Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The United States has added 17 sea vessels and a shipping company from the United Arab Emirates to the anti-Russian sanctions list. The US Treasury announced this on January 18.
It is noted that 17 sea vessels that sailed under the flags of Liberia and transported Russian oil were subject to restrictive measures.
Also on the list is Abu Dhabi-registered shipping company Hennesea Holdings Limited.
As Regnum reported, on December 20, the United States imposed sanctions against the oil product tanker Sanar 15, which flies the Russian flag. In addition, the restrictions included the companies Covart Energy Limited and Bellatrix Energy Limited, registered in Hong Kong (China), as well as two companies from the UAE - Voliton DMCC and Sun Ship Management D.
Igor Yushkov, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, told a Regnum correspondent that the result of US anti-Russian sanctions was a split in the world tanker fleet. According to him, those who set the price ceiling for Russian oil believed that the world fleet would remain the same and Russia would have to sell oil for $60 or less. But in practice, it turned out that a separate group of tankers has emerged from the world fleet, which work only with sanctioned oil (Russian, Iranian, Venezuelan). And they transport Russian oil under any conditions and earn good money.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[LB] Dnipropetrovsk, Chernihiv, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhya, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Donetsk, Kirovohrad were also attacked.
In the Khmelnytsky region tonight, during an air alert, the air defense forces neutralized three UAVs of the "Shahed" type. There were no casualties, according to the summary from OVA as of this morning.
In Kirovohradsk, the air defense unit worked at night. Without casualties and destruction of civil infrastructure. Data on the consequences are being clarified.
In Sumy at night, the Russians carried out two shellings of border areas and settlements. Nine explosions were recorded. The communities of Bilopol and Seredino-Bud came under fire. In advance - without consequences. Yesterday, during the day, the Russians carried out 40 shelling of the border territories and settlements of the region. 181 explosions were recorded - from mortars, artillery, grenade launchers, an airstrike from a helicopter (the launch of three NURS missiles - three explosions), an FPV attack by a kamikaze drone, and the dropping of explosive objects of the VOG type from an UAV. The communities of Bilopolska, Krasnopilska, Yunakivska, Khotynska, Velikopysarivska, Glukhivska, Shalyginska, and Seredino-Budska were shelled. Also, yesterday, air defense forces shot down six enemy UAVs of the Shahed type. Falling debris of one of the downed UAVs of the Shahed type caused the roof of the technical room to collapse and two trucks to catch fire.
In Chernihivska, there were 12 shellings (78 explosions) per day. The enemy fired mortars, artillery, rocket salvo systems in Novgorod-Siverskyi, Koryukivskyi and Chernihivskyi districts. In two border villages of the Semenivska community, mortar fire damaged two private houses, farm buildings, and an electricity supply line.
In Luhansk, the enemy is pressing near Makiivka and Bilogorivka, shelling and trying to advance there. Eight such attempts were repelled by our defenders yesterday. Nevsky also came under the fire of the Russians. They directed aviation to Bilogorivka and Serebryansky forest. During the day, the enemy fired 127 rounds (533 shells).
In Kharkiv, more than 15 settlements were hit by enemy artillery and mortar attacks, in particular: Okip, Kozacha Lopan, Gatishche, Pletenivka, Synkivka, Ivanivka, Berestovka. Fedorivka, Vovchansk, Tabaivka, Pishchane were hit by enemy airstrikes. The defenders repelled six enemy attacks near Sinkivka. Last night, the occupiers struck Chuguiev twice. The type of weapon is set. An enemy ammunition hit the building of an educational institution (gymnasium). A 62-year-old woman who worked as a boiler room operator died as a result of the shelling. A 63-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman were injured. Both were hospitalized, their condition is average. Another 82-year-old victim was treated on the spot. The building of the institution was damaged. Also yesterday, the enemy attacked Maly Burluk. A 62-year-old woman died as a result of the shelling. A 10-year-old boy suffered a traumatic amputation of his lower limb, the child was taken to the hospital, his condition is serious. A 13-year-old girl suffered a shrapnel wound to the torso, the victim was taken to the hospital, her condition is serious. An administrative building, six residential buildings, and utility buildings were damaged.
In Zaporizhzhia last day, rioters made 179 attacks on 25 towns and villages of the region. 128 artillery shells fell on the territory of Orikhov, Zaliznychny, Priyutny, Charivny, Novodanilivka, Novoandriivka, Lugivskyi, Biloghirya, Kamianskyi, Lobkovo and other front-line settlements. 42 enemy drones attacked Gulyaipole, Gulyaipilske, Levadne, Robotine, Novodarivka, Mala Tokmachka, Poltavka, Malynyvka, Charivne, Stepove and Pyatikhatki. The occupiers hit Robotyny and Novodarivka with airstrikes, and also launched seven attacks from Novoivanivka, Robotyny, and Malaya Tokmachka rocket systems. 13 reports were received about the destruction of residential buildings and infrastructure facilities. No casualties.
In Dnipropetrovsk, the occupiers attacked the Nikopol district one and a half dozen times yesterday. They fired artillery and launched 12 kamikaze drones. One of the drones hit a civilian car in the Marganets community. A 19-year-old youth and a 13-year-old boy were injured. Nikopol, Pokrovska and Myrivska communities also came under attack. A store and a building were affected in the district center. A gas pipeline and an electric transmission line were damaged in Myrivska hromada. Late in the evening, the aggressor struck Myrivska hromada with artillery. No one was hurt. During the day, the defenders of the sky destroyed an enemy rocket in the Dnipro region, four "shahedy" in Pavlogrask. In the Pavlograd district, the wreckage of the downed UAV fell on the territory of a farm. There was a fire there. Firefighters promptly extinguished the fire. One building was destroyed. People are whole.
In Donetsk , 11 settlements are under the fire of the Rashists: Avdiivka, Kurakhove, Toretsk, Grodivka, Berdychi, Mykolaipilla, Novobakhmutivka, Novoselivka Persha, Predtechine, Rai-Olexandrivka, Semenivka. 11 residential buildings, a hospital building, TPP equipment, a civilian vehicle, a power line, a gas pipeline, a school building, and an outbuilding were damaged.
In Mykolaivska during the day, the forces and means of air defense destroyed the enemy kamikaze drone "Lancet" and eight attack UAVs of the Shahed-136/131 type. Yesterday morning, artillery strikes were carried out in the water area of Ochakivska hromada. There are no casualties. The settlement of the Kutsurub community was also shelled yesterday. There were no casualties. Bashtan district: at night, during the work of air defense to repel a drone attack, the warehouses of an agricultural enterprise were damaged due to the fall of fragments of downed UAVs in the Snigurivska hromad. There are no casualties.
In the Kherson region, the enemy fired 116 rounds (531 shells) during the day, of which 10 rounds (57 shells) were fired at Kherson. The rioters targeted the areas of 28 settlements of the region, the territory of factories, a park and a warehouse in Kherson, an administrative building and a farm in Beryslav district. One Shahed-131/136 of the air defense force was destroyed. The occupying forces have been covering the residential quarters of the Dnipro district of Kherson with fire for an hour. A garage and a car caught fire due to Russian shelling. The fire was quickly extinguished by rescuers. Residents' homes were also damaged. A 37-year-old man who was on the street received non-life-threatening injuries. An 81-year-old woman from Kherson was diagnosed with an explosive injury and contusions. "Emergency" doctors treated her on the spot. A civilian car was hit by the enemy. Unfortunately, the 65-year-old driver died from his injuries. The enemy also carried out an airstrike on the settlements of Tyaginka, Chervyn Mayak, and Zmiivka. No casualties. During the day, the enemy attacked Kherson again. A 71-year-old woman was injured. The victim was taken to the hospital with a blast injury, an injury to the forearm and head. She is given medical assistance. As a result of the attack on Beryslav, three people were injured. A 60-year-old woman has an explosive injury and a head injury. Her husband, aged 62, received the same injuries. A 54-year-old man received an explosive injury and a hand injury. All victims received medical assistance. As a result of enemy attacks on the village of Romashkovo in the Bilozer community, private houses, farm buildings, and a car were damaged. An 81-year-old local woman was injured; blast injury and contusion. The victim received medical assistance on the spot. In the evening, the enemy launched an attack with five "Shahid" type UAVs. Of them, there were two "arrivals" in Kherson, as a result of which a 49-year-old woman was injured. The victim was given medical assistance. Three more - in a hangar not far from the village of Urozhayne, Beryslav district. Information on casualties and damage is being established. During the day in the region: two people died, seven more were injured.
At night, the Russian occupiers launched another airstrike , using 33 attack UAVs of the "Shahed-136/131" type. Forces and means of air defense of Ukraine destroyed 22 enemy UAVs.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent] 23:14 Kuleba said that the example of Britain has inspired other countries to negotiate security agreements with Ukraine: “There are already such countries. I will not reveal the surprise, but we must admit that the British example has inspired a number of countries to negotiate such an agreement and to make such an arrangement more powerful than they originally intended."
21:55 For the first time, Russia used a rare four-ton P-35 anti-ship missile to attack Ukraine, reports the specialized publication Defense Express. The missile was put into service back in 1962, its range is 350 km, speed is 2000 km/h, warhead weight is 1000 kg. It could have been fired either from the Redut coastal missile system or from the underground Object-100.
21:01 Australian Defense Minister Pat Conroy said that Ukraine requested Taipan helicopters too late - after the decision to dismantle them, which was made in September 2023. According to him, then other countries were not interested in buying helicopters, so Australia decided to scrap them. When Kyiv sent the request in December 2023, the disposal process had already been going on for three months.
20:12 All Russian missiles contain dozens of critical components that are produced abroad, and many of them by companies from the free world, Zelensky said in an evening video message. The President said that today he heard the corresponding report from the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Alexander Litvinenko: “Clear facts. So blocking Russia’s ways of circumventing sanctions is literally blocking terror.”
20:04 Ukrainian hackers stole important documents about 500 objects of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian media write, citing sources. Hackers of the Blackjack group, who are associated with the SBU, hacked a Russian state-owned enterprise engaged in the construction of military facilities throughout the Russian Federation.
