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Anton Gerashchenko is an official advisor and a former deputy minister at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, ex-member of the Ukrainian parliament. Cooperation - @Tatiana_Pravda
The Russian city of Engels in Saratov region is drowning in fecal sewage. Russian Telegram channels report that a diver has come to the rescue of residents.
They are complaining about sewage flowing through the streets, flooded basements and neighborhoods. Faeces are leaking out and flooding walkways and children's playgrounds, messages say.
‼️"Ukraine is the first country in the world against which an intercontinental ballistic missile was used." - Center for Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirms the use of an intercontinental ballistic missile against Ukraine.
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The era of the Western dominance, which lasted 500 years, is over – it is now the era of Eurasia, Hungary PM Victor Orban said at the Eurasia Forum in Budapest today.
"Over the past several hundred years, everyone in the West got used to thinking that we are the most beautiful, the most clever, the most developed and rich. And suddenly seeing and recognizing that we are no longer the most beautiful, the most clever, the most developed and rich is not an easy task," - Orban said.
Russian media are commenting on these statements with great satisfaction.
What is Russia doing after launching an intercontinental missile at Dnipro for the first time in history? They are closely watching the West's reaction.
It is telling that one of Russia's biggest propagandists Skabeyeva published a report about Finland, where NATO training exercises are taking place right now.
Finland is very right to strengthen its defense capabilities. They know Russia well.
Russia attacked Kryvyi Rih this morning.
15 people were injured in the attack, 9 of them required hospitalization. Two teenagers – aged 16 and 17 – are among the injured.
📸: Dnipropetrovsk Region Emergency Services
‼️ The Ukrainian city of Dnipro became the first city in human history to be struck by an intercontinental ballistic missile. It is a historic turning point. An intercontinental ballistic missile used not on a firing range, but against a city of a million people.
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"Girls, it's f*cked up!" - Akhtubinsk in Russia's Astrakhan region was attacked by drones, Russian Telegram channels reported.
An air alert was also heard in the neighboring Volgograd region due to a drone attack on one of the region's largest chemical companies – the Kaustik factory.
Astrakhan Telegram channels speculate that this is a response to the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Ukraine.
Residents report hits at the 105 assembly and testing building at site No. 105, which is located at the Kapustin Yar missile range from which the missile was launched.
❗️Reportedly, this is footage from the Russian attack on Dnipro this morning. Six warheads of an intercontinental ballistic missile hit the city.
Please turn the sound on. This is what Ukrainians endure.
‼️First combat use of an intercontinental ballistic missile in history.
Russian missile attack on Dnipro.
A rehabilitation center for people with disabilities was damaged.
📷: a piece of a shot down Russian missile hangs from power wires in Dnipro.
This is how Russia treats its "new citizens."
After occupying Mariupol, Russia demolished damaged apartment buildings and handed the land over to real estate developers. Now, they're building mortgage housing and profiting—while the people whose homes were destroyed remain homeless.
More than 10,000 families are still waiting for housing, and Mariupol residents have resorted to recording a video appeal to Putin.
Do you think the Kremlin will bother to respond?
🇺🇦Today, the long-awaited videogame S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: The Heart of Chornobyl from Ukrainian developers GSC Game World has come out.
The follow-up to the cult 2007 game was developed during the full-scale war; in fact, several GSC team members are currently fighting, and two of them have sadly died in battle.
The developer has banned any sales of the game in Russia in 2022; and recently Russian authorities have said that they would consider any purchase of the game an act of support of terrorism, due to “extremist hate” found within.
I’m not much of a gamer, but I hope you enjoy the sequel– especially, the brand-new Ukrainian dub and music on the radio.
Did you play S.T.A.L.K.E.R.? Are you planning to try the sequel?
North Korea has sent Colonel General Kim Yong Bok to lead the DPRK's troops in Russia, The Wall Street Journal reported.
This general is one of the 10 most important military figures in the DPRK and often acts as an aide to Kim Jong Un, according to the publication. Officials in Kyiv and Seoul have reportedly confirmed his presence in Russia.
It is said that Colonel General Kim is tasked with integrating North Korean troops with Russian troops, adopting the experience of combat operations to bring it home, and preparing for future deployments.
Source: https://www.wsj.com/world/north-korea-sent-a-mystery-man-to-lead-its-troops-fighting-ukraine-b325e562?mod=hp_lead_pos9&fbclid=IwY2xjawGqpQNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHeCe_HvE-SEF9EpTySyHajN4FEI7g85vuPS3n1gQYREfKZyEUiCrai_05g_aem_9e4B5-m84wnZX3jk59YLGw
Ukraine allegedly struck a facility in Kursk region believed to house an underground command post linked to Putin with Storm Shadow missiles, - Defense Express.
This information has not been officially confirmed and remains speculative.
According to the publication:
▪️The missile strike was filmed near the historic Baryatinsky estate, now a sanatorium managed by the Administrative Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation.
