[DoJ] Estonia to Support Ukraine Using Funds Forfeited by United States After Interception of Sophisticated Military-Grade Machinery Bound for Russia; Defendant in Scheme Separately Pleads Guilty
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and Estonian Secretary General Tõnis Saar announced today at the Munich Security Conference the transfer of nearly $500,000 in forfeited Russian funds for the purpose of providing aid to Ukraine. The funds were forfeited by the United States following the breakup of an illegal procurement network attempting to import into Russia a high-precision, U.S.-origin machine tool with uses in the defense and nuclear proliferation sectors. Additionally, on Wednesday, Feb. 14, a citizen of Latvia charged criminally in connection with the procurement scheme pleaded guilty to violating U.S. export laws and regulations.
This transfer is the first of its kind from the United States to a foreign ally for the express purpose of assisting Ukraine, and the second time the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture has made confiscated Russian assets available for Ukraine—having provided $5.4 million in forfeited funds last year to the State Department for the support of Ukrainian war veterans. The confiscated funds are being transferred to Estonia since under current authorities, the facts of this case do not allow for a direct transfer to Ukraine. Estonia will use the funds for a project to expedite damage assessments and critical repairs to the Ukrainian electrical distribution and transmission system, which have been purposefully targeted by Russian forces.
"Today’s announcement demonstrates the unwavering resolve of the United States and our Estonian partners to cut off President Putin's access to the western technologies he relies on to wage an illegal war against Ukraine," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, who signed the transfer agreement on behalf of the United States. "This step for justice and restoration blazes a new trail toward combating Russia’s ongoing brutality. The Department of Justice will continue pursuing creative solutions to ensure the Ukrainian people can respond and rebuild."...
Also mentioned in a post by Badanov on 18 Feb 24 here.
Link fixed — for some reason it was unhappy about the URL having the usual quotation marks around it. See item at 18:38 — very useful, DooDahMan, thank you!
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [Regnum] In Moscow, the record for the height of snowdrifts was broken; their height was 67 centimeters. Leading specialist of the Phobos weather center Evgeny Tishkovets announced this on February 18 in the Telegram channel.
“After heavy overnight snowfalls in Moscow, the snowdrifts over the last 24 hours have grown by 5 cm. Thus, at the capital’s base weather station VDNKh, the height of the snow cover by 9:00 was 67 cm, which is 1.7 times higher than normal, at Balchug - 61 cm, in Tushino - 73 cm,” wrote Tishkovets.
He noted that the record for February 18 for snow had stood since 1966, when there was 65 cm in Moscow. Now the new achievement exceeds the previous one by two centimeters.
According to him, the height of snowdrifts in the capital may increase by another one or two centimeters during the day.
The forecaster added that Moscow met its monthly precipitation norm ahead of schedule. At VDNKh, the amount of precipitation was 44.8 mm, compared with the February norm of 44 mm.
As reported by IA Regnum, the scientific director of the Hydrometeorological Center, Roman Vilfand, said that the snowfall that occurred in Moscow on February 15 was one of the three heaviest for this winter and repeated the 1966 record. He added that the winter was very snowy, which had not happened for three or four decades. According to him, the snowfall will continue, but with less intensity.
The chief specialist of the Moscow Meteorological Bureau, Tatyana Pozdnyakova, said on February 16 that heavy snowfalls are no longer expected in Moscow.
In Moscow, 2.06 meters of snow have already fallen over the winter, compared to the norm of 1.52 meters; the authorities are continuously monitoring the condition of the road network, said the deputy mayor of the capital for housing and communal services and landscaping, Pyotr Biryukov.
[GEO.TV] Russian President Vladimir Putin ...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances... has reportedly found a new love in a London-educated woman who censors internet criticism of the Russian leader, Daily Mail reported citing reports from Ukrainian media.
Ekaterina "Katya" Mizulina, 39, the daughter of a pro-Putin and anti-Ukrainian Senator Elena Mizulina, 69, is the head of Russia's Safe Internet League.
However, a hangover is the wrath of grapes... recently, she has been dubbed Putin's "morality guardian" as she is seen as a web censor, attempting to suppress criticism of the dictator, particularly on the Ukraine war.
Putin, 71, is the longtime partner of Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, 40, and is believed to have two or three children with the former athlete who resides in a network of palaces and official residences owned by the Russian president.
Social media outlets in Russia and Ukraine have seized on claims he has found a new confidante in hardline Mizulina and that the two have "become close".
Russian human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... campaigner Olga Romanova told Ukraine's Channel 24: "Katya Mizulina is completely to Putin's taste. This Barbie ***** [type] has always suited him very well."
Romanov likened her to an earlier Putin lover, Svetlana Krivonogikh, a club owner and multimillionaire in St Petersburg, mother of Putin's love child Luiza, 20.
According to Ukrainian media, "Russian insiders claim that Ekaterina Mizulina has the type of appearance that particularly attracts Vladimir Putin."
Mizulina, a 2004 School of Oriental and African Studies graduate from the University of London with a degree in art history and Indonesian language, has worked as a translator for official Russian delegations visiting China.
Her philosopher father Professor Mikhail Mizulin, 69, is a leading academic in Moscow.
Mizulina advocates for internet censorship, fines, and sanctions against media and social networks.
At a meeting with students this month, she demanded an apology from a student who questioned compulsory military service and threatened him with Putin's strict laws.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2024 00:00 ||
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent22:18 Ukraine has agreed on bilateral security agreements with several more countries, in addition to those already signed with Britain, France and Germany, Zelensky said. At the same time, he added that “there are no security guarantees with the United States yet - teams are already working, there have already been two stages of negotiations. I see this as positive in the near future.”
19:41 Social networks report the execution of six more captured defenders of the mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at one of the positions in Avdiivka. The defenders were seriously wounded, could not move independently and were awaiting evacuation. The prosecutor's office began an investigation. The prosecutor's office also clarified that two prisoners, whose murder was previously reported, were shot near the village. Vesele, Bakhmut district.
16:57 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi assured his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba that the PRC is not transferring lethal weapons to Russia, the Chinese Foreign Ministry reported. "China does not exploit opportunities or sell lethal weapons to conflict areas or parties to conflict. We will continue to play a constructive role in ending the war and restoring peace as soon as possible. Even if there is only a glimmer of hope for peace, China will not give up its efforts," they assured in the department.
15:30 This morning, in the zone of responsibility of the Khortytsya group of troops, the Russians shot two Ukrainian prisoners of war, the Ground Forces command reported.
15:24 France is developing new kamikaze drones, and in the coming weeks Ukraine will be one of the first to receive them, Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said. According to him, the project is now in an experimental phase.
14:33 Ukrainian analogues of Russian Lancet drones have passed the first tests, said the head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Mikhail Fedorov. According to him, drones from four companies have been tested in recent days - two have successfully tested. Fedorov noted that in the next few months it will be possible to organize the production of about 100 such drones per month.
13:51 After the capture of Avdeevka, the Russians are trying to advance on Lastochkino, said Dmitry Likhovy, spokesman for the Tauride Defense Forces. The enemy is also trying to attack in the Maryinsky direction, but has no results.
13:10 Attempts to return Russia to the borders of 1991 will lead to a war with the West “using the entire strategic arsenal against Kiev, Berlin, London and Washington,” said Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev.
12:42 Since the morning, the Russians have been shelling the Nikopol district of the Dnepropetrovsk region, one person was wounded in the Mirovskaya community, said the head of the OVA Sergei Lysak.
12:29 The commander of the Tavria group of troops, Alexander Tarnavsky, said that during the four months of the active phase of the Avdiivka defense operation (from October 10 to February 17), Russia in this direction lost 47,186 personnel, 364 tanks, 248 artillery systems, 748 armored combat vehicles and five planes.
12:01 F-16 fighters may arrive in Ukraine in June, Foreign Policy writes, citing European officials. In particular, this deadline was announced by Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas, citing a schedule that was confirmed by another European official. Ukrainian authorities expect 12 pilots to complete fighter training by the end of September.