19:50 The Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation included the Ukrainian nationalist organizations UNRA, UPA, UNS, OUN in the list of “Nazi organizations that violate the law on perpetuating the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War.”
19:17 Biden agreed to an immigration agreement with the Republican Party to ensure funding for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, writes The Wall Street Journal. Specifically, the treaty would limit the ability of migrants to seek U.S. asylum on the southern border in exchange for new military aid for Ukraine and Israel. As the publication notes, such a concession to leftist Biden on the issue of immigration was a turning point in his long political career. More details - in the material Biden made a compromise: will there be money .
19:11 Minister for Strategic Industries Alexander Kamyshin confirmed that the drone that hit a target in St. Petersburg at night was made in Ukraine: “We are able to develop something that will cost from $350 apiece, and something "that will fly this night to St. Petersburg. It was made in Ukraine. Yes, this night we hit the target, and this thing flew exactly 1250 km this night."
18:33 Ukraine is seeking to organize a telephone conversation between Zelensky and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, as it plans to hold a leader-level Formula Peace summit, Bloomberg writes. Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said in Davos that Kyiv insists on establishing a direct channel of communication between Xi Jinping and the Ukrainian president: “There are things they can talk about... Zelensky’s peace formula is a way to restore a lasting, just peace in Ukraine.”
17:54 The commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Alexander Syrsky, said that he visited the military units that are holding defense in the Kupyansky direction. According to him, the situation remains tense; the Russian army has focused its main efforts on ousting Ukrainian units from the Kupyansky forest and capturing Sinkovka.
17:20 NATO announced the start of the largest exercises since the Cold War on January 22 to practice a possible Russian attack. About 90 thousand military personnel will take part in the exercise Steadfast Defender 2024, which will last several months. During the exercise, the alerting and deployment of international ground forces will be practiced.
The legend of the exercises implies an attack by the Russian Federation on one of the NATO members, which triggers Article 5 on collective defense, dpa reports. The last exercise of this scale took place in 1988, with 125 thousand people taking part.
16:59 NATO expects Russia to receive Iranian missiles, said the head of the Alliance’s military committee, Rob Bauer. He added that he has not yet seen such missiles used by the Russian army.
16:34 Ukraine will soon receive six Caesar self-propelled guns from France, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said after a conversation with his French colleague Sebastian Lecornu. The head of the French Ministry of Defense clarified that Paris will transfer six installations “in the coming weeks.”
16:20 Orban's chief of staff, Gergely Guillas, said that there is still a long way to go before reaching an agreement with the EU on new long-term financing for Ukraine. According to him, Budapest is negotiating with the European Commission, but their positions are very different, so there is no confidence that they will reach an agreement. At the same time, Guillas added that Hungary does not rule out supporting Ukraine on a bilateral basis.
16:03 The European Parliament adopted a resolution in which it expressed “serious concern” about Hungary’s actions. Parliamentarians condemned the Hungarian government's "deliberate, sustained and systematic efforts to undermine the fundamental values of the EU." They also called on the European Council to determine whether Hungary is committing “serious and persistent violations of EU values” under Article 7.2 of the EU Treaty. This article provides for the possibility of suspending certain rights, including a vote in the EU Council, against a state that has repeatedly violated the bloc's values.
15:46 Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov at the opening of the “coalition of artillery” in Paris announced a shortage of ammunition and a shortage of shells in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to him, Russia is far superior to Ukraine in daily artillery attacks: on different parts of the front at different times, the Russian army fired 5-10 times more shells than Ukrainian forces. The minister emphasized that strengthening artillery potential is one of the key needs of Ukraine to win the war.
15:05 The Russians launched six airstrikes on the city of Orekhov, Zaporozhye region. The bombs hit non-residential buildings and a multi-storey building, in which an entire entrance was destroyed. As of this moment, there was no information about casualties, said the head of the OVA, Yuri Malashko.
14:58 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with Macron, thanked him for the launch of the “artillery coalition” initiative and for France’s announced commitment within its framework to produce dozens of Caesar artillery systems for Ukraine in 2024 and ammunition for them. They also discussed the situation on the battlefield and Ukraine’s defense needs, in particular strengthening air defense. We instructed political and military advisers to begin preparations for Macron’s upcoming visit to Ukraine and to speed up negotiations on a bilateral agreement on security guarantees.
14:39 Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski criticized the idea of persuading Ukraine towards peace negotiations: “As for negotiations, I want to share one of Sikorski’s “laws” on foreign policy: there is never a shortage of pocket Chamberlains who are ready to sacrifice other people, the freedom of other people for the sake of our own peace of mind. And we shouldn’t do that.”
13:53 Shmygal said that in the coming weeks he plans to meet with Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico to “discuss all urgent issues and remove possible obstacles to the implementation of the Ukraine Facility.” The Prime Minister recalled that the European Council summit will take place on February 1, and Ukraine is counting on a positive decision on the allocation of financial support in the amount of 50 billion euros under the Ukraine Facility program.
13:18 In Davos, Kuleba reproached the allies for the presence of Western components in Russian weapons: “In almost all weapons, in the Russian missiles that we shoot down or intercept over the past two years, which were produced in Russia, there are a lot of Western spare parts. Some even say, "that 95% of modern Russian weapons come from the West. The West has the best business intelligence in the world. I do not believe that the West does not have the ability to track these schemes and shut them down."
12:46 Russian Kh-101 missiles are different from those used in 2022, Vadim Skibitsky, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, said in Davos: “The enemy is learning, learning quite quickly. I’ll just give you an example: Kh-101 cruise missiles are completely different, than those used in 2022. This is a missile already with an active electronic warfare system, with active protection, heat traps, etc.”
12:09 Project 205P patrol ship Tarantul sank in Sevastopol, reports the Atesh partisan movement. The ship was likely hit during a naval drone attack on Russian military installations several weeks ago. The partisans claim that this ship was stolen by the invaders in 2014 and was actively used for combat purposes.
11:24 British Foreign Minister David Cameron compared Putin to Hitler and urged not to appease him. According to the British minister, today's events in the world are reminiscent of the pre-war 1930s, when the West tried to appease Adolf Hitler: “It’s like being the foreign secretary or the leader of Europe in the 1930s, we must not appease Putin. We must "Resist the evil that is his invasion. The only thing we can do is demonstrate during this year that Putin is not winning."
Cameron also said that the United States spent 10% of the defense budget and achieved the destruction of 50% of Russian military equipment. According to him, Russia has lost 300 thousand people, 20% of its Black Sea Fleet, while NATO is expanding.
10:58 A night attack by Ukrainian drones on an oil depot in the Leningrad region of the Russian Federation is a special operation by the Main Intelligence Directorate, reports the UP, citing a source in the special services. “This is a power steering operation using modern Ukrainian means. Data collection continues, there are confirmed hits on targets. Now the military facilities of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region are within the reach of Ukrainian forces,” the publication’s interlocutor noted.
10:43 The Russians struck Kupyansk, Kharkov region, hitting an apartment building. One person was killed and two were injured, said the head of the OVA, Oleg Sinegubov.
10:40 Lavrov said that Moscow did not see “legally binding provisions” in the security agreement between Ukraine and Britain.
10:19 France will produce 78 Caesar self-propelled artillery units for Ukraine, Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said. According to him, Ukraine is ready to partially pay for production and has already purchased six Caesar units at its own expense “to launch this initiative.” In addition, France will begin supplying Ukraine with 50 AASM gliding bombs per month from January throughout the year. The French minister also noted that France is introducing a war economy regime.
Le Monde writes that France has doubled the production of ammunition for Ukraine: from 1,000 to 2,000 per month, while the goal is to reach 3,000.
09:38 Defense Minister Rustem Umerov canceled today's visit to France “for security reasons,” AFP writes, citing the French Ministry of Defense. They reported that Umerov notified Paris of the cancellation shortly before the visit. It was planned that the Ukrainian minister would meet with his French colleague Sebastien Lecornu - including to launch a conference on the launch of the “artillery coalition”.
08:57 In the Nikolaev region, during a night attack as a result of falling debris from downed UAVs, the warehouses of an agricultural enterprise in the Snegirevskaya community were damaged, no people were injured, said the head of the OVA Vitaly Kim.
08:51 On the evening of January 17, the Russian army launched two strikes on the city of Chuguev, Kharkov region. Enemy ammunition hit the building of the educational institution, one person was killed, three were injured, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA.
08:29 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of January 18:
personnel - about 373,600 (+780) people,
tanks - 6147 (+21),
armored combat vehicles - 11,410 (+38),
artillery systems - 8835 (+24),
MLRS - 966 (+2),
air defense systems - 653 (+0),
aircraft - 331 (+0),
helicopters - 324 (+0),
UAV of operational-tactical level - 6925 (+41),
cruise missiles - 1818 (+1),
ships/boats - 23 (+0),
submarines - 1 (+0),
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 11,794 (+39),
special equipment - 1380 (+13).
07:53 In the Pavlograd district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, during a night attack, fragments of a downed drone fell on the territory of a farm - a fire broke out, which was promptly extinguished. One structure was destroyed and two were damaged, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Lysak.
07:38 Over the past 24 hours, 78 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report . In the Avdeevsky direction, the Defense Forces repelled 13 enemy attacks in the areas of Novokalinovo, Novobakhmutovka, Avdeevka and another 14 attacks near Severny, Pervomaisky and Nevelsky of the Donetsk region. In the Maryinsky direction, ten attacks were repulsed in the areas of Krasnohorivka, Georgievka, Maryinka and Novomikhailovka in the Donetsk region.
