Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:18 In Kursk Oblast, six servicemen have left their place of service. They left with weapons and in full combat gear. This was reported by the TG channel ASTRA, citing sources in the region's emergency services. We are talking about the shooters of the assault company V. It is claimed that each of them took with them a machine gun with at least four loaded magazines. The deserters are being sought.
19:59 The Russian-Ukrainian war may drag on, despite the pre-election statements of the 47th US President-elect Donald Trump about an immediate settlement. His team admits that what was promised turned out to be an exaggeration along with an underestimation of the complexity of the situation. This is reported by Reuters.
19:19 Ukrainian military captured 23 Russian soldiers in the Toretsk direction. All Russians surrendered voluntarily - they were found in basements, captured during assaults.
19:14 In Ivano-Frankivsk, a primary school student found a cartridge in a bun that his grandmother bought at a supermarket. This was reported by the city's mayor, Ruslan Martsinkiv.
19:02 US authorities have introduced new sanctions against Russia. The sanctions package includes metallurgical plants, defense industry enterprises, banks and institutions that cooperated with Moscow - about 100 entities.
18:51 Last year, 443 thousand Ukrainians who left did not return. This is three times more than in 2023, when 134 thousand citizens did not return. This was reported by the Opendatabot service with reference to the State Border Service.
18:34 Inviting Ukraine to NATO could be the first step towards real security guarantees for the Ukrainian state. This was stated by Polish President Andrzej Duda. According to him, it is necessary to take the first official step related to Ukraine's future membership in the Alliance.
17:59 Ukraine has sharply increased its weapons production since the Russian invasion. But it still needs help from the US and Europe, which provide about 70% of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' needs, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
16:57 Since the beginning of the current day, 48 combat clashes have occurred on the front. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported details in the operational summary as of 16:00. It should be noted that on January 14, as of 16:00, 84 battles took place on the front, thus today the intensity of combat clashes has decreased almost by half.
16:39 Poland has prepared the 46th aid package for Ukraine worth 200 million euros. This was announced by the head of the Polish government, Donald Tusk. He did not disclose the details of the aid package, but noted that "we should talk about it as little as possible, and do as much as possible."
16:33 In Mykolaiv Oblast, the chief of staff of a military unit allowed an unjustified accrual of combat payments. The total amount of damages established to the state is more than 4.3 million hryvnia.
16:26 Law enforcement officials have announced suspicion to a man who stole a ring from the hand of deceased soldier Eduard Roshka in the Zhytomyr region. The jewelry has now been confiscated and will be returned to the soldier's wife.
15:59 Currently, 880 thousand servicemen serve in the Ukrainian army. Such data was announced by President Zelensky. According to him, Ukraine does not plan to discuss the reduction of the army, because today it is the only guarantee of security.
15:41 Volunteer Irina Bairachenko has died in the Kherson community. The other day, the 42-year-old woman came under fire and received serious injuries, from which she soon died in the hospital.
15:07 In Kherson, Russian troops dropped explosives from a drone on a municipal bus, the number of victims is growing. This was reported by the head of the Kherson GVA Roman Mrochko on Wednesday, January 15.
14:58 Ukraine has already received 80% of the ammunition promised under the Czech initiative. We are talking about 520 thousand 155 mm shells and a large number of other calibers.
14:51 Ukraine has not abandoned the principle of not holding direct negotiations personally with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. This was stated by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha. At the same time, negotiations with other representatives of the Russian Federation are possible.
14:25 In Kazakhstan, a local "Wagnerite" who fought against Ukraine for a salary of 240 thousand rubles was convicted. The husband received 4.6 years in prison.
13:57 A Russian plane dropped an aerial bomb on a police major's building in the Kursk region. Although the bomb did not explode, a crater was formed at the crash site.
13:45 President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on including young men who turn 17 in the register of conscripts. The law also extends until March 1 the possibility of registering military personnel who committed a crime but voluntarily arrived at military units.
13:31 At least eight civilians were wounded in Kramatorsk as a result of a Russian airstrike on a multi-story building. Among the injured were two children. The target of the aggressors' attack was a microdistrict of the city with dense residential development.
13:26 Law enforcement officers detained two groups of arsonists in Kiev who worked for the Russian special services. They burned military vehicles and relay cabinets of Ukrzaliznytsia on the territory of the capital of Ukraine. The perpetrators turned out to be four young men.
