Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The outgoing year 2024 was the warmest in the entire 245-year history of meteorological observations in Moscow. This was reported on Tuesday, December 31, by the press service of Moscow State University.
Only in January and May were temperatures below normal, while in the other ten months the figures were above average, the RIA Novosti press service reported.
“According to the Moscow State University Meteorological Observatory, 2024 was the warmest year in the entire 245-year history of meteorological observations in Moscow: the average annual air temperature reached an absolute record of 8.2 degrees,” Moscow State University noted.
September was a particularly warm month, with an average temperature of +17.9 degrees, which is 5.7 degrees above normal. September saw the highest readings in the history of meteorological observations for this month. In addition, September 2024 was a record-breaking sunny month (the duration of sunshine reached 263 hours).
The phenomenon of abnormally cold weather was observed in the capital only once in 2024, from January 2 to 8. The dangerous phenomenon of severe frost (-30 degrees and below) has not been recorded in Moscow for 19 years. The highest air temperature in 2024 was recorded in Moscow on July 4 (+33.1 degrees), the lowest - on January 4 (-24.9 degrees), the report also says.
Earlier, in a conversation with IA Regnum, the chief specialist of the capital's meteorological bureau, meteorologist Tatyana Pozdnyakova, said that in Moscow on New Year's Eve the temperature is expected to drop to -5 degrees. During the day of December 31, it is expected to snow in the capital.
Scientific Director of the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia Roman Vilfand, in turn, said earlier that on January 2 and 3 in the Moscow region, the temperature at night will vary from -2 to -7 degrees, and during the day - from 0 to -5 degrees. In the capital, the temperature can reach a maximum of -5 degrees at night, and during the day - up to -3, the expert noted.
Decidedly chilly looking look-down photo at the link.
Roscosmos has published a space photo of the cyclone that brought snowfall to Moscow on December 31. The publication appeared on the state corporation’s Telegram channel.
“The capital was covered in snowfall for the holiday,” the caption to the publication states.
It is specified that the images were taken from the Elektro-L and Arktika-M satellites.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on December 29, leading specialist of the Phobos weather center Evgeny Tishkovets reported that snowfalls are expected in Moscow on December 31, and the air temperature may rise slightly above zero. According to him, snowfalls will resume on January 1, in the afternoon. On January 3, it will get colder to -6, and the next day the frosts will strengthen to -10 degrees. By Christmas, snowdrifts will increase to 22-27 cm, and the daytime temperature will be up to -8 degrees.
The chief specialist of the Moscow meteorological bureau, Tatyana Pozdnyakova, also warned that on December 31 and January 1, the atmospheric pressure in the capital region will be very low, 10-12 degrees below normal, which could have a negative impact on the well-being of weather-sensitive people. Wind gusts can reach 12-14 meters per second, so it will seem that frost has come.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21:56 Dozens of military facilities were hit in the Russian rear in 2024, which forced the Russian army to keep its reserves away from the front line. We are talking about airfields, weapons arsenals and oil depots. This was stated by the head of the SBU Vasyl Malyuk.
20:57 In December, fighters from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine destroyed nine units of rolling stock on Russian territory.
20.46 Russia continues to bring up infantry to conduct assaults on Ukrainian positions. The enemy's losses may reach 2,000 occupiers per day. This was reported by the representative of the National Guard of Ukraine Ruslan Muzychuk.
20.27 Slovakia is unlikely to stop exporting electricity to Ukraine due to the cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukrainian territory. This was reported by Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko.
19:36 The US government announced sanctions against two organizations in Iran and Russia and one individual associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Russian GRU. The reason cited was interference in the 2024 US elections.
19.03 On December 31, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed bill No. 12104 on deferment and demobilization for relatives of those killed or missing in the war.
18.33 Next year will definitely be better for Ukraine, and there are objective factors for this. Ukrainians will see "many good events." This forecast was voiced by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Kirill Budanov.
18.05 The Ukrainian Air Force has published the results of combat operations for 2024. More than 11 thousand "shahids" alone were destroyed.
17:45 President Volodymyr Zelensky held the second meeting of the Technological Rate. Following its results, the head of state reported that "there are some systemic solutions for protection against Russian missiles and bombs."
