[FoxNews] In the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, the Ukrainian government in Kyiv surrendered the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said during an interview Wednesday that he regrets forcing Ukraine to dismantle its nuclear program amid the country’s ongoing war with Russia. He said the war likely would not have happened if Kyiv still had the nuclear weapons.
The war has continued for more than 400 days and includes hundreds of thousands of casualties, including soldiers and civilians.
During an interview with Irish news service RTÉ released on Tuesday, Clinton suggested that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if Kyiv still had its nuclear deterrent.
"I feel a personal stake because I got them [Ukraine] to agree to give up their nuclear weapons," Clinton said. "And none of them believe that Russia would have pulled this stunt if Ukraine still had their weapons."
Having is one thing. Knowing how to use the things, not to mention maintaining and safely storing them is something else altogether. How many would have been quietly sold off by the guards over the years, had they not been taken away at the outset?
#1
Of all the bad things Bill Clinton did and all the things he did wrong which he does not regret, here is something he did right and now he regrets it. Odds are this war would have gone nuclear already if Zelensky had nukes.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/05/2023 13:06 Comments ||
Top||
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[REGNUM] The British Permanent Mission to the UN blocked the broadcast of an informal meeting of the UN Security Council organized by Russia on the issue of children evacuated from Ukraine. This was stated on April 4 by Dmitry Polyansky, First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, on his Twitter page.
“The British Mission has blocked the UN webcast of our informal meeting of the Security Council tomorrow on the topic "Children and armed conflict: the Ukrainian crisis. Evacuation of children from the conflict zone."
Western countries are clearly afraid that many will finally hear the truth on this subject. They, of course, would prefer to continue to spread lies and fakes that Russia allegedly "steals children” from Ukraine. Our meeting threatens this false narrative and is therefore a bone in their throat. This is how they understand "freedom of speech," the Russian diplomat said.
Polyansky noted that the Russian permanent mission will find a way to broadcast this meeting on other platforms, in addition to the official UN website.
He specifically emphasized that Russia, as a mirror step, would henceforth block UN webcasts of all such meetings, citing the "UK censorship clause."
As previously reported, statements have been made repeatedly in Kyiv and in the West about the allegedly forcible deportation of Ukrainian children from the war zone to Russia. Russia was accused of forced Russification of children and even "of the eradication of the Ukrainian nation."
#1
Not saying Russians are telling the truth here but, OTOH, there is nothing new about Western media suppressing the truth. Just ask Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/05/2023 12:33 Comments ||
Top||
[YouTube] Gleb Karakulov, an officer in Putin’s secretive personal security service, defected in October. The 35-year-old engineer is one of few Russians to flee and go public who have rank, as well as knowledge of intimate details of Putin’s life and potentially classified information
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 22:46 Zelensky said that he addressed the Chilean parliament: "It doesn't matter what the distance between our peoples is. We equally value life and defend the international order. We must deprive rashism of even hope for support in Latin America."
22:42 Zelensky said in an evening video message that he had held a military meeting today in a special format: "General Syrsky - on Bakhmut, commander-in-chief, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate - on the general military situation. The Ministry of Defense - on the supply of ammunition and everything else on the needs of our defenders. Decisions "They are already being implemented. We have been preparing all day for the international events scheduled for this week. They are important, courageous, ambitious. We keep the internal situation under control, in particular, spiritual independence. We also guarantee it."
In addition, the president noted two important decisions: the United States is providing a $2.6 billion defense support package, and the work of the UN Independent International Commission, which is investigating Russian crimes against Ukrainians, has been extended.
21:18 The Foreign Ministers of the NATO countries supported the development of a multi-year support program for Ukraine, which will help it move closer to the alliance, Stoltenberg said following a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO commission. In turn, Kuleba clarified that this is not a MAP - this issue has been removed from the agenda, since Ukraine has applied for membership.
21:14 Responsibility for the explosion in a cafe in St. Petersburg, as a result of which Vladlen Tatarsky died, was taken over by the local column of the National Republican Army. The partisans said in a statement that the rally was organized personally against Tatarsky and a group of activists who support the war in Ukraine.
20:51 Kuleba said that the work of the Ukraine-NATO commission was unblocked, and the next meeting could be held in Vilnius with the participation of Zelensky: "For the first time in six years, a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO commission was held. This main basic format of interaction at a high political level was blocked. And "we not only managed to unblock it, but there is a great desire to hold such a meeting with the participation of the president at the summit in Vilnius. This is important because the commission is an important mechanism for the allies to make the necessary decisions."
20:25 Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjarto expressed dissatisfaction with the resumption of the work of the Ukraine-NATO commission, which gathered for a meeting in Brussels: "The invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine violates the principle of unity of allies within NATO, but we will take part in the meeting in a constructive spirit." Szijjarto added that Budapest would stop blocking Ukraine's rapprochement with NATO "provided that the Ukrainians return the rights to the Hungarians of Transcarpathia, which they enjoyed until 2015."
20:14 Zelensky during a video meeting with the US National Association of Governors explained why America should help Ukraine and invest in the country's defense: "The Kremlin dreams of humiliating America, Europe, the entire free world ... The Kremlin dreams of splitting NATO, provoking a conflict that will put your nation is faced with a choice: to fight or not.It is Ukraine that is now your reliable last frontier... Thanks to the Ukrainian fortress, in particular, your people will not have to make this choice... The enemy of freedom must lose quickly and reliably where he came with a criminal and unprovoked aggressive war. That is why we are turning to the United States for support, for weapons and for finance. If Ukraine survives, your world, your allies and partners will survive."
19:36 Zaluzhny said in a telephone conversation with the head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, that the situation at the front is "difficult, but controllable." During the conversation, the parties paid special attention to the issue of the supply of weapons and ammunition, and also stressed the importance of strengthening the air defense system of Ukraine. We discussed the future steps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the de-occupation of Ukrainian territory.
19:11 Forced evacuation of children has been announced in 21 settlements of the Donetsk region, the Ministry of Reintegration reported. 126 children from those settlements where the situation remains critical are subject to mandatory evacuation. Evacuated children accompanied by a parent or legal representative will be provided with free housing, social guarantees, humanitarian aid and psychological support.
18:52 The Pentagon has announced a new $2.6 billion military aid package to Ukraine. The package includes additional ammunition for the Patriot and HIMARS air defense systems, 155mm and 105mm artillery shells, 120mm mortar shells.
18:45 Bakhmut and Maryinka remain at the epicenter of hostilities. The Russians continue to concentrate their main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions - more than 45 enemy attacks were repelled during the day, the General Staff said in an evening summary.
In Starobelsk, Luhansk region, the occupying "authorities" use representatives of public utilities to move Russian military personnel into apartments and houses temporarily abandoned by citizens of Ukraine. This is done under the pretext of preventive checks of meter readings by utilities. There has also been an increase in the cases of the removal of local residents in an unknown direction without explanation after random checks of mobile phones.
18:19 Khmelnitsky Regional Council unanimously decided to ban the activities of the UOC in the region. The decision also instructs local authorities to conduct an inventory of UOC lands for further withdrawal.
17:46 Kuleba said after meeting with Blinken that "more military aid is on the way."
17:20 The Russians are going to destroy the burial places of the murdered Mariupol residents - mass graves in Mangush, said Petr Andryushchenko, adviser to the mayor of Mariupol. According to him, in March, the "DPR" prosecutor's office began an inventory of cemeteries in the Donetsk region. The Mangush occupation administration responded to a request from the prosecutor's office that there were no "unregistered" cemeteries in the village. We are talking about a mass grave along the highway, where the murdered Mariupol residents were massively buried, which in reality exists, but according to the documents - no.