In the Kupyansk direction, six enemy attacks were repelled near Sinkovka, Kharkov region; in Limansky - 13 attacks in the areas of Ternov, Yampolevka of the Donetsk region and five more attacks near Makeevka, Belogorivka of the Lugansk region; on Bakhmutsky - eight attacks near Grigorievka, Ivanovsky, Kleshcheevka and Andreevka, Donetsk region; on Shakhtarsky - one attack north of Novodonetsk, Donetsk region. The enemy did not conduct offensive operations in the Zaporozhye direction. The expansion of the bridgehead continues in the Kherson direction; over the past 24 hours, the enemy has unsuccessfully attempted to storm the positions of the Defense Forces six times.
07:27 Governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly fired ten missiles at Belgorod, all of them were shot down, one person was injured.
07:11 Air defense at night destroyed 22 of 33 attack UAVs of the Shahed-136/131 type , which Russia attacked from the Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Kursk region, the Air Force command reported. The main directions of impact are south and north. Air defense operated within the Sumy, Nikolaev, Kherson, Dnepropetrovsk, Kirovograd and Khmelnytsky regions.
In addition, the enemy launched two strikes with S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles from the Belgorod region in the Kharkov region.
01:32 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the air defense allegedly destroyed one aircraft-type UAV over the territory of the Moscow region and intercepted another one over the territory of the Leningrad region.
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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 aviation and artillery repelled six attacks launched by assault groups of AFU 32nd, 60th Mechanised, 95th Airborne brigades near Sinkovka (Kharkov region) and Terni (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy lost up to 155 Ukrainian troops, two tanks, three armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, and one 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system.
In Krasny Liman direction, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery repelled three attacks launched by AFU 63rd Mechanised, 25th Airborne, and 5th National Guard brigades close to Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic), Yampolovka and Grigorovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy losses amounted more than 220 Ukrainian troops, six armoured fighting vehicles, including one Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, four motor vehicles, one U.S.-made M777 howitzer, one 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, one U.S.-made M119 howitzer, and one electronic warfare station.
In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces liberated Veseloye (Donetsk People's Republic). Air strikes, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems fire defeated manpower and hardware of AFU 22nd, 42nd, 93rd Mechanised brigades close to Kleshcheyevka and Andreyevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
Up to 260 Ukrainian troops, one tank, two infantry fighting vehicles, and 17 motor vehicles have been neutralised. In the course of the counter-battery warfare, three U.S.-made M777 artillery systems, U.S.-made Paladin self-propelled artillery systems, 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, as well as one 122mm D-30 howitzer were destroyed.
In South Donetsk direction, units of the Vostok Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery repelled one attack launched of the AFU 79th Air Assault Brigade's assault groups near Novomikhailovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
In addition, strikes were delivered at units of AFU 72nd Mechanised, 128th Territorial Defence brigades close to Vodyanoye (Donetsk People's Republic). The enemy losses amounted to more than 130 Ukrainian troops, two motor vehicles, two UK-made FH-70 howitzers, and one Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery system.
In Zaporozhye direction, units of the Russian Group of Forces hit manpower and hardware of AFU 33rd Mechanised, 82nd Air Assault, 128th Mountain Assault brigades near Rabotino, Malaya Tokmachka, and Zherebyanka (Zaporozhye region). The enemy losses amounted to up to 30 Ukrainian troops, one tank, three motor vehicles, one 152mm D-20 and one 122mm D-30 howitzers.
In Kherson direction, up to 65 Ukrainian troops, three tanks, and five motor vehicles have been neutralised by fire. In the course of the counter-battery warfare, the Russian troops hit one U.S.-made M777 artillery system, one 152mm Giatsint-B, one 152mm Msta-B, and one 152mm D-20 howitzers, as well as one 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system.
Missile Troops and Artillery, as well as UAVs of the Russian Group of Forces have engaged two temporary deployment areas of foreign mercenaries, four missile and ammunition depots, 117 AFU artillery units at their fire positions, manpower, and military hardware in 133 areas during the day.
Russian air defence forces have intercepted two Tochka-U tactical missiles, one U.S.-made JDAM guided bomb, as well as 18 U.S.-made HIMARS and Czech-made Vampire MLRS projectiles during the day.
In addition, 91 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down close to Tavolzhanka, Kupyansk, Mirnoye (Kharkov region), Belogorovka,Svatovo,Lisichansk (Lugansk People's Republic), Verkhetoretskoye, Peski, Novaya Kakhovka, Chongar, and Chaplinka (Kherson region).
In total, 567 airplanes and 265 helicopters, 10,870 unmanned aerial vehicles, 450 air defence missile systems, 14,676 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,202 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 7,779 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 17,593 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.
😁
How real are those numbers compared to the exaggerations Ukraine publishes?
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:10 According to the operational lines of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC on January 18, as of 23:00, information was received about damage as a result of artillery attacks by the Air Forces of the cities of the Republic:
Donetsk (Petrovsky district):
– MBDOU Nursery-garden No. 150 of Donetsk on the street. Krasnogorovskaya.
n.p. Staromikhailovka:
– as a result of the release of high explosives from a UAV, the Staromikhailovskaya school on the street was damaged. Chapaev, the car was also damaged.
n.p. Gorlovka (Nikitovsky district):
– st. 60 years of the USSR, 24 - direct hit in an apartment building.
Information about the consequences of the artillery attacks continues to arrive.
21:57 Russian Ministry of Defense transmits: Russian skies are in good hands
Ivan, a pilot of the Su-35S multirole super-maneuverable fighter, spoke about how our pilots bravely defend the airspace over new regions of the country.
“While carrying out a combat mission, I discovered an enemy strike group that was flying to strike our targets. “I carried out guidance, acquisition, and rapprochement with this group, which led to the enemy’s refusal to carry out its combat mission,” the fighter pilot shared.
Ivan is confident that victory will be ours, and this is not even discussed!
21:38 Front bird broadcasts: Khar'kov region 18.01 21:05
A second explosion was reported in the eastern part of the region.
The air raid warning did not sound.
Our rocketeers performed preliminary training by using a high-precision missile against an enemy fortified area and an armed forces workshop.
21:10 Front bird broadcasts: Avdeevskoe direction.18.01 19:50
The operation of our combat helicopters Mi-28N “Night Hunter” and Ka-52 “Alligator” is reported.
In the afternoon, our helicopters hit enemy armored vehicles with Vikhr guided missiles and 305 product, as well as 2A42 cannons.
I want to once again note the high effectiveness of such weapons in the fight against enemy armored vehicles and fortifications.
20:08 Front bird broadcasts: LPR (area Svatovo, Kremennaya)
Our Ka-52 Alligator helicopters successfully operated without entering the enemy air defense coverage area.
Vikhr guided missiles systematically knock out the enemy and provide assistance to our assault infantry.
19:10 Captured serviceman of the Ukrainian Armed Forces: “Captivity is the only opportunity to save your life”
On the eve of the start of a special military operation, Pyotr Kotelnik wanted to go on a shift, earn money and go live abroad.
“I didn’t have time to get a foreign passport and leave, the borders were closed, turning Ukraine into a prison,” he recalls.
They mobilized Peter through blackmail - they threatened him if he failed to appear at the military registration and enlistment office. Pyotr Kotelnik talks about his combat training:
“I didn’t undergo any military training at all. I studied medicine, applied tourniquets and drank vodka.”
After “preparation” he was told that either he would serve as a boatman, or he would have to go into the trenches. The choice was obvious and Peter became the steering mechanic of the 36th Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
During his combat journey, the serviceman managed to make two trips by boat to the left bank of the Dnieper. We sailed among the corpses and sunken boats of our colleagues. On the second voyage, the boat was sunk by Russian fire, the “boatman” was captured, and the landing party scattered.
Now the former Ukrainian marine Kotelnik has made up his mind - after captivity he wants to stay in Russia.
“I feel comfortable here, and I don’t want to go to Ukraine. I want to stay in the Russian Federation and apply for a passport,” says the prisoner.
18:09 Russian Ministry of Defense transmits Statement by the head of the press center of the Dnepr group
In the Zaporozhye direction, units of the Russian group of troops inflicted fire on the personnel and equipment of the 33rd mechanized, 82nd Air Assault, 128th Mountain Assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Rabotino, Malaya Tokmachka and Zherebyanki, Zaporozhye region.
The losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces amounted to up to 30 military personnel, a tank, three vehicles, as well as two howitzers: 152mm D-20 and 122mm D-30.
In the Kherson direction, as a result of fire damage to Ukrainian Armed Forces units, the enemy lost up to 65 military personnel, three tanks and five vehicles.
During the counterbattery fight, the following were hit: the US-made M777 artillery system, three howitzers: 152mm Giatsint-B, 152mm Msta-B and 152mm D-20, as well as the 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mount.
17:15 Russian Ministry of Defense reports on the liberation of the village of Vesyoloye (DPR)
16:15 Mobilized physical education teacher from Gorlovka (DPR) Mikhail Velichko saved his colleagues at the cost of his life: hecoveredwith his body a grenade dropped from a drone by Ukrainian Nazis.
The fighter with the call sign "Mikha" is survived by a seven-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son
To be a Warrior is to live forever!
15:05 Comparison of Krynok at the beginning of the landing of Ukrainian marines and a few months after -photo.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces were never able to create a stable bridgehead and gain a foothold on it, having suffered heavy losses, which they continue to suffer to this day in vain attempts to hold this piece of land on the left bank of the Dnieper.
Although, of course, with this operation the enemy drank a lot of our own blood.
14:10 Front bird broadcasts: Yuzhnodonetsk direction 18.01 14:00
It is reported that our Russian Aerospace Forces are carrying out operational work to detect and eliminate enemy positions.
The Su-34s again struck with UFABs at the designated targets.
13:40 Parcel sent: crews of the 122mm BM-21 MLRS "Grad" of the group of troops "West" destroyed fortified positions and manpower of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kupyansk direction
The crews quickly took up positions and struck area targets. Objective control footage received from the UAV in real time made it possible to verify the destruction of targets.
13:00 Telegram channel «WarGonzo“: I would like to remind you what Krynki looks like now, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces hold a bridgehead. Or rather, what is left of them.