17:27 Ukrainian military carried out an attack on the Yartsevsk oil depot in the Smolensk region of the Russian Federation. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, units of the Special Operations Forces (SOF), the Unmanned Systems Forces and other components of the Defense Forces were involved.
16.53 Since the beginning of the current day, 117 combat clashes have occurred. Russian aggressors are attacking mostly in the Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk and Limansk directions, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in a report as of 16:00.
16:22 Russia is capable of continuing the war against Ukraine for some time on the scale it is currently on. At the same time, the aggressor country's economy will reach a dangerous level as early as 2025. This was stated by Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, on air during a telethon.
16.01 The State Emergency Service of Ukraine denied the information about the death of the dog Patron, which was spreading on the Internet.
15.39 The Cabinet of Ministers introduced changes to the rules for crossing the state border by men aged 18 to 25 years during martial law who were serving under contract. Details here.
15.08 In 2024, the capabilities of the Ukrainian defense industry complex increased sixfold. The corresponding data were announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at a government meeting.
14.41 As a result of the attack by Storm Shadow missiles on Monday on a military facility in the city of Lgov in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, 8 Russian servicemen were killed and wounded. This was reported by the Telegram channel ASTRA , citing its own sources, on Tuesday.
13:47 More than 32,000 Ukrainians have applied to the recruitment centers of the Ukrainian army since they began their work, of which 7,198 are already being considered as candidates for the Defense Forces. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense.
12:38 On Tuesday night, Russian aggressors launched dozens of missiles and drones at Ukraine. A significant portion of the enemy targets were intercepted by air defense, the Ukrainian Air Force reported .
11:59 Ukrainian troops have occupied a village in the Kursk region that was held by Russian and North Korean troops. This was reported by the Special Operations Forces.
10:56 Occupiers attacked two buses in Kherson from drones. The vehicles were damaged, passengers were not injured. One of the drivers received an explosive injury and concussion.
10:15 As a result of the morning missile strike on Kiev, debris fell in the Darnitsky district. Three private buildings and two cars were damaged.
9:35 For the first time in history, GUR fighters hit an air target using the Magura V5 attack naval drone equipped with missile weapons.
During the battle in the Black Sea near Cape Tarkhankut in the temporarily occupied Crimea, a Russian Mi-8 helicopter was destroyed as a result of the use of R-73 SeeDragon missiles. Another similar enemy helicopter was damaged by fire and was able to reach its base airfield.
9:10 Russians launched a missile attack on Shostka in Sumy Oblast. As a result of the shelling, individual infrastructure facilities were destroyed. 12 multi-story residential buildings, two educational institutions, and other social facilities were damaged.
8:50 Russian troops launched a missile attack on the infrastructure of the Shostka community in Sumy Oblast. The consequences of the attack are being clarified.
8:35 On the morning of December 31, during the drone attack, the Russians also launched missiles at Ukraine. Air defense was active in Kiev, and explosions were heard. In the Darnitsky district, debris from a missile was recorded falling on the roof of a private building.
8:24 Over the past 24 hours, 168 combat clashes have been recorded at the front. In the Pokrovsk direction, defenders stopped 40 assault and offensive actions by Russian invaders.
7:55 The Russian Defense Ministry said that air defense allegedly destroyed 68 drones over the territory of the Russian Federation and temporarily occupied Crimea last night. Most drones were shot down over the Bryansk region - 25.
7:45 As of December 31, the total combat losses of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine were approximately 789,550 people (1,610 per day).
05:03 Drones attacked an oil depot in the Smolensk region of the Russian Federation, after which a fire broke out there. An attack was also carried out on Orel, where an oil depot has burned twice in the last two weeks, but nothing is yet known about the consequences of the attack from Orel .
03:42 Russia attacked Ukraine with ballistics. Explosions were heard in the Kiev, Chernihiv and Sumy regions. Monitoring channels write about at least six missiles. Air defense was operating in Kiev. The consequences of the attack are still unknown.
01:27 A series of loud explosions were heard in Sevastopol. The occupation authorities reported an attack by unmanned boats and drones.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Russians are trying to break through the village of Shcherbinovka and seize the fireproof plant, explained the OSUV Khortitsa.