Due to inspections by the local prosecutor's office, the local "authorities" decided to destroy the graves and all signs of burials - otherwise they will have to explain where the money for the burial went. “Therefore, a bulldozer and an excavator should bury evidence not only of war crimes, but also of bribery and profit on the mountain of Mariupol,” Andryushchenko noted and showed a photo of the graves, which he also promised to hand over to the FSB of the Russian Federation.
16:59 Norway has joined the tenth package of EU sanctions against Russia, the country's government announced.
16:47 Kamenets-Podilskyi City Council voted to terminate the right of the UOC-MP to use land plots and churches in the city.
16:13 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, thanking him for 2.4 billion Canadian dollars (almost 1.8 US dollars) in aid to the Ukrainian budget and significant defense support. We discussed in detail the situation on the battlefield and Ukraine's further security needs.
15:52 Finland has officially become the 31st member of NATO , US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said at a document exchange ceremony between Finland and the alliance. At the same time, he ironically thanked Putin for the expansion of NATO and the membership of Finland. Read more about what the accession of Finland means in the material Alliance is getting closer to Russia .
15:33 Putin and Lukashenko will hold talks on Wednesday, April 5, and on April 6, a meeting of the supreme state council of the "union state" will be held in Moscow, decisions are planned "on a number of issues of integration cooperation," the Kremlin said.
15:06 The head of the Belarusian KGB, Yuri Tertel, said that "camps for the training of militants" supposedly exist on the territory of Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and the Czech Republic. According to him, these forces allegedly plan to "intensify terrorist activity in Belarus" in the spring.
14:49 24 thousand people have already been included in the list of sponsors and those involved in the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, said the head of the NAPC, Alexander Novikov. He clarified that any foreign company that continues to work in the Russian Federation sponsors the killings of Ukrainians. "We have created the world's largest database of those involved in the war. This is 24,000 people. In Ukraine, due to the operation of this base, sanctions have been imposed on the largest number of people in world history," Novikov said.
According to him, a separate part of this project is the international register of war sponsors, which includes international companies that have not left Russia. With the help of a special database, any bank or foreign agency will see that this or that company is marked as one that does not conduct socially responsible business, but finances the war. For companies, this is a huge reputational pressure, the head of the NAPC added.
14:31 Zelensky said that he had spoken with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in particular, they discussed the need to prepare the 11th package of sanctions and progress in implementing the recommendations of the European Commission.
14:16 The SBU has collected an evidence base on the former rector of one of the churches of the Izyum diocese of the UOC-MP, who blessed the Russian military during the occupation of the Kharkiv region. In particular, the archpriest organized a staged church procession for the Day of the Baptism of Kievan Rus, in which he tried to attract local residents. He blessed the Russian occupiers and blessed their columns of military equipment in the Kupyansky district, and the entire process was filmed for further publication in the propaganda media.
During the liberation of the Kharkiv region, the attacker fled with his family to Russia, where he was appointed rector of the Orthodox parish of the St. John the Baptist Church of the Tver and Kashin diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.
13:48 Speaker of the Eastern Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Sergey Cherevaty confirmed that the head of PMC Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin brought the flag to the Bakhmut city administration building, which had long been destroyed as a result of fighting in the city. According to Cherevaty, Bakhmut remains the main focus of Russian strikes, primarily by Wagner PMC mercenaries.
13:34 The head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, Sergei Naryshkin, during a meeting with Lukashenka in Minsk, said that the Polish leadership allegedly "cannot refuse" plans to return the lands of western Ukraine and is "waiting for a good moment" to gain control over these territories. He also said that the West is trying to convince Tbilisi of the need to open a "second front" against Russia.
13:07 In the Poltava region, the curfew has also been reduced: from April 5 it will last from 00:00 to 04:00, said the head of the OVA Dmitry Lunin. "This is a step towards businesses, working in particular in the areas of catering and trade, so that establishments can extend their work, and workers can get home," he explained.
12:53 Peskov said that Finland's entry into NATO is another "aggravation of the situation," and the expansion of the alliance is "an encroachment on Russia's security." At the same time, he noted that this situation is fundamentally different from the problem with Ukraine, since "Finland has never been anti-Russia."
12:39 The Russians temporarily stopped using "Shaheds" from the south due to the high effectiveness of Ukrainian air defense, Natalya Gumenyuk, speaker of OK Pivden, said. According to her, this night the enemy used a slightly different tactic - in particular, sent "Shaheds" from the eastern coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov along relief features at a low enough height so that they were as invisible as possible.
12:36 Shoigu said that the Iskander-M missile system, capable of carrying nuclear missiles, was handed over to the Belarusian military. According to him, since April 3, training of the Belarusian crews of the complex has begun at the training ground in Russia.
12:33 Valery Fadeev, head of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, said that Wikipedia contains "many distortions", so it needs to be closed and an alternative created.
12:19 Lithuania prohibits Russians from buying real estate in the country - this decision was made by the Parliament for reasons of national security. The ban will be valid until 2024 and will not apply to Russians with a residence permit.
11:57 In Russia, the court sentenced Yevgeny Nikiforov, a resident of the Volgograd region, to six and a half years in prison, who allegedly was going to fight on the side of Ukraine against the Russian Federation.
11:44 Khmelnitsky City Council has terminated the right to use land on the territory of the Holy Intercession Cathedral, where a clergyman of the UOC-MP and believers beat a military man. Now the council has passed to the OCU.
11:40 A scandal broke out in Russia: they want to build a giant mosque on the "holy Orthodox place". Muscovites and "Kadyrovtsy" intervened in the situation. More details - in the material "Kadyrovtsy" threaten with war .
11:17 Beijing is ready to discuss the settlement of the Ukrainian issue with the European Union, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said: "We are ready for dialogue and contacts with the European side on the political settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. We hope that the EU will show strategic independence and political wisdom." Mao Ning stressed that China is not a party to the military conflict and actively supports the peaceful resolution of the crisis.
10:56 British intelligence believes that Russia can work on the creation of new private military companies that could become an alternative to the Wagner group in the war against Ukraine. According to analysts, Russia would like to gradually replace Wagner with other PMCs due to tension between the Russian Defense Ministry and Prigozhin. At the same time, intelligence adds that none of the known Russian private military companies is comparable to the Wagner group in terms of size and combat capability.
Moscow probably appreciated the "convenience" of using PMCs, since it creates fewer hard limits on payments and such structures are more effective than a regular army. In addition, it will be easier for society to perceive large losses among PMC mercenaries than in the regular army, intelligence notes.
10:39 Air Force Speaker Yuri Ignat specified that there are five fighter brigades in the Armed Forces, three of them are armed with MiG-29s. "The transfer of Polish and Slovak MiG-29s will slightly increase the capabilities of the Air Force's fighter aircraft in carrying out current combat missions, but in no case will solve the issue of "counteroffensive", "victory", etc. To gain air superiority and victory, we need modern multi-purpose aircraft with a wide range of weapons," he stressed.
10:17 Kuleba said that he began his visit to Brussels with a meeting with Borrell. According to him, one of the topics of the meeting was the European initiative for the joint purchase of ammunition for Ukraine. In addition, the diplomats discussed the expansion of support under the European Peace Fund and future contacts between the EU and China. Borrell said the EU will continue to support Ukraine "for as long as necessary and make Russia pay a high price for its aggression until it stops."
