Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The chair of the State Duma Committee on Culture Olga Kazakova will have to sort out the situation with the mixed-up name of the murderer of Russian writer and poet Alexander Pushkin in an official government document. This was reported by the deputy of the lower house of parliament Oleg Smolin (CPRF).
“Vyacheslav Volodin, the Chairman of the State Duma, asked Olga Mikhailovna Kazakova, the Chairman of the Committee on Culture, to conduct such an examination and advise colleagues from the executive branch... either a gross error or blatant illiteracy was corrected,” he clarified to RIA Novosti.
The confusion with the name of the duelist Pushkin was revealed in an official government document during a plenary session of the State Duma. According to Smolin, the author of the document could have confused Georges Dantes with the hero of the novel "The Count of Monte Cristo" Edmond Dantes.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the US Embassy in Russia reminded about the anniversary of the birth of the poet Alexander Pushkin, but made a mistake with his name. The mistake was later corrected.
The Council for the Implementation of State Policy in the Sphere of Support of the Russian Language and Languages of the Peoples of Russia and the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation have begun joint work to create a single state line of school textbooks on the Russian language and literature.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Kharkov direction, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on units of three territorial defence brigades close to Liptsy and Volchansk (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses were up to 130 troops, one armoured personnel carrier, six motor vehicles, two artillery guns, and one ammunition depot.
Units of the Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation.
Russian troops inflicted fire damage on enemy manpower and hardware of one tank brigade, one mechanised brigade, one assault brigade, one air assault regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and one territorial defence brigade close to Kutkovka, Kondrashovka, Boguslavka, Novaya Kruglyakovka, Zeleny Gai (Kharkov region), Novolyubovka (Lugansk People's Republic), Kolodezi, Yampolovka, and Yampol (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were up to 220 troops, one tank, five armoured fighting vehicles, including one U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carrier, seven field artillery guns, including three NATO-made combat vehicles. One ammunition depot was destroyed.
Units of the Yug Group of Forces improved the tactical situation along the front line.
Russian troops inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of four mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, and two assault brigades of the AFU as well as on formations of the Foreign Legion close to Nikiforovka, Zvanovka, Pereyezdnoye, Raygorodok, Vasyukovka, Privolye, Chasov Yar, Konstantinovka, Aleksandro-Shultino, Ivanopolye, and Dachnoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were up to 155 troops, three pickup trucks, four field artillery guns, including one German-made 155mm Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled artillery system and one ammunition depot.
The Tsentr Group of Forces' units continued advancing into the depths of enemy defences and liberated Vodyanoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
Russian troops inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of four mechanised brigades , one jaeger brigade, one airmobile brigade of the AFU, one territorial defence brigade, and two National Guard brigades close to Shcherbinovka, Lenina, Baranovka, Zverevo, Udachnoye, Kotlino, Nadezhdinka, and Novoandreyevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were up to 510 troops, one German-made Leopard tank, five armoured fighting vehicles, including one U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, and four pickup trucks. In addition, one Czech-made Vampire MLRS combat vehicle and two field artillery guns were eliminated, including one German-made 155mm Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled artillery system.
The Vostok Group of Forces' units improved the situation along the front line.
Russian troops hit units of three mechanised brigades, one air assault brigade, and two territorial defence brigades near Konstantinopol, Bogatyr, Burlatskoye, Komar, Skudnoye, and Rovnopol (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were up to 140 troops, one tank, one armoured fighting vehicle, eight motor vehicles, and seven field artillery guns, including one U.S.-made 155mm M198 howitzer. One ammunition depot was destroyed.
Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces engaged manpower and hardware of one coastal defence brigade of the AFU and three territorial defence brigades close to Novoberislav, Kazatskoye, Tokarevka, and Antonovka (Kherson region).
The AFU losses were up to 70 troops, eight motor vehicles, four field artillery guns, two ammunition depots, and two electronic and counter-battery warfare radars.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces engaged Ukrainian military airfield and port infrastructure, unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturing facilities, POL storage facilities as well as clusters of enemy manpower and hardware in 146 areas.
Air defence facilities have shot down one guided JDAM aerial bomb and three U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, three French-made Hammer aerial guided bombs, and 202 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 653 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 43,247 unmanned aerial vehicles, 592 anti-aircraft missile systems, 21,314 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,515 MLRS combat vehicles, 21,627 field artillery guns and mortars, and 31,528 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.
In the course of offensive actions, the Sever Group of Forces' units inflicted fire damage on formations of two tank brigades, one heavy mechanised brigade, five mechanised brigades, three air assault brigades, one naval infantry brigade, one assault brigade, one territorial defence brigade, and three assault regiments of the AFU near Gogolevka, Goncharovka, Guyevo, Zaoleshenka, Kazachya Loknya, Kurilovka, Lebedevka, Malaya Loknya, Melovoy, Nikolsky, Oleshnya, Rubanshchina, Sverdlikovo, and Sudzha. One AFU counter-attack was repelled.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, artillery inflicted fire damage on AFU manpower and hardware close to Viktorovka, Pervy Knyazhy, Kolmakov, Kositsa, Kruglenkoye, Loknya, Makhnovka, Mirny, Nikolayevka, Novaya Sorochina, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye as well as Basovka, Belovody, Vesyolovka, Zhuravka, Miropolye, Obody in Sumy region.
