[IsraelTimes] Moscow frees Ksenia Karelina, a US-Russian citizen sentenced to 12 years on treason charges, in exchange for Arthur Petrov, a Russian exporter held in US for sanctions violations
Russia and the United States exchanged prisoners on Thursday, the second such swap since US President Donald Trump ...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons... returned to the White House, as the two superpowers push for closer ties.
Moscow released US-Russian ballet dancer and spa worker Ksenia Karelina, who had been held in Russia since early 2024 and given a 12-year sentence for treason charges, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration... said.
In exchange, the United States released Arthur Petrov, said Russian state media, citing the FSB security service. The Russian-German citizen had been facing up to 20 years in a US jail for violating export controls.
"American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States. She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year," Rubio wrote on social media platform X, adding that Trump "will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans."
Karelina’s lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, told AFP that "the exchange took place in Abu Dhabi and, as of a couple of hours ago, she was already flying out of Abu Dhabi."
The Wall Street Journal reported that, in exchange, the United States released Petrov, a German-Russian citizen who was arrested in Cyprus in 2023 at Washington’s request for allegedly exporting sensitive microelectronics.
"CIA Director John Ratcliffe and a senior Russian intelligence official conducted the talks for the swap," according to the WSJ, which cited an unidentified CIA official.
"Ratcliffe was present at the Abu Dhabi airport, where the exchange took place, and greeted Karelina as the US took custody of her, according to a person familiar with the matter," the report said.
A CIA spokeswoman told the paper that "the exchange shows the importance of keeping lines of communication open with Russia, despite the deep challenges in our bilateral relationship."
"While we are disappointed that other Americans remain wrongfully detained in Russia, we see this exchange as a positive step and will continue to work for their release," she said.
Russia has yet to confirm the swap, which would be the second since Trump returned to the White House in January.
Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin ...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances... have since pushed for a restoration of closer ties between the two countries that were severely damaged by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Several meetings between the two sides have taken place, with a new round of talks beginning on Thursday in Istanbul on restoring some of the embassy operations that were scaled back following the Ukraine invasion.
PRISONER SWAPS
Karelina, who was born in 1991 and lived in Los Angeles, was serving a 12-year prison sentence for having donated around $50 to a pro-Ukraine charity.
She was arrested in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg in January 2024 while on a trip to visit her family. She was charged with "treason."
Russia’s Federal Security Service ... the successor to the KGB... accused her of collecting funds for Ukraine’s army that were used to purchase "equipment, weapons and ammunition" — charges she denied. Her supporters say she donated to a US-based organization that delivers humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Petrov was accused by US authorities of illegally exporting electronic components to Russia for military use, in violation of Washington’s sanctions against Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine.
In mid-February, following a call between Putin and Trump, Russia released Kalob Wayne Byers, a 28-year-old US citizen who was arrested at a Moscow airport for transporting cannabis treats.
Washington and Moscow also exchanged US teacher Marc Fogel for Russian computer expert Alexander Vinnik in early February.
The largest prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War between the two rival powers took place on August 1, 2024, allowing the release of journalists, including Wall Street Journal news hound Evan Gershkovich, and opponents held in Russia in exchange for alleged Russian spies held in the West.
Several US citizens remain incarcerated in Russian prisons, with Washington denouncing "hostage-taking" to obtain the release of Russians — including alleged spies — imprisoned in the West.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22.58 Ukraine should think about scaling up its troops during a military threat. In particular, in order to be strong and ready for the future, everyone will have to serve – both men and women. This was stated by the Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Pavlo Palisa.
22.26 There are many applications for service under the Contract 18-24 program, but not all of them sign the agreements. The reason for this is currently being investigated. This was stated by Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavel Palisa.
21.59 The F-16 fighter jet flown by 26-year-old pilot Pavel Ivanov appears to have been shot down by a Russian missile on Saturday, April 12, BBC Ukraine reports, citing a government source.
21:25 Future German Chancellor Friedrich Merz supports the prospect of Ukraine joining the EU and NATO, but believes that this is only possible after the end of the war.
20.27 An airfield caught fire in the Russian city of Saratov. A column of black smoke was recorded in the area. This was reported by Russian Telegram channels, which also published a video of the fire.
19:58 US President Donald Trump has extended the sanctions that Biden imposed against Russia from 2021. This is evidenced by a document in the US Federal Register.