09:51 Russia recently began using planning bombs, dropping several dozen of them a day across the entire demarcation area from Su-35 and Su-34 aircraft. Such tactics pose a threat to Ukrainian air defense, said Yury Ignat, spokesman for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"There is no lull. The enemy's aviation, unfortunately, is working, and yesterday it was said more than once in the news that they began to use glide bombs that can fly tens of kilometers - up to 70 km, an approximate distance. The enemy uses 10-15, up to 20 bombs per day along the entire line of demarcation from Su-35, Su-34 aircraft, which are not included in the zone of destruction of our air defense. And this is a new threat for us, which must be promptly responded to," Ignat said.
He added that so far Ukraine has nothing to react to: in order to drive enemy aircraft as far as possible from the Ukrainian borders, long-range systems and air defense systems, as well as fighters that can use air-to-air missiles at long distances, are needed.
09:08 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, four people were killed (two in Toretsk, one each in Avdiivka and Torsk), three more were injured. In the Kherson region, one person died, in the Kharkiv region - one was injured, according to the OVA.
08:43 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the enemy as of the morning of April 4.
personnel - about 175,690 (+530) people liquidated,
tanks - 3627 (+8),
armored combat vehicles - 6999 (+6),
artillery systems - 2697 (+3),
MLRS - 528 (+1),
air defense systems - 280 (+0),
aircraft - 306 (+0),
helicopters - 291 (+0),
UAV operational-tactical level - 2277 (+15),
cruise missiles - 911 (+0),
ships/boats - 18 (+0),
automotive equipment and tankers - 5562 (+9),
special equipment - 298 (+0).
08:26 The Russian army is concentrating its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions. Over the past day, 69 enemy attacks were repulsed. The most fierce fighting continues for Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Maryinka, the General Staff reported in the morning report . In particular, in the Bakhmut direction, the enemy is trying to take Bakhmut under full control and continues to storm him. He led unsuccessful offensive operations near the settlements of Orekhovo-Vasilyevka and Ivanovskoye.
In certain settlements of the Kakhovka district of the Kherson region, on April 2, the Russians forbade local residents to leave their homes. All public places were closed during the day. In some villages of the Kakhovka district, pensioners need to stand in line to receive pensions, money is not enough for everyone and not in full. However, for a certain "reward" receiving social benefits becomes more accessible.
07:48 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) confirmed the data of Russian sources that Wagner PMC mercenaries captured the Bakhmut administration building, Russian forces are moving into the city center. Analysts cite footage of the Russian flag at the top of Bakhmut's shattered administration.
According to ISW, the Wagnerites will continue their attempts to consolidate control over the central part of Bakhmut and will try to move west through the densely populated areas of the city in the direction of Khromovo. Together with the Wagnerites in Bakhmut, regular Russian troops, including the Airborne Forces, are increasingly active, experts say.
ISW also reports that on March 10, Russian security forces ordered a number of government officials and employees of state-owned companies to surrender their passports under the threat of forcible seizure of documents or forced dismissals. Analysts believe that in this way the Kremlin seeks to prevent elites from traveling abroad.
07:24 The Russians attacked the south of the country at night with kamikaze drones of the Shahed-131/136 type. Of the 17 drones, 14 were destroyed, including 13 in the sky of the Odessa region and one over the Mykolaiv region, OK Pivden reported. As a result of a hit on one of the enterprises in the Odessa region, a fire broke out, which was eliminated before the morning. According to preliminary information, people were not injured.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Sergey Savchuk
[RIA] Two wonderful and very symptomatic news came from the European Union. The Polish edition of Angora conducted a comparative analysis of the cost of a basket of Easter products in the past and the current year.
As the current mayor of Kiev would say, not only the most popular products have risen in price, few of the food supplies could remain in their old positions. So, for example, the obligatory Easter cake a year ago cost 18 zlotys, and this will cost 26 zlotys (475 rubles), a similar trend was demonstrated by other product groups. A loaf of the simplest bread has increased in price from 2.20 zlotys to 3.35 (62 rubles), eggs have risen in price from 7 to 12 zlotys (220 rubles), mayonnaise has doubled in weight, and now they are asking for 15 zlotys (275 rubles), sausage cost 18, and now 28 zlotys (515 rubles).
But the most record growth was shown by ordinary toilet paper. For unknown reasons, the price tags for it have increased exactly three times, from eleven to 33 zlotys (605 rubles). According to the publication, due to one and a half, and sometimes twofold increase in prices, Polandwaiting for the most expensive Easter in the last 30 years.
This trend would be incomplete without mentioning the second, truly masterpiece news.
As the German Bild writes, the local branch of the international organization the Red Cross has been collecting financial assistance for Ukraine for a long time and persistently, having accumulated almost four hundred thousand euros. However, just before sending it, its representatives announced that the collected amount would be used to pay off the debts that had formed for utilities, which in Germany had grown several times over the past year.
Such is the playful grimace of reality, which does not read European newspapers and does not know that the Germans, according to the statements of politicians, completely and completely painlessly defeated dependence on Russian energy resources.
A year ago, when the NWO switched to its current format, and the European Union began to race to come up with options for an embargo and other restrictions on the import of hydrocarbons from the east, all sane experts and market representatives warned that this would be the case. They were laughed at, trying to crush pessimistic forecasts with a wave of sarcastic publications.
Since the imposition of sanctions "out of hell," the Earth has made only one revolution around the heavenly body, and the results are already more than clear. Pro-Russian authors and resources do not even need to invent anything, their Western colleagues do an excellent job of demonstrating who is relatively calmly going through this turbulent period of history, and who is already rocking on the turns.
Of course, prices within Russia also do not stand still, but are trying to keep pace with their foreign counterparts, but if we compare, then the situation here looks very preferable. Judge for yourself.
According to Rosstat, inflation over the past year was 11.9 percent (8.4 percent in 2021 and 4.9 percent in 2020, respectively). The main negative factor was the indexation of the cost of housing and communal services, which on average in the country grew by nine percent, dragging the lion's share of the social sphere with them. Thus, food products added about ten percent, and dairy products showed the most rapid growth - plus 15 percent. Pasta, fish and butter finished on the Russian shelves with the same indicators. At the same time, chilled chickens, eggs and fruits and vegetables fell slightly in price.
Here, it is necessary to keep in mind the fact that the same “entire civilized world” has taken up arms against our country, which tirelessly pours new portions of financial gasoline into the Ukrainian fire, fanning the flames of hostilities more hotly. Our opponents did not disdain any, even absolutely anti-market and frankly destructive methods, but the Russian economy survived.
Let's see how things are on the other side.
At the end of last year, Moldova showed the worst financial performance on the European continent . Thirty-four percent inflation with zero sanctions and total support from Brussels. Further, a team of noteworthy Russophobes lined up in the back of the head. Ukraine and the Baltic countries , whose currencies sank an average of 24 percent. But if everything is clear with this forever unprofitable team, then the list below is somewhat surprising. At least those who believe the Western press.
It turned out that inflation in Poland, one of the most active and hysterical lobbyists for anti-Russian sanctions, in the last fiscal year exceeded 14 percent, which is more than in Russia, whose economy Warsaw so fiercely dreamed of destroying . At the same time, in February 2023, the Polish zloty managed to sink by almost 19 percent. The Main Statistical Office reports that this is the worst figure in the last quarter of a century, adding that food and drinks, as well as transport services and energy within the Polish borders have become more expensive by an average of 22-24 percent, and the most common beet sugar has doubled in price.