During the day, the AFU losses were more than 270 troops, two tanks, one infantry fighting vehicle, two armoured personnel carriers, 13 armoured fighting vehicles, 16 motor vehicles, five artillery guns, three mortars, one anti-aircraft missile and gun system, one electronic warfare station as well as three UAV command posts and one ammunition depot.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk direction, the AFU losses amounted to more than 60,210 troops, 363 tanks, 263 infantry fighting vehicles, 213 armoured personnel carriers, 1,867 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,960 motor vehicles, 435 artillery guns, 48 MLRS launchers, including 13 of HIMARS and six of MLRS made by the USA, 20 anti-aircraft missile launchers, eight transport-loading vehicles, 108 EW stations, 15 counter-battery warfare radars, six air defence radars, 41 units of engineering and other materiel, including 18 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, two bridge launchers as well as ten armoured recovery vehicles, and one command post vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 20:45 Ukrainian troops have good results at the front. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky during an evening video address on Thursday, February 13.
"There were reports from our military today - very important reports. There is a good result at the front - it is incorrect to name the geography, I will not make it political," the head of state said.
At the same time, Zelensky thanked the Ukrainian soldiers from the 425th separate assault regiment.
19:10 Ukraine will take part in the negotiations to end the war, but the main counterpart on this topic will be the United States. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. He predicts a "bilateral Russian-American track" in the negotiations, as well as the separate involvement of Ukraine.
18:13 Ukrainian military holds about 500 square kilometers of the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. This was reported by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky. This is a security zone on the territory of Russia. This forces the Russians to move their most combat-ready units in other directions.
17.50 Russian troops attacked a car with a drone in the Dniprovsky district of Kherson. Two people were killed.
"As a result of explosives being dropped on a vehicle, two people received injuries incompatible with life - a 58-year-old woman and a 62-year-old ambulance driver who was driving on business," said OVA head Alexander Prokudin.
17.44 Volunteers under 25 will serve in combat brigades on the front lines for six months. This was announced by Defense Ministry representative Dmitry Lazutkin on the air of the telethon on Thursday, February 13.
Six military brigades with extensive combat experience have been identified for the service of pre-conscription age volunteers.
"These are brigades and commanders with vast combat experience: the 95th Brigade; the 72nd Brigade, which defended Kyiv and fought near Ugledar; the 38th Marine Brigade; the 28th Brigade; the 92nd Brigade, which defended the Kharkiv region; the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade, which fought near Bakhmut and has a large number of heroes who have gone through combat - that is, all units with experience," the MOU spokesman explained.
16.56 Russian troops dropped two FAB-250 aerial bombs on Kramatorsk. As a result of the strike, one person was killed and five were injured.
"The Russians dropped two FAB-250 on the city. A 46-year-old man died from his wounds. Among the wounded was a 16-year-old girl. Two houses and several cars were damaged," said Vadim Filashkin, head of the Donetsk OVA, on Telegram.
16.33 Russian military attacked the positions of the Security Forces of Ukraine in the Kamenskoye area in Zaporizhia, which led to the disruption of the rotation of IAEA technical experts at the captured Zaporizhia NPP. This was reported by the press service of the Main Intelligence Directorate on Thursday, February 13.
13.59 The Security Service has announced in absentia suspicion of Russian General Alexander Dvornikov, who ordered a missile strike on the Nikolaev OVA, which resulted in the death of 36 people. This was reported by the SBU press service on Thursday, February 13.
13.23 In the city of Dolgoprudny near Moscow, on the night of February 6-7, 2025, a powerful explosion occurred on the territory of a military unit. This was reported on February 13 by the Main Intelligence Directorate. It is noted that the explosives destroyed two Russian Valdai radar systems , designed for round-the-clock automatic detection and counteraction of UAVs.
12.43 The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has published new data on the shadow tanker fleet of the Russian Federation. The War&Sanctions portal has published information on 57 captains and 45 vessels engaged in the transportation of sanctioned oil. This was reported by the press service of the Main Intelligence Directorate on Thursday, February 13.
12.29 Russian troops shelled the central part of Kherson on the morning of February 13. They hit a multi-story building, there are wounded. This was reported by the head of the Kherson OVA Oleksandr Prokudin on Thursday, February 13.
12.13 The Ministry of Defense explained the terms of the annual contract for volunteers aged 18 to 24. The contract provides exclusively for combat positions. This was stated by the spokesman for the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Dmitry Lazutkin on the air of the telethon on Thursday, February 13.
