Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Natalia Eroshkina
[REGNUM] A 14-year-old teenager committed suicide in Kalmykia because of bullying. According to the investigation and his relatives, the schoolboy could not stand the bullying from his peers. A criminal case has been opened.
It turned out that the gang of minors who abused the boy had been terrorizing the entire village for a long time. Local residents told IA Regnum about this.
14-year-old Artem is a student at one of the schools in the village of Sadovoye, located in the Sarpinsky District of the Republic of Kalmykia. The teenager's mother, Svetlana, works as a nurse at a local hospital. She was the only one raising Artem and his sister.
The boy was quiet and calm, participated in Olympiads and won prizes. Everyone who knew him speaks well of him. It became known only after his death that the teenager had been a victim of bullying by his peers for a long time.
A few hours before his suicide on March 10, Artem mentioned to his friend Sergey (name changed) that he was thinking about death. When his friend came to visit Artem, it was already too late, the guy committed suicide.
According to the investigation and his relatives, the teenager was driven to such an act by humiliation from his peers. The last straw was a situation that happened the night before, on the night of March 8-9.
"PUT IT ON THE GROUND"
That night, Artem's mother was on duty, his friend Sergei came to visit the boy, and the boy also invited a girl, Sveta (name changed), to visit. The guest did not notify her relatives where she had gone.
Her cousin didn't like this. He gathered six more guys - Boris, Hasan, Ivan, Alexander, Rustam and Arsen (names have been changed) - and went to Artyom's house to sort things out.
The teenager was called in for a talk and was humiliated, insulted and beaten at the gate of his own home. Then they threw him to the ground, spat on him, urinated on him and wiped their feet on Artem. Sergey stood up for the boy, but was hit in the face. The attackers recorded everything that happened on video.
The footage shows Artyom alone, surrounded by larger guys; the teenager is scared and tries not to get involved in the conflict.
One of the participants, Galdan (name changed), tries to provoke him: "Who do you think you are? Did you take responsibility for taking the girl there and back for a walk, to your home for the night? Her mom, dad, sister are looking for her, why didn't you tell her? What did you say to me when you were walking? What did you suffer, f*****g? Why are you silent?"
Then the offender suggests that his friends choose who will beat Artyom. Hasan takes up the matter, he delivers several blows. Then Galdan stops him and orders: "Throw him down on the ground and spit."
The next day, a video of the bullying was uploaded online and distributed throughout the school.
"At school, he again met one of these guys, Boris, who was also present during the humiliation and video recording. He and another eighth-grader began to bully him again, they say that they shoved Artem's head into the toilet, forced him to kiss their shoes.
After that, the boy came home and didn't know how to live with this shame, he said that now everyone would humiliate him. After all, this video was spread all over the school. He told his friend that he wanted to commit suicide.
Now the boy blames himself for not having time to save Artyom, because he didn’t think that everything would go so far,” said the mother of one of the school’s students.
Only after the teenager's death did the village begin to talk about the bullying that Artyom had been subjected to for a long time.
"My relative works as a social worker. After what happened, when talking about what happened, she said that Artyomka was in her group. He was very cheerful, open. Then she went on maternity leave for 3 years, returned in 2023 and did not recognize the boy: Artyom was completely different, his gaze became dull.
Now there are rumors that he has been bullied for a long time. Why didn't his mother, the school, anyone see this? I feel very sorry for the boy," said a former colleague of Artem's mother.
"THE INVESTIGATION IS MARKING TIME"
The mother and sister of the deceased boy recorded an appeal demanding that all those involved in his death be held accountable.
"I am the deceased's older cousin. His mother, Svetlana Nikolaevna, is next to me.
Please help me make this public. My cousin was driven to suicide by humiliation, bullying, beatings, and insults. All of this was filmed, but after the incident, all the videos were deleted from the Internet. There is a fragment of an incomplete video that was sent to me by a concerned person. We doubt the actions of law enforcement agencies, since the death certificate was issued without the time of death.
"They refused to give us a certificate of the beatings, citing the fact that an investigation was underway. The incident is not being publicized on the Internet in the Republic of Kalmykia," says Artem's sister.
I, the mother of a dead son who was driven to suicide, ask that those who disgraced him in front of the entire country not escape punishment. This video, which we are attaching to the video message, is real. It happened from March 8 to 9.
The children came to Artem specifically to mock him, film him and send him online to humiliate the child. The reason for this bullying is the deceased's girlfriend. Everyone who took part was questioned and released. The investigation is marking time. We don't know what will happen next," says the teenager's mother.
The relatives' appeal caused a wide public resonance not only in the village itself, but also beyond its borders. Residents of Sadovoye demanded that the gang of teenagers be held accountable for bullying and other crimes, from which many had suffered for a long time, but were afraid to seek help.
"THEY ATTACK ADULTS TOO"
IA Regnum talked to the villagers and found out details from the lives of the gang members who bullied Artem. One of them is 14-year-old Boris, who studies at the same school.
"He is the middle son, his mother has two more, she raises them alone, without a father. Well, how does she raise them, she is constantly drunk. So they do whatever they want. Boris walks around the school like a boss, no one tells him what to do, he has repeatedly come to class drunk this school year, he curses, calls names, pushes everyone.
The children complain, saying that they called the local police officer, but he simply said that Boris was not drunk, they didn’t even take him for an examination,” says Veronica (name changed), the mother of one of the students, indignantly.
The woman said that Boris and other gang members tried to attack her son, but the boy was saved in time by neighbors and his father.
"They almost beat him up with Galdan and took his bike. It's good that the neighbors noticed in time and were able to protect my child, otherwise it's unknown how all this could have ended. They attack adults too," Veronica said.
According to Veronika, at 14, Boris is in the 6th grade because he was held back twice: "He should be in the 8th grade, but he's in the 6th and terrorizes everyone there. He and his older brother Anton (name changed) always went together, he's 18 now. They go in a crowd of 5 or more people, steal cars, break into stores. The village suffers greatly from this gang, I don't understand why no one can do anything. They're probably afraid that things will only get worse, they're minors."
After the news of Artem's death, Boris was not afraid to show up at his relatives' home. And it was not remorse that brought him there.
"When Artem's body was brought home from the morgue, Boris came to his relatives' house. I was standing there, I couldn't stand it and started telling him, why did he come, he had enough conscience. He then threatened to burn everyone. And on the day of the funeral, he came again and threatened, demanded that the police statement be withdrawn, can you imagine? There are many witnesses to this. And then he disappeared. Now they are looking for him," the woman said.
Six days after Artem's death, Boris left home and never returned. His current whereabouts are unknown. Law enforcement officials have sent out wanted notices, and the missing man's mother hopes that her son was simply scared of threats from online commentators and is hiding somewhere.
Boris's older brother Anton had already been prosecuted for car theft. According to law enforcement officials, three local motorists contacted the Sarpinsky District police in early January. Two of them did not find their cars in the yard on January 1, 2025, and the third noticed signs of a break-in on his.
