[Breitbart] Two Russian oil tankers were wrecked in the Kerch Strait over the weekend, coating almost 40 miles of Black Sea coastline in heavy fuel oil.
Several towns along the coast have declared a state of emergency, while a furious Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Russians of causing an environmental catastrophe by sending two “old, poorly maintained” ships into rough seas.
“These ships were nearly 50 years old. They shouldn’t have been in operation at all, especially in this part of the waters and during this season. Right now, our sea is facing yet another environmental disaster caused by Russia,” Zelensky said on Tuesday.
The two ships in question are 50-year-old tankers called Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239. They were sailing through the Kerch Strait, which separates Russian-occupied Crimea from the Ukrainian mainland, when they ran into 25-foot waves and 45 mile-per-hour winds.
Each ship was loaded with thousands of tons of low-grade heavy oil known as mazut. This type of fuel is rarely used in the West, where it is generally referred to as “waste oil.” Russia and the former Soviet satellite states make much heavier use of mazut in their boilers and furnaces.
The storm in the Kerch Strait ripped Volgoneft 212 in half, leaving the horrified crew to watch as the bow of their ship drifted away. According to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, one member of the crew was killed, two are still missing, and the other 12 have been rescued. Two of the rescued crew members have been hospitalized in serious condition.
Volgoneft 239 ran aground off the village of Taman, Russia at around the same time its sister ship was breaking up. The crew was rescued after weather conditions improved.
Greenpeace Ukraine said on Monday that at least 3,700 tons of oil have spilled from the two ships — an even larger spill than in 2007, when a damaged tanker bathed both sides of the Kerch Strait in oil and caused environmental damage that took years to heal.
“Any oil or petrochemical spill in these waters has the potential to be serious,” Greenpeace Research Laboratories chief Dr. Paul Johnston said on Tuesday.
“It is likely to be driven by prevailing wind and currents, and in the current weather conditions, is likely to be extremely difficult to contain. If it is driven ashore, then it will cause fouling of the shoreline which will be extremely difficult to clean up,” Johnston said.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, yet another Russian-flagged tanker, the Volgoneft 109, issued a distress call from the Kerch Strait due to a damaged cargo tank. The third ship is also carrying about 4,000 tons of mazut. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations insisted the situation aboard the Volgoneft 109 is “not critical.”
Marine scientist Sergey Stranichny told Russia’s state-run Tass news service on Wednesday that copious amounts of oil are continuing to leak from the wreck of Volgoneft 212. Stranichny said the growing oil spill could be clearly seen on satellite images.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent] 22:58 The Ukrainian Air Force has published a photo of Scalp&Storm Shadow missile launches. It is claimed that the missiles were launched towards Russia.
"There is nothing more beautiful than Scalp&Storm Shadow missiles heading towards the evil empire," the Telegram post reads.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine thanked their partners from France and Germany for their support of Ukraine.
22:35 Ukraine needs 19 more air defense systems to protect energy infrastructure from Russian attacks, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
"We know about your request... I think 19 systems (air defense - ed.) will be delivered to Ukraine to protect critical infrastructure. So this will all be on the agenda," he said.
21:55 Ukraine and Russia have come close to exhausting their forces in the war and are ready for peace talks. This was stated by the special representative of the newly elected US President Donald Trump for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg.
"I think both sides are ready. Imagine a cage fight. You have two fighters and they both want to win. You need a referee to separate them into corners, so I think President Donald Trump can do that," he said.
20:15 European countries are discussing the possibility of sending a military contingent to Ukraine in the event of the end or freezing of the war with Russia.
Thus, the minimum number of such a mission could be 40 thousand military personnel, however, according to experts, 100 thousand military personnel are required to effectively contain Russia.
19:35 This year, almost 4,000 appeals have been recorded regarding the actions of employees of territorial recruitment centers, which citizens consider unlawful. This was reported by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.
According to the ombudsman, most of the requests come from Zakarpattia, while in some regions, in particular in Kropyvnytskyi, the number of complaints is significantly lower, and most of them are not confirmed.
17.25 Ukraine has asked the US for a license to produce Patriot air defense systems, but has not received anything yet, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Le Parisien .
17.19 The number of Russian troops in Ukraine has reached a new maximum – an additional 100 thousand soldiers have arrived this year. This was reported by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, in an interview with Le Monde .
16.32 Since the beginning of the current day, 138 combat clashes have occurred on the front. The hottest now are in the Kursk region, Pokrovsk, Kurakhovsky and Vremivsky directions, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in a report as of 16:00.
