[LB] The enemy also opened fire on the Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia
Yesterday afternoon, the Russians shelled the Seredino-Budsk community of the Sumy region with mortars. There were four "arrivals" of 120 mm caliber. Six mines were released in the Znob-Novgorod community yesterday evening. No destruction or casualties, according to a summary from the regional military administrations.
At night, the enemy again attacked the vicinity of Zaporozhye with rockets . As a result of the arrival of three S300 missiles, a fire broke out at the civil infrastructure facility. According to preliminary information of OVA, one person was wounded, but the secretary of the city council reported two in the morning.
Over the past day, the occupiers shelled the civilian infrastructure in the area of the settlements of Zaporizhzhia, Gulyaipole, Novodanilivka, Dorozhnianka, Mali Shcherbaki, Stepove, Kamianske, Zaliznychne, Biloghirya, Plavni, Orihiv, Gulyaipole, Novoandriivka, Olgivske, Charivne, Poltavka, Mala Tokmachka , Malynivka, Gulyaipilske. There is destruction of houses (apartments) of citizens and infrastructure objects as a result of Russian shelling.
In the Donetsk region, the enemy launched rocket attacks on the town of Kostyantynivka at night. The warehouses of the enterprise, the sports field and the school yard were damaged. In the morning, fighting intensified on the front line in the Ocheretynsk community, in the morning artillery shelling of the village of Vesele continued. During the day, the city of Kurakhove and the city of Hirnyk were shelled. There was a direct hit to a five-story residential building in Kurakhovo, five more high-rise buildings were partially damaged. The Karlivka filter station is de-energized. During the night, the positions and surroundings of the Toretsk community were shelled with heavy weapons and small arms. Power lines outside the city were damaged. During the day: one dead, five injured civilians.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Russians again shelled the Nikopol district. Russian heavy artillery hit Nikopol itself. No victims. In the city, several buildings and several farm buildings, a car, a gas pipeline and an electric transmission line were damaged.
In Luhansk, defenders repelled enemy attacks near Stelmakhivka and Belogorivka. On the Kupyansk and Lymansk directions, Makiivka, Ploshanka and Dibrova were subjected to fire from the Russians. The situation in the region remains difficult.
In the Kharkiv region, the enemy shelled the areas of the settlements of Strelecha, Krasne, Zelene, Ternova, Staritsa, Ohirtseve, Vovchansk and Ambarne in the Slobozhansk direction. On the Kupyansk direction, Novomlynsk, Dvorichna, Kupyansk, Kotlyarivka and Tabaivka were affected by fire. A private house was damaged by shelling in Vovchansk. In the village of Dvorichna, the occupiers fired at fire engines. A 42-year-old man was injured there. Hospitalized in moderate condition. A 50-year-old man received an explosive injury in Kupyansk. Hospitalized. The condition is average.
In the Mykolaiv region, the settlement of Kutsurubska hromada of the Mykolaiv district came under enemy fire yesterday afternoon. Residential buildings and farm buildings were damaged. No victims.
In Khersonska , the civilian infrastructure of settlements: Kherson, Molodizhne, Antonivka and Beryslav was damaged by artillery shelling. On the way out of Malaya Oleksandrivka, Beryslav district, a car with civilians came across Russian explosives. As a result of the injuries received, two men died, another was injured, doctors are fighting for his life. In total, two people died and five were injured in the region last day.
We will remind you that the enemy launched a night attack on Zaporozhye around midnight . Eight high-rise buildings and a kindergarten were damaged.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 23:13 In the spring, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are planning a "serious" counteroffensive, and the fighting on the front line will be "the hottest" in March, Budanov predicts. More details in the material New counterattack.
23:09 Zelensky announced successes in the Bakhmut direction: “Today I want to commend our fighters in the Bakhmut direction, in particular the special forces of the GUR Shaman, as well as the border guards of the Lugansk detachment, who, together with the fighters of the International Defense Legion of Ukraine, inflict numerous losses on the enemy and knock out the invaders from their positions on the outskirts of Bakhmut ... The invaders are constantly increasing their forces in the Donetsk region - they are doing it now. And every such day with our successes is a new proof of the madness of the very idea of attacking Ukraine. If only such news from the front can restore a sense of reality to everyone in Russia will have to ensure this as much as possible."
22:45 Zelensky said in an evening video message that France is taking European defense support to Ukraine to a new level: "We will get more armored vehicles, and in particular French-made wheeled tanks. This is what sends a clear signal to all our partners: there is no rational reason now the fact that Western-style tanks have not yet been delivered to Ukraine. Precisely before the new Ramstein, such a signal is extremely relevant."
22:29 Russia's war against Ukraine is approaching the "war of attrition" phase, both sides are at risk of shell starvation. About who has more chances in it - in the material War of attrition .
22:25 US State Department spokesperson Andrea Kalan said that Washington will provide Ukraine with new air defense systems: "Although Russia tried to sow fear and chaos on New Year's Eve, we see that the Armed Forces of Ukraine fought these attacks very effectively. We will continue to help, and we we see how the Ukrainian military effectively uses air defense systems to protect their country."
22:22 Biden confirmed that the United States is discussing the supply of American M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Bloomberg journalist Jennifer Jacobs from the White House pool said.
21:07 The United States intends to provide Ukraine with additional military assistance "in the coming days and weeks," said White House spokesman John Kirby. According to him, HIMARS installations may be included in the new assistance packages.
20:59 Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost 60% of the total stock of battle tanks, as well as 70% of missiles suitable for ground targets, according to a report by the commander of the EU Military Mission, Admiral Herve Blezhan. He estimates that at least 60,000 Russian troops were killed and three times as many wounded, which means that about 250,000 Russian troops are now incapable of fighting.
20:26 Speaker of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat said that it is incorrect to compare the cost of the missiles with which Ukraine shoots down Iranian drones and the drones themselves: "It is clear that the missiles that are used - NASAMS, Iris-T - are expensive missiles ... Will we to use them, will we take to the skies a fighter jet to shoot down "shaheeds"? It's expensive, but we will. It's about life, about preserving critical infrastructure and facilities that a kamikaze drone can hit." He stressed that a strike with a drone carrying up to 40 kg of explosives could cause significant damage and death.
20:23 The Russians will continue to form additional assault units in the near future and will focus their main efforts on capturing Liman, Soledar, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Maryinka, Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said, citing military intelligence. The second wave of partial mobilization in the Russian Federation is likely to begin in the first quarter of 2023.
In view of the depletion of stocks of precision-guided missiles, the Russian Federation will look for sources of missile supplies among countries friendly to the Kremlin, and will also use attack / loitering UAVs more often, Maliar added.
19:32 Zelensky said that he had a "long and detailed" conversation with Macron: "Thanked for the decision to transfer light tanks and Bastion to Ukraine, as well as for stepping up work with partners in the same direction. We agreed on further cooperation to significantly strengthen our air defense and other defense capabilities. We also agreed to work on the implementation of the peace formula."