11.52 US President Donald Trump's statements regarding a peaceful settlement between Ukraine and Russia will be the subject of discussion at a meeting of defense ministers of the Alliance member states. This was announced by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
11.17 On February 13, Russian-released "shahids" violated Moldovan airspace, two drones exploded on Moldovan territory . Moldova considers this a violation of sovereignty and a risk to peace and security in the region. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador.
10:41 Former commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Nayev arrived at the site of combat missions in the Velyka Novosilka tactical group.
10.22 Ukraine will continue to receive American aid, but "there must be a demand for money." This was stated by US President Donald Trump at a press conference in the White House the day before. He estimated that Ukraine had received $350 billion in aid from Washington.
9:46 On the night of February 13, Russia launched 140 Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles and drone imitators against Ukraine. Air defense forces shot down 85 drones. This was reported by the Ukrainian Air Force.
9:21 On February 13, Russian troops attacked the city of Sumy with drones. The enemy directed the drones at the residential sector. This was reported by the Sumy OVA. The consequences of the shelling are being clarified.
8:50 Over the past 24 hours, 116 combat clashes occurred on the front, 34 of which were in the Pokrovsk direction. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on February 13. Five UAV control points, an air defense system, an area for the concentration of weapons and military equipment, and two radar stations of the occupiers were damaged.
8:26 In the evening and at night, Russian troops struck the Nikopol district. Civilian objects were damaged, including a private enterprise, a funeral home building, and private houses. This was reported on February 13 by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA Serhiy Lysak.
8:01 The occupiers struck Kherson, there are casualties . This was reported by the head of the Kherson GVA Roman Mrochko. The man was taken to the hospital with a concussion, a mine-explosive injury, and a closed head injury. The woman received medical assistance on the spot.
7:45 Russia continues to suffer losses in the war against Ukraine. Over the past 24 hours, the Defense Forces destroyed 1,250 occupiers and more than 400 units of enemy weapons and military equipment. The total combat losses of the Russians from 24.02.22 to 13.02.25 amounted to approximately 854,280 people.
However many really died, none will be fathering beautiful Russian babies, accelerating Russia’s depopulation.
This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
7:22 In Russia, air defense allegedly shot down 83 drones over 9 regions. This was reported on February 13 by the Russian Defense Ministry. It is noted that 37 UAVs were allegedly shot down over the territory of the Bryansk region; 12 UAVs over the territories of the Kursk and Lipetsk regions; 9 UAVs over the territory of the Tver region; three UAVs over the territories of the Belgorod, Kaluga, Smolensk and Voronezh regions and one UAV over the territory of the Rostov region.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Ukrainian Armed Forces are waging heavy defensive battles in the east and south of Ukraine.
The hottest part is in the Pokrovsky direction. There, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled 17 Russian assaults in the areas of 10 populated areas.
Since the beginning of the current day, 72 combat clashes have occurred on the front in seven directions. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational report on Thursday, February 13.
Thus, in the Kupyansk direction the enemy attacked three times near the settlements of Golubovka and Zagryzovo. All assaults were repelled.
In the Liman direction, the Russians advanced four times near Grekovka, Novolyubovka, Yampolevka and Kolodezi. Another clash is currently ongoing.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the occupiers tried to advance four times in the area of Chasovy Yar. One clash continues to this day.
In the Toretsk direction, there were 14 enemy attacks in the areas of Shcherbinovka and Toretsk. Currently, six combat clashes are ongoing.
The hottest part is in the Pokrovsky direction : the occupiers have already carried out 23 attacks in the areas of the settlements of Sukhaya Balka, Tarasovka, Elizavetovka, Promin, Lisovka, Udachnoye, Uspenovka, Zaporozhye, Andreyevka and Dachnoye. The defense forces repelled 17 assaults, six clashes are still ongoing.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, the invaders launched an offensive eight times in the Zelenovka area and in the direction of Burlatskoye. Four of the clashes are still ongoing.
In Kursk region our defenders repelled 12 attacks by the invaders, four clashes continue.
Let us recall that on February 12, 116 combat clashes occurred on the front, 34 of which were in the Pokrovsky direction. It remains the hottest.
It was also reported that over the past 24 hours the Ukrainian Armed Forces "minus" 1,250 Russians. Russia's total losses since the beginning of the war are approaching 860 thousand people.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NwsFront] 19:40 Dnepropetrovsk direction, –MAP.
Our units are attacking in the direction of the western part of Novosergeevka, which is separate from the eastern part, advancing north of Uspenovka and along Novoalexandrovka and Shumilin ravine.
Fighting is going on northwest of Nadezhdinka for farms and strongholds. South of Nadezhdinka our units are attacking in the western direction on Kotlyarovka, and also from the north and south (from the direction of Zaporozhye) attacks are going on Preobrazhenka.
In Zaporozhye and Serebryanoye, a clean-up operation is underway; our units are gaining a foothold in the villages.
South of Zaporozhye our forces are expanding the control zone along the Sarannaya gully.
Fierce fighting is taking place in the area of ??the T-0515 road.
