[USA Today] Russian President Vladimir Putin has been privately signaling that he is open to a cease-fire in Ukraine, the New York Times reported Saturday, despite publicly saying he won't back down from the conflict that has been ongoing since early last year.
More than 10,000 civilians have been killed and more than 18,500 injured since the war began, according to the United Nations, in addition to tens of thousands of troops.
Putin has been indicating since at least September that he is open to stopping the fighting at the current boundary lines, the Times reported, citing two former senior Russian officials close to the Kremlin and other American and international officials.
That's far from Putin's apparent goal of overtaking Ukraine. Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022 and quickly overtook large swaths of the country. But Ukrainian forces pushed back hard and successfully forced Russia to retreat from its northern regions. Since Oct. 2022, the battle lines have remained largely the same, with Russia holding parts of the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine.
#3
Burn through another 100,000 Russian soldiers first.
The problem is what that is going to cost you in Ukrainians. At the onset, someone snarked this was a big Soviet army fighting a smaller Soviet army. That really has not changed despite NATO putting their finger on the scale.
The longer this conflict grinds on, the more useless it seems. Maybe because I just came from a gathering where someone sang Christmas in the Trenches, maybe I'm just tired of people killing each other.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:20 The Russians shelled Kherson - seven people were injured, including a 15-year-old child, said the head of the OVA Alexander Prokudin.
21:24 Bild writes, citing data from one of the European intelligence agencies, that Russia could strike Europe at a time when the United States finds itself “without a leader” and will be able to come to the aid of European states only after some delay. We are talking about the period between the departure of the current US President in early November 2024 and the assumption of office by his potential successor in January 2025.
21:19 The Office of the President named six EU countries that did not join the declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine: Austria, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Malta.
20:51 Zelensky in an evening video message said that the ability to shoot down Russian fighters is one of the keys to ending the war: “This week we again proved how effective strengthening our air shield is. And not only for protecting cities and villages from Russian drones " .
20:17 Russian troops fired at an infrastructure facility in Kurakhovo, Pokrovsky district, Donetsk region, wounding five workers, the prosecutor’s office reported.
19:35 The Russian Army hit the critical infrastructure of Kherson - there was a burst in gas networks and a fire started. One of the medical institutions was also damaged, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. In addition, during the day the Russians attacked Stanislav from a drone, one person was killed.
18:46 During the day, the enemy fired artillery at the Nikopol district of the Dnepropetrovsk region four times, and also fired nine kamikaze drones. One person was injured, two enterprises, an administrative building, nine private houses, a five-story building, a power line, and a gas pipeline were damaged, said Sergei Lysak, head of the OVA.
17:24 Putin is sending signals of readiness to freeze the war, writes The New York Times, citing two former senior Russian officials close to the Kremlin, as well as American and international officials. They note that since at least September, Western officials have been receiving new signals that Putin is interested in a ceasefire. The signals come through several channels, including through foreign governments with ties to both Washington and Moscow.
At the same time, some US officials suggest that this may be a habitual attempt by the Kremlin to mislead, and that it does not reflect Putin's genuine willingness to compromise. Former Russian officials add that Putin may well change his mind again if Russian troops in Ukraine gain momentum. They say Putin is considering a confluence of factors to create the right moment for a deal: a stalemate battlefield, the fallout from a failed Ukrainian offensive, weak support for Kiev in the West, a distraction from the Russian-Ukrainian war over the situation in the Gaza Strip.
14:08 Zelensky signed two new decrees on personal sanctions. The list included 134 companies and 51 individuals. Citizens of Russia, Latvia and Cyprus were subject to restrictions. Their assets on the territory of Ukraine are blocked, licenses are cancelled, and any trade operations and transit of resources across the country are prohibited. The companies are predominantly Russian, including Avtodel GAZ, which operates in annexed Crimea.
12:20 The Russians launched a massive missile strike on the Kirovograd region, all enemy targets over the Kropyvnytskyi and Alexandria regions were destroyed, said the head of the OBA Andrei Raikovich. Roofs of houses, fences, and cars were damaged by debris. No people were hurt.
08:59 On Friday, December 22, a meeting was held between representatives of the Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets and the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation Tatyana Moskalkova with the aim of transferring humanitarian packages and letters for prisoners of war of both countries. The transfer was carried out with the participation of representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who centrally purchased warm clothes, shoes and personal hygiene items, Lubinets said.
In addition, thanks to mutual humanitarian agreements, it was possible to return four Ukrainian citizens to Ukraine. In turn, Ukraine helped ensure that citizens went to Russia for family reunification.
08:31 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of December 23:
personnel - about 352,390 (+1040) people,
tanks - 5854 (+17),
armored combat vehicles - 10,871 (+28),
artillery systems - 8286 (+36),
MLRS - 932 (+0),
air defense systems - 611 (+0),
aircraft - 327 (+3),
helicopters - 324 (+0),
UAV of operational-tactical level - 6384 (+19),
cruise missiles - 1613 (+0),
ships/boats - 22 (+0),
submarines - 1 (+0),
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 10,995 (+51),
special equipment - 1223 (+6).
08:09 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) admits that Ukraine may receive the first F-16 fighters by the end of this year. Analysts refer to a recent strategic document by the Estonian Ministry of Defense, which notes that the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Belgium have already committed to transfer F-16s to Ukraine “by the end of the year.”
07:42 Over the past 24 hours, 75 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report . In particular, in the Avdeevsky direction, the Defense Forces repelled 23 enemy attacks east of Novobakhmutovka, Stepnoy, Avdeevka, as well as 17 attacks in the Pervomaisky and Nevelsky districts of the Donetsk region. Another 16 attacks were repelled in the Kupyansky direction in the Sinkovka area of the Kharkov region.