Intense urban fighting continues in Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast. Russian invaders are trying to break through the village of Shcherbinovka and seize a refractory plant. This was reported by the spokesman of the OSUV Khortitsa Viktor Tregubov on the air of the telethon.
"Urban combat is a specific type of combat with very high intensity. In Toretsk, there are both urban combats and an attempt to break through Shcherbinovka. Recently, the 3rd assault repelled an enemy attack in Leonidovka and destroyed 9 enemy BMPs," the official said.
According to the speaker, there are constant urban battles in Chasovy Yar.
"The Russians are constantly trying to either break through and penetrate the Ukrainian positions behind the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal, or to break through to the architectural dominant of the city - the fireproof plant, but in the latter case they have never had any success, because it is physically difficult," the speaker added.
It was previously reported that the Russian army loses an average of 500 soldiers per week of urban fighting in Toretsk.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Ukrainian Armed Forces are engaged in heavy fighting in the east and south of Ukraine.
The largest number of Russian assaults were recorded in the Pokrovsky direction. The enemy attacked in the areas of 12 populated areas.
Since the beginning of the current day, 117 combat clashes have occurred. Russian aggressors are attacking mostly in the Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk and Limansk directions, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in a report as of 16:00 on Tuesday, December 31.
Thus, in the Kharkov direction, Russian troops organized one assault in the Volchansk area.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy actively advanced seven times in the areas of Lozovaya, Novaya Kruglyakovka and Zagryzovo. Six combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Liman direction, Russians carried out 16 attacks near Nadezhda, Pervomayskoye, Zeleny Gai, Novoegorovka, Yampolovka, Terny, Dibrova and in the direction of Druzhelyubovka, Cherneshchyna and Novosergeevka. Five clashes continue.
In the Seversky direction, the occupiers tried to advance forward three times in the areas of Belogorovka and Grigorovka, but were rebuffed.
In the Kramatorsk direction, Russians carried out 22 assaults in the areas of the settlements of Chasov Yar, Stupochki, Belaya Gora and Predtechino. 13 clashes are still ongoing.
In the Toretsk direction, the enemy attacked near Shcherbinovka and in Toretsk. Five attacks were repelled. Another four are still ongoing.
In the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy has already carried out 30 assaults in the areas of the settlements of Zelenoe Pole, Baranovka, Novotoretskoye, Promin, Lisovka, Mirnograd, Dachenskoye, Zelenoe, Novy Trud, Volkovo, Peschanoye and Novovasilovka. The defense forces repelled 23 enemy attacks.
In the Kurakhovo direction, nine assaults have been repelled near the settlements of Petrovpavlovka, Ukrainka, Shevchenko and Kurakhovo. Five more attacks are ongoing.
Four combat clashes continue in the Vremovsky direction . In total, the enemy attacked seven times near Konstantinopolskoye, Dachnoye, Razliv, Velikaya Novosyolka and Neskuchnoye.
In the Orekhov direction, the enemy tried three times to advance towards Novoandreyevka and was rebuffed.
In the Kursk region, our defenders are repelling four assaults.
Let us recall that over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have eliminated more than 1,600 occupiers . Since the beginning of the full-scale war against Ukraine, the Russian army has lost almost 790 thousand soldiers.
Linked article is available only through a VPN
[EngMilRu] This morning, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out a group strike by high-precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles against the infrastructure of a military airfield and the Ukrainian defence industry enterprises which manufacture gunpowder for the needs of the AFU. The goal of the strike has been achieved. All the targets have been engaged.
In Kharkov direction, units of the Sever Group of Forces defeated units of two territorial defence brigades close to Volchansk and Liptsy (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses were up to 35 troops, one motor vehicle, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer.
The Zapad Group of Forces' units improved the situation along the front line,inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one tank brigade, one mechanised brigade, three territorial defence brigades, and one national guard brigade close to Dvurechnaya, Zapadnoye, Kovsharovka (Kharkov region), Ivanovka, Torskoye, and Terny (Donetsk People's Republic).
One counter-attack launched by an AFU assault detachment was repelled.
