21593
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
Meanwhile, military bloggers and Arab media report that Russians are withdrawing from their bases around Aleppo, Hama, and Deir ez-Zor, and moving towards their other bases on the coast.
Syrian state media Nedaa Post also reports that the Russians are evacuating their base in Suqaylabiyah, a town far behind the current frontlines
I cannot verify these claims yet.
Georgia update
▪️Police violently dispersed the protest in Tbilisi overnight. They used Chinese water guns which also contain unknown chemical compounds against the crowd of protesters, Echo of Caucasus reported.
▪️Overall, the special ops brigades were clearing the streets in the capital through the night, with final protesters rounded up around 6-7 am. According to the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, 107 protesters were arrested.
▪️Telegram channels shared videos from this morning of Shota Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi. The barricades erected yesterday have been cleared, and all the graffiti on the building of the Parliament were covered up.
▪️Prime Minister Kobakhidze said he will not allow the “repeat of a Maidan scenario” in Georgia. He also called the protest "violent" and blamed "European politicians and bureaucrats, foreign agents and the fifth column consisting of four political parties" for inciting the unrest, Georgia News reported.
▪️Despite this, Georgians are preparing for another protest today across the country. According to local channels, protesters are coming out in Tbilisi, Batumi, Ozurgeti, Lanchkhuti, Gori, and Zugdidi.
▪️Local Radio Liberty is reporting from the offices of the Georgian Public Broadcaster in Tbilisi, where protesters have gathered. They reportedly demand the resignation of the broadcaster's management due to unfair coverage of the protests.
‼️I'd like to offer you an analysis of the situation in Syria based on recent comments from the Russian segment of Telegram. Let me know what you think.
▪️Apart from the gloom and regret that "Wagner" and Prigozhin are no longer around, Russians say that, in essence, the situation has returned to what it was like in 2015, since the entry of Russian troops into Syria.
▪️Russians claim that one of the main reasons Russia intervened in Syria was the issue of TurkStream and Turkey's refusal of Russia's proposed four-pipeline format with 15 billion cubic meters per year for each pipe. The Turks insisted on two pipes: one for transit and the other for the Turkish market with a 10% discount. Russia disagreed, and the war in Syria began.
Russians note with sadness that the Turks did not allow Gazprom to implement its version of TurkStream, and in 2018, the two-pipe sections of the stream were "utilized." Russia perceived this as its capitulation and defeat.
▪️Now Russia is facing the closure of the Ukrainian transit starting January 1. Russia will lose 15 billion cubic meters of exports and will be left with only one pipeline of TurkStream.
▪️Gazprom claims it "has already prepared for the cessation of gas transit through Ukraine" and that "everything is stable." In reality, Gazprom's stock prices have fallen and will continue to decline—unlike gas prices for ordinary Russians. Amid the devaluation of the ruble, Gazprom, which was once repeatedly called "Russia's national treasure," is gradually headed toward bankruptcy.
▪️Russian public forums state that the TurkStream-2 project has come to a halt due to "Turkey's extortionate conditions"—a one-year payment delay for already delivered gas, a 25% discount on all volumes, and the transfer of all gas at the border to Turkey's ownership, with Turkey wanting to sell the gas independently without Gazprom. In other words, Gazprom will have no European exports left, and Turkey wants to take all it has.
‼️ Based on the situation in Syria, it seems that Turkey will be able to impose even tougher conditions on Russia and start bargaining. Gas is unlikely to be the only negotiating chip, but it is quite important.
📸 Shutterstock
The Atlas oil depot in the Rostov region of Russia has been on fire for two days now.
Читать полностью…
Peskov refrained from answering whether Bashar al-Assad is indeed in Moscow.
"I have nothing to say on this matter," said Putin's press secretary.
However, several Russian Telegram channels report that Assad, along with his entire family, has settled at the Four Seasons hotel in Moscow. It is also reported that late on November 29, he was granted an audience with Putin.
I remind you that the former president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, has been living in Russia for 10 years, after fleeing the country in February 2014 following the shooting of peaceful protesters on Independence Square in Kyiv.
Currently, Yanukovych lives in an upscale area near Moscow called "Barvikha." It is part of "Rublyovka," where the richest and most influential people in Russia reside.
Perhaps Assad will settle nearby?
Assad has stated that Syria will recognize the "new borders" of Russia, referring to the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, and at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he promised Putin to send 40,000 Syrians and weapons to assist the occupying forces.
Syria update
◼️As reported yesterday, the Syrian rebels seem to have taken over the city of Aleppo. Videos emerged of them releasing prisoners and setting off fireworks to celebrate.