In addition, in the Bakhmut direction, enemy attacks were repelled near Bogdanovka, Ivanovsky, Kleshcheevka and Andreevka in the Donetsk region; on Maryinsky - in the Marinka and Pobeda districts of the Donetsk region; on Shakhtarsky - west of Staromayorsky, Donetsk region; on Zaporozhye - west of Verbovoy and Rabotino, Zaporozhye region. In the Kherson direction, the Defense Forces continue to expand the bridgehead, while the enemy carried out 17 unsuccessful assault operations, was repulsed and retreated with losses.
06:18 From 18:00 on Friday, December 22, until midnight on December 23, Russia attacked with nine Shahed-type attack UAVs from the areas of Balaklava and Primorsko-Akhtarsk. All nine drones were destroyed within the Odessa and Khmelnytsky regions, the Air Force command reported.
00:21 Biden signed the US defense budget for 2024, which provides a record amount for the Pentagon of $886 billion, the White House said. It provides $800 million for assistance to Ukraine.
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[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces supported by helicopters and artillery inflicted losses on AFU manpower and hardware near Sin'kovka, Petropavlovka, Kupyansk, and Terni (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses amounted to up 15 Ukrainian troops, two motor vehicles, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer.
In Krasny Liman direction, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces repelled two attacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 63rd Mechanised Brigade and 12th Special Operations Brigade close to Torskoye (Donetsk People's Republic) and Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic).
In addition, aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU 67th Mechanised Brigade near Serebryansky forestry.
The AFU losses amounted to up 150 Ukrainian troops, one tank, two armoured personnel carriers, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer.
In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery repelled 11 attacks and inflicted losses on AFU manpower and hardware close to Krasnoye, Dyleyevka, Kirovo, and Georgiyevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses in this direction amounted to up to 200 Ukrainian troops, four tanks, including one German-made Leopard 2 tank, one U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, and three motor vehicles.
Moreover, in the course of counterbattery warfare, one Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery system, two 152mm Msta-B howitzers, one Akatsiya and one 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, and two 122mm D-30 howitzers were neutralised.
In South Donetsk direction, units of the Vostok Group of Forces supported by helicopters and artillery repelled three attacks of the AFU 79th Air Assault Brigade near Novomikhailovka (Donetsk People's Republic) and inflicted losses on AFU manpower and hardware near Paraskoveyevka and Makarovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 65 Ukrainian troops, three pickup trucks, one 152mm Akatsiya and one 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, and two 122mm D-30 howitzers.
In Zaporozhye direction, units of the Russian Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU 82nd Air Assault Brigade, 33rd and 117th Mechanised brigades close to Malaya Tokmachka, Verbovoye, and Rabotino (Zaporozhye region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 90 Ukrainian troops and five motor vehicles.
In Kherson direction, as a result of cohesive actions of units of the Russian Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery, the AFU losses amounted to up to 100 Ukrainian troops, three motor vehicles, one 152mm Msta-B howitzer, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have engaged AFU manpower and hardware in 110 areas during the day.
Air defence units intercepted six HIMARS and 220mm BM-27 Uragan MLRS projectiles over the past 24 hours.
Moreover, 36 unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down near Kotlyarovka (Khar'kov region), Verkhnekamenka, Svatovo (Lugansk People's Republic), Gorlovka, Mari'nka, Pobeda (Donetsk People's Republic), Novaya Mayachka and Gornostayevka (Zaporozhye region).
In total, 554 airplanes and 261 helicopters, 9,991 unmanned aerial vehicles, 442 air defence missile systems, 14,279 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,189 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 7,462 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 16,618 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:56 According to the operational lines of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC on December 23, as of 00:00, 74 cases of firing by the Ukrainian Federal Unitary Forces were recorded.
Information was received about the injury of 14 civilians in the Kirovsky, Petrovsky districts of Donetsk, Yasinovataya, Nikitovsky district of Gorlovka, Pavlovka.
A total of 17 residential buildings were damaged in the Kirovsky, Petrovsky districts of Donetsk, Yasinovataya, Tsentralno-Gorodsky, Nikitovsky districts of Gorlovka, as well as three civil infrastructure facilities.
Districts of six settlements of the Republic were under enemy fire: Gorlovka (Tsentralno-Gorodskoy, Nikitovsky districts), Yasinovataya, Yasinovatsky district, the capital city of Donetsk (Kievsky, Kuibyshevsky, Kirovsky, Petrovsky districts), Makeevka (Chervonogvardeysky district), Pavlovka.
In the Donetsk direction, the enemy carried out 29 attacks from AGM-88 HARM, 155mm artillery, incl. with a cluster warhead, an attack UAV.
At Gorlivske there were 41 artillery attacks from MLRS, 155mm artillery, incl. with a cassette warhead.
At Yasinovatsky there were three artillery attacks from MLRS and 155mm artillery.
At Volnovakha one artillery attack from 155mm artillery.
A total of 256 units of various ammunition were fired.
A previous 16 artillery attacks were recorded from the VFU per day.
22:10 A series of explosions were heard in the city of Zaporozhye controlled by Ukrainian troops, said the head of the Zaporizhzhya movement “We are together with Russia” Vladimir Rogov in his Telegram channel.
21:17 Consequences of arrivals at Ukrainian Armed Forces facilities in Kherson this evening
A critical infrastructure facility was damaged, said the head of the Kyiv-controlled Kherson Regional Military Administration, Alexander Prokudin.