12:55 Kyiv region police exposed a $10,000 military service evasion scheme. The former head of the military medical commission and the state enforcement officer were charged under several articles.
12:37 The Verkhovna Rada adopted a law giving the president the right to send the Ukrainian Armed Forces abroad during martial law with the approval of the parliament. The corresponding legislative initiative No. 12378 was supported by 317 people's deputies.
12:07 In the Lviv region, after a morning air attack, an undetonated missile was found in a field, as well as fragments of another missile. Bomb disposal experts have left for the scene.
11:42 The Verkhovna Rada approved the decision to extend martial law and general mobilization in Ukraine for the 14th time. They will be in effect for at least another 90 days - until May 9 of this year.
11:23 On Wednesday night, Russian aggressors carried out a combined attack on Ukraine with various types of missiles, attack drones, and UAV imitators. Most of the enemy targets were destroyed. The details were reported by the Ukrainian Air Force.
10:42 A large-scale fire occurred at an oil refinery in the Russian city of Volgograd on January 15. The refinery belongs to LUKOIL.
10:26 On Wednesday night, Russian aggressors launched more than 100 missiles and drones at Ukraine. Most of the enemy targets were destroyed. This was reported by President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to him, thanks to the air defense and all the units involved, it is possible to maintain the operation of the energy system of Ukraine.
9:34 On Wednesday, January 15, the Russian Federation launched a large-scale missile strike on the territory of Ukraine. The energy infrastructure of the Lviv region was attacked. This was reported by the mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi.
8:58 Over the past 24 hours, January 14, 170 clashes took place on the front. Almost half of them took place in the Pokrovsk direction. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
8:48 Russia's losses in the war against Ukraine have exceeded 812 thousand soldiers. Over the past 24 hours, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have eliminated 1,580 occupiers. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
7:59 The data transmission system operator is introducing preventive restrictions on electricity supply in connection with the Russian missile attack. This was reported by Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko.
7:44 The allies are not putting pressure on the military-political leadership of Ukraine regarding the rapid start of negotiations with the Russian Federation on ending the war. Partners, on the contrary, are interested in strengthening Ukraine's negotiating positions. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiha.
7:28 An air raid alert due to a missile threat was declared throughout Ukraine on the morning of January 15. Russian aggressors launched Kh-101 missiles from TU-95MS bombers. This was reported by the Air Force.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Ukrainian Armed Forces are waging fierce battles in the east and south of Ukraine.
In the Pokrovsky direction, the Russians organized 17 attacks in the areas of eight settlements. Eight clashes are still ongoing.
Since the beginning of the current day, 48 combat clashes have occurred on the front. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational report as of 16:00 on Wednesday, January 15.
Thus, in the Kharkov direction, one armed clash occurred near Tikhyi.
In the Kupyansk direction, the Russians attacked twice in the area of the settlements of Topolia and Petropavlovka. The battle is currently ongoing.
In the Liman direction, the invaders carried out 12 attacks near the settlements of Kopanki, Novosergeevka, Tverdokhlebovo, Makeyevka, Kolodtsy, Terny and Grigoryevka.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are repelling two assaults.
In the Toretsk direction, the enemy is attacking two locations in the Toretsk area.
In the Pokrovsky direction, the Russians organized 17 attacks in the areas of the settlements of Baranovka, Elizavetovka, Lisovka, Zelenoe, Zverevoye, Uspenovka, Andreyevka and Dachnoye. The defense forces repelled nine assaults.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, the enemy once attempted to break through the defenses in the area of the settlement of Vremevka.
There were 11 armed clashes in the Kursk direction , eight of which are still ongoing.
It should be noted that as of 16:00 on January 14, 84 battles had taken place on the front, so today the intensity of military clashes has decreased almost by half.
Let us recall that over the past 24 hours, almost 1,600 Russians were "minused" at the front . The total losses of the aggressor country Russia exceeded 810 thousand people
Linked article is available only through a VPN.
[EngMilRu] This morning, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation delivered a group strike by precision weaponry and attack unmanned aerial vehicles at critical objects of gas and power infrastructure ensuring operation of Ukrainian defence industry enterprises.
The goal of the strike has been achieved. All the assigned targets have been engaged.
In Kharkov region, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of one motorised infantry brigade of the AFU near Dergachi, Tsirkuny, and Volchansk (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 30 troops, six motor vehicles, one Grad MLRS combat vehicle, three field artillery guns, including one U.S.-made Paladin self-propelled artillery system. Two ammunition depots were destroyed.