▪️The targeted site is located in the eastern part of the complex, identified as a "communications hub." It is suggested that this may not be an ordinary communications facility but rather a fortified underground command post.
▪️North Korean troops are active in the Kursk region, raising the possibility that North Korean generals may also have been present at the site.
The report adds that a facility of this nature would justify the use of the expensive Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles. These missiles, equipped with 450-kg warheads, are specifically designed to penetrate fortified structures.
Russian "Z-bloggers" claim that Ukraine has launched 12 Storm Shadow missiles on Kursk region.
They publish this information on their Telegram channels.
There has been no official information or comments.
Apti Alaudinov, commander of Akhmat unit, urged Russians to have more babies.
He says Russia already won the "SMO".
Earlier, Alaudinov already "won" a "war with NATO" and "won" in Russia's Kursk region.
His appeals for more Russian cannon fodder are revealing.
❗️Putin made a public statement:
◾️ the strike on Ukraine today was made using a new Oreshnik ballistic hypersonic missile - a ballistic missile in a non-nuclear hypersonic warhead in response to Western long-range weapons being used on Russian territory.
◾️Russia has the right to use weapons against the countries that allow to use their weapons against Russian objects.
◾️Russia will continue testing (!) the newest weapon types on the objects it will choose herself.
Putin has not been seen in public in 13 days - this is a record.
Last time, Putin was seen on Nov 7 at a Valdai Discussion Club meeting. Official accounts are only publishing video greetings and reports of the president's meetings, which were likely pre-recorded.
Here’s what sources in Russia are reporting:
"Indeed, recently Putin has been absent from his workplace and is receiving all reports exclusively via secure communication lines. Close associates are given the same standard response in such cases: “He is undergoing a routine medical check-up and wellness program.” However, what’s really going on and where he actually is, no one knows."
"Today, there's been a new Russian missile. All its specifications are of an intercontinental ballistic one. It's obvious that Putin uses Ukraine as a training ground." - President Zelenskyy.
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‼️Russian ICBM strike on Dnipro: what happened and what does this mean‼️
As reported by the Ukrainian Air Force earlier today, Dnipro in Central Ukraine was struck by an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Russia has not confirmed this information.
It's still unknown which particular missile was used in the attack, but Ukrainian media and military analysts allege that it was RS-26 Rubezh missile, which was reportedly deployed to combat readiness at the Kapustin Yar test range in Astrakhan oblast yesterday.
Rubezh is an ICBM that has the capacity to carry nuclear warheads. Its development was top secret, as this broke the terms of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The missile was deprioritized in favor of Iskander-K in 2018; but in July this year, Russian officials threatened to restore the production of intermediate-range missiles, and this could potentially be one of them.
The exact technical characteristics of RS-26 are unknown, but most likely are the following:
▪️Starting weight 40-50 tons.
▪️Range of up to 6000 km.
▪️Type of warhead: MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles). This means the missile’s warhead can carry several independent warheads, each aimed at a separate target. This makes the missile more difficult for the air defense systems to intercept.
▪️Payload: Four independent warheads, each with a yield of 0.3 megatons (300 kilotons), similar to those used in the RS-24 Yars missile system.
‼️As an intermediate-range missile, it has quite a big range of error, which is compensated by the use of nuclear warheads. If used with an ordinary high-explosive fragmentation warhead, it is a waste of resources, as shorter-range missiles like Iskander-M or Korean KN-23 can carry a similar payload at a fraction of the cost. This was the case in the strike on Dnipro.
A strike on Ukraine with an intercontinental missile has no military logic behind it.
‼️This is part of psychological warfare. Russia is trying to frighten the world with nuclear weapons. What is Russia trying to achieve? To scare the world and convince it that Russia might actually use nuclear weapons.
In reality, Russia and Putin are proving that they are truly insane. As a result, the U.S. and China—both uninterested in nuclear war—will adjust their approach to Russia accordingly.
The war has reached a deadlock if nuclear weapons are the only remaining argument. Nuclear weapons lead to isolation, not victory. For Russia, it’s just another step toward becoming a new North Korea.
Those pushing Putin toward the extreme step of using nuclear weapons understand that they could gain control over him afterward. Following such a move, Putin would be completely isolated from the world and forced to live in a bunker for the rest of his life.
Russia has spent billions of dollars on bombing peaceful Ukrainian cities.
This is evidenced by Radio Svoboda's calculations based on information from the AFU Air Force about the approximate number of missiles and drones fired at Ukraine during the 1,000 days of the invasion.