The perpetrator was identified thanks to cameras and shoe prints. Anton used a screwdriver to open a VAZ-2114, drove it around and returned it to its place. Then he stole a Niva from the yard of another house, but lost control on the way and flew into a ditch. He left the wrecked car there. Then he tried to open two more cars - a Gazelle and a Lada Priora.
The police established that the guy was intoxicated during the thefts. A criminal case was opened under Part 1 of Article 166 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Illegal seizure of a car or other vehicle without the purpose of theft." "He has a criminal record, it seems he now has to pay damages to the car owners, one of them is a former policeman, and he was not afraid to steal even his car," the neighbor explained.
But Anton and Boris Alexander's mother defends her sons and puts forward alternative hypotheses about the causes of Artyom's death. She suggests that his suicide was due to a coincidence - his inability to fight and financial difficulties.
"I feel incredibly sorry for this boy. Considering that he has always been such a poor guy. Artyom had a difficult life, I think that everything just piled on top of each other. Why did no one care how this boy lived, if they say that he was bullied for two years at that school?
"If my boy had been jumped by a crowd there, they would have picked out their offenders one by one and snitched on them! We have sections: boxing, wrestling, martial arts. Why not send the child there so that he can learn to stand up for himself?" - said Alexandra.
Earlier, IA Regnum published a detailed conversation with Boris’s mother.
Another gang member and the main ringleader in the video is Galdan, also from a large family. He has two sisters and a brother.
"Mom doesn't drink, she works in a store, but she can't find a way to control her children. Their father is Georgian, but he doesn't live with them. There's only one mother for everyone. When people tell her about her children, that they've done something again, she shrugs her shoulders: what can I do? How many times have they approached her, each time the same answer," Veronica complained.
The third gang member, Hasan, who beat Artem in the video, turned out to be a dark horse. The neighbors could not say anything bad about him.
"I'm surprised that he took part in this, I've never seen him with them, and I can't say anything bad about his family either. His father is from Chechnya, his mother is Russian. They say he studies in Volgograd. Apparently, that's where he went when the fuss started," the neighbor explains. But local residents managed to notice comments from Khasan on social networks, in which he claims that he is not afraid of anything and is confident in his impunity. Later, the young man deleted everything, and now his page is blocked.
The fourth participant in the events, Ivan, is from a very respectable family. His father is a major in the Ministry of Emergency Situations, he heads one of the local fire and rescue units. And the guy himself was awarded a certificate and a medal for successful participation in a military-patriotic tournament. When the village learned of Artem's death, Ivan went to the police with a confession.
"He immediately came to the duty station and said that he was there that evening when they all came to Artyom. But he didn't touch him, he only filmed the video. This doesn't justify him either, it's just awful. I don't understand why he should participate in this, why he should film it," our agency's interlocutor is indignant.
Little is known about the rest of the gang members.
"I know that Alexander's dad is fighting in the SVO. I don't know who the others were, I didn't see them. I heard that the police were checking seven teenagers. Now we are waiting for news from law enforcement agencies," the woman says.
After Artem's death, social and preventive work began in the region. The administration reported on holding a meeting of parents of students in grades 8–11 of educational institutions in the village of Sadovoye. The republic's prosecutor appointed a reception for residents of the Sarpinsky District on issues of observing the rights of minors. The Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Republic of Kalmykia also opened a personal reception for citizens on issues of protecting children and ensuring their rights.
The investigation of the criminal case is under the control of the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin.
[Economist] The signals were coming fast and furious by the first week of March. Ukrainian forces in the Kursk bridgehead, an area of Russia that Ukraine seized last August, were becoming trapped. Aided by North Korean forces, Russia had tightened a noose around the Ukrainians’ flanks and was within firing range of their last remaining supply route. The Russians had also massed at least 50,000 troops, four times the Ukrainians’ numbers. It remains unclear how they pulled it off, and what role Donald Trump’s decision (subsequently reversed) to limit intelligence sharing with Ukraine on March 5th had played. Some Ukrainian intelligence officers insist they were blindsided.
“The Americans are lying if they say we had everything we needed for defence,” one says.
Posted by: mossomo ||
03/20/2025 13:04 ||
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Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
The inevitable finally occurred and UKR are out of Kursk. I gave it a month - it was seven or eight. Huge waste, I saw very little strategic value in their occupation.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Talks to try to bring about a ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine took a new turn Wednesday as Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky discussed U.S. 'ownership' of its nuclear plants.
The new element came in a joint statement issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz hours after Trump spoke by phone with the Ukrainian president.
The potential energy cooperation came up amid a stalled minerals deal that Trump says will provide security for Ukraine and allow it to reimburse the U.S. for billions spent arming and aiding the country.
'President Trump also discussed Ukraine’s electrical supply and nuclear power plants. He said that the United States could be very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise,' according to the statement.
'American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure,' it said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt got asked whether the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal was still on the table.
'And now we have moved beyond the economic minerals deal. We are at a place of peace. We're at a partial ceasefire, and we're moving towards a full ceasefire and a long standing peace in this conflict,' she said.
Trump first mentioned that deal as a way to extract valuable rare earth minerals from Ukraine.
Talks to try to bring about a ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine took a new turn Wednesday as Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky discussed U.S. 'ownership' of its nuclear plants.
The new element came in a joint statement issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz hours after Trump spoke by phone with the Ukrainian president.
The potential energy cooperation came up amid a stalled minerals deal that Trump says will provide security for Ukraine and allow it to reimburse the U.S. for billions spent arming and aiding the country.
'President Trump also discussed Ukraine’s electrical supply and nuclear power plants. He said that the United States could be very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise,' according to the statement.
'American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure,' it said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt got asked whether the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal was still on the table.
'And now we have moved beyond the economic minerals deal. We are at a place of peace. We're at a partial ceasefire, and we're moving towards a full ceasefire and a long standing peace in this conflict,' she said.
Trump first mentioned that deal as a way to extract valuable rare earth minerals from Ukraine.
The Ukrainian side has begun raising the importance of the Zaporizhzhia power plant, now offline and controlled by Russia, as important to being able to power the energy-intensive efforts to mine the minerals.
The statement also mentioned the partial ceasefire that was a result of a phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump said on Wednesday that he and Putin 'agreed to an immediate Ceasefire on all Energy and Infrastructure.'
But the Rubio-Waltz statement didn't contain the word 'infrastructure.'
'The two leaders also agreed on a partial ceasefire against energy. Technical teams will meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to discuss broadening the ceasefire to the Black Sea on the way to a full ceasefire. They agreed this could be the first step toward the full end of the war and ensuring security,' it said.
According to the Rubio-Waltz statement, 'President Trump also asked President Zelensky about the children who had gone missing from Ukraine during the war, including the ones that had been abducted. President Trump promised to work closely with both parties to help make sure those children were returned home.'
That is a matter that Zelensky raised during his previous disastrous Oval Office meeting with Trump.