15.56 European leaders are discussing the possibility of sending up to 100,000 troops to Ukraine if a ceasefire or peace deal is reached, Reuters reported , citing sources.
15.10 Russians attacked a number of Ukrainian military fortifications in Donetsk Oblast, as a result of which they were destroyed. The details were reported by the Operational-Strategic Group of Forces (OSUV) Khortitsa.
14.36 Australia has provided Ukraine with military aid in the form of 49 Abrams tanks and 14 boats. This was stated by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha. The total amount of Australian aid to Ukraine was more than $1 billion, of which $880 million was military aid.
14:08 No leader in the world has the right to negotiate with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin without Ukraine. Kiev has not given a mandate for this. The corresponding statement was made by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
13:57 Russian troops struck Kharkov with a Molniya drone on the morning of December 18. This was reported by the city mayor Igor Terekhov on Wednesday, December 18.
13:17 The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets reported that since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, cases of execution of 177 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been confirmed, 109 of them in 2024. The ombudsman said this in an interview with UP.
12:42 The Ministry of Defense has codified and approved for delivery the domestically produced universal ground robotic complex CRAB-LS . This was reported by the Main Directorate for Support of the Life Cycle of Weapons and Military Equipment, the Ministry of Defense reports. CRAB-LS is designed to perform tasks primarily in logistics support - delivery of necessary equipment, ammunition, equipment to positions and evacuation of the wounded. It can also be used to install combat modules and as a transporter in hazardous areas.
12:13 The Security Service of Ukraine intercepted conversations of Russian occupiers, which indicate significant losses among the DPRK military in the Kursk region. This was reported on December 18 by the press service of the SBU. In just a few days, more than 200 wounded DPRK servicemen were brought to one of the Russian hospitals near Moscow.
11:57 The EU authorities have already started working on the draft of the 16th package of sanctions against Russia. This was stated by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen during the plenary session of the European Parliament.
11:41 The German concern Rheinmetall has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for the supply of propellant charge modules for 155-mm guns. This was reported by the company's press service.
10:30 The Security Service of Ukraine is conducting counterintelligence (security) activities in the government quarter of Kiev. Their goal is to check the counter-sabotage protection of state facilities, as well as to strengthen the security of residents of the capital and persons subject to state protection.
9:59 The DPRK lost "several hundred" soldiers in the war against Ukraine. This refers to killed and wounded soldiers. This was reported by The New York Time, citing a statement by a high-ranking Pentagon military official at a closed briefing.
9:25 Two suspects in the case of the murder of General Igor Kirillov have been detained in Russia. According to the source, the suspects were identified "hot on the heels" - investigators examined surveillance cameras and found several suspicious vehicles.
8:57 The US leadership, led by President Joe Biden, will probably not have time to use the entire $5.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine before Donald Trump takes office, The New York Time reports.
8:28 The Kremlin avoids acknowledging the presence of North Korean troops in the Kursk region or their participation in military operations against Ukrainian forces, so as not to admit that Russia needs foreign troops to recapture its own territory.
7:59 Explosions were heard in Rostov on the night of December 18. Ukrainian drones allegedly attacked the city, local social networks and media claim.
7:26 The United States of America does not rule out the possibility of transferring new units from North Korea to Russia. However, there is currently no confirmed information about this. This was stated by US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
03:55 Russian invaders have occupied Solntsevka and advanced near Novotroitske, Berestki, Zelenovka, Novy Komar, Storozhevy, Kurakhovo, Pushkino, Dachenskoye and Vozrozhdeniya, DeepState reported.
01:23 Military aid, which the Biden administration continues to provide, should cover Ukraine's needs for weapons, equipment and materials until the end of 2025. This was stated by US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[LB] The hottest time is now in the Kurshchyna, Pokrovsky, Kurakhiv, and Vremiv directions.
by Ivanna Kapustianska
The Ukrainian Defense Forces are holding back the Russian occupiers' offensive. Terrorists continue to kill Ukrainians and destroy Ukrainian cities and villages with rocket, air, and artillery strikes.
According to the General Staff, the number of combat clashes has now increased to 138.
The hottest time is now in the Kurshchyna, Pokrovsky, Kurakhiv, and Vremiv directions. Defense forces are taking measures to prevent the enemy from advancing.