Units of the Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation along the front line and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of three mechanised brigades, one tank brigade of the AFU, and two territorial defence brigades near Dvurechnaya, Zapadnoye, Zagoruykovka, Podoly, Petropavlovka, Zagryzovo, Lozovaya (Kharkov region), Ivanovka, and Torskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to more than 460 troops, two U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carriers, 13 pickup trucks, five artillery guns, including three NATO-made guns. Two ammunition depots and one Kvertus electronic warfare station were destroyed.
Units of the Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions and inflicted losses on formations of three mechanised brigades, one airmobile brigade, and one mountain assault brigade of the AFU near Zvanovka, Slavyansk, Nikolayevka, Seversk, Yantarnoye, Verkhnekamenskoye, Pereyezdnoye, Dachnoye, Sukhiye Yaly, and Chasov Yar (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 230 troops, one tank, three armoured fighting vehicles, four pickup trucks, and four artillery guns. One ammunition depot was wiped out.
As a result of successful offensive operations, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces liberated Ukrainka (Donetsk People's Republic).
Losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of six mechanised brigades of the AFU, one territorial defence brigade, two national guard brigades, and one formation of the International Legion near Shcherbinovka, Shevchenko, Dzerzhinsk, Slavyanka, Novovasilevka, Tarasovka, Baranovka, Vozdvizhenka, Petrovka, Lysovka, Petropavlovka, and Novoyelizavetovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to more than 560 troops, one German-made Leopard tank, four armoured fighting vehicles, six motor vehicles, and six artillery guns.
Units of the Vostok Group of Forces continued advancing to the depth of the enemy's defences. Losses were inflicted on formations of three mechanised brigades and one air assault brigade of the AFU near Konstantinopol, Novy Komar, Novoselka, Razliv, and Vremevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 200 troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, eight motor vehicles, one 155mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery system, and one ammunition depot.
Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade, two coastal defence brigades of the AFU, one territorial defence brigade, and one national guard brigade near Shcherbaki, Blakitnoye, Orekhov, Novopokrovka (Zaporozhye region), Dneprovskoye, Antonovka, Nikolskoye, and Ivanovka (Kherson region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 95 troops, 13 motor vehicles, and two field artillery guns.
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 manpower and hardware of the enemy in 137 areas.
Air defence units shot down two French-made Hammer guided aviation bombs, 10 U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, and 85 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 652 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 40,480 unmanned aerial vehicles, 590 anti-aircraft missile systems, 20,539 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,509 MLRS combat vehicles, 20,630 field artillery guns and mortars, and 30,305 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.
Units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of one tank brigade, one heavy mechanised brigade, four mechanised brigades, two air assault brigades, one naval infantry brigade, and three territorial defence brigades of the AFU near Viktorovka, Guyevo, Kurilovka, Lebedevka, Malaya Loknya, Makhnovka, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Nikolsky, Novaya Sorochina, Sverdlikovo, and Cherkasskoye Porechnoye. Two enemy counter-attacks were repelled.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the enemy near Viktorovka, Zamostye, Ivashkovsky, Pervy Knyazhy, Kositsa, Kruglenkoye, Kurilovka, Loknya, Martynovka, Melovoy, Mirny, Mikhaylovka, Pogrebki, Sudzha, Yuzhny as well as Basovka, Belovody, Veselovka, Zhuravka, and Yunakovka in Sumy region.
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to more than 220 troops, two tanks, two armoured personnel carriers, five armoured fighting vehicles, six motor vehicles, two artillery guns, and four mortars.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 52,120 troops, 305 tanks, 229 infantry fighting vehicles, 170 armoured personnel carriers, 1,566 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,480 motor vehicles, 366 artillery guns, 44 MLRS launchers, including 13 of HIMARS and six of MLRS made by the USA, 16 anti-aircraft missile launchers, eight transport-loading vehicles, 93 EW stations, 14 counter-battery warfare radars, four air defence radars, 30 units of engineering and other materiel, including 15 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, eight 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] 18:21 Calculation of the Lancet loitering munition of the North group of forces destroyed aUkrainian Armed Forces tank in the border area of the Kursk region. 17:18 Soldiers of the 16th Special Forces Brigade destroyed enemy UAV control point and three militants in the area of the village of Dvurechnaya, Khar'kov region.