Leavitt got asked about the termination of a State Department contract that funded a program at Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab that tracked the abducted children.
She said she had 'no updates about that.'
Lawmakers raised concerns about the deletion of a database that tracked satelilite imagery and biometric data on as many as 35,000 Ukrainian children who were taken.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 20:17 Volunteer Oleksandr Ivakhnenko was killed during the Russian strike on Kherson on March 19. This was reported by volunteer Anastasia Ukolova. It is noted that Oleksandr was hit by Russian troops when he was helping to close windows after previous flights. According to volunteer Andrey Vatazhko, Ivakhnenko was delivering hot meals to people, helping to evacuate residents from the red zone and eliminate the consequences of Russian attacks, Obshchestvennoye reports.
18.27 Russia has struck again at the railway infrastructure of the Dnipropetrovsk region. According to preliminary information, Russian war criminals have struck with a ballistic missile. Four railway workers were wounded.
18:11 US President Donald Trump has completed telephone talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and said he is pleased with the results achieved. He wrote about this on his own social network Truth Social .
18.01 In Ivano-Frankivsk, a teenager who committed a terrorist attack on March 11 was declared a suspect. This was reported by the press service of the SBU Directorate in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.
According to their information, the minor is in hospital.
17:52 Ukrainian military received a new means to intercept Russian Shahed-type attack drones. This was reported by the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Unmanned Systems Forces.
17.38 Russian war criminals launched a missile strike on the Kamensky district of Dnipropetrovsk region. This was reported by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA Serhiy Lysak on his Telegram channel.
17.29 As part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, a girl who lived under occupation for more than ten years has returned to Ukraine. This was reported by the Communications Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office, Daria Zarivna.
17:02 Since the beginning of the current day, 64 combat clashes have occurred on the front, almost half of them in the Pokrovsk direction. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational report as of 16:00.
16:58 A complete ceasefire in Ukraine can be achieved within a few weeks. This was stated by US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in an interview with Bloomberg.
16:37 Russian occupiers are trying to group and consolidate in the area of the villages of Novenkoye and Zhuravka in Sumy region in order to encircle the Ukrainian Defense Forces, which are carrying out an operation in Kursk region, or to cut off their logistics routes. This was stated by the spokesman of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Andriy Demchenko on television. According to him, the length of the border within the Sumy region on the border with Russia is almost 530 km. Demchenko noted that the Russian Federation is using small assault groups that are trying to enter Ukrainian territory.
16.25 197 Ukrainian servicemen have returned from Russian captivity. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky. He thanked everyone involved in this exchange, and especially the United Arab Emirates.
16.06 The soon-to-be-resigned German government has agreed to provide an additional 3 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine in 2025, Reuters reports , citing a document from the German Finance Ministry.
15.59 A priest of the UOC MP in the Khmelnytsky region was exposed in illegal activity in April last year. The Slavuta City District Court found the man guilty under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and sentenced him to four years in prison.
15.45 The area of the fire at the oil depot in Krasnodar Krai has almost doubled. This was reported by the regional operational headquarters, as reported by Russian telegram channels. It is noted that the fire has engulfed a tank from which an oil leak was previously detected. Firefighters are extinguishing three objects on the territory: one of the tanks, shut-off valves, as well as burning oil products within the embankment around the tank.
15.26 The Russian authorities, as part of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, have committed crimes against humanity in the form of enforced disappearances, widespread and systematic. This is stated in the latest report of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine.
13:59 If Russia does not strike Ukrainian targets, then Ukraine definitely will not do so. The United States should be the subject of control over the ceasefire regime. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Helsinki.
13:44 Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke out categorically against depriving Ukraine of territorial integrity, as once happened to his country. He stated this during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Helsinki on Wednesday, March 19.
13:32 Territorial issues will be on the table of the upcoming peace talks on ending the war in Ukraine. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Helsinki. Ukraine will not recognize the temporarily occupied territories as Russian. This is a "red line," the president assured.
13:29 On March 19, Russian troops once again fired artillery at Kherson. As a result of the enemy strikes, one person was killed and one was wounded. This was reported by the press service of the Kherson OVA on Wednesday, March 19.
13:28 The Security Service of Ukraine has collected evidence on another Russian propagandist justifying Russia's military aggression. We are talking about former actor Boris Korchevnikov, who once became famous thanks to the series Cadets, and now heads the pro-government TV channel First Public Orthodox TV Channel SPAS. The SBU reported this on its Telegram channel.
13:14 Ukraine is establishing a civil defense coalition, which will be led by Finland. It will help with the construction of shelters and the involvement of partners. This was announced by Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb on Wednesday, March 19.
12:59 The Ministry of Defense reported on the new Raybird UAS (ACS-3), which overcomes electronic warfare and air defense systems and conducts reconnaissance from a height of 5.5 km. It can stay in the sky for up to 28 hours, covering up to 2,500 km. This was reported by the press service of the Defense Ministry on Wednesday, March 19.
The reconnaissance aircraft, which can stay in the sky for up to 28 hours and cover a distance of up to 2,500 km, has the ability to bypass enemy air defense systems and areas of active electronic warfare in order to conduct high-quality visual reconnaissance from a height of up to 5.5 km.
As noted, the "highlight" of one of the latest versions of the complex was the integration of a laser guidance system for corrected ammunition, operating with an accuracy of up to a meter. This is the only drone in its class that has such a system. And its effectiveness has already been proven in real combat. Laser target designation operates at a sufficiently large distance from the target to accurately destroy it and save the carrier aircraft of the system.
12:48 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will hold talks with his American counterpart Donald Trump on Wednesday, March 19. The Ukrainian leader said this at a press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Helsinki.
12:27 Russian military forces allegedly "shot down" seven of their own attack drones after receiving orders from Vladimir Putin to stop attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities, the Russian Defense Ministry reported .
11:58 Russian occupiers have recently tightened checks at checkpoints near Armyansk, on the administrative border with temporarily occupied Crimea. This was reported by the Yellow Ribbon resistance movement on its Telegram channel.
11:13 In the city of Kremenchuk, a man wounded a serviceman of the TCC with a traumatic weapon. This was reported by the National Police Department in Poltava Oblast. Patrol officers detained the man. Doctors provided assistance to the wounded serviceman.
10:56 Russians carried out five strikes on a rescue operation on the territory of a hospital in the Krasnopolskaya community of the Sumy region, which was attacked by drones.
In addition, the shelter in which 22 patients were trapped, including seven with limited mobility, was partially destroyed. Rescuers managed to quickly free everyone and move them to a safe place. There were no civilian casualties; a total of 60 people were evacuated.
10:20 The Security Service counterintelligence thwarted an attempt by Russian special services to commit a terrorist attack against law enforcement officers in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
A Russian agent who tried to blow up a police squad that was supposed to arrive in response to a fake call has been detained. The man was detained red-handed when he planted explosives in an abandoned building and called 102 to report that he had allegedly found a person there with no signs of life.