Today, communities in the Sumy and Chernihiv regions, such as Semenivka, Yanzhulivka, Turya, Grabovske, Velyka Pysarivka, and Ponomarenki, were hit by enemy artillery and mortar fire; the invader struck Krasnopilly with MLRS; and Oleksandrivka with unguided rockets.
In the Kharkiv direction, an enemy attack on the positions of our units in the Vovchansk area continues. The enemy launched air strikes on Vovchanskie Khutory and Udy.
In the Kupyansk direction, Russian occupiers attacked the Defense Forces three times in the Petropavlivka and Lozova areas. Two clashes are still ongoing. Ukrainian soldiers are holding their defenses steadfastly and inflicting losses on the enemy.
In the Lyman direction, the invading army carried out 11 attacks on Ukrainian positions near Hrekivka, Novoyehorivka, Nadiya, Yampolivka, and Terni during the day. Six clashes ended, five more are ongoing.
Three attacks by enemy troops were repelled by Ukrainian defenders in the Siversky direction, and a battle is currently underway near Verkhnyokamyansky.
The enemy tried to advance three times in the area of Chasovy Yar, Hryhorivka, and in the direction of Bila Hora, and the fighting continues.
In the Toretsk direction, with the support of aviation, the enemy is trying to penetrate our defenses in the area of Toretsk, Diliivka, and Shcherbinivka, eight clashes are ongoing.
In the Pokrovsky direction, Russian invaders made 27 attempts to push our defenders from their occupied positions in the areas of Myrolyubivka, Promyen, Lysivka, Dachenske, Zeleny, Novovasylivka, Chumatske, and Novoolenivka. The defense forces are holding back the onslaught and have repelled 19 enemy attacks, and eight clashes are still ongoing.
In the Kurakhiv direction, the enemy army attacked 14 times near the settlements of Sontsivka, Stari Terny, Kurakhovo, and Dachne. Nine attempts by the occupiers to advance have already been repulsed.
In the Vremiv direction, there were 15 enemy attacks near Kostyantynopolske, Rozlyv, Velyka Novoselka, Blagodatny, Novy Komar, and Storozhevo. Six clashes are ongoing.
The enemy carried out offensive operations in the areas of Novoandreyevka in the Orikhiv direction, the attack was repelled by Ukrainian units.
The operation in the Kursk region is ongoing. Enemy aviation continues to raze its villages and cities to the ground. Since the beginning of the day, Russian aircraft have carried out 14 strikes (17 CABs) on its own territory. Ukrainian soldiers have repelled 36 enemy attacks today, and fighting continues.
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 armed formations of one mechanised brigade of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade near Zolochev and Volchansk (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 50 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, and four 122mm D-30 howitzers.
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 Novomlynsk, Zagryzovo, Lozovaya (Kharkov region), Ivanovka, Torskoye, Terny (Donetsk People's Republic), and Novoyegorovka (Lugansk People's Republic). Two counter-attacks launched by assault detachments of the enemy were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 540 troops, one infantry fighting vehicle, one U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, one Polish-made Rosomak armoured personnel carrier, two pickup trucks, one UK-made 155mm FH-70 howitzer, one 152mm D-20 gun, three 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, two 122mm D-30 howitzers, one U.S.-made 105mm M-119 gun, and one U.S.-made 105mm M-101 howitzer. One Kvertus electronic warfare station was destroyed.
As a result of decisive actions, units of the Yug Group of Forces liberated Trudovoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
Losses were inflicted on formations of two mechanised brigades, one mountain assault brigade, one infantry brigade of the AFU, and two territorial defence brigades near Dronovka, Chasov Yar, Reznikovka, Zvanovka, Fyodorovka, and Petrovskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 350 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, two motor vehicles, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer.
One U.S.-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar and one ammunition depot were destroyed.
As a result of successful offensive operations, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces liberated Starye Terny (Donetsk People's Republic).
Losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades, one assault battalion of the AFU, two territorial defence brigades, and one special operations brigade near Dzerzhinsk, Zarya, Katerinovka, Shevchenko, Pravdovka, and Shcherbinovka (Donetsk People's Republic). In addition, 11 AFU counter-attacks were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 440 troops, one Canadian-made Senator armoured fighting vehicle, two motor vehicles, three 152mm Msta-B howitzers, two 152mm D-20 guns, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer.
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 two territorial defence brigades near Velikaya Novoselka, Zelenoye Pole, Razliv, Bogatyr, and Vremevka (Donetsk People's Republic). One counter-attack launched by the enemy's units was repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 160 troops, one UK-made Snatch armoured fighting vehicle, one 152mm 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, one 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, and one 152mm D-20 gun.
Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade, one mountain assault brigade of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade near Antonovka, Sadovoye (Kherson region), Nesteryanka, and Kamenskoye (Zaporozhye region). Two counter-attacks launched by the enemy's formations were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to more than 70 troops, two motor vehicles, two 152mm D-20 guns, and one 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces struck infrastructure of military airfields, UAV workshops and depots, as well as engaged AFU manpower and hardware clusters in 139 areas.
Air defence units shot down one U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectile and 43 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 650 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 37,910 unmanned aerial vehicles, 590 anti-aircraft missile systems, 19,834 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,501 MLRS combat vehicles, 19,803 field artillery guns and mortars, and 29,294 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 four mechanised brigades, one tank brigade, three air assault brigades, one naval infantry brigade, two territorial defence brigades, and two assault battalions of the AFU near Aleksandriya, Viktorovka, Daryino, Kositsa, Kruglenkoye, Lebedevka, Leonidovo, Malaya Loknya, Martynovka, Melovoy, Russkoye Porechnoye, Sverdlikovo, Staraya Sorochina, and Cherkasskaya Konopelka.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery inflicted losses on the enemy's manpower and hardware near Guyevo, Kolmakov, Kurilovka, Maryevka, Makhnovka, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Novoivanovka, Novaya Sorochina, Orlovka, Pogrebki, Rubanshchina, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye as well as Basovka, Belovody, Veselovka, Vodolagi, Zhuravka, and Miropolye in Sumy region.
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to more than 210 troops, two tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles, one armoured personnel carrier, four armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, one Croatian-made RAK-SA-12 MLRS launcher, one 152mm D-20 gun, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 41,870 troops, 244 tanks, 184 infantry fighting vehicles, 127 armoured personnel carriers, 1,283 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,152 motor vehicles, 318 artillery guns, 42 MLRS launchers, including 11 of HIMARS and six of MLRS made by the USA, 13 anti-aircraft missile launchers, seven transport-loading vehicles, 75 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] 19:11 The settlement of Novy Komar in the DPR is completely released by the Russian army. The Ukrainian Armed Forces group in the area of Velyka Novosyolka has become one step closer to operational encirclement. 18:10 Destroyed Ukrainian T-64BV tank near the village of Olgovka in the Kursk region –photo.
17:59 Zaporizhia Oblast Governor Balitsky reported that the enemy attempted to attack Berdyansk and Tokmak with four Storm Shadow missiles. All missiles were shot down, there were no casualties or damage.
17:49 Explosions in Khar'kov and Sumy regions.
17:30 Explosions in Sumy Oblast. Russian Aerospace Forces are using FABs on Ukrainian Armed Forces positions.
17:12 Liberation of Uspenovka.
The servicemen of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Guards Army of the Russian Armed Forces are fully cleared out and liberated Uspenovka from the criminal Kyiv regime. Now the fighters can calmly demonstrate the waving flags of Russia on the main streets of the village, which symbolizes the restoration of control over this region and the further advance of the assault forces of the Russian Army.
16:55 Air defense is repelling a missile attack on Rostov Oblast, Acting Governor Slyusar reported. Three of four missiles were shot down in the Kamensk area, one hit an outbuilding. There are no preliminary casualties.
16:08 FPV drone of the Russian Armed Forces destroyed a combat armored vehicle of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Khar'kov region.
16:02 In Toretsk on November 15, 2024, British mercenary Hayden William Davis was liquidated. Born December 9, 1994 –photo.
15:56 Around 14:00 Moscow time, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using an aircraft-type UAV against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation was thwarted.
A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was destroyed over the territory of the Belgorod region by air defense systems on duty.
15:25 Explosions in Krivoy Rog.
15:17 Enemy reports: "The northwestern and southern parts of Zelenovka are under the Russian Armed Forces' control. It is difficult to organize a defense in the village. It is almost impossible to dig trenches."
14:25 In the Pokrovsky direction, the Russian Armed Forces are taking the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison into a “semi-ring” –map.
Russian troops have advanced south of the village of Novoolenovka, thus taking the settlement in a "half-ring" is taking shape. The settlement is located south of Pokrovsk.
14:11 In Tisza drowned another Ukrainian draft dodger. He turned out to be a 39-year-old resident of the Kyiv region. The body was found five meters from the Romanian shore.
14:00 The advance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region has been stopped, attempts by Ukrainian groups and mercenaries to break through deep into Russia have been thwarted, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported.