◼️Assad reportedly arrived in Moscow late Friday evening. According to Russian sources, his family joined him in Moscow too. Some Telegram channels allege that the Syrian dictator wants to ask for strategic aviation support from Putin. According to Reuters, Russia may send additional equipment and forces to aid Assad within 72 hours.
◼️New reports are also emerging about a possible advance on Aleppo from the north by the Syrian National Army. Allegedly, they engaged in combat with Assad’s Syrian Arab Army next to the city of Al Bab. The SNA is subordinate to Turkey, so if confirmed, this involvement would mean that Ankara is directly taking part in this operation.
◼️Meanwhile, Russian Telegram channels are analysing why Tahrir al-Sham were successful in their swift advance on Aleppo. Many Russian soldiers and crucial aerial equipment previously stationed there were relocated to support the war in Ukraine, leaving only a small force behind in Syria. They were unprepared for the attack, as since the Ministry of Defense took over command from Prigozhin’s PMC, the discipline of the troops deteriorated. As a result, the rebels had a lot of intel on the movements and schedules of Russians, and could mount a surprise assault.
◼️Other Russian z-bloggers are decrying the assignment of General Kisel to command Russian forces in Syria. He was relocated to the Middle East after leading a failed attack on Kharkiv, which led to the destruction of Russia’s 1st Tank Army.
These developments in Syria are a serious hit to Putin's image.
It may look accidental, but that's just at first glance.
◼️The US previously changed their position on the supply of F-35's to Turkey.
◼️Before, Russia had the capacity to supply Assad with reinforcements, ammo and equipment. But their ships have been destroyed or heavily damaged during the war in Ukraine, namely:
🔻Azov
🔻Yamal
🔻Novocherkassk
🔻Saratov
🔻Minsk
🔻Tsezar Kunikov
The collapse is evident - loss of control, panic, and breakdown of the defensive line.
Mrs Halyna is an 81-year-old woman from Bakhmut who risked her own life to feed Ukrainian soldiers under fire.
She has lost everything - nothing left of her house but ruins.
Currently, she lives in a settlement for elderly displaced persons. Mrs Halyna is an active sportswoman, tends her vegetable garden near her house, and runs the library in the settlement.
God bless her. May she always feel safe and have what she needs.
📹: NV
Fyodor Khudokormov, a photographer and correspondent of Paper Kartuli media outlet, reported that he was beaten by police officers.
Footage taken by Fyodor shows that special forces began to push the protesters back.
Video from Georgia with the injured journalist of TV Pirveli.
Читать полностью…
The first photos of the restored Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It is due to open to visitors soon. The last two photos are from 2019, during and after the fire.
To be honest, I look at these photos and think about Ukraine. It gives me hope.
"They have to be a free, independent, sovereign Ukraine that is embedded in Western security architecture. Now, for my money, that has to be NATO." - Boris Johnson in an interview with the Telegraph’s Ukraine: The Latest podcast.
Читать полностью…
The Kremlin press service started removing metadata from videos and photos featuring Putin to make it impossible to find out the exact time and date they were made.
All files that are published on the Kremlin's website have zeros instead of this information, meaning that the files' properties were edited.
Curiously, metadata was even redacted in a video of Putin's special address in which he talked about using the Oreshnik missile to strike Ukraine, as well as in a video of his press scrum at the CSTO summit in Kazakhstan.
Prior to this, data contained in the files' properties showed that videos and photos passed off as new were actually pre-made. The presidential administration often uses "canned" footage from Putin's meetings to show the continuity of his work, especially during periods when he disappears from the public eye for long periods of time.
We are very concerned about situations where the leading positions in secretariats of international organizations are occupied by NATO member countries - Lavrov
The world is very concerned with Russia still being a member of the UN Security Council.
Attention, Finland!
According to Russia, you were wrong to join NATO, and cooperation with Russia was much more beneficial for you:
Finland's accession to NATO is not in the interests of the Finnish people and does not contribute to pan-European security, director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergey Naryshkin said at a roundtable discussion on the history of Soviet- and Russian-Finnish relations in XX-XXI centuries.
"History shows that cooperation with Russia has been much more beneficial to Finland than its previous attempts to follow the path of aggressive Russophobic and even neo-Nazi policies," he said.
Russian defense minister Belousov arrived on a visit to North Korea.
He announced an active expansion of military cooperation between the countries.
Belousov said the "comprehensive strategic partnership treaty" between Russia and the DPRK is "aimed at reducing the risk of war in Northeast Asia."