19:30 Motorized rifles are training to capture enemy strongholds
Military personnel of motorized rifle units of the Vostok group of troops hone their skills at training grounds located in the rear zone of a special military operation on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic.
After completing combat missions on the front line, the units continue training to capture strong points and positions, long-term firing points and dugouts of the enemy.
Assault squads, under the guidance of experienced instructors, who have more than one successfully completed combat mission behind them, automatically hone all possible options for actions and situations that can occur in a real battle.
During training at the training ground, combat groups storm, clear and then hold enemy dugouts and trenches, practice first aid and evacuate the wounded from the battlefield.
These trainings help fighters understand each other almost without words, and most importantly, minimize personnel losses in real combat.
19:00 Tanks of the Tiger battalion of the 255th Motorized Rifle Regiment continue the offensive beyond Mar'inka after the liberation of the village -video.
18:30 Frontline reports: North of Kurdyumovka, the Russian Armed Forces took the forest belt from Ukrainians.
18:00 Reportage from RT about the work of a platoon of reconnaissance UAV operators of the 9th Brigade, 1st Army Corps in Piski near Donetsk.
17:25 Front bird broadcasts: Artemovskoe direction, northern flank
The first confirmation from the enemy side about our consolidation in the village of Bogdanovka, which practically flows into Chasov Yar. The operation to capture Chasov Yar is in full swing.
16:30 Front bird broadcasts: Donetsk direction (DPR) 23.12
It is reported that our artillerymen struck with 152mm gunfire at the deployment point of the Ukrainian Armed Forces troops in the area of the settlement of Druzhkovka (temporary occupation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine) and Ivanovka.
Heavy mortars are also used.
We systematically knock out the enemy.
15:20 APU continue to terrorize civilians in the border regions of Russia.
In the Belgorod region, a drone attacked a bridge in the Grayvoronsky urban district while repair work was being carried out there. As a result of the incident, three workers were injured.
The victims are provided with all necessary medical care. At the moment, the condition of one of them is assessed as serious, the other two are of moderate severity.
There were also artillery attacks in the neighboring Kursk region. In the Glushkovsky district, the enemy fired more than 40 rounds at the village of Alekseevka.
Residential buildings, administrative buildings and power lines were damaged. One of the residents died after a direct hit on his house.
UPD: also in the Belgorod region, the settlements of Kozinka and Mokraya Orlovka were under fire. Several houses were damaged, but no one was injured.
14:50 According to operational lines of The DPR representative office in the JCCC on December 23, as of 14:00, received information about civilian casualties in the cities of the Republic:
Donetsk (Kirovsky district):
Five civilians were injured of varying severity:
– as a result of the release of high explosives from a UAV along the street. Biryuzova, 15, women born in 1966 and 1966, men born in 1970, 1970 and 1972 were wounded.
n.p. Gorlovka (Nikitovsky district):
- on the street Rybatskaya, 8, a man born in 1964 was wounded.
n.p. Yasinovataya:
- on the street Pavel Tychina, 25, wounded, man born in 1973.
Information has been received about damage as a result of artillery attack by the AFU in the cities of the Republic:
Donetsk (Kirovsky district):
– st. Doronina, 10 – direct hit in a private residential building with subsequent fire.
n.p. Yasinovataya:
– st. Pavel Tychyna, 25 – private residential building.
– st. Nesterova, 73 – private residential building.
artillery attack at 13:15:
– st. Pushkinskaya, 72 – multi-apartment residential building.
14:20 Footage of the work of the assault group of the rifle battalion to capture the enemy stronghold -video.
14:00 Fighting near Avdievka: 110th Brigade attacks trenches and dugouts of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, breaking into enemy defenses
The skill of the UAV operators of the 110th Brigade of the 1st Donetsk Army Corps is impressive - covering distances at an extremely low altitude, the drones of the Russian Armed Forces “at low level flight” accurately throw explosives at the Ukrainian Nazis in the trenches and dugouts -video.
13:35 Russian Ministry of Defense: a soldier of the 79th Separate Air Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who surrendered spoke about the “street” mobilization and the situation in Ukrainian units
One day, when Pavel Koshchenko was leaving work, representatives of the territorial recruitment center stopped him, they checked his documents and immediately took him to the military registration and enlistment office. At the same time, Koshchenko’s phone was confiscated, without even giving him the opportunity to call his family. After passing the commission, the mobilized was sent to a training ground near Dnepropetrovsk. “We dug trenches, there was medical service a couple of times, and once we went to shoot,” says a Ukrainian prisoner of war.
Colleagues in the unit immediately told Koshchenko about the heavy losses. “When I joined the unit, the guys said that there were a lot of KIAs and wounded, mostly mobilized. They are immediately sent to zero. And the brigade has been in position for almost a year and has not changed. And the entire personnel has already changed,” says a captured serviceman of the 79th Airborne Reconnaissance Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Pavel Koshchenko noted that the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine often deployed those mobilized from the eastern regions of Ukraine to the forefront.
“Well, they consider us, immigrants from the eastern regions, to be second class. We are simple, hard-working people. And they consider themselves an elite, close to the West,” the serviceman noted.
When Koshchenko’s unit was thrown into combat positions, the military personnel were not provided with communications, food, or ammunition. He and his colleagues lasted only three days at the position. They then ran out of ammunition and food. The prisoner says that they were not given a radio station to communicate with the command.
