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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
Nurse Olena Kukarskykh was killed by a Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia.
Olena moved from Russian-occupied Nova Kakhovka and worked in a children's clinic.
Back when she worked at Nova Kakhovka City Hospital, Olena, as a nurse in the treatment room, devoted many years to medical care for patients with serious conditions in the TB department.
Deepest condolences.
📷: Nova Kakhovka urban territorial community/Facebook
Footage of the aftermath of today's ATACMS strike on a military unit in Russian Taganrog has appeared. This is the location of the 5th aviation group of the 6955th airbase.
According to ASTRA's source, ambulances have been driving from the military unit since the morning, and access to the military town's territory is closed.
Thus, there were two hits in Taganrog today: on the 325th aircraft repair plant (second part of the video) and the military unit of the airbase.
The Russian Defense Ministry also confirmed that there were wounded as a result of the strike on the military unit. As for the consequences of the strike on the 325th aircraft repair plant, it is known for sure that the boiler room was damaged. There is no information about damage to the workshops yet.
Russian "Z-supporter" Yuri Yevich explains how bad "losing Syria" is for Russia - a vivid demonstration that Russia cannot be relied upon as a partner and ally.
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Russian Telegram channels claimed that de-valuing of the Russian ruble in November was temporary and already over.
Looks like it's not.
This can be caused by new US sanctions against Russian banks.
Russian "Z-blogger" Anastasia Kashevarova writes that Putin saved his friend Assad but effectively abandoned his military, which is trapped and could now become a bargaining chip in the negotiations.
In her Telegram channel, she wrote the following:
"Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow, and our military is stuck and blocked in Syria, Libya, Africa. Our bases have been completely blocked, no one is allowed in or out, all transportation routes have been cut off for now.
Khmeimim is surrounded by fighters (Russian Foreign Ministry calls it the opposition) – fighters are at checkpoints, and on duty inside the base. There are periodic attempts at provocations, shelling at some bases.
Tartus is abandoned, ships with military personnel are in the coastal zone.
The preliminary agreement on the stay of our contingent is 75 days. After that, withdrawal.
There are instructors, consultants, the "African Corps", the Ministry of Defense and the Special Operations Forces at the Russian military bases. Our people are holding on bravely, all are ready, if anything happens.
Negotiations on Syria are now underway between Russia, Turkey, Iran and others. The issue of Russia's military bases in Syria is open, if there was already a guarantee, then no one would shell them and our people could move freely. Then our stranded military could fly out of Khmeimim. And now the question of how to get them out of there by sea is being considered.
If we leave Syria, then the point of the Defense Ministry's African Corps is destroyed? By losing Syria, including as a transportation hub, we lose access to Africa. Russia's withdrawal from Syria will give Turkey an opportunity to become a player in the European energy market. Building a pipeline to Europe. Russian bases can be used as a way to induce Russia to make peace on terms acceptable to Ukraine and the US.
Many on the sidelines say that Syria is a trade-off between powers. Perhaps it is, but without Russia. Because the benefits for Russia are not visible, and how can one play barter and agreements with those who have never fulfilled international treaties and obligations. They spit on all agreements, including the Minsk agreements."
Russian strike on the center of Zaporizhzhia: the rescue operation has been going on for 19 hours, and there are still people under the rubble.
Seven people were killed and 22 more were injured, a 5-year-old girl among them, the Prosecutor General's Office reported.
20 residential buildings and three non-residential buildings were damaged.
The streets of "reviving" Mariupol, including Azovstal.
Contrary to the statements of Russian officials about colossal restoration of the city, the streets are still littered with damaged and shot-up buildings with windows boarded up with plywood.
Azovstal cannot be restored; instead of the technopark declared on the site of the plant, contractors connected with the authorities steal metal, Russian Telegram channels report.
More videos of the fire at an oil refinery in Bryansk, Russia appear in Russian Telegram channels.