Berlin showed an official inflation of eight percent, this is the worst figure in history in principle. Products have become more expensive by an average of 14 percent, and energy products by more than a third. According to the Federal Association of Energy and Water Supply Companies (BDEW), one kilowatt-hour cost German citizens 0.36 euros (30 rubles), and the average household expenditure on electricity alone increased from 1,100 to 1,730 euros (147.7 thousand rubles) per year. So the German Red Cross is not lying, they obviously need the collected half a million euros more than the smart businessmen from the Zelensky team.
There are less than two weeks left until Easter. For some it will be cheerful and red, for others it will be disappointing. There is in this, you see, a certain higher providence.
Kindly note that several entries in this article may have been removed because they included discussions of the grand strategic level.
[NewsFrontInfo] 22:28 PMC Wagner took control over the center of Artemovsk. 21:51 One of the provocateurs trying to expel the monks from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra,declaredthat he is Satan.
21:37 Ukrainians who live in territories controlled by the Russian army were urged to leave or "prepare"
21:25 Ternopil, female consultation, idiotic social advertisement.
They ask not to call their son Ivan. It is hinted that a person with a Russian name has a so-so future.
20:49 Commander of the Airborne Assault Squad of the Guard, Sergeant Timur Shamsutdinov, was awarded the medal "For Courage". He talks about how the crew of his BMD-4 took the fight during the offensive of the Ukrainian nationalists. A guided missile was loaded in his combat vehicle, in the expectation that a Ukrainian tank would be the first to attack. But first, two infantry fighting vehicles had to be destroyed. The task was completed! —video.
20:30 The struggle of the SBU against those who do not want to go to die for Zelensky continues. Here are the secret servicesreporton the detention of the organizers of the scheme for illegal deregistration.
Demand creates supply, and it is obvious that others will take the place of the detainees. The problems are not in specific people, but in the fact that Ukrainians, in the bulk, are not eager to fight. And therefore they are trying by any means to avoid mobilization.
20:17 During the assault on Bakhmut, two Nazis of the 3rd Azov Brigade (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) were eliminated
19:48 What is happening with the Lavra is a consequence of the UOC’s flirting with the illegal Kyiv authorities – Father Feofan –videoNews front.
19:35 Ukrainian Nazi and war criminal appeared before the Southern District Military Court
The defendant is Anton Cherednik, the trial is taking place in Rostov-on-Don. Cherednik was a "brave Aryan" and committed the murder of civilians in Mariupol. According to the investigation, on March 27, 2022, he stopped two men in the Mirny settlement of the city of Mariupol and ordered them to lie on the ground.
The Nazi then demanded that they say a phrase in Ukrainian. After the civilians were unable to “pronounce some kind of “bow” correctly,” Cherednik simply took and shot one of the men point-blank.
19:15 Despite numerous supplies of uniforms and equipment by Western countries to Kyiv, Ukrainian soldiers forced buy yourself in stores at fabulous prices. Because no one has canceled corruption in Ukraine. Video 18+ contains profanity.
19:10 Another flying FAB-500 on the heads of Ukrainians. Kherson direction, in terms of intercepts from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a real nightmare and huge losses -video.
19:05 Kamenetz-Podolsky terminated all agreements with the UOC on the use of church buildings, - Mayor Mikhail Positko
"The deputies of the Kamenetz-Podolsky city council voted for 19 projects on the termination of the use of land by the Moscow church and one on the abolition of the lease," the mayor said.
18:55 Russian artillerymen continue to fire on the positions of the Ukrainian Nazis without leaving them the slightest chance -video.
18:20 In Kharkiv, "military enlistment officers" are already collect homeless people to be sent to the front.
17:50 Ukrainian TG channels report explosions in Kramatorsk (occupied by Ukrainian Armed Forces)
17:16 It is necessary to recruit another 100,000 people in the Armed Forces of Ukraine as soon as possible in order to form additional reserves for the counteroffensive.
The General Staff demands to strengthen mobilization and make the rights of military commissars virtually unlimited, for these purposes the police have already been involved, which delivers men to the TCC. Bankova is afraid of hate and is not yet ready to use electronic bases for mobilization so as not to provoke society, this is precisely the reason for the statements of the people's deputies of the Servant of the People, which are then refuted.
17:00 Kharkiv SBU is conducting a large-scale special operation. There are mass detentions of everyone who is subscribed to a number of Russian telegram channels.
This fact may indicate preparations for the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Thus, the SBU is trying to clean up potential pro-Russian agents in order to minimize the drain on the movements of its troops on the eve of the start of the offensive.
16:14 The main thing from the new briefing of the Russian Ministry of Defense:
-Russian troops destroyed up to 225 military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Krasnolimansky direction;
– The Russian Armed Forces destroyed about 70 Ukrainian soldiers and a 152mm D-20 howitzer in a day in the Yuzhno-Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions;
- The RF Armed Forces destroyed up to 65 military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and four armored combat vehicles in the Donetsk direction in a day;
- The RF Armed Forces destroyed the warehouse of rocket and artillery weapons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the DPR in a day;
- The RF Armed Forces destroyed more than 4,500 field artillery pieces and mortars of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the entire period of the special operation.
15:19 Anti-tank units of the 1st Donetsk Army Corps are ready to meet the enemy fully armed.
Servicemen of the 9th Brigade of the 1st Donetsk Army Corps (formerly the 9th Regiment of the NM of the DPR) received modern anti-tank missile systems 9k135 Kornet, which are used for liquidationUkrainian nationalists in the Donetsk direction. The fire of the ATGM crew destroyed an enemy observation post.
14:11 For the past two days, Ukrainian formations have been attacking the Shebekinsky urban district in the Belgorod region.
Today, a UAV drone dropped two explosive devices in the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka: no damage was done, civilians were not injured.
14:00 Like this, leaflets with an anonymous survey they are now handing out to servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "In cases where you are sent to perform combat missions in the areas of responsibility of other operational groups, where you would most like to serve."
Remarkably, all four directions from the leaflet are currently one of the most "hot" in which there are fierce battles.
13:10 During a night strike on the Shkolny airfield in the Odessa region, an aircraft factory was hit, where drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine were assembled. Destroyed:
– assembly line
– Spare parts for 380 aircraft-type UAVs
– one tanker with aviation fuel
– 16 ready-made UAVs
– Warehouse with BC for UAV
Also in the Usatovo area, on the same day, an ammunition depot was damaged and nine units of various equipment were destroyed.
12:20 Shooting staged videos about the "effective actions" of Ukrainian soldiers in order to maintain high morale in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
12:07 Near Artemovsk (Bakhmut), the head of the regional cell of the nationalist organization Sokol was liquidated. On March 31, Denis Yasinsky received a shrapnel wound, local media reported.
From 2016 to 2019, Yasinsky served in the ranks of the 55th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and in 2023 - in the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Yesterday it became known about the liquidation in the Artyomovsk region of the colonel of the special forces of the SBU "Alpha" Alexander Vdovichenko and the employee of the Main Intelligence Directorate Artur Pashkulyak with the call sign Makhno.
12:05 Servicemen of the Zapad grouping of the Russian Armed Forcespluckedthe transfer of reserves of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Kupyansk direction, said the head of the press center of the group of troops "West" Serhiy Zybinsky. In addition, the RF Armed Forces destroyed three sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the Kupyansk direction.