11:38 In Slavyansk, Donetsk region, after yesterday's Russian strike, rescuers found the body of a deceased person - probably a guard of a destroyed school, the prosecutor's office reported. This school had an indestructibility point and a social cafeteria in the city center. In Kramatorsk, the death toll increased to three - the remains of another body were found during search and rescue operations. Two people were also injured.
10:06 The Atesh partisan movement stated that it carried out sabotage in the Volgograd region. An agent set fire to a relay cabinet at the Maxim Gorky station in Volgograd, the transfer of military equipment was stopped for some time. This station is an important junction through which military trains go to Crimea and Rostov.
The partisans also spoke about a case of friendly fire in the Avdeevka area: during the next flight, Russian aviation mistakenly struck positions where artillery units of the 239th Tank Regiment of the Russian Federation were located.
10:00 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that Russia captured Avdiivka due to local air superiority. Hundreds of KABs dropped on the city ensured the advancement of the Russian infantry. Analysts warn that further delays in the supply of Western weapons will lead to a significant weakening of Ukrainian air defenses, while air superiority will allow Russian troops to advance more aggressively.
09:49 As a result of yesterday's Russian strike on Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, two people were killed and two were injured, two houses were destroyed and 23 more were damaged. In Slavyansk, a school was damaged, said the head of the OVA, Vadim Filashkin.
08:57 In the evening, Russian troops shelled the village. Senkovo, Kupyansky district, two people were injured, said the head of the Kharkov Regional Police Department Oleg Sinegubov.
08:40 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of February 18:
personnel - about 402,430 (+1080) people,
tanks - 6487 (+11),
armored combat vehicles - 12,198 (+53),
artillery systems - 9709 (+40),
MLRS - 984 (+0),
air defense systems - 674 (+3),
aircraft - 335 (+3),
helicopters - 325 (+0),
UAV of operational-tactical level - 7449 (+36),
cruise missiles - 1898 (+2),
ships/boats - 25 (+0),
submarines - 1 (+0),
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 12,736 (+2),
special equipment - 1540 (+7).
08:26 This morning, in the Eastern direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed another Russian Su-34 , the Air Force command reported. Also, 12 Shahed attack drones and an X-59 aircraft missile were destroyed within the Chernigov, Sumy, Poltava, Kirovograd, and Dnepropetrovsk regions. In total, the Russians used 14 Shahed attack UAVs, six S-300 missiles, three Kh-22 cruise missiles and one Kh-59 missile during the night.
08:18 Over the past 24 hours, 82 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report . In the Maryinsky direction, the Defense Forces repelled 23 enemy attacks in the Georgievka, Pobeda, Novomikhailovka areas of the Donetsk region, and in Avdeevsky - 14 attacks near Lastochkino, Donetsk region.
The enemy did not conduct offensive actions in the Kupyansk direction. In the Liman direction, Ukrainian forces repelled 12 enemy attacks in the areas of Ternov, Yampolevka, Torskoye, Donetsk region, and Belogorivka, Lugansk region; on Bakhmutsky - 14 attacks near Ivanovsky, Kleshcheevka, Andreevka, Donetsk region; on Novopavlovsky - two attacks south of Prechistovka and west of Staromayorsky, Donetsk region; on Zaporozhye - 13 attacks west of Verbovoy and Rabotino, Zaporozhye region. In the Kherson direction, the Defense Forces hold their positions and repelled two assaults by Russian troops.
07:39 At night, the Russians attacked the Poltava region with drones, said the head of the OVA, Philip Pronin. A strike was recorded on an infrastructure facility in the Poltava region. The impact caused a fire, which has already been extinguished. No people were hurt.
02:47 Biden blamed Congress for Ukraine's loss of Avdiivka: "Ukraine was forced to withdraw from Avdiivka after its military was forced to ration ammunition due to dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction, leading to Russia's first notable successes in months."
Article Linked To Is Available Only Via VPN
[EngMilRu] On 17 February, during offensive operations, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces have completely liberated Avdeevka (Donetsk People's Republic) and advanced to a depth of 8.6 kilometres.
The total area of the liberated territory was 31.75 square kilometres. The enemy losses were more than 1,500 troops.
In Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces have actively defeated 14th and 66th Mechanised brigades of the AFU close to Sin'kovka, Petropavlovka, and Ivanovka (Khar'kov region).
The enemy losses were up to 40 servicemen, one tank, three armoured personnel carriers, and three pickup trucks.
In addition, during counter-battery warfare, one Polish-manufactured Krab self-propelled artillery system, two 152mm D-20 howitzers, two 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer.
In Krasny Liman direction, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces have defeated 63rd Mechanised and 25th Airborne brigades of the AFU near Yampolovka (Donetsk People's Republic) and Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic).
The enemy losses were up to 100 troops, one tank, three armoured fighting vehicles, and four motor vehicles.
In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces have improved Russian positions along the front line and defeated manpower and hardware of 42nd, 93rd Mechanised, and 81st Airmobile brigades of the AFU close to Belogorovka (Lugansk People's Republic), Krasnoye, and Kleshcheevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy losses were up to 400 troops, two tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, four armoured fighting vehicles, six motor vehicles,152mm Msta-B, 152mm D-20 and 122mm D-30 howitzers, as well as one Strela-10 surface-to-air missile system.
In South Donetsk direction, as a result of active operations by units of the Vostok Group of Forces, units of the AFU 58th Infantry Brigade and the 127th Brigade of the Territorial Defence of Ukraine have been defeated near Urozhaynoye (Donetsk People's Republic) and Priyutnoye (Zaporozhye region).
The enemy losses were more than 190 troops, two tanks, two armoured fighting vehicles, and three motor vehicles.
In the course of counterbattery warfare, one Polish-manufactured Krab self-propelled artillery system, two British-manufactured FH-70 howitzers, two 152mm Msta-B howitzers, and one 100mm Rapira anti-tank gun have been hit.
In Kherson direction, units of the Dnepr Group of Forces have taken more favourable positions and defeated enemy manpower and hardware close to Rabotino, Verbovoye (Zaporozhye region), Lvovo, and Tyaginka (Kherson region).
The enemy losses were up to 70 servicemen, one infantry fighting vehicle, and three motor vehicles.
One U.S.-manufactured M777 artillery system, one 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, and one U.S.-manufactured AN/TPQ-48 counterbattery radar station have been destroyed.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have hit the control point of the 31st Mechanised Brigade of the AFU near Zhelannoye (Donetsk People's Republic), fuel and ammunition depots, as well as manpower and military hardware in 128 areas.
Air defence facilities have shot down four projectiles launched by HIMARS MLRS.
In addition, 105 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been hit close to Ivanovka (Khar'kov region), Kremennaya, Kalinovka (Lugansk People's Republic), Styla, Semigorye, and Verkhnetoretskoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Lyubimovka, Chervonogorka, and Mirnoye (Zaporozhye region).
In total, 571 airplanes and 266 helicopters, 12,723 unmanned aerial vehicles, 470 air defence missile systems, 15,098 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 1,222 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 8,091 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 18,801 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] In the Maryinsky direction, Ukrainian defenders continue to hold back Russian troops
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine notes that the operational situation in the east and south of the country remains difficult.
During the day, the Ukrainian defense forces repulsed 33 enemy attacks in five directions and another 14 assaults on the left bank of the Dnieper. This is stated in the evening report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, published on Sunday, February 18.
In total, 56 military clashes took place at the front during the day, according to the General Staff. The operational situation in the east and south of the country remains difficult.
In the Kupyansk direction, the Russian army did not conduct offensive (assault) operations, but attacked populated areas. Enemy airstrikes were recorded in the Petropavlovka and Borovaya areas of the Kharkov region. About 10 settlements in this direction were under artillery and mortar fire from the Russian Federation, including Sinkovka, Kislovka, Petropavlovka and Kotlyarovka in the Kharkov region.