09:55 In Crimea, GUR reconnaissance soldiers hit expensive air defense systems of the Russian invaders, a sea tug, and a Mi-8 helicopter.
In particular, the following radars were hit: 48Ya6-K1 Podlet (2 units), 1L125 Niobium-SV (2 units), 39N6 Kasta 2E2 (3 units), 9S19 Imbir, Nebo-SV, S-300VM, Nebo-M, 59N6-S Protivnik-S.
The S-300SV launcher, ST-68 radar and 39N6 Kasta 2E2 radar command posts, and three Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and gun systems were hit.
The reconnaissance aircraft also struck the Project S4236 transport and tugboat Fyodor Uryupin and the Mi-8 helicopter.
09:38 In the early morning of March 19, Russians used drones to strike the railway power system in Dnipropetrovsk region. This was reported by the press service of Ukrzaliznytsia.
There are de-energized sections, but train traffic continues on schedule. During the aftermath, the enemy struck again. There were no casualties. An order was given to send a fire train to extinguish the fire at the facility.
09:20 On the night of March 19, Russian troops attacked the Kiev region with drones. As a result of falling debris in the Bucha district, 20 two-story houses, 15 private houses and 19 cars were damaged, two people were injured.
In the Boryspil district, a house was damaged. Several grass fires were recorded - in the Obukhiv, Boryspil, Fastiv and Bucha districts. All fires were extinguished by rescuers.
08:50 On the night of March 19, the Russians attacked Ukraine with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles, four S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles and 145 Shahed-type attack UAVs and drone imitators of various types.
Air defense forces shot down 72 UAVs, and another 56 enemy drone imitators were lost without negative consequences.
The Russian attack affected the Sumy, Odessa, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv and Chernihiv regions.
08:32 At night, Russian troops attacked Kyiv with 45 drones. Of these, 19 were destroyed by air defense crews, the rest were lost or left the airspace. The alarm in the capital lasted for about six hours.
08:10 Over the past 24 hours, aviation, missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces hit 16 areas of personnel concentration, two guns and a warehouse of weapons and military equipment of the Russian invaders. 140 combat clashes were recorded on the front.
07:45 Negotiations on a ceasefire in Ukraine will continue in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 23. This was announced by US President Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
07:20 As of March 19, 2025, the total combat losses of Russian troops on Ukrainian territory were approximately 898,070 people (+1,060 per day).
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding back Russian attacks in the east and south of Ukraine.
Enemy troops have organized 29 assaults in the areas of 11 settlements. Most of the attacks have already been repelled.
Since the beginning of the current day, 64 combat clashes have occurred on the front, almost half of them in the Pokrovsk direction. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational report as of 16:00 on Wednesday, March 19.
Thus, in the Kharkov direction, the Russians attacked once near Dvurechnaya. The fighting continues to this day.
In the Kupyansk direction, Russian occupiers carried out one attack near Zagryzovo.
In the Liman direction, the enemy carried out six attacks near Yampolevka and in the direction of the settlement of Novoye. One combat clash continues.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the enemy tried to advance forward in the direction of Aleksandro-Shultino, but the attack was repelled.
In the Toretsk direction, the enemy is trying to penetrate the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defense in the area of Toretsk, Krymskoye and Dilievka. Six assaults have been repelled, three more attacks are ongoing.
In the Pokrovsky direction, the Russians organized 29 assaults in the areas of the settlements of Tarasovka, Elizavetovka, Promin, Lysovka, Novoukrainka, Zverevo, Udachnoye, Uspenovka, Preobrazhenka, Alekseyevka, Andreyevka. The defense forces repelled 24 attacks, five combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, our defenders repelled five assaults. The enemy tried to advance in the Constantinople area.
In the Gulyai-Polye direction, the enemy is attacking in the direction of Novopol, and one combat clash continues.
In the Orekhov direction, the occupiers carried out two attacks in the direction of Stepovoye. The fighting continues to this day.
The operation in Kursk region is also continuing . Our soldiers have repelled nine enemy attacks, four battles are still ongoing.
We remind you that in one day on March 18, Russia lost more than 1,000 fighters killed and wounded. The total number of Russian losses will exceed 900 thousand by the end of this week.
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Belgorod direction, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of one heavy mechanised brigade, two air assault brigades, and two assault regiments of the AFU near Maryino, Petrushevka, and Ugroyedy (Sumy region).
The AFU losses amounted to more than 70 troops, three tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles, 11 armoured fighting vehicles, three counterobstacle vehicles, seven motor vehicles, and four field artillery guns.
Units of the Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation. Losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade and one assault brigade of the AFU near Zeleny Gai, Druzhelyubovka (Kharkov region), and Novoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to more than 250 troops, three armoured personnel carriers, including two U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carriers, one armoured fighting vehicle, nine motor vehicles, three field artillery guns, and three ammunition depots.
Units of the Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions. Losses were inflicted on formations of five mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, one guard brigade of the AFU General Staff, one AFU UAV brigade, and one national guard brigade near Seversk, Verkhnekamenskoye, Poltavka, Zelenoye Pole, Dzerzhinsk, Novomarkovo, Kramatorsk, Chasov Yar, and Ivanopolye (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 270 troops, one tank, ten motor vehicles, and one field artillery gun.
Units of the Tsentr Group of Forces improved the situation along the front line. Losses were inflicted on formations of five mechanised brigades, two jaeger brigades, one assault brigade, one assault regiment of the AFU, and one naval infantry brigade near Shevchenko, Zverevo, Sribnoye, Yelizavetovka, Krasnoarmeysk, Zaporozhye, Udachnoye, and Uspenovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 465 troops, four Kozak armoured fighting vehicles, five motor vehicles, and five artillery guns.
Units of the Vostok Group of Forces continued advancing into the depth of enemy defences. Losses were inflicted on formations of one mechanised brigade, one airmobile brigade, and one assault regiment of the AFU near Bogatyr, Fedorovka, and Vesyoloye (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 145 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, four motor vehicles, and four field artillery guns.
Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of two coastal defence brigades of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade near Pridneprovskoye, Ponyatovka, Sadovoye, and Antonovka (Kherson region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 45 troops, one tank, three motor vehicles, and one electronic warfare station.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack drones, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces delivered strikes at infrastructure objects of military airfields, UAV depots, ammunition and material depots, as well as engaged manpower and hardware clusters of AFU formations and foreign mercenaries in 146 areas.
Air defence and electronic warfare units shot down and suppressed 142 fixed-wing UAV, with 61 of them outside the special military operation zone.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the AFU losses amounted to 658 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 47,353 unmanned aerial vehicles, 601 anti-aircraft missile systems, 22,344 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,529 MLRS combat vehicles, 22,700 field artillery guns and mortars, 33,050 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the operation to neutralise AFU formations on the territory of Kursk region.
