[DefiantAmerica via Lucianne] The Ukrainian president then took out the country’s Cross of Military Merit award and explained that it had been originally given to the captain of a HIMARS rocket launcher battery fighting in the eastern city of Bakhmut.
"He’s very brave and he said ’Give it to a very brave president.’ And I want to give that, the cross for military merit that [he] won," Zelensky went on.
Biden accepted the honor, saying it was "undeserved, but much appreciated."
Zelensky added that the captain had told him "many of his brothers this [HIMARS] system saved. So thank you very much."
But nothing worse than presenting the President of the United States with an award from "Butthole".
I actually had to source this from multiple places to make sure this wasn’t edited or fake.
[Daily Mail UK] Doubt Prigozhin could get laid in a women's prison even with a fistful of Get Out Of Jail cards. Guess we'll find out shortly.
The Russian mercenary group Wagner fighting in Ukraine aims to recruit women jailed in Russia and deploy them to the front as snipers, the Kremlin-linked founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Wednesday, December, 22.
'Not only nurses and communications staff but also in sabotage groups and sniper pairs. Everyone knows this has been done before,' the 61-year-old said, referring to World War II-era female sharpshooters hailed in Soviet propaganda.
'We're getting there. There's some resistance but I think we'll overcome it,' Prigozhin added on social media.
His comments came in response to a Russian official east of Moscow who said women imprisoned in the city of Nizhny Tagil had asked him to be sent to Ukraine to help the Russian army. Next, children will be recruited. Survive 6 months in Ukraine and receive a PlayStation.
#3
UKR did it first. Did you hear about the UKR Female Sniper 'Joan of Arc'. No relation to ghost of kiev. Emerald, as her friends call her... who found love on the battle field and had a warzone wedding. It was darling I'm told.
Then we have UKR female sniper Charcoal lauded as modern-day ‘Lady Death’. So brave.
Olena Bilozerska... Anastasia Mokhina... There's more... these fluff pieces on ukr female snipers have not been in short supply.
I hear if UKR child recruits survive 6 months, they get a Azov Patch, a Bandera Action Figure, and a Buzz Cut.
#ToTheLastUkrainian
#4
Ukrainian women have volunteered to defend their country from fascist Russian invaders. None of them required the dangling lure of getting out of long prison sentences to serve Putin and Prigozhin while he pockets their pay.
You seem proud that Russia is kidnapping Ukrainian children and brainwashing them to hate Ukrainians and take arms against them. Others (the youngest) have been adopted out to depopulating shit holes in the Russian east. Whiplash to 1945 Germany. Fascist much, Moss? What a huge disappointment for a human you turned out to be.
[Express UK] Dmitry Rogozin led the Russian space corporation from 2018 until his dismissal in June.
The former head of the Russian space corporation Roscosmos has been injured in the city of Donetsk an area that has been under Russian control since 2014, reports suggest. According to the largest Eastern European media NEXTA, Dmitry Rogozin was wounded during the shelling of a hotel in the city.
Mr Rogozin was reportedly celebrating his birthday in a restaurant when the attack happened. A targeted assassination. Next birthday make reservations on the Cote d'Azur. The food and wine is better and far less shrapnel in the air.
Russian media has reported that Mr Rogozin received a shrapnel wound to the soft tissues of the head. They also reported that he received a shrapnel wound to his buttocks and his left thigh.
It has also been reported that Vitaly Khotsenko, the chairman on the self proclaimed separatist Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), was also injured in the attack.
Mr Rogozin, a former Russian Deputy Prime Minister and ambassador to NATO, made a number of controversial comments in relation to the war in Ukraine prior to his dismissal.
Doctors in Donetsk and Rostov did not dare to perform an operation, because of its complexity. He will be transported to Moscow, where a council of doctors will decide what to do. - Russian media
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[LB] Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions were also shelled during the day.
by Iryna Lysohor
Russia fired 19 mines in the Sumy region during the day, shelled the center of Kurakhovo in Donetsk, - OVA
The night was relatively calm in Volyn, Zakarpattia, Rivne Oblast, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kirovohrad, Khmelnytskyi, Odesa, Chernivtsi, Lviv, Ternopil Oblasts, as well as in Poltava Oblast, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr Oblast, Chernihiv Oblast, Cherkasy Oblast and Kyiv Oblast.
In the Sumy region, Russians fired mortars at the Znob-Novgorod community yesterday. 19 mines exploded on the border. There were no victims or destruction. At night and in the morning - no shelling, says the report from OVA as of this morning.
In Zaporizhzhia region, during the past day, the occupiers shelled civilian infrastructure in the area of the settlements of Veselyanka, Gulyaipole, Orihiv, Zaliznychne, Kamianske, Novodanilivka, Mala Tokmachka, Olgivske, Charivne, Malynyvka, Dorozhnyanka, Biloghirya, Shcherbaki, Temyrivka, Novoandriivka, Stepove , Mali Shcherbaki, Plavni, Stepnohirsk. There is destruction of houses (apartments) of citizens and infrastructure objects as a result of shelling by the Russians. Detailed information on the consequences is being clarified.
In the Dnipropetrovsk regio , Nikopol again suffered from the fire of the Russian "Hrads" and heavy artillery. The occupiers shelled three communities: Marganetska, Myrivska and Chervonogrigorivska. More than 70 shells were fired at peaceful towns and villages. People survived. In Marganetska and Chervonogrihorivska communities, a dozen private houses, six farm buildings, a gas pipeline and power lines were damaged. In Mirivska, the consequences of the shelling are being clarified.
In the Kharkiv region, the Russian occupiers continue shelling civilians in the front-line and border areas of the Chuguyiv, Kupyan, Kharkiv and Izyum districts of the region. A fire continues in the Izyum district, as a result of yesterday's shelling by the occupiers, a fire broke out at an industrial facility. Rescuers are working on the spot. No casualties. Yesterday afternoon, as a result of enemy shelling, a residential building was destroyed in the city of Vovchansk.
A 72-year-old woman was injured and hospitalized. Demining works are ongoing in the region. During the day, pyrotechnics of the State Emergency Service neutralized 305 units of enemy mines, explosives and ammunition.
In the Luhansk region , the defense forces of Ukraine repelled the attacks of the occupiers in the districts of Pidkuychansk, Dibrova, and Bilogorivka. In the Kupyansk and Lymansk directions, the Russians opened fire on the areas of Stelmakhivka, Makiivka, Ploshanka, Nevsky, Chervonpopivka, and Dibrova. The situation in the region remains difficult.
In the Donetsk region, the central part of Kurakhovo was shelled yesterday evening. Damaged five-story buildings, private cars, gas pipeline. There was a rocket attack in Kostyantynivka yesterday afternoon, a kindergarten and high-rise buildings were damaged. The city of Bakhmut was constantly bombarded last day. Ocheretynsk VA: at night, there were periodic shelling of positions along the line of hostilities. In the morning, the intensity of shelling increased. Information on civilian casualties is being clarified.
Avdiivska VA: individual arrivals both in the old part of the city and in the central part. In the morning, there was a massive artillery attack by the RSZV system with incendiary elements. Information about the victims is being clarified. Along the line of defense around the city, shelling continued almost all night. In one day in Donetsk region: two dead, eight wounded civilians.
In the Mykolaiv region, the enemy made numerous artillery strikes on the waters of the Ochakiv community. There are no casualties.
In the Kherson region, according to information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the enemy continues to shell the civilian infrastructure of populated areas along the right bank of the Dnipro River. In particular, the areas of Novodmytrivka, Kamianske, Respublikanets, Novoberislav, Berislav, Ponyativka, Mykilske, Sadove, Tokarivka, Antonivka, Berehove areas were damaged by fire.
The Russian occupiers shelled the village of Havrylivka in the Novooleksandrivska tergromada with 122mm BM-21 Grad anti-aircraft missiles. In the settlement, a school, a school, a village council, a dispensary and a cultural center were damaged. the Rashists once again attacked exclusively civilian infrastructure. There are no casualties among the civilian population. In the village of Novoberislav, a local resident blew himself up on an anti-personnel mine "Lepestok" left by the Russian occupiers. The man was left without part of his leg.