In the Liman direction, Ukrainian defenders repulsed seven enemy attacks near Ternov and southeast of Vyemka, Donetsk region. The Russians tried to break through the defenses there. From aviation, the Russian army struck the areas of Belogorovka, Lugansk region, and Razdolevka, Donetsk region. More than 10 settlements per day suffered from artillery and mortar fire from the invaders, in particular Makeevka and Belogorivka in the Luhansk region, Terny, Yampolevka, Torskoe and Razdolevka in the Donetsk region.
In the Bakhmut direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled four enemy attacks near Ivanovsky, Klishchievka and Andreevka, Donetsk region. Russian troops tried to improve their tactical position there. About 10 settlements came under artillery and mortar fire from the Russian army, including Orekhovo-Vasilovka, Bogdanovka, Chasov Yar, Ivanovskoye and New York in the Donetsk region.
In the Avdeevsky direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled three enemy attacks in the Lastochkino and Pervomaisky districts of the Donetsk region. In the areas of Zhelanny, Orlovka and Semyonovka, Russian troops carried out airstrikes. About 20 settlements suffered from enemy artillery and mortar fire during the day, in particular Novokalinovo, Novobakhmutovka, Stepnoye, Lastochkino, Severnoye and Pervomaiskoye in the Donetsk region.
In the Maryinsky direction, Ukrainian defenders continue to hold back Russian troops near Georgievka, Pobeda and Novomikhailovka in the Donetsk region. On this section of the front, the Russians tried to break through the defense 12 times. The invaders directed artillery and mortar fire at Krasnogorovka, Georgievka, Novomikhailovka and Praskovievka.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, the Russian army did not conduct offensive (assault) operations; at that time, it attacked populated areas with artillery and mortars. 10 towns and villages were subjected to enemy shelling, among them Ugledar, Prechistovka and Staromayorskoe in the Donetsk region.
In the Zaporozhye direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled seven enemy attacks in the Robotinoy area of the Zaporozhye region. In the area of Malaya Tokmachka, Russian troops struck from aviation. The Russian army shelled more than 20 settlements with artillery and mortars, in particular, Poltavka, Krasnoe, Belogorye, Novodanilovka and Pyatikhatki in the Zaporozhye region.
In the Kherson direction, the Russians do not abandon their intention to dislodge units of the Defense Forces from their bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnieper. During the day, the invaders tried to storm Ukrainian positions 14 times. With artillery and mortar fire, the Russian army attacked Zolotaya Balka, Ingulets, Fedorovka, Ivanovka, Tyaginka, Tokarevka and Krynki in the Kherson region, as well as Ochakov in the Nikolaev region. Using multiple launch rocket systems, Russian troops hit the areas of Krynok, Tomina Balka, Ingulets and Ivanovka in the Kherson region.
Let us remind you that on the night of February 17 it became known that units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had left Avdiivka. This happened after several months of continuous assaults by the Russian aggressors, who lost tens of thousands of military personnel and hundreds of pieces of equipment in the battles for the city.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] The Georgian authorities should pay more attention to protecting ancient temples from destruction, activists of the Committee for Cultural Heritage said.
Video footage of damaged frescoes in the Cathedral of St. Nicholas of Kintsvisi in the Kintsvisi Monastery was published today by the Formula and Mtavari Arkhi TV channels, the Caucasian Knot correspondent reported. *Insert LeafGutter ad*
According to a TV report, rainwater flows down the walls of the temple, which dates back to the 13th century, and the unique frescoes are washed away. The walls of the monastery are so damp that the ancient wall paintings are no longer visible. “This year, water leaked into the temple and the frescoes were damaged, and the Ministry of Culture, of course, is silent, and I don’t hope that it will do anything,” a Georgian art critic said in the Mtavari Arkhi TV report.
The fact of water penetration and damage to the frescoes was not confirmed after inspection, the National Agency for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage said. "The department's specialists checked the condition of the temple, and the fact of water penetration and damage to the paintings was not confirmed. This was also rejected by the clergy. In addition, qualified specialists compared photographs taken during last year's monitoring and published on social networks, as a result of which it was determined that the stains identical in the interior, and there are no changes. The department calls on everyone to refrain from disseminating unverified information," Mtavari Arkhi quoted the department as saying.
In turn, the non-governmental organization Committee for Cultural Heritage (Sakdrisi) called on the government to pay more attention to the restoration and protection of cultural heritage.
“Unfortunately, this problem is often neglected, and cultural and natural monuments are sacrificed to the interests of private business or carelessness and vandalism on the part of citizens. Many monuments throughout the country are in need of restoration and care. Accordingly, we believe that the restoration of cultural monuments should be allocate as many financial resources as possible and do more for the development of this area. In addition, we consider it necessary that in case of damage to monuments, an effective and timely response from the state should be taken in accordance with the law," the organization stated on its Facebook page*, the publication of which was translated into Russian by a correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot".
In particular, “information is being spread on social networks, where the whitened wall painting in the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is clearly visible,” the organization said. “The specific reason that caused the change in color of the unique frescoes is not yet known. So far, no explanation has been received from the National Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Georgia. The Sakdris Committee contacted several restorers who claim that the problem is probably related to wetness walls, but at the same time they state that it is wrong to draw conclusions without on-site research and this fact requires immediate in-depth research,” the publication says.
Svetitskhoveli is the patriarchal cathedral church of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the city of Mtskheta, which for a millennium was the main cathedral of all Georgia. Since 1994 it has been a World Heritage Site.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:09 Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation publishes new video of the escape of Ukrainian militants from Avdievka 19:49 Ukrainian Telegram channels report on the successes of the Russian Armed Forces in the Zaporozhye direction.
There are advances at Ivanovsky and Verbovoy, and battles are also taking place in the west and south of Rabotino. The Rabotinsky ledge is gradually being squeezed out. Some Russian Telegram channels, citing sources, are already reporting that positions have been taken between Verbov and Rabotino.
19:32 Explosions in the Khar'kov region.
19:30 According to preliminary data, the settlement of Lastochkino came under the control of our army, reports “Reports and Analytics of the North Military District”:
“The enemy has abandoned their positions and at this moment our troops are clearing the village. We are waiting for official information."
19:22 Ukrainian Telegram channels report missiles towards Kupyansk.
18:44 West of Mar'inka, Georgievka: our troops develop an offensive in the Kurakhovsky direction. Having gained a foothold on the eastern outskirts of Georgievka, Russian soldiers are using artillery to hit enemy personnel.
18:27 Explosions occurred in the Kyiv-controlled city of Kherson. This was reported by the Ukrainian publication “Public”.
17:48 Personnel clearing of Avdievka by scouts of the 74th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces.
There are still some enemy soldiers in the city who were unable to escape. Cleanup teams are working on them. The shooting can be clearly heard in the video (filmed on February 17). A downed Baba Yaga was found on one of the streets.
17:17 Six civilians, three of whom were children, were injured after the detonation of cluster munitions by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the DPR, Pushilin said.
The children's condition is assessed as serious. All victims are provided with medical assistance.
16:52 During the day, military investigators of the Russian Investigative Committee recorded further attacks on the territory of the DPR.
Thus, using artillery and MLRS, Ukrainian militants shelled the Kuibyshevsky, Petrovsky and Voroshilovsky districts of Donetsk, and two drops of explosive objects from a UAV were recorded in the Kirovsky district of Donetsk.
In addition, as a result of the detonation of a cluster munition in the Central City district of Gorlovka, two people were injured, a woman born in 1966. and a man born in 1968, a man born in 1968 was wounded as a result of an explosion on a PFM Lepestok mine in the Kievsky district of Donetsk.
15:48 Zaporozhye direction. Offensive actions by the Russian Armed Forces continue in the Rabotino-Verbovoye sector.
There are heavy battles for important strongholds along the entire front line. We actively burn out the enemy from the forest stands with Sunburners. Our artillery crews are working non-stop. Stormtroopers are advancing after shelling enemy positions.