In the course of offensive actions, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of one mechanised brigade, two air assault brigades, one naval infantry brigade, and two territorial defence brigades of the AFU near Gogolevka, Gornal, Guyevo, and Oleshnya.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery strikes inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the enemy near Gogolevka, Gornal, Guyevo, Oleshnya as well as Basovka, Belovody, Vodolagi, Zhuravka, Loknya, Miropolye, Novenkoye, Stepok, Ugroyedy, and Yunakovka (Sumy region).
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to more than 230 troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, seven motor vehicles, one artillery gun, one mortar, and six UAV command posts.
In total, since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk direction, the AFU losses amounted to more than 68,630 troops, 398 tanks, 320 infantry fighting vehicles, 289 armoured personnel carriers, 2,204 armoured fighting vehicles, 2,473 motor vehicles,567 artillery guns, 52 MLRS launchers, including 13 of HIMARS and seven of MLRS made by the USA, 26 anti-aircraft missile launchers, one self-propelled anti-aircraft system, ten transport-loading vehicles,120 EW stations, 18 counter-battery warfare radars, ten air defence radars, 56 units of engineering and other materiel, including 23 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, five bridge launchers, one engineering reconnaissance vehicle as well as 15 armoured recovery vehicles, and one command post vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:57 Official summary of the Office for Documentation of War Crimes of Ukraine from 00:00 03/19/2025 to 00:00 03/20/2025.
A total of 11 facts of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Twelve civilians were reported injured.
DAMAGED:
One passenger car,
Four residential buildings,
One city bus,
Three civil infrastructure facilities.
A total of 11 armed attacks in the Gorlovka direction.
A total of 33 units of various ammunition were fired.
19:33 Dzerzhinsk. Fighters of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division have cleared the territory of the Toretskaya mine. At the same time, the enemy remains in the city, supplied by means of raids on armored fighting vehicles and cargo-lifting UAVs –MAP
19:20 Krasnoarmeyskoye direction. The Ukrainian Armed Forces, using reserves from the 12th NGU Brigade, recaptured the junction on the Krasnoarmeysk-Konstantinovka highway –MAP
18:52 Drone operators of the reconnaissance unit of the "West" group of troops destroyed M-113 armored personnel carrier and 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Khar'kov region.
18:50 Dzerzhinsky direction
Units of the Russian Armed Forces broke through to the area of Dyleevskie Ponds, where the enemy was concentrating assault groups in the stronghold of the Berezka pioneer camp to break through to Dzerzhinsk.
Taking this stronghold will block the penetration route of the Ukrainian Armed Forces groups and will put the enemy units that have broken through into the city into operational encirclement.
18:33 From 16:10 to 17:20 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed three Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles:
Two UAVs over the territory of the Belgorod region and
One UAV over the territory of the Kursk region.
18:46 Dnepropetrovsk direction
In the area north of Andreyevka, our assault units were able to advance to the Solyonenkaya gully.
The enemy, taking advantage of the fact that our units concentrated their main efforts in the northern direction, launched a counterattack from the strongholds north of Alekseyevka and drove our units out of the stronghold northwest of Andreyevka.
Our assault groups advanced west of Slavyanka along the Stavkova gully west of the road.
In the Nadezhdinka-Zaporozhye area, our units are conducting counter battles in the eastern part of Preobrazhenka and attacking in the direction of Troitskoye and Bogdanovka.
Fierce fighting continues in Uspenovka and in the direction of Novoalexandrovka.
17:04 Minor adjustment of the LBS in the Zaporizhia direction. Airborne troops have taken up new positions in abandoned gardens north of the village of Zherebyanki –MAP
16:23 Russian Armed Forces expand control in Chasovoy Yar, driving the enemy out of the Zapadnaya Derevnya microdistrict –MAP
16:13 Storm troopers destroyed command post of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
During the active offensive, servicemen of the 39th Motorized Rifle Brigade identified and destroyed the company command post of Ukrainian nationalists, which was located in an abandoned two-story building.
16:02 The Russian Armed Forces continue to restore control over Shevchenko in the Pokrovsky direction –MAP
15:55 Russian Armed Forces took up new positions north of Krymskoye –MAP
15:06 Footage released destruction of 122mm howitzer D-30 and an ammunition depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine using the Forpost UAV in the area of the village. Yunakovka in the Kursk direction.
14:45 Artillerymen of the Ussuri Airborne Forces unit destroyed transport of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with infantry in the border area of the Kursk region. The first shot from the 122mm D-30 howitzer was a sighting shot, the second hit the target.
12:18 Footage released showed repelled attacks of Ukrainian military in the Belgorod border area
The footage shows the destruction of a universal multi-purpose tractor "BTS-5B" and several infantry fighting vehicles of the Ukrainian military.
11:18 Published footage of the repulse of the morning attack by Ukrainian troops in the Belgorod border area
Early in the morning, Ukrainian militants tried to break through to Russian soil with the support of tanks and MLRS. The footage shows a burning enemy tank after an encounter with our loitering munition.
11:12 Footage of objective control published showed destruction by the "South" mortar group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the settlement of Nikolaevka.
10:56 Aleksandro-Kalinovskoe direction
Units of the Russian Armed Forces are attacking northeast of the settlement of Druzhba in the direction of positions taken by our assaults behind the canal near Ozeryanovka.
This breakthrough creates a threat of encirclement of enemy positions to the east of the canal.
10:38 Belgorod borderland
At night the enemy attempted to attack with infantry on foot and on quad bikes. The attack was repelled, the equipment was destroyed.
In the morning, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an offensive with a unit of armored vehicles. The enemy was unable to even reach Demidovka, as it was destroyed by remote weapons.
09:52 Published footage of another failed assault attempt by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The action took place last night, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were moving from the village of Maryino.
09:06 Belgorod region, attempts by the Ukrainian Armed Forces break through to Krasnaya Yaruga.
The enemy continues its offensive in the Belgorod region. The situation remains difficult, at night the enemy attempted to break through to Demidovka in six armored fighting vehicles, it was subjected to fire damage.
The enemy uses the Maryino-Demidovka route, using engineering and armored vehicles. Our troops inflict fire damage with barrel artillery on enemy personnel and use "Lancets" to destroy armored vehicles.
07:36 During the past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 57 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles:
35 UAVs over the territory of the Kursk region,
13 UAVs over the territory of the Oryol region,
Seven UAVs over the waters of the Sea of Azov,
One UAV over the territory of the Tula region,
One UAV over the territory of the Bryansk region.
07:32 Changes tomapover the past 24 hours:
Advance in Basovka;
The control zone in the Nevsky area has been expanded;
Advance in the Malye Shcherbaki area;
Adjustment of the control zone in Dzerzhinsk;
The enemy counterattacked in the Andreevka area.
07:19 122mm BM-21 Grad MLRS crews of the 25th Combined Arms Army of the West Forces Group during combat missions destroyed accumulation of military equipment, strong points, dugouts and manpower of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in one of the directions of the Northern Military District.
06:01 TOS-1A "Solntsepek" crew of the "Yug" group destroyed a stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of Chasov Yar.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] A high-quality upgrade of the Russian submarine fleet will allow it to repel any military-political pressure from outside. This was stated by Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov on March 19.
