Not WOT related. Moved to Former Soviet Union/Russia [Fox] A Ukrainian official has taken credit for the assassination of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the commander of Russia’s chemical, biological and radiation defense forces, and his assistant, who were killed in an explosion in Moscow on Tuesday.
Russia's Investigative Committee said the explosive device was placed in a scooter near a residential apartment block on Ryazansky Avenue and triggered remotely, according to The Associated Press. The bombing came one day after Ukrainian Security Services charged Kirillov with crimes.
The bomb had the power of roughly 300 grams of TNT, according to Russian state news agency Tass.
The head of Russia's nuclear, biological and chemical forces was blown up Tuesday by a bomb-rigged scooter — the highest-ranking Russian official killed in more than 2 1/2 years of war.
Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, 54, was exiting a residential apartment building with an assistant early Tuesday when the bomb detonated in snowy streets, rocking the block and sending their bodies flying.
Harrowing images from the brazen attack show the scooter exploding just a few feet from the men, with their bloodied bodies sprawled across the black snow and charred street in the aftermath.
The blast was so powerful that it also destroyed the doors and nearby windows of the building Kirillov had come from.
Russia's Investigative Committee only said it has opened an investigation into the killings.
However,
facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable... the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed to several outlets that it had orchestrated the liquidation.
''The liquidation of the chief of the radiation and chemical protection troops of the Russian Federation is the work of the SBU,'' an SBU source told Rooters.
Kirillov was a ''war criminal and an entirely legitimate target,'' an SBU official also told the News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
The explosion was allegedly triggered remotely, according to Russian state news agency Tass, with the blast carrying the power of roughly 300 grams of TNT.
Kirillov is the highest-ranking Russian official to be killed in the war, which began with Russia's invasion in February 2022.
His death came just a day after the SBU charged Kirillov with the use of banned chemical weapons
...have not been used since WWI except for in Iraq, by the late, unlamented Saddam Hussein and in Syria, but really, honest, not by the Syrian government. And in Germany in WWII, but that was against civilians. Lots of them, just one of many reasons Hitler's also late and unlamented... during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The SBU said it had recorded more than 4,800 uses of chemical weapons on the battlefield since the war began, particularly K-1 combat grenades.
In May, the US State Department also said that it had recorded the use of chloropicrin, a chemical weapon first used in World War I, against Kyiv's troops.
Kirillov, who was named the head of Russia's nuclear defense forces in April 2017, was also under sanctions from several countries, including the UK and Canada, for his role in Ukraine.
Russian officials have denied the allegations. No, no! Certainly not! against Kirillov, claiming he worked ''fearlessly'' for the nation to uncover alleged war crimes committed by the US.
Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and current security bigshot, vowed to retaliate against Kyiv over the attack, warning Ukraine's military and politicians that they faced imminent danger.
🚨🇷🇺 BREAKING: RUSSIA'S CHIEF BIOLAB INVESTIGATOR WAS JUST ASSASSINATED IN A UKRAINIAN-STYLE BOMBING.
Previously Igor Kirillov EXPOSED that: "The Rosemont Seneca Investment Fund, headed by Hunter Biden, and the Soros Foundation are involved in financing biological laboratories… pic.twitter.com/f68wBiEsWt
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22.35 Russia is likely trying to hide the losses of the DPRK military participating in the war against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"Unfortunately, we have to defend ourselves from them (the Koreans, - ed.) Although there is no reason for Koreans to die in this war. The only reason is Putin's madness, which has engulfed Russia and is fueling this war," the head of state said.
21.57 Newly elected US President Donald Trump has not ruled out the possibility of revoking US permission for Ukraine to strike with Western weapons deep into Russia. Asked whether he might reconsider the strike decision after taking office, he said: "Maybe."
21:35 North Korean troops have fought alongside Russian forces for the first time in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation and suffered losses, Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said.
"We have evidence that they are suffering casualties, both killed and wounded," he said.
20.57 The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called on Hungary to stop making statements about its ability to stop the war that are not true, and to refrain from unilateral contacts with Russia.
"We call on the Hungarian side to stop immoral manipulations on the topic of peace and the Nativity of Christ, to refrain from unilateral contacts with the aggressor state, which undermine joint efforts to restore a just peace. The only obstacle to peace is Russia and its war-obsessed dictator. Ukraine strives for peace on its soil like no one else in the world," the department said in a statement.
20.50 Russian troops attacked the city of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region. One civilian man was killed, another was hospitalized in a medical facility in serious condition.
The Russian army hit a residential area of the city, damaging residential buildings.
19:15 Russians shelled populated areas of the Kherson region with artillery and drones. In Berislav, a 53-year-old woman was killed as a result of explosives dropped from an enemy drone on a store. Another local resident received an explosion injury and concussion.