The artillery of the Russian Armed Forces is also actively working, destroying concentrations of enemy forces in the front-line rear areas, which the militants of the Kyiv regime turned into warehouses and fortifications, and also deploying their manpower in these territories.
Thus, several units of military equipment were destroyed by artillery fire in Malaya Tokmachka.
The initiative for military operations belongs to our army. But the main reserves had not yet been brought into battle.
15:15 Battle for Avdievka: clearing the city, advancing the Russian Armed Forces to the west. Situation as of 14.30 February 18, 2024.
After the capture of Avdievka, the Russian Armed Forces are engaged in clearing and demining the liberated areas. Similar events are taking place on the territory of the AKHZ: according to some reports, at night the remaining enemy groups there tried to escape from there.
In the city itself, there may well still be isolated small pockets of resistance - in some places the retreat of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was disorganized, with communication between units disrupted. This is indirectly confirmed by footage of prisoners who admit that they were not aware of the withdrawal plans.
In parallel, Russian aviation and artillery are working along the current line of defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Lastochkino, Tonenkoye, Severny and Orlovka, and the latter was hit with ODAB-1500 volumetric detonating bombs. Now in these settlements there are concentrations of enemy personnel who fled from Avdievka, the withdrawal of which is hampered by a lack of vehicles.
At the moment, the Ukrainian formations are experiencing a certain loss of control and disorganization, which the Russian Armed Forces can take advantage of to advance to the southwest of Avdiivka. However, there is also no need to rush, at least because of the minefields, which previously partially disrupted the withdrawal of Ukrainian Armed Forces forces from the city.
14:55 Zaporozhye Front, Rabotino:
The 70th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division is conducting offensive operations. On frames- strikes at the enemy.
14:15 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation (as of 12.00 February 18, 2024)
On February 17, during offensive operations, units of the “Center” group of forces completely liberated the city of Avdievka of the Donetsk People’s Republic and advanced to a depth of 8.6 km. The total area of the liberated territory was 31.75 sq. km. The enemy lost more than 1,500 troops.
In the Kupyansk direction, the Russian Armed Forces, through active actions, defeated the manpower and equipment of the 14th and 66th mechanized brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Sin'kovka, Petropavlovka and Ivanovka in the Kharkov region.
The losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces amounted to up to 40 military personnel, a tank, three armored personnel carriers and three pickup trucks. In addition, during the counter-battery fight, the following were hit: a Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery mount, two 152mm D-20 howitzers, two 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mounts, and a 122mm D-30 howitzer.
In the Krasnolimansk direction, Russian troops defeated the manpower and equipment of the 63rd Mechanized and 25th Airborne brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Yampolovka, Donetsk People's Republic and Chervonaya Dibrova, Lugansk People's Republic. Enemy losses amounted to up to 100 military personnel, a tank, three armored combat vehicles and four vehicles.
In the Donetsk direction, Russian military personnel improved the situation along the front line and defeated the manpower and equipment of the 42nd, 93rd Mechanized and 81st Airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Belogorovka, Lugansk People's Republic, Krasnoe and Kleshcheevka, Donetsk People's Republic. The enemy lost up to 400 military personnel, two tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, four armored combat vehicles, six cars, three howitzers: 152mm Msta-B, 152mm D-20 and 122mm D-30, as well as a combat vehicle of the Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile system "
In the South Donetsk Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, units of the 58th Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the 127th Terrestrial Defense Brigade were hit by fire in the areas of the settlement of Urozhainoye, Donetsk People's Republic and Priyutnoye, Zaporozhye Region. Enemy losses amounted to more than 190 military personnel, two tanks, two armored combat vehicles and three vehicles. The following were hit: a Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery mount, two British-made FH-70 howitzers, two 152mm Msta-B howitzers, and a 100mm Rapier anti-tank gun.
In the Kherson direction, Russian units took up more advantageous positions and defeated the enemy’s manpower and equipment in the areas of the settlements of Rabotino, Verbovoye in the Zaporozhye region, and Lvovo and Tyaginka in the Kherson region. The losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces amounted to up to 70 military personnel, an infantry fighting vehicle and three vehicles. In addition, the US-made M777 artillery system, the 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, and the US-made AN/TPQ-48 counter-battery radar were hit.
Operational-tactical aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces and artillery of groupings of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation hit the control point of the 31st mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the village of Zhelannoye of the Donetsk People's Republic, fuel and ammunition depots, as well as manpower and military equipment in 128 districts.
During the day, air defense systems intercepted four HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems.
In addition, 105 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed in the areas of the settlements of Ivanovka, Khar'kov region, Kremennaya, Kalinovka, Lugansk People's Republic, Styla, Semigorye and Verkhnetoretskoye, Donetsk People's Republic, Lyubimovka, Chervonogorka and Mirnoye, Zaporozhye region.
13:52 Ukrainian channels confirm messages about the advance of the Russian army in the Zaporozhye direction
13:29 It is reported that Ukrainian troops have begun to withdraw from the village. Lastochkino
13:10 Stormtroopers of the Russian army entered and entrenched themselves on the outskirts of the village of Lastochkino near Avdeevka.
12:49 Boris Rozhin reports the results of yesterday’s attacks on the Rabotinsky ledge:
In the Rabotino area on the morning of February 18, the advance of our troops amounted to 900 meters. North-west of Verbovoy – up to 1.7 km. Active actions continue.
12:32 According to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, approximately two thousand Ukrainian militants did not leave Avdiivka.
12:14 Statement of Head of the press center of the Vostok group
Units of the Vostok group of troops continue to carry out combat missions in the South Donetsk direction.
During the day, the tactical situation was improved, and enemy attempts to carry out rotations at forward positions in the areas of Staromayorskoye, Priyutnoye and Lugovskoye were thwarted.
Bomber strikes, artillery fire, and heavy flamethrower systems hit strongholds and manpower concentration areas of the 72nd Mechanized Brigade and the 128th Territorial Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of Urozhainy, Ugledar and Staromayorsky, destroyed 11 temporary deployment points, four control points of unmanned aircraft and four field ammunition depots.
Enemy losses included two armored combat vehicles, two cars, an unmanned aerial vehicle and more than 170 military personnel.
11:47 After the liberation of Avdievka, the Russian Armed Forces will launch an offensive at the two closest points - Lastochkino and Orlovka, writes Military chronicle:
The main supply routes for Avdievka passed through Lastochkino and Orlovka, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces retreated there after they lost the city.
In Lastochkino, Russian assaults have already gained a foothold, having taken part of the village. After consolidation, a short pause was taken - artillery and aviation have been actively working on identified targets since the night. As soon as they work, the movement will continue towards Orlovka.
The “aviation + artillery + infantry” combination, apparently, made it possible to develop a close to ideal attack scheme, in which delays and delays in the transfer of information from assaults to aviation and artillerymen are minimized.
Initially, everything went quickly, but now progress has slowed down. While retreating, the Ukrainian Armed Forces scattered a large number of mines that had to be neutralized.
10:42 Situation in the Zaporozhye direction:
Units of the Russian Armed Forces advanced a total of 2 km in some areas during the evening and night. Several large oporniks and prisoners were also taken. The assault continues.
10:07 Frontline summary on the morning of 02/18/2024:
In the Kherson-Crimean direction, the Russian Armed Forces, with the support of long-range weapons, attacked the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the left bank of the Dnieper in Krynki. LBS has not changed. Ukrainian positions in Romashkov, Kherson, Tyaginka and Lvov are under attack. The Russians are in the Cossack Camps and Korsunka.
In the Zaporozhye direction, the Russian Armed Forces, after shelling, carried out offensive operations west of the village of Rabotino. There is progress. Under attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Pyatikhatki, Malaya Tokmachka and Charovny. RF Armed Forces - in Kopany, Novoprokopovka and Verbovoy.