Work continues to restore normal life to the liberated part of the region. 26 brigades are working to restore light in Kherson region, road clearing works are ongoing in Kherson region. The explosive devices of the National Police and the State Emergency Service defused about 500 explosive objects. The international organization "Doctors Without Borders" works.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 23:44 Voice of America broadcasts the press conference of Zelensky and Biden.
23:27 The Ukrainian military will take several months to learn how to operate the Patriot air defense system, a Pentagon official quoted by CNN said: "Patriot requires training, and we expect it to take several months to provide the Ukrainian forces with the training necessary for its successful use."
22:58 The UK has donated 900 generators and special kits for extreme cold weather to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Defense Minister Ben Wallace said.
22:53 The situation with power supply in Kiev is by far the most difficult in the country, YASNO CEO Serhiy Kovalenko said: "There are areas that receive electricity for about five hours a day. There are those who have light for 2-3 hours a day. And there are those who have no electricity at all since the last shelling.The city cannot get power from the country's power grid due to damage to high-voltage equipment... Could it be better than now? Maybe when the repair work is completed and when the reconnection scheme is up and running. worse? Yes, if they fire at us again. More precisely, if they damage the remaining 40% of the knots."
22:25 Zelensky told Biden that his arrival in the United States indicates that Ukrainian forces are in control of the situation on the battlefield, and noted the contribution of American assistance: "I really wanted to come, and the president knows about it, but I could not, because the situation was difficult. Now, since I arrived, it means that we are in control of the situation, and this is primarily due to your support."
22:04 Zelensky handed Biden an award and a letter from a soldier from Bakhmut, the captain of the HIMARS battery, whom he met yesterday. Biden told Zelensky that the Ukrainian people "inspire the world" and accused Putin of trying to "weaponize winter." The President of the United States promised to continue to support the "great people of Ukraine."
21:07 Ukraine will finally receive the most effective weapon to protect its skies. Read more in the article How the Patriot complex will help Ukraine .
20:59 Patriot air defense systems will significantly strengthen the air defense of Ukraine and create a layered air defense system, Yuriy Ignat, speaker of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said. According to him, the Ukrainian military will be able to easily master the new anti-aircraft missile systems, although this will still take "some time."
"Patriot is a long-range weapon that can hit aeroballistic targets at a distance of up to 150 km. These systems in certain directions could help drive Russian aviation away from our borders, namely such bombers as the TU-22M3 or enemy tactical aviation crews," Ignat added.
20:25 Zelensky published a photo from Washington and announced a series of negotiations "to strengthen the stability and defense capability of Ukraine," including with Biden. "Next year, we must return the Ukrainian flag and freedom to all our land, to all our people," the Ukrainian president stressed.
19:48 The US State Department published the details of the new aid package to Ukraine:
one Patriot SAM battery and ammunition;
missiles for HIMARS;
500 Excalibur guided artillery rounds;
ten 120 mm mortars and 10,000 mines;
ten 82 mm mortars;
ten 60mm mortars;
37 Cougar armored vehicles;
120 HMMWV SUVs;
six armored trucks;
HARM anti-radar missiles;
conversion systems for high-precision aviation ammunition (JDAM);
more than 2,700 grenade launchers and small arms;
Claymore anti-personnel mines;
night vision devices and other optics;
communication systems;
means of individual armor protection;
45 thousand 152-mm artillery shells;
20 thousand 122-mm shells;
50 thousand 122-mm rockets for MLRS Grad;
100 thousand 125-mm tank ammunition;
other property and services.
19:39 The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the evening report confirmed the fire damage on December 15 and 16 of enemy ammunition depots in the Kadiyivka area of the Luhansk region - the detonation lasted more than 20 hours. In addition, on December 20, a blow was struck against the invaders who had accumulated at the field airfield in the Kakhovka region of the Kherson region. There were about 30 units of artillery systems of various types, self-propelled guns and MLRS, as well as ammunition, fuel and lubricants. Detailed information about enemy losses is being specified.
In Novobohdanovka, Zaporozhye region, the invaders organized a field hospital. In Novotroitskoye, Kherson region, the Russians reequipped a local hospital to treat the wounded. Sick local residents were forcibly "discharged", and the invaders stepped up counterintelligence measures. All this testifies to significant losses of the enemy, summarize in the General Staff.
19:28 After the US, Zelensky can visit the UK, as well as France and Germany, CBS reports.
19:19 Blinken officially announced a new $1.85 billion military assistance package to Ukraine, which includes, in particular, the Patriot system. The new package will consist of $1 billion in funding from Biden's executive order and $850 million from the Pentagon, the secretary said.
"Today's aid package contains, for the first time, a Patriot air defense system capable of shooting down cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles and aircraft at significantly higher altitudes than previously provided air defense systems," Blinken said. In addition, the new package includes "precision strikes, as well as additional ammunition and critical equipment that Ukraine effectively uses to protect itself on the battlefield."
Thus, according to him, universal US military assistance to Ukraine will reach an "unprecedented amount" of $ 21.9 billion since the start of the Biden administration.
19:07 Biden ordered to allocate $ 1 billion for the defense needs of Ukraine, including for the education and training of the military , the White House said.
18:26 The head of the SBU, Vasily Malyuk, allowed the exchange of the arrested ex-president of Motor Sich, Vyacheslav Boguslayev: "This is such an interesting figure. He is 84 years old. I think that detention as a measure of restraint can become a" life imprisonment ", given his age. I don't I want to say nothing, but everything is God's will. But I mean that he will probably give all the evidence and become a quality exchange fund."
17:58 In Mariupol today at about 14:00 there was a powerful explosion with an epicenter near the street. Kuprin. The blast wave was heard in several areas of the city. Immediately after the explosion, helicopters appeared over the city, which moved towards Berdyansk at high altitude. Some of them released heat traps, said Petr Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor.
17:25 Biden invited Zelensky to Washington to discuss not only US military assistance, but also a possible end to the war, said John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications at the US National Security Council: "The president really believes that now, as winter approaches, when we enter into new phase of this war, this is the perfect time for the two leaders to sit face to face and talk, I have no doubt that they will be talking about President Zelensky's vision of a just world and what it looks like, what are its components and how we can help Ukraine achieve it."
At the same time, Kirby added that Russia is not interested in diplomacy right now.
17:12 Danilov said in an interview with Voice of America that the next 2-3 months of the war in Ukraine could be decisive: "We understand that today there are no opportunities for the Russian Federation to defeat us in an open battle. They are now driven into a dead end. And the rat, driven into a dead end, the most dangerous. And we are preparing very actively for the next month, two or three, which can be decisive at this moment."
The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council added that Russia "will keep going because it put everything on the line" and will not try to reduce the consequences of the war for the country.
5:09 pm The Biden administration has set up a large task force to investigate how Western-derived technology, including microelectronics from the United States, ended up in Iranian drones, CNN reported. The group included representatives of all key departments - the Pentagon, the State Department, the Ministry of Justice, the Department of Commerce, the US Treasury. The group was tasked with, among other things, raising the issue with all US manufacturers whose products were found in Iranian drones shot down in Ukraine.
16:58 The Bulgarian military will take part in the training of Ukrainian forces within the framework of EUMAM, the country's Ministry of Defense announced. The program will train 60 military doctors annually. In addition, the agency reported that since the beginning of the Russian armed aggression in Ukraine, Bulgaria has provided humanitarian assistance in the amount of about 230 million euros. Sofia also sent 2,000 helmets and 2,000 body armor, 350 first aid kits, 5,000 sets of winter clothes and 5,000 pairs of winter shoes.
16:09 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi officially invited Zelensky to speak at a joint session of Congress on December 21 during his visit to Washington. She sent Zelensky a letter on behalf of the Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress.
16:06 Putin said that the Russian Federation will continue to maintain combat readiness and improve the combat readiness of the nuclear triad: "This is the main guarantee of preserving our sovereignty and territorial integrity, strategic parity, and the overall balance of power in the world."
16:00 Zaluzhny said that he had met in Ukraine with the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Raimund Andrzejczak: “I thanked for the international military assistance provided, including weapons, military equipment, ammunition and necessary materials. I appreciate the opportunity to conduct professional training of our military personnel on Polish territory. Together we are embodying a strategically important decision on the transition of Ukraine to the heavy armament of NATO member states. Deep gratitude to the Polish side for the treatment and rehabilitation of the wounded Ukrainian soldiers."