As a result of the attacks in the regional center, a man received a head injury. Three people were also injured in the Kherson suburb of Antonovka.
17.19 Ukraine has a laser weapon called Trizub. It can shoot down aircraft at an altitude of over 2 km, said Colonel Vadym Sukharevsky, commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Unmanned Systems Forces.
16.56 Ukrainian military destroyed and damaged 181 Russian army vehicles on December 14. This is the maximum defeat of this type of equipment in one day since the beginning of the war.
16:10 In the Zaporizhzhya direction, servicemen of the Spartan operational brigade of the National Guard captured a 46-year-old citizen of Uzbekistan, who fought on the side of Russia.
The man signed the contract, hoping to avoid a criminal record and earn money. However, he never received the promised 2.3 million rubles in salary.
15.44 The Italian government on December 16 agreed to provide Ukraine with its tenth package of military aid amid a full-scale Russian invasion. This was reported by ANSA on Monday, December 16.
14.37 The SBU has announced in absentia suspicion of Russian Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who gave orders regarding the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian soldiers. He is involved in more than 4.8 thousand cases of using toxic substances at the front. This was reported by the SBU press service on Monday, December 16.
14:03 This year, more than 1,000 people are allegedly signing contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry every day. This was stated by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin at a meeting of the military department.
13:49 A Ukrainian drone filmed footage of a Russian soldier finishing off his wounded comrade-in-arms.
13:10 Before talking about sending peacekeepers to Ukraine, peace must first be achieved. This was stated by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas in Brussels.
12:33 The European Union adopted the 15th package of sanctions against Russia. The new restrictions are aimed at Vladimir Putin's "shadow fleet" and are intended to weaken the Russian military-industrial complex.
12:29 Russian troops killed a teenager in the village of Shevchenko near Pokrovsk - he died due to shelling on December 11. This was reported by the press service of the Pokrovsk city military administration.
11:51 The efficiency of using FPV drones in various units of the Defense Forces and the Russian military is 20-40%. This was stated by the commander of the separate regiment of strike unmanned aerial systems Ptahi Madyara Robert Brovdi.
11:46 Serial production of the new drone missile Peklo has begun in Ukraine. The developer company has manufactured about 100 units of such weapons and is now increasing its production capabilities.
10:54 North Korean assault units are being replenished with new personnel after losses in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate, on December 14 and 15 alone, in the areas of the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba, and Martynovka, units of the DPRK army lost at least 30 soldiers killed and wounded.
Killed soldiers of the Russian and North Korean armies in Kurshchyna. Photo: Andrey Tsaplienko / Telegram
10:22 Ukrainian defenders used drones to destroy an enemy artillery and mortar ammunition depot near the village of Markino in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk Oblast.
9:57 Russian troops in the Kharkiv direction are actively using ammunition and manpower brought in from North Korea. However, the quality of North Korean weapons causes serious problems. This was stated by Volodymyr Chernyak, an officer of the Fourth Brigade of the Rubezh OP of the National Guard of Ukraine.
7:58 Atesh partisans reported that the invaders have set up numerous fortifications on the administrative border of the Kherson Oblast and Crimea, which is temporarily controlled by Russian occupiers. The aggressor is preparing to meet the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the event of their breakthrough to the peninsula from the north.
7:12 Ukrainian Defense Forces have restored positions near Kolesnikovka in the Kupyansk direction in the Kharkiv region. This is reported by DeepState.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[LB] The city of Kurakhove in the Donetsk region is under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
by Ivanna Kapustianska
Kurakhove is under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). The situation is complicated by the significant superiority of the Russians in manpower.
This was stated by the spokesman for the Khortytsia Regional Administrative District Nazar Voloshyn, RBC-Ukraine writes.
"In the Kurakhiv direction, this city (Kurakhove, - ed.) is under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, the enemy does not give up trying. Our military is conducting active combat operations to hold positions. The situation is, of course, complicated by the enemy's significant superiority in manpower," Voloshyn notes.
On the southeastern outskirts and in the urban area of the southern part of Kurakhovo, the Russians conducted active assault operations. The enemy is concentrating reserves of personnel in the entire direction and near the city. The Russians involved the 90th Tank Division, the 20th Motorized Rifle Division, and the 5th and 110th Motorized Rifle Brigades in the attacks.
"For the enemy, it is important to level the front line in this direction. After all, this will give him the opportunity to both regroup and withdraw some units for recovery, then concentrate them for a further offensive in this area," explained the spokesman for the Khortytsia Special Operations Command.