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Russian propagandist Solovyev:
"I believe that Russian, Chinese, Indian, and North Korean peacekeeping troops should be stationed along the Atlantic coast. And we can establish the peacekeeping force headquarters on the islands if there will be any that were under Britain's colonial detestable government control."
"The whole freaking crazy political Western establishment needs to pray to Putin and his patience."
"10-12 additional Patriot systems for Ukraine will ensure our safety and make the war meaningless for Putin" - President Zelenskyy.
During a meeting with the president of the European Parliament Socialists and Democrats group, Iratxe García Pérez, in Kyiv, he noted that one Patriot system costs $1.5 billion, money for which the partners could take from frozen Russian assets.
"It will cost $30 billion, but it, finally, will completely close our skies," Zelenskyy emphasized.
Russia has reached an agreement with North Korea to hand over MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets in exchange for sending North Korean soldiers to Ukraine, Admiral Samuel Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, said at the Reagan National Defense Forum.
According to him, about 12,000 DPRK soldiers are already in a combat zone, but it is not known whether they are engaged in active combat. In addition to fighter jets, Paparo states, the DPRK is probably seeking access to Russian military technology, including ballistic missiles and air defense.
"What we need to improve now is not the nuclear doctrine but the Oreshnik missile. A sufficient number of these modern weapon systems leads to virtually no need for the use of nuclear weapons." - Putin
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Russian ballistic strike on Zaporizhzhia.
Three people dead. Five more injured. There are more people trapped under the rubble.
A medical institution destroyed. Nearby buildings damaged.
Rescue works continue.
Ukrainian Tuesday.
"I have brought nuclear warheads here. More than one dozen units. Many people write, 'Nah, it's a joke, nobody brought anything.' We did. So, they missed it," - Lukashenko.
In addition, Lukashenko plans to deploy an Oreshnik missile system in the country, а search for a suitable ground is underway. Lukashenko claims that the entire Oreshnik's launcher will be Belarusan.
"We will deploy and target it. My condition to Putin was one thing: 'We in Belarus will determine the targets, not Russians. But they will help us to exploit them.' That is, we will press the button together, God forbid, if it is necessary. WE will target," he said.
A video appeared online showing an assault filmed by a Ukrainian Defender on his GoPro. Bullets hit his helmet, elbow and backpack.
It is reported that the Warrior was wounded but survived. Wishing him a full and speedy recovery.
This is the hell our people have to go through to protect their country. This is not an action movie, this is real life.
Reportedly, this is Syria. People stomp on Putin's portraits.
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There is growing tension among Russia's elite over the growing cost of sanctions to the Russian economy - Washington Post
▪️ The Central Bank's raising interest rates to combat rampant inflation caused by sanctions and Putin's military spending could bring the economy to a standstill next year.
▪️ A wave of bankruptcies is possible, including in Russia's strategically important military industry. As a result, Russia will no longer be able to replenish the equipment being lost on the battlefield at such a high rate.
▪️ New U.S. sanctions imposed on 50 Russian banks, including Gazprombank, a key conduit for energy payments, have further increased transaction costs for Russian importers and exporters and caused the ruble to plummet against the dollar. This also sped up inflation.
▪️ Boris Kovalchuk, head of Russian ministry of finance and son of one of Putin's closest associates, warned that higher interest rates "limit investment opportunities for business and lead to higher federal budget expenditures."
▪️ Igor Sechin, head of Rosneft and another close Putin associate said that rising rates had a "negative impact on the cost of financing" for the company, as well as its contractors and suppliers, and was eating into profits.
▪️ Sergey Chemezov, a close associate of Putin who heads Russia's state arms conglomerate Rostec, warned in late October that if rates remain at current levels, "practically the majority of our enterprises will go bankrupt." Chemezov said Russia may be forced to cut arms exports.
▪️ Alexey Mordashov, who owns Severstal, warned that "it is more profitable for companies to stop development, even scale down their business and deposit funds, than to do business and bear the risks associated with it." According to the Russian union of shopping centers, more than 200 shopping centers are in danger of bankruptcy due to the high cost of financing.