“There were five of us in the house. For two days we were well “ironed” with artillery. Three people were killed among us, one (...) was wounded. I do not know them. We were collected just before departure. But I know for sure that everyone was mobilized,” says the prisoner of war.
Finding themselves in a hopeless situation, Koshchenko’s group decided to surrender. “Your people came up and offered to surrender. We surrendered,” he added.
13:00 Frontline reports: overnight the Russian Armed Forces advanced in the Artemovsk direction, more than five kilometers.
12:30 Front bird broadcasts: Kupyansk direction. 23.12
Intensification of artillery duels is reported.
The enemy fired an MLRS.
Fortunately, the whole bag is covered in milk.
Our 152mm 2S19 MSTA-S self-propelled guns hit the enemy after receiving aerial reconnaissance data.
We fight.
12:00 Crews of 152mm Msta-B howitzers inflicted fire on Ukrainian artillery on the right bank of the Dnieper
As part of the counter-battery fight, the personnel of the crews of the 152mm Msta-B howitzers inflicted fire on artillery positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine identified by reconnaissance. Several shots destroyed the positions of the Ukrainian 152mm howitzer D-20, camouflaged in the area of the village of Belozerka, Kherson region. The crews also destroyed the positions of the mortar crew on the banks of the Dnieper.
Thanks to the high-quality work of the artillerymen of the Dnepr group of forces, the Ukrainian Armed Forces units on the right bank of the Dnieper in the last week alone have lost over 20 vehicles and lightly armored vehicles, as well as more than 10 field artillery guns -video..
11:30 Front bird broadcasts: At night, a traditional strike was carried out using the Geranium UAV on the enemy military airfield in Starokonstantinov.
10:55 Front bird broadcasts: Sumy region 23.12 10:50
Tactical aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces identifies enemy positions for high-precision strikes.
The sound of an explosion was reported.
10:25 Criminal Kyiv regime continues to fire at the civilian infrastructure of settlements on the left bank of the Kherson region, yesterday during the day the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired from cannon artillery:
-- n.p. Krynki 20 rounds;
-- n.p. Peschanivka five rounds;
-- village of Novaya Mayachka three rounds;
-- n.p. Dnepryan five rounds;
-- n.p. Staraya Zburevka six rounds;
-- n.p. Alyosha seven rounds.
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the village. Novaya Kakhovka, n.p. Kakhovka, n.p. Krynki, n.p. Korsunka, n.p. Proletarka, n.p. Aleshki, firing a total of 27 rounds from cannon artillery.
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure are being determined.
09:40 Frontline reports: West of Mar inka, the Russian Armed Forces occupied a forest belt in the direction of the village of Pobeda.
09:20 Telegram channel “Two majors“: Summary for the morning of December 23, 2023.
– During the night, the enemy reported 9 “Geraniums” in the sky over Ukraine. Explosions were heard in the area of the Starokonstantinov airfield in the Khmelnitsky region, as well as in the Cherkassy, Odessa and Kherson regions.
– In the Kherson region, the Russian Army lost Su-34 aircraft yesterday. The enemy prepared an ambush for military pilots who had been carrying out missions along a similar route for weeks and shot down our planes with air defense systems. A combination of factors led to the tragedy, including the lack of interaction among the flight units with a separate reconnaissance brigade and obtaining a complete picture of the positioning areas of enemy air defense forces before departures. Fighting on the ground continues near Krynki.
– On the Zaporozhye Front, in the Rabotino-Verbovoye sector, small assault groups with armored vehicles from the 82nd separate air assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces undertook attacking actions. The attacks were repelled by small arms and artillery fire. Our aviation is working, FAB and UMPC are being used.
– In the Artemovsky (Bakhmutsky) direction they report the advance of our troops in the direction of Ivanovsky (Krasny). The zone of control of the Russian Armed Forces north of Kleshcheevka is expanding, and fighting is taking place near Bogdanovka.
– On the remaining sectors of the front there are local battles, the initiative is in the hands of the Russian Army.
– The enemy attacked UAVs in Zaporozhye, Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga and Moscow regions yesterday. The use of UAVs with jet engines is noted. In the Belgorod region, the outskirts of Shebekino, as well as the village, were shelled. Terebreno, Krasnoyaruzhsky district, power lines were damaged. In Donetsk (DPR), seven civilians were injured from Nazi fire
08:45 Telegram channel “Fisherman“: chronicle of a special military operation for December 22, 2023
– Russian troops attacked Ukrainian infrastructure and military facilities several times a day. Explosions were reported in Odessa, Nikolaev, Khmelnytsky and Kyiv regions. In addition, last night the Russian Armed Forces interrupted a meeting of the Ukrainian command with Western instructors in Mirnograd with an accurate hit.
– Ukrainian formations were also not idle and once again tried to attack the rear regions of the Russian Federation. Russian air defense intercepted several drones in the Bryansk, Kaluga and Moscow regions. At the moment, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' raids are not widespread and are carried out to test the waters for a massive UAV attack.
– Fierce fighting continues along the entire line of contact at the fronts. In the Yuzhnodonetsk direction, Russian troops were able to take control of the Zverinets fortified area and continued to develop the offensive at the Pobeda-Novomikhailovka line.
“Meanwhile, in the Kherson direction, fighting continues at Krynoki, where the Ukrainian command is actively transferring additional forces. There were some sad events: today Russian Su-34s were ambushed in the Chaplinka area. According to available information, one crew of the plane was saved, the fate of the rest is still unknown.
08:10 Official summary of Representative offices of the DPR in the JCCC from 00:00 December 22, 2023 to 00:00 December 23, 2023
Over the past 24 hours, the Representation has recorded 16 incidents of firing by the Ukrainian Federal Unitary Forces.