15:54 Putin said that he would not "repeat the mistakes of the past, when we destroyed our economy in the interests of increasing our defense capabilities." He assured that he would not engage in "the militarization of the country and the militarization of the economy."
In addition, Putin said that "even now" he considers the Ukrainian people "fraternal".
15:48 Shoigu announced the need to increase the number of Russian armed forces to 1.5 million military personnel, including 695,000 contract soldiers. At the same time, according to him, when recruiting the armed forces, it is necessary to gradually increase the age of conscription from 18 to 21 years, and raise the limit to 30 years. In addition, when drafting, it is necessary to ensure the possibility "at the request of citizens" to enter military service under a contract from the first day of entering the service.
Shoigu stated that it was necessary to "continue conducting a special military operation until the tasks were fully completed," and instructed to increase the number of contract servicemen to 521,000 by the end of the year, taking into account the replacement of the mobilized in the groupings and the recruitment of new formations. Putin, in turn, said that he agreed with Shoigu's proposals for further structural changes in the armed forces of the Russian Federation.
Shoigu also said that, given "NATO's desire to build up military potential near the borders of Russia," measures are required to create a group of troops in the north-west of the country.
15:35 Lithuania has sent the first batch of warm sweaters and thermal kits to Ukraine, Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said. In total, 19,000 sweaters and 15,000 thermal kits for the Armed Forces of Ukraine will arrive in Ukraine in the coming weeks.
14:40 Shoigu said that 27 countries have already spent $ 97 billion on arms supplies to Ukraine, allegedly there are "NATO staff officers, artillerymen and other specialists" at the front in Ukraine, and "more than 500 NATO satellites" are working for Kiev.
14:34 Putin again stated that 300,000 people have been drafted into the ranks of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, 150,000 of them are training at training grounds, "and this is a sufficient reserve for conducting an operation." In turn, Shoigu noted that partial mobilization was carried out to "stabilize the situation, protect new territories and carry out further offensive actions." According to the minister, during the "special operation" more than 250,000 servicemen gained combat experience.
Shoigu also said that in the interests of the “special operation”, the supply of the “most in demand” weapons in the army was postponed from 2024-2025 to 2023.
14:29 Putin said that in January Admiral Gorshkov with "the newest Zircons" will enter combat service. He also stressed that information about NATO forces and weapons should be "analyzed and used to build the Russian armed forces." In addition, Putin announced the need for the development and use of drones in the army - they "should be everywhere." According to the President of the Russian Federation, the Russian servicemen "should be at the highest level." Putin drew the Defense Ministry's attention to the fact that "there are no restrictions on financing the army."
14:22 Mercenaries of the Liga PMC, which is part of the Wagner group, arrived at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border to prepare a provocation, the Center for National Resistance under the MTR of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports, citing the Belarusian underground. The mercenaries were divided into two groups of 80-90 people and arrived in the area of the village of Krupeiki (Loevsky district, Gomel region) to carry out their tasks. They have lightly armored vehicles and tilt trucks. The groups are reinforced with engineering units.
At the same time, Belarus introduced a temporary restriction on entry and entry within the border strip of the Loevsky district. One of the provocation scenarios is the shelling of the territory of Belarus, allegedly by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The mercenaries arrived in Belarus on September 20 - then 300 units of Ukrainian military uniform, which the Russians seized in warehouses in the Kherson region, were delivered to the territory of the security company GardService, where they were stationed.
13:46 Orban said that next year Hungary will remain as far away as possible from the war in Ukraine: "Europe is already drifting towards war. Those who supply weapons are ankle-deep in them, those who train soldiers are waist-deep who trains an entire country at war is up to his neck in war."
13:20 As a result of enemy shelling of Ochakov of the Nikolaev area two people - mother and the child are wounded, the head of OVA Vitaly Kim reported.
13:18 Peskov said that the Kremlin does not expect positive results from Zelensky's visit to Washington: "Arms supplies continue, the range of supplied weapons is expanding. All this, of course, leads to an intensification of the conflict and, in fact, does not bode well for Ukraine."
13:03 Boris Johnson supported the worldwide flash mob Ukraine Hour - on Wednesday, December 21, at 20:00 local time, everyone is invited to turn off the festive lights as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine. "Russia's barbaric and illegal invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the loss of millions of Ukrainians of electricity, water and life necessities. I support #hourforukraine today at 20:00 in solidarity with them. Victory for Ukraine!" - wrote the former Prime Minister of Great Britain.
12:50 US plans to arm Ukrainian defenders with smart bombs known as Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM). It is reported by CNN, citing its sources. The TV channel thus confirmed the earlier information of the Washington Post newspaper about the transfer of this type of weapon to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The bombs are expected to be included in a new military aid package for Ukraine. About what smart bombs are and how they will help Ukraine - in the material New weapons that Kiev will receive .
12:37 Putin will deliver a "voluminous speech" today about the "special operation" in Ukraine during an expanded collegium of the Russian Defense Ministry, the Kremlin said. Then he will meet with permanent members of the Security Council of the Russian Federation. The results of the "special operation" in 2022 and plans for 2023 will be discussed.
11:49 The SBU conducts searches in the Sofroniyevo-Molchensky male monastery of the UOC-MP of the Sumy region.
11:45 Biden is expected to meet Zelensky on the White House lawn at 21:00 Kyiv time, the press conference will begin at 23:30, media reports.
11:16 Over the past day, the Russians fired at the territory of the Kherson region 71 times: one person was killed, six were injured, the head of the OVA, Yaroslav Yanushevich, said.
11:13 The State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted a law providing for criminal liability up to life imprisonment for the creation of a sabotage community, training and assistance to sabotage, their financing and propaganda.
11:11 The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, will visit Moscow on Thursday, December 22, the Russian envoy in Vienna said. According to him, the creation of a protective zone around the Zaporozhye NPP is on the agenda, representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Russian Guard, Rosatom and Rostekhnadzor will take part in the consultations.
11:09 On the morning of December 21, a significant shortage of capacity in the energy system remains, Ukrenergo reported. Consumption limits have been brought to all regions, exceeding which leads to emergency restrictions. Currently, all types of generation are working, but the situation in the central region, in particular in Kyiv, remains difficult.
10:54 Russians are preparing provocations in the Kakhovka direction, Natalya Gumenyuk, speaker of OK Pivden, said. In particular, according to her, they are withdrawing their weapons, equipment and units, but are shelling the occupied territories in order to blame the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
10:52 The leadership of the US Congress is working on a bill that recognizes Russia as an aggressor state, and not a sponsor of terrorism, writes The Hill. According to the publication, such a recognition will provide the US President with new sanctions powers against Russian officials. Recognizing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism would lead to Moscow's international isolation and force the US to impose additional restrictions on countries interacting with the Kremlin.
10:43 The SBU has repeatedly prevented assassination attempts on Ukrainian officials, in particular on the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kirill Budanov, and Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov, said the head of the Security Service, Vasily Malyuk. Malyuk himself also remains one of the Russians' targets for elimination.
10:34 Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a meeting with Medvedev, who visited Beijing, expressed the hope that Russia and Ukraine "will maintain rationality, restraint and hold a comprehensive dialogue." Medvedev conveyed Putin's message to Xi Jinping, the Security Council said.
10:13 British intelligence reports that Russian troops, reinforced by the Wagnerites, have advanced slightly on the eastern outskirts of Bakhmut over the past week, and street fighting continues in the city. According to preliminary data, the Russians have already gained a foothold in the eastern industrial areas of the city, and at times even moved into the residential sector.
Intelligence notes that there has been no street fighting in Ukraine since the capture of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk in July. Analysts suggest that the Russian army will be ill-prepared for them.
09:57 The Ukrainian delegation at a meeting with Biden will ask for ATACMS missiles with a range of about 300 km, as well as reconnaissance and strike drones Gray Eagle and Reaper, writes Politico.
09:19 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the enemy on the morning of December 21.
personnel - about 99,740 (+510) people liquidated,
tanks - 3002 (+7),
armored combat vehicles - 5979 (+5),
artillery systems - 1972 (+12),
MLRS - 412 (+2),
air defense systems - 212 (+0),
aircraft - 282 (+1),
helicopters - 267 (+1),
UAV operational-tactical level - 1688 (+8),
cruise missiles - 653 (+0),
ships/boats - 16 (+0),
automotive equipment and tankers - 4608 (+9),
special equipment - 178 (+1).