In reality, it looks like Putin sent Belousov to Korea to beg for more soldiers and equipment.
More videos emerge that reportedly show Russia's air strikes on central Aleppo. (Not verified.)
Читать полностью…
‼️A video has emerged of the aftermath of the Russian air strike on Aleppo. It has not yet been verified.
It seems like Russia is back to its tactic of indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Syria.
Syrian government forces announced their retreat from Aleppo “to prepare for a counteroffensive,” - Russian media reports.
Reportedly, the Syrian Arab Army released a statement about a “temporary withdrawal of troops”, in order to regroup ahead of reinforcements arriving to initiate the counterattack. The Syrian military also reported that dozens of servicemen were killed in a rebel attack in the northwest of the country. They also confirmed that the rebels had managed to infiltrate most of the city of Aleppo.
This is the first confirmation from Assad’s forces about the surprise rebel attack on Aleppo, since it began on Nov 27.
Meanwhile, Syrian rebels ripped down a monument to Hafez al-Assad, the father of Bashar al-Assad, in Aleppo.
Читать полностью…
Russian air force has carried out the first strike on Aleppo since 2016, Bild reports citing AFP.
A video reportedly showing the strike has emerged, though it hasn't been verified yet.
So, Putin has decided that he can advance in Ukraine and support Assad in Syria.
Let's see how this unfolds.
Kadyrov published this AI-generated animation on his Telegram channel last night and captioned it: “Russia is power!”
What could he mean by this?
Police and special forces began to forcefully disperse protesters in Tbilisi.
Читать полностью…
Special forces began pushing protesters back from the Parliament of Georgia on Rustaveli Avenue.
Video by Atamanova Sofiia
President of Georgia Salome Zourabishvili called on the police officers to stop using force against citizens, media report.
Protesters are trying to break down parliament gates; people are thrown down by the flood of water from the water cannon.
Kazakhstan is practically a Russian-speaking country, Putin told Tokayev, president of Kazakhstan.
Tokayev started speaking Kazakh in reply.
A video of a damaged An-2 aircraft, which Russians mistook for a Ukrainian drone and almost shot down, appeared online.
Recently, this biplane was flying over an oil refinery in Salavat, Republic of Bashkortostan. The refinery's security guards mistook it for a drone and fired to shoot it down.
An-2 is full of holes from large caliber rounds. The pilot's clothes are also riddled with holes, but he was unharmed.
Angela Merkel, ex-Chancellor of Germany, presented her autobiography recently. She spoke about the war in Ukraine and specified that "willingness to take diplomatic initiatives" is necessary as NATO's resources are limited:
"Our forces are great but not unlimited. No one should hide behind the other. Rather, the common political task is to realistically determine what is possible and thus do the right thing. This can only be achieved with sincerity and mutual trust. The ability to deter is one thing. It must go hand in hand with a willingness to take diplomatic initiatives."
Previous appeasements of Putin by Western politicians, including Angela Merkel, are among the factors that made this war possible.
⚡️Powerful explosions are reported in temporarily occupied Crimea.
Waiting for more information.
Syrian rebels, for the first time in 5 years, have launched a major attack in north-western Syria on forces of the Assad regime - CNN, BBC
Opposition factions called the offensive "Deterrence of Aggression," claiming it was a response to recent artillery shelling from the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. This marks the biggest attack since March 2020 when Russia, which backs Assad, and Turkey, which supports the rebels, agreed to a ceasefire.
According to the opposition's statements, as of now, 56 villages in Aleppo and Idlib provinces have been seized, including the strategic towns of Urm Al-Sughra and Anjara, as well as Base 46, the largest Syrian regime base in western Aleppo. Some of the clashes are happening less than 10 kilometres southwest of the outskirts of Aleppo.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/27/middleeast/syria-rebel-attack-aleppo-assad-intl-latam/index.html
&
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn5w0ype0vlo
Meanwhile, Reuters report that Russian jets pounded newly captured areas and hit populated towns in the last opposition-held enclave, according to two army sources. At least 16 civilians were killed in the rebel-held town of Atareb after Russia bombed a residential area.
https://www.reuters.com/world/syrian-russian-jets-bomb-rebel-held-northwest-syria-2024-11-28/
Clashes between protesters and police lasted all night in Tbilisi, Georgia.
They started when the ruling Georgian Dream party canceled the eurointegration course of the country.
It is reported that police used water cannons and tear gas. Protesters were beaten and violently detained.
Police also beat up several journalists.