19:07 Macron promised Zelensky that France would supply armored vehicles to Ukraine, the press service of the Elysee Palace reported.
19:01 The offensive grouping of Russian troops continues its creeping offensive in the Donetsk region. Numerous assaults on Ukrainian positions continued even on New Year's Eve, and over the first three days of the new year, the intensity of hostilities gradually increased, said Alexander Syrsky, commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
At the same time, he added that the Defense Forces managed to thwart the plans of the enemy: even in conditions of superiority in forces and means, the Russians could not fulfill the task set by their command - to capture Soledar and surround Bakhmut before December 26. And despite the fact that the enemy in the hottest sectors of the front has an advantage in armament and the military, the level of their irretrievable losses is much higher than in Ukraine.
18:53 Zelensky said that he had discussed the defense needs of Ukraine with Danish Prime Minister Matte Frederiksen, and familiarized himself in detail with the situation at the front.
18:44 The enemy is concentrating its efforts on conducting offensive operations in Limansky, Bakhmutsky and Avdeevsky and is trying to improve the tactical situation in the Kupyansky direction. On Novopavlovsky, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson - he is on the defensive. It is carrying out engineering equipment of positions and mining of the area along the left bank of the Dnieper River, the General Staff said in an evening summary.
18:02 The "acting governor" of the occupied part of the Zaporozhye region, Yevhen Balitsky, said that as a result of the shelling of Vasilyevka, five people were killed and 15 were injured.
17:37 The Russians fired mortars at the center of Bakhmut today, two people were killed, the prosecutor's office of the Donetsk region reported.
17:16 Ukraine wants the UN to send peacekeepers to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, even without Russia's consent, said the head of Energoatom Petr Kotin: "The problem is that there is no solution at the IAEA level. The process is not moving forward. We would propose to bring this problem to new level." In his opinion, peacekeeping forces will be a way to end Russian control over the ZNPP. At an internal meeting on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials will discuss how to raise the issue of peacekeepers in the Security Council, Kotin said.
16:48 Podolyak said that the Russians must not only leave Ukraine, but also must extradite war criminals: "No one will stop ... until the Russians run away from Ukraine, return to the Ukrainians the houses and apartments stolen from them in Crimea, and will not extradite the authors" SVO"/war criminals, will not learn the meaning of the concept of "international law".
16:25 In the Bakhmut direction, the border guards repelled the assault and captured the positions of the Russians with a counterattack, the State Border Service reported. The invaders, under cover of artillery, tried to capture one of the forward positions of the Ukrainian defenders, but the assault failed. During the battle, nine Russians were killed, and about 20 more were wounded. The defense forces have advanced 300 meters and are entrenched in new positions.
16:02 Zelensky said that he had a conversation with Romanian President Klaus Johannis: “We agreed on steps to further develop Ukrainian-Romanian cooperation, primarily in the defense industry. He thanked for the solidarity and support of Romania in countering Russian aggression. We discussed the formula for peace and issues on the bilateral agenda day".
15:34 Budanov said in an interview with ABC News that Ukraine is planning a serious offensive in the spring and that the fighting in March will be "the hottest": "This will happen throughout Ukraine, from Crimea to Donbass. Our goal, and we will achieve it, - this is a return to the borders of 1991, in which Ukraine is recognized by all subjects of international law." In addition, according to him, the attacks will occur "deeper and deeper" inside Russia.
Budanov also said that hundreds of corpses of Russian soldiers are "just rotting" in an open field near Bakhmut, and Russian soldiers use these piles of bodies as a shield. According to the head of the GUR, Russia no longer poses a military threat to the world, the only remaining issue is a nuclear arsenal and an "uncontrolled regime" that will make "the whole world realize the need to denuclearize Russia."
14:55 Ukraine has agreed to supply about 1,800 transformers and more than 7,000 generators with a capacity of up to 100 kV, as well as 600 generators with a capacity of more than 100 kV, Kuleba said.
14:23 The "military commandant's office" fell under Ukrainian shelling in Vasilyevka, Zaporozhye region, there are dead and wounded, said Vladimir Rogov, a representative of the "authority" of the occupied part of the region. In addition, according to him, two people died as a result of a strike on a multi-storey building in Vasilyevka.
14:08 In a number of countries, they were surprised to learn about Russia's illegal presence in the UN Security Council, Kuleba said. According to the Foreign Minister, several countries have already supported Ukraine on this issue, others have made it clear that they share this opinion, but so far they are not speaking publicly, some countries are carefully studying the situation and raising archives. "In essence, we have begun the process of delegitimization of Russia's presence in the UN Security Council," the minister said.
Kuleba added that Ukraine is preparing for the next steps in this direction. In particular, Kyiv is working not only on regular official statements, but also on a broad public campaign.
13:20 Blackouts in Ukraine and the massive use of generators will provoke an increase in food prices, warned Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky. According to him, power outages at enterprises in many cases are critical. Vysotsky predicts a price increase of 3-5%.
13:09 Electricity consumption in Ukraine is growing due to a gradual decrease in temperature and the revitalization of business after the holidays, Ukrenergo reported. Therefore, to ensure balance in the energy system, consumption limits have been brought to all regions of Ukraine, which are valid from 8:00 to 00:00.
12:57 Kuleba said that preparations for the transfer of the Patriot system to Ukraine have already begun, its deployment is expected as soon as possible.
12:33 Military intelligence of Ukraine announced the intensification of the resistance movement in Russia. So, on the night of January 4, the partisans once again stopped the movement of civilian trains and military trains on the section of the Trans-Siberian Railway near Krasnoyarsk. In 2023, this is at least the sixth case of the destruction of signaling, centralization and blocking blocks on the railway in different regions of Russia, which leads to violations in the schedules of military trains.
In 2022, about 40 such cases were recorded, as well as cases of destruction of railway transformers and locomotives. A significant activation of the rail guerrillas in Russia occurred after the announcement of partial mobilization.
11:57 Russia can prepare the next missile attack on Orthodox Christmas - January 6-7, Natalya Gumenyuk, speaker of OK Pivden, warned. At the same time, she stressed that you should be careful every day, and especially at night, because the Russians still have a supply of drones that they use at night.
11:53 The Russians have already used about 660 Iranian Shahed drones in the war against Ukraine, while the contract provides for 1750, said Vadim Skibitsky, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine. According to him, the next batch of deliveries is now expected: "We will still specify how much it will be. As a rule, before that they imported 250-300 pieces in batches. Let's see how it will be this time."
11:36 The Russians can now produce about 30 X-101 missiles per month, Kalibrov - 15-20 per month, Vadim Skibitsky, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine. They had about 60 calibers left in stock. “This, by the way, explains why a lot of fragments of missiles manufactured in 2022, in particular in the third quarter, are now being found. This suggests that they go to the troops immediately after production,” he explained.
In general, according to the regulatory documents of the Russian Federation, the strategic reserve should be 30% of the entire stock of missiles, Skibitsky noted: “But they have already passed this reserve for all types of missiles: for Iskanders, for Caliber, for Kh-101, Kh-555. That is, their stocks are already less than 30%. This indicates that it is really a problem for them to replenish their stocks.