Today, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Defense Forces repelled 32 attacks in the Kurakhiv direction. The occupiers tried to advance in the areas of Stary Terni, Sontsivka, Zory, Kurakhovo, and Uspenivka.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[LB] There are no enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups in Pokrovsk, and there are no battles on the outskirts of the city.
by Natalka Lototska
There are no enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups in Pokrovsk. The defense forces managed to push back Russian forces near Peshchane, and there is no fighting on the outskirts of the city.
This was stated on the air by the spokesman for the Khortytsia OTU Nazar Voloshyn, Ukrinform writes.
“I will emphasize right away that there are no enemy DRGs in Pokrovsk, there are no battles on the outskirts of the city. Of course, the enemy is trying to advance closer to the city, the attempt is through the left and right flanks of the Defense Forces to avoid a frontal assault. The enemy is also avoiding frontal attacks, trying to bypass the city. This city is important for us, there is a railway there, which the enemy will try to capture. So far, the Defense Forces have managed to push back Russian forces near Pishchane, not far from Pokrovsk,” Voloshyn said.
There are ongoing hostilities there, in the Pokrovsky direction, the enemy is fielding four against one brigade of the Defense Forces. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are opposed by three all-Russian armies: the 2nd, 41st, and 51st.
Near Uspenivka, the Ukrainian Defense Forces are conducting stabilization measures as part of a defensive operation.
“The Defense Forces units are conducting stabilization measures within the framework of a defensive operation along the line of combat contact there. The operation conducted by the Defense Forces units involves maximum exhaustion of the enemy, destruction of his resource, and preservation of our personnel. Therefore, in any case, first of all, it is necessary to stop the enemy there and stabilize the front line,” Voloshyn said, answering a question about the risk of encirclement of Ukrainian soldiers near Uspenivka.
Other information regarding this situation has not yet been disclosed.
Today, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that in the Pokrovsky direction, our defenders stopped 32 assault and offensive actions of the aggressor near the settlements of Myrolyubivka, Promin, Lysivka, Dachenske, Zelene, Pishchane, and Novoolenivka.
Linked article is available only through a VPN.
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Kharkov direction, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of one air assault brigade of the AFU, one territorial defence brigade, and one border detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine near Liptsy, Volchansk (Kharkov region), and Kharkov. One counter-attack launched by AFU units was repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to more than 85 troops, one armoured personnel carrier, three motor vehicles, and one 152mm D-20 gun.
Units of the Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade, one assault brigade of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade near Dvurechnaya, Zagryzovo, Lozovaya, Glushkovka, and Kupyansk (Kharkov region). Four counter-attacks launched by AFU units were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to more than 500 troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, including one U.S.-made HMMWV armoured fighting vehicle, four motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155mm M-198 howitzer, and three 122mm D-30 howitzers. Two ammunition depots were destroyed.
As a result of decisive actions, units of the Yug Group of Forces liberated Elizavetovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
Losses were inflicted on formations of two mechanised brigades, one airmobile brigade, one air assault brigade of the AFU, and two territorial defence brigades near Seversk, Belogorovka, Trudovoye, Ostrovskoye, Kurakhovo, and Dachnoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 345 troops, five motor vehicles, two U.S.-made MaxxPro armoured fighting vehicles, one U.S.-made 155mm Paladin self-propelled artillery system, one 152mm D-20 gun, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer. One ammunition depot, one Anklav-N electronic warfare station, and one U.S.-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar were destroyed.
Units of the Tsentr Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of four mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, one assault brigade, two assault battalions of the AFU, and one naval infantry brigade near Shevchenko, Shcherbinovka, Novoolenovka, Novopustynka, Petrovka, and Dzerzhinsk (Donetsk People's Republic). Nine counter-attacks launched by AFU armed formations were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to more than 440 troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, one 152mm Msta-B howitzer, three 152mm D-20 guns, three 122mm D-30 howitzers, and one Nota electronic warfare station.
Units of the Vostok Group of Forces continued advancing to the depth of the enemy's defences and inflicted losses on formations of two mechanised brigades of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade near Razliv, Zelenoye Pole, and Vremevka (Donetsk People's Republic). Three counter-attacks launched by the enemy's assault detachments were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 185 troops, one German-made Leopard tank, one infantry fighting vehicle, two armoured fighting vehicles, four motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155mm M-777 howitzer, one 155mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery system, and one 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system.
Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one heavy mechanised brigade, one mechanised brigade of the AFU, and two territorial defence brigades near Novoandreyevka (Zaporozhye region), Antonovka, Yantarnoye, and Nikolskoye (Kherson region).
The AFU losses amounted to more than 55 troops, two motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155mm M-777 howitzer, and two 152mm D-20 guns. Four AFU field ammunition depots were destroyed.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces struck infrastructure of military airfields, as well as engaged clusters of the enemy's manpower and military hardware in 133 areas.