18:40 During aerial reconnaissance, a UAV operator discovered a stronghold of Ukrainian fascists. The artillerymen of the Guards "North" actively worked on the target and delivered several accurate strikes on the enemy, -video.
18:10 Machine gunners are working in the Zaporizhzhya direction North of the settlement of Rabotino, –video.
17:40 From 15.30 to 17.00 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed four Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles: two UAVs over the territory of the Belgorod region and two over the waters of the Black Sea.
16:25 Operators of combat drones with a system for dropping ammunition from the "West" group of troops destroyed the manpower of the Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the Khar'kov region, –video.
16:00 Crews of 152mm 2S19 self-propelled howitzers "Msta-S" destroyed combat armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery units, howitzers M-777, fuel and ammunition depots, as well as the Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower, -video.
15:20 During the cleanup of the village of Blagovatnoye, near Velikaya Novosyolka in the DPR, soldiers from Buryatia captured samples of foreign weapons. An attack aircraft with the call sign "Buryat" told about the trophies.
15:00 Rubicon drone operators destroyed the enemy's armored vehicles. The Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel were abandoned by their fellow soldiers, who fled, -video.
13:45 Russian assault units have advanced in Udachny along the northern part closer to the center. The assault on Udachny continues. The enemy is trying to hinder us with the massive use of drones.
The battles for the southern part of Kotlino continue. Zverevo, Leontovichi and the northern part of Peschanoye are being hit by artillery and drones from our side.
The enemy is trying to gain a foothold on the outskirts of Peschanoye,MAP.
13:00 Units of the "East" group of forces advanced on a broad front about one km further north and approached the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defensive line south of the settlement of Burlatskoye, which blocks the routes of advance along the western bank of the Mokrye Yaly River in the northern direction and the possibility of reaching the rear of the defensive lines to the west in the Zaporizhia region, -MAP.
11:55 "Thor" destroyed reconnaissance UAVs "Shark" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, –video.
During combat operations, servicemen from the Tor-M1 anti-aircraft missile system crew of the Center group destroyed the Shark unmanned aerial vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, providing cover for the offensive actions of units in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
10:50 Information on strikes carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Belgorod region over the past 24 hours:
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was shot down by the air defense system over the Alekseevsky municipal district. No consequences.
In the Belgorod district, the settlements of Malinovka and Oktyabrsky, the villages of Bessonovka, Krasny Khutor, Nekhoteyevka, Repnoye, Solntsevka, Ustinka and Yasnye Zori were subjected to four attacks, during which 22 rounds were fired, and attacks using 14 drones, six of which were shot down by the air defense system.
Four apartments in an apartment building, two social facilities, a manufacturing plant, six cars, three private houses, two outbuildings and a power line were damaged. An outbuilding was destroyed on the territory of one of the households.
In the Borisovsky district, the villages of Berezovka, Zozuli and Tsapovka were attacked using four drones, one of which was shot down. In the village of Berezovka, a civilian was injured as a result of a drone attack on a moving car. The man continues to receive outpatient treatment after receiving medical assistance. The car was damaged.
In the Valuysky Municipal District, attacks were carried out using six drones in the villages of Dolgoe, Karabanovo, Kolyhalino and Shelayevo, of which four were shot down.
In the village of Kolyhalino, as a result of a drone strike on a truck, two men were injured. The victims were hospitalized in the regional clinical hospital. One of them is in serious condition, and after surgery, he was transferred to the intensive care unit for dynamic observation. The condition of the second man is assessed as satisfactory. All necessary assistance is being provided. Two vehicles were damaged.
In the Volokonovsky district, the villages of Borisovka, Novoye, Tishanka and the Plotovka farm were shelled with five rounds of ammunition and attacked by four drones, two of which were shot down. On the Pogromets-Konovalovo-Davydkin highway, a married couple was injured as a result of an explosive device being dropped from a drone. After receiving medical assistance, the victims were released for outpatient treatment. A private house, an outbuilding, two cars and gas and electricity lines were damaged.
In the Grayvoronsky municipal district, 13 rounds of ammunition were fired during three attacks in the city of Grayvoron, the villages of Kozinka, Mokraya Orlovka and Novostroyevka-Pervaya, and attacks by five drones were recorded. In the village of Mokraya Orlovka, a woman was killed when a drone struck a car. Two apartment buildings, a private home and two cars were damaged.
In the Krasnoyarsk region, the village of Prilesye, the villages of Demidovka, Kolotilovka, Staroselye and Terebreno were subjected to five attacks, during which 27 rounds of ammunition were fired, and attacks by five UAVs, one of which was shot down. There were no consequences.
In the Shebekinsky municipal district, the city of Shebekino, the villages of Voznesenovka, Murom, Novaya Tavolzhanka, the hamlets of Maryino and Mukhin were subjected to three attacks, during which 10 rounds of ammunition were fired, and attacks by 15 drones, of which 11 were shot down. A private and four apartment buildings, eight cars and a power line were damaged.
9:55 In the Khar'kov direction, the fiber-optic FPV operators of the Antagonist group of the North Guard destroyed the equipment of Ukrainian soldiers, –video.