09:08 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, two civilians were killed - in Vugledar and Torsk. In addition, in Svyatogorsk, law enforcement officers found the bodies of two civilians killed during the occupation. Eight more people were injured in the region, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.
09:05 Belarus has restricted access to three districts of the Gomel region bordering Ukraine - Loevsky, Braginsky and Khoiniki. They border on the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions of Ukraine.
08:43 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that the Kremlin is putting pressure on Lukashenka so that he does not have the opportunity to maneuver and, as a result, agrees to Russia's demands. Despite the deployment of Russian tanks in Belarus, analysts still see no signs of an attack on Ukraine from Belarus. At the same time, Russian military personnel will probably control the S-400 systems based in Belarus.
The ISW also notes that Putin's decision to reward people from his entourage who did not even take a direct part in the hostilities, in contrast to Zelensky's visit to the front line in Bakhmut, caused criticism among Russian nationalist forces.
In the meantime, Prigozhin further undermined Putin's reputation (perhaps not on purpose) in the Russian information space by trying to boost his authority against the backdrop of Zelensky's visit to Bakhmut. Prigozhin is also trying to legalize PMC Wagner, deprive it of the stigma of a "mercenary" and again present the group as a legitimate military formation in Russia that supports Russian national interests, analysts say.
08:35 The White House also confirmed that Zelensky will visit Washington on Wednesday, December 21. He is scheduled to address the joint session of both houses of Congress and meet with Biden for a total of several hours in the country. At the meeting between Biden and Zelensky, it is planned to discuss the strategic situation on the battlefield, sanctions and Western assistance to Ukraine.
Washington also announced a new $2 billion assistance package to Ukraine, which will include a Patriot air defense battery. The White House called the visit a signal to Putin that Washington will support Kyiv for as long as it takes.
08:28 Over the past day, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine repelled attacks by invaders in areas of 25 settlements. Among them - Masyutovka, Kharkiv region; Podkuychansk, Dibrova and Belogorovka in the Luhansk region and Verkhnekamenskoye, Veseloye, Yakovlevka, Bakhmutskoye, Bakhmut, Vodyanoye, Sands, Nevelskoye, Marinka, Novomikhailovka and Prechistovka in the Donetsk region, the General Staff said in the morning report .
According to the General Staff, since December 12, Russian troops have been preparing for the forced evacuation of residents of the city of Vasilyevka and nearby settlements of the Vasilyevsky district of the Zaporozhye region.
08:12 After visiting the advanced positions in Bakhmut, Zelensky went to the United States on an official visit, the Office of the President reported.
05:19 British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said that Russia lost more than 100 thousand people in the war against Ukraine, including liquidated, wounded and deserters, and now, perhaps, the resignation of the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation Valery Gerasimov is being prepared, since Putin does not want to be responsible for the failure of the war and huge losses.
03:26 The World Bank approved an additional package of financial assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $610 million. Funds will be allocated to address urgent needs for assistance and restoration of the state.
02:18 CNN reports that Zelensky will visit Washington on Wednesday, December 21, where he is scheduled to meet with Biden and speak in Congress. According to other media reports, the Ukrainian president is already on his way to the United States - on an American military plane that took off from the Ramstein base in Germany.
00:33 Macron said that Ukraine will receive Crotale air defense systems and Caesar self-propelled guns from France: “In recent days, France has sent Ukraine more weapons, rocket launchers, Crotale, equipment in addition to what we have already done. We are also working with the Minister of the Armed Forces, so that in the first quarter of 2023 we can again supply useful weapons and ammunition so that Ukrainians can protect themselves from bombing."
00:14 After Zelensky's trip to Bakhmut, Russian deputy Andrei Gurulev wrote that Putin was also allegedly at the front. Peskov later confirmed this information. However, investigative journalists of the Agency studied the video of Putin's visit to the headquarters and concluded that he visited the headquarters of the troops of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[RIA] Around the events in Ukraine, a peculiarity appeared, which was probably noticed by everyone who follows the news: the West is constantly and very actively discussing the topic of victory and defeat in the conflict. This is done by politicians and officials, experts and journalists, the military, economists and energy specialists.
The funny thing is that diametrically opposed positions are voiced. Some argue that Russia's victory is a foregone conclusion, she has, in essence, won. Others do not doubt that Moscow is suffering a crushing defeat, as a result of which it will be forced to accept the terms of surrender put forward by the collective West. In fact, this point of view was voiced in a recent article by Henry Kissinger . Current politicians have a similar discord. Someone demands to stop financing Kiev, because it makes no sense, and opponents furiously repeat that Russia cannot be allowed to win, especially since there is very little left before its defeat, literally within easy reach.
Everyone is trying to back up their position with one argument or another. In principle, it would be possible to analyze and rank the arguments presented. But much more interesting and important is the very fact of the emergence of such heated disputes in Western politics and the information field.
For decades, NATO , led by the United States, has waged many military campaigns, including long-term ones, around the world. Sometimes there were opinions in the media about the need to leave Iraq or Afghanistan , but these voices were so weak and marginal that they did not influence either public opinion or the position of the state.
The United States withdrew from Afghanistan when an undercover consensus emerged in Washington that this would be the best way out of the protracted impasse. But there was no large-scale socio-political reflection on the theme of the victory or defeat of the West.
Moreover, it could not exist in principle: for the simple reason that NATO's twenty-year-old Afghan operation practically did not change the lives of Americans and Europeans. They did not feel it when it was coming, and, in fact, they were not affected in any way by the exodus of the allies from this country, no matter how shameful it turned out to be.
This phenomenon concerns all military campaigns of NATO for half a century. The Vietnam War was the last one in which the American public was truly involved. Everything else - be it Iraq, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, again Iraq, Syriaand so on through a very long list - for Westerners it was nothing more than colorful pictures on TV screens. Limited contingents of professionals (contract soldiers and PMCs) operated there, and they fought with radically weaker opponents, which affected both the course of hostilities and losses.
The Western economy not only did not suffer damage from these wars, but usually even received benefits from them (Afghan drugs, Iraqi and Syrian oil, trillion-dollar budget injections with the corresponding "cuts" and much more), and this indirectly provided bonuses to ordinary citizens on both sides. side of the Atlantic Ocean .
So it is not surprising that Western society has traditionally treated military adventures with silent favor, and the establishment - with wild enthusiasm.
However, in Ukraine, the usual scheme has broken down, and in every sense.
On the one hand, the West's dream of a full-fledged proxy war has come true, and even against a truly powerful enemy. The states have always been forced to get involved in numerous armed conflicts themselves, because their local allies, even those who were trained and armed by the Americans, did not demonstrate the necessary level of combat capability.
Without the direct participation of the American military, it was impossible to achieve the desired result. Actually, Afghanistan has become another clear example, when the local armed forces trained by NATO, having lost Western support, immediately fled before the Taliban.
The Ukrainians, on the other hand, showed themselves to be excellent soldiers, fighting against the second army of the world. And the West took over intelligence, communications, financing, supply of weapons, military instructors, mercenaries and so on.
We must be aware that this is indeed a breakthrough military-political technology that US strategists have been developing for a long time, but its implementation has failed over and over again. And then it finally worked out - and not against some third world country, but against Russia. It is natural that many Western experts, being in euphoria from this breakthrough, believe that victory is a foregone conclusion and you just have to go to the end.
On the other hand, this success has serious "side effects": for the first time in the aforementioned half century, the West felt the hardships of wartime, even in a very curtailed form. For him, this is especially offensive, given the proxy nature of the ongoing conflict. For so many years, with whom only he did not fight himself, but this did not affect life in Europe and overseas. And here they seem to be acting with the hands of Ukrainians, but the socio-economic situation is deteriorating at home. The ordinary European and American, on his own wallet, feels that the fight against "aggressive Russia" is costing him more and more, and it is getting cooler at home and in the office.
Of course, it was not Russia and its NVO that caused the difficulties of the West - it simply came to an objective elimination of its socio-economic and financial system. Moreover, the NWO did not even become the reason that provoked the crisis - the West itself did this in its reaction to the special operation, deciding to crush our country with one sanctions blow, instead it received a powerful return of the boomerang.