11:58 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation published frames of restoration of railway tracks in the special operation zone by servicemen of the Central Military District. Such work is necessary to improve the logistics of cargo transportation.
11:30 Ukrainian nationalists who were going to capture the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, require burn her, and put Metropolitan Pavel on his knees and kill him.
“Kneel down and shoot him in the head. Lavra must be burned. We are pagans,” said one of them.
But in Ukraine there is no discrimination, no persecution of Orthodoxy, peace and quiet. And democracy. 18+ contains profanity.
11:25 Ukrainian BTR-80 fell in an unequal battle with mud -video. 18+ contains profanity.
11:20 Artillery of the RF Armed Forces continuously continues its work to identify and destruction of Nazi positions.
11:05 As a result of the counterbattery fight, the Ukrainian 122mm MLRS "Grad" was destroyed -video. 18+ contains profanity.
10:23 RF Armed Forces destroyed an armored personnel carrier and a stronghold of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Maryinka
As a result of the successful work of the Russian fighters, the Ukrainian armored personnel carrier was destroyed, the enemy stronghold was defeated.
Thanks to the heroism of our fighters, Ukrainian fighters are suffering losses in all sectors of the front. Near Artemovsk, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already lost their elite fighters. Moreover, legally, Artemovsk has already come under the control of Russian troops - the flag of the Russian Federation with the inscription "To Vladlen Tatarsky, eternal memory."
09:22 The crews of the Su-25 attack aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces inflicted aviation blows on objects of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Missile launches were carried out in pairs from low altitudes. After the use of aviation weapons, the pilots, releasing heat traps, performed a maneuver and returned to the airfield.
As a result of the sortie, camouflaged fortified positions and armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed.
08:17 A Russian serviceman from Kabardino-Balkaria with the call sign "Cherry" talks about how the gun crew works in the zone of a special military operation -video.
08:15 Combat Job of crews of multi-purpose attack helicopters Mi-28 of the army aviation of the Western Military District during a special operation
07:59 Attack helicopter KA 52 "Alligator" performs Combat launch of NURS-type missiles from a pitch-up position.
02:42 Arrivals in Odessa continue - Ukrainian air defense is not coping.
The Russian military strikes at the infrastructure of Ukraine: air raid signals sound in Odessa and the region. Ukrainian air defense is traditionally unable to cope: the Russian army is working precisely on targets. Eyewitnesses report that the explosion as a result of the arrival occurs for the third time at the same place.
02:10 After arriving in Odessa, the Shkolny airport is on fire.
As a result of the work of the Russian "Geranes" in Odessa, the Shkolny airfield was hit, on which the military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is based in large numbers. Upon arrival, a massive fire broke out.
01:46 In Odessa thundered several explosions - local authorities confirmed the arrivals.
Local sources report that at least five loud explosions thundered in Odessa - Russian Geraniums are working over the city and the region.
Earlier, an air alert was announced in the Odessa region, local authorities have already confirmed the work of Russian drones on the infrastructure of the square.
0:35 Ukrainian sources report explosions in Druzhkovka and Konstantinovka (under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine). An air alert has been declared in the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine.
0:10 It is reported about the destruction of a non-recyclable warehouse near the village of Veliky Burluk, Kharkiv region, and the destruction of a temporary accommodation center for personnel on the territory of the village of Petro-Ivanovka, Kharkiv region.
#1
Looks like China has concluded Russia is self destructing and it is not worth the effort to bs anymore and risk their economic relationship with the west:
https://twitter.com/Azovsouth/status/1643619486480707590
Kindly note that several entries in this article may have been removed because they included discussions of the grand strategic level.
[NewsFrontInfo] 21:55 The Ukrainian Donetsk Regional Military Administration decided to evacuate 126 children from 21 settlements from the part of the DPR occupied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
21:34 All administrative buildings and important industrial facilities in Bakhmut (Artemovsk) came under the control of Wagner PMC.
Currently, the Ukrainian army holds only a residential area in the west of the city, but continues to fiercely resist Russian attack aircraft.
21:14 "Notes of a Veteran": loud in the Krasnogvardeisky district of the Belgorod region. Presumably air defense.
20:59 APU encountered problems when using FPV drones:parsing RT.
20:52 The Air Force called on the media not to manipulate the "victorious" headlines and news in connection with the transfer of military equipment
"The transfer of Polish and Slovak MiG-29s will strengthen the capabilities of the Air Force’s fighter aviation, but in no case will it solve the issue of "counteroffensive," "victory," etc," said Ignat, the spokesman of the Air Force.
20:50 The Armed Forces of Ukraine are gradually withdrawing troops to the western districts of the city, where they expect to defend themselves for some time, in the interests of which they are still trying to transfer reinforcements to Artemovsk, even despite problems with supplies.
20:23 ISW confirms the capture of the central part of Bakhmut by Russian troops, - a summary of the Institute for the Study of War
In particular, analysts note a shift in the epicenter of hostilities closer to the western borders of the city.
Wagner is likely to continue trying to secure control of central Bakhmut and attempt to move west through dense urban areas towards Khromovo.
19:59 Crews of the 10th tank battalion support advance of infantry in the Avdeevsky direction.
Tanks are a formidable infantry support weapon capable of both direct fire and concealed positions. Every day, the crews of the 10th separate tank battalion of the 1st Donetsk Army Corps (formerly a separate tank battalion of the NM DPR) will destroy enemy positions, facilitating the advancement of assault groups.
18:45 All administrative buildings and important industrial facilities in Bakhmut (Artemovsk) came under the control of Wagner PMC.
Currently, the Ukrainian army holds only a residential area in the west of the city, but continues to fiercely resist Russian attack aircraft.
17:50 Summary of artillery attack of the Donetsk People's Republic for April 03, 2023.
The enemy fired at Donetsk from the following directions:
-n.p. Dzerzhinsk;
-n.p. Ilyinka.
Consequences of the attacks:
Donetsk: -Petrovsky district (three rounds of 155mm caliber were fired at 08:30):
-st. Sotsgorodok, 12 - a direct hit in a private residential building;
- in the forest belt, along Polupanov Street, as a result of an explosion on a mine PFM "Petal", a woman born in 1976 was injured.
n.p. Gorlovka: -Nikitovsky district (at 15:50 five rounds of 155mm caliber were fired.):
- on st. Yerevanskaya, 2, a woman born in 1955 died.
- on st. Fomina, 12 wounded woman born in 1953
17:20 According to the operational lines of the DPR JCCC for April 4, additional information was received about civilian casualties in the cities of the Republic:
n.p. Nikolskoye (included in the zone of responsibility of the administration of the Volnovakhsky district): - on the street. 40 years of Victory, 15, wounded woman born in 1948
Additional information was received about damage as a result of the artillery attack of the VFU cities of the Republic:
Donetsk:
Petrovsky district: - Damage was recorded to the building of the MBOU "Boarding School No. 3 in Donetsk" on the street. Krasnogorovskoy.
Kuibyshevsky district: - st. Shock, 21 "a" - a private residential building.
17:09 Artillery units of the RF Armed Forces in the Seversk direction destroyed positions of the militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
16:57 Ukrainian troops fired at the Petrovsky district of Donetsk, firing 15 rounds with a caliber of 155mm, the DPR representative office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC) reported.
16:48 Shoigu: the fighting in the areas of Artemovsk and Avdiivka is developing according to plan.