Although, it would be a stretch to call this cemetery of Ukrainians a springboard. The actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on our bank of the Dnieper have not received any development, and most likely they will not receive any more. Ukrainian soldiers can only drown in the cold waters of the river when trying to cross, or die in the surviving basements of Krynok. And all for the sake of another article being published in the next Western newspaper, giving reason to hope that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are doing well.
But this does not mean that for our guys the battles near Krynki are an easy walk. Enemy artillery continues to work from the right bank of the Dnieper, and kamikaze drones fly here in such quantities that most likely cannot be found anywhere else on the front. And it will be very difficult to completely dislodge the enemy from our shore. But, despite this, the RF Armed Forces are firmly holding the enemy in a trap, into which he himself has climbed and continues to climb day by day.
12:10 Russian Ministry of Defense transmits Statement by the head of the press center of the "South" group
Units of the “Southern” group of forces, supported by artillery fire, repelled six attacks by formations of the 81st Airmobile, 22nd and 24th Mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of Belogorovka, Krasny and Bogdanovka. Active actions defeated the manpower and equipment of the 22, 28 and 42 Mechanized brigades in the areas of Kleshcheevka, Kurdyumovka and Andreevka.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 290 military personnel, a tank, two infantry fighting vehicles, five armored combat vehicles, and 12 vehicles in the Donetsk direction as wounded and killed. During the counter-battery fight, two 122mm D-30 howitzers and a 203mm Pion self-propelled gun were destroyed.
Air defense and electronic warfare systems shot down 11 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the areas of the settlements of Novonikolaevka, Gorlovka and Peski of the Donetsk People's Republic, as well as 11 rockets from the Alder and Vampire MLRS.
11:27 Front bird broadcasts: Avdeevskoe direction. District Step 18.01 10:40
The work of our brave tactical aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces is reported.
Once again they sent UVAB-250 and UVAB-500 to the enemy by the collar.
Some military personnel heard an RBK-500 (cluster bomb) explode.
10:35 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 cannon artillery:
in the village. Krynki 15 shells;
-- n.p. Golaya Pristan two shells;
-- n.p. Kazachi Lagery seven shells;
-- n.p. Dnepryan four shells;
-- n.p. Korsunka seven shells;
-- n.p. Alyosha eight shells;
-- n.p. Velikya Lepetikha three shells.
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the village. Peschanivka, n.p. Aleshki, n.p. Krynki, n.p. Sagi, firing a total of 20 rounds from cannon artillery.
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure are being clarified.
09:50 Russian paratroopers stormed a Ukrainian Armed Forces stronghold north-west of Artemovsk
We publishpersonnelfrom the action camera of one of the Russian servicemen.
The assault units of the Ivanovo and Yaroslavl paratroopers from the “Southern” group of forces, continuing to improve the position of the Russian units along the front line, captured another stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
During aerial reconnaissance of the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the paratroopers uncovered the main firing points and shelters with a concentration of enemy infantry. Airborne artillerymen inflicted fire damage and suppressed identified targets. Then the military personnel of the “winged infantry” quickly captured the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by storm from several directions.
09:30 Telegram channel «WarGonzo":
Frontline report for the morning 01/18/2024
In the Zaporozhye direction there are oncoming battles to the west of the village of Rabotino. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to stabilize the situation in this area. At the same time, the Russian Armed Forces continue local attacks from Novoprokopovka and Verbovoy.
On the Donetsk front, Russian troops carried out assault operations on the southern outskirts of Novomikhailovka, near Georgievka, from the southeast and northeast to Avdeevka, as well as in Stepnoe (not to be confused with the settlements of the same name in the Zaporozhye and Ugledar directions).
In the Bakhmut direction, the Russian Armed Forces are trying to break through the defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the heights north-west of Kleshcheevka, from Khromovoye and in Bogdanovka. Ukrainian units are holding their positions.
In the Lugansk direction, Russian troops carried out offensive operations at Ternov, Makeevka, Petropavlovka and Sinkovka. LBS has not changed significantly. (Fig. 4)
08:45 Telegram channel “Fisherman":
Chronicle of a special military operation: events of January 16 – 17, 2024
In recent days, Ukrainian forces have attempted several times to attack civilian targets in Russia's rear regions. Over Voronezh and Belgorod, air defenses in total intercepted more than a dozen UAVs.
At the same time, the Russian Armed Forces struck warehouses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kirovograd and military facilities in Dnepropetrovsk. In Kharkov and Odessa, enemy concentration areas were hit by rockets and kamikaze drones "Geran".
In the Limansky sector, Russian troops break through enemy defenses towards Terny. There are a few kilometers left to the village and neighboring Yampolovka. Artillery is actively working on both sides, and the enemy is using FPV drones.
In the Seversky direction in the Spornoye area, heavy fighting continues - the ruins of the village are being processed by Russian artillery. To the south, in Vesele, Russian troops are trying to occupy the outskirts and are fighting in the vicinity of Belogorovka.
To the west of Bakhmut, the Russian Armed Forces are trying to take control of the road to Chasov Yar, actively hitting enemy fortifications with artillery and aircraft. In addition, Russian forces are conducting assault operations in Bogdanovka and on the southern flank northwest of Kleshcheevka.
On the outskirts of the Avdeevsky fortified area, positional battles continue with attempts at local advances by the Russian Armed Forces. To the southeast of the pumping station, Russian forces were able to advance from Kamenka, occupying a fortified area.
Heavy fighting continues in the Krynok area. The supply of the Ukrainian group in the village was significantly disrupted by weather conditions, but not cut off. Reports that the Russian Armed Forces were allegedly able to partially establish control over Krynki have not yet been confirmed.
08:10 Official summary JCCC DPR:
A total of 44 facts of armed attacks by the UFU were recorded by the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC over the past 24 hours
Damaged:
Four residential buildings,
Seven civil infrastructure facilities.
Donetsk direction – six artillery attacks,
Gorlovka direction – 34 artillery attacks,
Yasinovaty direction – four artillery attacks.
A total of 148 units of various ammunition were fired.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Denis Davydov
[REGNUM] “Dictatorial laws” appeared only in the third month of the “revolution of dignity.” Yanukovych’s authorities were thinking about ways to calm down the people on the Maidan, since they had clearly lost all sense of proportion, and in those distant times they were afraid and did not want to kill them, relying on the force of law out of old habit. And then on January 16, 2014, a terrible thing happened in the Verkhovna Rada.
Having broken the resistance of the opposition when voting for the budget, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Igor Kaletnik took another package of laws “from the table.” The opposition knew its contents, so they began to take away the voting cards of the deputies. Kaletnik decided to vote with his hands. 235 deputies seemed to vote “yes,” and the next day, January 17, President Viktor Yanukovych signed a package of changes to the current legislation, which stirred up the progressive public.
The new rules were assessed as a terrible attack on freedom and democracy, as they “intended to criminalize the opposition and civil society.” In addition, the way the law was passed in itself looked blatantly “un-European.” The current government, of course, was accused of copying draconian rules from Russian ones.
From now on, it was forbidden to travel in convoys of more than five cars without the consent of the police (since the “AutoMaidan”, hung with flags, was circling through cities and towns). Punishments have been introduced for media outlets operating without registration, and the status of a foreign agent has been introduced for public organizations working with money from foreign funds. The protesters were threatened with long sentences for rioting, the installation of tents and the use of masks and helmets were prohibited, and holding rallies and demonstrations in violation of the rules was to be punishable by arrest for up to 10 days.
Contempt of court was not ignored, since the “brothers” regularly organized pogroms there, repelling their detained like-minded people. For threatening a policeman - seven years. For collecting information about law enforcement officers and judges - up to three years. The state announced its right to restrict access to Internet resources that violate the law “based on expert opinion.” This was absolutely outrageous and unheard of! Deny Internet access!
Or this: the law introduced new articles on extremist activities and slander (which are also distributed via the Internet) and introduced punishment for this. Either a huge fine or jail for up to three years. By the way, materials with calls for a violent change of the constitutional system and obstruction of the activities of government bodies and officials were considered extremist.
In addition, there were ideological laws on liability for the desecration of monuments, denial or justification of the crimes of fascism. As is known, he was not in Ukraine, just like Bandera’s followers. Maidan thought and came to the conclusion that this was an attack specifically on the “Ukrainian division “Galicia”, which, by pure chance, was formed as part of the SS troops.
In general, the progressive public unanimously called such legislation “manipulative and repressive”; “legally, historically and politically illiterate”; it allows for “arbitrary interpretation of almost all of its main provisions”; the definition of “supporters of fascism” can actually also include Western Ukrainian freedom fighters (many exclamation points).
Then the future mayor of Kiev, Vitaliy Klitschko, immediately called for an all-Ukrainian strike. The leader of the far-right Svoboda party, Oleg Tyagnibok, called the events in parliament a “coup d’etat.” Former socialist and son of a communist Yuriy Lutsenko expressed the strong opinion that “the adopted laws are a maximum security prison for everyone who feels like a free person,” and that now has come “the time when the words of the anthem “Let us lay down our soul and body” have come to be tested in practice for our freedom,” and that this is “the moment of truth.” It is necessary to create a Popular Front, a resistance movement that unites millions.
Yulia Tymoshenko squeaked something from prison, influential journalists condemned, the main media union adopted a statement regarding censorship and the attack on basic human rights. The mayor of Lvov, Andrei Sadovoy, said that in his city the decisions of the central legislative body will not be implemented. From the Maidan stage they called for violence, because everyone standing there had a grille shining on them, and that was not what they wanted. In general, the authorities got scared, and on January 28 everything was canceled. Ukraine failed to turn “into an analogue of the Russian Federation,” a terrible place from which it was necessary to flee to the holy, prayed-for European Union.
But ten years have passed. And somehow, completely unnoticed by the entire progressive public and the heroes of the Maidan, Ukraine turned into a much more terrible place.
Access to the Internet is prohibited there without any examination - an entire segment is simply blocked, and people are not told to go there; appearing on prohibited social networks can backfire. No one is surprised anymore by arrests and imprisonments for extremist statements, since they are imprisoned even for talking with relatives, as recently happened to a local deputy in Cherkassy. And in Lvov, one guy was imprisoned for selling a Soviet flag on the Internet.