The AFU losses were more than 440 troops, three U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carriers, six pickup trucks, one UK-made 155mm towed FH-70 howitzer, one 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, one U.S.-made 105mm M-119 gun, and two ammunition depots.
Units of the Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and inflicted losses on formations of three mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, and one airmobile brigade of the AFU near Dalneye, Chasov Yar, Kurakhovo, and Yantarnoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were more than 290 troops, two infantry fighting vehicles, including one U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, one UK-made Saxon armoured personnel carrier, one Kozak armoured fighting vehicle, two pickup trucks, and one U.S.-made 105mm M119 MLRS gun.
The Tsentr Group of Forces' units continued advancing into the depths of enemy defences and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, one mountain assault brigade as well as one naval infantry brigade and one assault brigade of the National Police of Ukraine near Dzerzhinsk, Shcherbinovka, Shevchenko, Dachenskoye and Peschanoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
In addition, 12 counter-attacks launched by AFU formations were repelled.
The AFU losses were up to 505 troops, one German-made Leopard tank, one infantry fighting vehicle, two U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carriers, five motor vehicles, including three Turkish-made Kirpi, one UK-made Snatch, and one Kozak combat vehicles, five motor vehicles, one 152mm Msta-B howitzer, and two 122mm D-30 howitzers.
Units of the Vostok Group of Forces improved the tactical situation and defeated formations of one mechanised brigade, two territorial defence brigades close to Bogatyr, Razliv, and Ravnopol (Donetsk People's Republic).
Two counter-attacks launched by enemy assault detachments were repelled.
The AFU losses were more than 160 troops, one tank, three motor vehicles, one 155mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery system, one 122mm D-30 howitzer, and one 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system.
One electronic warfare station was eliminated.
Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces engaged manpower and hardware of two territorial defence brigades close to Antonovka and Ponyatovka (Kherson region).
The AFU losses were up to 65 troops, six motor vehicles, and two field ammunition depots.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces engaged a military enterprise that manufactured ammunition, storage depots for strike drones as well as clusters of AFU manpower and military hardware in 138 areas during the day.
Air defence facilities shot down two Hammer guided aerial bombs, seven U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, and 103 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles, 68 of them out of the special military operation area.
The Black Sea Fleet destroyed eight uncrewed surface vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 650 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 38,981 unmanned aerial vehicles, 590 anti-aircraft missile systems, 20,120 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,504 MLRS combat vehicles, 20,104 field artillery guns and mortars, and 29,667 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 one heavy mechanised brigade, six mechanised brigades, three air assault brigades, one naval infantry brigade, two territorial defence brigades, and one assault battalion of the AFU near Daryino, Kurilovka, Leonidovo, Loknya, Maryevka, Makhnovka, Nizhny Klin, Novaya Sorochina, and Cherkasskoye Porechnoye. One counter-attack launched by an AFU assault detachment was repelled.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery inflicted losses on AFU manpower and hardware near Aleksandriya, Viktorovka, Guyevo, Kazachaya Loknya, Kruglenkoye, Lebedevka, Nikolsky, Rubanshchina, Russkoye Porechnoye, Sverdlikovo as well as Belovody, and Zhuravka in Sumy region.
Over the course of the day, the AFU losses were more than 445 troops, one armoured personnel carrier, 13 armoured fighting vehicles, and 22 motor vehicles.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 45,980 troops, 262 tanks, 204 infantry fighting vehicles, 143 armoured personnel carriers, 1,372 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,259 motor vehicles, 337 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, 83 EW stations, 13 counter-battery warfare radars, four air defence radars, 28 units of engineering and other materiel, including 13 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, seven 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] 17:00 Telegram channel "Operation Z: War Correspondents of the Russian Spring"
Explosions and columns of smoke in the area of the postal Ilyichevsk (Chernomorsk).
16:10 An aviation hazard has been declared in the Kherson region, said the region’s governor, Volodymyr Saldo.
Emergency services have been put on high alert. The head of the region asks citizens to remain calm and vigilant.
15:15 A missile threat was declared in Skadovsk MO, reported Governor of the Kherson region Volodymyr Saldo.
Emergency services have been put on high alert.
14:10 Soldiers of the 15th Alexandria Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Samara Association showed and told how they liberated the village of Novotroitskoye (DPR), –video.