18.59 President Volodymyr Zelensky posthumously awarded the title Hero of Ukraine to pilot Pavel Ivanov, who died in battle. This is stated in a decree on the website of the head of state.
16.57 Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo has proposed creating a fund using frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank. In his opinion, this would finance large-scale European defense projects and military aid to Ukraine.
15:28 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on his Telegram channel on the death of a Ukrainian F-16 pilot in combat.
14:36 On Saturday, 26-year-old pilot Pavel Ivanov died while performing a combat mission in an F-16 fighter jet. This was reported by the Ukrainian Air Force.
13.19 Russia is actively recruiting Chinese citizens to fight in Ukraine on social networks, while the Chinese authorities are ignoring this. Details were reported by the German publication Bild .
12:00 The losses of Russian troops on the front in Ukraine since the beginning of 2025 amount to more than 140 thousand people. This was reported by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrsky.
11:25 A Kyiv resident and a resident of the Vinnytsia region tried to swim across the Dniester River and get to Moldova on inflatable tubes, using one paddle between them. This was reported by the State Border Service of Ukraine.
10.48 As a result of the Russian attack on Kharkov and the village of Slatino in its suburbs, four people were injured. This was reported by the Kharkov Regional Prosecutor's Office.
9.24 On Saturday night, Russian invaders launched 88 Shahed-type attack UAVs and drone imitators at Ukraine. Most of the targets were intercepted by air defense, the Ukrainian Air Force reported .
9.05 As a result of the attack of the Russian attack drone in Sumy, warehouses and cars of one of the enterprises were damaged. This was reported by the Sumy OVA.
8.47 Over the past 24 hours, 149 combat clashes occurred on the front in 12 directions. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the morning report.
7.48 Over the past 24 hours, the losses of the Russian occupation army on the front in Ukraine amounted to 1,240 people killed and wounded. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the morning report. The Russian invaders lost more than 300 units of military equipment, including 60 tanks and armored vehicles and about 50 artillery systems.
7.29 Three people were injured as a result of the attack of Russian drones on Kiev. The liquidation of two fires continues. This was reported by the capital's mayor Vitali Klitschko and the State Emergency Service.
02.38 Russians have found weak spots in the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defense, which allowed them to advance in the Donetsk region, first occupying Panteleimonovka and then Alexandropol. This was reported by the Ukrainian information resource DeepState, which recently updated its interactive maps. According to DeepState, the Russians also advanced in the Arkhangelskoye area, and according to preliminary information, the settlement of Kalinovo also found itself under complete enemy occupation.
01:36 President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the allocation of an additional 540 million hryvnias
…about US$13.06 million…
for Ukrainian defense. The allocated money will be used to finance electronic warfare systems. Zelensky also said that a decision has already been made on additional funding for frontline and border communities with Russia, as well as those constantly under attack. According to the president, up to 10 million will be allocated for each such community, depending on the number of people in it.
00.15 Defense Minister Rustem Umerov proposes holding meetings of all Ramstein weapons coalitions in Ukraine. As Umerov explained, this will allow for the involvement of representatives of the Security and Defense Forces, as well as the defense industry, in the discussion.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The ZSU is actively destroying Russian aggressors.
Attempts by Russian invaders to break through the defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are resulting in record losses for them.
The losses of Russian troops on the front in Ukraine since the beginning of 2025 amount to more than 140 thousand people. This was reported by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrsky, on Facebook on Saturday, April 12.
"The occupiers' attempts to break through our defenses are resulting in record losses for the Russian invaders," Syrsky emphasized.
According to his data, since the beginning of the year, the enemy's total losses in personnel have reached 140,650 people.
Syrsky thanked the Ukrainian soldiers for their steadfastness and accuracy and published a video of strikes on Russian troops in various directions.
We remind you that on April 11, the losses of the Russian occupation army amounted to 1,240 people killed and wounded . More than 300 units of military equipment were also destroyed, including 60 tanks and armored vehicles and almost 50 artillery systems.
As is known, Russia's nominal losses at the front reached more than 100 thousand . In just one week, it was possible to identify more than 2,000 destroyed occupiers.
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Belgorod direction, units of the Sever Group of Forces engaged formations of two mechanised brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and two territorial defence brigades close to Malaya Rybitsa, Mikhailovskoye, Miropolskoye, Krasnopolye, and Ugroyedy (Sumy region).