Becoming an agent and being accused of treason is a matter of a couple of minutes. Failure to comply with the demands of law enforcement officers is no longer punishable by a fine; they simply grab you and take you away. Some forever. And going to court in search of the truth makes everyone laugh: look, what a fool. But people are calmly tried in absentia, something that Yanukovych’s “gangster power” could not cope with. The same thing with “violation of regulations and the constitution”: it has long been possible to pass any law at all and violate all basic human rights. It would be strange if it was the other way around.
The collection of personal information does not scare anyone; on the contrary, publishing the data of “enemies of the people” is considered a good deed, as is persecuting them or even punishing them without trial. Censorship has become universal; having your own opinion is prohibited in this country, which is monitored by a huge team of voluntary morality police. We won’t even say whether there is at least some political opposition or public organizations left that act against the interests of the regime. Any protests are prohibited, “you can’t rock the boat.”
But you can’t shake it, because there’s a war with Russia. And it began then, in 2014, it was announced unilaterally precisely so that Yanukovych would cry in his Rostov with envy. Why do you spit on laws, trample on the constitution, steal and lie? Yes, because there is war. And whoever is dissatisfied is an agent of the Kremlin. And for a post criticizing the authorities, you are handcuffed.
We fought with Russia not to become like Russia, but we became worse than Russia because of Russia.
On the occasion of the anniversary, I even conducted a small experiment, copied and sent to the author a post ten years ago, where he explained that “ people came out against a corrupt, usurped, unjust system, where everyone does not feel safe, because no one believes in the objectivity of law enforcement officers, justice courts and the fact that his taxes are not stolen, but go to roads, schools, hospitals.” He promised to go to the Maidan again if the same or worse ones come to replace the authorities. Because we need to build a state “in which you want to live.”
I don’t want to disappoint you with a banal answer, but that’s exactly what he can’t handle on the Maidan: now there are more important threats. You can't rock the boat, it makes the rats sick. Thus, ultimately, the only way to help the Maidan achieve its goals is to implement Russian legislation and management methods. As years and practice have shown, it is more progressive, flexible, and the system of power, in general, is aimed at creating. The “analogue of Russia” in 2014 would have been much more European and democratic.
So the problem of the “revolution of dignity” is for the first time considered precisely from the perspective of competition between two legal systems - Russian before 2014 and modern Russian.
Despite years of European integration efforts, it is Russia that remains the center around which the Ukrainian universe revolves. After years of experimentation, we can state with satisfaction: Russia ultimately won against itself. In principle, it is impossible to come up with anything better for Ukraine. Thus, the transformation into an “analogue of Russia” of the 2014 model, that the transition to Russian laws in their current state for the unfortunate Ukraine, mired in the inability to “stop stealing and start building,” becomes a natural blessing. And the sooner this happens, the better for everyone.
It turns out that this is exactly what Maidan stood for.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Denis Davydov
[REGNUM] The glorious city of Pereyaslav in the Kiev region officially celebrates the 370th anniversary of the Pereyaslav Rada without the prefix “Khmelnytsky” and without a monument to Russian-Ukrainian unity. In Ukraine they have been moving towards this for quite a long time, and for the first time the decision to transfer the Zaporozhian Army to the hand of the Moscow Tsar was “denounced” by Ataman Zeleny (Danilo Terpilo) in 1919.
On June 21, 1992, after the election of the Ukrainian Cossacks as hetman, ex-presidential candidate of Ukraine Vyacheslav Chornovil repeated this performance. He read out his text of renunciation of the oath of allegiance, about which a memorial sign remains at the monument to the 300th anniversary of reunification with Russia, which was finally demolished in 2022.
In 2019, Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky was renamed; the inscription “Forever together, forever with the Russian people” was removed from the monument in 2014. Then they either blindfolded the female figure, personifying Russia, with a black ribbon, or completely covered her with cloth.
Now, in the place of the former friendship of peoples, only a pedestal remains, on which a huge Ukrainian flag flies on an ugly stand. Local activists dream that one day there will be a monument to some historical figure associated with the city. However, this is unlikely to happen, since modern Ukraine is confidently following the same path that 400 years ago led Poland, first to a brutal war, and ultimately to the loss of statehood.
And this anniversary should be seen as a reminder of this.
WAR FOR RUSSIANNESS
The internal conflict in the Polish state had been brewing for quite a long time and developed along three lines - ethnic, confessional and social.
In the greater Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which consisted of three parts, the official language was Polish and Polish customs prevailed.
The Russian population (and the third component was called “Rus”) was not considered equal to the Poles and Lithuanians, they were considered second-class citizens, primarily due to their adherence to Orthodoxy. There was an absolute majority of Orthodox Christians on the left bank of the Dnieper, and there were plenty of them on the right bank as well.
The faith of the fathers in class society was the last thing that the powerless villagers held on to. Orthodoxy was a way of self-identification for the strong and numerous Cossacks. The disadvantaged Orthodox clergy was strongly anti-Catholic; many bishops and priests found support from the Moscow Patriarchate.
However, in Krakow and Warsaw they sought to aggressively de-Russify the population of the huge province and convert its elite to Catholicism. For example, magnates and large landowners, abandoning Orthodoxy, received a lot of advantages and became Poles culturally and religiously.
This, for example, happened to the house of the Vishnevetsky princes, former zealots of the Orthodox faith, who converted to Catholicism and began to spread it “with fire and sword.”
The modern Ukrainian government made the same mistake with aggressive de-Russification and destruction of Orthodoxy centuries later, following the beaten path and receiving exactly the same reason for first a civil war, and then a full-scale one.
And then the fate of Ukraine (as we will, for convenience, call the territory that did not bear this name in the 17th century) was determined by the presence of a military class, armed, organized and accustomed to war. The Cossacks arose on the border, which suffered from Tatar raids, a century earlier, and Poland itself helped it grow stronger. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth constantly lacked regular troops, and the registered Cossacks, who received salaries, were the main military force in the East.
But there were few registries, and the center of Cossack life was located in Zaporozhye, on the Sich, which was controlled by its own military circle and not controlled by the Polish authorities. There were several tens of thousands of Cossacks in total - a large force that spent the entire first third of the 17th century in a series of large and small rebellions against Polish power.
Contrary to legend, they were not defenders of the countryside; the two classes had different interests. Except for one thing - get rid of the Poles.
The national movement only needed a leader, and he finally appeared.
LEADER RELUCTANTLY
A lot of research has been devoted to the personality of Bohdan Khmelnitsky, and in our case it is worth emphasizing the most important thing: he was a typical product of the politics of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
A noble of the Abdank coat of arms in the royal service, educated at a Jesuit college, fluent in Polish and Latin, he still remained second class as an Orthodox and Russian. Therefore, he lost in a dispute over property and a woman to his neighbor, a “real nobleman,” a Pole.
By the way, you can call him a Ukrainian, if you like, but in his letters Bogdan called himself exactly that: “ one of the rulers and the Russian autocrat,” who is destined to snatch the Russian people “from the captivity of Lyadskaya.”
His personal grievance resonated with the grievances of tens of thousands of people, especially since in past years it was Khmelnitsky who was more than once part of the deputations to present complaints to the Seim and the king about the violence to which the Cossacks were subjected. Therefore, many followed the energetic and charismatic man.
It is indicative that a detachment of registered Cossacks from the Polish garrison located at the Sich immediately joined the rebels. They reasonably motivated this by the fact that “fighting Cossacks against Cossacks is like plowing with a wolf.”
Having managed to win over the Crimean Tatars, whose main interest was solely in robbery, Bogdan quickly achieved stunning success.
But even here it is worth noting that the hetman’s negotiations with Moscow on alliance began in January 1649, were resumed several times in 1650–1651, but at first did not produce significant results.
The pro-Moscow party has always existed in Ukraine, since it was completely organic in those conditions: nearby there were only the cruel Tatars, behind whom stood the Ottoman Empire, and the hated Poles. The Turkish Sultan, under whom the hetman himself had once spent two years in slavery, was in no hurry to take Ukraine under his hand. And the idea of coming under the jurisdiction of the one-begotten and only-begotten Orthodox tsar was popular among the oppressed lower classes, among the townspeople and even some of the clergy (who generally sought autonomy).
Only the first attempts to secure Russian patronage were met in Moscow without enthusiasm.
Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich did not like wars or conflicts in general, and three previous meetings with the quarrelsome Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ended badly. An attempt to return Smolensk under its control turned into a painful defeat for the Russian kingdom in 1634. Poland, if anyone doesn’t remember, began immediately behind Velikiye Luki. And there were plenty of internal problems.
The conductor of Ukrainian interests was the new Patriarch Nikon, who corresponded directly with the Zaporozhye hetman and instructed him how to act. And they returned to the question of an alliance only in a hopeless situation for Bogdan after the devastating battle of Berestechko.
Even before the end of the fighting, the Lithuanian hetman Janusz Radziwill occupied Kiev. The best commander of Crimea, Tugai Bey, died, and Khmelnitsky completely lost face and was left without an army - he had only three thousand Cossacks at his disposal. All cities assigned to the Cossacks under the Treaty of Zborov - Kyiv, Chernigov, Bratslav - came under the control of the Poles. They, of course, did not bring the matter to the final defeat, since King John Casimir ran out of money for mercenaries, and the leader of the noble militia, the fierce Jeremiah Vishnevetsky, died suddenly.
However, the conditions of the new peace, signed on September 18, 1651 in Bila Tserkva, were very bad.
And most importantly, most of the rebels turned out to be “decazed”; the villagers again fell under the yoke of landowners and tenants and immediately began their own war. In the Bratslav region, Cossack detachments sent by Bogdan helped the villagers partisan, and the nobleman Stefan Charnetsky conducted military operations against them with his own initiative. Khmelnitsky failed to place his son Timosh on the throne of Moldavia; in September 1653, he was mortally wounded in one of the skirmishes.