9:28 Fighters from one of the special units of the Russian National Guard discovered a camouflaged enemy vehicle in the Kursk region, –video.
8:15 Frontline report for the morning of 13.02.2025
Zaporizhzhya Front. There are no significant changes in the LBS here. Positional battles continue with the active use of long-range weapons on both sides, –CARDS.
Donetsk Front. West of Velyka Novosyolka, the Russian Armed Forces are fighting in the area of the road to Gulyai Pole, attacking from the south. There is progress. Also, in this area, the Russian Armed Forces are developing an offensive north of Novy Komar in the direction of Novoocheretovatoye.
The advance toward Constantinople continues, battles are underway for Andreyevka and its environs. There are also tactical successes of Russian troops in the Zelenovka area, where the Russian Armed Forces advanced along the bank of the Sukhie Yaly River. In the Pokrovsk direction, Russian troops drove the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of Vodyanoye Vtoroye.
Chasov Yar direction. Fighting continues in Chasov Yar. There is currently no information about any serious advances in the city. Long-range weapons of Russian troops are actively working on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Kursk Region. Russian troops continue to put pressure on the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defense in several areas. Fighting continues in the Cherkasskaya Konopelka area, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces periodically attempt to advance in small groups. Fighting for Sverdlikovo also continues. The Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to build up reserves in the Sumy Region and prepare them for redeployment to the Kursk Region.
8:03 The crew of the Mi-28NM helicopter, as part of a mixed tactical group, carried out an attack on enemy personnel and armored vehicles in the border area of the Kursk region.
The forward air controller confirmed the destruction of the target, -video.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Mikhail Zakharov
[REGNUM] On February 12, Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held a telephone conversation. The conversation, which lasted about an hour and a half, was the first official contact between the leaders of the states after Trump's return to the White House.
Following the conversation, the presidents agreed to immediately begin negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and to organize a personal meeting. They also agreed that the time had come to work together.
Trump called Zelensky after his conversation with Putin and later made a number of comments, including noting that Ukraine might return some of its former territories, but would hardly return to the 1991 borders. The US president also said that the issue of Ukraine joining NATO should be removed from consideration.
Trump's call to the Kremlin is an indicator that very serious changes are coming, says American political scientist Malek Dudakov. According to him, the conversation shows the Trump administration's attitude toward dialogue with Russia, resolving the Ukrainian crisis and other issues.
"The attempt by Western countries to isolate Russia ended in failure, and now they are abandoning it. There is an understanding that we need to seriously talk to Russia on equal terms and discuss all controversial conflict issues," the expert adds in an interview with IA Regnum.
German political scientist Alexander Rahr sees a “very good sign” in the fact that there is a willingness to negotiate on Ukraine.
The fact that a specific meeting place for such negotiations has been named, Saudi Arabia, also suggests that we, the world, Europe are moving towards a peaceful settlement,” Rahr says in a conversation with the Regnum news agency. “And now the moment has really come when America, this is very important, is beginning to seriously reconsider its attitude towards the conflict in Ukraine and towards Russia.”
Associate Professor of the Department of European Law at MGIMO, Director of the Center for European Information Nikolai Topornin also believes that the very communication between the presidents can be regarded as the beginning of serious contacts related to an attempt to resolve the Ukrainian conflict.
As the expert says, Trump tried to find out the Russian president’s position, whether he was ready to agree to a quick, temporary truce.
"It turned out that Putin is not ready. Well, and in principle Trump learned that the Russian president is ready to work with the new US administration, is ready for a meeting. Trump even invited Putin to his office and is ready to discuss various settlement options," Topornin explains to IA Regnum.
Overall, according to the expert, “things have moved forward.”
US'S EUROPEAN ALLIES IN SHOCK
That happens a lot when President Trump is involved.
Shortly after Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump spoke, Bloomberg reported that European officials were stunned by the fact that the two presidents had spoken.
" This is a serious diplomatic step that key allies (Washington ) were not informed about," the publication said.
Now any negotiations will go over the heads of both European "hawks" and Ukrainian lobbyists: both European capitals and Kyiv will only inform about what the negotiators have come to after the fact, predicts Malek Dudakov.
“For Europeans, this is, of course, a complete shock, because they understand perfectly well that they will have to pay for the consequences of the Ukrainian crisis,” the Americanist adds.
According to him, the Trump administration will force them to spend money on post-war reconstruction of the rest of Ukraine and on purchasing weapons in the future. And since they have problems with money, there is a budget crisis almost everywhere, this will lead to further destabilization of the European project.
According to Alexander Rahr, it can be assumed that Trump sees Russia as a great power, similar to how the Americans spoke with Joseph Stalin about a new world order in Yalta in 1945. The expert adheres to the point of view that the main decisions - on the situation in Ukraine, in Europe, on NATO issues, on the division of zones of influence, as well as on the problem of restoring the Ukrainian economy - will be worked out directly between Trump and Putin, bypassing London and Paris.