As for the Daggers, according to the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate, there are not so many of them in Russia: “If they shoot them too, then there will simply be nothing to frighten the world with. They are now using daggers to demonstrate and intimidate that they have such weapons that no one will not be able to shoot down. Accordingly, by doing this they maintain tension in terms of the possibility of using these weapons not only against us, but also against other European countries."
According to Skibitsky, the Russians are now preparing missiles for the next massive strike. Probably due to the lack of missiles, they will combine means to maintain the pace of strikes against infrastructure facilities.
10:55 Governor of the Rostov region Vasily Golubev commented on the information about the explosions that local residents heard on the evening of January 3. According to him, the air defense system went off 7 km from the village of Sultan Sala in the Myasnikovsky district. At an altitude of 2.5 km, "a small object in the form of a ball was found, which flew freely in the wind. A decision was made to eliminate it."
10:27 The invaders are gradually turning the seaport of Mariupol into a military base, said Petr Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of the city. So, at the end of December, all Mariupol residents (with the exception of individual collaborators) were fired from the port and workers from Russia were brought in. Work has begun on dividing the berths into conditionally civilian and military ones. Single non-system calls to the port of ships with building materials and containers of unknown content are recorded.
Andryushchenko also said that part of the workers from Mariupol were "seconded" to the Crimea, after which communication with them disappeared. Male residents of Mariupol who wished to obtain a Russian passport are now required to register with the military and are subject to mobilization without any exceptions.
10:03 In the Kherson region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, two people were killed, five more were injured, the head of the OVA, Yaroslav Yanushevich, said.
09:28 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that Prigozhin is trying to shift the responsibility for the failures in Bakhmut to the Russian Defense Ministry. In particular, he recently stated that the Wagnerites cannot break through the Ukrainian defenses in Bakhmut, since every house in the city has become a "fortress." This is a significant turnaround for Prigozhin, analysts say, and the first time he has acknowledged that the Wagner PMC in Bakhmut has not actually been successful.
In addition, Wagner mercenaries told Prigozhin that they were unable to break through the Ukrainian positions in Bakhmut due to insufficient armor, ammunition and 100mm shells. The purpose of this statement is to remove personal responsibility from PMCs Wagner and Prigozhin, attributing their failure to capture Bakhmut to broader problems of Russian resource allocation, experts say.
09:23 British intelligence believes that the incident with the mass destruction of Russian troops in Makeevka underlines the unprofessional actions of the Russian army. Analysts recalled that as a result of the Ukrainian attack on the vocational school building in Makiivka, it was completely destroyed. Given the extent of the damage, there is a real possibility that munitions were stored near the troop quarters and detonated on impact, causing secondary explosions. At the same time, the building is located just 12.5 km from the Avdiyivka sector of the front, which is one of the hottest spots of the conflict.
The Russian military already had a history of hazardous ammunition storage long before the current war, but this incident highlights how unprofessional actions lead to a high level of casualties among Russian military personnel, intelligence notes.
09:10 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of enemy shelling, one civilian was killed - in Kurakhovo. Five more people were injured in the region, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.
08:45 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the enemy as of the morning of January 4.
personnel - about 108,910 (+720) people liquidated,
tanks - 3038 (+2),
armored combat vehicles - 6106 (+6),
artillery systems - 2039 (+6),
MLRS - 424 (+0),
air defense systems - 215 (+1),
aircraft - 283 (+0),
helicopters - 270 (+0),
UAV operational-tactical level - 1842 (+3),
cruise missiles - 723 (+0),
ships/boats - 16 (+0),
automotive equipment and tankers - 4745 (+10),
special equipment - 181 (+0).
08:33 The "Governor" of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, said that two drones were allegedly shot down near the Belbek airfield.
08:21 The invaders are focusing their efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Bakhmut and are trying to improve the tactical position of their troops in the Kupyansky, Limansky and Avdeevsky directions. In the Novopavlovsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson directions, the enemy is on the defensive, the General Staff said in a morning report .
Over the past day, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine repelled the attacks of the invaders in the areas of the settlements of Stelmakhovka and Belogorovka in the Lugansk region and Soledar, Krasnaya Gora, Bakhmut, Mayorsk, Maryinka, Novomikhailovka, Pobeda and Krasnogorovka in the Donetsk region.
The defeat of the enemy was confirmed on January 2 in the areas of the settlements of Tokmak, Melitopol, Berdyansk, Pologi and Vasilyevka of the Zaporozhye region: two ammunition depots were destroyed, up to ten pieces of military equipment of various types, two occupiers' deployment points were hit, up to 260 military personnel were liquidated and wounded.
06:16 The Ukrainian military to repel Russian attacks with drones are forced to use missiles, which are much more expensive than the drones themselves, writes The New York Times. So, using a missile to shoot down a drone costs seven times more than launching one. Such an imbalance over time could benefit Russia and cost Ukraine and its allies dearly.
04:26 Ukraine managed to create an inexpensive version of the MacGyver virtual combat control system, which the Pentagon has spent decades developing, writes The Wall Street Journal. The improvised Ukrainian network of drones, fighter jets and weapons linked via satellite communications and special software gives the Armed Forces of Ukraine an advantage in intelligence , coordination and accuracy compared to the Russian army.
03:53 Putin, by his decree, ordered the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation to show documentaries about the war in Ukraine and about "the fight against the spread of neo-Nazi and neo-fascist ideology" in cinemas.
03:26 The United States held talks with Israel on the possibility of stopping the leakage of weapons from Iran, including the supply of kamikaze drones to the Russian Federation, said US State Department spokesman Ned Price. According to him, Washington is using existing leverage to prevent Tehran from implementing schemes for the supply of weapons abroad. "The United States is aligning its approach with allies and partners around the world to stop the flow of military technology from Iran to Russia, as well as other rogue states," the State Department spokesman added.
00:38 The Russians attacked Zaporozhye neighborhoods with missiles. As a result of the impact, a fire broke out at a civilian infrastructure facility. According to preliminary data, one person was injured. Residential buildings located nearby were also affected, said the head of the OVA Alexander Starukh.
00:22 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced that the death toll in Makiivka of the Russian military has grown to 89 , among the dead is the deputy commander of the regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Bachurin. The department said that the Russian military allegedly destroyed the HIMARS launcher, from which Ukrainian troops hit Makiivka, with return fire. And as a result of strikes on Druzhkovka, four more HIMARS launchers were allegedly destroyed.
The Russian Defense Ministry called the main reason for the death of Russian servicemen in Makeevka "massive use by personnel in spite of the ban on mobile phones", which "allowed the enemy to locate and determine the coordinates of the location of servicemen for launching a missile strike." As a result of the investigation, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation promised to bring the guilty officials to justice. Also, the department "takes the necessary measures to exclude similar tragic incidents in the future."