But that doesn't matter.
For more than half a year Western politicians have been hammering into the minds of their citizens that Moscow and Putin personally are the cause of their growing disasters. Perhaps at first it seemed like a good ploy to absolve himself of responsibility. However, it was assumed that Ukraine, with the help of the West, would now quickly defeat Russia - and everything would be fine, even better than before.
And if these plans were realized, it would have happened.
But something went wrong. SVO is on its way. The "hellish" sanctions did not inflict not only critical, but even truly significant harm on Russia. Most of the world practically does not hide the fact that in the Western-Russian confrontation it is rooting for Moscow. The global economy is being de-dollarized and rebuilt on new foundations free from Western control.
Of course, things are not going well for Russia either. And it seems like the Atlantic "hawks" even have something to say and what arguments to bring in support of their position to continue the war to the last Ukrainian. But somehow it turns out that Ukraine is turning for the West into a frank "black hole", which absorbs more and more resources, weapons, money, mercenaries - and there is no end in sight to this process.
And the desired result is like a horizon: it seems that here it is, not so far away, but no matter how much you move towards it, it is inaccessible.
Worse, the involvement of Europe and the United States in the conflict is steadily growing. The war is rapidly losing the fig leaf in the form of the prefix "proxy". And in parallel, the life of people in the West is becoming more and more difficult - the movement downhill is accelerating and there is no gap in sight.
As a result, for the first time in many years, serious disagreements around the military topic appeared in the West and a public reflection began on the topic of what is happening in general and whether it is really necessary to continue along the path that leads the United States and its allies straight to an open military clash with a great nuclear power.
#1
From Vietnam on after so many conflicts do we see any results that demonstrate success. The Democrats like Biden are great at starting conflicts but never achieve a happy ending. Loss of life and money thrown down the drain. I see no difference today in their blind hatred of Russia. Today's actions by the West have had a major shift away from the West. She's so fine till the money runs out. After all it's for the greater good.
#3
Yes, perhaps this war will essentially dimish Russian influence for a decade or so.
and yes, perhaps this also dimishes the chance for a PRC invasion of Taiwan,
perhaps
But the cost, in lives, resources, etc. has been awful.
Putin's calculations were probably influenced by Biden administration's incompetance in the Afghan withdrawal.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/22/2022 12:44 Comments ||
Top||
#4
"We must be aware that this is indeed a breakthrough military-political technology that US strategists have been developing for a long time, but its implementation has failed over and over again. And then it finally worked out - and not against some third world country, but against Russia."
I cannot tell if this is satire, or if the author is serious. I might be lost in translation. Or missing a point.
#5
Putin's calculations were probably influenced by Biden administration's incompetance in the Afghan withdrawal.
There was little Biden push back before the invasion. At times Biden admin seemed to be giving assent for the rapist to stick it in, but not all the way in.
#6
What if their goal is just to earn a profit exploiting the misery of others in a variety of ways? Maybe they modeled their political interventionism off of the pharmaceutical industry.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/22/2022 15:31 Comments ||
Top||
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] Over 1,400 signatures were collected in four days by a petition against the return of the Stalingrad name to Volgograd. The petition is connected with the fact that the regional authorities have begun to study public opinion about the renaming of the city, the author of the appeal explained today.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 5, the first meeting of the council for the study of public opinion on the return of Stalingrad to Volgograd took place. Its participants discussed the idea of renaming the city, the regional authorities said. There are much more pressing problems in the region than the renaming of the regional center, users of the social network indicated.
On November 19, Volgograd veterans, on the anniversary of the start of the Battle of Stalingrad, proposed to Governor Andrei Bocharov to rename Volgograd to Stalingrad. The head of the region refused to fulfill the request of the veterans until the opinion of the inhabitants of the region was studied.
A member of the federal bureau of the Yabloko party, Alexander Yefimov, published a petition against the renaming of Volgograd, and in a few days about 1,500 people signed it. Alexander Efimov called this number "quite weighty" because "today in Russia, many do not believe in the effectiveness of such instruments, and some are simply afraid to sign," Kavkaz.Realii reported today.
According to Yefimov, the idea of renaming the city to Stalingrad has been around for a long time, but this is the first time that the local authorities have taken concrete steps. "And how the authorities “study” and adjust public opinion to their tasks is well known. Therefore, I decided to show that hundreds of residents of Volgograd and Volzhsky are against renaming," the publication quotes him as saying.
The petition created by Efimov is posted on the Change.org platform and is entitled "We will not allow the renaming of Volgograd to Stalingrad." The exact date of publication of the petition on the website is not indicated, it is noted that it was created "4 days ago", and "2 days ago" the number of signatures under it reached 1000. As of 15.50 Moscow time, the petition gained 1470 signatures.
"Over the past year, the calls of the heirs of the Bolshevik executioners to return the name of Stalin to the hero city of Volgograd, the name of a man who is personally responsible for monstrous crimes against his people, have been increasingly insistent.
Millions of people died, received long prison terms, were exiled, deported, deprived of civil rights , and mass arrests, torture, practically extrajudicial killings and unmotivated sentences (including capital punishment) have become not the exception, but the rule," Alexander Yefimov said in the petition.
In his opinion, the renaming of Volgograd to Stalingrad is "a direct justification for Stalin's crimes." "And an insult to the memory of millions who died in the Great Patriotic War and millions of victims of Stalin's repressions. We are categorically against such a renaming. The resurrection of the personality cult of a bloody dictator is unacceptable," the petition reads.
Recall that in August, activists of the "Union of the Russian People" demanded that the authorities rename Volgograd to Stalingrad and erect a monument to Stalin. Users of the social network "VKontakte" criticized this initiative. Historians also did not support this idea.
Volgograd initiatives to restore the image of Joseph Stalin serve to promote certain policies, but do not find mass support in society, local historians Valery Kotelnikov and Roman Skoda pointed out in September 2022. Political scientist Viktor Kogan-Yasny at the same time called the return of Stalin's images in Volgograd "a manifestation of the dense ignorant attitudes of a part of society and the views of a significant part of the bureaucracy."
In his opinion, the majority of residents of the Volgograd region do not support such initiatives. "If the people of Volgograd had not been critical of this [image of Stalin], then this [renaming of Volgograd to Stalingrad] would have been done long ago," he said.
In July 2022, "Not one step back" billboards appeared in Volgograd . Chairman of the City Council of Veterans Alexander Strukov explained that this happened at the initiative of local veterans on the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad after a bas-relief with this order of Stalin was installed in the regional administration. The placement of Stalin's orders is untimely and inappropriate, political scientist Alexander Saigin noted.
The opinion that Order No. 227 turned the tide of the war is one of the misconceptions about Stalin's role in the Great Patriotic War, historian Boris Sokolov believes. “Stalin hoped that, under the threat of executions and penal battalions, the Red Army soldiers would fight harder and inflict more damage on the enemy.
In reality, sometimes it turned out the other way around. Fearing reprisals, commanders of all levels were sometimes late in retreat, and this only led to additional losses,” the certificate says. "Caucasian Knot" " 10 myths about the role of Stalin in the Great Patriotic War " is a quote from Sokolov's book "Mythical War. Mirages of World War II."
Kindly note that several entries in this article may have been removed because they included discussions of the grand strategic level.
[NewsFrontInfo] 23:27 Aviation of the RF Armed Forces destroyed an oil storage facility in the Kharkiv region, which supplied the troops of Ukraine with fuel, the RF Ministry of Defense reported. 23:11 The Russian Armed Forces are making exhaustive efforts to prevent the death of civilians in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Minister stressed.
22:41 The RF Armed Forces will continue the special operation in 2023 until its tasks are fully completed - Shoigu.
21:16 In the area of the settlement of Disputed, the Russian military destroyed the commander of a platoon of the 108th Mountain Assault Battalion of the 10th Brigade Vitaly Danilchenko
21:15 Over the past day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson direction have lost:
- killed and wounded - more than 50 people, including - seven killed and 10 wounded as a result of fire damage by artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation of the newly equipped ammunition depot of the 126th Territorial Defense Brigade on the territory Kherson iron foundry.