On the Donetsk front, Russian troops storm Novomikhailovka. Fights in the village itself. With the support of artillery, the Russian Armed Forces attacked in the Georgievka area. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding their positions. An attempt to break through the Ukrainian defenses at Nevelskoye and Pervomaiskoye. Under pressure from the Russian Armed Forces, the Ukrainian Armed Forces completely abandoned Avdievka and the coke plant.
Thus, the most powerful Ukrainian fortified area near Donetsk fell. The Russian Armed Forces have every chance of developing operational success in this sector of the front. Ukrainian positions in Konstantinovka (not to be confused with the settlement of the same name southwest of Bakhmut), Pobeda and the city of Krasnohorivka are under attack.
In the Bakhmut direction, the Russian Armed Forces attacked near Andreevka, Ivanovsky and in the Bogdanovka area. LBS has not changed significantly.
In the Luhansk direction, Russian troops carried out offensive operations at Belogorovka, Torskoye, Yampolevka and Ternov. Under fire from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Petropavlovka and Sin'kovka.
09:49 The criminal Kiev regime continues to fire at the civilian infrastructure of settlements on the left bank of the Kherson region, yesterday during the day the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired from cannon artillery:
-- n.p. Alyosha six shells;
-- n.p. Novie Lagerya three shells;
-- n.p. Obryvka of three shells;
-- n.p. Podlesnoe two shells;
-- n.p. Velikaya Lepetikha three shells.
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the village. Proletarka, n.p. Sagi, n.p. Aleshki, n.p. Dnepryany, n.p. Golaya Pristan, firing a total of 22 shells from cannon artillery.
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure are being determined.
09:45 South-east of Nevelskoye, our troops continue to press in the direction of the village and the Domakha gully, advancing 500 meters, reports the 105th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the DPR NM
09:30 Consequences of shelling of the center of Donetsk. A 155 mm shell exploded in the Voroshilovsky district. The ammunition was fragmentation, and several apartment buildings and civilian vehicles were damaged.
09:20 Statement of Head of the press center of the Center group:
The troops of the Center group continue to carry out combat missions in the Krasnolimansk direction.
In the areas of the settlements of Yampolovka and Torskoye, units of the group, with the support of artillery, defeated the manpower and equipment of the 60th and 63rd Mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Enemy losses amounted to about 315 troops. A tank, 4 armored fighting vehicles, 11 vehicles, and a 152mm Giatsint-S self-propelled gun were destroyed.
09:05 Footage of the cleanup of Avdievka. Photo from the soldiers of the 74th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces.
08:46 Military report as of February 18, 2024 from military commander Lisitsyn:
Donetsk direction:
Avdievka came completely under the control of our troops, and the Russian Armed Forces also managed to reach the borders of Lastochkin. The cleanup of the Khimik microdistrict continues;
Artemovsk direction:
The Russian Armed Forces continue to crush the enemy in the area of Krasnoye and Bogdanovka. In the direction of Andreevka, our troops went on the attack;
Zaporozhye direction:
The Russian Armed Forces are powerfully crushing the enemy at Rabotino. The Russian Aerospace Forces regularly use the Solntsepek to destroy the enemy; the enemy has lost a number of strongholds along all sectors of the Zaporozhye Front. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to stop the offensive, but our guys are serious.
08:17 Avdeevka.DestroyedCzech self-propelled gun vz.77 “Dana” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. A very rare specimen. On April 15, 2022, the Czech Republic delivered 20 units to Kyiv.
08:14 Combat Job of Airborne attack aircraft in the Chasov Yar area.
During assault operations, our paratroopers not only have to suppress enemy personnel. But also to shoot down reconnaissance and fpv drones. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are using them more and more often to stop the advance of our troops.
08:12 Personnel damage to the Yuzhnodonbasskaya No. 3 mine in the area of the settlement. Vodyanoe. While Far Eastern warriors on the ground continue to push the enemy out of Novomikhailovka, the 11th Air Force and Air Defense Army continues to hit enemy positions with aerial bombs with UMPC, the enemy’s “nightmare” in the Ugledar direction.
08:07 In the battles for Avdievka, formations and military units distinguished themselves:
– 30th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 2nd Army;
– 35th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade
– 55th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade (mountain), 74th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 41st Army;
– 1st Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, 9th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, 114th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, 1454th Motorized Rifle Regiment, 10th Tank Regiment of the 1st Army Corps; 6th Tank Regiment, 80th Tank Regiment, 239th Tank Regiment of the 90th Tank Division. Yesterday's Ukrainian assessment on how many brigades (including brigade sized elements) the Russians threw into Avdievka turned out to be pretty accurate 08:00 Army Aviation Strike Group amazed positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Krasnolimansk direction
The strike was carried out by unguided S-8 aircraft missiles from as close a distance as possible. The next targets for our pilots were the accumulation of enemy manpower and armored vehicles.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Gevorg Mirzayan
[REGNUM] The cleansing of Avdievka is still ongoing, but Russian politicians, analysts, military personnel and, of course, all citizens are already looking ahead and thinking about how the situation will develop in the near future.
What will happen at the front and in the world after the enemy’s most powerful fortified area, which had been built for many years, fell.
UGLEDAR, CHASOV YAR, KUPYANSK
The liberation of Avdievka made it possible not only to raise the morale of Russian soldiers to unprecedented heights (and, accordingly, to bring confusion and disorganization into the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces), but also to work out the tactics of storming cities due to the close connection of infantry, artillery and aviation. Moreover, the assault with minimal losses for the attackers.
It is no coincidence that Vladimir Putin congratulated the soldiers and commanders who participated in the liberation of this Russian city: award certificates are already being prepared for them. Separately, the military correspondents note the general who led the operation - the commander of the Central Military District, Colonel General Andrei Mordvichev. The same one under whose leadership Russian troops liberated Mariupol.
Yes, of course, Vladimir Zelensky promises to reverse everything. “We will return everything,” he declares from the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. Ukrainian generals make similar statements - the same army commander, General Alexander Syrsky, in his order to withdraw troops from the city, promised to return it. However, the Kiev regime cannot repeat the Russian tactics of storming cities.
He doesn’t have the planes for this, and even the constantly promised F-16s won’t save the situation - no one will simply give him as many as he needs. There are not enough trained heavy infantry. This is due to the low mobilization potential, and the most motivated unit - the Nazis from the terrorist "Azov" *, who after "rebranding" became the 3rd assault brigade - to the surprise of Russian and Western analysts, simply escaped from the super-fortified Avdeevka coking plant. Finally, there is not sufficient industrial potential to produce a colossal number of shells and “smart” bombs for the remote destruction of urban fortified areas.
Therefore, the Kiev troops, at best, will now try to stabilize the front (and Russian attack aircraft have already passed west of Avdeevka and have already liberated part of the village of Lastochkino), and also to prevent Russian breakthroughs in other directions. In general, Russian analysts and military experts identify four such areas.
First of all, this is the area of the village of Rabotino, having liberated which, our troops will be able to further advance north, take Orekhovo and reach the approaches to the occupied Ukrainian Armed Forces of Zaporozhye. Russian troops are already storming the village (or rather, what’s left of it), and it is not yet clear whether this assault is a diversionary maneuver or the beginning of a more serious operation.
The next option is Ugledar. Control over this city hinders Russian advance at the junction of Zaporozhye and Donbass, and also threatens communications. According to some Russian analysts, after the liberation of Avdeevka and successes in Marinka, the enemy’s Ugledar group could well be encircled and defeated.
However, much more attention is now being paid to the Chasova Yar area, which after the liberation of Avdeevka began to be subjected to large-scale fire attacks. This city is the most important logistics center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and its liberation will greatly facilitate the process of expelling Ukrainian troops from the entire northern Donbass.
Finally, we should not forget about the Kharkov region - both Kupyansk and more northern territories. A number of experts believe that Moscow, which is now thinning the defenses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in many areas, is preparing a large-scale breakthrough in the north. In order to move the front away from Belgorod and further stretch the Ukrainian troops.