In Kharkov direction, Russian troops inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade and one motorised infantry brigade of the AFU close to Kazachya Lopan and Volchansk (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses were up to 75 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, five motor vehicles, and five field artillery guns.
The Zapad Group of Forces' units improved the tactical situation along the front line. Russian troops hit formations of two mechanised brigades, one mountain assault brigade of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade Kupyansk, Radkovka, Novaya Kruglyakovka (Kharkov region), Novoye, Yampol, Kirovsk (Donetsk People's Republic), and Makeyevka (Lugansk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were more than 250 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, eight motor vehicles, and three artillery guns. Three electronic warfare stations and three ammunition depots were destroyed.
The Yug Group of Forces' units improved the tactical situation. Russian troops launched attacks on two mechanised brigades, one mountain assault brigade, one artillery brigade of the AFU, one territorial defence brigade, one National Guard brigade, and the Azov special forces brigade near Nikiforovka, Tarasovka, Slavyansk, Chasov Yar, Belaya Gora, Verkhnekamenskoye, Konstantinovka, and Shcherbinovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were more than 310 troops, eight armoured fighting vehicles, including three U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carriers, 18 motor vehicles, and four field artillery guns. One electronic warfare station and two ammunition depots were neutralised.
The Tsentr Group of Forces' units took more advantageous lines and positions. Russian troops inflicted fire damage on formations of three mechanised brigades, one UAV brigade, one assault regiment, one naval infantry brigade, and one National Guard brigade near Zverevo, Kotlino, Krasnoarmeysk, Kotlyarovka, Bogdanovka, Udachnoye, and Alekseyevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were up to 440 troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, including one U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, five pickup trucks, and five field artillery guns, including U.S.-made 155mm Paladin and French-made Caesar self-propelled artillery systems.
Units of the Vostok Group of Forces continued advancing into the depth of enemy defences. Russian troops hit manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade, one air assault brigade, one mountain assault brigade of the AFU, one naval infantry brigade near Bogatyr, Poddubnoye, Otradnoye, Shevchenko, Volnoye Pole (Donetsk People's Republic), Volchye, and Filiya (Dnepropetrovsk region).
The AFU losses were more than 155 troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, four motor vehicles, and four field artillery guns, including one U.S.-made 155mm M-777 howitzer. One POL depot was destroyed.
The Dnepr Group of Forces' units took more advantageous lines and positions. Russian troops hit formations of one mountain assault brigade of the AFU and two territorial defence brigades near Novodanilovka, Pavlovka (Zaporozhye region), Dneprovskoye, and Antonovka (Kherson region).
The AFU losses were up to 60 troops, one infantry fighting vehicle, five motor vehicles, one electronic warfare station, two ammunition depots, and one materiel depot.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces engaged the aviation enterprise of the Ukrainian military industry, the infrastructure of a military airfield and an air harbour of the AFU, workshops for repair of armoured vehicles and assembly of unmanned aerial vehicles, ammunition and missile depots as well as temporary deployment areas of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 153 areas.
Air defence systems shot down six JDAM guided bombs, five HIMARS MLRS projectiles, and 154 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 660 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 51,128 unmanned aerial vehicles, 601 anti-aircraft missile systems, 22,811 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,534 MLRS combat vehicles, 23,518 field artillery guns and mortars, and 34,010 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the operation to neutralise AFU formations on the territory of Kursk region.
Units of the Sever Group of Forces hit formations of two mechanised brigades, one tank brigade, three air assault brigades, one naval infantry brigade of the AFU, and two territorial defence brigades near Gornal and Oleshnya.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, and artillery strikes engaged AFU manpower and hardware close to Belovody, Miropolye, Mogritsa, Sadki, Shalygino, Yunakovka, and Yablonovka in Sumy region.
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses were over 175 troops, one infantry fighting vehicle, one armoured personnel carrier, seven motor vehicles, one 155mm M777 howitzer, and three mortars.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk direction, the AFU losses amounted to more than 73,820 troops, 405 tanks, 332 infantry fighting vehicles, 302 armoured personnel carriers, 2,264 armoured fighting vehicles, 2,678 motor vehicles, 602 artillery guns, 53 MLRS launchers, including 13 of HIMARS and seven of MLRS made by the USA, 26 anti-aircraft missile launchers, one self-propelled anti-aircraft system, ten transport-loading vehicles, 123 EW stations, 18 counter-fire radars, ten air defence radars, 57 units of engineering and other materiel, including 23 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, five bridge launchers, one engineering reconnaissance vehicle as well as 15 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] 23:57 Official summary of the Office for Documentation of War Crimes of Ukraine from 00:00 12.04.2025 to 00:00 13.04.2025.