#1
Yesterday I posted in a comment a link to what was labeled to be a JDAM tail kit w/ adapter to a Russian bomb and a funny looking wing kit. The US is sending Ukraine JDAM kits but I was wrong about the pic. The strap near the tail fooled me into believing it was part of an adapter for the JDAM guidance kit. The FAB-500 bomb doesn't come with separate bomb body and tail kit (like Mk80). It is all one piece.
The strap is really for the wing kit (3 attachment points) and bomb is actually on an SU-34 according the The Drive
The Russian bomb with an unguided wing kit could go in any direction. The Drive thinks it could be used as an area (i.e. terror) weapon against cities. My wild guess it could be part of some development project, like a guided wing kit with inertial guidance. Better than nothing.
So along with the JDAM kits, I guess the US will also be sending the Mk80 series of bombs and using the HARM adapter to attach the bomb to Ukr aircraft.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Irina Alksnis
[RIA] At the very end of the past year, negotiations were held via videoconference between the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and the CEO of the investment company BlackRock Larry Fink. This conversation was a continuation of the work, which has been very active for several months, to build cooperation between Kyiv and BlackRock in the field of "coordinating investments for the restoration of Ukraine." Continued on Page 49
Kindly note that several entries in this article may have been removed because they included discussions of the grand strategic level.
[NewsFrontInfo] 18:34 Destroyed Ukrainian tank. The cause was the detonation of a shell in the barrel of the tank and the ensuing fire. Minus one more combat unit -video 18:30 Another defeated column of the Ukrainian army somewhere in the zone of the NVO -video
17:35 Oleg Tsarev: “I warned about the fact that in every region of Ukraine there are lists according to which, in the event of the start of full-scale hostilities and the penetration of Russian troops into the territory of Ukraine, people who sympathize with Russia will be destroyed, I warned before the start of the NWO.
At first non-publicly, talking and texting with my friends. Then publicly. Some of the bodies of people killed in Kyiv according to such lists were brought to Bucha to create a myth about the atrocities of the Russian troops.”
17:21 The Armed Forces of Ukraine delivered a second blow to the center of Vasylivka in the Zaporozhye region.
17:01 In Dnipro, a monument to the T-34 tank, dedicated to the liberator of the city, Lieutenant General Efim Pushkin, was dismantled.
16:32 The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to shell residential areas of the new territories of the Russian Federation.
Today, a 60-year-old man was wounded as a result of a direct hit by a shell in a residential apartment building on Sokolovsky Street in the DPR capital, who later died from his injuries.
15:48 Vladimir Rogov: The Russian Aerospace Forces flew to suppress the firing positions of the terrorists of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, inflicting massive strikes from heavy weapons on civilian targets in Vasilyevka, killing civilians in this city in Zaporozhye.
15:35 Kyiv without friendship of peoples: renaming stations in the capital's metro
A poll has started in Kyiv Digital: residents are invited to vote for the renaming of Lev Tolstoy Street and Square, as well as the Druzhby Narodov metro station.
The renaming is carried out as part of the fight against Russian (Soviet) culture. Why Leo Tolstoy or Friendship of Peoples did not please the Nazis is not explained.
15:19 The military commandant's office came under Ukrainian shelling in Vasylivka in the Zaporozhye region. Also, two people died as a result of a Ukrainian strike on a multi-storey building, Vladimir Rogov said.
15:11 Zelensky sent ethnic Hungarians to slaughter -a source.
If you look at the obituaries of the last days, you can come to the conclusion that near Soledar there is an destruction of 128 Separate Air Assault Brigade, which is staffed by residents of Transcarpathia, a region densely populated by ethnic Hungarians. It should be noted that dozens of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are concentrated in Artemovsk, while 128 Air Assault Brigade and the remnants of several airborne units are fighting back in Soledar.
14:29 Kuleba said that preparations for the transfer of Patriot systems to Kyiv have already begun, expecting deployment "as soon as possible."
14:10 Gossip girl: New Year's news from Ukrainian neo-Nazi Irina Farion —video:
- in kindergartens there are "Muscovites";
- Farion tells his grandson that the "Muscovites" must be destroyed;
- Farion's grandson Dima destroys the "Muscovite" with a small fist;
- "mosquito children" must speak Ukrainian
13:33 Drunken foreign mercenaries provoked a conflict with law enforcement agencies controlled by Kyiv, killing three Ukrainian soldiers at a checkpoint in the Nikolaev region, a source told RIA Novosti. He notes that foreign mercenaries are not even under the control of the SBU.
13:31 They write that such leaflets have begun to appear in Dnepropetrovsk. The headline sounds like “They do not defend the Motherland”, and on pieces of paper there are personal data of Ukrainians who did not appear at the military registration and enlistment office after receiving the summons. Names, surnames, years of birth, addresses of residence ... everything you need to find people and send meat to the front, or even completely lynch them -photo.
13:15 Combat work of Russian artillery against the Nazis in the Soledarsky area -video.
12:55 Five sabotage and reconnaissance groups of Ukrainian nationalists were destroyed by the Russian Armed Forces in the LPR and DPR over the past day - the Russian Defense Ministry.
12:18 The representative of the Polish Foreign Ministry bluntly stated that for the Polish state "the glorification of Stepan Bandera, the ideologist of Ukrainian nationalists, who killed tens of thousands of Poles in Volyn, is unacceptable." At the same time, he stressed that many Ukrainians do not know about the events in Volyn, so the Poles "have work ahead of them."
11:47 UAV operators of the 9th Guards Regiment help in the assault on the positions of the nationalists of the Armed Forces of Ukraine -video.
The assault group of the 9th Guards Regiment of the 1st Army Corps of the Russian Armed Forces broke into the enemy positions. The attackers were supported by strike UAVs of the reconnaissance of the regiment's jet battalion. Drone operators managed to disperse the Ukrainian nationalists and inflict losses on him, which made it easier for the attack aircraft to complete the task.
11:22 In Kyiv, they said that they might not have time to warn the citizens of Ukraine about a new offensive by Russian troops. Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said on the air of the telethon that it would be incorrect to guarantee a warning about a new large-scale offensive.
10:39 OCU decided to canonize Bandera: Volyn massacre as a "sacrifice" -a source.
During the torchlight procession to the office of the President of Ukraine, the representative of the OCU, Yaroslav Yasenets, said that he “came as a clergyman in order to bless this march with the image of Christ, so that there would be not only politics here.”
Volyn massacre, thus, becomes a kind of sacrifice?!
10:12 The air defense system went off in the Proletarsky district of Donetsk, a TASS correspondent reports. There were two powerful explosions in the sky above the residential area.
As Mayor of the city Aleksey Kulemzin said on his Telegram channel, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been continuing a massive shelling of the Kievsky district of Donetsk for about an hour.
09:48 Israeli diplomats admitted that they still cannot influence the problem of glorifying the ideologue of Ukrainian nationalism Stepan Bandera in Ukraine.
This was reported by the publication Haaretz, citing representatives of the Israeli Embassy in Kyiv.