The guards continue to liberate the lands of Donbass from neo-Nazis.
13:35 Investigators of the Russian Investigative Committee will investigate crimes committed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces against civilians in the Belgorod, Kursk and Kherson regions, as well as the Donetsk People's Republic
According to information from executive authorities, as a result of the attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Borisovka in the Belgorod region, settlements in the Donetsk People's Republic and in the Kherson region, one person was killed and thirteen civilians were injured.
Also, as a result of the criminal actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during the drone attack on the building of the Aleshkinskaya Central District Hospital, the deputy chief physician for medical work was killed, and the chief physician was seriously wounded.
In Lisichansk, LPR, seven teenagers in the area of ??the Stekolny plant received mine and blast injuries as a result of Ukrainian armed aggression.
In Lgov, Kursk region, an 86-year-old woman was injured as a result of artillery attack by Ukrainian nationalists.
The Investigative Committee of Russia will establish all the circumstances of the incident and the circle of persons involved in committing the crimes.
12:13 Russian Army struck a military airfield infrastructure and a military-industrial complex enterprise producing propellant charges for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, - Defense Ministry
The morning group strike with high-precision weapons and strike UAVs hit the designated targets, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
In Ukraine, it was previously reported that objects were attacked in Vasilkov near Kiev, where the airfield is located, and in Shostka in the Sumy region, where infrastructure facilities were damaged.
11:20 Soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who defected to Russia destroyed Foreign Legion mercenaries near Pokrovsk
Fighters from the Maksim Krivonos detachment tracked the movement of an enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group near Vozdvizhenka near Pokrovsk.
During the battle, a unit of the 1st separate detachment of the Foreign Legion was destroyed.
10:50 In Odessa, last night, a monument to Vysotsky, located near the film studio, was dismantled, –video.
10:11 Information on strikes carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Belgorod region over the past 24 hours:
In the Belgorod region, the settlement of Maysky, the villages of Krasnoe, Otradnoe, Cheremoshnoe and Shchetinovkawere subjected to artillery attacks, during which eight rounds were fired, and attacks by three drones, two of which were shot down by the air defense system. One passenger car was damaged.
Six enemy drones were shot down over the Valuysky municipal district. No consequences.
In the Volokonovsky district, the village of Tishanka and the farmstead of Gaevka were attacked by two UAVs. One passenger car was damaged.
In the Grayvoronsky municipal district, 10 rounds of ammunition were fired at the settlement of Gorkovsky, the villages of Bezymeno and Novostroyevka-Vtoraya during three artillery attacks. Also, one drone was shot down over the district by the air defense system. There were no consequences.
In Krasnoyarsk district, the village of Kolotilovka was attacked by one drone. There were no consequences.
An air defense system shot down a UAV over the Prokhorovsky district. No casualties or damage.
In the Shebekinsky municipal district, seven rounds were fired during three artillery attacks which included using three drones at the villages of Murom, Sereda, and the farms of Maryino, Mukhin and Pankov. There were no consequences.
9:40 Telegram channel «Colonelcassad»
Over Crimea, 17 drones were shot down at night. Of these, 4 were in the Sevastopol area.
It was also reported that two enemy BEKs were destroyed.
9:30 Telegram channel «Colonelcassad»
Captured Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier Roman Velichko said that the 32nd Brigade, in which he served for a month and a half, is being staffed with disabled people due to large losses and a shortage of people.
9:12 A curfew will be in effect in the Kherson region on New Year's Eve, reported Governor of Kherson region Volodymyr Saldo in Telegram channel
The curfew will be in effect from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. due to increased artillery attack and drone activity.
The curfew on New Year's Eve will not apply to vehicles moving in transit along the Azov Ring Road, including in the Kherson region - along the M-18 "Khar'kov - Simferopol - Yalta" highway from the border between the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions to the Dzhankoy checkpoint on the border with the Republic of Crimea.
8:09 ATGM crews of Sakhalin soldiers of the 68th Army Corps
in the area of the Sukhie Yaly River destroyed rench-made AMX-10 RC wheeled tank.
8:04 Russian Ministry of Defense:
During the past night, air defense systems on dutydestroyed68 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles.