“I am confident that the high-quality renewal of the submarine fleet and the skills of the personnel will allow us to continue to effectively respond to modern challenges and threats, and to repel any military-political pressure from outside,” he noted in a video greeting on Submariner’s Day.
Belousov noted that the power and technological advancement of the Russian submarine fleet are the result of the achievements of domestic scientific and engineering thought, the dedicated work of scientists, shipbuilders and workers.
Belousov added that at present, during a special military operation, Kalibr cruise missiles are being effectively used from diesel-electric submarines, and the basing system is also being improved.
The Minister noted the systematic development of Russian submarine forces. He emphasized that new strategic missile submarines of the Borei-A project, multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the Yasen-M project with hypersonic missile systems Zircon are entering service.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on February 6, the diesel-electric submarine Magadan performed a deep-sea dive to a depth of 240 m in Avacha Bay off the coast of Kamchatka. The crew, having successfully completed the underwater part of the exercise, surfaced the submarine and continued to operate within the framework of the fleet's combat training plan.
The newest Project 636.3 submarine Magadan was laid down in November 2019. It was launched in March 2021, and in October it joined the Russian Navy. The submarine is equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles, among other things, and is capable of hitting targets at a distance of 1,000 km.
Russia and the United States of America are working on a moratorium on strikes against military ships and civilian vessels in the Black Sea. This was announced on March 19 by US President Donald Trump's special envoy Stephen Witkoff.
“We are working on a moratorium on attacks on military and civilian ships in the Black Sea, cargo ships carrying grain and such things,” he said in an interview on the TV channelBloomberg TV.
Whitkoff added that for now the parties have agreed to stop attacks on energy facilities.
On March 16, Trump's special envoy already said that as part of the dialogue on Ukraine, the parties are discussing "a potential agreement on the Black Sea." He added that other issues under discussion include territorial concessions by Ukraine and the Zaporizhzhya NPP.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on the evening of March 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump discussed the situation in Ukraine in detail. During a telephone conversation, the Russian leader confirmed Moscow's fundamental commitment to a peaceful settlement. The head of state supported the US President's proposal to mutually cease attacks on energy infrastructure facilities for 30 days. Putin gave the Russian military the corresponding order.
At the same time, the Ukrainian side continued its attacks. On March 19, the Kiev regime used three drones to attack a Russian energy infrastructure facility in the Krasnodar region, several hours after the leaders of Russia and the United States reached an agreement to stop such strikes. At the same time, the Defense Ministry specified that Russian air defense forces, following Putin’s order, neutralized seven Russian drones heading toward Ukraine.
In addition to the Ukrainian issue, the heads of the two countries discussed the normalization of bilateral relations. Following these talks, the American leader admitted that the United States could establish economic cooperation with Russia after a ceasefire in Ukraine.
On March 19, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov noted that, in his opinion, relations of trust and mutual understanding have developed between Putin and Trump. The leaders of the two countries intend to gradually move towards normalizing bilateral relations, the Kremlin representative believes.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Russian air defense forces shot down an F-16 fighter jet of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) over Sumy Oblast. This was reported on March 19 by the SHOT Telegram channel.
"The Ukrainian F-16 fighter was shot down by the Belgorod Region air defense forces. The Ukrainian pilot died in the plane crash," the statement said. Other sources say that a Russian SU-35 painted the target for the S-400 missile crew.
It is specified that the plane was destroyed by a missile from the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, on January 7, the head of the communications department of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, Yuriy Ignat, stated that the F-16 cannot compete with Russian combat aircraft, since the latter are superior to Western models in terms of technology. According to him, in order to counter, for example, the Su-35 one-on-one in an air battle, a comprehensive approach is needed, including the use of ground-based air defense systems and electronic warfare systems.
Major General, Russian military pilot, member of the expert council of the organization "Officers of Russia" Vladimir Popov in an interview with the Regnum news agency on December 8 said that the batch of F-16s transferred to the Kiev regime will most likely be lost in proportion to how it happened before, that is, even without a direct clash with the Russian Aerospace Forces. According to him, this trend is due to the low level of training of Ukrainian pilots.
On February 15, Verkhovna Rada deputy Maryana Bezugla stated that in August 2024, the Ukrainian Air Force command tried to hide information about the downing of the F-16 as a result of its own mistake. She specified that the air defense system hit the fighter during a massive strike by the Russian Armed Forces. According to her, this is at least the third time that Ukrainian air defense systems have shot down their own aircraft by mistake. Foreign sources also tried to hide what happened, she added.
The Washington Post wrote that the crash of the F-16 and the loss of its pilot, Alexei Mes, was a serious blow to Kiev. The article said that the deceased was one of six Ukrainian pilots who were trained to fly fighters of this model.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin.
[ColonelCassad] 1. US-Russia talks will resume in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.
2. Today, Witkoff and Ushakov held talks. Witkoff believes that the war could end in 2 weeks.
3. Trump and Putin could hold face-to-face talks in Saudi Arabia, which will act as a neutral venue.
4. Trump instructed the Pentagon, CIA, and State Department to actively contact Russian structures to move toward peace.
5. Trump notified Zelensky of the results of talks on Ukraine without Ukraine. He said that he would synchronize positions, read, push through the cocaine Fuhrer.
6. Today, a planned prisoner of war exchange took place - 175 for 175. Plus, as Putin promised, ours handed over another 23 seriously wounded Ukrainian soldiers who were in captivity to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
7. If Saudi Arabia acts as the main political mediator (here MBS has outdone Erdogan), then negotiations on prisoners are still going on through the Emirates.
8. Negotiations on ending active hostilities in the Black Sea are expected in the near future, read ending attacks by enemy BEKs and attacks by the Russian Armed Forces on dry cargo ships in Odessa.
9. As expected, the enemy is dodging attacks on the energy sector. However, if the story drags on, it is not too difficult to resume strikes on thermal power plants and substations - for now, extra drones are flying at other targets.
10. The enemy states that the Russian Armed Forces are waiting for the weather to improve in order to launch a new major offensive in a number of areas, using the operational pause to prepare for future actions. The Americans know about this and are in a hurry, because Kiev's "negotiating position" will only worsen from now on. So far, we are talking about Crimea and four regions. There may be six more regions. It was not by chance that Odessa came up in the negotiations.
11. Of course, no one will give up Zaporizhzhya NPP to Ukraine. The IAEA will now only be allowed there through Russian territory. Zelensky's threats to prevent Zaporizhzhya NPP from operating are ordinary nuclear blackmail - in the end, everything will come down to post-war agreements on the supply of surplus from Zaporizhzhya NPP to Ukraine (or rather, what is left of it).
12. The United States reported that work on lifting sanctions against Russia is already underway, some of them will be lifted as soon as the fire on the front ceases and a truce begins. We can expect active actions by Ukrainian Nazis and Britain to prevent the collapse of the sanctions regime.