As a result of airborne discharges from UAVs, seven civilians were injured of varying degrees of severity in the Kirovsky district of Donetsk.
In addition, five employees of the DPR Ministry of Emergency Situations were injured in the Kirovsky district of Donetsk.
One residential building in the Central City district of Gorlovka, as well as one civil infrastructure facility, was damaged.
The areas of two settlements of the Republic were under enemy fire: Gorlovka (Nikitovsky, Central City districts), the capital city of Donetsk (Kyiv, Kuibyshevsky, Kirovsky, Petrovsky districts).
In the Donetsk direction, the enemy carried out 11 attacks from 155mm artillery and attack UAVs.
On Gorlovsky there were five artillery attacks from 152mm artillery.
A total of 45 units of various ammunition were fired.
In the previous day, 39 artillery attacks were recorded from the Ukrainian Federal Unitary Forces.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Elena Chinkova
[REGNUM] On December 23, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova celebrates her 70th birthday.
In an exclusive interview with IA Regnum , the head of the Russian Imperial House told how life in the West has changed and whether she plans to finally return to her homeland. She also shared rare photographs from her personal archive, many of which had never been published before.
IA Regnum: How was your visit to Russia on the eve of your 70th anniversary? Is the route difficult and how often do you come here now?
Maria Romanova: Since 1992, when I first came to my homeland, more than 100 of my visits have already taken place. I visited most regions of the Russian Federation and a number of neighboring countries. Recently, due to the deteriorating international situation, organizing visits has become more difficult. But at least once a year I visit Russia. This time I limited myself to St. Petersburg and Moscow.
In the Northern capital, in particular, I donated sacred vessels for the ship’s temple of the cruiser Aurora. They were received by Archpriest Alexander Tkachenko , who, in addition to being the head of the Circle of Good Foundation, which helps children with serious and rare diseases, also takes care of the St. Nicholas Church restored at Aurora.
Here in 2017, on the 100th anniversary of the revolution, I attended a memorial service for all the victims of the fratricidal civil war - both red and white. I consider it important that this peacemaking tradition be preserved, and I try to take part in the life of the temple on Aurora as much as possible.
For a long time, the cruiser was associated mainly with the revolution. But she had a heroic military past as a ship in the Imperial Navy. And today it should be a symbol of patriotism and unity, not division and confrontation.
It was also interesting to learn from Metropolitan Barsanuphius of St. Petersburg and Ladoga about the social work of the church to maintain the social activity of pensioners. Often people who have retired are still full of strength, but do not find areas of application and feel unclaimed. This has a depressing effect on them.
The Church offers pensioners various feasible forms of participation in those activities where they have knowledge and skills. I believe that this is an extremely useful area of social service for the church. We will cooperate in this direction.
And at the Mikhailovsky Theater in St. Petersburg I attended the ballet “La Bayadère” - I’m talking about this because I was invited to watch it by the famous Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato , who has been heading the theater’s ballet troupe since 2019. He sincerely loves Russian culture and was not afraid to stay in Russia.
IA Regnum: How will you celebrate the anniversary? Should we expect something similar and large-scale with the participation of European nobility, as at your son’s wedding in St. Petersburg in October 2021?
Maria Romanova: My son’s wedding was solemn only to the extent that tradition required it. We have significantly reduced the historical ceremony in accordance with modern requirements of life. And this was still before the tragic events that we are now experiencing.
I never liked lavish celebrations at all. I didn’t celebrate my 50th or 60th birthday in any special way. Moreover, now, when a special military operation is underway in Ukraine and many families have experienced grief due to the death of loved ones, wide celebrations are completely inappropriate.
I ask everyone who would like to congratulate me to do so in the form of charitable assistance to those in need and prayer for me and my family.
Ordinary citizens are not infected with Russophobia
IA Regnum: Has your life changed in the West after February 24, 2022? Are there people in your circles who are not infected with Russophobia, who understand Russia’s position?
Maria Romanova : I can’t say that my life has changed because of anti-Russian sentiments. In Spain, and in most other countries, ordinary citizens are not infected with Russophobia. Not because of great love for Russia, but simply because they have enough problems of their own. So there are no everyday problems on this basis.
Statesmen of Western countries, no matter how inclined they are towards Russia, understand that the Russian Imperial House will never become an instrument of anti-Russian policy. Therefore, I don’t feel any attempts at pressure from this side either.
Life, of course, has changed. In another sense, anxiety intensified. My heart aches because once again, as during the years of the civil war, the blood of the fraternal peoples of our common Fatherland, which is spiritually and culturally incomparably wider than the current political borders, has been shed.
There are people abroad, including among politicians, who sensibly assess the situation and understand that Russia’s position cannot be ignored, that it is unfair to apply double standards to it and try to strangle it with sanctions. We conduct a dialogue with everyone and try to explain the current international situation from the perspective of the historical process.
As one European diplomat said about us: “We know the position of the Grand Duchess, we do not share it, but we understand it . ” This is, in general, a positive formula. It is absurd to expect that other states will completely take our position and defend not their own interests, but ours. Just like we should never forget about the priority of our Russian interests.
If we look back into the past, we will see that confrontations almost never end with someone's complete victory and someone's complete defeat. And if this happens, then a phase of revanchism will certainly begin.
And if there is dialogue, if there is mutual respect, then it is possible to reach a compromise that is non-humiliating and acceptable to everyone, ensuring the security of each country and general international security.