" Naturally, the Europeans are horrified, shouting that such an agreement cannot be made without them. But, apparently, such a deal between Russia and America will be welcomed by the great powers - China, India, Turkey. Everyone is waiting for this," adds Rahr. "And Europe, of course, must ask itself a very painful question: how adequate is it still in this large world system?"
In turn, Nikolai Topornin predicts that Trump will still consult and interact with European allies and “will not resolve this conflict without the participation of European NATO countries, without the participation of the European Union.”
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE NEGOTIATIONS
Obviously, the negotiation process will start in the near future, believes Americanist Dudakov. At the same time, there are still quite serious differences in the negotiating positions between Russia and the United States, so most likely, the negotiation process will take some time before the parties can come to a result.
“There may not be any quick progress, but the fact that the process is starting shows that the dam has been broken,” the expert adds.
Dudakov admits that Trump will try to add the Middle Eastern issue to the Ukrainian issue during the negotiations – that which concerns the Gaza Strip and Iran – in order to immediately resolve the entire tangle of contradictions.
According to Alexander Rahr, the US is ready to stop NATO expansion to the east, which is very important for Russia. But at the same time, the political scientist notes, America is interested in business in Ukraine.
"It seems to me that there will be a division of economic influence zones. Russia will be given the territories where the Russian army is currently stationed, the east of Ukraine," says the source of the Regnum news agency. "And America will try to realize its economic interests in the territory of Western Ukraine."
However, there are no guarantees that Russia will agree to the US proposals; it is too early to talk about this. Moscow will continue to act in its own interests.
Nikolai Topornin reminds that Moscow is still waiting for specific proposals from Washington.
" There is a certain vision of the situation from the Russian side, what it is ready to do, what it is not ready to do. And it must understand to what extent its vision will correlate with the American vision," the expert says.
However, it is already good that "there is momentum": this has never happened with the Joe Biden administration. Now a window of opportunity has opened, the agency's interlocutor notes.
"Let's be honest: this does not mean that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow everything will be over, some compromise solutions will be found that will suit everyone," warns Topornin. "In my opinion, this will be a long process, it may take many months. But in any case, there is light at the end of the tunnel."
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin.
[ColonelCassad] The SVR and the CIA will hold talks on Ukraine, as expected.
The head of the SVR, Naryshkin, reported that after the telephone conversations between Putin and Trump, the heads of the SVR and the CIA received instructions to intensify contacts on the subject of negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine. Further, we can expect intensified negotiations between the Russian Foreign Ministry and the US State Department.
At these negotiations, intelligence officers and diplomats will discuss the preparation of the Putin-Trump negotiations in Saudi Arabia and potential parameters for ending the war.
In fact, this is what a discussion of Ukraine without Ukraine looks like.
Of course, negotiations do not guarantee a mandatory result, but judging by the hysteria in the West with cries of "betrayal of Ukraine" and "betrayal of democracy", the globalists suspect the worst.
At the same time, of course, we should not flatter ourselves ahead of time, we will still see what conditions the Americans will put forward. Because the example of Minsk-1 and Minsk-2 (yesterday, by the way, was 10 years ago) is very memorable. The main thing here is not to agree so that then after a certain amount of time the "We thought it would be like this, but we were deceived" starts again.
Let's see what our negotiators can achieve.
P.S. Trump hinted once again today that elections are needed in Ukraine, adding that "Zelensky's ratings aren't very good."
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A unit of Russian drone operators received an unpleasant surprise last week when a new batch of goggles used to control their unmanned aerial vehicles blew up in their faces.
The shipment, reportedly delivered to the Russian unit as part of a crowdfunded humanitarian aid package on February 7, contained several boxes of Chinese-made Skyzone Cobra X v4 goggles.
These goggles allow the operator to assume command of their UAV as if on board the craft, with the drone's camera providing the pilot a first-person view (FPV) of the battlefield.
But when the goggles were turned on, the headsets exploded - causing serious injuries to the unfortunate drone pilots holding the devices.
The operation is reminiscent of Israel's sabotage of Hezbollah last year which saw thousands of the militant group's members injured and dozens killed after their pagers were booby-trapped with a small amount of explosive.
Clips shared by pro-Kremlin military blogging channel 'Razved Dozor' showed investigators cracking open untouched headsets to discover plastic explosives buried beneath their casings.
Igor Potapov, a spokesperson for JSC NPP - a Russian company responsible for developing electronic warfare equipment - told the TASS news agency that the donation came from an individual named 'Roman' as part of an aid package.
'I would like to especially note and convey to everyone that humanitarian aid always requires verification if it is provided by a new, unfamiliar person,' Potapov said in a statement shared by Russia's TASS news agency.
'When some benefactor suddenly appears with a desire to help - this is, of course, wonderful - but such people always need to be verified.'
Skyzone's Cobra model has reportedly become a favourite of Russian drone operators for its high-quality imaging and robust signal control, and is routinely requested as part of crowdfunded aid shipments.