A total of 30 facts of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
There were reports of two civilian deaths.
DAMAGED:
Two residential buildings,
Two passenger cars.
A total of 29 armed attacks in the Gorlovka direction,
One armed attack in the Yasinovataya direction.
A total of 77 units of various ammunition were fired.
21:19 FPV drone operators of the "Southern" group of forces destroyed Ukrainian RAK-SA-12 MLRS launcher manufactured in Croatia.
20:25 Assault groups advance near Green Field, –MAP.
19:16 In the area of the settlement of Turya in the Sumy region, the Fearless have uncovered the position of the M-777 howitzer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The operator of the GV Sever strike UAV immediatelyinflictedprecise strike on target.
16:23 Advance of the Russian Armed Forces in the landings southwest of Rozovka –MAP
16:22 Pokrovskoe (Krasnoarmeyskoe)direction. Right flank (Mirnogradske)
Not only the Aleksandro-Kalinovskoye direction became active, but also the adjacent right flank of Krasnoarmeyskoye.
North of Novotoretskoye, our units have driven the enemy from their positions beyond the Kazenny Torets River and are fighting for the Ukrainian fortified area in the direction of Malinovka and Mirny.
Fierce fighting continues for Elizavetovka and Tarasovka, as well as in the area of the Malinovskaya junction.
16:09 In the South Donetsk direction, supporting the offensive on Bogatyr, FPV drone operators of the Vostok group destroyed another tank and armored vehicle of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
16:08 Kalinovo liberated by Russian army –MAP
15:06 Aleksandro-Kalinovskoye direction
Units of the South Group of Forces continue to eliminate the Kalinovsky salient.
Northeast of Novoaleksandrovka, our units advanced east in the direction of the enemy’s defensive area north of Kalinovo.
The enemy's flank of the Kalinovo-Sukhaya Balka defensive line is collapsing.
14:29 Summary The Russian Ministry of Defense on the progress of repelling the attempted invasion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces into the territory of the Russian Federation in the Kursk region as of April 12, 2025
During offensive operations, units of the North group of forces inflicted losses on formations of two mechanized brigades, a tank brigade, three airborne assault brigades, a naval infantry brigade, two territorial defense brigades, and an assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Gornal and Oleshnya.
✈️Strikes by operational-tactical and army aviation and artillery fire damaged enemy manpower and equipment in the areas of the settlements of Belovody, Miropolye, Mogritsa, Sadki, Shalygino, Yunakovka and Yablonovka in the Sumy region.
Over the course of 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 175 servicemen, an infantry fighting vehicle, an armored personnel carrier, seven vehicles, a 155mm M-777 howitzer, and three mortars were destroyed.
13:46 Summary Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation as of April 12, 2025
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct a special military operation.
💥Units of the North group of forces in the Belgorod direction inflicted defeat on formations of two mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades in the areas of the settlements of Malaya Rybitsa, Mikhailovskoye, Miropolskoye, Krasnopolye and Ugroedy in the Sumy region.
📍In the Khar'kov direction, the manpower and equipment of the mechanized and motorized infantry brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were damaged in the areas of the settlements of Kazachya Lopan and Volchansk in the Khar'kov region. The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 75 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, five vehicles and five field artillery guns.
📍Units of the "West" group of forces improved their position along the front line. They defeated formations of two mechanized, mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Kupyansk, Radkovka, Novaya Kruglyakovka in the Khar'kov region, Novoye, Yampol, Kirovsk in the Donetsk People's Republic and Makeyevka in the Lugansk People's Republic.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 250 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, eight cars and three artillery pieces. Three electronic warfare stations and three ammunition depots were destroyed.
Units of the "Southern" group of troops improved their tactical position. They defeated the manpower and equipment of two mechanized, mountain assault, artillery brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a territorial defense brigade, a national guard brigade and the special forces brigade "Azov" in the areas of the settlements of Nikiforovka, Tarasovka, Slavyansk, Chasov Yar, Belaya Gora, Verkhnekamenskoye, Konstantinovka and Shcherbinovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost over 310 militants, eight combat armored vehicles, including three US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, 18 cars and four field artillery pieces. An electronic warfare station and two ammunition depots were destroyed.