International politics should be like a chess tournament, not like fights without rules. Therefore, extremist actions and statements regarding our homeland, attempts to “cancel Russian culture” and similar phenomena are unacceptable not only for us, but also for any reasonable people, even if they are our rivals in the international arena.
I pray that peace will reign in Ukraine as soon as possible. But I am convinced that this peace cannot be established and, in any case, will not be lasting, unless the security of the Russian Federation is fully ensured. Many people in the West agree with me on this.
About moving and life outcomes
IA Regnum: Do you allow yourself to move to Russia in the future, closer to your son and grandson?
Maria Romanova: I am glad that my son and his family finally have their own nest in their homeland. I hope that I too will have such happiness. This is not an entirely simple question in both the official and everyday senses. But there is already some progress. God willing, a place will appear that will be, in the full sense, my Russian home.
IA Regnum: As a rule, certain results are summed up for anniversaries. What parts of your incredible life are remembered with special warmth and pride, and what parts are remembered with regret?
Maria Romanova: I feel with reverence and gratitude that my compatriots have retained love and respect for our House, compassion and understanding of our destiny, and a willingness to cooperate with us. I felt this during my first visit and since then I have not been disappointed in the least.
I regret that we do not have enough strength and capabilities to do everything we have planned, that we are not able to help everyone who asks for support, that some good initiatives have not been developed due to bureaucratic indifference or because of our own shortcomings.
However, as I enter the next decade of my life, I look forward with hope, optimism and faith that God will help us serve and benefit Russia.
Help from IA Regnum
Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna (born December 23, 1953 in Madrid) is the granddaughter of Nicholas II's cousin , Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich.
Studied at Oxford University. In 1976 she married Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia , great-grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II (in Orthodoxy, Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich ). In 1981, their son Georgy Mikhailovich Romanov was born. In 1985, the marriage was dissolved.
Maria Vladimirovna Romanova is related to all European royal dynasties. A number of morganatic male-line descendants of the Romanovs dispute her dynastic rights.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The refusal to provide Russia with a list of those killed in Bucha suggests that it was a staging carried out by Ukraine at the direction of Great Britain and the United States,Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told RIA Novosti on December 23.
“The lack of response from relevant international organizations to requests from the Russian side and the media to provide lists of those killed in Bucha indicates that a necrophiliac staging took place in Bucha,” she said, in particular.
The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry added that this staging was carried out by the Kyiv regime at the direction and with the participation of the Americans and the British.
“The provocation of the Third Reich in Nemmersdorf in 1944 was taken as the basis,” Zakharova recalled.
As Regnum reported , on December 23 it became known that the Bureau for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) did not answer the question about the existence of a list of alleged “victims” in the Ukrainian Bucha.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov doubted that the West was conducting an investigation into the incident in Bucha. The Foreign Minister said he constantly reminds UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of the importance of clarifying the situation, but there is no response from him.
The city of Bucha is located 10 km from Kyiv, next to the Gostomel airfield. Until the end of March 2022, Bucha was under the control of the Russian military. After their withdrawal, Ukrainian and Western media published footage from the city, which allegedly showed numerous corpses of civilians. Kyiv blamed Moscow for this. The Russian Ministry of Defense denied this information and called the published materials a provocation.
Later, French volunteer Adrian Boke spoke about the staging in Bucha . According to him, he witnessed the torture and murder of Russian prisoners of war in one of the hangars in the north of Bucha in early April 2022 - at a time when Ukrainian troops had already returned to the city.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] On January 27, on the day of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade, Victory volunteers will hold the International Historical Intellectual Game “January Thunder,” the organizers said in a press release.
It is noted that the game will be dedicated to the feat of the defenders and residents of besieged Leningrad, the operation “January Thunder” to completely lift the blockade, as well as the period of restoration of the city after its liberation.
The event will be an online intellectual game in which participants, using their own knowledge, logic and intelligence, will answer questions about key events, residents and liberators of the besieged city.
Anyone over 14 years old from anywhere in the world can play and express themselves. Registration for the game is available from December 22 on the website janvarskygrom.rf.
The game itself on January 27 will be held in five languages: Russian, English, Spanish, French and Arabic.
As Regnum reported , Victory volunteers held an All-Russian event dedicated to the Day of Heroes of the Fatherland on December 9, visited veterans and combatants, and also took part in memorial events. Volunteers across the country took to the streets and squares of populated areas to hand out leaflets in the form of “triangle letters” with information about the heroes to passersby. They also told citizens about veterans of the Great Patriotic War, heroes who took part in other military operations, and outstanding personalities of whom we can be proud.
[BBC] A former TV journalist who announced she would challenge President Putin in Russia's spring election has been barred from standing.
Independent politician Yekaterina Duntsova wanted to run on a platform to end the war with Ukraine.
But the electoral commission voted unanimously to reject her candidacy three days after her application, citing 100 "mistakes" on her form.
Ms Duntsova said she would appeal the decision at the Supreme Court.
The presidential election, which will be held in March 2024, is Russia's first since President Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.
The immediate slap-down of a Putin critic will be seen as evidence by some that no dissent will be tolerated in the campaign.
The head of Russia's electoral commission, Ella Pamfilova, said Ms Duntsova would not be allowed to progress to the next stage of gathering thousands of supporters' signatures.
"You are a young woman, you have everything ahead of you. Any minus can always be turned into a plus. Any experience is still an experience," she told Ms Duntsova, 40, after the decision.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin..
[ColonelCassad] Summary.
