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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
Syrian fighters committed not to attack embassies and diplomatic missions in Damascus, Russian media agencies reported.
Meanwhile, they also claim that the fighters have established contact with the Russian side.
Al Jazeera reports that the Syrian armed opposition has entered the city of Tartus, where a Russian military base is located.
Russian warships are based in the local Mediterranean port.
Russian Telegram channels say that Russian bases in Syria have received orders to destroy heavy armored vehicles and all related documentation to prevent them from ending up in the hands of the opposition.
It remains to be seen whether there was an order to take all ships to sea, otherwise the rebels may get the carriers of Kalibr and Zirkon missiles.
It is not known whether there are agreements on Russian bases.
Ukrainian karateka Mariia Hnes refused to shake hands with the Russian athlete.
In the final of the World Karate Federation (WKF) tournament, held in Venice, in the 16–17 age category, Mariia Hnes narrowly lost to the "neutral" athlete Veronika Gashnikova (3:4).
After the award ceremony, the Ukrainian athlete refused to take a joint photo with Gashnikova and, despite organizers' calls, left the podium. Mariia Hnes’s father is defending Ukraine from the occupiers as part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Anna Vashchishin, another Ukrainian athlete who won bronze in the same category, joined Mariia's protest.
Assad's main lesson is for Putin and Syria's main lesson is for Russia.
95% voted for Assad in 2021. In 2024, he lost everything. 87% voted for Putin in 2024...
The states where political competition persists are the stable ones, unlike those with false “unanimity” imposed by the authorities.
- Vadym Denysenko
More Oreshnik-rattling from Lavrov and Russian journalists: if launched from Belarus, it can reach "the entire territory of Europe and NATO military bases in the Middle East".
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Celebrating the fall of Assad's regime...
What will it be like when Putin's regime falls?
Do you think Russians will celebrate?
A video has emerged showing Syrian rebels freeing women from Sednaya Prison.
The footage also shows a child. According to Souryia News, they also freed former Syrian Air Force pilot Ragheed al-Tatari after 43 years of imprisonment.
In 1980, he refused an order from Hafez al-Assad to carry out airstrikes on Hama to suppress protests, for which he was thrown into prison.
Sednaya Prison, located 30 km from Damascus, is infamous as a site of executions and torture of Assad regime opponents. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 30,000 people died there between 2011 and 2021.
Reportedly, this video is from Damascus.
It's not possible to verify it currently.
"The question of the Russian military presence in Syria will be decided by the new authorities" - Syrian prime minister.
It is reported that he passed the power to fighters. All Syrian officials are supposed to continue their work until a new government is formed.
Russian defense ministry reported a drone attack on five regions of Russia last night. They claim 46 drones have been shot down.
Meanwhile, residents of several Russian cities reported loud explosions last night.
December 2017, exactly 7 years ago, Putin flew to Syria and stated:
"If the terrorists raise their heads again, we will strike them [from the Russian bases in Syria] in a way that they have not yet seen."
Today, the Russian army is evacuating from Tartus and Khmeimim and fleeing Syria.
‼️All dictatorships are fragile‼️
The catastrophic, avalanche-like crumbling of Assad's regime has demonstrated yet again how unstable dictatorships really are.
Only representative democracies, founded on freedom of choice and social contract are the foundation of stability and peace in the world.
Putin’s dictatorship might crumble and fall in a moment, as well. And that is one more reason why the civilized world, starting with the United States, must make it their priority to support Ukraine, not play deals with Putin.
An official opening ceremony of the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris after a large-scale reconstruction.
About 50 world leaders were present at the ceremony. The full restoration of the cathedral afrer a 2019 fire lasted five years.
This cathedral is a symbol of faith, restoration and unity. A symbol not just for France, but for the whole humanity.
Ukraine will also be restored from ruins. I have faith in that!
Assad arrived in Abu Dhabi with his family, Turkish media reported, citing the UAE sources.
Earlier, Russian sources reported that Assad's family was in Russia.
President Zelenskyy, President Macron and President-elect Trump have started their meeting in Paris.
Notice that I am not commenting on Mr. Donald Trump's blue suit and yellow tie.
⚡️The latest 48Ya6-K1 Podlyot-K1 radar, assigned to the S-400 and S-300PMU-2 complexes, is now in the hands of the fighters.
The Podlyot radar is capable of detecting targets at distances from 10 to 300 kilometers and at altitudes up to 10 kilometers in low-altitude, high-altitude, long-range and mountain modes, as well as providing target designation to S-400 and S-300 SAM systems.
If this radar is transferred to the US, all the secrets of how the Russian air defense is built will be revealed.
In principle, I do not rule out that the аighters have every right to sell this radar to the U.S. and spend the proceeds on rebuilding Assad's devastated Syria.
A fire is reported at Bashar al-Assad's residence, which had repprtedly previously been looted.
The footage shows a massive column of smoke.
Israel struck airbases in southern Syria, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The strikes were carried out near the Israeli border in the areas of Daraa and Suwayda in southern Syria, as well as on the Mezzeh airbase near the capital Damascus.
Likely targets were ammunition and weapons storage facilities.
Russian foreign affairs ministry made an official statement: after negotiations with a number of the participants of the Syrian conflict, Assad left his presidency and Syria, giving instructions to transfer power peacefully.