The shocking sabotage incident highlights the blurring of the lines between combatants and non-combatants in today's modern warfare landscape amid the mass use of consumer drones on the frontlines.
With both Russian and Ukrainian army units relying on the goodwill of civilian benefactors providing them with warfighting equipment and humanitarian aid, the opportunity for such sabotage operations is greater than ever before.
Neither Razved Dozor nor the TASS news agency provided details of how many Russian drone operators were killed or injured in the sabotage attack.
But the military blogger reported that each headset is thought to have carried between 10-15 grams of plastic explosives.
If an operator was wearing the goggles when the explosives were activated, they certainly would have been killed.
No one has yet taken responsibility for the punishing operation, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine have not commented on the reports.
But it wouldn't be the first time that Ukraine has used booby-trapped devices to take out Russians involved in the war.
In December, an attack orchestrated by Ukraine's SBU security service - successfully eliminated Igor Kirillov, one of Vladimir Putin's top army generals in charge of nuclear and biological forces, along with his assistant Ilya Polikarpov.
Shocking images showed their bloodied corpses lying on the snow-covered pavement outside a tower block in Moscow whose brickwork was left blackened following the small but powerful explosion from a device planted on an electric scooter parked outside.
Russian investigators revealed that the lethal charge was triggered remotely after they discovered a camera installed in a nearby rental car pointing at the building's foyer from which Kirillov and his ill-fated assistant emerged.
Sources within the SBU confirmed to international press that the perfectly orchestrated hit was indeed the work of Kyiv's operatives.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, described the attack as an attempt by Kyiv to distract public attention from its military failures and vowed that its 'senior military-political leadership will face inevitable retribution.'
Kirillov, 54, had served as the Chief of the Russian Armed Forces' Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defence Troops since 2017.
He is believed to be the most senior military officer to be assassinated since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The bombing - claimed by the Ukrainian security services - came a day after Kyiv had accused Kirillov of overseeing the widespread use of banned chemical weapons against its troops in the conflict zone.
Charging him in absentia with war crimes, the SBU said he was responsible for more than 4,800 documented cases of Russian troops using chemical munitions since the start of the full-scale war.
'Such an inglorious end awaits all those who kill Ukrainians. Retribution for war crimes is inevitable,' the SBU source said.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Furious MPs today accused Donald Trump of 'appeasement' of Russia and warned Britain must be ready to go to war.
Politicians from across parties voiced alarm in the Commons after the US president's bombshell call with Vladimir Putin overnight.
Mr Trump and the Russian dictator had 'a lengthy and highly productive' phone conversation, during which they agreed that talks to end the conflict should start 'immediately'.
But any peace deal is expected to see Russia keep territory it has annexed since 2014, including the Crimean peninsula – a huge blow to Kyiv after three years of fighting for freedom. Ukraine joining Nato - an official policy of the alliance - has also been effectively ruled out.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump is demanding that European Nato powers commit to spending 5 per cent of GDP on defence - a level the US itself does not reach. The UK is one of the biggest spenders but has yet to set out a timetable to hit 2.5 per cent.
Speaking in Downing Street, Keir Starmer highlighted 'huge sacrifices' made by Ukrainians in the war. 'Nobody wants the conflict to continue... but we must make sure Ukraine is at the heart of it,' he said.
At a Nato meeting in Brussels this morning, Defence Secretary John Healey played down differences while stressing there 'can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine'.
However, MPs were far more blunt during an urgent session in Parliament.
Tory Sir Julian Lewis said Mr Trump needed reminding that 'appeasement led to World War Two', as he he urged the government to push defence spending quickly towards 5 per cent of GDP.
He said: 'Will the Government impress on President Trump at every possible opportunity that the reason why appeasement led to World War Two was that it left a vacuum in Europe? Whereas the reason why the occupation of Eastern Europe at the end of that war did not lead to World War Three was the United States filled any possible vacuum and contained further aggression.
'So if he is going for a settlement against the wishes of the Ukrainian people, the least he can do is to guarantee directly the security of that part of Ukraine which remains unoccupied.'
Fellow Conservative Sir Bernard Jenkin said: 'Some of the defence chiefs have been expressing this, that we must be ready to fight a war with Russia if necessary, in order to be able to deter Russia, and if we are to be in any position to guarantee the security of an independent and sovereign Ukraine, after whatever is agreed between President Trump and President Putin.'
Labour MP Johanna Baxter welcomed the UK's position that 'any negotiations about Ukraine must involve Ukraine'.
'Because if reports of the call between President Trump and Moscow are to be believed, then this is less the Art of the Deal and more a charter for appeasement,' she added, warning that further Russian aggression is 'inevitable'.
US defence chief Pete Hegseth told European counterparts yesterday that Ukraine's dream of returning to its pre-2014 borders was an 'illusionary goal' and that Kyiv's wish for NATO membership was 'not realistic'.
His statements were widely seen as a victory for Putin and a devastating blow to Kyiv, which as a result could be forced to cede vast swathes of territory without the prospect of a security guarantee.