Units of the Center group of forces took up more advantageous lines and positions. They defeated formations of three mechanized brigades, a brigade of unmanned systems, an assault regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a marine brigade and a national guard brigade in the areas of the settlements of Zverevo, Kotlino, Krasnoarmeysk, Kotlyarovka, Bogdanovka, Udachnoye and Alekseyevka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 440 servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, including an American M113 armored personnel carrier, five pickup trucks and five field artillery pieces, including 155mm self-propelled artillery units "Paladin" made in the USA and "Caesar" made in France.
Units of the "East" group of forces continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defense. They inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of the mechanized, airborne assault, mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the marine brigade in the areas of the settlements of Bogatyr, Poddubnoe, Otradnoe, Shevchenko, Volnoe Pole of the Donetsk People's Republic, Vovchye and Filiya of the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 155 servicemen, two combat armored vehicles, four cars and four field artillery pieces, including a US-made 155mm howitzer M-777. A fuel depot was destroyed.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces occupied more advantageous lines and positions. They defeated the formations of the mountain assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and two territorial defense brigades in the areas of the settlements of Novodanilovka, Pavlovka in the Zaporizhia region, Dneprovskoe and Antonovka in the Kherson region.
✈️Up to 60 servicemen, an infantry fighting vehicle, five vehicles, an electronic warfare station, two ammunition depots and a military-technical equipment depot were destroyed.
13:06 From 11:30 to 12:10 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed three Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type over the territory of the Kursk region.
12:53 Most of Kalinovo is under Russian control. The enemy has retreated beyond the Kalinovka River –MAP
12:23 Crew of the 152mm 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled artillery unit of the 1st Guards Tank Army of the West group destroyed a stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Svatovsko-Kupyansk direction
12:21 Russian Armed Forces crossed the Kazeny Torets River north of Novotoretskoye –MAP
11:20 Krasnolimanskoe direction
Units of the West Group of Forces continue to develop the offensive in the area of the Ivanovo and Makeyevka bridgeheads and in the Torskoye area.
Fighting continues in the eastern and north-eastern parts of Novy.
Counter battles are underway for a stronghold between Yekaterinovka and Redkodub.
Our units are attacking in the area of Yekaterinovka and in the direction of Novomikhaylovka, east and south of Novoye in the direction of Zelenaya Dolina.
In the Makeyevka area, the group's units are trying to expand the zone of control in the direction of Grekovka (Petrovskoye).
There are fierce counter battles on the outskirts of Kolodez.
In the northern part of Torskoye there are counter battles in the area of the fish farm, and our units are also attacking to the east, in the area of the Bakai ravine.
Our units are not yet consolidated in Torsk itself.
11:06 Our UAV operator caught the rotation of the enemy, destroying the personnel and armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
The reconnaissance UAV of a serviceman of the 41st Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 44th Army Corps captured enemy armored vehicles. The enemy was attempting to rotate its units in the Khar'kov region.
09:46 During an air patrol of the Khar'kov region, the FPV operator of the 6th Airborne Forces "Sever" tracked movement of Ukrainian military personnel.
08:20 FPV drone operators of the Vostok group destroyed a tank of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the village of Bogatyr in the DPR.
07:06 During the period from 20:00 Moscow time on April 11 to 06:30 Moscow time on April 12 of this year, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 36 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type:
– 18 UAVs – over the territory of the Kursk region,
– 13 UAVs – over the territory of the Rostov region,
– Two UAVs – over the territory of the Oryol region,
– Two UAVs – over the territory of the Belgorod region,
– One UAV – over the territory of the Krasnodar region.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Ilya Knorring
[REGNUM] Retired Major Alexey Zubritsky, a native of the village of Vladimirovskoye in the Zaporizhia region and a graduate of the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv Air Force University, celebrates Cosmonautics Day in orbit. It is the fourth day of his first flight to the ISS.
On April 8, the Soyuz MS-27 launch vehicle, decorated with symbols of the 80th anniversary of the Victory, delivered flight engineer Zubritsky, his colleague in the Russian cosmonaut corps Sergei Ryzhikov and American astronaut Jonathan Kim to the International Station .