▪️ Contractors in the Russian defense industry, according to Alexandra Prokopenko, a researcher at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, report non-payments and rising financing costs.
▪️ Andrey Gartund, head of the Chelyabinsk Forge and Press Plant, said at an economic forum in early November that key machine-building industries could "collapse."
▪️ Russian news agency Interfax reported on December 3 that non-payments are spreading throughout the economy: large and medium-sized enterprises delayed 19% of payments from July through September, while small enterprises delayed 25% of payments over the same period.
▪️ According to the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, investment is falling, and the effects of sanctions are gradually driving up the cost of imports and financial transactions, further fueling inflation, a former senior Russian financial official emphasized.
▪️ Although Putin is pouring more government funding into the defense industry (next year's budget allocates a record $126 billion for this purpose), production growth is mainly driven by increasing the size of the workforce to keep military factories running around the clock and updating Soviet-era inventories.
▪️Russia's labor force is stretched to the limit and Soviet-era weapons stocks are dwindling. According to Janis Kluge from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, rising costs and sanctions on equipment imports are making it increasingly difficult for Russia's defense sector to build weapons from scratch.
▪️ According to a report by the Royal United Services Institute in London, 80% of tanks and other armored fighting vehicles used in a military conflict are not new but reconditioned from existing stockpiles. Russia "will begin to find that the vehicles require deeper modernization by 2025, and by 2026, it will have exhausted most of its existing stockpile," according to the report.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/12/10/russia-economy-rates-central-bank/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=telegram
Yevheniia, a 10-year-old daughter of a Ukrainian border guard, asked St. Nicholas to give her a drone for our Defenders.
Yevheniia and her mom baked gingerbread cookies and handed the drone and treats to Ukrainian border guards doing aerial reconnaissance.
📹: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
A high-energy laser weapon has been fired by the British Army from an armoured vehicle for the first time and successfully destroyed flying drones, UK Defense Ministry reported.
Dear UK, you know a good place to try this out and test the weapon thoroughly, don't you? 😉
It works by directing an intense beam of infra-red light in the form of energy towards its target using advanced sensors and tracking systems which maintain lock-on and accuracy in real time.
Laser weapons are virtually limitless in terms of ammunition supply, which means they could represent a cost-effective alternative to some current in-service weapons.
The laser was integrated onto a Wolfhound – a protected troop-carrying vehicle - where soldiers from 16 Royal Artillery were able to track and down hovering targets at Radnor Range in mid-Wales.
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/british-army-successfully-tests-new-drone-destroying-laser
Satellite imagery shows reduced activity at Russian bases in Syria.
A photo released by Maxar Technologies on December 10, 2024 shows the Russian naval base in Tartus, Syria.
On the left – as of December 5, on the right – the current appearance after the overthrow of the Syrian dictator, who was a Putin's ally.
Russia has started consultations with China and India on the geopolitical situation and negotiations with Ukraine.
The Kremlin wants to be aware of the current position of China and India.
◾️ Putin met with Indian defense minister Rajnath Singh at the Kremlin on Tuesday. Most of the results of the talks remained non-public.
Russian defense minister Belousov also attended the meeting.
◾️ Medvedev in China.
For the second time since Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine started, Medvedev was called to Beijing (the previous time was in December 2022, and then, in particular, they talked that a nuclear strike is unacceptable). What will they talk about now?
1. China apparently wants to understand the contours of Russia's real, not public, intentions for ending the war and determine its strategy in the Russia–US–China triangle.
2. China will offer its vision of China–Russia relations.
The moment of the explosion at an oil refinery in Bryansk, Russia appeared on Russian Telegram channels.
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Russian Telegram channels report a fire at Transneft oil refinery in Bryansk region of Russia after a drone attack.