Combat operations in the areas of Artemovsk and Avdiivka are developing according to plan. The Russian army continues to liberate Donbass, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a conference call on April 4.
16:20 PMC "Wagner" occupied the gray zone in front of the settlement. Bogdanovka and approached already close to this settlement.
15:53 Ukrainian troops fired at Yasinovataya, firing 10 rounds with a caliber of 155mm, the DPR representative office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC) reported.
15:30 Another success in Artemovsk:
AZOM industrial zone: in the course of many days of fighting, Wagner PMC units completely liberated the territory of the industrial zone and moved deep into private buildings in a westerly direction. Also, the Bakhmut-1 railway station passed under the control of Wagner PMC".
Center: the area is completely taken under the control of Wagner PMC units. Assault operations continue in a westerly direction. The musicians entrenched themselves along Sibirtsev Street, approached the Metallurg stadium and occupied school No. 11. To the south, the Wagner PMC fighters went to Rozhdestvenskaya Street and continued to move towards the Avangard stadium.
Vodokanal: the offensive continues from south to north, during which the assault groups of Wagner operators occupied a number of positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
14:45 In the Svatovsky direction, the RF Armed Forces continue to conduct active defense throughout the front. In the area of the Zhuravka gully, several strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were taken. In the Kremensky forests, units of the Airborne Forces advanced from the north to the power line, dividing the reserve into two parts.
14:41 Ukrainian troops fired at the Petrovsky district of Donetsk, firing 12 rounds with a caliber of 155mm, the DPR representative office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC) reported.
14:40 The situation in Artemovsk (Bakhmut) from Ukrainian militants -video.
14:28 Russian aviation is pointwise crushing enemy strongholds in Vugledar -video.
13:50 Wagner PMC took control of the Bakhmut 1 station near the AZOM enterprise, and continue to move towards the center from the north of Artemovsk.
13:31 Ukrainian servicemen throw dead colleagues near Artemovsk.
The Wagner evacuation group is collecting and removing bodies from occupied positions in order to transfer them to the Ukrainian side in the future.
As the fighters themselves say, they are trying to do everything possible for further identification by relatives so that the soldier does not go missing.
13:21 According to the operational lines of the DPR JCCC for April 4, information was received about victims among civilians in the cities of the Republic:
n.p. Makeevka (Chervonogvardeisky district): - on the street. Tukhachevsky, 22, a guy born in 2000 was wounded.
12:49 APU fired at Dnipro, Kherson region. As a result of the shelling, power transmission towers were damaged, half of the village was left without electricity.
12:46 Ukrainian troops fired at the Kuibyshevsky district of Donetsk, firing three rounds with a caliber of 155mm, the DPR representative office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC) reported.
12:35 From Artyomovsk they report that the artillery of the Wagner PMC is actively working on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Bogdanovka.
According to military chronicle, there are positions of the 1st mechanized battalion of the 67th Motorized Brigade, the 21st infantry battalion of the 56th Motorized Infantry Brigade and the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
If these positions can be destroyed and broken through, then Wagner operators will begin to flank the garrison of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Clockwork Yar. From Bogdanovka to the nearest strongholds of the Ukrainian army in this area - less than five km in a straight line.
12:09 Ukrainian troops fired at the Chervonogvardeisky district of Makeevka, firing three rounds with a caliber of 155mm, the DPR representative office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC) reported.
11:55 Video consequences of the artillery attack of the central district of Gorlovka by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
11:37 Yesterday in the area of n.p. Burgunka (Kherson region) an artillery strike was carried out on the position of one of the brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as a result of which a 122mm gun was destroyed. D-30 howitzer with artillery crew, six – military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine went to the “Bandera”; Two were seriously injured.
11:01 Ukrainian troops fired at Yasinovataya, firing three rounds with a caliber of 155mm, the DPR representative office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC) reported.
10:55 At night in the area of N. p. Aleksandrovka, 122mm was destroyed by artillery strike. SAU 2S1 "Gvozdika" with a crew of 5 people and ammunition.
10:37 According to the operational lines of the DPR JCCC for April 4, information was received about damage as a result of artillery attack of the Ukrainian cities of the Republic:
Donetsk (Petrovsky district): - damage was recorded to the building of the Donetsk Mining Technological College on the street. Dunayevsky.
n.p. Gorlovka (Panteleimonovka village): - Damage was recorded to the building of the Kindergarten No. 43 in Gorlovka on the street. Karl Marx.
10:29 The criminal Kiev regime continues to shell the civilian infrastructure of the settlements on the left bank of the Kherson region, yesterday during the day the Armed Forces of Ukraine were fired from barrel artillery:
- according to n.p. The Dnieper fired 6 rounds;
– n.p. Aleshki fired eight rounds;
- 12 rounds were fired at the village of Peschanovka;
- Six rounds were fired at the settlement of Pokrovskoye;
- according to n.p. Korsunka fired five rounds;
- according to n.p. Krynki fired six rounds;
- according to n.p. The Kardashians fired five rounds;
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure to be confirmed
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the settlement. New Kakhovka, settlement Kakhovka, settlement Gornostaevka, n. p. Cairo, n. p. Sofiyivka, firing a total of 44 rounds from cannon artillery.
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure to be confirmed
10:20 Ukrainian troops fired on Panteleymonovka, firing four rounds with a caliber of 155mm, the DPR representative office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC) reported.
10:06 Ukrainian troops fired at the Petrovsky district of Donetsk, firing 10 rockets from the MLRS and six rounds with a caliber of 155mm, the DPR representative office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC) reported.
09:52 Precision-guided munitions in the Zaporozhye direction were destroyed in the location where the foreign mercenaries were located.
09:18 Mortarmen of the 87th Regiment smashed the enemy’s PVD and mortar positions in the Avdievsky direction -video.
The UAV crew of the 87th Regiment of the 1st Donetsk Army Corps (formerly the 119th Regiment of the NM of the DPR) revealed the enemy’s PVD and mortar positions in a residential area in the Avdiivka direction. Supporting the offensive in this direction, regimental crews of 120mm mortars inflicted a fire defeat on the opened positions of Ukrainian nationalists.
09:15 The Armed Forces of Ukraine are probing the ground for an offensive with frequent attacks on Melitopol, said Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the movement “We are together with Russia”, in an interview with our correspondent.
Rogov stressed that the counterattack of the Ukrainian military could begin at any time and that the Zaporozhye direction would become a priority for them.
09:10 Information on the artillery attack of Gorlovka as of 08:00 on 04/04/2023
09:08 The DPR representative office in the JCCC reports 19 facts of firing by the AFU per day.
The enemy fired from MLRS and 155mm and 152mm artillery, firing 109 units of various ammunition across the territory of the DPR. Under the fire of the VFU were: Gorlovka, Yasinovataya, Donetsk.
Over the past day, information was received about the death of a civilian resident of Gorlovka, two civilians received injuries of varying severity.
08:56 In the Belogorovka area, our gunners covered the temporary accommodation for militants of the Kyiv regime, which was located on one of the farms.
On cadres you can see how, after the first arrivals, the Nazis run out of the hangars and, according to their accumulation, work out our 122mm MLRS Grad. The enemy suffered heavy losses.
08:15 Artillerymen of the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade continuously strike enemy targets in the Ugledar direction.
08:10 Frontline summary on the morning of 04/04/2023:
In the Ugledar sector, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, after a fire defeat, resumed assault operations from Nikolsky in order to bypass the city from the east. Artillery fired at the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Vremevka, Bolshaya Novosyolka and Prechistovka.