More than 400 kilometers from Earth, the disagreements of the great powers recede into the background - in full accordance with Yuri Gagarin's address to humanity: "Dear friends, close and unfamiliar, compatriots, people of all countries and continents ...". In the current, already 72nd expedition to the ISS, representatives of three states - pioneers in space exploration - work on an equal footing: our country, the USA and China.
Pilot Alexey Zubritsky, born in 1992 — after the collapse of the state that launched the first man into space, and at a time when the Russian manned program was in great question — dreamed of flying beyond the Earth's gravity since childhood. The cosmonaut's wife Anna Zubritskaya told Regnum news agency about this .
"According to his mother, when he saw military men as a child, he always said, 'Mom, that's an astronaut,'" the interviewee says. " Of course, his parents are happy. Of course, how can you not be happy, it's... It's a dream, yes."
Anna says: when she spoke with her husband during the first communication session with the ISS, only then did she realize that he was already far from Earth. “I feel proud, of course. Admiration. After all, the man dreamed of becoming an astronaut since childhood - and achieved it. You set a goal, go towards it. My husband - for me, he is a hero. This is the most important thing,” says Anna Zubritskaya.
But for the dream to become a reality, one, but extremely important condition must be met. " I think it is obvious that to become an astronaut, you need to get to Russia. Right?" - Anna notes.
Now, when the world is celebrating the 64th anniversary of humanity's first step toward exploring the Universe, and Russian cosmonauts Ryzhikov and Zubritsky are continuing Gagarin's mission, in Ukraine the "territorial recruitment center" is unsuccessfully continuing the search for the evader Zubritsky.
The cosmonaut's small homeland, the village of Vladimirovskoye near the right bank of the Dnieper in the Russian Zaporizhia region, continues to remain under the occupation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Zubritsky himself is included in the list of those avoiding service in the Ukrainian army. Moreover, it is reported that in March the Vinnytsia City Court sentenced the space expedition participant in absentia to 15 years for desertion and "state betrayal" - high treason.
In September 2013, after graduating from the Kharkiv National University of the Air Force (founded in 1930 and miraculously preserving the name of the Soviet ace Ivan Kozhedub), Zubritsky was assigned to the 204th Sevastopol Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force. There were six months left before Crimea was reunited with Russia. In March 2014, the 21-year-old pilot made perhaps the most important decision in his life: he swore an oath to Russia.
And he continued to serve in the same Sevastopol, in the 38th fighter aviation regiment of the VKS. Then there was service in a fighter regiment in the Rostov region, and then another three years as a senior pilot of an air link in an attack regiment in Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Krasnodar.
He wore the shoulder straps of a Russian officer for ten years until he retired with the rank of major. By that time, pilot Alexei Zubritsky was already preparing for a flight into space.
In the spring of 2017, the first step towards making his childhood dream come true was taken. Alexey applied to participate in the second open recruitment of cosmonauts. After seven years of preparation, on August 21 last year, the Interdepartmental Commission for the Selection of Cosmonauts approved Alexey Zubritsky for the position of flight engineer of the main crew of the ISS-73 expedition.
An important question arises: what would have happened if in 2013 Lieutenant Zubritsky had been assigned not to the Belbek base in Sevastopol, but, say, to the tactical aviation brigade in Starokonstantinov in Western Ukraine? After all, to become a cosmonaut, you have to become a Russian pilot. And to do that, you have to be in the right place at the right time.
Lieutenant Alexey Zubritsky was very lucky. He ended up where he was accepted and not extradited. Where they fly into space and do not kill their fellow citizens. And where the history of space achievements is respected.
In Russia, they remember that the general designer of the first space programs was a native of Zhitomir, Sergei Korolev (in Ukraine, his museum has not yet been touched, and they are trying to include him as a Ukrainian retroactively), that the first natives of the Ukrainian SSR to visit space were natives of Poltava region Pavel Popovich and Georgy Beregovoy , as well as Odessa native Georgy Dobrovolsky , who died tragically upon landing .
Ukraine is trying to erase the memory of Gagarin. The so-called "Institute of National Memory" has demanded that all streets and other toponyms associated with the name of the first man in space be removed from the map of Ukraine. In Kharkov, for example, the avenue leading from the center to the airport has come under attack.