He stated that Ukraine lost more than 42,000 soldiers, over 1,800 tanks and armored vehicles in the Kursk border region.
13:54 In the Pokrovsky direction of the Russian Armed Forces released half of Dachenskoye. In addition, the Russian army advanced from Novotroitskoye towards Solenoye.
In the Kurakhovsky direction, north of the reservoir, the Russian Federation forces are advancing west from Sontsovka. Southwest of the reservoir, a serious offensive is underway towards Constantinople; Constantinople has been practically liberated.
Russian troops took Makarovka and the adjacent territory south of Velikaya Novosyolka. In the area of Novy Komar, part of the adjacent territory was liberated.
13:04 Volyn TCC beaten up man, after which an ambulance was called for him because of the beatings. Despite the doctors' comments, the military commissars took him out on a gurney and threw him into their minibus.
12:47 Ukrainians again showed an act of vandalism, defaced with paint the monuments of Vorontsov, Pushkin and Apelsin in Odessa.
12:29 The Russian Armed Forces have liberated Trudovoe and Starye Terny in the DPR, the Defense Ministry reported. Over the past 24 hours, the infrastructure of military airfields, drone assembly workshops, and storage sites have been damaged.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost a Polish Rosomak armored personnel carrier, a British Snatch armored vehicle, and a Canadian Senator armored vehicle.
12:17 Units of the Russian Armed Forces advanced up to 700 meters in two areas in the area of the settlement Lozovaya. Due to high losses, two battalions of the 44th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were withdrawn from the combat zone and a decrease in the activity of the 77th Airmobile Brigade in counterattacks was noted.
12:05 Calculations of the 122mm BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket systems of the Vostok group of forces daily are hitting positions of Ukrainian nationalists, destroying enemy manpower and military equipment in the SVO zone.
11:11 The Armed Forces of Ukraine are actively preparing Konstantinovka and Druzhkovka for defense after the withdrawal of heavy equipment from Chasov Yar. This was stated by the chief of the operational headquarters of the Melodiya reconnaissance center of the Espanola volunteer brigade of the volunteer corps as part of the South group with the call sign Chukcha.
11:01 The Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked seven districts of the Belgorod Region with 64 munitions and 18 drones over the past 24 hours. The largest number — 26 munitions — were fired at the Volokonovsky District, Gladkov said.
10:54 Crimean paratroopers' UAV operators have discovered a US-made Abrams tank. With a precise strike from an FPV drone, the operator - a platoon commander with the call sign "Chekhov" - hit and immobilized the Ukrainian Armed Forces tank, and with a second hit from his subordinates, the armored vehicle was destroyed -video.
10:41 Enemy reports: "in the Vrem'yevsk direction, the Russian Armed Forces are pushing through the flanks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of Velyka Novosyolka and may take them in the near future, encircling the city.
In Novy Komar, north of Velyka Novosyolka, there is a battle, and to the south (in the area of Blagovatnoye), Russian troops are advancing. In the near future, the Russian Armed Forces may take full control of the flanks around the city, and then everything will be as usual, as we have seen before, not a very encouraging prospect."
10:17 A car with police officers came under artillery fire in Gorlovka, one of them died
Andrey Stroyev, an employee of the Nikitovsky District Service Department, was driving the car that the police used to arrive at the scene. Shrapnel from a Ukrainian shell pierced the car, Stroyev was fatally wounded, his colleagues were not hurt.
10:12 Russian naval infantry arranged an ambush of Ukrainian military in the Kursk region, the enemy lost three NATO-made armored vehicles, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
09:34 The criminal Kiev regime continues to shell the civilian infrastructure of populated areas on the left bank of the Kherson region. Yesterday, during the day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired from barrel artillery:
– Five rounds in the village of Golaya Pristan;
– Four rounds to the settlement of Velikiye Kopani;
– Four rounds in the village of Malokakhovka;
– Six rounds in the village of Novaya Kakhovka;
– Three rounds in the village of Sagi;
- Five rounds to the village of Aleshki.
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the settlements of Dnepryany, Aleshky, Kardashynka, Korsunka, and Golaya Prystan, firing a total of 24 rounds from cannon artillery. Civilian casualties and infrastructure destruction are being clarified.
09:10 The Russian Armed Forces have liberated three square kilometers near Zelenovka in the Kurakhovsky direction, Vladimir Rogov reported.