Air defence units shot down nine fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 650 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 37,818 unmanned aerial vehicles, 590 anti-aircraft missile systems, 19,810 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,501 MLRS combat vehicles, 19,695 field artillery guns and mortars, and 29,260 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 operations, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of five mechanised brigades, one tank brigade, two air assault brigades, one naval infantry brigade, and two territorial defence brigades of the AFU near Guyevo, Lebedevka, Leonidovo, Malaya Loknya, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Novaya Sorochina, Pogrebki, Russkoye Porechnoye, and Sverdlikovo.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of the AFU enemy near Kurilovka, Mirny as well as Basovka, Belovody, Zhuravka, Petrushovka, and Popovka in Sumy region.
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to up to 540 troops, one tank, two infantry fighting vehicles, one U.S.-made Stryker armoured personnel carrier, 20 armoured fighting vehicles, and seven motor vehicles.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 41,400 troops, 242 tanks, 182 infantry fighting vehicles, 126 armoured personnel carriers, 1,276 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,145 motor vehicles, 314 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, 74 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, five armoured recovery vehicles, and one command post vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
#1
Here's some Russian perspective. I hope every Russian who has done any war crime dies like this and inside Russia. Putin is helpless to protect them.
#2
Another success story inside Russia. Hope this becomes a daily event, inside Russia.
Until Putin has to be scraped off the street outside the Kremlin.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:59 Official summary of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC from 00:00 12/15/2024 to 00:00 12/16/2024.
26 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 reports of one civilian being killed and four injured.
DAMAGED:
Five cars,
One residential building,
On bus,
Four civil infrastructure facilities,
A total of 26 artillery attacks in the Gorlovka direction.
A total of 75 units of various ammunition were fired.
21:21 Several mercenaries were liquidated in the SVO zone
– Byron Correa Cuellar, nicknamed Mensajero Elohim, was born on February 18, 1997 in Colombia.
-Jason Fernando Vanegas Avila was born on September 5, 1988 in Colombia.
20:08 Telegram channel "Colonelcassad"
Combat work of the assault aircraft of the 5th Separate Guards Tank Brigade of the "East" group of the RF Armed Forces from Buryatia in the Kurakhovsky direction, -video.
19:07 Ukraine became the fifth country in the world to have laser weapons in its arsenal.
"Ukraine has a laser weapon called "Trident". We can state that today Ukraine is, if I am not mistaken, the fifth country that can say that it has a laser. Today, we can already shoot down aircraft at an altitude of more than 2 km with this laser," said Vadym Sukharevsky, commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Unmanned Systems Forces.
18:45 Russian Army locks the Ukrainian Armed Forces are in a cauldron near Makarovka and are taking Velikaya Novosyolka in pincers.
- From the north, marines from the Vostok group broke into and occupied most of the village of Novy Komar, through which the road to Velikaya Novosyolka passes.
- From the southwest, Russian troops are approaching the road leading from Velyka Novosyolovka in the direction of the Zaporizhia region.
In addition, Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft bombed the crossing over the Mokrye Yaly River.
17:35 Russian Ministry of Defense:
Military police servicemen of the "North" group rendered assistance to the Holy Trinity Church in the Glushkovsky district of the Kursk region in eliminating the consequences of the strikes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
17:16 Russian army actively destroys Ukrainian Armed Forces' strongholds and artillery, supporting the assault on Kurakhovo
-Fighters of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Guards Army discovered and eliminated a stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
-Also near Kurakhovo, artillery reconnaissance from the 238th brigade discovered a camouflaged American M119 howitzer along with its crew.
- Thanks to the skillful command of an officer with the call sign "Berkut", the gun and personnel were destroyed by a "Lancet" loitering munition.
-Coordinated actions will significantly facilitate the task of the 5th Tank Brigade and the 150th Motorized Rifle Division, facilitating further advancement and strengthening of the positions of Russian troops in Kurakhovo.
16:31 Russian Army raised flag, liberating Starye Terny and moving to the rear of Kurakhovo.
-The soldiers of the 114th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Army successfully completed the task of liberating the village of Starye Terny.
- In the process of carrying out the combat mission, the soldiers successfully eliminated pockets of enemy resistance, destroying their shelters and positions.
-Flags of the 114th Motorized Rifle Brigade were installed in the liberated settlement.
16:05 Armed Forces of Ukraine are being thrown over "Kraken" from Kursk region near Chasov Yar
The assault on Chasy Yar continues, and although our troops are not advancing on a broad front, we have had certain successes and advances recently. There are battles on the territory of the fireproof plant, where our paratroopers managed to enter, taking advantage of the bad weather, our positions on the flanks are gradually improving.
15:28 Moscow plans to achieve victory in the war and goals in 2025 – Belousov
-Russian Army has the goal of liberating the entire territory of the four regions by 2025.