16:52 Advance of Russian Armed Forces in Dzerzhinsk. The enemy still holds the Fomikha mine waste heap and a bit of private sector near it, as well as the Toretskaya mine.
16:40 Destruction of armored personnel carrier "Bucephalus" of the 61st Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine using loitering munition "Lancet" in the area of the settlement of Gogolevka in the Kursk direction.
The explosion of an M-113 armored personnel carrier on a mine planted as a result of remote mining from a heavy quadcopter in the Kupyansk direction.
16:16 Servicemen of the AT-4 Fagot anti-tank missile system crew of the special forces unit of the Center group of forces stopped rotation of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
15:14 As a result of the negotiation process with the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime returned 25 Russian servicemen.
14:45 Servicemen of the motorized rifle, artillery and tank units of the "Center" group of forces continue to defeat Ukrainian militants, liberating the lands of the Donetsk People's Republic.
13:57 Destruction of transport of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in a previously inaccessible fortification under the bridge in Kherson.
13:28 In the period from 09.20 to 12.40 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed three Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the territory of the Belgorod region.
12:18 The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation with the help of UAVs and missile weapons attacked objects of military significance on the territory of Ukraine. Explosions were heard in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zhitomir, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Kirovograd, Lviv, Poltava, Khar'kov, Khmelnytsky and Cherkasy regions.
According to Ukrainian monitoring channels, on the night of January 15, Russian Geran-2 UAVs struck targets in Brovary in the Kyiv region, Zhitomir, Kropyvnytskyi district of the Kirovohrad region, the city of Lubny in the Poltava region and Shepetivka in the Khmelnytsky region.
Subsequently, air and sea launches of Kalibr, Kh-101, Kh-55 and Kh-555 cruise missiles were recorded.
Explosions were heard in the city of Stryi in the Lviv region, Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Cherkassy, the city of Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region, as well as at sites in the Poltava, Chernihiv, Khmelnytsky, Vinnytsia, Khar'kov and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
Coordinator of the pro-Russian underground Sergei Lebedev reported RIA Novosti reports that one of the strikes was carried out in the area of ??the Cherkasy airport, from where Ukrainian aircraft take off to strike Russian positions in the Zaporizhzhya direction.
"It is noteworthy that every other time, strikes are carried out on a small and practically unknown military facility in Sambir, Lviv Oblast. The 675th Separate Radar Company, the 703rd Engineering Regiment, the 704th Separate Regiment of the NBC protection, the warehouses of military unit A-0807, as well as the 7th Separate Regiment of Army Aviation and the Kalinov airfield, where guests from abroad often arrive, are located here," writes Telegram channel "Military Chronicle".
The Military Chronicle also notes that Su-57 fighters have begun to play one of the key roles in Russia’s missile strikes.
"While the Kalibrs and Kh-101s are meandering along routes, the fifth-generation fighters are weeding out the air defense system. As soon as the task is completed, the Kalibrs suddenly remember where they need to fly and continue to carry out the flight mission. This feature was noticed last year, but then the role of aviation was not so obvious," the channel notes.
11:22 Reconnaissance units of the Testing Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies of the Russian Ministry of Defense "Rubicon" discovered a vehicle that was transporting Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel. The coordinates of the detected target were promptly transmitted to strike forces.
Despite counteraction from enemy electronic warfare systems, FPV drone crews from the Rubicon Center destroyed a vehicle with Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel.
10:07 Servicemen of the reconnaissance unit of the "East" group of forces showed weapons abandoned by Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers in the area of the settlement of Velikaya Novosyolka in the DPR.
The scouts' trophies included a portable anti-tank missile launcher Javelin, an American large-caliber machine gun Browning M-2, hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers and ammunition. The Ukrainian soldiers abandoned all of this without a fight, so as not to clash with the Russian army.
9:52 Ukrainian military intelligence promised Russian servicemen $1 million for leaving their positions in Gorlovka in the DPR, counterintelligence foiled these plans, the FSB reported.
9:46 Russian army storms Uspenovka.
8:33 Crew of the 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer of the Northern Fleet naval infantry destroyed enemy UAV control point on the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region.
7:36 Changes on the map for the past 24 hours:
Terny liberated;
Positions near Kurakhovo have been improved;
Advance at Novoelizavetovka.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Russian Ministry of Defense will hold more than 20 scientific events in the country and abroad aimed at combating the falsification of history. This was announced by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov on January 15 during a meeting of the Pobeda organizing committee.