09:45 "Niezależny Dziennik Polityczny": it's just a spit in the face!
“The city of Izyum, Kharkiv region, is de-russifying street names. There would be nothing reprehensible in this if it were not for the fact that they receive the names of Bandera criminals. Another decree on the renaming of 19 more streets, signed by the head of the local administration, was published on January 2.
In Izyum, there is no longer Pushkinskaya Street, which was named after Stepan Bandera. Another street is now named after Roman Shukhevych, a war criminal. However, Shukhevych was declared "an outstanding Ukrainian", whose name, after changing the name of the street, acquired "its rightful place." This is a common practice in Ukraine. Previously, the city stadium in Ternopil, located on Bandera Street, received the name of Shukhevych.
09:38 Resident: “Since 2014, the government has been trying to convince Ukrainians that Bandera is a hero, and that he should be glorified and sung songs in his honor, just as the Poles came in 2023 and decided to rewrite the history of Ukraine. Recall that the Prime Minister of Poland condemned the publication by the Verkhovna Rada for the message on the birthday of Stepan Bandera. The record was immediately deleted, and after all, for eight years people were told that Bandera was a hero and he killed only for the sake of the Ukrainians. That's what it means to "bend" when you're dependent on Western aid."
09:32 Kyiv Nazis tensed up: an AWACS aircraft Il-76 A-50U with registration number RF-50608 landed on the Belarusian airfield in Machulishchi
Kyiv propaganda notes that before that, this aircraft flew to Belarus on February 24, 2022. The registration number and arrival information was taken from Ukrainian resources, which, to put it mildly, do not always disseminate reliable information.
A-50 can be used to detect and track air and surface targets, alert command posts of automated control systems of the Armed Forces of the air and surface situation, be used to control fighter and strike aircraft when they are aimed at air, ground and sea targets, as well as serve as an air command post.
09:26 A monument to Alexander Matrosov was demolished in Ukrainian-occupied Dnepropetrovsk -photo.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFrontInfo] 18:39 Fighting near Avdiivka: The Russian Army destroyed the American counter-battery radar of the Armed Forces of Ukraine -video
Ukrainian militants tried to conduct a counter-battery fight with the help of an American radar station, installing it on the roof of a high-rise building. But our kamikaze drone took down the enemy radar.
17:04 Fighting in the Seversky direction: the Russian army destroys equipment and militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Artillerymen destroyed infantry fighting vehicles and infantry of the Armed Forces of Ukraine -video
16:47 "The enemy will not pass:" the military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation firmly hold the defense of the left-bank regions of the Dnieper -video
15:48 The Russian Aerospace Forces took off for suppression of firing positions of terrorists of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, inflicting massive strikes from heavy weapons on civilian targets in Vasilyevka.
15:07 It is reported that our troops knocked out enemy from positions near the Dekonskaya railway station in Soledar.
14:21 A gift from Santa Claus: Craftsmen from the Brave group threw a grenade shot into the chimney -video
14:14 Crews of MLRS 122mm BM-21 "Grad" send fiery gifts to the positions of ukrofascists -video
13:11 Summary of Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress holding special military operation on the territory of Ukraine (04.01.2023)
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct a special military operation.
In the Kupyansk direction, as a result of fire damage by units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Dvurechnaya, Sinkovka, Kislovka and Berestovoye of the Kharkiv region, more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as two cars, were destroyed in a day. Also, an enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group was destroyed in the area of the settlement Liman First of the Kharkov region.
In the Krasno-Limansky direction, Russian troops carried out artillery strikes on two assault detachments, concentrations of manpower and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the village of Chervonaya Dibrova of the Luhansk People's Republic, as well as Serebryansky forestry.
Five sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the enemy were destroyed in the areas of the settlements of Nevskoye of the Lugansk People's Republic, Novovodyanoye, Serebryanka and Belogorovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
In total, in this direction, the enemy’s losses per day amounted to more than 150 Ukrainian servicemen killed and wounded, an armored personnel carrier, seven armored combat vehicles and three pickup trucks.
In the Donetsk direction, Russian troops continue offensive operations. During the day in this direction, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine amounted to more than 100 servicemen, a tank, four armored combat vehicles and five vehicles.
In the South-Donetsk direction, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine made unsuccessful attempts to counterattack the positions of Russian troops in the area of the settlement Dorozhnyanka of the Donetsk People's Republic. All counterattacks are repulsed, the enemy is driven back to their original positions.
In addition, as a result of artillery strikes on accumulations of manpower and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Vladimirovka, Prechistovka, Novoukrainka of the Donetsk People's Republic, as well as Chervonoe, Zaporozhye region, over 180 Ukrainian servicemen, five tanks, five infantry fighting vehicles were destroyed per day, three armored fighting vehicles and 10 vehicles.
During the day, missile troops and artillery of groups of troops (forces) of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation hit 83 artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at firing positions, manpower and military equipment in 107 districts.
In the areas of the settlements of Chasov Yar and Avdiivka of the Donetsk People's Republic, two US-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radars were destroyed.
Five warehouses of artillery ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed in the areas of the settlements of Orekhov, Zaporozhye region, Dibrova and Konstantinovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Near the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People's Republic, a warehouse of rocket and artillery weapons of a foreign mercenary unit was destroyed.
During a counterbattery fight near the city of Artyomovsk in the Donetsk People's Republic, a position was opened and a launcher of the Uragan multiple launch rocket system was destroyed.
Three self-propelled howitzers 122mm 2S1 "Gvozdika" were destroyed at firing positions in the areas of the settlement of Pokalyanoye, Kharkiv region, and the city of Orekhov, Zaporozhye region.
In the area of the village of Serebryanka of the Donetsk People's Republic, a 152mm D-20 howitzer was destroyed along with the calculation.
Fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the area of the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People's Republic and the settlement of Novopavlovka in the Nikolaev region shot down MiG-29 and Su-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian air force.
During the day, air defense systems destroyed six Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the areas of the settlements of Zeleny Gay, Zaporozhye region, Blagoveshchenka, Petrovka, Kyrylivka, Donetsk People's Republic, and Kremennaya, Luhansk People's Republic.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the following have been destroyed: 357 aircraft, 199 helicopters, 2,813 unmanned aerial vehicles, 399 anti-aircraft missile systems, 7,408 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 968 combat vehicles of multiple launch rocket systems, 3,772 field artillery and mortar guns, as well as 7,920 units of special military vehicles.
11:51 Air raid alert announced throughout Ukraine, according to the online map data.