A new Polish invasion was inevitable - the gentry understood that the undefeated enemy would sooner or later raise its head. Crimea no longer wanted to help, and in the last desperate attempt to “resolve the issue,” when Khmelnitsky attacked the Kamenets fortress, where the king was located with small forces, the Tatars simply agreed with the Poles on a ransom.
In September 1653, Bogdan accepted all Moscow conditions in view of the hopeless situation, and already on October 1, the Zemsky Sobor heard a message about the “untruths” of the Polish king and the Zaporozhye petition.
WIDE AUTONOMY
The Council decided: “Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky and the entire Zaporozhye Army with their cities and lands should be accepted under their sovereign high hand for the Orthodox Christian faith and the holy churches of God.”
Contrary to another common cliche, Ukraine was never reunited with Russia. Such states simply did not exist. However, from the point of view of a historical perspective, this event was epoch-making even for contemporaries: the long-fragmented Rus' again came together into a single whole.
They began to prepare a great embassy for the Cossacks to take the oath. The residents of Pereyaslav greeted the delegation led by boyar Vasily Buturlin joyfully; they saw Russian citizenship as a chance for a better life. However, the Rada itself, which opened on January 8, 1654, included only the Cossack circle - it was an analogue of the Zemsky Sobor, without the mob, whose opinion in general did not interest the Cossack elders.
It looked like this. Khmelnitsky came into the circle and said: “Gentlemen colonels, esauls, centurions, the entire Zaporozhian Army and all Orthodox Christians! For six years now we have been living without a sovereign, in constant battles and bloodshed with our persecutors and enemies, who want to uproot the Church of God, so that the Russian name is not remembered in our land.”
The hetman asked those gathered under which of the four sovereigns they would like to live - the Polish king, the Crimean khan, the Turkish sultan or the Orthodox tsar. The crowd shouted: “ We will obey the Eastern Orthodox Tsar.”
Then Buturlin handed the tsar’s manifesto to the army clerk general for reading, and the estates began to take the oath. Subsequently, the procedure was repeated throughout January-February in cities and towns, where 127,338 people were registered. As the author of the Ukrainian chronicle Samovidets noted, “ all over Ukraine, all the people willingly did this...” and from this, “ ...considerable joy among the people is constant.”
In the main, the interests of the top and bottom coincided. But then they separated.
The protectorate called “Zaporozhian Army with Cities and Lands” retained broad autonomy. But at the same time, the old class society was preserved. The lower classes, the peasantry, did not want to live in the Cossack state and be slaves again; they preferred the direct power of the tsarist governors. While the Cossacks dreamed of taking the place of the gentry, leaving the peasants in their previous state.
Not everyone agreed with Bogdan’s decision, and later this led to a long civil war, where some were guided by Moscow, others by Warsaw, and others by Constantinople.
However, life itself put together a structure when the foreign policy interests of the Russian state and Ukraine within it became inseparable from each other. They turned into national ones and completely coincided, which is why they were defended by Russia with all available forces and means.
Thanks to this, the lands were brought together, the socio-economic and cultural development of Ukraine took shape, which eventually became a full-fledged state. Which, like centuries ago, has only one opportunity to preserve itself: in an alliance with Russia.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] The Russian armed forces went on the offensive throughout the Donetsk direction, gradually pushing through the enemy’s defenses.
At the turn of December - January, a temporary calm reigned at the front, caused by cold weather and the need to regroup troops. But starting on January 10, the front “moved” again.
After the cold weather retreated, Russian troops began to increase the intensity of the offensive on a number of sectors of the Donetsk front.
The fighting continues simultaneously in the directions to Avdeevka, to the south - to Pervomaiskoye, Nevelskoye and Krasnogorovka and further - in the Marinka area, DPR People's Council deputy Yuri Leonov told IA Regnum, based on information from participants in the hostilities.
And although the offensive in some places is of a positional nature, the Ukrainian Armed Forces gradually have to give up positions, sometimes snapping back with local counterattacks. Despite enemy resistance, Russian troops have already achieved significant success.
During the fighting, the village of Veseloye was liberated, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.
There are 11 villages with this name on the territory of the DPR (including Vesyoloye between Donetsk and Peski), but, based on the context, we are talking about the village of Vesyoloye north of Soledar, in the area of the Ukrainian Armed Forces-held city of Seversk.
ADVANCEMENT IN THE AVDEEVSKY DIRECTION
One of the most tense sections of the front was the area north and northeast of the Avdeevsky coke and chemical plant.
Specifically, the settlements of Stepovoye and Berdychi.
Russian troops have managed to advance in this sector in recent weeks, reports an informed source from the Regnum news agency in the ranks of the 1st Army Corps of the Russian Armed Forces. But, he added, the enemy is not abandoning attempts to counterattack.
In the area north of Avdeevka, the 47th brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces operates, which actively uses American-made armored vehicles.
“Some time ago, a number of citizens placed Stepovoye under our control. But I can say that the enemy does not want to surrender the village, clashes continue there, and quite severe ones,” a source told IA Regnum. “ We can retreat somewhere, they will come in somewhere.” However, there is partial success in this area, without details. We are moving forward, albeit slowly."
Russian troops managed to cross the railway embankment in the area of the 437th km platform.
To the north, Russian troops were able to significantly advance between Stepov and Ocheretino, thereby creating a perimeter for the future encirclement of the enemy in Avdeevka.
“EVERYTHING POSSIBLE WORKS”
The successes of the Russian troops are also recognized by Ukrainian sources. According to their information, on January 17 alone, more than 600 “arrivals” of artillery and aircraft shells occurred at the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Russian Aerospace Forces are also destroying enemy positions in Avdeevka itself and the Avdeevka plant area.
Video recordings are published in open sources showing the dropping of FAB-250 aerial bombs, equipped with a controlled planning and correction module, at the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Heavy weapons are used to knock out powerful enemy fortifications and save the lives of soldiers fighting in the front ranks.
“Everything that can be done works. Aviation and cannon artillery are working, and assaults are taking place regularly. So far, no major breakthroughs. This is due to the fact that the task is to preserve battle formations as much as possible. But we can say that somewhere between 85–90% of all offensive actions come from our side,” notes Donetsk deputy Yuriy Leonov.
And such tactics are completely justified.
Among the latest successes of the troops operating in the Donetsk direction is the capture of the Musorka fortified area in the southeast of Avdeevka. The position was left virtually without a fight. There are reports that Ukrainian troops have retreated towards the north.
With the establishment of control over the settlements of Stepovoe and Berdychi, the situation for the Ukrainian garrison in Avdiivka will become even more difficult. De facto, the city will be covered from the north, and the only road along which Ukrainian forces are still supplied will come under the fire control of Russian troops simultaneously from the south and the north. The garrison will be faced with a difficult choice: retreat or die surrounded.
“THE HALF-DEAD AIRMOBILE BRIGADE IS WITHDRAWING WITHOUT A FIGHT”
Simultaneously with the fighting in the Avdiivka direction, military operations continue along the entire Donetsk sector of the front. The key task for Russian troops is to slowly push the enemy out of his long-occupied positions.
As mentioned above, during the fighting northeast of Donetsk, Russian troops managed to push back the enemy in the Pervomaiskoye-Nevelskoye area, from where the Ukrainian Armed Forces regularly shell the DPR capital.
East of Nevelskoye, the enemy was knocked out from a number of fortified points, which is confirmed by combat footage published online.
South-west of Nevelskoye, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were also forced to abandon a number of positions and retreat. We can say that the enemy’s fortified area in the village is simultaneously covered from two sides.
The assault units are also developing strategic success in the Marinka area, while simultaneously moving east towards Georgievka and south towards Novomikhailovka. Here, Russian troops also managed to move forward to the south and north of the settlement, taking it into a semicircle.
“In the Marinka area, the half-dead 79th airmobile brigade continues to operate and is rolling back. Morale there is weak; many formations have not been rotated for a very long time. In particular, in the Novomikhailovka area they surrendered some positions and often retreated without a fight. We are flowing around the populated area, we will squeeze them out further,” reports the Regnum news agency source.
WHAT'S ON THE LIST OF POSSIBLE LOSSES?
For the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the situation is becoming more and more undesirable every day. And the headquarters seem to understand this well. Commenting on the situation in Avdiivka, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny said that in the future the city could be abandoned by Ukrainian troops. Among the reasons for the failures of the Ukrainian troops, Zaluzhny named the superiority of the Russian Armed Forces and the lack of military assistance from the West.
According to the commander-in-chief, Avdiivka could be abandoned by the Ukrainian Armed Forces within two to three months, but this could happen much earlier.
Ukrainian sources explain the retreat along the entire front by the need to retreat to new fortified lines, to hold which reserves are being formed in the rear. However, it is possible that in the foreseeable future the enemy may try to counterattack.
Russian paratroopers stormed the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Artyomovsk
“They have the strength to counterattack, some of them are not fools there either, they will try to change something. They are trying and will try to create pressure on the flanks. There are attempts to exert pressure on the flanks; they may try to cut off the advancing forces. Therefore, the offensive is proceeding cautiously,” adds Yuri Leonov.
Another option for the development of events is called in the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - a transition to deep defense in all directions. This statement was made by the commander of the ground forces, Alexander Syrsky.
However, in order to build new lines of defense, Ukrainian troops will need to retreat in a number of directions.
Among the possible “losses” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are the Avdeevka region, the settlements of Krasnogorovka, Pervomaiskoye, Praskovievka and Ugledar. That is, the front line can roll back tens of kilometers in order to try to organize new defensive lines similar to those that were created around Donetsk.
However, it is far from certain that Russian troops will allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to do this.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] In St. Petersburg, the newest mine defense ship “Semyon Agafonov” was laid down as part of project 12,700 code “Alexandrite”. The event took place at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard on January 18.
The minesweeper became the twelfth ship within the project. They decided to name the ship itself after the Hero of the Soviet Union Semyon Agafonov, a participant in the Great Patriotic and Soviet-Japanese Wars.
