central-City districts of Gorlovka were subjected to artillery shelling, at which the enemy used 155mm caliber barrel artillery, including those with cluster warheads.
In total, two civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged by artillery attack on the territory of the DPR.
08:51 A series of powerful explosions thundered in Odessa, local monitoring services reported.
08:44 The Russian Armed Forces are repelling counterattacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Over the course of several days, the enemy has attempted to counterattack almost 20 times in the Svatovsko-Kremnya direction and has suffered significant losses due to poor preparation, military expert Andrey Marochko reported.
08:28 Between 5:05 and 5:40 Moscow time, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to commit a terrorist attack using an aircraft-type UAV against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation was thwarted. Four Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed over the territory of the Vladimir region by air defense systems on duty.
08:11 Ukrainian monitoring channels reported the launch of Kalibr cruise missiles at targets on Ukrainian territory.
08:10 Objects in different parts of Ukraine were attacked on the night of December 13 by Russian UAVs. Explosions were heard in Kyiv, Khar'kov, Sumy, Poltava, Cherkasy, Khmelnytsky, Kyiv and Sumy regions.
08:08 Over the night, 13 Ukrainian drones were destroyed: five over the Kursk region, four over the Belgorod region, three over the Rostov region, and one over the Lipetsk region, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
08:07 Ukrainian militants abandoned bodies of fallen comrades-in-arms at positions in the Rabotino area of the Zaporizhia region. This was reported by a scout of the Dnepr group of troops with the call sign "White".
08:05 The Russian Armed Forces "knocked out" the enemy from the village of Cherkasskaya Konopelka in the Kursk region, a cleanup operation is currently underway there, the Novosti SVO i Mira channel reported.
08:04 A self-defense fighter was killed in a nighttime drone attack on the Terebrenskoye rural settlement in the Belgorod Region. This was reported by the region's governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
08:02 In the Kurakhovsky direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces found themselves in operational encirclement, reported the Ukrainian resource Deep State.
08:00 A civilian resident of the Belgorod district was wounded as a result of an attack by a Ukrainian UAV, Governor Gladkov said. According to him, the man was taken to hospital in serious condition with multiple shrapnel wounds to the head and arms.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] 81 years after the death of Senior Lieutenant Dmitry Donskoy, his award — the Order of the Red Star — was solemnly presented to his grandson Alexander Merkelov in Moscow, in the Pantheon of Defenders of the Fatherland.
As the official representative of the "Search Movement of Russia" in the DPR Alexander Maltsev, who took direct part in returning the award to the family of the Soviet soldier, told the Regnum news agency, the path of this order is very long and not easy. Thus, several awards were taken from an old marauder, who in his declining years began to be tormented by his conscience: the man himself came to the head of the Gorlovka administration with a proposal to bury the remains of soldiers.
"It turned out that in the 90s he actively "bombed" the battle sites in the Slavyansk region, on the Mius Front, they had a group of five people, they took only what could be sold - awards, ammunition, personal belongings. They threw the bones back, looted both ours and the Germans. I took everything from him, and since 2016 we have been looking for relatives, handing them awards, and there was one insert of a death medallion. And the search for Donskoy reached a dead end," Alexander said.
His descendants were searched for in vain first in the Voronezh region, where the officer was from, then in Rostov, where another branch of the family was located. In the end, Donskoy's grandson called himself: on the eve of May 9, his son suggested looking for his grandfather, they typed the name into an Internet search - and immediately found an article about awards and the search.
For another two years, the meeting was postponed for various reasons, and on December 13, as part of the opening of the international conference “The Fate of a Soldier,” the hero’s star finally returned to his family.
“When I shook his hand, he was almost thrown up, the guy was really touched,” Maltsev shared his emotions and lamented that the officer’s remains would never be identified.
It is quite possible that they were found in subsequent years and buried with honors - like a nameless warrior.
Dmitry Zakharovich served in the Red Army from June 24, 1941 and during this time he did not receive any wounds or concussions. He fought as a deputy company commander of the 68th separate engineer battalion of the 50th rifle division, and showed himself to be excellent. In April of 1943, Donskoy was responsible for establishing crossings across the flooded Seversky Donets in the area of the village of Yarovaya, then Stalin's region.
For skillful actions "under constant artillery, mortar fire, and enemy air strikes" during three days of work on the crossing, the 50th Rifle Division units were awarded the Medal "For Courage". And he received the "Red Star" for the battles on the bridgehead west of the river.
The young commander died in a fierce battle on August 4, 1943, near the village of Golaya Dolina, during a powerful German counterattack. In many areas, the fighters resorted to hand-to-hand combat, even fighting with entrenching tools and helmets. Donskoy's body remained in an aerial bomb crater in an unnamed grove. According to the looter's stories, it was approximately localized, but over the years, many search parties have worked in these areas.
The loss documents will still contain the vague statement “Killed in action.”
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Lieutenant General Andrei Ivanayev has been appointed commander of the Russian group of forces "East". This was reported on December 13 by the Russian Defense Ministry. 52-year-old Ivanayev previously held the post of commander of the 20th combined arms army.
The military man was born in 1972 in Uralsk, Kazakhstan ASSR. He studied at the Chelyabinsk Higher Tank Command School, graduated from the Combined Arms Academy of the Russian Armed Forces and the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
Since 2013, he held the position of head of the district training center in the Eastern Military District, and since 2017, he was chief of staff - deputy commander of the combined arms army of the Eastern Military District. His awards include the Order of Military Merit, the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 3rd degree with the image of swords.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on December 13, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov inspected the Russian troop grouping "Vostok" in the special operation zone. The head of the Defense Ministry heard reports from the command on the fulfillment of tasks by the Russian army at a working meeting at the grouping command post.
The Russian Armed Forces' "East" group of troops has liberated seven settlements and a territory of 300 square kilometers this month. As a result of the effective use of high-precision weapons and attack drones, the Ukrainian army is suffering significant losses in both equipment and manpower, Ivanayev noted.
[ZeroHedge] President-elect Donald Trump has said that he "vehemently" disagrees with the US supporting long-range missile strikes inside Russian territory, which President Biden authorized last month.
"I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that?" Trump said in an interview with Time Magazine for an issue that named him Person of the Year.
"We’re just escalating this war and making it worse. That should not have been allowed to be done," Trump added.
Biden took the step to support Ukrainian strikes on Russia using US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles even after Moscow made clear it would risk a nuclear escalation.
Russia responded to Ukraine’s initial ATACMS and Storm Shadow strikes by firing a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile known as the Oreshnik.
Ukrainian forces fired more ATACMS into Russia this week, and the Russian Defense Ministry has vowed there will be another response:
"This attack by Western long-range weapons won’t be left unanswered, and corresponding measures will be taken," the ministry said.
Trump campaigned on ending the proxy war in Ukraine but has not articulated how exactly he plans to do that. He was asked in the Time interview if he would “abandon” Ukraine and responded:
"I want to reach an agreement, and the only way you’re going to reach an agreement is not to abandon. You understand what that means, right?"
The president-elect stressed in the interview that he was concerned with the death toll in the conflict, saying it was much higher than what’s been reported. He said the "numbers of dead young soldiers lying on fields all over the place are staggering. It’s crazy what’s taking place."
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.