“It is planned to hold more than 20 international military-historical conferences and other scientific events in Russia and abroad,” Belousov said.
In April, he added, the third International Anti-Fascist Congress is planned to be held together with Belarusian colleagues.
The publication of materials from the Central Archives of the Ministry of Defense will continue — documents on the actions of the Red Army and crimes committed by the Nazi invaders and their accomplices. More than 250 historical documents have already been prepared for display as part of the exhibition "Without the Right to Be Forgotten," the minister also reported.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the Ministry of Defense regularly publishes declassified documents from the central archive related to the events of the Great Patriotic War. Thus, in September 2024, evidence was presented regarding the liberation of Tallinn from the Nazi occupiers. In May, the department transferred documents on the activities of Soviet military intelligence on the eve of and during the war to the Victory Museum.
The protection of the memory of the Great Patriotic War must be based on documents, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday, January 15.
The documents clearly show the role of the Red Army in the defeat of Nazism, the head of state said at a meeting of the Victory organizing committee.
"Many departments and institutions have made proposals to use the archival documents at their disposal. Of course, everything we do in this area should be based on documents. [This] will clearly show the role and significance of the Red Army and the Soviet Union as a whole in the victory over Nazism, and will affirm that very historical memory," the president said.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, during the meeting of the organizing committee, Putin emphasized that veterans will be the main participants in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory on May 9, 2025. The head of state instructed representatives of regional authorities to personally meet with veterans, learn about their problems and ensure their resolution.
The President also signed a decree according to which veterans of the Great Patriotic War, their widows, and former underage prisoners of concentration camps will receive a one-time payment of 80 thousand rubles in 2025.
The significance of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War for all of Russia is colossal, Putin said. Defending the Fatherland and serving the Fatherland has always been and remains a sacred cause for Russian citizens, he stressed.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] More than 32.5 thousand volunteers, activists of youth associations and concerned citizens from 20 regions of the country are helping specialized services in eliminating the consequences of the oil spill in the Black Sea, the press services of Rosmolodezh, the Dobro.rf and MyVmeste movements reported on Wednesday, January 15.
It’s good to see such consciousness and caring for the environment among the Russian youth.
As a result of the emergency, at least 2.4 thousand tons of fuel oil entered the Black Sea, polluting the coast of Krasnodar Krai, Crimea, Sevastopol and Zaporozhye Oblast; thousands of birds were also harmed by the oil products, the authors recalled.
“The work to eliminate the consequences of the oil spill does not stop, and even during the holidays, caring people continued to work - they collected and disposed of more than 15 thousand bags of sand, hundreds of people helped birds and animals, preserving the environment,” said State Secretary - Deputy Head of Rosmolodezh Denis Ashirov.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, over the course of a month, specialists and volunteers inspected about 896 km of coastline in the affected regions. More than 164 thousand tons of contaminated sand and soil were collected.
"Over the course of a month, 32,694 volunteers took part in the liquidation of the consequences of the oil spill in the Black Sea. Russians have once again demonstrated their spirit and unity. Russian President Vladimir Putin has already noted this twice, thanking the volunteers for their help in liquidating the emergency," said Artem Metelev, head of the State Duma Committee on Youth Policy and head of the Dobro.rf ecosystem.
The volunteers have been provided with the necessary conditions for their work, and their assistance will be in demand for several more months, he added.
To catch and rescue injured birds, there are integrated centers where the birds receive assistance around the clock, the authors noted. The birds are then sent for rehabilitation. Volunteers have washed over 6,000 birds in a month. Entrepreneurs and volunteers are considering the possibility of building an additional temporary center for birds in Anapa.
The business community also joined in the assistance — in particular, Yandex sent 15 million rubles to help volunteers in Anapa, and using special promo codes, volunteers can order food delivery for free, call a taxi, and book accommodation. In addition, Rosseti and T-Bank sent volunteers protective equipment, ATVs, and trailers for removing contaminated sand, the authors noted.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on December 15, 2024, the tankers Volgoneft 239 and Volgoneft 212 sank during a storm in the Kerch Strait. An oil spill occurred.
On the instructions of the president, a federal task force was formed to eliminate the consequences of the accident. Emergencies Ministry employees and volunteers are working to clean up the shores in Crimea and Krasnodar Krai. The bulk of the fuel oil has been collected, but new emissions of petroleum products are periodically observed on the coast.