A total of 25 UAVs were shot down over the territory of the Bryansk region, 17 over the territory of the Republic of Crimea, 11 over the territory of the Krasnodar region, 10 over the territory of the Smolensk region, two over the territory of the Tver region, and one each over the territories of the Rostov, Kursk and Kaluga regions.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kamran Gasanov
[REGNUM] The past year in the South Caucasus was marked by three trending events: Armenia’s further distancing from Russia, a crisis in relations between Baku and the West, and a decisive battle between the West and the opposition against the Georgian Dream.
AZERBAIJAN: MULTI-VECTOR CRISIS
In 2023, Ilham Aliyev achieved perhaps the most important goal since the creation of the modern Azerbaijan Republic: he completely regained control over Karabakh.
But everything has its price, and 2024 has become a test of strength for Azerbaijan’s carefully constructed multi-vector foreign policy.
The contours of the looming crisis were already visible at the end of 2023, when the US Assistant Secretary of State announced the end of high-level contacts. Antony Blinken criticized Aliyev for the lack of democracy and called for an end to repression. Washington had previously accused Azerbaijan of provocations on the border with Armenia, but Aliyev did not refuse American mediation. However, when the criticism began to concern him personally, trust was undermined completely.
In this direction, the US and the EU worked hand in hand.
Two events had a resonant impact: the early presidential elections in Azerbaijan in early February and the early parliamentary elections in September, which Aliyev and his New Azerbaijan Party confidently won.
On January 24, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) suspended the powers of the Azerbaijani delegates, accusing Baku of lack of democracy and fair elections, failure to respect human rights, and blocking the Lachin corridor and expelling Armenians from Karabakh.
In response, Aliyev threatened to withdraw from the Council of Europe and revise the jurisdiction of the ECHR. In October, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the need to revise relations with the South Caucasus republic and impose sanctions.
Aliyev did not mince words either, advising the EU to stay away from Azerbaijan and accusing Washington of black ingratitude.
The Azerbaijani leadership was very unhappy with the West's rapprochement with Armenia. Now, not only France, but also the EU as such began to support it. France supplied armored vehicles and self-propelled guns, and the EU allocated military aid to Armenia in the amount of 10 million euros.
The worse ties with the West became, the more incentives there were to strengthen strategic relations with Russia.
In April, when the Karabakh issue had already been exhausted, Aliyev and Putin removed perhaps the last obstacle to full cooperation: the Russian contingent was withdrawn from Karabakh. Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov explained this by the new realities in the region after Armenia recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
That same April, Aliyev visited Moscow. Putin praised the talks as a “good impetus for the development of bilateral relations.” Aliyev called Russia the “founding country” of the South Caucasus. Then, in August, Putin arrived in Baku on a return visit.
The statements following the meeting were nothing but compliments. Aliyev greeted Putin “with all his heart,” and the Russian leader called Baku a “Caucasian oasis.” On the day of Putin’s visit, Azerbaijan applied to join BRICS, and Aliyev soon took part in the Kazan summit.
However, at the end of the year, this trend was sharply called into question by the crash of the AZAL airliner in Aktau. Aliyev accused Russia of trying to cover up the fact that the plane was shot down by air defense systems in Chechnya. However, Putin’s apology and Aliyev’s words about the unintentional strike on the airliner leave hopes for maintaining pragmatic relations.
ARMENIA: AWAY FROM RUSSIA, CLOSER TO THE EU
Since 2020, Armenia's foreign policy has been based on grievances against Russia for its lack of assistance in the confrontation with Azerbaijan. In 2023, these grievances have already transformed into concrete actions: joint exercises with the United States, a visit by Pashinyan's wife to Kyiv, and Yerevan's accession to the Rome Statute of the ICC, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin.
In 2024, Pashinyan decided to go even further.
He began the process of severing military ties with Russia.
On February 23, Armenia officially announced the freezing of its participation in the CSTO. Within a year, Russian border guards completed their 32-year service in Armenia.
If Pashinyan's team finally said goodbye to the CSTO, they still attended CIS and EAEU meetings. But even here the Armenian prime minister began to show his teeth.