'I tell you they're drinking vodka straight out of the bottle in the Kremlin tonight,' Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton told CNN. 'It was a great day for Moscow.'
Analysts have warned that appeasing Putin could result in history repeating itself, with former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt accusing Trump of an historical sell-out of Ukraine.
'It's certainly an innovative approach to a negotiation to make very major concessions even before they have started,' he said. 'Not even Chamberlain went that low in 1938. That Munich ended very bad anyhow.'
Bildt is among a number of experts who have drawn comparisons between Trump's statements and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's 'peace for our time' declaration.
Et cetera.
Posted by: Penguin_of_the_Best_Desert ||
02/14/2025 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11125 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
Oh, so NOW the UK is suddenly interested in their military?
I no longer care if Russia conquers the UK--that would be preferred over their Muslim population taking control over nuclear weapons.
I'd prefer Putin control the UK instead of the Muslims.
#2
And I feel the same about Europe. Europe will never taste freedom again--it will either be ruled by Islam, or Russia, and I don't give a damn. No more American money should be invested in the outcome.
On the one hand, at least verbally, he curb stomps and threatens Russian and Chinese allies in an unprecedented manner ('Palestine', Iran, even South Africa) on the other hand he seems to be ready to give Russia and China strategic access to Central Europe.
Is he applying a madman strategy or is he really a Russian&Chinese asset now?
In any case appeasing an exploratory aggressor is a game that has its dangers. Russia wants much, much more than Ukraine, in Europe and worldwide.
I'm not defending 'Europe' in any way.
The EU, individual EU countries and European NATO countries outside of the EU have all but taken a d*mp on NATO, the US and true core principles of Western civilization over the last years, especially after 10/7.
E.g. NATO ally Spain closed its ports to US ships shipping arms to Israel, NATO ally Poland threatening to arrest Netanyahu (and implicitly Americans falling victim to arbitrary ICC shenanigans), the EU trying to impose censorship on Europe and the US, British threats to arrest Americans for free speech, Norway (NATO only) and Ireland (EU only) stepping up their political harassment of Israel after 10/7 etc.
Ultimately an alliance between an aggressively censorious, antisemitic and tyrannical Europe and a US that revives Western Civilization would be unnatural.
If European leaders were smart they'd ditch the ICC (a brainf*rt from the 'Holiday from History'), recommit to true Western values, support Israel and propose a renewed alliance with the US.
#8
What the Trump administration is doing here can have grave unintended global consequences even if the intentions are good.
On the contrary. US policies between the collapse of Soviet Union & Tramp's (second) election were going to provoke a nuclear exchange. And for what? Because the degenerates ruling Western Europe, are not content to destroying their own countries - they want to destroy the whole World?
#9
If European leaders were smart they'd ditch the ICC (a brainf*rt from the 'Holiday from History'), recommit to true Western values, support Israel and propose a renewed alliance with the US.
#10
Oh yeah?
Who are you going to call up, all those guys you've harassed and jailed because they don't want their daughters graped, their friends stabbed, and noticed the GayGB being the GayGB?
'I tell you they're drinking vodka straight out of the bottle in the Kremlin tonight,' Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton told CNN. 'It was a great day for Moscow.'
All I need to know in one paragraph. Thanks, Daily USAIDs.
#11
You expected Putin to let NATO have Sevastopol? That'd be like us letting the Chinese have San Diego Bay. Not without a fight. Keir Starmer talks a good fight but he's happy to let Ukrainians go to the trenches for his pipe dream of expanding NATO into Ukraine, and he's happy to let Uncle Sam pay for it. If he thinks it's so important, let him put his own ass on the line.
You wanna talk about appeasement? Churchill urged the British Parliament to prepare for war way back in the early 1930s. How is Britain preparing for war now? Do they think all those Muslim migrants will fight for them? How many divisions can they field? What will he tell his people when their boys start coming home in coffins? Who's gonna pay?
And who is the aggressor here? I don't see Putin rolling his tanks into Poland. He can't even get them to Kiev. How many of his "special forces" are on the down low in Scotland launching missiles at London?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
02/14/2025 12:31 Comments ||
Top||
#12
^The thing that really gets me are Americans who talk about defending EU in terms of "defending democracy".
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
02/14/2025 13:24 Comments ||
Top||
#14
Time for fun with math. The UK Army at last count was about 75,000 (rounding up). Their tooth to tail ratio is officially 1:2. That means they have about 25,000 actual fighters (split between infantry, armor and artillery units). If they kept 5,000 in reserve, reduced external commitments to 5,000 (Gibraltar, UN peacekeeping, Northern Ireland, etc) they could conceivably put 15,000 combat troops into play. Once. Since they wouldn't have the depth to replace them anytime soon. The phrase "toothless lion" comes to mind.
#15
Everyone knows these people are bullshit, which is why they are screaming so much, because they don't want the natives to take to heart over there what is going on politically in the USA.
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