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The US will give Ukraine a USD 20 billion loan that will be repaid with proceeds from frozen Russian assets.
This was announced by the Treasury Department today. The loan is a part of USD 50 billion commitment by G7 countries. It will be used to sustain emergency services and hospitals, among other things.
🇺🇸🇺🇦 Thank you for your continued and generous support, USA!
Syria update
The situation continues to be dynamic in Syria.
◾️Rebel leader Mohammed al-Bashir has declared himself head of Syria’s transitional government, supported by the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Bild reported. The remnants of Assad’s administration have expressed willingness to transfer power to the new leadership.
◾️Efforts continue to uncover the fate of prisoners of the Assad regime, especially in the notorious Sednaya prison, known as Syria’s “human slaughterhouse”, media report. The White Helmets are searching underground sections despite conflicting reports on whether detainees remain, according to Middle East Eye.
◾️Evidence of severe human rights abuses, such as an “iron execution press” and blood-stained ropes, has been discovered in Sednaya. Thousands of prisoners have been freed from various Syrian government facilities. Among those are children who were born in prison, The Guardian reported.
◾️Ground fighting continues in northern Syria, particularly in the city of Manbij, where Kurdish forces are clashing with the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). Reports claim Turkish airstrikes have targeted Manbij, and Turkish armored vehicles have entered northern Syria, though Ankara has not confirmed these claims.
◾️Israeli forces have advanced deep into Syria, reportedly reaching 25 kilometers from Damascus following heavy airstrikes on Syrian military infrastructure. The strikes destroyed key assets, including military bases, Republican Guard facilities, and Syria’s naval fleet in Latakia. Israel claims the operations aim to secure a defensive buffer zone, as well as destroy equipment that could fall into the hands of jihadists, but neighboring countries, including Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, have condemned the actions.
Russians have found a loophole to buy chips in the U.S. despite sanctions - Bloomberg
Some Russian distributors have integrated information from the US chipmaker Texas Instruments' online shop, TI store, onto their sales platforms, which are blocked in the US and Europe but available in Russia, and Russian clients can buy TI components, placing orders carried out and delivered through companies outside Russia.
The TI product selection matches the company's online store, suggesting Russian distributors have accessed its proprietary API - technical coordinates that allow the software to communicate and share data with each other.
For example, one major Russian distributor processed over 4,000 orders for TI products worth $6 million through August, with nearly $4 million destined for Russian military companies, routed through Hong Kong or other countries before arriving in Russia.
The distributor also applies a 40% markup across the board to TI's prices, internal Russian records show. This, according to European government officials, was to cover and handle the whole delivery and payments process.
Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-12-09/russia-s-military-buying-us-chips-from-texas-instruments-despite-sanctions
The number of casualties in Zaporizhzhia has increased to 14 in the aftermath of the Russian strike on a private clinic.
Rescue works continue.
📹 Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration
A Kremlin demographer has suggested launching a national project to save men due to recent excessive male mortality in Russia.
He named drunkenness, fights at a young age, "mental suffering as reasons that lead to low life expectancy" of Russian men. Somehow, he never mentioned the war.
Russia has a very high mortality rate among men between the ages of 25 and 45, which is "5-6 times higher than Europe's figures," Yuri Krupnov, head of the National Council of the Institute of Demography, Migration and Regional Development, complains.
"What to do? This must be a key task for the next 20-30 years. We need a national project aimed at saving men. This problem cannot be solved without structural changes in society, revision of values and state support," Krupnov said.
Stopping a war is not an option that comes to their minds.
📹: Putin at a meeting with Russian soldiers who lost limbs in the war and are now undergoing rehabilitation
Russians wheel food and water to their positions using a self-made wheelbarrow, taking back soldiers' corpses in bags.
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Videos appeared online that reportedly show the results of strikes on an ammunition warehouse in Russian-occupied Yenakiieve, Donetsk region.
Detonation is heard on the first video.
Local "authorities" have ordered evacuation from several streets of the city.