Pashinyan did not attend the last summit in St. Petersburg under the pretext of COVID and got into an online spat with Alexander Lukashenko. In early December, the Armenian prime minister refused to hold the EAEU summit in Yerevan, despite the fact that by right of presidency it was supposed to take place there.
He motivated his decision by the fact that “not all members of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council are welcome in Armenia.” Whether he meant Lukashenko, who supplies Baku with weapons, or Putin, who is subject to the ICC ruling, remains a mystery.
Symmetrically to the break with the Russian Federation and the CSTO, Pashinyan accelerated integration with the West.
The April 5 summit in Brussels with the heads of the European Commission and the State Department proved that alliances with the EU, the US and NATO go hand in hand. The EU and the US are ready to provide for Armenia, promising at that meeting to allocate €270 million and $65 million respectively.
The presence of European observers on the eastern borders is in fact a prototype of the EU (NATO) base. Military exercises with the US continued. On September 19-24, the Armenian military conducted maneuvers together with the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
The picture regarding European integration is becoming increasingly clear.
More than a year ago, Pashinyan said that “ Armenia is ready to be closer to the European Union, as far as the European Union considers it possible.” In 2024, contacts only intensified. The parties launched a dialogue on a visa-free regime. The European Parliament has already proposed giving Armenia the status of a candidate for membership. In Armenia itself, a referendum on joining the EU is being prepared.
Against the backdrop of problematic Georgia, a pro-Western and “democratic Armenia” is becoming a more priority direction for EU policy in the Caucasus.
ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI TRACK: SLOWLY BUT SURELY
Oddly enough, the orientation of Armenia and Azerbaijan in opposite directions of the political compass did not have a negative impact on their bilateral relations. The normalization process was quite optimistic during the year.
During his September visit to Georgia, Pashinyan spoke about the agreement being 80% agreed upon, while Aliyev allowed for the possibility of signing it by the end of the year. In April, they managed to reach an agreement on disputed villages on the border between the two countries.
The main obstacle was identified by the Azerbaijani side as the existence of territorial claims - Aliyev demanded the opening of the Zangezur corridor between the main territory of Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan enclave and changes to the Armenian constitution, which contains references to the need to unite Karabakh with Armenia. However, progress was noted here too.
In August, Aliyev and Pashinyan decided to remove the clause on the Zangezur corridor from the conditions for signing the peace treaty, but Baku still insists on amending the basic law of the neighboring country.
At the moment, the main problematic points remain the preservation of European observers and Armenia’s claims against Azerbaijan related to the rights of Karabakh Armenians.
Pashinyan agreed not to deploy third-country forces on the border with Azerbaijan after its delimitation, but judging by how long the delimitation has been going on, resolving this obstacle could take years. Whether the Armenians will drop hundreds of lawsuits is also a big question.
The issue of mediation between Baku and Yerevan has also changed significantly this year. After the aggravation of relations between Azerbaijan and the US, the EU and especially France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz claimed the role of mediator, but he managed to achieve only limited success (Pashinyan and Aliyev were brought together at the Munich Security Conference), and Scholz’s own political prospects are unclear.
Kazakhstan has decided to try its hand at mediation. On May 10–11, Foreign Ministers Jeyhun Bayramov and Ararat Mirzoyan met in Almaty and announced the possibility of concluding a peace treaty by the end of the year. But Kazakhstan’s success so far appears to be tactical.
In October, both Aliyev and Pashinyan came to the CIS summit, but it was not possible to hold the Russia-Azerbaijan-Armenia format, since the idea, as Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said, “was not supported by some people.”
The BRICS summit was a real success. The whole world saw footage of Pashinyan and Aliyev, as if classmates in class, having a long dialogue, turning their chairs towards each other, right during the speeches of other speakers. Pashinyan was pleased, he managed to bring together Aliyev's positions on unblocking regional communications.
For its part, Armenia proposes to Azerbaijan to conclude a strategic agreement for 100 years, which in fact means a non-aggression pact.
GEORGIA: ONE FOOT IN THE MAIDAN
A real internal struggle with the participation of external forces has unfolded in Georgia this year. The opposition has attempted to carry out a "Maidan" at least four times.