11:49 Combat work of the Russian artillery to destroy the ukrofascists in the Soledar sector -video
10:03 Frontline summary on the morning of 04.01.2023
Day of Russian artillery in the Zaporozhye direction. Attacks on Plavni, Kamensky, Stepnoy, Maly Shcherbak, Novoandreevka, Orekhovo, Novodanilovka, Charovnoye, Gulyaipolsky, Zheleznodorzhny, Gulyaipole, Zeleny Guy and Olgovsky. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are still practically “silent”. (Fig. 1)
On the Donetsk front, Russian troops attack in the city of Marinka. Another actually attack in the forehead in the direction of the Ukrainian fortified area in Avdievka. (Fig. 2)
To the south of Bakhmut, Wagner PMCs are again trying to advance from Ozaryanovka and Kurdyumovka. Also fierce fighting in the Kleshcheevka area. The initiative is behind the Russian units. In the area of the Bakhmut Experimental PMC "Wagner" broke through the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He is trying to reach the city from the eastern outskirts. To the north, he conducts assault operations near Podgorodny. South of Soledar - Wagner PMC attacks in the direction of Krasnaya Gora. The same picture from Yakovlevka. (Fig. 3)
The Lugansk direction becomes "hot". Russian troops again rush to Belogorovka. To the north they attack in the Ploshchanka area and towards Makeevka. Another attack on Stelmahovka supported by artillery. While this is a tactical action. But soon they can develop into operational ones. (Fig. 4)
09:41 Lords of fire: fighters practice assault using hand-held flamethrowers -video.
Combat training work is constantly going on in the rear of the NVO zone. The guys are honing their shooting skills with the RPO-A "Bumblebee" flamethrower, which hits the enemy with thermobaric ammunition at ranges from 100 meters to 600 meters. It is effective against an enemy that has settled inside buildings: first, a cloud of flammable mixture escapes from the ammunition, and then it is undermined, resulting in a powerful shock wave.
09:34 Statement of The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation regarding the attack of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the place of temporary deployment of the Russian military unit in Makeevka.
09:27 In the morning, air defense systems shot down two UAVs over the sea in the Belbek area. All services are operating normally.
09:18 Chronicle of strikes and mutual shelling in the NVO zone on the night of January 3-4, 2023, from Rybar.
- Russian air defense systems intercepted air targets in the vicinity of Rostov-on-Don at night.
- Local residents in the morning reported the sounds of explosions in Sevastopol.
- Russian troops hit the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Karpovichi and Leonovka, Chernihiv region, as well as in Romashkovo and Rozhkovichi, Sumy region.
- In the Kharkiv region, the RF Armed Forces attacked enemy targets in Strelechya, Staritsa, Volchansk and Ogurtsovo.
- In the Starobelsky direction, Russian troops worked out at the places of concentration of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Dvurechnaya, Kupyansk, Novomlynsk and Tabaevka.
- In the Bakhmut (Artemovsky) direction, Russian missile troops and artillery hit enemy personnel and equipment in Bakhmut, Soledar, Yakovlevka and Kleshcheevka.
- In the Donetsk direction, the RF Armed Forces attacked the positions of Ukrainian units in Avdievka, Marinka and Kurakhovo.
In turn, Ukrainian formations from cannon artillery fired at civilian targets in Donetsk, Panteleymonovka and Yasinovataya.
- In the Yuzhnodonetsk direction, Russian troops worked on targets in Vugledar, Bolshaya Novoselka, Vremyevka and Neskuchny.
- In the Zaporozhye region, the RF Armed Forces hit an infrastructure facility in Zaporozhye at night.
- In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian artillery worked on firing points of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Nikopol, power lines and a gas pipeline were also damaged.
- On the southern sector of the front, the RF Armed Forces attacked enemy targets in Kherson.
09:15 The footage shows the destruction of strongholds and armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with new-generation precision-guided munitions.
Video: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
The following commentary by Russian military blogger Rybar
[ColonelCassad] In the Russian environment, the concepts of "private intelligence", "private intelligence company" or "intelligence agency" are extremely unpopular. For the layman, this is often associated, at most, with episodes heard in Western TV series or read in books, leading to a sharp plot twist.
With Roman Romachev @rtechnocom, CEO of the R-Techno intelligence agency, we talked a lot about the unpopularity of private intelligence services from the point of view of Russian statehood. The power structures do not just have a monopoly on this kind of activity - in each department the concept of intelligence, collection and processing of information is understood in its own way.
But what can I say - within the framework of one department, various military command and control bodies are often engaged in the same thing, simply ignoring each other. Does it give any result? Of course, in peacetime, competition and attempts to prove their effectiveness may be appropriate.
But in the conditions of preparation for the conduct of hostilities or during a special military operation, desynchronization leads to errors. In the West, this problem was solved (https://t.me/rtechnocom/1273) simply by paying tribute to private intelligence.
The problems in the West were almost the same as in Russia:
▪️ serious legislative control over the intelligence community and "transparency" in their activities.
▪️ limited budget.
▪️ the presence of diplomatic and reputational consequences in case of exposure of intelligence activity in the camp of the enemy.
▪️the requirement for significant competencies that grow quite quickly, and for which state actors, unlike private ones, clearly do not keep up.
And today, private intelligence activities in the United States have become one of the most capital-intensive and prestigious. It is absolutely normal to make money on such services, providing resources for yourself, and at the same time fulfilling the target state order.
In our country, alas, any attempts to offer the services of contractors in the field of intelligence and analysts are perceived with hostility, because they consider it both as an attempt on the information and intelligence monopoly and as an accusation of incompetence.
It is possible that the SVO will lead to a change in approaches in this area as well. But given the colossal creaking of the gears of the state mechanism, it will take a long time to wait for such changes, although the urgent need was ripe yesterday.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. Cribbed from Boris Rozhin's Live Journal page by Sergey Poletav
Co-founder and editor of the Vatfor project.
[GlobalAffairs] The special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine that began on February 24, 2022, launched a chain of processes that led to a global conflict, politically and economically comparable in scale to world wars. We are probably in the initial phase of this conflict, over time more and more players will be involved in it, however, some conclusions can be drawn already now.
The past year was the year of the collision of postmodernism with the real world. Almost all direct and indirect participants in the Ukrainian crisis built their domestic and foreign policies on theoretical, highly ideological constructions, on wishful thinking, and the more the consequences are more difficult for them.
Let's take a look at the main players.
RUSSIA
Our first and main illusion is about the negotiability of counterparties. Throughout the post-Soviet period, we tried to resolve peace in Ukraine, based on the fact that it would be better for everyone: the West, on the border with a leading nuclear power, would receive a predictable security belt and clear rules of the game, coupled with a high degree of influence on Ukraine; Europe, in addition, will maintain and strengthen ties with Russia as a major resource base and a vast sales market; Ukraine will get the opportunity of soft integration into Europe while maintaining deep economic and cultural ties with Russia, while Russia, in addition to further gradual integration into the Western and, first of all, into the European system (up to symbiosis), will retain influence on Ukraine and guarantee Kyiv’s friendly policy towards attitude towards both Moscow and the multi-million Russian population in Ukraine.
Nevertheless, the entire history of post-Soviet Ukraine is a history of reverse movement (more on that below); this movement has become irreversible since 2014, and consistent ignoring of this fact, attempts to re-stubborn the large-scale historical process with agreements either with Kyiv or with the West led us to the NWO. What exactly went wrong at the end of February, we will not know soon. But if Moscow set a goal to solve the Ukrainian problem according to the Georgian scenario - with little bloodshed and within a few days, this goal, obviously, was not achieved.