The pumping of fuel oil from the Volgoneft 239 tanker should be completed by the end of January. Putin previously expressed gratitude to the volunteers for their assistance.
In total, 34 dead dolphins were found on the Black Sea coast of Crimea and Sevastopol after a fuel oil spill due to an emergency with tankers. This was reported by the Crimean dolphin rescue center "Bespeshnoye More".
"Their number has increased to 34 individuals. One adult female Azovka had isolated traces of fuel oil on her skin. Most of the dead were Azovkas," the rescue center explained.
Over the past three days, 15 dead cetaceans have been reported. One individual, according to experts, was again found to have a penetrating wound (probably a knife wound) to the chest cavity.
"Also, alarming information was received about the stranding of dead anchovy off the coast of Sevastopol. This raises even greater concerns about the long-term consequences of the accident for the health of animals and about a possible repeat of the situation in 2022, when live dolphins were washed up on the coast as a result of an epizootic," the rescue center added.
Of all the cetaceans registered since the tanker accident, 16 dolphins were found in Crimea, 18 in the Sevastopol region.
[Breitbart] Ukraine says it launched its “most massive” attack of the war yet, launching over a dozen Western-supplied advanced cruise missiles and over 100 drones at targets deep inside Russia to strike energy, chemical, and weapon facilities.
Fires were reported at Russian chemical and energy plants overnight Monday into Tuesday this week, with the Kremlin asserting it had shot down waves of missiles and drones. Russia vowed retaliation for the strike, which they said included eight British-made Storm Shadow bunker-buster cruise missiles and six U.S.-made ATACMS cruise missiles.
Per the Kremlin’s assertion, they successfully shot down all of these missiles, 12 over Bryansk and two further Storm Shadows over the Black Sea. Russia also claims it downed multiple dozens of drones over regions ringing Moscow. The Russian Ministry of Defence vowed revenge, stating: “The actions by the Kiev regime supported by Western handlers will trigger retaliation”.
Indeed, air-raid sirens sounded across Ukraine on Wednesday morning, with national state media stating Russian cruise and ballistic missiles has been launched. Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack by Russian forces had seen over 40 missiles launched, and 70 drones. The President said the target of the strikes had been Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, stating: “Another massive Russian attack. It’s the middle of winter, and the target for the Russians remains unchanged: our energy infrastructure. Among their objectives were gas and energy facilities that sustain normal life for our people.”
Russia claimed in shooting down all Ukrainian-launched weapons overnight into Tuesday, there had been “no casualties or destruction”. Yet fires were reported at several important facilities, and Ukrainian intelligence asserted it had landed blows in what it called the “most massive” attack of the war, claiming strikes nearly 700 miles beyond the Ukrainian-Russian border, and well beyond Moscow.
Wires service Reuters claimed a source in the Ukrainian intelligence services — who often coordinate these long-range strikes — had claimed a hit on a major Russian airbase, Engels. The home base for some of Russia’s aerial nuclear forces, it is alleged the strike hit a munitions dump of “guided bombs and missiles”. Also said to have been struck was a chemical plant in the Tula Oblast to the south of Moscow, a gas storage tank in the Tatarstan Oblast east of Moscow, a chemical plant in Bryansk Oblast on the Ukrainian border, and an oil refinery on the Volga.
Kyiv published satellite photographs to claim the effectiveness of the strikes.
Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied cruise missiles to strike deep inside Russian territory has been one of the main points of contention for its Western backers for the latter years of the conflict, as leaders expressed concerns allowing Kyiv to use the weapons beyond its own borders would be escalatory. After months of stonewalling, the U.S. government of President Joe Biden suddenly and unexpectedly signed off on the weapons shortly after the national elections.
Russia’s response to the weapons being used for the first time was initially one of outrage, with a torrent of words from the Kremlin followed by the test of what Moscow called a new, experimental ballistic missile. Although the missile was launched at a Ukrainian city, it was launched without a nuclear or even a conventional warhead, any damage being solely down to the kinetic energy of the missile casing plunging down to earth at enormous speed.
Putin has claimed the weapon resembles a new unstoppable Russian threat, even if other recent new weapons have also come with boasts of invulnerability that subsequently proved to the overwrought.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Fighting has intensified in the Russian region of Kursk, with Ukrainian forces taking out whole columns of tanks and the battlefield littered with the corpses of Russian and North Korean soldiers, chilling pictures purportedly show.