Russia did not participate in negotiations.
Syria.
Turkish lessons and potential prospects according to expert Ihor Tyshkevich
▪️ Turkey has emerged as the primary beneficiary of the regime change in Syria. The current task is to stabilize the situation within the country and prevent large-scale clashes among various groups referred to as "the opposition".
▪️The United States retains control over its zone, with no other parties challenging it. However, Turkey aims to significantly weaken Kurdish influence, including their role in forming a new government.
▪️Iran was one of the most active participants in the conflict, supporting the war effort through its proxies, such as Hezbollah, until the very end. Simultaneously, Iran engaged in active negotiations with Turkey about Syria’s future. Notably, the Iranian Foreign Minister visited Ankara immediately after the fall of Aleppo.
▪️Arab Monarchies. Paradoxically, they are likely to strengthen their position. Opposition groups in the south connected to these monarchies, along with their allies among the Druze and Christians, "timely" initiated uprisings, which predetermined Damascus’s fall. Ultimately, troops associated with these factions were among the first to enter the capital.
▪️Russia is losing influence but retains a chance to remain in Syria, albeit under new conditions, as one of the "second-tier" forces.
Thus, the contours of a new government will largely be shaped by Ankara, with contributions from Arab monarchies and potentially Iran. Why not Russia? Because, unlike the other external forces, it placed all its bets on Assad’s inner circle.
If Russian military bases in Syria are evacuated, it will complicate Russian operations in Africa but not render them impossible.
If Turkey manages to establish a stable government that survives for at least a year, the consequences could be extremely significant.
The main issue: gas, or more specifically, pipelines
▪️Project one: The Arab Gas Pipeline. Initially conceived as a pipeline connecting Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and even Israel, its first phase was completed in 2003. However, construction of the Homs branch never commenced.
▪️Project two: The Qatar-Turkey Pipeline. This project was derailed by Assad's intransigence, as the pipeline was supposed to traverse Syrian territory. Construction never began.
If a civil war between factions does not break out in Damascus, there will be an opportunity to implement both projects. The key here is the political decision of the "new government," the determination of the route with land allocation, and agreement on the presence of foreign PMCs or military units to guard the infrastructure.
That is, from the moment the Qatar pipeline project begins, a year of stability from the new government is needed to ensure the necessary decisions are made.
Countries in the EU will be interested in implementing such projects (the gas will flow to them).
For Russia, this could be detrimental, far more painful than the potential evacuation of military bases:
▪️Russia loses the European gas market. And the reason is not sanctions. Qatari gas (as well as Egyptian gas), delivered via pipeline systems, will simply be cheaper than Russian gas due to lower production costs.
▪️Turkey is already becoming a regional superpower. Its strengthening in the energy sector will have consequences for Russia in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
▪️This will lead to a weakening of Russia's position in the Arab world. It will not disappear as a partner (projects in Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan will continue), but it will lose some "weight."
Reuters, citing two Syrian security sources, said it was "very likely" that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was killed in a plane crash near Homs last night. The plane, which had taken off from Damascus International Airport, was believed to have been shot down. It was a mystery why the plane took a surprise U turn and disappeared off the map according to data from the Flightradar website.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syria-rebels-celebrate-captured-homs-set-sights-damascus-2024-12-07/
It is reported that monuments to Assad's regime are being taken down all over Syria.
Putin spent billions on supporting Assad's regime in the past decade.
Thousands of Russian soldiers and Prigozhin's mercenaries were killed for the regime.
The fall of Assad's regime is a powerful geopolitical blow to Putin and Iran. They are actually houses of cards that can crumble at any time, just like these monuments.
It is reported that fighters entered Assad's residence in Damascus. His location is currently unknown.
Syrian prime minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to "extend its hand" to the opposition and turn its functions over to a transitional government.
According to unverified information, the plane that might have been carrying Assad out of Damascus had gone into sharp descent and disappeared from the radars.
There has been no official information.
President Zelenskyy entered the Notre-Dame Cathedral to a round of applause. President-elect Trump came over once more to greet him.
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Putin's house of cards is crumbling.
His ally in the Middle East, Assad, seems to be headed towards a fall despite all the support from Russian weapons, aviation, and navy.
The bloody dictator will likely be overthrown.
I dream that in a year or two Putin will be overthrown, too.
According to reports, Syrian Army is leaving Duma, a city located 10 km northeast of Damascus. Protesters claim that the Damascus-Homs road has been cut off and is not controlled by government forces.
It is also reported that Syrian army is leaving Eastern Ghouta.
The meeting between Zelenskyy, Trump and Macron lasted 35 minutes and has already ended.
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SpaceX company, owned by Elon Musk, has signed a contract with the Pentagon to expand Ukraine's access to a more secure, militarized version of its Starlink satellite network, Bloomberg reports.
Thus, 2,500 Starlink terminals already in Ukraine will receive an upgrade to Starshield. Before that, there were only 500 terminals with such access in Ukraine.
The services will be provided in 2025.
Amid reports that Russian soldiers also have Starlinks, this is an important development. It is also crucial that access is denied for Russian-operated Starlinks and supply chains for that are disrupted.
Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-06/spacex-gets-us-contract-to-expand-ukraine-s-access-to-starshield?embedded-checkout=true