09:04 Today at 05:20 am, passenger bus route #25 in Gorlovka DPR was attacked by a UAF drone, there were no casualties. This was reported by the city's mayor, Ivan Prikhodko.
08:49 The DPR representative office in the JCCC recorded seven cases of fire from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Gorlovka direction in 24 hours, 19 rounds of ammunition were fired. There were no reports of civilian casualties. No damage to residential buildings or civilian infrastructure facilities was recorded.
08:31 Russian forces have improved their tactical position near the village of Lozovaya in the Khar'kov region, partially forming a “fire bag” for Ukrainian Armed Forces units, military expert Marochko reported.
08:24 The Russian Armed Forces crossed the Mokrye Yaly River during the battle for the village of Storozhevoe to the south of Velikaya Novosyolka in the DPR, Vladimir Rogov reported.
08:15 The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost most of their forces while trying to break out of the pincer movement in Uspenovka south of Kurakhovo, the security forces reported.
08:12 Crimean paratroopers destroyed an American Abrams tank in the Novoivanovka area of the Kursk region, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
08:10 Crews of 152mm 2S19 self-propelled howitzers "Msta-S" of the "West" group of forces destroyed camouflaged guns, machine gun emplacements and Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel. Fire adjustment and target engagement control were performed by UAV crews.
08:08 The Russian Armed Forces have liberated three settlements. The channel "Whisper of the Front" reported that the Russian army has occupied Makarovka in the Veliko-Novoselovsky direction, as well as Konstantinopolskoye and Uspenovka near Kurakhovo.
08:05 Armed Forces of Ukraine killed civilians in Kurakhovo in the DPR, using FPV drones and mortars against them, a refugee reported.
08:03 Air defense systems destroyed two Ukrainian UAVs over the Belgorod region and one over the Bryansk and Kursk regions at night, the Defense Ministry reported.
08:01 Russian troops have cleared the "Yuzhnokurakhov cauldron", Vladimir Rogov said. At the same time, according to him, those who refused to surrender were liquidated.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Ilya Ropshin
[REGNUM] On the morning of December 17, an explosion thundered on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow. An unknown person detonated an explosive device planted in a scooter left near the entrance of a residential building. At that moment, the head of the NBC Protection Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, and his assistant, Major Ilya Polikarpov, came out of the entrance. They died of the injuries they received. The explosion was so strong that it blew out the windows of the building across the street.
A criminal case has been opened into the deaths of Kirillov and Polikarpov under the articles “Murder,” “Terrorist Act,” and “Illegal Circulation of Weapons and Ammunition.”
Two suspects, one of whom is a foreign citizen, have already been detained on the trail. The criminal said that he came to Moscow on the instructions of the Ukrainian special services, received an explosive device and attached it to a scooter near the entrance where the general lived. For carrying out the terrorist attack, he was promised 100 thousand dollars and a trip to the European Union. The terrorist organized an online broadcast from a car-sharing car for his employers, who were in Dnepr (Dnipropetrovsk). The legality of his stay in Russia is currently being determined.
It is noteworthy that less than a day before the terrorist attack, the office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine accused Kirillov of “using chemical weapons.”
"The prosecutor's office and the SBU worked together. When the saboteurs in Moscow reported their readiness to carry out a terrorist attack, the prosecutor's office declared a suspicion. All for the sake of PR effect. Like, they declared him an enemy and eliminated him within 24 hours," former Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleg Tsarev commented on this "coincidence."
After the terrorist attack, Western and Ukrainian media, citing sources in the special services, reported that the Security Service of Ukraine was behind the explosion. This was later confirmed by the SBU itself.
"Today's attack on Lieutenant General Igor Kirilov, head of the radiation, chemical and biological defense troops of the Russian Armed Forces, is a special operation of the SBU," the statement said.
PROVEN METHOD
Kirillov is not the only victim of the Ukrainian special services. On the evening of December 10, the Telegram channel "YuVAO Online Moscow" published a video from Kotelniki, which borders Moscow.
"A murder was committed in the Kuzminsky forest park area. Presumably, it was a contract killing. The assailant escaped," the caption to the video said.
Two days later, on December 12, Ukrainska Pravda, citing a number of sources, reported that Mikhail Shatsky, deputy general designer of the Mars Design Bureau, who was busy upgrading the Kh-59 missiles to the Kh-69 level, had been killed in Kotelniki. The publication stated that "this was a special operation by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine."