The cost was calculated according to open data and expert estimates and is approximate. The official information is classified. Based on data as of 11:00 a.m. on November 20, 2024:
▪️ 134 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles – $1.34 billion;
▪️ 927 Kalibr cruise missiles – $927 mln;
▪️ 2,057 Kh-101 cruise missiles – $2.46 billion;
▪️ 381 Kh-22 cruise missiles – from $114.3 mln (the missile is out of production, so it is impossible to estimate its cost in the current economic conditions; military experts name the range from $300 thousand to $1 mln per unit);
▪️ 211 Oniks anti-ship missiles – $633 mln;
▪️215 Iskander cruise missiles – up to $215 mln;
▪️ 1,443 Iskander ballistic missiles – up to $2.9 billion;
▪️ 17 Kh-35 anti-ship missiles – up to $5.3 million;
▪️ 7 Zircon hypersonic missiles – $105 mln;
▪️ 68 Tochka-U missiles – $20.4 mln;
▪️ 3,093 S-300/S-400 missiles – $4.2 billion;
▪️ 1,713 guided aircraft missiles – $856 mln;
▪️ 76 other missiles of unspecified type;
▪️ 13,253 drones – $3.84 billion.
Over 10,000 missiles and over 13,000 drones in almost three years of full-scale war. Money that instead of grief, death, destruction could have become new roads, schools, modern hospitals, increased wages and social guarantees in Russia. But no.
📷: February 15, 2024. A crater from a Russian missile near Bucha, Kyiv region/VSF
‼️ Kremlin groups make huge sums of money from war.
One part of this bloody business is the "restoration of new Russian lands".
By the way, one of the factors why Russia wants to seize as much land as possible is the desire of the Kremlin elite to make themselves richer by "restoring new territories."
The scheme of "restoration" of Mariupol was well developed. A large budget was allocated, most of which was stolen, and the buildings that were built were sold to Russians who moved to the Ukrainian resort city.
The territories that Putin wants are attractive and can be used to make a lot of money after the "freezing".
That is why the Kremlin elites will push for the most favorable conditions for themselves.
The video shows Mariupol destroyed by Russia, which it "saved" and is now "restoring".
Legendary heavy metal band Metallica shared on Instagram a video of a performance by Taras Stoliar, a Ukrainian Defender and bandura player.
Thank you for your support!
Taras performed the Nothing Else Matters song on a bandura.
Taras Stoliar is one of the members of the Cultural Forces led by Mykola Serga. Taras used to work as a member of the electronic band ONUKA, but now serves in the 112th Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine.
Russia's economy is struggling to sustain the war effort amidst soaring interest rates and growing dependence on China, - The Economist.
Despite sanctions, the economy has grown over the past two years due to increased military spending. However, this “honeymoon period” is ending, as interest rates hit a record-high 21%.
The strain on Russia’s finances is evident. With 40% of next year’s budget earmarked for defense and security, the Russian state is already deeply behind on payments to its suppliers. They have taken to the Internet to complain that they haven’t received the money for deliveries made 6-9 months ago, while new orders are still coming in.
Spending big on military is quite expected when a country is at war. But for Russia, there are several factors at play that prevent them from indefinitely increasing their military budget:
▪️During WWII, the UK and US kept interest rates at 2.5–3% to manage large deficits affordably. In contrast, Russia's interest rates and sovereign debt yields have surged—from 6% pre-war to about 16% now.
▪️Inflation in Russia exceeds 8%, prompting the Central Bank to raise interest rates to cool the economy—a standard anti-inflationary move but ill-suited for wartime. Alternative measures like higher personal taxes or rationing, which could curb inflation while keeping rates low, are politically untenable for Putin as they conflict with state propaganda and risk public discontent.
▪️Unlike the American “Lend Lease” program that supplied the UK with military equipment and resources such as oil and food essentially for free, China charges high prices for its support to Russia. This weakens the ruble-yuan exchange rate and forces Russia to maintain high interest rates.
▪️Initial domestic subsidies for borrowers offered a temporary fix but have now been suspended, leading to a sharp drop in mortgages and a forecasted rise in corporate bankruptcies.
With a sharp economic slowdown expected next year, financing the war will become even more challenging for Putin, particularly if he seeks to stabilize the ruble.
Ukrainian prosecutors have launched an investigation into another war crime committed by Russians who shot Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Pokrovsk sector, the Donetsk regional prosecutor's office reported.
After the Russian army captured two Ukrainian Defenders. They forced the men to strip naked. After leading them at gunpoint through a forested area, the prisoners were shot dead.
Moreover, the fact that Russian occupiers killed three more wounded Ukrainian Defenders at the same position is being checked.
Two storage facilities at a missile depot caught fire following yesterday's missile strike in Karachev, Bryansk region, Russian Telegram channels report.
The attack on the 67th Arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU) on November 19 in the city of Karachev, Bryansk region, damaged two powder storage units, starting a fire. According to ASTRA sources, the fire was only contained an hour and a half after the strike.
Russia's first comment on rumors that Russia is preparing a massive strike on Ukraine.
Head of the Russian Duma's defense committee said that "the strike will be unexpected, let them sit in their holes and be afraid".
Official information from forsvaretdk about the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3 that was allegedly in the areas of both cable damages:
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