The first serious attempt came in the summer, when the ruling Georgian Dream party was passing the law on foreign agents on its second attempt. If under the previous prime minister Irakli Garibashvili the authorities succumbed to pressure from the streets and temporarily withdrew the bill, then his successor Irakli Kobakhidze showed greater determination.
Under him, “Dream” not only adopted a law on foreign agents, making only cosmetic changes to it, but also a law against LGBT propaganda.
Mass protests on Rustaveli Avenue did not produce the desired effect, and the opposition, formed into four blocs, set its sights on the October parliamentary elections.
Although the Georgian Dream failed to obtain a constitutional majority in the elections, it still won: it has 89 of 150 mandates. The United National Movement of the serving Saakashvili gained three times less than in the previous elections, and together with the parties Coalition for Change, Strong Georgia, and For Georgia, they did not even get 40%.
Therefore, the only way out for the opposition was to declare the elections illegitimate and drive people to the barricades.
They failed to instill fear in either the security forces or the founder of the Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Kobakhidze and co. bravely resisted attempts at revolution.
They were so confident in their victory that at the end of November the Prime Minister froze European integration for four years, which led to hundreds of thousands of rallies. But here too the opposition failed.
The last line of defense for pro-Western forces was the post of President of Georgia, occupied by French citizen Solome Zurabishvili. She promised not to recognize the results of the new presidential elections and refused to leave the Orbeliani Palace.
On December 14, following a collegial vote in parliament, an ally and former member of the Dream, ex-footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili, became president of Georgia.
Zurabishvili was forced to retreat and, in order not to lose face in the eyes of the opposition, when leaving the residence of the head of state, she announced that she was “taking legitimacy with her.”
Protest in Tbilisi against the results of the parliamentary elections
Throughout this year, the European Union and the United States have been trying their best to destabilize the situation in Georgia, willingly joining in comparisons of the Georgian government and the laws it adopts with Russian ones.
The West did not like the fact that Kobakhidze and Ivanishvili refused to open a “second front” against Russia and fought the pro-Western fifth column. The State Department and Brussels imposed various sanctions, from entry bans to refusal to continue the EU integration process. Dozens of Western diplomats came to Tbilisi after the elections to support the protesters.
But every Western attack only weakened its influence in Tbilisi. Georgian officials are no softer in their remarks about Western capitals than their counterparts in Moscow or Baku.
In their rhetoric, Kobakhidze and his colleagues even use conspiracy terms like “global war party,” meaning the “deep state” that is drawing Georgia into a war with Russia. So, for the Georgian Dream, victory in the parliamentary elections is not just a personal victory, but a victory of peace over war.
***
From the point of view of Russian interests, it can be stated that in 2024 the South Caucasus region was engulfed by contradictory trends. Armenia took another step away from Russia towards the West, but there was no final severance of ties.
In Georgia, the US and EU have loosened their grip and almost failed the “Maidan 2.0” mission, while the local government has confidently set a course for pragmatic, peaceful relations with Russia.
And only with regard to Azerbaijan, which confidently defended its sovereignty from the West, the question of the final vector remains open. Over the course of the year, we observed a rapprochement with Russia, which forced some experts to raise the question of an alliance. But the incident with the airliner has called this process into question.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Kazakhstan will not extend the previously introduced restrictions on the import of wheat from Russia and will resume imports from January 1. This was reported by the Eldala.kz portal with reference to data from the republic's Ministry of Agriculture.
The restrictions were introduced from August 21 until the end of 2024.
The import of Russian wheat will be carried out under strict control of the situation on the domestic market. If necessary, regulatory measures will be introduced, the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan noted. The resumption of restrictions may be influenced by grain reserves, the level of supply and demand on the market, the need to protect the interests of domestic producers and the fight against gray imports.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the ban on imports of wheat from Russia and other countries of the Eurasian Economic Union to Kazakhstan is dictated by the need to stabilize prices on the domestic market. This was stated on October 23 by Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in September that the country's projected grain harvest this year was 132 million tons, up from 148 million tons a year earlier. Domestic consumption is expected to be up to 90 million tons.
According to the head of the Ministry of Agriculture Oksana Lut, the country will be able to export up to 60 million tons of grain this year.
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.