After the revolution and the assassination of the tsar, revolutionaries came to power and began sending food detachments to the distant regions of the former empire, where civil war was still going on and banditry was rampant, to restore order and collect food. A commissar with a food detachment and revolutionary sailors arrives on a remote farm where 40-50 people live on the armored train "Dawn of the Revolution" and demands that the local kulaks give him grain for the revolutionary army and the working people.
In times of famine, local kulaks hold back the surplus and try to deceive the commissar by declaring that they have no extra grain. But you can’t fool the commissar; these are not the first fists to hide surplus grain. He finds another cowardly kulak who was secretly selling grain to a gang of "greens". The gang was led by brother and sister Toporov, who attacked and robbed in remote areas of the province. The cowardly fist surrenders to the commissar of the main fist and he is executed according to the laws of war, and the community is required to hand over hidden surpluses and part of the harvest within 2.5 months. A detachment of soldiers is left for control.
Among the soldiers, decomposed elements are found who are prone to revolutionary banditry, as well as avenging their farm labor, and they begin to oppress the kulaks even more. It comes to a riot, which is started by the adopted daughter of one of the old regime generals. After the revolution, she hid on a farm under the guise of a peasant woman. Having killed almost all the soldiers, the kulaks realize that soon the security officers and a detachment of soldiers with guns and airplanes will come from the province on an armored train, so they decide to start an uprising and put an end to the surplus appropriation in their farmstead, and then in the province. The fate of the entire revolution is at stake!
To do this, the adopted daughter teams up with the Grand Duke, who is on the run, a Chinese woman who came to work in the empire and studied the art of the samurai during the war with the Japanese, a cowardly fist from a farm, an old regime general who served the revolution and lost all the soldiers on Kolchak’s fronts, as well as with a criminal who secretly exported icons abroad. Having collected money from their fists to buy dashing people, they unite on a counter-revolutionary basis with a gang of brother and sister Toporovs, famous for their bloody atrocities and robbery of a county bank.
Following the gang's trail is a detachment of detectives who learn that the counter-revolutionary gang underground is supplying the bourgeois regime of one province that has broken away from the empire, which leads to revolutionary retribution that puts an end to subversion against the revolutionary state. Then, thanks to a criminal element that had infiltrated the gang and was promised an amnesty, a quarterly bonus and a letter from the commissar, it is possible to establish the meeting place of a dangerous gang of kulak members. They were just planning an insidious attack on the armored train "Dawn of the Revolution".
The security officers underestimated the danger of the gang and ran into fierce resistance.
During a short skirmish, most of the Toporov gang was destroyed, including Toporov himself, but a small detachment of detectives fell victim to a series of absurd accidents, and the commissar, who was collecting grain for the starving, died under the rubble of a derailed armored train.
The film ends with the surviving members of the gang, having worked off the kulaks' money, going to a farm, where they are going to drink the money they received and admire the sunsets.
But, intrigue! The commissar did not die, the proletarian hatred of the fists did not allow him to die. From the revolutionary command he receives an order - to catch the adopted daughter of the general, who now serves the new revolutionary government, and to defeat the bandit underground in the farmstead in order to restore revolutionary legality and prevent the growth of the rebellion in the neighboring farmsteads. We are waiting for the second film.
This was a summary of the movie "Rebel Moon".
The movie is funny junk. This is really a movie about the struggle between fists and surplus appropriation in a fantasy setting.
Source is RIA Novosti. Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] The “innocently convicted” former adviser to the head of Roscosmos, Ivan Safronov, was recruited by German intelligence and passed on secret information to the Germans about the progress of our military operation in Syria. The information was reported by an FSB investigator.
Safronov also transmitted data about the GRU satellite constellation to Czech intelligence. This data was subsequently used by NATO.
Former adviser to the head of Roscosmos, Ivan Safronov, who is serving a 22-year sentence for treason, passed on “absolutely secret” data to a German intelligence agent about the progress of the Russian ground operation in Syria in 2015, said Alexander, Deputy Head of the 1st Department of the Investigative Department of the Russian FSB Shepherd.
According to the investigation, announced in a special report by the Rossiya 24 TV channel, Safronov first met with Demuri Voronin at the end of 2015. He introduced himself to Safronov as a German citizen, the head of a consulting company.
“Information regarding the ground operation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the Syrian Arab Republic. This information was secret at that time. Later it was declassified. But at that time it was absolutely secret information,” Chaban said as part of a special report. The Russian Armed Forces began performing special tasks in Syria on September 30, 2015.
“Safronov quickly carried out the order. It was clear that he had already collected this information, because this topic was very relevant at that time,” added Chaban.
The reward for this was modest: Safronov “received about 200-odd dollars from Voronin,” Chaban noted. “Voronin calculated his tariffs for collecting information based on the number of pages, the amount of text,” he added. According to Chaban, this amount suited Safronov, who at the same time “had new contacts.” Safronov received about seven such assignments from Voronin, “and he completed all of them,” Chaban said.
Voronin, who has citizenship of the Russian Federation and Germany, was subsequently also convicted of treason, receiving 13 years and 3 months in a maximum security colony.
Safronov's sentence of 22 years in a maximum security colony is one of the most severe in the modern history of Russia under the article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Treason." He was found guilty on two counts. The sentence came into force on December 7, 2022; on February 9, 2023, Roscosmos announced Safronov’s dismissal. He is now serving his sentence in IK-7 in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Safronov, who before moving to Roscosmos worked on military and space topics in the Vedomosti and Kommersant newspapers, was detained on July 7, 2020. The FSB reported that he was charged with transferring secret information about Russian military-technical cooperation and the defense industry to one of the NATO intelligence services.