In addition, during the day, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine amounted to:
- four units of automotive and combat armored vehicles;
- two artillery systems M-777;
- one self-propelled launcher of the Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system;
- one P-18 target acquisition radar;
- one unmanned aerial vehicle
20:33 In Ukraine, children on vacation for extracurricular readingissueda book about Zelensky, who travels through time, comes to the aid of the UPA and fights Stalin.
19:30 The amount of funding allowed to increase the supply of weapons to the troops by 30% in 2022
In the interests of the Russian Armed Forces, the supply of weapons most in demand in the army was postponed from 2024-2025 to 2023, Shoigu said.
▪️The Russian nuclear triad has been replenished with the first Tu-160M strategic bomber.
▪️During the period of the military operation, 120 people received the title of Hero of Russia, in total over 100 thousand people were awarded.
18:10 Mobilized snipers passed training at one of the training grounds of the Russian Ministry of Defense in the Republic of Dagestan
Every day, military personnel undergo phased training and combat coordination as part of their units under the guidance of instructors-mentors with modern combat experience.
◽️Snipers were trained to work both in pairs and alone. Daily exercises and exits, training in camouflage skills, fire training and tactical medicine have developed in the fighters the ability to save the life of themselves and their comrade.
◽️Particular attention was paid to working with weapons and sighting devices. Preparing a rifle for work is a whole thing. Here you have to take into account the weather conditions, which means you need to know your weapons thoroughly.
◽️The training took place in day and night conditions on various terrain.
17:08 An explosion was heard in Kyiv, a column of smoke is visible, the Strana newspaper reports. Earlier, the publication informed about the explosions in the Kyiv region.
17:05 On the situation with the energy sector of Ukraine before the next blows.
1. Up to 42% of consumers are without electricity or in emergency shutdown mode. In some regions, these figures reach up to 60%, and in Kyiv region it is 80%. DTEK and Zelensky's gang made it clear even earlier that such realities would persist at least until the end of March, and even then, if there were no new strikes, but there would be.
2. It has not yet been possible to fully restore the Internet in the “until October 10-12” mode. And this is so far without attacks on data centers (which are objectively desirable - some of them are quite accessible to defeat). Interruptions in cellular communications are less systemic.
3. Non-priority urban and rural areas are increasingly left either without electricity or are transferred to random emergency shutdowns (for example, today in Lviv, after the “successful resumption of rolling blackouts”, they were forced to switch to emergency ones, since the regional energy system cannot cope even without new beats).
4. Train delays are not yet critical, and in this regard, the energy system crisis has had a limited impact on rail transportation at the moment. As has been noted more than once, for more systemic consequences, it is necessary to defeat substations 750 and disconnect the nuclear power plant from the power grid in order to deprive the Zelensky gang of the opportunity to balance the power system after the strikes.
5. The transfer of new imported air defense systems to Ukraine will certainly allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to strengthen a number of air defense units covering the most important objects, although due to the size of the theater of operations and the abundance of objects that need to be covered, even one battery of the Patriot air defense system will not make the weather. In addition, in recent weeks, there has been a noticeable trend towards increased hunting by the RF Armed Forces for radars and air defense systems in combination with strikes.
16:02 Kyiv authorities reported an air alert
14:35 Aces in action: fighting Job crews of Su-35S and Su-30SM ZVO fighters
The crews of the Su-35S and Su-30SM fighters of the Western Military District, in the course of performing flight missions, continue to destroy enemy targets using a wide range of aircraft weapons.
Having hit the targets, the pilots return to the airfield. Planes are immediately prepared for the next flights - they are refueled, loaded, and new missiles are hung up.
Not only the reliability and modern equipment of equipment, but also the rich experience and the highest professionalism of fighter aces make it possible to maintain an advantage in the air.
To solve the assigned tasks, combat sorties of operational-tactical aircraft are carried out from temporary airfields.
13:27 An air raid alert has been declared in most of Ukraine, including Kyiv.
12:22 The main thing from the new briefing of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation:
◾️Six Ukrainian servicemen laid down their arms and surrendered in the Krasnoliman direction;
◾️The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation occupied new dominant heights and lines in the Donetsk direction, more than 80 military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed;
◾️The Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed an oil storage facility near Andreevka in the Kharkov region;
◾️The RF Armed Forces destroyed up to 60 Ukrainian soldiers in the Kupyansk sector;
◾️In the Yuzhnodonets direction, the artillery of the RF Armed Forces hit the manpower and equipment of units of the Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Terodefense Brigade;
◾️The RF Armed Forces destroyed three US-made M-777 artillery systems in the DPR;
◾️Fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the DPR shot down a Su-25 aircraft of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
◾️The Russian Armed Forces destroyed more than 30 military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and one enemy tank in the DPR;
◾️Russian troops destroyed two warehouses of artillery ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kharkov and Zaporozhye regions.
11:57 Russian kamikaze drone "Lancet" strikes radar P-18 in the Kherson region.
10:46 Another event in Kherson hit on target
According to information received from a source in Kherson, tonight the Russian Armed Forces suffered an artillery strike, as a result of which ammunition was detonated. Presumably, the newly equipped ammunition depot of the 126th Territorial Defense Brigade on the territory of the Kherson iron foundry was destroyed.
As a result of the fire damage, all the ammunition available on the territory of the plant was destroyed, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces unit suffered losses: seven soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were liquidated, 10 were injured and three units. automotive equipment disabled.
09:36 Rocket artillery of the "O" group destroys militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from 122mm BM-21 "Grad."
Having made a high-speed march to the starting positions from the combat duty area, the artillerymen of the Central Military District deployed and aimed the Grad installation according to UAV intelligence. As a result of the missile strike, Ukrainian lightly armored vehicles and enemy manpower were destroyed.
09:20 Front-line summary for the morning of 12/21/2022
In the Kherson direction, Russian cannon and rocket artillery hit the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the regional center. In addition, the military airfield in Chernobaevka was under attack. Arrivals are also on Antonovka, Nikolsky and Tokarevka.
On the Donetsk front, Russian troops continue their assault operations in the city of Maryinka. Slowly, but moving forward in the center of the village. The Ukrainian garrison is fighting fierce battles for every meter. The Ukrainian Armed Forces hit the center of Donetsk again. Also under fire were Makiivka and Gorlovka.
To the south of Artemovsk (Bakhmut), PMC "Wagner" attacked from Kurdyumovka. There is some progress. Fierce oncoming battles in the Experienced area. The same situation is on the eastern outskirts of Artemovsk itself. From the north, PMC "Wagner" is trying to advance in the Podgorodny area.
In the Seversk sector, Russian troops attacked again in the Verkhnekamensky area.
In the Lugansk direction, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation conducted offensive operations near Krasnopopovka and towards Stelmakhivka.
09:01 Ka-52 attack helicopters of the Russian Aerospace Forces attack enemy targets with guided missiles and deliver strikes with unguided aircraft missiles at discovered fortified points and areas of concentration of manpower of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
08:31 Personnel mortar crew work in the NWO zone.
07:11 A special unit of the Don Cossacks in the Kremensk direction is carrying outsweepforest plantations.
06:08 Night Job tankers and artillery to destroy equipment and personnel in firing positions.
03:39 An air raid alert has been announced in the Kyiv-controlled part of the Zaporozhye region, according to the official Ukrainian alert resource.
As the chairman of the movement “We are with Russia” Vladimir Rogov said in his Telegram channel, citing local sources, three explosions were heard in the suburbs of Zaporozhye.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFrontInfo] 22:18 Assistant to the head of the Chechen Republic, commander of the Akhmat special unit, hero of Russia Apti Alaudinov said that after a series of failures, the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine refuse to attack the Luhansk People's Republic. 21:00 JCCC DPR: Ukrainian military fired 12 rockets from MLRS in Donetsk, including in the center
19:33 On the operational lines of the DPR JCCC for December 21, additional information was received about damage as a result of shelling of the Ukrainian cities of the Republic:
n.p. Yelenovka:
- outpatient clinic No. 10 of the Central Primary Health Care Center No. 9 of Donetsk was damaged;
- st. Krupskaya, 78 - a direct hit in a private residential building;
- st. Lenina, 76, 78, 80 - private residential buildings;
The 10 kV line was damaged, without power supply to 450 subscribers.
n.p. Gorlovka:
Nikitovsky district:
- st. Sofia, 24, 46, 50 - private residential buildings.