The anti-Russian outpost that had been created for thirty years turned out to be very strong and ready to fight even at the cost of its own destruction - again, contrary to common sense, as it is understood in Moscow.
I would like to believe that Moscow's illusions have been finally dispelled, and our military-political leadership no longer hopes for the sanity of the West and Kyiv. However, so far, the course of the NMD suggests rather the opposite: after the February throw, offensive operations are carried out only in the Donbass, and not along the entire front, but in local areas - mainly by the forces of PMCs and the former people's militia of the republics. There is a feeling that during the year we did not really understand what to do next, as if we were waiting for the enemy to get bored before us, and he would finally begin to negotiate for real.
Our second illusion is the combat capabilities of the army. The actions of the Armed Forces of Russia (RF Armed Forces) during the NWO in a patriotic environment are usually scolded. But it should be understood that since the time of the Serdyukov reform, our army has not been preparing for a large-scale land conflict with a front line of a couple of thousand kilometers, with the need to conduct combined arms operations at the level of the Great Patriotic War, with the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of people. It won't change overnight. And although the identified shortcomings in the actions of the RF Armed Forces, the General Staff and the rear are recognized and somehow eliminated, we still do not see a full-scale offensive with the decisive goal of defeating the Ukrainian army (AFU). Maybe we'll see it next year. Perhaps the army is preparing right now, and not waiting.
USA
The main illusion of the United States in the post-Cold War era is about complete control (or at least dominance) over the processes taking place in the world, and therefore the conviction that the degree of consideration for the interests of counterparties is determined in Washington, and only in Washington. Simply put, as I want, it will be so, and if it is not the way I want, then I have enough means to coerce and punish those who disobey.
In many respects, this inflexibility led to the current crisis: if desired, it was possible to negotiate with Russia - saving face and even to its own economic and political benefit: Moscow was probably ready for a lot in response.
A similar situation is observed all over the world: everywhere the States act according to the principle "there is power - no mind is needed."
In the Middle East, such behavior has already led the US to a sharp weakening of its position; made the prospect of conflict with China almost irreversible; time bombs have been planted under relations with allies in Europe and Asia that are likely to go off in the coming years.
Since the Second World War, the United States has been creating a global system, in a way, a new type of empire. They consistently took political and economic processes in the world under control without encountering much resistance - on the contrary, everyone tried to integrate into this system, receiving in return some sales markets and access to cheap money, some - a security umbrella and the opportunity not to spend money on the army, some - Newest technologies.
The United States itself, having found itself in the role of the mother country of the Earth, skimmed off all this, and after several generations, the American political class became convinced that such a system was not the result of painstaking work and taking into account the interests of partners, but some kind of birthright, sometimes becoming a burden. Hence the stagnation, and the further - the greater the hysteria of American foreign policy, attempts to force others to act in their own way and, as a result, undermine the global American-centric system.
The United States has a solid margin of safety, the food base is still extensive, alternative global institutions are just beginning to take shape, so one should not expect noticeable changes in American policy in the coming years, especially since the internal split, on the contrary, is forcing to increase foreign policy tension.
The second American (as well as European) illusion is that a military conflict of the Ukrainian scale can be won without direct involvement in it. Yes, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are holding up well, but Russia has so far deployed a small part of its military resources in the NMD, and the degree of escalation on our part is now determined by political decisions, and not by military and mobilization capabilities. If we are willing and ready, we can multiply the onslaught, which will be extremely difficult for the West and the United States to respond to without direct involvement in the conflict with their troops (at least air defense and air force). However, President Biden has repeatedly stressed that he will not agree to such an intervention as long as he lives.
EUROPE
The main illusion of Europe is that its well-fed well-being of the last decades is its own merit, and that it is based on a set of some abstract values. In fact, the well-being of Europe stood on two pillars: the American military, political and economic roof and a cheap resource base, primarily Russian.
The absence of the need to take care of one’s own security , resources and sales markets, the impossibility of internal conflicts, on the one hand, contributed to an unprecedented economic take-off, a real golden age, and on the other hand, led to the degeneration of European elites and the political class, who sincerely believed that this would be the case. always and that for this it is enough to cultivate values and strive to spread them to the entire surrounding backward world.
This explains the obstinacy of Europe in the Ukrainian issue - obstinacy, bordering on fanaticism. Europe takes the most vicious anti-Russian sanctions with the greatest zeal , regardless of any damage.
If the United States in this crisis is borrowing from the future, then Europe naturally shoots bursts at its knees.
Here and now, it is depriving itself of a large market, its most important resource base, and is sent into almost colonial dependence on Washington, which, unlike Europe, has real military power and real control over political and economic processes in the world.
After the combined attempt by the West to give Russia economic shock and awe failed, the leaders of Europe are at a loss: the same people, with a difference of a couple of days , can talk about the need for a military victory over Russia and the need for diplomatic dialogue - seemingly without really understanding what "military victory" means and what "diplomatic dialogue" means.
The prospect of many years of multiple increases in energy prices and, as a result, deindustrialization and falling living standards, the prospect of a trade war with the United States in a global recession, the prospect of maintaining a devastated Ukraine for an indefinite number of years, the prospect of hundreds of billions of losses from the loss of accumulated investments in Russia is already sobering, but does not yet lead to any decisions - there is simply no one to make and implement them. Plus, the long-standing problems of the European Union , which it stumbled over in previous years, have not gone away: the migration crisis, the constant balancing of southern Europe on the verge of economic collapse.
UKRAINE
The main illusion of Ukraine is the belief in the possibility of building a mono-ethnic state hostile to Russia within the post-Soviet borders with a significant share of the Russian population, as well as the conviction that both the West and Russia itself will endlessly favor such a Ukraine - as they say, for beautiful eyes.
Ukraine is not Poland, and the attempt to pursue its own policy led to a civil conflict, each side of which was supported by the West and Russia, respectively. After this conflict entered an open phase in 2014, Ukraine began to turn from an anti-Russian outpost into a weapon, into a kind of kamikaze drone of the West against Russia.
It should be admitted that this was partly successful: both the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ukrainian state as a whole withstood the February blow, recovered and, with the support of the West, inflicted a number of painful defeats on Russia by autumn .
Military successes, however, are not of a strategic nature, and their cost is the death of the Ukrainian economy. According to various estimates, up to a third of the population fled Ukraine, production was cut by half even before the Russian strikes on energy facilities that began in October, and by the new year, according to official statements from Kyiv, already by 70 percent. This means unemployment, an empty treasury, the impoverishment of the population and massive closures of enterprises.
Yes, now the West acts as a powerful rear for Ukraine and goes to serious expenses for this, however, it evades direct involvement in battles, shifting all the hardships and hardships to Kyiv. Whatever the outcome of the hot phase of the conflict, the devastated Ukraine, apparently, will have to deal with its consequences on its own, and the further, the more difficult these consequences will be.