On the Donetsk front, Russian troops attacked in the western part of Maryinka, in the direction of Pervomaisky and Severny. The Armed Forces held their positions. With the support of artillery and aviation, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are trying to advance towards Avdiivka from the southwest and east. They also shelled Novomikhailovka, Pobeda, Georgievka, Kurakhov, the cities of Krasnogorovka, Gornyak, Netaylov, Thin, Orlovka, New York and Zhelezny. The Ukrainian army attacked Donetsk.
To the south-west of Artemovsk, with fire support from the Wagner PMC, they launched an attack on Ivanovskoye. The band members failed to reach the settlement. In Artemovsk itself, after massive artillery and air strikes, they pushed through the defenses of the Ukrainian garrison in the southern part and are now conducting assault operations in the city center.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation tried to attack in the direction of Verkhnekamenskoye. Russian artillery bombarded Konstantinovka, Chasov Yar, Novomarkovo, Grigorovka, Orekhovo-Vasilyevka, Bogdanovka, Vasyukovka, Rozdolovka and Spornoye.
In the Luhansk direction, units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, with fire support, tried to advance near Belogorovka, Torskoy and Nevsky. No success. Artillery hit the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Krakhmalny, Masyutovka, Zapadny, Dvurechnaya, Kutkovka and Petro-Ivanovka.
08:05 Ukrainian troops fired on Panteleymonovka, firing two rounds with a caliber of 15 mm, the DPR representative office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC) reported.
07:59 Heavy fighting continues in the forests along the coast of the Seversky Donets.
Russian special forces units, with the support of units of the Luhansk People's Republic, are conducting an offensive in the Serebryansky forestry area.
07:56 As a result of the artillery attack of the Panteleymonovka village (Central City district of Gorlovka) from the side of the VFU, two enemy rounds exploded on the territory of kindergarten No. 43 "Rosinka". No casualties.
07:00 Summary of the Luhansk People's Republic's Representative Office in the JCCC for the past 24 hours, April 03.
From the side of the armed formations of Ukraine, one artillery attack was recorded at the settlement. Lisichansk with the use of artillery pieces 155mm (2 rounds). As a result of the shelling, a residential building was damaged.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[REGNUM] In the 1980s, agreements between King Fahd of Saudi Arabia and President Ronald Reagan led to a precipitous drop in oil prices and seriously undermined the economic capabilities of the USSR. Washington would like to repeat today its success of that time. However, the coordinated decline in oil production by OPEC+ countries indicates that the United States has less and less leverage over the leadership of the oil-producing Arab states.
It’s true. The answer now is for America to increase drilling and processing domestically, going back to the situation before Joe Biden movied into the White House. But the Biden administration is adamantly opposed to actually fixing the problem. Still, all around the world nations that can find oil are working to get it out of the ground.
Gulf oil giants Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday led coordinated production cuts across the Middle East. They called it a " precautionary measure " aimed at market stability. In the United States, they react violently and look for the guilty.
Cuts by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait totaling 772,000 bpd will take effect from May and last until the end of the year, according to statements released by official media. Iraq and Oman followed suit, while Algeria also announced voluntary cuts of 48,000 bpd over the same time period.
The decision to cut oil production by more than a million barrels was made in just a few days and in a very narrow circle. Specialists learned about it just a day or two before the announcement of this decision. Western officials said they were " completely stunned by this move ."
MULTIPOLAR WORLD IN ACTION
Back in February, Russia began to implement a voluntary reduction in oil production by 500,000 barrels per day until June 2023. But, as Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said, the authorities decided to extend the decline in oil production in the country until the end of the year, acting within the framework of the agreed policy of OPEC + .
"As a responsible and preventive action, Russia is implementing a voluntary cut of 500,000 barrels per day until the end of 2023 from the average February production level, determined in accordance with independent sources," Novak said in a statement, which was published on the government website.
Earlier, Russian Senator Alexei Pushkov called this OPEC+ agreement an example of a multipolar world in action.
"One of its most important features is the dispersal of global decision-making centers. It is not surprising that the US is struggling to establish such a world," he said.
The previous agreements of the OPEC+ countries to reduce oil production by 2 million barrels per day, which were reached at a ministerial meeting in Vienna on October 5 last year and entered into force in November, were called in the Kremlin a "victory of common sense" and a step that "at least somehow balances the lawlessness arranged by the Americans," trying to manipulate their oil reserves by throwing additional volumes of black gold into the market.
According to Western experts, Russia will certainly benefit from the current decline in oil production, especially since restrictions aimed at reducing Russian oil exports are not working the way the West hoped for.
Moscow's decision to cut production will not affect the volume of Russian oil on world markets. Its supplies, despite the restrictions of the West, are growing and, according to tanker tracking data compiled by Bloomberg , rose by 1 million barrels per day in the last seven days of March to a new high of 4.13 million.
Now, as Bloomberg highlights, "with OPEC members joining [to cut oil production], oil revenues that fuel the Kremlin’s war machine will be further boosted."
Naturally, Washington reacted extremely negatively. The Biden administration has already called OPEC's decision reckless.
The United States is interested in stabilizing markets at lower oil prices. This would allow the West as a whole to overcome the negative consequences of anti-Russian sanctions, preventing crises in the economies, and, of course, reduce Russia's income.
This can only be achieved by persuading the oil-producing countries to increase oil production instead of reducing it. But the United States has long and unsuccessfully sought to take account of its interests from OPEC+ members.
Now, the White House fears that the world economy is waiting for another outbreak of inflation, and gasoline prices will rise, including in the United States, as happened in 2022. World oil prices have already jumped by 6% and will continue to rise.
IT'S BIN SALMAN'S FAULT
In the United States, they tend to blame Saudi Arabia first and foremost.
During the Biden presidency, relations between the countries began to seriously stagnate due to the preaching rhetoric of the head of the White House against the kingdom and direct accusations of the de facto ruler of the KSA, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, of organizing the "Khashoggi affair" (an opposition journalist who was killed in the SA consulate in Istanbul. - Note ed.).
At one time, on the eve of his trip to the Middle East in the summer of 2022, President Biden counted on receiving the main prize - the return of Saudi Arabia to its role as an independent producer in the world oil markets and its refusal to participate in OPEC +, which includes Russia.
At that time, former US Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk said that the United States and Saudi Arabia may have reached an understanding that would allow Washington and Riyadh to pursue a coordinated policy to the detriment of Saudi cooperation within OPEC+.
Obviously, in the United States, preparing Biden's trip, they sought to persuade Saudi Arabia to some kind of separate deal and carried out appropriate work in this direction. But even before the visit of the owner of the White House to the KSA, it became clear that these hopes had collapsed and the leadership of the KSA would be true to its obligations under OPEC+.
At the same time, The Wall Street Journal reported that " Saudi officials say they are committed to making decisions on oil through [OPEC+ mechanisms] and in consultation with Russia " and will not agree to any agreements with Washington.
After another unsuccessful attempt to prevent a decline in oil production in Saudi Arabia last fall, the United States decided to toughen its line against Riyadh and switched from persuasion to threats.
In particular, then Biden said that Saudi Arabia would pay for supporting the decision of OPEC + to reduce oil production and for the fact that Riyadh "sided with Russia against the United States."
In turn, US Representative Ro Hanna and Senator Richard Blumenthal proposed to suspend the supply of weapons and the transfer of military technology to the KSA.