-During the entire period of the SVO, the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces amounted to almost 1 million people; in the Kursk adventure alone, the enemy lost more than 40,000 soldiers. In 2024, over 58,000 units of weapons and equipment of the Armed Forces were destroyed;
- The Armed Forces of Ukraine control less than 1% of the territory of the LPR and 25-30% of the territory of the DPR, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions;
- The Russian Armed Forces firmly hold the strategic initiative throughout the entire LBS and are advancing at a speed of about 30 square kilometers per day;
- Belousov also admitted the possibility of war with NATO in the next 10 years. He stated that the Ministry of Defense "must be prepared for any development of the situation, including a possible military conflict with NATO in Europe in the next decade."
- Over 427,000 military personnel were recruited in Russia in 2024, with more than 1,200 people signing contracts every day.
-About 96% of military personnel who were discharged from medical institutions will be able to return to service.
- The Ministry of Defense plans to update the content of military registration specialties and modernize the system of military universities;
14:28 Destruction of the Starlink antenna and MON-90. Zaporizhia direction. North of the settlement Rabotino, –video.
13:30 Telegram channel "Vladimir Saldo"
The unmanned aerial vehicle crews of the Northern Fleet Marines, which are part of the Dnepr group of forces, successfully completed the task of detecting and destroying the takeoff point of enemy heavy UAVs in the Kherson region, –video.
The unmanned aerial vehicle crews of the Northern Fleet Marines, which are part of the Dnepr group of forces, successfully completed the task of detecting and destroying the take-off point of heavy enemy UAVs in the Kherson region.
12:00 Telegram channel "Vladimir Rogov"
Russian troops fought off a series of counterattacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces north of Velyka Novosilka in the area of the village of Novy Komar on the Vrem'ya direction of the Zaporizhzhya front line.
11:20 Russian Ministry of Defense:
Captured serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine told about crimes committed against civilians in the Kursk region
Artur Plombirus was called up to the Armed Forces of Ukraine from prison, where he served his sentence. In his unit, most were convicted of serious crimes: murder, rape.
“The command said that if they came across civilians who did not speak Ukrainian, they would be dealt with on the spot,” the prisoner of war recalled.
9:50 Russian Army attacks on a broad front, driving the occupiers out of the Kursk region
- Russian troops continue to attack on a broad front in a number of areas at once. There are battles from Plekhovo in the direction of Kurilovka, near Cherkasskaya Konopelka, in the area of the ravines east of Kremyanoye, in the area of Novoivanovka and in the direction of Sverdlikovo.
- Large infantry units are attacking the Ukrainian Armed Forces positions west of Nechayev in the direction of Russkoye Porechny; the occupiers have lost their strongholds in the forest belt, and Russian troops have advanced up to 1.5 km.
9:20 Crew of the 203mm 2S7M Malka self-propelled gun of the Center group of force stopped rotation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the Krasnoarmeysk direction, destroying armored vehicles and a stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Having received the target coordinates, the combat vehicle crew moved to the combat area.
The servicemen fired a series of salvoes of 203mm high-explosive fragmentation rounds weighing 110 kilograms each, destroying armored vehicles and a stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at a distance of more than 20 kilometers.
8:13 Russian Ministry of Defense:
Around 7:00 Moscow time stoppedan 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.
Two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed over the territory of the Bryansk region by air defense systems on duty.
8:02 Tankers of the "West" group of forces are catching up with the enemy, -video.
The crews of the T-90M Proryv tanks destroyed a tank, machine gun positions, an automatic grenade launcher, strong points, ammunition depots and Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] In the last weeks of the year, the Russian army has been building on the success achieved during the heavy fighting of the summer and autumn period. In 2024, the Russian Armed Forces liberated 189 settlements as part of a special operation, President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting of the expanded board of the Ministry of Defense. The head of state also noted that Russian troops have seized the initiative along the entire front line.
In the past two weeks alone, 12 settlements in Donbas have come under the control of the Russian army. In the eastern part of the region, Russian troops continue to storm the strategically important city of Kurakhovo. As a result of a series of successful offensive operations, the fighting has moved directly into the urban development.
Russian troops advanced to the main stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at School No. 1. Fierce fighting broke out for the school. As a result, Ukrainian troops retreated to the city council building and surrounding three-story buildings. On Saturday, the enemy retreated from this area as well — the Russian flag was raised over the city council building.
Russian troops also advanced along the Zaporizhzhya Highway in the northern part of the village, moving towards the fish farm. The Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted to organize a tank counterattack, but it failed.
The enemy's defense is being built in the area of the Kurakhovskaya Thermal Power Plant and a group of five-story buildings in the western part of the village. Also, some of its formations are still in the center of the settlement - in the area of Soborny Prospekt and Pushkin Street.