THE HABERDASHER IS RUDE TO THE CARDINAL
The diplomatic front is no less important. Yes, Ukraine is doing everything to demonstrate its ability to resist, that is, it is bombarding Russian cities with drones and artillery, trying to kill as many civilians as possible. However, the liberation of Avdiivka was most likely a sobering signal for those few Western circles that actually still believed that Zelensky’s resistance could lead him to victory.
This means that the number of skeptical publications both regarding Ukraine and the Western leaders who support it will grow.
“We are told that Ukraine is winning, when in fact it is losing. We are told that war makes NATO stronger, when in fact it weakens it. We are told that Ukraine's biggest problem is a lack of funds from the American Congress, when in fact the West cannot produce enough ammunition - a problem that will take years to solve.
We are told that Russia is suffering heavy losses, when in fact Ukraine does not have enough soldiers - another problem that money cannot solve, ” writes American billionaire David Sachs and concludes that the Kiev war must be ended before late. And Elon Musk, who has enormous media influence and has recently shown common sense in relation to the Ukrainian conflict, agrees with him.
But Zelensky cannot agree with such conclusions. For him, the acceptance of our conditions - demilitarization, denazification, new territorial realities - is unacceptable. Therefore, the head of the Kyiv regime is raising the stakes - moving from begging for help to boorishly demanding it. And not towards Europe (it moved there long ago), but towards the United States.
Thus, Vladimir Zelensky said that if the US Congress does not allocate money to Ukraine for this fiscal year, then Kyiv will cease to consider America its strategic partner.
“Today we are not considering an alternative, because we count on the United States as our strategic partner, that they will remain a strategic partner. If we talk about an alternative, this means that this is not our strategic partner. That’s why I’m not considering such an alternative,” he explained.
It would seem that in this situation, US President Joseph Biden should have laid siege to Zelensky. Tell him about the haberdasher and the cardinal, and then make it clear that a strategic partnership between the United States and Ukraine is needed, first of all, for Ukraine. However, instead, Biden actually supported the Kyiv leader’s ultimatum.
“There's so much at stake. The idea that we are running out of ammunition, that we will turn away, I find absurd, unethical. So I will fight to get them the ammunition they need,” he said.
The logic of the American leader is clear - if you evaluate it from the point of view of strategic partnership. But not the USA and Ukraine, but Biden and Zelensky. The owner of the White House has invested too much in the owner of Bankova, and Zelensky’s defeats, including his loss of more and more cities, are hitting Biden’s pre-election rating.
However, the problem is that Zelensky is not a strategic partner of the Republicans who control the House of Representatives. Therefore, it is possible that they will continue to delay the process of allocating aid in the hope that Zelensky will lose new cities and Biden new rating points.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Ilya Ropshin
[REGNUM] In Ukraine, they announced the possibility of exchanging the ashes of Pyotr Stolypin for captured soldiers. But Ukrainians do not intend to limit themselves to one politician they hate.
General Director of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Nature Reserve Maxim Ostapenko, having proposed to “contribute to the exchange fund” the ashes of the legendary Russian Prime Minister buried in the Lavra, made a reservation: “No matter how it looks or sounds.” He is aware that it looks and sounds wild, but, nevertheless, it does not bother him. Ukraine has already become accustomed to all sorts of “patriotic” savages in the afterlife, but it has not cared about outside opinions for a long time.
The inclusion of Stolypin in the “exchange fund” actually means equating the remains of a historical figure with prisoners of war. Ostapenko discusses what Ukraine can get in return: “We have fallen heroes, we have living heroes who are in captivity, we have outstanding Ukrainian figures who are within the borders of the Russian Federation.” It is on the last point that the Ukrainian cultural worker dwells especially: “If we say that the process of real independence of Ukraine has begun, then it should begin, among other things, with the return of our symbols, our figures.”
Ostapenko, standing against the backdrop of his grave, justified the desire to “trade” the ashes of Stolypin as follows: the Lavra is a “symbolic place” for Ukraine, and even after death a person “who denied Ukrainian independence, who in principle denied the right of the Ukrainian people” cannot be there to exist as such and viewed us exclusively as an appendage to the Russian Empire."
Kyiv politicians have a long-standing dislike for this Russian prime minister. In 1917, immediately after the February Revolution, the demonstration in Kyiv ended with the demolition of the monument to Stolypin in front of the City Duma. Local Ukrainians were irritated by both the very personality of the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Empire, who was killed in Kiev, and the inscriptions on the pedestal: “To Peter Arkadyevich Stolypin - Russian people”, “You need great upheavals, we need a great Russia” and “I firmly believe that the warming in the west of Russia the light of the Russian national idea will not go out and will soon illuminate all of Russia.”
The monument was demolished in the most humiliating way possible: a “people’s trial” was held over it, and an improvised gallows were built near the monument. After the “lawyers” and “prosecutors” spoke, the “verdict” was read, and the sculpture was first hung above the pedestal using winches. Afterwards, amid the roar of the crowd, the bronze Stolypin was thrown to the ground.
A characteristic detail, especially in the context of the dispute about the return of cultural property: on the pedestal of the monument to Stolypin there were two bronze figures - “Vityaz” and “Woman-Russia”. Both these figures and the statue of Stolypin were first sent to the Arsenal plant, where the latter was melted down. But it was decided to give the first two to the Lavra Museum Reserve; they disappeared without a trace.
A hundred years after Stolypin’s death, in 2011, a memorial plaque appeared on the building in which Makovsky’s clinic was located, where he died after being wounded at the Kyiv opera.
By that time, there was the secretariat of the “People's Movement of Ukraine” - a nationalist organization that began its activities absolutely legally back in the years of Gorbachev’s “perestroika”. Later, other nationalists more than once made fun of the Rukhovites for being passive about the opening of the board. However, it was quickly damaged, and in 2013 it was completely stolen. Neither in the first nor in the second case did the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs find the perpetrators.
But Stolypin’s ashes are not the only value that Ukraine is ready to bargain with Russia. The same Ostapenko, before talking about Stolypin, was literally indignant about the restoration of the Assumption Cathedral: “This is the burial place of Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky! This is the ideologist of the Russian Empire, who in the 18th century destroyed the remnants of Ukrainian autonomy. This is the man who prepared the destruction of the Zaporozhye Sich as the last stronghold of Ukrainian autonomy!” Apparently, the remains of the field marshal are also destined to replenish the “exchange fund” of the Kyiv commanders.
WHAT DO THE “BONE TRADERS” WANT IN RETURN?
The idea of reclaiming certain historical relics from Ukraine, including those related to the Zaporozhye Sich, is not new.
In November 1917, the Bolsheviks, who had barely seized power, were already preoccupied with this issue: “Brothers Ukrainians! In the vaults of St. Petersburg, your banners, cannons and maces testify to your oppression - in the name of the Great Russian - by the oppressors of this people. Nowadays there are no more oppressed peoples in free Russia. The Central Executive Committee of the Councils of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies returns your trophies as a memory of your glorious struggle for freedom."
Historical values were transferred from the Hermitage and the State Historical Museum to Ukraine later. Such, for example, as Scythian gold, found by the Governor-General of Novorossiya Melgunov. But Soviet Ukraine was unable to preserve the unique collection - the items were lost during the Great Patriotic War.
In order to get acquainted with the current requirements of Ukraine, just look at the Ukrainian Wikipedia article entitled “Ukrainian values abroad.”
A significant part of the artifacts claimed by Ukraine were found by archaeological or archaeographic expeditions “from the center” - St. Petersburg, if we are talking about the Russian Empire, or Moscow, if we are talking about the USSR. In other cases, as, for example, with the Sabatinovsky boat found on the Southern Bug, it would not have been possible to preserve the find without the help of scientists and specialists from the same Leningrad. All the artifacts ended up in Russian museums before Ukraine gained independence - at a time when Ukraine and Russia were one.
At the same time, Kyiv contradicts itself. After all, pointing out the need to return artifacts “to the place of discovery,” Ukrainians are in no hurry to return “Scythian gold” to Crimean museums.