Gagarin Avenue in Kiev was "decommunized" in 2023, slyly renamed in honor of the Soviet pilot (they are trying to forget about this) and the first cosmonaut of independent Ukraine Leonid Kadenyuk. As a payload specialist, he participated in the flight of the American shuttle Columbia in 1995 (and this is extremely important for the "independent" authorities).
At the same time, it is erased from memory that Kadenyuk remembered everything perfectly well until the end of his days and repeatedly met with Pavlo Romanovich Popovich, giving him primacy in Ukrainian cosmonautics. And he was a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada not from the nationalists, but from the now destroyed Party of Regions.
But Ukraine itself has shown downright swinishness in relation to the common space memory. It all started with the fact that in connection with Valentina Tereshkova's vote for the return of Crimea to Russia, 42 streets in Ukraine named in honor of the first woman cosmonaut in history were renamed.
Moreover, instead of her, the oath-breaker Filipp Orlik in Nikolaev, and the "ATO" thug Ruslan Slobodanyuk in Kropyvnytskyi - former Elisavetgrad - Zinovyevsk - Kirovograd, and the so-called "heroes of Kruty" - boys sent to slaughter by the Central Rada under the command of the future SS man Averky Goncharenko - in Odessa were immortalized. The renamers will not reach Tereshkova Street in Donetsk.
Even before the current wave of "decommunization", in 2019, the Kyiv City Council decided to rename the avenue, which from the moment it appeared bore the name of Vladimir Komarov , the commander of the first space crew in history and the first cosmonaut, who tragically died during the flight. Since then, the avenue has been named after the Uniate Cardinal Lubomyr Husar , who, as his biography carefully reports, "in 1944 went to the West to escape the advancing Red Army", and in 1992 returned to rule the Greek Catholic Church on the spot.
This is perhaps the most indicative renaming: instead of a hero of the common history of a great country, a conqueror of space, there is a Lviv Uniate who “retreated with the Wehrmacht.”
The country, occupied by the bearers of the Galician farmstead “national idea”, does not need rockets (if, of course, these are space launch vehicles, and not “Hymars” from American sponsors), nor the aerospace industry inherited from the disintegrated country.
Why remember now that the Vostok rocket, which launched Yuri Gagarin, was equipped with devices created at the Kiev Arsenal and the Kharkov Kommunar plant?
In 1991, as already noted by the Regnum news agency , Ukraine was one of only five countries in the world that had a full cycle of aircraft development and production.
We can also recall the Dnepropetrovsk Yuzhmash, where they made rockets for the entire Soviet "big space", the Kiev Antonov Design Bureau, where they developed, among other things, the largest and most cargo-lifting aircraft in the history of aviation - the An-225 Mriya (that is, "Dream"). This "Dream" was created for the project of the Soviet reusable spacecraft Buran.
The only flying example of the "Dream" was destroyed by the Ukrainians themselves in a hangar in February 2022. The dream of Sevastopol lieutenant Alexei Zubritsky came true.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The leadership of the Rylsky district of the Kursk region, together with the Bars-Kursk volunteers, is evacuating residents of border settlements due to shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This was reported on the Telegram channel the acting governor of the region, Alexander Khinshtein.
"More vile crimes by the Ukrainian junta. Over the past two days, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have attacked the bridge across the Obesta River in the village of Kozino in the Rylsky district, 2 km from the border with Ukraine, several times. The bridge was partially damaged," Khinshtein wrote.
It is noted that the residents of Kozino had previously left their homes, but some villagers remain in Gorodishche and the Ryaza farm. The acting governor explained that four had already been evacuated.
"Unfortunately, despite all the threats, some residents refuse to leave. We do not have the right to forcibly evict them, so the authorities record people's refusals on video, explaining the danger they are exposing themselves to," Khinshtein added.
In any case, the acting governor of the Kursk region assured, the task of the authorities is to ensure the possibility of leaving and to help everyone. The work on evacuating the population continues, said Alexander Khinshtein.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, air defense units destroyed 36 Ukrainian drones in the skies over five regions of Russia on the night of April 12. Over the Kursk region, 18 Ukrainian drones were detected and shot down.
On April 11, Alexander Khinshtein reported that Ukrainian drones had attacked 16 houses, six cars, and a school in the Kursk region. There were no casualties or serious damage. The acting governor called on residents of the region to observe safety measures and remain vigilant.
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.
...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration...