However, even if among the Ukrainian elites someone even guesses how they are being used, they cannot stop. The control from the West is too tight, the ideological pumping is too great, everything has gone too far.
Ukraine now is a zombie, a walking dead man, and he will walk as long as the West galvanizes him. However, even in this form, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are capable of fighting for years, especially with the current sluggish course of the conflict.
The West can refuse to galvanize Ukraine only in one case: if the Armed Forces of Ukraine are defeated and physically lose the ability to fight, if Ukraine is physically reduced enough to lose its strategic significance for the West. Any truces will only postpone the conflict for the future, and one should not have any illusions about this.
The global conflict is only growing. For both Russia and the West, it is existential, and neither side shows an inclination to compromise. It is all the more surprising that the hostilities are still relatively local in nature, limited to one Ukrainian theater, and even on it - in a dosed and positional manner. It seems that the parties have focused on how to learn how to live in the new conditions, which means that the development of the next world order and the rules of the game has a chance to go relatively peacefully, without turning into an endless struggle of all against all with the risk of a nuclear catastrophe.
The initiative in this process will be given to those who accept reality before others, understand their place in it, and begin to act accordingly. This concerns not only the participants in the Ukrainian crisis listed above, but also so far neutral countries , which have yet to part with their own illusions.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] Statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense on the shelling of a vocational school in Makeevka
▪️On January 1, at 00:01 Moscow time, the artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine dealt a blow with 6 shells of the Khaimars MLRS at the point of temporary deployment of one of the Russian military units in the city of Makeevka.
▪️ Two rockets were intercepted by air defense on duty.
▪️ Four rockets with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead hit the building where the Russian military was stationed. From the detonation of the warheads of the Hymars rockets, the ceilings of the building collapsed.
▪️Immediately after the tragedy, the command and officers of this military unit, junior commanders and servicemen of other units took all available measures to save the victims. First aid was provided, the wounded were evacuated to medical facilities.
▪️ Unfortunately, during the analysis of the rubble of reinforced concrete structures, the number of dead of our comrades increased to 89. Among the dead was the deputy commander of the regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Bachurin.
▪️All the victims and the families of the dead servicemen are provided with all the necessary assistance and support.
▪️ The launcher of the MLRS, from which the Armed Forces of Ukraine fired at Makiivka, was destroyed by return fire.
▪️ Also, as a result of rocket and air strikes on the accumulation of military equipment in the area of the Druzhkovka railway station of the DPR, another four Himars MLRS launchers, four RM-70 Vampire MLRS combat vehicles, more than 800 rockets for them, eight cars, as well as over 200 Ukrainian Nazis and foreign mercenaries.
▪️In addition, in the area of Maslovka, a temporary deployment point of one of the units of the "Foreign Legion" was hit, where more than 130 foreign mercenaries were destroyed.
▪️ Currently, a commission is working to investigate the circumstances of the incident. But it is already obvious that the main reason for what happened was the inclusion and massive use, contrary to the ban, by personnel of mobile phones in the reach of enemy weapons. This factor allowed the enemy to locate and determine the coordinates of the location of military personnel for launching a missile strike.
▪️ Currently, the necessary measures are being taken to prevent similar tragic incidents in the future. As a result of the investigation, the guilty officials will be brought to justice.
[ColonelCassad] Night attack by "Geran" on the thermal power plant in Kiev
Despite the serious fire resistance, at least 1 "Geran" reached the target - CHP-5 was hit.
Actually, the whole story with Geranium attacks shows that even in conditions of air defense massing to cover key objects, these drones, when used en masse, are capable of breaking through the defense of an air defense center. This was revealed back in Yemen, where air defense units were built on the basis of American air defense systems. Ukraine only confirmed the obvious.
At the same time, it is not difficult to imagine what effect Geraniums achieve when they attack objects less covered by air defense systems. According to various estimates, the Zelensky gang pulled together from 30 to 40% of all air defense systems near Kyiv, including most Western systems, which is not difficult to notice from the regular detection of fragments of NASAMS and IRIS-T missiles in Kyiv.
As you might guess, interest in buying Iranian drones will increase after such videos.
#1
The launcher of the MLRS, from which the Armed Forces of Ukraine fired at Makiivka, was destroyed by return fire.
Also, as a result of rocket and air strikes on the accumulation of military equipment in the area of the Druzhkovka railway station of the DPR, another four Himars MLRS launchers, four RM-70 Vampire MLRS combat vehicles, more than 800 rockets for them, eight cars, as well as over 200 Ukrainian Nazis and foreign mercenaries.
That's some work of fiction. Stephen King is impressed. The Russians missiled(?) a hockey/skating arena used as a humanitarian aid depot. Cases of water, UNICEF rations and mattresses were hurt, possibly killed.
[FoxNews] Russian ship named Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov test-fired missiles last year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Wednesday the deployment of a frigate armed with hypersonic Zircon cruise missiles — a type of weaponry he says has "no analogues" — to the Atlantic Ocean.
The ship, named Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov, is deploying months after Russia’s Ministry of Defense touted a successful test launch of the missiles, which cleared a distance of 625 miles.
"The ship is equipped with the latest hypersonic missile system — 'Zircon' — which has no analogues," Putin said during a video conference with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Igor Krokhmal, the ship’s commander, according to Reuters. "This is a hypersonic sea–based system."
Shoigu said the ship will travel through the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea in addition to the Atlantic, Reuters added.
Video released by Russia last May showed a Zircon missile being fired from the Barents Sea near Scandinavia and striking a target in the White Sea with great precision.
"Today, the lead frigate of Project 22350 Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov fired a Zircon hypersonic cruise missile at a sea target position in the White Sea from the Barents Sea," the defense ministry announced at the time.
The Zircon missile can travel nine times the speed of sound, according to intelligence on the new weapon.
Russia also recently has completed test launches of the Sarmat, an intercontinental missile that can carry nuclear warheads, according to reports.
#4
So where did all the "new guys" go? The Russian and Ukrainian trolls who were as thick as ticks on a stray dog here on Rantburg just two months ago? I kind of miss their comments on stories like this one.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/05/2023 12:52 Comments ||
Top||
#9
"So where did all the "new guys" go?"
Beardfuck was my crush.
There seems to be a correlation btwn Elon buying Twitter and the drop.
I dont want to mix up correlation with causation, but NAFO was a metric. When they arrived on the scene mid summer/late spring - they reminded me immediately of D.Brock-Hillary's Correct The Record folks. Smelled of Gaslight. Their presence and reach only expanded... Grew more annoying by the day until Elon's purchase of the platform and following release of the Twitter Files.
My conclusion - too much sunlight and they backed off to dial down the gaslighting.
#11
Could their regular gig have been tormenting folks that got banned? Was this just a side job to pay the bills until their regular gig ended troll layoffs?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/05/2023 15:02 Comments ||
Top||
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.