Several congressmen also proposed the withdrawal of all US troops from Saudi Arabia, including Patriot air defense systems and THAAD anti-missile systems. This, in fact, further convinced the Saudi leadership that it is not worth counting on the United States as its security guarantors, but that it should continue to diversify not only its ties in the field of defense and security, but also in the field of military-technical cooperation.
ATTEMPT TO DRIVE A WEDGE INTO CARTEL UNITY
When Washington's efforts to conclude separate deals with Riyadh, even under the threat of sanctions, proved futile, the United States launched an information-psychological operation to undermine the unity of OPEC.
Now the Americans have chosen the UAE as their main target. In the United States, they decided to provoke disagreements between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, backing it up with relevant information stuffing in order to prevent a new decline in oil production by the cartel countries. So, in early March, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the UAE was allegedly going to leave OPEC.
As the WSJ wrote, although the Emirates officially supported the current OPEC policy to reduce oil production, but in private, UAE officials allegedly told US officials that they would like to increase production in accordance with the wishes of Washington, and since then Abu Dhabi has tried in every possible way to defend itself in front of others cartel members their right to increase oil production.
American journalists also tried to portray the situation in such a way that Abu Dhabi is unhappy that OPEC - and especially Saudi Arabia - does not allow them to increase oil production, despite the available capacity.
The newspaper pointed out that Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman was absent from the January summit of Middle East leaders in Abu Dhabi. According to the publication, he deliberately avoids joint events with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan .
It is significant that against the backdrop of WSJ reports, the price of oil on the stock exchanges on the evening of March 3 began to decline by more than two percent. However, an hour later the quotes won back the fall.
Of course, there has long been some competition between the UAE and the KSA on a number of issues related to both the operation in Yemen and dominance in the OPEC system. Nevertheless, the differences are not so great that one can speak of a serious split. Both countries continue to coordinate their actions both in the military-political and trade-economic fields.
The fact that it was Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that led the coordinated production cuts in the Middle East on Sunday suggests that if there were any disagreements between the UAE and the KSA, then they are already in the past.
This indicates that the United States has less and less leverage in its own interests on the leadership of the oil-producing Arab states.
Gone are the days of collusion and secret deals between Washington and Riyadh, capable of bringing down oil prices on world markets in favor of American interests. As it happened in the 80s, when the agreements between King Fahd of Saudi Arabia and President Ronald Reagan led to a precipitous drop in oil prices and seriously undermined the economic opportunities of the USSR.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[REGNUM] The Russian Foreign Ministry protested to Chargé d'Affaires of France in Russia Jay Darmadikari because of the fakes published by the French Embassy about "Russian atrocities" in Bucha, the website of the Foreign Ministry reports on April 4.
Darmadikari was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, where he was told that the unfounded, false accusations against Russian servicemen were categorically unacceptable. The Foreign Ministry emphasized that such accusations sound especially inappropriate on behalf of the diplomatic mission of the country, which actively supplies military equipment and ammunition for the needs of the Ukrainian army and thus does everything possible to prolong the hostilities.
The French diplomat was reminded of the numerous facts of inconsistencies repeatedly cited by the Russian side "in this far from the only propaganda staging of the Kiev regime."
The Foreign Ministry specifically noted that absolutely no evidence of the so-called "Bucha massacre" has been presented so far.
“However, to this day, Western countries only continue to indiscriminately accuse Russia of what it did not commit, while refusing to see the obvious crimes of the Kiev regime," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
As previously reported, in September 2022, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov asked UN Secretary General António Guterres to support the launch of an objective procedure for investigating the “events in Bucha”. However, neither the Kyiv authorities nor the Western countries are at all interested in conducting such an investigation.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] Stirlitz's heart ached. SS Standartenfuhrer Max Otto von Stierlitz is a character is from the Russian novel Seventeen Moments of Spring: by Yulian Semyonov.
"But Artem doesn't know how to ski at all."
Nothing, - he reassured himself, the border is not far, the border is within easy reach, it will come.
The son of the Krasnoyarsk governor Uss, Artem Uss, showed up in Russia after he escaped in Italy.
The indictment for his arrest in Italy alleged that Artem Uss, through a German-owned company, acquired secret military technology, semiconductors, microprocessors and other electronic components, which were then used in the Russian defense sector, which is under Western sanctions. In addition, prosecutors alleged that Uss and his partner Yuri Orekhov (who was arrested in Germany on the same day as the governor's son) used the Hamburg company NDA GmbH as a front to transport hundreds of millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil to Russia and China.
He was also wanted in Russia on charges of money laundering.
Arriving in Russia, Uss stated that he did not believe in fair justice in the West (logically), so he fled to Russia.
Today, Uss appeared at the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, where he was issued a written undertaking not to leave (it is clear that he himself will not go to the West now). Most likely, the extraction of Uss was carried out by the Russian special services, who helped Uss get back on his skis.
Apparently, he was involved in the work of the Russian special services abroad, and therefore measures were taken to prevent him from being taken to the United States. If so, well done.
True, questions remain with accusations of money laundering in Russia.
The son of the governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Alexander Uss Artyom , who escaped from house arrest in Italy, after returning to Russia, voluntarily appeared in the investigative department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This was announced on April 4 by the entrepreneur's lawyer Alexei Tikhomirov.
According to the human rights activist, Uss Jr. gave detailed answers to the questions asked on the merits of the case.
"Based on the results of the interrogation, Artyom Aleksandrovich’s preventive measure was changed to a written undertaking not to leave," Tikhomirov specified in an interview with TASS .
As REGNUM reported, at the end of October 2022, the Meshchansky Court of Moscow arrested Artyom Uss in absentia on charges of money laundering on an especially large scale as part of an organized group. The businessman was put on the wanted list. Uss Jr. himself asked to be extradited to Russia.
However, on March 21, a Milan court approved the extradition of Uss to the United States, and the next day he escaped from a rented apartment in which he was under house arrest, cutting off an electronic bracelet.
Artyom Uss was detained in Milan on October 17, 2022 at the request of the US Department of Justice. On December 2, the businessman was transferred to house arrest in a suburb of Milan.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] 1. Trepova
... Daria Trepova, who handed Russian milblogger Vladlen Tatarsky (Maxim Fomin) an explosive statuette of some sort, killing him and injuring a bunch of innocent bystanders....
was transported to Moscow today and taken to the Basmanny Court. She will be judged in Moscow.
2. She was arrested at the request of the prosecution until June 2, 2023.
3. She will be defended by the same lawyer who defends the recently arrested American spy Gershovich.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who somehow attracted the ire of the Russian authorities.
4. According to the current legislation, Trepova faces up to 35 years in prison (while the moratorium on the death penalty is in effect).
5. The total number of victims of the explosion was 40 people (in addition to the deceased Vladlen).
6. Prigozhin said that the premises would be restored, and he would provide material assistance to all the victims at his own expense.
7. Also, Vladlen was posthumously enrolled in the PMC "Wagner" and his relatives will receive the payments and compensations due in this case.
8. A moment of silence was held today in the State Duma in memory of Vladlen. Commemorative posters appeared in Donetsk today.
9. Also today it became known that Trepova performed various tasks from Ukraine for 20,000 rubles/task. The money was received in cryptocurrency.
10. It is not yet clear why the withdrawal failed - a ticket to Uzbekistan was bought from Trepova, after which she had to leave for Ukraine.
The state has not yet decided what measures will be taken in relation to the non-systemic opposition and the Netvoynyashki. What they will follow is obvious.
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.