US President Donald Trump wants to achieve a transition from a partial ceasefire in Ukraine to a full one. This was announced on March 19 by White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt during a briefing.
"We have a partial ceasefire now, but the president is sending his highly trained team to Saudi Arabia this week to fight for peace," Levitt explained.
As a White House spokeswoman clarified, technical groups will meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss expanding the ceasefire to the Black Sea.
Earlier, Regnum News Agency reported that, as White House Press Secretary Levitt stated, Trump instructed his team to work out steps to resolve the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible in order to prepare for negotiations with Russia.
White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz confirmed that Russian and US technical teams will meet in Riyadh in the coming days for emergency talks.
On March 18, Trump discussed the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, other foreign policy issues, and bilateral cooperation between the states by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader supported the proposal to mutually cease attacks on energy infrastructure facilities, immediately issuing the corresponding order.
Following the talks, US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said that Russia and the US will hold a new meeting on March 23 in Saudi Arabia. According to him, the parties agreed on a draft agreement on a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine not only on energy facilities, but also on other infrastructure. Now the details will be discussed, the special envoy added.
[KP] Komsomolskaya Pravda war correspondent Aleksandr Kots on the streets of Sudzha.
“Exactly here,” the head of the non-profit organization “Patriot” Alexey Spiridonov gloomily states, having climbed up to the second floor of the Goncharovka hospital, near Sudzha.
Once you smell this smell, you will never confuse it with anything else. For the fifth day, the organization's activists have been literally under fire taking civilians from the liberated city and its outskirts to the rear. And along the way, they are checking the information that the relatives of the missing are transmitting. At one of the points, there should be the body of a young pregnant woman who was shot in August last year by Ukrainian soldiers.
They had to climb in through a window — the entrance was blocked up. On the first floor of the civilian hospital, judging by the boxes of grenades and anti-tank systems, the occupiers had set up an ammunition depot. There were signs of life here, too. But they most likely lived in the basement. The second floor looked like it had been hit by a hurricane — overturned medical cabinets and beds in the treatment rooms and wards.
The smell of decomposition was coming from the gynecology department. Nina Kuznetsova was brought here with bullet wounds on August 7 last year. And here she was last seen by her husband, who had taken the family from Kurilovka to the rear, but the car was shot at point-blank range by a man with a blue ribbon on his helmet. With his wounded son and mother-in-law, Artem finally escaped to the rear to return for his wife later. But there was no turning back…
DISMISSED DISTRICT HEAD LEFT TO FIGHT
The only way to get to Goncharovka today is on foot. Early in the morning we meet Alexey Spiridonov. His organization was created in 2022 - youth education, military-patriotic work, training in tactical medicine... As if they already knew back then what would come in handy. Last August, Patriot activists, while it was possible, evacuated civilians from the invasion zone, literally from under the noses of the "defenders". Today they have returned to the liberated territories to help their fellow countrymen get to the "mainland".
Alexey's companion is Alexander Bogachev, who was fired from his post as head of the Sudzhansky district last year. Until August 10, 2024, he was also involved in the evacuation of people. And in November, he was accused of not working closely enough with the population, which demanded housing certificates. Then everything sparked, everyone was very nervous, and Alexander wrote a statement.
And then he signed a military contract, and today he serves in the Veterans brigade. By the way, as a local resident, he participated in the planning of Operation Potok (when hundreds of fighters reached the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Sudzha via a gas pipeline), since he knows the area where it was taking place in detail. In addition to the addresses that need to be visited, Bogachev also wants to take a look at his own house in Goncharovka, which he has not been to since that black August.
The central part of Sudzha can only be reached via a river, the bridges over which were blown up during our offensive. Now the crossing is a few boulders in a stream of water, with boards and railings thrown over them. You cross over like an equilibrist, and immediately fly into the nearest yard - a drone buzzes hysterically from above, as if diving.
- Yes, you should stand under the visor, - the woman who came out advises from experience. - It will fly by - he won't notice.
RED HAT
The neighbors come out to the noise. Alexey and Alexander call them to the evacuation point. They doubt it. The men tell them about temporary accommodation points, electricity, hot meals, and compensation payments. I can see from their eyes that for people who lived through the occupation, this sounds like science fiction.
- Of course we waited for our own, we waited. Seven months of struggling for existence. Getting water, coal, food... They broke into all the stores and allowed us to take from there. Like homeless people, - there is resentment in their voices.
And then the nature of their mistrust dawns on me. The woman, dressed for the occasion of the guests' visit in her brown fur coat and red hat (which seem like an alien wardrobe here), shoots me a question with a piercing look:
- Why didn't you give us a "green corridor" to get to Kursk? And the hohols were taken to Sumy.
She, of course, does not know that all these months our diplomats, humanitarian workers, ombudsmen tried to negotiate with Kiev about the withdrawal of all our people to the Motherland. But Ukraine refused. Only twice did they manage to take several dozen people through Belarus to Russia. The rest were needed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine as hostages and human shields.
The residents of Sudzha were made into a propaganda tool for the Western media. And, of course, they tried to brainwash them with lies about the country that abandoned them to their fate. And does not think of returning them. Although this is not true. Many good soldiers laid down their lives in order to return our citizens. And those liberated in the Kursk region have yet to realize this. And to understand what fate befell their fellow countrymen in places where overseas reporters did not get to. For example, in Russkoye Porechny.
BROKEN CITY
- This is the central part of Sudzha. On the left is the so-called House of Pioneers, they started a major overhaul here, but unfortunately, they didn’t have time. Further on is a school located in four buildings. Here is one, here we see the second one, it is damaged. Next to it is also the pearl of our region - the first sports complex. Unfortunately, it is destroyed, - Alexander Bogachev leads the tour and seems to record the lost things for himself. - We only had three of them, plus an ice arena and a swimming pool. Unfortunately, all three are already damaged. Two of them are almost destroyed.
We walk along a block of disfigured buildings. Along the street are iron roof sheets and corrugated sheets twisted into tubes, and underfoot are broken glass and bricks. Stacks of new tiles are illogically laid out along the alley.
- This is one of the central streets, Pervomayaya Street. Last year, reconstruction was planned here under the national project "Small Cities of Russia", - explains Bogachev. - They planned to decorate the city here. This is the police building. There is a private sector, a library, shops. Everything, as we can see, is in a deplorable state. But let's hope that we will rebuild everything.
An elderly man with a bicycle walks by. He is also called to evacuate, but like many others, he refuses. He is afraid to leave his home. I ask him how life was with uninvited guests.
- They took away my carbine, my double-barreled shotgun, my Niva. I said, "Why are you taking it? What are your arguments?" And he pointed to the 5.45 automatic rifle - that's my argument. They took the car and drove off. And it's like that for many people, - says Vasily Sergeyevich Tarasov.
HOUSES TURNED INSIDE OUT
And we move on, studying the rock paintings of the fleeing "defenders". On the gates and houses, the Ukrainians left messages: "Ukraine above all", "Don't lick", "SBU. Occupied", "Counterintelligence", "Occupied. The whole street". The VSSU officers settled under the houses of the residents of Sudzha and the surrounding settlements. And when leaving, they turned them inside out, taking out all valuables. I did not find a TV or microwave in a single hut or apartment.