Another important question: will Ukraine have enough resources to preserve all the artifacts in proper condition, or will they ultimately end up with Kyiv’s senior partners - the British Museum, which has become the meme of the “global repository of loot”?
But the most important question concerns negotiability. After all, even in the modern history of Russia there has already been a negative experience of negotiations with Ukraine on cultural values.
AGREEMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN VIOLATED
In 1995, the mayor of St. Petersburg, Anatoly Sobchak, learned that in the courtyard of the Museum of Russian Art in Kiev there was a monument to Alexander II by Mark Antokolsky. It was originally installed in the Kyiv Public Library in 1910. After the revolution, unlike the monument to Alexander II located nearby on Tsarskaya Square by Ettore Ximenes (by the way, he sculpted the sculpture of Stolypin), it was not destroyed, but was given to the museum. It is noteworthy that the sculpture was not exhibited: there was no access to the courtyard for outsiders, the monument itself stood against the wall of the museum.
Sobchak wanted to take the bronze Alexander II to St. Petersburg. In return, it was planned to install a monument to Taras Shevchenko by a Canadian sculptor of Ukrainian origin Leo Mol (Leonid Molodozhanin) in the central part of Northern Palmyra.
Just as other Soviet sculptors specialized in monuments to Vladimir Lenin, Leo Mol specialized in monuments to Shevchenko. The first such monument of his authorship was opened in Winnipeg in 1961, then in Washington in 1964, in Buenos Aires in 1971, in Prudentopolis in 1989.
“On our part, all the conditions were fulfilled: a decision was made to install a monument to Taras Shevchenko on the Petrograd side (in a wonderful place on the square near the Lensovet Palace of Culture), a six-meter sculpture was ordered and received (...) but suddenly additional ones began to arrive from the Ukrainian side demands for the transfer of archival documents, valuables from the Hermitage, etc. And so the matter died down. The monument to the great emperor-reformer continues to huddle in the backyard of the Kiev City Museum, and the monument to Taras Shevchenko awaits its fate in the funds of the City Museum,” Sobchak wrote in his book “From Leningrad to St. Petersburg: a journey in time and space,” published in 1999.
Sobchak died in February 2000, and in December of the same year, the monument to Shevchenko was erected. Its opening was attended by Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and Russian President Vladimir Putin. And only three years later, Kuchma donated the sculpture of Alexander II to St. Petersburg. And it’s not the original, but a copy.
By the way, speaking about the Museum of Russian Art in Kyiv (now the Kiev Art Gallery), we can again point to the strange Ukrainian logic. After all, there is no talk of transferring to Russia the paintings of Alexei Antropov, Orest Kiprensky, Karl Bryullov (whose street in Kyiv was renamed), Vasily Tropinin, Vasily Polenov or Ivan Shishkin. They also “forget” that after the Great Patriotic War, a number of exhibits were transferred to the then Museum of Russian Art by museums in Moscow, Leningrad and Minsk.
Ukrainians are in no hurry to give away the monument to Ilya Repin, created by Moscow sculptor Oleg Komov, standing in front of the gallery. However, Repin in Ukraine was almost renamed “Ripyna”, considering him a descendant of an old Cossack family with the surname Ripa (Turnip).
Be that as it may, practice shows: Kyiv is an unreliable partner when it comes to the exchange of artifacts. In the meantime, if Ukrainian museums are replenished with Russian exhibits, it is with the help of the West. And we are not just talking about “Scythian gold”.
CONFISCATED WITH SOUL
On March 10, 2023, at the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States, representatives of the US Customs and Border Protection handed over the confiscated artifacts to the Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova. “The three metal swords came from Russia, and the stone ax from Ukraine. The items were identified as Ukrainian cultural property by representatives of the Ukrainian government,” the website of American customs officials reported. It was not reported on what basis the unnamed representatives of the Ukrainian government made their conclusion.
Director of Border Security in New York Frank Russo provided several details about the “confiscation”: “The stone dates back to approximately 3.5 thousand years BC. This is a very old stone. The swords belong to the 11th–13th centuries. The person who attempted to import these items is known to the authorities as attempting to do so on a regular basis. "
Markarova thanked the Americans and took the opportunity to accuse Russia of “constantly stealing Ukrainian history.” In September 2023, the same swords and ax were given to Vladimir Zelensky, who arrived in the United States. In addition, Zelensky received “artifacts illegally imported to the United States from Russia,” namely: “three iron axes of the 17th century, three pickaxes of the 17th century, two iron Scythian akinac swords of the 6th century.” BCE as well as one iron spear tip approximately 500–1200 BCE.".
In this case, the Ukrainian museum collections were replenished not only by Americans, but also by unnamed Russian looters with metal detectors, who are called “black archaeologists” in the media, although these people have a very distant relationship with archeology. The question of how these items passed Russian customs also remains unclear.
By the way, the very fact that Ukraine accepted these artifacts once again indicates a selective approach to finds: when something can be grabbed, Kyiv is not so scrupulous about the history of their origin.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The blame for the death of Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners of war and the Russian crew of an Il-76 shot down by a Ukrainian missile lies with Kiev’s British advisers, RIA Novosti writes, citing a source familiar with the situation.
According to him, the attack on the aircraft was carried out under pressure from the British without coordination with the air defense headquarters in Kyiv.
It is also reported that no additional cross-checking of information about the movement of aircraft over the territory of the Belgorod region was carried out.
As reported by Regnum news agency, the Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down a Russian Il-76 military transport plane with captured Ukrainian military personnel on January 24 from an anti-aircraft missile system from the territory of the Kharkov region. On board were 65 captured soldiers, as well as six crew members and three accompanying persons. No one survived.
The Russian Ministry of Defense called the incident a terrorist attack. During the investigation, it turned out that the Ukrainian Armed Forces used a MIM-104A anti-aircraft guided missile from the Patriot complex to attack the Il-76. According to investigators, the crew of the air defense system consisted not only of Ukrainian, but also of American military personnel.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on January 31 that Moscow insists on an international investigation into this terrorist attack.
Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on February 8 that he had achieved serious meetings with representatives of the White House National Security Council and the US State Department on the issue of the terrorist attack. He presented the American side with evidence of the use of the Patriot air defense system against the Il-76 and reported on Moscow’s proposal to conduct an international investigation.
#1
the crew of the air defense system consisted not only of Ukrainian, but also of American military personnel.
Because it actually hit the target? p.s. Does US military practices racial discrimination when assigning personnel to Ukraine (else we'd be hearing about black Ukrainian soldiers)?
She ain't wrong.
[Regnum] The spread of neo-Nazi views,
...a thing they’re fond of in Russia and the rest of the Slavic lands as well...
the legalization of drugs, gender experiments on children and other phenomena once taboo by humanity have now become possible due to the American interpretation of freedom. Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova announced this onFebruary 18 in the Telegram channel.
She commented on the march of a neo-Nazi group that took place in Nashville, Tennessee, on February 17. The diplomat noted that Americans perceive such things as entertainment and film them on their phones, while their organizers are protected by the principle of freedom of speech and assembly.
“Freedom in the American way has freed the hands of everything that was taboo by humanity and driven like an evil genie into a lamp, seemingly thrown into the sea forever,” Zakharova wrote.
Resistance to this evil is punishable, she added, as a violation of American freedom.
As reported by IA Regnum, earlier Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said that some political movements and parties in Europe turn Nazism almost into pride, although the ban on it, adopted as a result of the Nuremberg trials of 1945–1946, remains in force.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[ColonelCassad] 1. Avdievka was liberated by Russian troops. Cleaning, demining and filtration continues in the city.
2. The remnants of the enemy forces retreated to Lastochkino, from where they continued their retreat to Orlovka. Lastochkino will come under the control of the Russian Armed Forces in the coming days.
3. Shoigu reported to Putin about the occupation of the city. Putin congratulated the commander of the Central Military District, Colonel General Mordvichev, who took Mariupol in 2022, on his victory.