In total, no more than 20% of the territory of Kurakhovo remains under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Further south, Russian troops are advancing towards the Zaporizhia Highway, the last supply route for the enemy garrison in Kurakhovo, advancing from the area of the village of Sukhi Yaly. The offensive continued towards the village of Zelenovka. According to information from the field, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have abandoned the southern part of the village, and the Russian army is only two kilometers from the Zaporizhia Highway.
On the other side of the Kurakhovo Reservoir, the advancing formations of the Russian Armed Forces have occupied the settlement of Starye Terny. Control over this area allows the use of artillery to fire at enemy vehicles moving to/from Kurakhovo along Zaporizhzhya Avenue.
The current situation could lead to the fact that even if Ukrainian troops in Kurakhovo receive an order to withdraw right now, they will only be able to leave with heavy losses, notes a front-line source for the Regnum news agency.
"What happened is what we discussed a week ago. The Ukrainian Armed Forces command is holding them in the city until the very end, but now any retreat will turn into a massacre. They had a chance to leave normally. They can't hold out for long either, which means they will still leave, but with bloodshed and heavy losses. According to rumors, there are many wounded in the city, who will most likely, according to old tradition, either be abandoned or finished off so as not to interfere," the source said.
Western media also report on the critical situation for the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the front in the DPR. According to the assessment of the observer of the German publication Bild, Christopher Buhl, the Ukrainian Armed Forces group in Kurakhovo is threatened with encirclement. In turn, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kiev reports on fierce battles in this area, but pretends that nothing special is happening.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces also still hold control over the village of Uspenovka south of Kurakhovo, which is in operational encirclement. If Ukrainian troops retreat north of Uspenovka and the surrounding settlements will find themselves in a full-fledged "cauldron".
ON THE APPROACHES TO POKROVSK
The situation in the Pokrovsk area, a key city for the entire defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, is not the best for the enemy.
The Ukrainian military command acknowledged the loss of a number of settlements south of this settlement. In particular, this concerns the village of Shevchenko, one and a half kilometers south of Pokrovsk.
Russian troops are expanding their bridgehead for a new offensive in the direction of the M30 highway, which provides communication between Pokrovsk and the Dnepropetrovsk region. Russian troops have only ten kilometers left to cover to the border of the region.
The fall of Pokrovsk would be Kyiv's most serious defeat in the past year. Taking control of it would allow Russian troops to disrupt the enemy's supply lines and continue their offensive in several directions at once.
Kiev is aware of the full gravity of the imminent defeat and is trying to stop the collapse of the front by all available means, including personnel. The day before, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine dismissed the commander of the Donetsk group of forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Lutsenko, who was responsible for the defense in the area of Kurakhovo and Pokrovsk. Oleksandr Tarnavsky was appointed in his place. He is known as one of the organizers of the failed counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Zaporizhia region in the summer of 2023.
Whether the change of commander will affect the situation at the front will be shown on the battlefield, but for now the Ukrainian defense continues to slowly crumble.
MASS DESERTION IN THE UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES
Fighting also continues in the north of Donbass, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces are losing their last positions in the area of the settlements of Toretsk and Chasov Yar.
After several weeks of fierce fighting, the enemy has abandoned the main defensive node in Chasovy Yar with losses - the territory of the local fireproof plant, local sources report. It is noted that this territory is on a dominant height, and taking control of this area allows the Russian army to control the situation in the city as a whole.
At the same time, local sources of the Regnum news agency report that heavy fighting continues in the industrial zone of Chasov Yar.
"The reports of the 'complete liberation of the plant' are premature. It is not even very clear what we are talking about. If we are talking about the third and fifth workshops, they are being cleaned up. There is also the fourth workshop in the area of the Chasov Yar railway station, the first and second workshops in the residential areas of Shevchenko and Levanevsky. So, yes, the industrial zone is being cleaned up, but it is too early to talk about 'complete liberation'," the source reports.
At the same time, the enemy has lost a number of positions in the city center and continues to retreat, slowly. Aviation and artillery are actively working on its defense nodes in the industrial zone.
The developing situation leads to the fact that Ukrainian military increasingly abandon their positions and retreat, and sometimes simply flee. In recent weeks alone, almost 1,000 mobilized servicemen from the 155th brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have deserted from their positions in the Pokrovsk area, reported Yuriy Butusov, editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian publication Censor.net.
A similar situation has developed in other areas of the front, in particular, in the area of Chasov Yar. According to the information of the Regnum news agency, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command may soon begin withdrawing troops from the city in the direction of Konstantinovka. The retreat from Chasov Yar will also lead to the enemy abandoning the city of Toretsk, located to the south.