The defense stated that investigators suspect Safronov of working for the Czech intelligence services since 2012. The case concerns the alleged transfer for personal gain of military-technical information on arms supplies to African countries. The final recipients of the secret information, according to the investigation, were the United States. Another episode, according to the defense, was the transfer by Safronov to Voronin of some information about the activities of the Russian military in Syria.
“Facts of long-term, throughout 2015-2019, Safronov’s discovery and collection of secret and top secret information, including regarding Russia’s military-technical cooperation with the CSTO states, as well as the countries of the Middle East, Africa and the Balkan Peninsula, have been documented.”
The collected information, the State Prosecutor's Office indicated, was not freely "systematically transferred by Safronov to representatives of foreign intelligence services, realizing that this information could be used by member states of the NATO bloc against the security of Russia."
Earlier, Safronov, amid the cries of domestic fools about the “repression of the innocent” (now it would be good to check them - who supported the NATO intelligence agent out of stupidity and who supported the NATO intelligence agent out of malicious intent) received 24 years in a maximum security colony for high treason.
In the investigation of the criminal case against the ex-adviser to the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, Ivan Safronov , who has already been sentenced to 22 years for treason, there was active interference, a total information war on the part of Western countries. This was stated by the deputy head of the 1st department of the investigative department of the FSB of Russia, Alexander Chaban, in a special report by the Rossiya 24 TV channel.
Revealing the details of the case, Chaban said that there was pressure from Western intelligence services and journalists who tried to discredit the work of the security forces.
“There was a total information war against the criminal case. They often asked questions to the president at the first convenient opportunity, this was a favorite topic,” admitted the FSB officer.
According to Alexander Chaban, various figures were involved in spreading conversations that supposedly “the accusation is absurd, that absolutely everything is illegal.”
The deputy head of the 1st department of the FSB investigative department assured that the investigation was carried out efficiently - examinations, interrogations, procedural actions were observed. Balanced, competent decisions were made exclusively within the framework of the criminal process.
“Everything was done so that neither the Prosecutor General’s Office nor the courts would have any questions about the volume of evidence and the assessment of this evidence ,” Chaban added.
As IA Regnum reported , Ivan Safronov understood that he was committing a serious crime and realized that if it was discovered, he could receive a long sentence. Alexander Chaban said this.
Czech intelligence began recruiting Safronov in 2012, and almost less than a year passed before he began receiving his first assignments.
The recruiter and curator was a representative of the Czech intelligence Martin Laris , who acted in the interests of the country's foreign intelligence, working not only for the Czech government, but also for NATO.
Safronov also transferred secret data to a German intelligence agent about the progress of the Russian ground operation in Syria in 2015. He first met the German agent at the end of 2015. He introduced himself to Safronov as a German citizen, the head of a consulting company. On his instructions, Safronov began collecting secret information regarding the ground operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria.
Safronov was fired from Roscosmos on February 9, 2023. Before moving to Roscosmos, he worked on military and space topics in the newspapers Vedomosti and Kommersant.
Safronov was detained in July 2020 on charges of transferring secret information about enterprises of the military-industrial and defense complex to the intelligence services of NATO member countries in 2015–2019.
Czech intelligence began recruiting the former adviser to the head of Roscosmos, Ivan Safronov , in 2012, and almost less than a year passed before he began receiving his first assignments. Alexander Chaban, Deputy Head of the 1st Department of the Investigative Directorate of the FSB of Russia, spoke about thisin a special report on the Rossiya 24 TV channel.
Safronov’s recruiter and supervisor was a representative of the Czech intelligence Martin Laris , who acted in the interests of the country’s foreign intelligence, working not only for the Czech government, but also for NATO.
Larysh himself arranged secret meetings, and Safronov always came to them.
According to the FSB, Safronov completed a total of 12 tasks for Czech intelligence and received about 80 thousand euros during his cooperation.
He received money in cash during frequent trips to Europe. In order to safely transport large sums, Safronov brought in his sister.
He was fired from Roscosmos on February 9, 2023. Before moving to Roscosmos, he worked on military and space topics in the newspapers Vedomosti and Kommersant.
As Regnum reported , Safronov was detained in July 2020 on charges of transferring secret information about enterprises of the military-industrial and defense complex to the intelligence services of NATO member countries in 2015–2019. The court sentenced him for treason on two counts to 22 years in a maximum security colony. He was also given a fine of 500 thousand rubles. He is serving his sentence in IK-7 in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The defendant did not admit his guilt.
The defense previously appealed to the First Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction, but it upheld the verdict unchanged.
Ivan Safronov passed on secret data to a German intelligence agent about the progress of the Russian ground operation in Syria in 2015, Alexander Chaban also said.
#1
Re NATO intel: Arndt Freytag von Loringhoven
08 September 2017
Early this year, NATO stood up its new Joint Intelligence and Security Division (JISD). This is the most significant reform in the history of Allied intelligence. In response to the challenging threat environment posed by an assertive Russia and the rise of terrorism and instability in the south, the Allies are fundamentally adapting how NATO organises and analyses intelligence.
In today’s globalized, hyper-connected, multipolar world, NATO must simultaneously monitor and assess a multitude of different threats: conventional military, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, hybrid warfare, cyber attacks and international terrorism to name but a few of the most difficult. Geographically, NATO has begun to look more broadly, from central Africa to North Korea and from the Arctic to the Middle East. The provision of relevant intelligence must match the frantic pace of change. ...
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.
[REGNUM] On December 23, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova celebrates her 70th birthday..jpg)