Kalininsky district:
- st. Gogol, 13, 15 - private residential buildings.
Information about the consequences of shelling continues to arrive.
19:10 Tanks and artillery of the 3rd brigadecrushedenemy position.
Artillerymen of the 3rd Guards Brigade inflicted a fire defeat on the position of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, after which a tank approached it, completing the defeat of the enemy with direct fire. Ukrainian fighters fled leaving their wounded and dead.
18:45 “There is no rest from them day or night” – the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not stop terrorizing civilians in Nova Kakhovka.
The town on the banks of the Dnieper has been under constant shelling from the Armed Forces of Ukraine for a long time. The Ukronazis are targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. According to the head of the local administration Vladimir Leontiev, about 80% of the housing stock was damaged.
18:19 On the operational lines of the DPR JCCC for December 21, additional information was received about the damage as a result of shelling of the Ukrainian cities of the Republic:
n.p. Alexandrovka:
- a fire was recorded in the building of the MBDOU "Kindergarten No. 35".
n.p. Yelenovka:
- st. Krupskaya, 28 - a direct hit in a private residential building; completely destroyed.
Information about the consequences of shelling continues to arrive.
17:46 Evening summary of Headquarters of the Territorial Defense of the DPR on December 21, 2022.
17:25 Artillerymen of the RF Armed Forcesdestroyedthe next positions of the militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Lisichansk direction.
16:39 PMC "Wagner" staged ambus hon Ukrainian militants moving in a truck.
16:34 Ukrainian militants are shelling Panteleymonovka village (Central City district of Gorlovka)
15:46 The DPR JCCC recorded shelling from the AFU:
– n.p. Verkhnetoretskoye: four rounds of 152mm caliber were fired;
– n.p. Novoselovka: three mines of 120mm caliber were fired;
– n.p. Panteleymonovka: two rounds of 152mm caliber were fired;
– n.p. Golmovsky: five rockets were fired from the MLRS;
– n.p. Maiorsk: 14 rounds of 152mm caliber were fired;
- Donetsk (Petrovsky district): five rounds of 155mm caliber were fired;
- Donetsk (Kyiv region): five rounds of 155mm caliber were fired.
15:05 On the operational lines of the DPR JCCC for December 21, additional information was received about civilian casualties in the cities of the Republic:
n.p. Alexandrovka:
- on the street. Shevchenko, 99 wounded man born in 1957
Information about the consequences of shelling continues to arrive.
15:02 The offensive of the RF Armed Forces near Kremennaya continues. On video recaptured positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a captured armored personnel carrier.
14:50 On the operational lines of the DPR JCCC for December 21, additional information was received about civilian casualties in the cities of the Republic:
Donetsk (Petrovsky district):
- on the street. Stakhanov, 20 "a" a woman born in 1963 was wounded.
Additional information was received about damage as a result of the shelling of the VFU cities of the Republic:
Donetsk (Kuibyshevsky district):
- st. Geochemical, 6, 8 - private residential buildings.
Information about the consequences of shelling continues to arrive.
14:17 Fixation consequences of the shelling of the Proletarsky district of Donetsk on December 21, 2022
13:42 AFU fired at Novaya Kakhovka and Energodar.
In Energodar, the industrial zone and the coastal part of the city were hit, at least three explosions were heard. In Novaya Kakhovka, two people previously died.
13:10 Petrovsky district of Donetsk 155mm projectile fired by the enemyhiton the roof of an apartment building.
12:25 Tankers of the 57th Motorized Rifle Brigade in the Artemovsk direction continue measures to destroy the Ukrainian Nazis.
12:09 Consequences of shelling by Ukrainian militants of the Kalininsky district of Gorlovka, as a result of which a civilian was injured.
11:39 Consequences of shelling from the MLRS of the Proletarsky district of Donetsk.
11:17 Ukrainian militants again fired at New Kakhovka. At 07:20, the Armed Forces of Ukraine fired 10 rounds of cannon artillery at Nova Kakhovka, the emergency services reported "The main thing in Kherson and the region." Information about civilian casualties and destruction is being specified.
11:16 On photo destruction of residential buildings of varying degrees was recorded as a result of shelling of the armed formations of Ukraine in the Nikitovsky district of Gorlovka.
10:58 In the Kirovsky district of Donetsk, on the street. Biryuzov, prohibited anti-personnel mines PFM-1 "Petal" dropped by VFU were found.
10:35 Statement by the NM of the DPR on the situation as of 10.30 21.12.2022
The Ukrainian side continues to terrorize the civilian population of the Republic, inflicting massive artillery strikes on residential areas and civilian infrastructure, which are not military targets.
Over the past day, according to the information of the Representative Office of the JCCC in the DPR, the enemy fired two hundred and thirty-four pieces of ammunition from the 122mm BM-21 Grad MLRS, barreled artillery of 155mm, 152mm and 122mm caliber, as well as 120mm mortars. The fire was fired at the areas of ten settlements of the Republic. Nine housing constructions and four civil infrastructure facilities were damaged. Additional information about injured civilians and damage to infrastructure is being specified.
Joint actions of the military personnel of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed the following enemy weapons and military equipment: one tank
("T-64BV"), two self-propelled howitzers ("AHS Krab" and "M-777")
10:00 Statement by the official representative of the NM of the LPR, Major Filiponenko I.M. as of December 21, 2022
Over the past day, during the active offensive operations of the units of the People's Militia of the LPR, the enemy suffered heavy losses in manpower and military equipment. Destroyed:
- up to 35 personnel;
- three armored personnel carriers;
- two artillery installations;
- 13 units of special vehicles.
09:53 Fighting reported in N. p. Maksyutovka, the RF Armed Forces destroy and drive out the enemy.
09:40 Destruction of P-18 in the Kherson direction by the Russian "Lancet". As a result of the strike, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have no communication in this area.
09:36FAE rocket artilley "Sunshine" fulfills on the positions of the Armed Forces. Artemovsk direction.
08:50 Information on the shelling of Gorlovka as of 08:00 on December 21, 2022
08:37 On photo the consequences of the morning shelling of the village. sh-you im. Kalinin from VFU.
08:01 For a day on the territory of the DPR, there were no casualties among civilians.
Over the past 24 hours, from 08:00 on December 20 to 08:00 on December 21, there were no casualties as a result of the shelling of the AFU on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic.
07:42 As a result of the shelling of the Gorlovsky village of the mine. Kalinin, a peaceful Gorlovka woman was wounded from the side of the VFU.
07:06 Ukrainian terrorists fired at the village of the mine. Kalinin (Kalinin district of Gorlovka). Power lines were damaged, the village was partially de-energized. Gorlovka Mayor Ivan Prikhodko reports.
07:01 Over the past day, on December 20, 2022, the LPR representation in the JCCC did not record shelling in settlements.
Most of the commentary from Russian blogger Viktor Murakhovskiy.
[ColonelCassad] About new units and formations that will be formed in 2023.
Create two interspecific strategic territorial associations of the Armed Forces - the Moscow and Leningrad military districts.
To form three motorized rifle divisions, including as part of combined arms formations in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, as well as an army corps in Karelia.
Reorganize into motorized rifle divisions seven motorized rifle brigades in the Western, Central, Eastern military districts and in the Northern Fleet.
In the Airborne Forces, it is necessary to additionally form two airborne assault divisions.
In the coastal troops of the Navy, on the basis of the existing marine brigades, form five divisions of the marine corps.
For each combined-arms (tank) army, maintain a mixed aviation division and an army aviation brigade, numbering 80-100 combat helicopters.
In addition, to additionally form three directorates of aviation divisions, eight bomber aviation regiments, one fighter aviation regiment, and six army aviation brigades.
To create an artillery reserve in strategic directions, form five artillery divisions of military districts, as well as high-capacity artillery brigades.
Next year, three repair plants will be formed and repair units at the military level will be strengthened.
To increase the number of servicemen under the contract, taking into account the replacement of mobilized citizens in the groupings of troops and the recruitment of new formations, by the end of the year, to 521 thousand people.