Russian troops are completing the offensive operations of 2024, pushing back the enemy everywhere and depriving it of the opportunity to counterattack. If this trend continues and the enemy soldiers continue to flee, the collapse of the Ukrainian Armed Forces front is a matter of time.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] One of the main tasks of the Russian Defense Ministry is to ensure the full readiness of the country's Armed Forces for a possible military conflict with NATO, which may take place in Europe in the next decade. This was stated on Monday, December 16, by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov.
The fact that such a conflict is possible is indicated by decisions made at the NATO summit in July, as well as doctrinal documents of the United States and other countries of the military bloc, Belousov said at a meeting of the Defense Ministry.
“Ensuring full readiness for any development of the situation in the medium term, including a possible military conflict with NATO in Europe in the next decade,” Belousov named one of the tasks of the Ministry of Defense.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, during his speech at the Defense Ministry board, President Vladimir Putin stated that the military-political situation in the world remains unstable and difficult due to Washington's actions. The US authorities are driving Russia to the red line, and when Russia begins to respond, they frighten their population with it, the head of state explained.
The President noted that NATO countries are increasing military spending and building up strike groups near Russia's borders. Putin stressed that such actions by the military bloc will not go unanswered.
Putin also stated that there are no rules for the US leadership, and that American politicians wage hybrid wars against states they don't like, including Russia. Representatives of the West, not believing in God, consider themselves His representatives on Earth, the president said.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Dmitry Likhtarik
[REGNUM] The Kiev regime is looking to the coming 2025 with optimism, hoping to fight even without American injections. On December 10, in an interview with the Spanish El Pais, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said that if Donald Trump, who is taking office as president, stops aid to Ukraine, Kiev will have enough money to fight until at least mid-2025.
"I believe that we have sufficient means, sufficient weapons, missiles and artillery shells to resist at least for the first half of 2025. We will provide sufficient budgetary allocations to purchase the necessary ammunition and military equipment in 2025. We are currently receiving the necessary weapons from the United States. This means that at least in the first half of the year and beyond, we will be well prepared to resist this aggression," he noted.
And this message is addressed first and foremost to the Euro-Atlantic “war party”: stopping or threatening to stop US aid to Ukraine will not be an argument for Kyiv to sit down at the negotiating table.
The second message contained between the lines is a call for this “war party” to take up the baton of the last weeks of the outgoing Joe Biden administration, which, according to a statement by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, has promised to provide its protégés with hundreds of thousands of artillery shells, thousands of missiles and hundreds of armored vehicles before leaving, as well as to introduce new large-scale sanctions against Russia.
After November 5, the White House entered a sprint race to “master” the remaining approximately $9 billion in the budget for aid to Kyiv. So the “war to the last Ukrainian” strategy is receiving a very long-term boost.
But here, first of all, we should turn to the state budget of Ukraine for 2025, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada and signed by Volodymyr Zelensky. If we recalculate the main indicators at the average rate of 45 UAH per dollar, set for next year, then revenues are planned at 45 billion dollars, and expenses at as much as 80 billion dollars, including 49 billion dollars "for defense and security."
Thus, the budget deficit amounts to a significant $35 billion.
However, this is not a big problem, since the lion's share of military aid to Kyiv is provided free of charge or on credit, and therefore the "budget deficit" is, first of all, a question of financial aid, not military. Of the large "donations", $15 billion is expected from the IMF and part of the $50 billion loan allocated by the G7 for income from frozen Russian assets.
The last amount will be divided into three years, from 2025 to 2027, but it can be assumed that the first tranche will already be worth significantly more than a third, at least $25 billion.
So Kyiv will somehow make ends meet, including by devaluing the national currency by about 10%. And the situation with military aid from the West needs to be considered separately.
As for the volumes already allocated, the constantly updated statistics of the Ukraine Support Tracker of the Kiel Institute for World Economics can be used as a reference point. It shows that since February 2022 (although in reality it began in 2014), the contribution of various countries to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces is estimated in the following order. The United States has received 51.6 billion in euros and almost the same amount from European countries. Japan has allocated just over 9 billion euros and Canada 7.2 billion euros.
A total of 119.4 billion euros, or approximately 128 billion dollars, if taken at the average exchange rate for 2022–2024, an average of 43 billion dollars annually.
Indeed, it is impossible to imagine such or comparable assistance to Kyiv in the coming new year without the participation (or with minimal participation) of the United States. Moreover, in addition to the uncertainty of the US position, there are problems with other major sponsors of Kyiv.
Thus, in Germany, new aid runs up against restrictions on budget borrowing, which this summer the Federal Constitutional Court harshly confirmed with its decision, and in France, in the conditions of total austerity, such a question has simply become politically inappropriate. That is why the key European countries that are part of the G7 have decided that the allocation of a $50 billion loan to cover the income from the frozen assets of the Russian Federation is enough for them.