“Mineweepers are workers of the sea, there are never many of them, there are always not enough of them,” the Media Deck publication reports the words of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov.
Evmenov added that the Project 12 700 line confirmed all the tactical and technical characteristics that were originally laid down by their creators. The crew of the new ship is currently being formed, he said.
It is noted that ships within the framework of this project are capable of detecting mines both in the sea and in sea soil. To destroy mines, the vessels will be used for various trawls, including remote-controlled and unmanned underwater vehicles.
As Regnum reported, at the beginning of January the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the Russian Navy in 2024 will be replenished with the small missile ship “Burya” and the submarine “Kronstadt”. It was noted that this year the Russian Navy will continue the planned increase in its strength.
It was specified that the Baltic, Pacific and Black Sea fleets will be strengthened by several small missile and patrol ships, as well as sea minesweepers.
The press service explained that after the completion of state tests, the naval flag will be raised on the Yasen-M nuclear submarine missile cruiser Arkhangelsk, which is intended for the submarine forces of the Northern Fleet.
According to the military department, in 2024, the next nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine of the Borei-A project, Prince Pozharsky, the Project 20 385 corvette Provorny, the fourth frigate of Project 22 350 Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Isakov, will be launched. sea minesweepers of Project 12,700, small missile ships of Projects 21,631 and 22,800, patrol ships and a large submarine of Project 636.3 “Yakutsk” and some other ships, boats and support vessels that are currently on the stocks of Russian shipyards.
On December 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that five frigates, eight corvettes, 13 small missile ships and more than 50 other ships of various classes are currently in various stages of readiness at Russian shipyards. At the flag-raising ceremony on the frigate Admiral Golovko, the small missile ship Naro-Fominsk and the minesweeper Lev Chernavin, which are entering service with the Navy, the president said that Russian shipbuilding has entered a new important stage - serial production of warships of various classes.
This indicates that the country’s shipbuilding industry is on the rise, the president noted, adding that Russia has taken the most important and fundamental step to revive and develop shipbuilding.
The President also said that the country will strengthen its naval power in all strategic directions and implement all plans for the construction of ships. The head of state thanked the workforce of the enterprises for their professionalism and high dedication, and wished the ship crews worthy service for the benefit of Russia.
At issue was the presence of several private French operators in Khar'kov
[Regnum] The Russian Armed Forces hit two temporary deployment points of foreign mercenaries, four missile and ammunition warehouses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This was announced on January 18 by the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov.
“Missile forces and artillery, attack unmanned aerial vehicles from groups of troops of the Russian Armed Forces hit two temporary deployment points of foreign mercenaries, four missile and ammunition warehouses,” Konashenkov said.
He noted that 117 artillery units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in firing positions, manpower and military equipment in 133 regions were also hit.
As Regnum reported, on January 17, the Ministry of Defense announced a high-precision strike on the location of foreign mercenaries in Khar'kov, as a result of which more than 60 militants were killed and over 20 were hospitalized. As a result of the strike, the building in which the mercenaries were stationed was completely destroyed. It was noted that the core of the militants were French mercenaries.
The coordinator of the Nikolaev underground, Sergei Lebedev, said that among those liquidated by a high-precision strike of the Russian Armed Forces at the location of foreign mercenaries in Khar'kov were curators of the “Russian” Volunteer Corps (RDK) (a terrorist organization whose activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation).
[ColonelCassad] The French media indirectly confirm the information about yesterday's defeat of the French mercenaries in Khar'kov.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the location of foreign mercenaries, most of whom were French, was struck. 60+ killed and 20+ wounded were reported.
Local sources in Khar'kov confirm the arrival of wounded French speakers in hospitals.
In Khar'kov, they reported 17 killed and a significant number of wounded.
The French media emphasize that French mercenaries died and there were no French regulars among them.
One way or another, they said hello to Macron in response to announcements about arms supplies to Ukraine.
Well, thanks to the caring Khar'kov residents who helped identify the disposition of the French for whom this was the largest one-time loss during the entire war in Ukraine.
The French Foreign Ministry refused to acknowledge the presence of compatriots fighting as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and called the information about the destruction of French mercenaries in Khar'kov a gross manipulation of Russia, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on January 18.
“France has no mercenaries either in Ukraine or anywhere else,” the French Foreign Ministry said.
According to diplomats, information about the destruction of dozens of French mercenaries in Khar'kov is allegedly another “gross manipulation of the Russians.”
As Regnum reported, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on January 18 that the Russian Armed Forces, with a high-precision strike on the location of foreign mercenaries in Khar'kov, destroyed more than 60 militants, most of whom were French mercenaries. As a result of the strike, the building in which the mercenaries were stationed was completely destroyed, the department noted.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, later informed that due to the presence of mercenaries from France in Ukraine, the Ambassador of Paris in Moscow was summoned to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the French ambassador in connection with the destruction by the Russian military of a deployment point for foreign fighters in Khar'kov,Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told RIA Novosti on January 18.
“In connection with the destruction by the Russian Armed Forces of a temporary deployment point for foreign fighters in Khar'kov, among whom were several dozen French, the French Ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry,” she said.
As Regnum reported, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on January 18 that the Russian Armed Forces, with a high-precision strike on the location of foreign mercenaries in Khar'kov, destroyed more than 60 militants, most of whom were French mercenaries. As a result of the strike, the building in which the mercenaries were stationed was completely destroyed.
Among the foreign mercenaries liquidated in Khar'kov were curators of the “Russian Volunteer Corps” (RDK) (a terrorist organization whose activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation), whose militants participated in the attack on the Belgorod and Bryansk regions, said, in turn, the coordinator of the Nikolaev underground Sergey Lebedev.
In addition, on the same day, the official representative of the Russian military department, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, reported that in the Kherson direction missile troops and artillery, attack unmanned aerial vehicles of groupings of troops (forces) of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation hit a temporary deployment point for foreigners within 24 hours. mercenaries.
Arriving in Ukraine, whose armed forces are suffering setbacks along the entire line of combat contact, mercenaries from Western countries often do not even have time to reach the front line.
Foreign “soldiers of failure” who, through thoughtlessness, arrived in Ukraine to fight for the Kiev regime, have every chance of becoming “cargo 200”. A precise strike on the place of their temporary deployment in Kharkov once again confirms this. Anyone who is trying to get rich by fighting with Russia will not need money - it is of no use in the next world. The enemy suffered the greatest losses in the Krasnoliman and Donetsk directions, where over the past two days he launched a greater number of unsuccessful attacks.
In the Donetsk direction, as a result of successful active actions by units of the “Southern” group of troops, the village of Vesyoloye of the Donetsk People’s Republic was liberated. In all directions, enemy personnel are hit and enemy equipment is burned, including those made in the USA, Great Britain and Poland. The latest attempts by the Kyiv regime to carry out terrorist attacks on targets in a number of Russian regions using unmanned aerial vehicles, Tochka-U missiles and the RM-70 Vampire multiple launch rocket system were stopped by the air defense forces on duty.
#2
tl;dr --- Russia targeted and killed a bunch of French Mercenaries this week. And the French countered, denying having nationals fighting for ukraine.
To remind: Igor Strelkov is the call sign for Russian retired reserve FSB Colonel Igor Girkin, who has claimed in the past to be the main operative in the Russian takeover in Crimea and the two breakaway republics, Donetsk and Lugansk. He was formerly in command of separatist forces in the beginning, starting on Slavyansk.
He is being sent up for shooting his mouth off about the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.
[Regnum] Former DPR Defense Minister Igor Strelkov (Girkin), the state prosecution asked for four years and 11 months in a general regime colony for calls for extremism. The press service of the Moscow City Court reported this.
“The state prosecutor requested for Girkin the main punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of four years and 11 months in a general regime colony and an additional one in the form of deprivation of the right to administer sites in telecommunication networks, including on the Internet for three years,” TASS reported in press service of the court.
As reported by IA Regnum, Igor Strelkov was detained on July 21, 2023. Since that time he has been under arrest in a pre-trial detention center.
He is charged with public calls for extremist activities (under Part 2 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Under this article, the accused faces up to five years in prison. Strelkov denies his guilt.
In 2014, Igor Strelkov led a militia detachment for several months during battles with the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Slavyansk (DPR). At the beginning of July 2014, Strelkov’s unit, on his orders, retreated from the city.
From May 12 to August 14, 2014, he commanded the DPR Armed Forces. On May 16, 2014, Strelkov was appointed Minister of Defense of this republic. In August of the same year he was dismissed. After this, Strelkov left Donbass.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Hungarian President Katalin Nowak called on the international community to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, for this it is necessary to conduct a dialogue with Russia. The politician said this in an interview with the American television company CNBC during the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“Finding a path to peace is the main task, but it will be extremely difficult. I would venture to suggest that it will be impossible to achieve peace negotiations without the participation of both sides. I think that without talking to Russia and trying to bring it to the negotiating table, we will not achieve success,” said the Hungarian President.
Novak stressed that Western countries must come to an agreement on this issue between themselves and Ukraine. After this, Russia should be invited to begin negotiations, possibly through China or other countries, as well as directly. It is the negotiations that will lead to a ceasefire, this is what everyone wants. The positions of Hungary and other EU members regarding Ukraine largely coincide; the differences relate only to methods of resolving the conflict, Novak added.
The Hungarian leader believes that Kyiv needs support. She did not rule out that at the summit in Brussels on February 1, EU leaders will be able to agree on providing financial assistance to Ukraine.
According to Novak, the EU and NATO should not allow the escalation of the Ukrainian conflict and get involved in it. It is necessary to ensure that 2024 becomes a year of peace and not a year of war, the Hungarian President concluded.
As Regnum reported, Hungarian Minister for EU Affairs Janos Boka believes that the future security architecture in Europe is impossible without Russia, and the decisive role in discussions on this topic should belong to the European Union. He commented on the conflict in Ukraine with the need for an early ceasefire and a settlement of the situation at the table during negotiations. It is also necessary to figure out how to achieve lasting peace between the parties; military action will not lead to this, the politician emphasized.