#1
Author Col. Trevor N. Dupuy stated that it took 12-14 months for the US to convert reserve formations into 'green' divisions in WW2. Divisions formed of draftees with an experienced cadre took 16-18 months. (IIRC it was in Understanding War(1986)
tl/dr: These formations should be ready in late 2023, earlier if the Russians are more willing to take higher casualties by using raw troops.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] On the situation with the energy sector of Ukraine before the next blows.
1. Up to 42% of consumers are without electricity or in emergency shutdown mode. In some regions, these figures reach up to 60%, and in the Kyiv region it is 80%. DTEK and Zelensky's gang made it clear even earlier that such realities would persist at least until the end of March, and even then, if there were no new strikes, but there would be.
2. It is not yet possible to fully restore the Internet in the "until October 10-12" mode. And this is so far without attacks on data centers (which are objectively desirable - some of them are quite accessible to defeat). Interruptions in cellular communications are less systemic.
3. Non-priority urban and rural areas are increasingly left either without electricity, or transferred to random emergency shutdowns (for example, today in Lviv, after the "successful resumption of rolling blackouts", they were forced to switch to emergency ones, since the regional energy system cannot cope even without new beats).
4. Train delays are not yet critical, and in this regard, the energy system crisis has had a limited impact on rail transportation at the moment. As has been noted more than once, for more systemic consequences, it is necessary to defeat substations 750 and disconnect the nuclear power plant from the power grid in order to deprive the Zelensky gang of the opportunity to balance the power system after the strikes.
5. The transfer of new imported air defense systems to Ukraine will certainly allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to strengthen a number of air defense units covering the most important objects, although due to the size of the theater of operations and the abundance of objects that need to be covered, even one battery of the Patriot air defense system will not make the weather. In addition, in recent weeks, there has been a noticeable trend towards increased hunting by the RF Armed Forces for radars and air defense systems in combination with strikes.
Commentary mainly by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] Nomenclature of the next delivery of weapons to Ukraine.
- One Patriot battery and ammunition;
- Ammunition for HIMARS;
- 500 Excalibur shells;
- 10 120-mm mortars and 10,000 mines;
- 10 82-mm mortars;
- 10 60-mm mortars;
- 37 Cougar MRAPs;
- 120 HMMWV;
- 6 armored trucks;
- HARM missiles;
- High-precision aviation ammunition (JDAM);
- More than 2,700 grenade launchers and small arms;
- Claymore anti-personnel mines;
- night vision devices and optics;
- Communication systems;
- Body armor.
- 45,000 152-mm shells;
- 20,000 122-mm shells;
- 50,000 122-mm rockets for the Grad MLRS;
- 100,000 125mm tank ammunition;
- Terminals and communication services;
- Training, maintenance, etc.
https://t.me/OpenUkraine
REGARDING THE PATRIOT AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM.
One battery will be supplied - this is either 4 or 8 launchers, depending on the configuration.
Accordingly, if there are 4 installations, then these are 16 missiles, if there are 8 installations, then 32.
In addition, it is necessary to specify which modification of the PAC-2 or PAC-3.
If PAC-2, then during the Yemeni war the system showed its low effectiveness against Iranian drones and missiles. The PAC-3 is more effective, but also missed Iranian cruise and ballistic missiles that broke through the air defense units created to cover the airports and oil production facilities of Saudi Aramco.
ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PATRIOT AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM DURING THE YEMENI WAR. 2019 YEAR.
The command of the Yemeni army, acting jointly with the Houthis, announced that on July 4 (on Independence Day of the United States), a drone strike (according to other sources, an Iranian-made cruise missile) destroyed the Patriot air defense system that covered the actions of a group of Saudi and Sudanese mercenaries on the border of Yemen and Saudi Arabia .
In addition, after the defeat of the Patriot air defense system (supposedly it was in a non-deployed position), the Badr-1 ballistic missile (of Iranian origin) in the province of Marib successfully hit the accumulation of Saudi and Sudanese infantry, causing heavy losses in enemy personnel, including 12 senior officers.
Also on July 4-6, there were quite a few raids on the Jizan airport (both UAVs and ballistic missiles were used), which received some damage and was forced to suspend civil aviation flights. The Jizan air defense unit again failed to work effectively, although regarding the strikes on July 6 and 7 (strikes on Jizan and Abha airports have been inflicted since the end of June), the Saudi coalition command stated that the Houthis were unable to effectively hit targets at the Jizan airport. They are silent about the "Patriot".
Already the hostilities of 2017-2018 clearly showed that in the confrontation with the Houthis strike weapons, the Patriot air defense system, to put it mildly, is screwed up (adjusted for the quality of the Saudi military).
Most famous stories:
1. Houthis attack with ballistic missiles on Riyadh International Airport. The missile passed over the air defense umbrella and landed safely 1.5 kilometers from the international terminal. If the Houthis had been more precise, the consequences for Saudi Arabia would have been very bleak.
2. Attacks on the airport in the province of Asir. During the summer of 2019, the Houthis launched 15 to 20 attacks on the airport with missiles and UAVs. Some of the Saudis were able to shoot down, but some flew (hitting the terminal, parking, take-off and surrounding buildings). The air defense system, to put it mildly, coped poorly.
3. Attacks on the port of Jizan and oil facilities of Saudi Aramco - since 2016, there have been several hits on the territory of the port, on the infrastructure of pipelines leading to Jizan and one of the facilities of Saudi Aramco. The Saudis were able to shoot down only part of what they launched from Yemen.
4. During the repulse of an attack on one of the cities of Saudi Arabia in the province of Jizan, one of the missiles of the Patriot air defense system failed and fell on the city, causing some damage. Part of the Houthi missiles passed through the air defense umbrella and hit the military facilities of the Saudis.
5. Approximately 4-5 military bases in Saudi Arabia since 2017 have been subjected to rocket attacks, with losses in manpower and military property. Observers also noted strange air defense flaws in these attacks, even when they touched bases near Riyadh.
In general, this system should not be overestimated, as well as underestimated. She's definitely going to hit something. But just like in Yemen, it will certainly "leak".
[NavalNews] According to the United Shipbuilding Corporation, dock repairs on the Russian aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov", which has been undergoing maintenance since 2017, are complete and the carrier will leave dry dock soon.
The Admiral Kuznetsov heavy aircraft carrier of project 1143.5 will leave the dockside after repairs in the next few days, Alexei Rakhmanov, director-general of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, said.
“The dock repairs are almost completed. The only thing left is to prepare the ship for repairs at the moorage. This will happen in the next few days. We are going to refill a ditch with water, pull down the barrier to enable the aircraft carrier to sail to moorage for the final stage of repairs.”
Alexei Rakhmanov, Director-General of the United Shipbuilding Corporation
He also said that the second half of the repair works had to be re-oriented because of an incident involving a PD-50 dock.
"The repairs of Admiral Kuznetsov are scheduled to be over in 2024," Rakhmanov added.
Previous reports said that Kuznetsov had been placed in a modernized dry dock in the branch of "35 ship repair plant" of JSC Ship Repair Center “Zvezdochka” early in June.
The Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier will get a totally new combat potential upon the renovation. It will serve the Navy for another 10-15 years.
Naval News comments:
Admiral Kuznetsov began the overhaul in 2017 after operating on the Syrian coast. In October 2018, it was leaving the floating PD-50 dock of the 82nd shipyard in Roslyakovo when the dock began to sink. A crane fell on the deck because of the list. On December 12, 2019, a fire broke out on the carrier. Kuznetsov is currently in the 35th shipyard in Murmansk.
Repairs are expected to cost 300 to 350 million rubles. Some of the systems aboard the vessel will be upgraded, such as the CIWS.
#3
And another fire: Russian Aircraft Carrier Admiral Kuznetsov Starts to Leave Drydock, local sources claim a minor fire onboard According to local sources on social media, a fire broke out aboard the Kuznetsov. The sources claim that the fire spread to a 6-meter area on the open deck. They also stated that the crew immediately reacted to the fire and extinguished it. The crew is currently checking the other compartments to ensure safety.
Supposedly a minor fire broke out on Kuznetsov in Murmansk. Just rumours at the moment, so take it for what its worth. The carrier is currently scheduled to be launched from her improvised drydock, an operation the yard says will take one month (!). https://t.co/mSy5Vah4PA
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.