At the same time, the Western “war party” has a number of other options for providing weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces: a loan, a “circular exchange,” and an “alternative to disposal.”
Thus, Warsaw proposed Kiev to buy weapons from it on credit. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski reported on the Polsat TV channel that Donald Tusk's government had already formed a corresponding proposal and encouraged Kiev: "When you recover, you will pay."
The “preferential” or “enslaving” nature of the conditions for the provision of weapons from the point of view of the situation in the theater of military operations is irrelevant; the main thing is that lethal weapons can be obtained here and now.
In turn, Britain is providing Ukraine with a loan of almost $3 billion to purchase weapons. However, there is a nuance here - according to the press service of the British Cabinet of Ministers, the loan will also be secured by profits from frozen Russian assets - that is, this is part of the promised contribution to the G7 loan to Ukraine, and instead of "real money" London is offering its weapons.
Some other G7 countries may follow suit, strengthening the military component of the loan.
Croatia is demonstrating the circular exchange formula, which, according to the country's Defense Ministry, will purchase 50 Leopard 2A8 tanks from Germany and give 30 of its M-84 tanks and 30 M-80 infantry fighting vehicles, including spare parts and ammunition, to Ukraine. The defense ministers of the two countries have already signed a letter of intent.
M-84 - Yugoslav tanks, produced in 1983-91. BMP M-80 were produced in Yugoslavia in 1979-91. Yes, these are not new weapons, but older equipment is used quite successfully on the battlefields of the North Military District by both sides.
Australia is planning a similar exchange, promising to transfer 49 used M1A1 AIM Abrams tanks to Kyiv after the country began receiving upgraded American M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tanks to replace the base model.
The most outspoken speaker on this topic was the former commander of US Ground Forces in Europe and now NATO senior logistics adviser, General Ben Hodges, who stated that American weapons that are approaching their expiration date should be transferred to Ukraine instead of being disposed of.
A significant portion of British supplies, as follows from the reports of local auditors, are precisely “alternative to disposal.”
Thus, Kyiv does not have any particular questions about what to fight with throughout 2025, especially since next year Ukraine will receive some of the equipment financed this year, including F-16 aircraft. In the worst case, the Zelensky regime may well redistribute “social” money within the budget in favor of the “military”.
After all, the principle of “war to the last Ukrainian” presupposes the approach of “guns instead of butter.” And the change of figure in the White House, therefore, does not magically change anything – Ukraine has been led to this war for too long to just take and stop everything.
So whatever the political intentions, the situation will in any case be fundamentally decided on the battlefield. Where the only thing that the Western allies cannot supply is manpower, which the further we go, the more it refuses to simply die for the amusement of foreigners.
[err.ee] Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) said that the Estonian Academy of Arts should reconsider its decision to sever ties with Israeli higher education institutions.
"I believe the academy should reconsider this decision," Prime Minister Kristen Michal said at a press conference following the JEF summit, responding to an ERR question on the matter.
Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) also said EKA should reconsider the decision.
"Every educational institution makes its own decisions, but for me as a citizen, and also as a foreign minister, this decision is incomprehensible, because our relations with Israel are very good. And as the prime minister said, I would advise the EKA to reconsider these decisions, at least at the council level," Tsahkna told ERR.
"Now, as foreign minister, I see no reason why we should stop cooperation with Israel at this level. I can't comment on what the atmosphere is like in this educational institution, but as foreign minister, I can only say that this is definitely a step in the wrong direction," he added....
....Last week, the Estonian Academy of Arts' (EKA) director of studies informed students that the second part of a workshop led by Jonathan Ventura, an associate professor at Israel's Shenkar College, scheduled for February, had been canceled. The university has decided to terminate cooperation with all Israeli universities, Eesti Ekspress reported on Monday.
EKA Rector Mart Kalm told Ekspress that the university is not open to cooperation proposals from Israeli universities.
''I feel terrible about it, because Ukraine is a very important country, and i feel a personal stake, because i got them to agree, to give up their nuclear weapons, and non of them believe that Russian would have pulled this stunt, if Ukraine still had their Nuclear Weapons''
…- Former President Of The United States Bill Clinton
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2024 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[11132 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
Theirs? UKR didnt have nukes. Those were Soviet bombs. UKR hosted nuclear weapons, they didnt operate them. RUS didnt give up their nuke codes. For all intents and purposes, those nukes were non-operable for the Ukrainians.
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
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Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
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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.
[Fox] A Ukrainian official has taken credit for the assassination of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the commander of Russia’s chemical, biological and radiation defense forces, and his assistant, who were killed in an explosion in Moscow on Tuesday.