The very next day, December 13, Russian media, citing Telegram news channels, reported that an explosion of a Toyota Land Cruiser belonging to Gennady Devyatkov, deputy director for production at the Machine-Building Design Bureau (KBM), had been prevented in the Moscow region. KBM develops and produces missile systems for various purposes, including Iskander, Shmel, and Igla.
It is noteworthy that the talk about unleashing targeted terror in Russia in Ukraine began immediately after the start of the SVO. At the same time, it was proposed to use not Ukrainian agents, but representatives of the criminal world.
"Representatives of the criminal world are unlikely to refuse money that they will be paid for a night visit to the home of some military man with further actions against this military man, his wife and their children. So, in a complex. Therefore, it is possible, in principle, to establish, and it will not even be necessary to ask to risk the lives of the special services, to risk the lives of Ukrainian guys. It is necessary to simply establish contact with Russian, Dagestani, Chechen criminals. Even contact the Tajiks," said political strategist Vladimir Petrov, working for the office of the President of Ukraine, back in April 2022.
But in addition to the perpetrators, there is also the question of the informants: how do the Ukrainian special services find out the addresses of the people they are interested in and who helps them with this.
"VOLUNTARY" HELPERS
A little over a day before the terrorist attack on Ryazansky Prospekt, another investigation by Ukrainian OSINT-er and journalist Anatoly Ostapenko was released on the YouTube channel "Telebachennya Toronto". This time, the video was dedicated to American Daniel Martindale, who managed to cross the front line and get to Russia.
However, Ostapenko was interested not so much in Martindale as in his acquaintance, Russian officer Vladimir Gniteyev.
The latter had previously been targeted by Ukrainians, his data had appeared on the infamous website "Peacemaker". But Ostapenko found out not only the officer's place of service, but also his current residential address. At the same time, Ostapenko, according to him, used leaked databases, including food delivery services.
Earlier, thanks to the same leaked databases, Ostapenko found out the address of the female employees of the Novator Design Bureau, which produces Kalibrs. It is noteworthy that in that episode, Ostapenko admitted to collaborating with the Ukrainian Defense Forces. In addition, the OSINT agent threatened the women he had de-anonymized.
And that's not even the "bottom". Thus, Ostapenko's "colleagues" - sex blogger Polina Maiko, who fled Mariupol, and the OSINT agency Molfar - revealed the identities of the children of Russian military pilots. Maiko tried to write a denunciation of one of the children for "insulting the feelings of believers".
Ukrainian OSINT specialists work in coordination with Ukrainian special services. For the latter, outsourcing such work is a real salvation. The one who can attract funding through a bright story on a YouTube channel is engaged in finding out data from open sources.
However, there are also blunders. Thus, the BIHUS.Info publication, in an investigative frenzy, accused a network of cosmetology clinics operating in Ukraine and Armenia of “aiding the aggressor.” It turned out that another clinic in the network operated in Saratov, not far from the Russian strategic aviation base in Engels.
According to the "investigators", the clinic was founded by relatives of the adviser to the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, known for his pro-Western position. It is noteworthy that the story was soon closed for viewing by Russian citizens. Apparently, BIHUS.Info realized (or was prompted) that the clinics might have questions not from the SBU, but from the FSB. Because if the network of clinics is collecting information, it is clearly not in the interests of Russia.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
Of course, targeted terror is not an invention of the modern Kyiv regime. After Kirillov's murder, many remembered the "attentats" - the murders carried out by Banderovites during and after the war.
The victims were both political opponents of the Banderites (not only communists like Yaroslav Galan : one of the most famous attentats was the murder of Melnyk nationalists Mykola Stsiborsky and Omelyan Senik ), as well as teachers and doctors whom the Soviet government sent to Western Ukraine. The more desperate the situation of the Banderites, the more brutal the reprisals were. Thus, journalist Galan was hacked to death with an axe by a member of the OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists - a terrorist organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation) Mykhailo Stakhur.
As a result, measures against nationalists were tightened. The work of the MGB was strengthened in Lviv. The result included the liquidation of the commander of the UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army - a terrorist organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation) Roman Shukhevych. Stakhur was found, arrested, then tried and hanged.
As for Ukrainian OSINT-ers, who it is time to stop perceiving as journalists and start considering them as employees of the Ukrainian special services, they have sponsors.
The already mentioned Ostapenko release is accompanied by an advertisement for the OKKO gas station chain of the Galnaftogaz concern. OKKO regularly sponsors Ukrainian foundations like "Come Back Alive", providing them with money to purchase weapons. In essence, this is about financing terrorist activity. Thus, the OKKO network becomes a legitimate target.