Desperate to reclaim the region, part of which was first seized by Kyiv's forces back in August and has been defended by Ukraine since, Vladimir Putin has sent wave after wave of troops to die as 'cannon fodder'.
So exhausted by the rate with which they have been killing their enemies, Ukrainian machine gunners are being replaced regularly, according to reports.
One soldier likened the onslaught to the bloody sieges of eastern Ukrainian cities like Bakhmut, saying that 'after two hours [gun operators] couldn't take it anymore.'
'Here, the Russians need to take this territory at any cost, and are pouring all their strength into it, while we are giving everything we have to hold it,' Sergeant Oleksandr, 46, a Ukrainian infantry platoon leader, told the New York Times.
'We're holding on, destroying, destroying, destroying - so much that it's hard to even comprehend.'
Aiming to retake the town of Malaya Loknya, a key Ukrainian stronghold in the region, Putin's forces reportedly launched a series of massive combined assaults involving some 50 armoured vehicles and hundreds of soldiers.
Ukrainian forces reportedly decimated the columns by disabling the lead vehicles with landmines and drone strikes, forcing those behind them to stop in their tracks.
Sitting ducks in the line of fire, the Russian soldiers inside the vehicles then abandoned them and attempted to take cover in nearby trenches, allowing them to be easily taken out by Ukrainian gunfire and grenades dropped by drones.
Images shared by Euromaidan Press shows what appear to be Russian soldiers cowering in ditches and beneath trees as they are hunted by Ukrainian drones.
Due to the huge manpower enlisted by Moscow and the massive scale of attacks, Putin's forces have been able to make ground in the region over recent days.
At an extremely high cost, with nearly a full mechanized company said to have been lost in one day, they have reportedly been able to take back control of the villages of Leonidovo and the eastern part of Novoivanovka.
Their 'meat assaults' have been assisted over recent months by the deployment of an estimated 12,000 North Korean soldiers, which Ukrainian soldiers say has made battles even more bloody.
'They are putting our fronts under massive pressure and are constantly finding weak points where they can break through,' a platoon leader said.
It comes after harrowing footage purportedly showed the corpses of more than a dozen North Korean troops lined up on the battlefield.
The Ukrainian OSINT group said that the video 'confirms that the Russian command continues to massively use Koreans as cannon fodder for infantry assaults on Ukrainian army positions'.
The North Koreans were sent in 'ahead of Russian units' to storm frontline positions' in Russia's Kursk region, contested amid a blistering Ukrainian offensive, it added.
Following a battle in Kursk this week, Ukrainian special forces scoured the bodies of more than a dozen slain North Korean enemy soldiers.
They found one still alive, but as they approached, he detonated a grenade, blowing himself up, according to a description of the fighting posted on social media by Ukraine's Special Operations Forces on Monday.
The forces said their soldiers escaped the blast uninjured.
The report could not be verified, but it is among mounting evidence from the battlefield, intelligence reports and testimonies of defectors that some North Korean soldiers are resorting to extreme measures as they support Russia's three-year war with Ukraine.
'Self-detonation and suicides: that's the reality about North Korea,' said Kim, a 32-year-old former North Korean soldier who defected to the South in 2022, requesting he only be identified by his surname due to fears of reprisals against his family left in the North.
'These soldiers who left home for a fight there have been brainwashed and are truly ready to sacrifice themselves for Kim Jong Un,' he added, referring to the reclusive North Korean leader.
Moscow and Pyongyang initially dismissed reports about the North's troop deployment as 'fake news'.
But Russian president Vladimir Putin in October did not deny that North Korean soldiers were currently in Russia and a North Korean official said any such deployment would be lawful.
Earlier reports say the faces of the corpses have been deliberately disfigured - including by burning - to stop them being identified as North Koreans.
Ukraine and South Korea reported late last year that North Korea had sent at least 10,000 troops to support Putin's war effort as Ukraine began to make gains inside Kursk.
As many as 300 North Korean soldiers are believed to have been killed, with a further 2,700 wounded, in clashes so far, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told reporters on Monday.
He added that Pyongyang's troops have been told to kill themselves before allowing themselves to be captured alive.
Ukraine this week released videos of what it said were two captured North Korean soldiers.
One of the soldiers expressed a desire to stay in Ukraine, and the other to return to North Korea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
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.