- Why don’t people want to leave even from such conditions? - I ask Alexey Spiridonov.
- Farm. Cats, dogs, chickens, pigs. They don't want to leave. And you can't persuade them, - he sighs. - Yesterday a woman was wounded in the chest, her arm was rotten. There was another woman, wounded in both legs, something flew into the house, she lay there for three months, her sister bandaged her. We had to persuade her to leave to save her life, because there was already suppuration there. We took out about 300 people in four days. And those who remain order medicine, bread. Every day we walk 20 kilometers to all the houses.
TROPHY COLUMN ON PEACE STREET
We continue walking towards Goncharovka, informing the Sudzhans we meet (the rules allow both Sudzhans and Sudzhans, but the locals use the latter) about the evacuation point and time. Oleg Skripnik does not want to go, saying that there are people weaker than him. He sends greetings to Kristina Kirillova, his son Slava, and Alena Andreevna. Grandfather, who clearly has Parkinson's syndrome, also wants to stay.
Alexander Bogachev knows him. He used to live in Makhnovka, but his house was destroyed during the Ukrainian shelling in 2023. Then, through the governor, they bought him a new one, in the Podol area. Now he holds on to it, overcoming the tremors of his hands, afraid to throw it away.
Goncharovka is located right above the road that connects it with Sudzha across the field. It is on a hill, and storming it was quite a task. At the top, the Ukrainians dug trenches and firing positions that could be reached directly from the houses, in the basements of which they lived. They also set up an ammunition depot here. In one of the garages, we find a workshop for the Ukrainian Armed Forces' drones. Apparently, they stored bombs for "Baba Yaga" here - heavy drones, the boxes of which are lying around in the street.
In another yard, there is a warehouse of American 120-mm mortar shells. In a third with the inscription "SBU" on the fence, some Ukrainian "chekist" defeated a photo of a young guy in a marine uniform by piercing his eye and drawing on his genitals. As they say, each has his own pain.
Sloboda has become a real cemetery for NATO equipment. The concentration of burnt MaxxPros, Strikers, Kirpis, Humvees and other auto junk here is simply phenomenal. On Mira Street, our drone crews burned an entire column of foreign iron at once. Here and there are broken pickups. Some have Polish license plates.
A TERRIBLE FIND
Alexey and Alexander go around the courtyards. But they can't find any civilians yet. We approach the hospital, near which stands a burnt-out Ukrainian armored personnel carrier.
Remember the tragic story of Nina Kuznetsova? On August 7, 30-year-old Artem Kuznetsov and 27-year-old Nina Kuznetsova with her child and grandmother were driving in two cars from Kurilovka to Kursk. Artem was in the first car, Nina (two months pregnant) with her son and mother was in the second.
The first car passed, and machine gun fire started at the second. Artem saw a shooter with a blue ribbon on his helmet. The second car crashes into the first. The father of the family runs out to help everyone into his car. The child is injured, the wife is unconscious…
On three whole wheels they reach the hospital in Goncharovka. Artem left his wife with the doctors and took the family further. He could not return.
On March 16, together with the head of the ANO Patriot, Aleksey Spiridonov, and the former head of the Sudzhansky District, Aleksandr Bogachev, we discover the body of a woman on the second floor of the hospital. She is lying on a stretcher on the floor of the gynecology department with her arms outstretched. There is a tattoo on her shoulder. Exactly like Nina Kuznetsova's. There is her ring on her ring finger. Her relatives will finally be able to bury their beloved...
Nina Kuznetsova was quickly identified by her tattoo.
EVEN CHILDREN'S PIGGY BANKS WERE EMPTIED
All the tasks for the day are done and Aleksandr Bogachev goes to his house. There are three of them identical - they were built with their own hands with relatives according to the same project. It is already clear from afar that the houses have been badly damaged.
Aleksandr's load-bearing wall has been destroyed. He walks through his rooms, which have been turned upside down. There is a bedroom, there is a nursery, there are gutted toy piggy banks and boxes from women's jewelry lying around. A 5-liter bottle of whiskey was dragged from somewhere. It stands empty. Apparently, they were whiling away the time before robbing. Bogachev carefully picks up his wife's portrait from the floor, pierced by shrapnel, shakes off the dust, and leans it against the wall.
It is difficult to imagine what range of emotions he is experiencing now. I do not know what claims the Sudzhans have against him now. Or whether they had any. But he honestly evacuated people in August, he is doing it now, his father spent seven months under occupation and he himself lost his home, like many of his fellow countrymen. In Hamburg terms, he differs little from them today, except perhaps in his status as a military man.
On the way back we hear screams. On one of the streets, an old man with a bloody neck stands over his elderly neighbor who is lying down with a lacerated wound on his hand. He can't get up, he says there's something wrong with his leg. Alexey Spiridonov bandages his hand, pulls down the wounded man's pants a little to inject him with painkiller, and there are shrapnel. And in his leg, it seems. They don't understand what hit him. Most likely, a drop from a copter.
“Gather your documents, we’re going to Kursk,” he sternly commands the walking old man and helps the bedridden one.
Naturally, he doesn't want to go anywhere. The recumbent one doesn't want to go anywhere either. Threats and some swearing are used. The walking one reluctantly goes into the hut and returns with a bag of medicine: "I won't go without them." We pull out a garden cart with inflatable wheels from the neighboring yard, put blankets in it, and put the old man with a white face on it.
Alexey takes the handles and pushes it forward: "And so it is every day," the head of "Patriot" smiles. We walk at the rear, urging the old man with a piece of shrapnel stuck in his throat - he tries to lag behind and "run away" home. Spiridonov no longer pays attention to the constantly buzzing air, puffs and pushes the cart to the crossing. Machine gunners are trying to shoot down another flying drone. From the other side, fighters run up with a stretcher, onto which we transfer the old man. Knee-deep in turbulent water, he is carried to the other shore.
The volunteers immediately cut the trouser leg. There are about ten pieces of shrapnel in his left leg, he will hardly pull it out without professional help. They put a bandage on his friend's throat. Meanwhile, Spiridonov rushes in his SUV to the jump base, from where he returns with an armored minibus. In it, the elderly friends are taken to the rear, where, fifty kilometers from here, doctors and the Ministry of Emergency Situations are on duty, intercepting people taken out of Sudzha and its environs by volunteers.
Tomorrow, together with Bogachev and others, they will return here to continue. Until the last inch of land is liberated. And the last fellow countryman is safe.
P.S. Nina Kuznetsova's body was taken away the next day. Grandpa, with a leg wound, was left in Kursk. His comrade, who resisted the evacuation the most and walked out on foot, was taken to Moscow, to Vishnevsky Hospital. The wound turned out to be more serious than it looked. A life can be saved with a strong word and such-and-such a mother.
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.