An article in The New York Times on January 16 said that on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, officials and businessmen called for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. The topic of the Ukrainian conflict was prominent at the event, but it did not become dominant. At the same time, entrepreneurs expressed support for Kyiv and concern about the loss of financial assistance to Ukraine.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[LENTA] Residents of the Tverskoy district in the center of Moscow discovered the disappearance of memorial plaques that were installed in memory of the victims of repressions of the 1930s. This was reported by the Telegram channel “Caution, Moscow”.
Signs with the names of those repressed hung on a building on Dolgorukovskaya Street. There were a total of 13 signs on the building, but they are all gone. Residents of the house do not know who could have rented them. They claim that they have not received any announcements about restoration or renovation of the house.
The signs were installed 10 years ago as part of the “Last Address” campaign, designed to perpetuate the memory of victims of political repression. The plaque contains the name, dates of birth, arrest, execution and rehabilitation.
Previously, a bust of Joseph Stalin was installed on the territory of the Mednoe memorial complex for victims of repression in the Tula region. In addition to the bust of Stalin, statues of Lenin, Kalinin, Dzerzhinsky and Sverdlov appeared in the complex. According to Chunosov, in this way the management of the complex decided to reflect that time. “This is the era. Did they not have anything to do with the repressions? What kind of inconsistency do you see here? Everything is logical, everything is clear,” he said.
The director of the memorial, Alexander Chunosov, called this step logical. The head of the memorial added that those dissatisfied with the decision cannot see the whole picture. In addition, a portrait of Stalin has been hanging in the main exhibition for a long time, whose presence, according to Chunosov, does not bother anyone.
Says Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
The event itself was launched by current foreign agents to throw shit at Soviet history. Taking into account the fact that it was launched in a number of republics of the former USSR and in Eastern European countries, we can talk about a comprehensive program launched from abroad. The program itself and its activities on the territory of the Russian Federation must certainly be completely eliminated. It is highly advisable to check persons associated with it through the FSB for connections with foreign structures and subversive elements within the country.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Denis Davydov
[REGNUM] Ukraine enters the new budget year with a huge hole of $37 billion, which can only be borrowed from someone. True, the authorities are doing their best to instill cautious optimism in citizens.
For example, in the draft budget for 2024, the deficit was $42.9 billion, that is, it was significantly reduced. And the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance even boasted that the uncovered need for international financing amounts to “only” $29 billion - they tightened up here, cut there, reduced salaries for civil servants. But, as Minister Sergei Marchenko emphasized, this is “the government’s problem, the embassies’ problem, the president’s problem.”
And the president went to solve it. During a visit to Latvia a week ago, Vladimir Zelensky said that without Western funding, Ukrainian pensioners would die.
“We buy a lot of things with our own money, but when there is no funding... We cannot help but give pensioners a pension. I'm not asking for pity, but without a pension, old people will simply die. We have more than 11 million pensioners - is there at least one other country like this in Europe?” — the president of what is considered an independent state, in which dignity has won, asked a rhetorical question.
In Latvia, his listeners politely remained silent, where two-thirds of pensioners receive from 200 to 400 euros - below the poverty line. And today the Ukrainian authorities are faced with a very difficult question: where can they get money not for war, but for life? Since, with the payment of external debts, covering defense and other internal needs, it is necessary, according to experts, to find an amount of $110 billion. As they say, “Ukraine has never had anything like this.”
GIVE ME A MILLION
The second budget of Ukraine, adopted under martial law, is almost no different from the 2023 version: revenues will be 1 trillion 768 billion hryvnia, and expenses will be 3 trillion 355 billion hryvnia. The difference is that half of the amount is war expenses and the “partners” give this money.
The second half was planned for other areas of the country’s life - social payments, education, healthcare and others. This half is precisely the deficit, and it is expressly prohibited to transfer funds allocated by foreign states for defense needs to other purposes.
Ukraine must fight without stopping. Everything else from the point of view of its sponsors is deeply secondary.
And the key donors, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance, last year were the United States and the European Union. They received $30.5 billion, that is, 72% of all money received. The IMF, Japan and Canada gave a little more.
But there is a nuance: of the total amount of $42.5 billion, grants (non-repayable financing) amounted to only 27%, or $11.6 billion. The rest are loans and loan guarantees. What needs to be given. Ukraine was also able to accumulate more than $15.4 billion thanks to domestic government bonds.
Now the financial stability of the state, in fact, is completely in the hands of the States and Western European countries.
In October 2023, the administration of US President Joe Biden requested $61 billion for Ukraine. This amount mainly provides for the purchase of weapons and their further supplies, but there is also direct assistance of approximately $10–11 billion. But, as you know, Congress is still holding this package did not approve; at best, it will consider the issue in the second half of January.
The European Union also seems to intend to allocate 50 billion euros, but not for a year, but for three - from 2024 to 2027. If we assume that these funds will arrive in equal parts, then the annual amount will be 12.5 billion euros, or $13.7 billion.
But there is no consensus in the EU; Hungary, which vetoed this support plan in December 2023, is against it, and Slovakia is in solidarity with it. If they fail to break them in February, the European Commission promises to approve a reserve budget for Ukraine. True, only by 20 billion euros.
Generous Britain promised a billion dollars from the master's shoulder (in addition to the 2.5 billion pounds of military aid promised on January 12 by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ). $5.5 billion is expected from Japan and another half a billion from South Korea. The rich country of Estonia, looking at the others, expressed its readiness to throw in a billion dollars, but so far it has allocated only $100 thousand last year. In addition, the main creditor, the IMF, according to the current cooperation program, must provide $5.4 billion in 2024.
In general, everyone promises something (even the UN), but this is not certain. And you need to eat something right now. Therefore, the government is frantically thinking about how to get out of an extremely difficult situation. And he reaches into the pockets of citizens.
THE COLLAPSE OF EVERYTHING
Firstly, part of the personal income tax that traditionally belonged to them is taken away from local budgets. The joyful reform of local self-government can be considered officially completed; communities will no longer be able to cover their expenses.
The second step is to increase the income tax of banks, to whom they explain that “this is for the military.” And the banks, despite assurances from officials about good earnings indicators, earned poorly.
The number of loans issued to businesses, according to official statistics, fell 10 times. At the same time, the NBU recorded a sharp increase in savings on deposits of legal entities last year - by 41%. They don’t want to invest - the business is saving for a rainy day.
Head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration Maxim Kozitsky
The third is a reduction in salaries for low-level officials working in the regions, which has already led to a staff shortage. As the head of the Lviv regional military administration Maxim Kozitsky wrote in his column, only since the beginning of the year 148 vacancies have appeared there (19% of the limit number).
The central authorities have not ignored either, and four out of ten departments in which salaries are being cut are the apparatus of the Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure or vertical bodies of this department. Most of all, the government underfunds the State Agency for Infrastructure Rehabilitation and Development; slightly less than half of its salaries were taken away.
At the same time, according to the draft budget for 2024, the Road Fund, which was a source of funds for the repair of roads and other infrastructure facilities, as well as the Fund for Liquidating the Consequences of Aggression were taken away from the vertical of the Ministry of Reconstruction. Billions of hryvnia will now be used to finance the war and produce weapons. At the same time, in most government bodies related to this, salaries, on the contrary, were increased.
Finally, at the request of the IMF, Ukraine canceled the preferential tax and the moratorium on tax audits for businesses.
The main attention, of course, is paid to gambling, manufacturers and suppliers of excisable goods, etc. However, everyone will be checked for the use of payment transaction registrars; the tax office is going to raise payments and checks for a long period of time. And this is at a time when, according to a World Bank report, 20% of Ukrainian businesses faced direct destruction, and 70% lost income. On average, enterprise income has fallen by half compared to 2021.
Certain hopes are placed on foreign trade.
Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Yulia Sviridenko assured that Ukraine has good prospects for increasing exports and logistics and additional export revenues could amount to $10 billion. But the problems on the Ukrainian-Polish border have not yet been resolved, Romanian farmers have been added to them, and the European Commissioner on agricultural issues, Janusz Wojciechowski openly announced his intention to block trade preferences for Ukraine within the framework of duty-free trade.
All that remains is to act decisively.
TAKE SOMEONE ELSE'S
The golden dream of the Kyiv authorities is to receive 300 billion dollars of reserves of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, frozen by all G7 countries, and another 21.5 billion euros remaining in the EU.
Various officials raise this topic regularly, and even at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos they talked about it again. US Special Representative for Economic Recovery of Ukraine Penny Pritzker explained why it is problematic to confiscate Russian assets and give them to Ukraine.
“The process of confiscation of Russian frozen assets is long and difficult, because it must be a collective decision of all states where these assets exist. In addition, we need a legal basis, ” she said.
In the EU, the general consent of all 27 countries is required. And previously, authoritative publications explained that US attempts to pass a law allowing the use of Russian money would undermine Washington’s influence in the world and convince other countries that it is better to keep funds in independent banking centers and in other currencies, rather than in dollars and euros. Against the backdrop of the world's largest economies leaving the dollar, this is a real problem that undermines US influence in the world.
Therefore, more sophisticated methods are being invented.
For example, theoretical taxes are calculated on this amount. And at the end of last year, the idea of Ukraine issuing “reparation bonds” appeared. That is, securities will be sold on its behalf, which will bring profit if - and only if - it receives reparations from Russia for the damage caused by the war.
“Interest payments may also be increased and will only become payable if Kiev receives compensation,” Reuters writes in this regard. At the same time, bondholders will not have contractual rights to Russia’s frozen reserves, and, logically, those countries where these funds are stuck should buy. Otherwise, what's the point of spending money on air?
So far the brilliant plan has not worked.
Therefore, in Kyiv they are thinking about continuing to trade in war bonds (that is, continue to borrow) and are going to beg for restructuring and deferments on debt payments. Because in reality, sitting and waiting for someone to give you money is a road to nowhere. But since this is where Ukraine is headed, any monetary drips given to a hopeless patient will only prolong the agony.
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.