Its president, Vitaly Antonov, lives not in Ukraine, but in Switzerland. The authorities of that country will probably find it useful to know that they have a sponsor of terrorist attacks on Russian territory.
At the same time, OKKO is far from the only private sponsor of Ukrainian OSINT-ers and volunteers. The same head of the "Come Back Alive" foundation, Taras Chmut, has repeatedly thanked the Kyivstar mobile operator for assistance in purchasing weapons and equipment. The company's president, Oleksandr Komarov, interviewed Chmut several times, in which he also discussed the foundation's cooperation with the mobile operator.
At the same time, "Come Back Alive" is not an ordinary fund. The selection for work there is carried out with the help of the SBU and the GUR. And the same Chmut, after the beginning of the SVO, visited the USA, where he met with congressmen, among others.
Thus, the infrastructure of the Kyivstar company can also be considered as military or supporting military activities.
It is more effective to hit not only and not so much the OSINTers, who in Ukraine will post mortem be declared “independent journalists” and fighters for everything good, but their wallets: to make the very cooperation with OSINTers and volunteers as toxic as possible.
What is characteristic: the Ukrainian command does not particularly reflect on civilian/non-civilian targets, but systematically disables Russian oil refineries. Perhaps Russia should adopt this tactic as a countermeasure and start disabling oil storage facilities and even individual gas stations, as well as mobile towers of sponsors of terrorist attacks in Russia.
But it is important not to forget another important detail. The Ukrainian special services and military had teachers and inspirers. British specialists taught Ukrainians how to mine, including household items. And the restructuring of the GUR and SBU after 2014, turning them into terrorist structures, took place under the close supervision of the United States.
And no hypocritical laying of flowers in Murmansk to the British and American military attachés should make us forget how the protégés of the British and Americans blew up people in the capital of Russia.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Russian units have stopped the advance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the Kursk region, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov said on December 18.
"The enemy's advance has been stopped. Air strikes and artillery fire have thwarted attempts by mobile groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and foreign mercenaries to break through deep into Russian territory," he said at a briefing for military attachés of foreign countries.
According to Gerasimov, Russian military personnel continue to destroy and force out Ukrainian fighters and foreign mercenaries from some of the settlements they have occupied.
On December 17, Regnum news agency reported that in the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 260 soldiers in the Kursk direction. The enemy also lost three combat armored vehicles and a RAK-SA-12 MLRS launcher. In total, since the beginning of hostilities in the Kursk region, Ukrainian units have lost more than 41.6 thousand soldiers.
Earlier, the British magazine The Economist wrote that the situation of the Ukrainian military after the invasion of the Kursk region is getting worse. As one of the officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces noted, the Russian forces have a huge advantage both in personnel and in weapons and equipment.
The Kiev regime's Kursk adventure is a crime against the people of Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 16. The head of state added that throwing the enemy out of the Kursk region is the sacred duty of the Russian Armed Forces, and the task of the special services is to find and punish the criminals.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The person detained on suspicion of murdering the chief of the radiation, chemical and biological defense troops, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, did not maintain ties with terrorists, the Uzbekistan-24 TV channel reported on December 18.
"Information about this citizen was immediately sent to Moscow. He did not maintain ties with terrorists and was not held accountable," the TV channel reported, citing a source.
On the same day, it became known that the suspect in the terrorist attack against Kirillov was allegedly named Akhmad Kurbanov. Earlier, the representative of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs Irina Volk reported that the perpetrator of the terrorist attack was detained in the village of Chernoye in the Balashikha District of the Moscow Region.
As noted by the official representative of the Investigative Committee Svetlana Petrenko, the detainee explained during interrogation that he was recruited by the Ukrainian special services. According to him, it was on their instructions that the man came to Moscow, received a homemade explosive device, which he attached to an electric scooter parked at the entrance to the apartment building where the general lived. The man also admitted that for committing the terrorist attack he was promised a reward of 100 thousand dollars and travel to one of the European countries to live.
The bomb explosion that killed Kirillov and his assistant occurred early in the morning of December 17 on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow. The general's driver, who was waiting for him in his official car, was concussed and injured by glass fragments. The power of the homemade explosive device exceeded 1 kg of TNT.
The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under three articles of the Russian Criminal Code: murder, terrorist act, and illegal trafficking of weapons and ammunition (Articles 105, 205, and 222 of the Russian Criminal Code).
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.