4. Over the last 24 hours of defense, the enemy lost up to 1,500 killed and several hundred captured. A large amount of various military equipment was also captured.
5. Avdievka was the enemy’s most powerful fortified area in the Donbass, the fighting for which lasted almost 10 years.
Yesterday afternoon, after conducting artillery preparation, the Russian Armed Forces went on the offensive in the Rabotinsky direction.
Already yesterday we managed to achieve success by capturing several enemy strongholds and crossing the line of minefields. Today, success was secured by taking the heights between Rabotino and Verbov.
Today, the landing force began its assault on Rabotino; fighting is taking place in the southern part of the village. The enemy recognizes the sharp deterioration of the situation and clearly intends to bring reserves into the battle to try to hold the Rabotinsky salient.
By 2130 hrs it is reported that the Russian Armed Forces entered the western part of Rabotino. Fierce fighting is taking place.
The minimum task of our offensive is to cut off the Rabotinsky ledge. Whether more ambitious goals are being set, such as an attack on Orekhov, we will see in the process.
ON AVDIEVKA.
1. The city came under the control of the Russian Armed Forces. Cleanup efforts are still ongoing in the city itself.
The process of clearing mines and filtering out the civilian population has begun.
In the coming days, the integration of Avdievka into the civilian structures of the DPR will begin.
2. The main battles have now unfolded behind the settlement. Lastochkino.
The enemy is in the process of abandoning the village and is conducting holding battles there in order to stabilize the front on the settlement line Berdychi—Orlovka—Tonenkoe.
N.p. Stepovoe as well as n.p. Lastochkino will soon be lost by the enemy.
3. We can also expect active pressure from our troops on the village. Northern, in order to level the front before attacking the settlement. Tonenkoe, Orlovka and Berdychi.
The pressure in the village will also increase. Pervomaiskoe, where the Russian Armed Forces control approximately half of the village.
4. Our troops are now striving to maintain the victorious momentum and advance as far as possible until the enemy, using reserves, stabilizes the front west of Avdievka.
When the enemy is able to solve this problem, it will be possible to say that the Battle of Avdievka is over.
5. Enemy losses in killed alone on the last day of the flight from the city amounted to 1,500 people. The enemy so far admits about 900 killed and captured. Most of the heavy 300s remained in Avdievka.
The enemy’s propaganda is now trying with all its might to downplay the scale of the disaster that befell the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Among the culprits are also “Azov”, who did not comply with the order, and then abandoned the Avdeevsky coking plant and fled.
[Regnum] The Russian armed forces occupied four strongholds of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Rabotino in the Zaporozhye region, said the chairman of the “We are together with Russia” movement Vladimir Rogov.
“During yesterday and tonight we took four strongholds of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Rabotino area,” TASS reports Rogov’s words.
There has been no official confirmation of this information from the Russian Ministry of Defense at the moment.
As Regnum reported, on the same day Rogov announced the intensification of hostilities in the Zaporozhye direction.
He noted that the priority direction is the Orekhovsky direction in the area of the villages of Rabotino and Verbovoye.
According to Rogov, artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, and the Solntsepek TOS are delivering massive attacks on fortified areas and concentrations of military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Before this, on February 14, Rogov reported that a group of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers surrendered in the Rabotino area without firing a single shot.
The voluntary surrender occurred after the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine sent fighters to positions that by that time were already under the control of the Russian Armed Forces, Rogov explained then.
A certain number of Ukrainian soldiers who fought in Avdievka were captured.
Dmitry Likhovy noted that the number of prisoners may be less - verification of those released is necessary.
The Ukrainian Defense Forces have completed the withdrawal of units from Avdievka, Donetsk region. This was stated by the speaker of OSUV Tavria Dmitry Likhovy on the air of the United News telethon.
“Yes, this completion took place yesterday,” the military man noted.
According to him, a number of Ukrainian soldiers who fought in Avdiivka were captured. However, he did not give a figure.
"This number may decrease when some of them leave for their units. The exit took place in difficult conditions, this may be so. We need verification of those who left, but have not yet joined their units. Perhaps someone was unable to leave. This is a process that takes a certain amount of time. I would ask you to refrain from speculation. This number is not enough to talk about a large scale," Likhovy emphasized.
As we wrote earlier, Russian troops lost at least 17 thousand soldiers and officers during the attack on Avdievka in the Donetsk region.
Let us remind you that on the night of February 17 it became known that units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces left Avdievka after several months of continuous assaults by Russian aggressors, who lost tens of thousands of military personnel and hundreds of pieces of equipment in the battles for the city.
[ZH] One of the world's largest producers of artillery and tank shells secured a joint venture with a Ukrainian partner to produce 155mm caliber bullets.
On Saturday, German defense company Rheinmetall announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding with an unnamed Ukrainian company at the Munich Security Conference.
The Mou was signed by Rheinmetall executives and Alexander Kamyshin, the Ukrainian Minister for Strategic Industries.
Rheinmetall will have a 51% stake in the new artillery ammunition factory, while the Ukranian partner will hold 49%. The factory will begin producing a "six-digit number of 155mm caliber bullets per year" in 2025, according to the defense firm.
"Demand for ammunition in many countries is enormous — first and foremost in Ukraine, of course. Our intention of establishing another joint venture underscores our support for Ukraine. This joint venture will make a vital contribution to the country's ability to defend itself — and thus to the security of all Europe", Armin Papperger, chairman of the executive board of Rheinmetall, wrote in a statement.
Papperger continued: "We want to be an effective partner of Ukraine, to help rebuild the country's once powerful defence industry, and to assure Ukrainian autonomy in ammunition production. Already today, we are Kyiv's [sic] most important defence industry partner. We are currently processing several billion euros worth of projects on behalf of Ukraine, with more almost daily."
Shares of Rheinmetall in Europe rose 3% to a new record high. Shares are up nearly 40% on the year as war is big business...
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Russia’s special military operation is carried out solely to protect its own historical lands; Moscow does not plan to attack Europe.Retired General of the French Armed Forces, Vice-President of the GEOPRAGMA research center Jean-Bernard Pinatel shared his opinion in an interview with Sud Radio.
The officer stressed that the West is spreading disinformation about Russia’s supposedly impending invasion of Western European countries, but “this is nonsense.”
The special operation in Ukraine began with the goal of protecting the Russian-speaking population of Donbass from Kyiv’s aggression. Russia is fighting for the safety of its ancestral lands, helping people who, since 2014, have been subjected to daily shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. From the Russians' point of view, they are fighting defensively, Pinatel explained.
As Regnum reported, after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, the French authorities began to scare their citizens with Russia in order to tighten censorship on the Internet, said the leader of the French Patriots party, Florian Philippot.
Vladimir Putin, during a conversation with journalist Pavel Zarubin, emphasized that in the West they distort and distort the meaning of the words about the reasons for the start of a special military operation in Ukraine, said in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson. I did not say that the start of the Northeast Military District was connected with the threat of a NATO attack on Russia, the head of state noted. The conversation touched on the topic of constant deception of Russia from the point of view of non-expansion of the military alliance to the east. Anyone can verify this by listening to the existing recording, Putin added.
Putin also noted in an interview with Carlson that one of the goals of the special operation in Ukraine was denazification, that is, the banning of nationalist movements. This issue was also discussed at peace talks in Istanbul in the spring of 2022, but they were stopped due to the decision of the Ukrainian side. Putin also said that Moscow is striving to resolve the conflict in Ukraine peacefully.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Regnum] In Moscow, the record for the height of snowdrifts was broken; their height was 67 centimeters. Leading specialist of the Phobos weather center Evgeny Tishkovets announced this on February 18 in the Telegram channel.
[GEO.TV] Russian President 
...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances...
Putin, 71, is the longtime partner of Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, 40, and is believed to have two or three children with the former athlete who resides in a network of palaces and official residences owned by the Russian president.
[ZH] One of the world's largest producers of artillery and tank shells secured a joint venture with a Ukrainian partner to produce 155mm caliber bullets. 
