[Breitbart] A number of international media reports have exposed an operation called “Alabuga Start” that lures young African women to work at a Russian drone factory and then effectively enslaves them – but African governments have done little to protect their citizens from exploitation.
Alabuga Start is a program ostensibly intended to bring promising young people from the Third World to the Alabuga Special Economic Zone (SEZ). A sister program called Alabuga Polytechnic is aimed at recruiting Russian students.
The Alabuga SEZ was established in the Republic of Tartarstan in July 2006. The program was intended to lure science and industry to the SEZ by offering extensive infrastructure, abundant electric power, tax breaks, and customs benefits. Every company that builds a facility in the SEZ enjoys a ten-year “tax holiday,” and residents of the zone pay relatively low income taxes for their first ten years.
As investigations from various media outlets have revealed, recruits are not told that the major current purpose of the Alabuga SEZ is cranking out Iranian-designed Shahed-136 suicide drones to aid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions against the zone in April 2024, along with a dozen other entities and individuals, for “facilitating and financing the clandestine sale of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles.”
In October, the Associated Press (AP) published an expose on Russia’s efforts to lure African women to its drone factory with free plane tickets, cash bonuses, and offers of a prestigious high-tech work-study program.
In truth, young African women who accepted the offer found themselves toiling in Russian munitions plants, working long hours under prison-like surveillance, all promises of high wages and cash bonuses forgotten. Even worse, the unskilled African recruits were required to use hazardous materials without proper safety equipment, leaving some with painful symptoms of exposure.
One victim described the Alabuga Start program as a “trap.”
“The company is all about making drones. Nothing else. I regret and I curse the day I started making all those things,” the woman told the AP.
“Factory management apparently tries to discourage the African women from leaving, and although some reportedly have left or found work elsewhere in Russia, AP was unable to verify that independently,” the report added.
Another grim detail was that Russia apparently prefers to lure young women to its Alabuga drone sweatshop because they are “easier to control,” while young African men are “too aggressive and dangerous.”
Leaked documents described the assembly lines as racially “segregated” and used “derogatory” language to discuss the African recruits.
A subsequent AP report said Alabuga, which now furnishes about 75 percent of Russia’s new drones, has begun producing “a particularly deadly variant of the Shahed unmanned aircraft armed with thermobaric warheads.” These “vacuum bomb” drones are accompanied by swarms of decoys to distract Ukrainian air defenses.
A week after the first AP report on the Alabuga trap, social media platforms YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok began shutting down accounts that were allegedly geared toward recruiting young foreign women to work in Russia’s drone factories. Some of those accounts had over a hundred thousand followers, or over a million “likes” for their posts, which were often promoted by professional social media influencers.
According to the AP, the Alabuga Start social media campaign used “slickly edited videos with upbeat music that show African women smiling while cleaning floors, wearing hard hats while directing cranes, and donning protective equipment to apply paint or chemicals.”
Some videos depicted African women cavorting happily among Tartarstan’s cultural sites and tourist attractions. One of them showed a happy African girl serving a handsome young Russian man in a restaurant, and then becoming his pregnant wife. Absolutely none of these recruiting videos informed viewers that the women were expected to perform hard labor at Russian drone factories.
Another investigation conducted by the Institute for Science and International Study in July said that some recruits were told they would be making drones, but they were falsely led to believe they would be assembling sophisticated M5 civilian drones, not Iran’s crude but effective Shahed-136 flying bombs. In a final bitter twist, a fair number of those M5 drones ended up being used for reconnaissance by the Russian invaders in Ukraine.
“Twenty-seven countries are documented to have sent nationals to Alabuga through Alabuga Start. It is unknown whether any countries have withdrawn their participation, but they should do so immediately,” the Institute said in July.
“If they continue to send workers, these countries directly support a U.S. and EU sanctioned entity and support Russia’s military efforts, thus risk getting sanctioned themselves,” the report warned.
Voice of America News (VOA) reported on Wednesday that “African countries have largely failed to intervene or give an official response” to the Alabuga Start investigations. In fact, some African governments “even appear to be building ties with the Russian entity behind the program.”
David Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security told VOA that African recruiters for Alabuga Start were originally “oblivious” to what the program was actually doing, but it now seems very difficult to believe they don’t know they are drawing young women into a trap.
“It’s been a very deceptive program in the sense that the applicants didn’t know they’d be working in essentially a U.S.- [and] European-sanctioned company making drones that are being used to devastating effect against Ukrainian civil targets, energy targets, electrical plants,” Albright noted.
“And so, in that sense, they’re complicit in a crime, an international crime, given that the war against Ukraine is illegal. They’re getting involved in making drones that are being used against civilian targets, not just military targets,” he said.
Despite this growing awareness of the true nature of the program, Alabuga representatives recently signed memorandums of cooperation with local entities in Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Madagascar. Nigeria and Uganda have been touting admission to Alabuga Start on government websites for at least a year. VOA found documents from government ministries in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Bangladesh encouraging young citizens to apply for the Russian program.
VOA reported that it “reached out to authorities of Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Nigeria,” but none of its phone calls or emails were answered.
Continued on Page 47
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent] 18.29 Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups tried to advance in the direction of Kherson on Friday morning. The enemy fired about a thousand shells at the city. This was reported by the head of the Kherson OVA, Alexander Prokudin.
17.43 The Defense Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has signed a contract with the German defense concern Rheinmetall. The ammunition deliveries are planned for the first half of 2025. They are suitable for most 155-mm guns with which the Ukrainian Armed Forces are armed.
16.52 Since the beginning of the day, the total number of combat clashes along the front line has increased to 146. Most of the assaults were recorded in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in a report as of 16:00.
16:25 In Konstantinovka, Donetsk region, a 75-year-old woman died after an enemy hit a multi-story building; her body was recovered from under the rubble.
16.20 Explosions were heard in Rylsk, Kursk region, Russian Federation. Russian authorities reported an alleged Ukrainian ATACMS missile attack. Five dead and 26 injured reported.
14.27 The administration of US President Joe Biden will announce its latest aid package to Kiev in the coming days under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). This is the remaining $1.2 billion for the purchase of new weapons for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Reuters reported, citing sources.
14:13 As a result of Russian missile attacks on December 20, the building housing the embassies of Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal and Montenegro was damaged in Kiev. This was reported by the representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Georgiy Tykhyi during a briefing on Friday, December 20.
12:45 Ukraine has already received its sixth IRIS-T SLM air defense system from Germany. This was stated by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a briefing after the European Council meeting. The Ukrainian military received new Gepard systems along with the necessary ammunition.
11:05 An explosion occurred on board an An-72 military transport aircraft at the Russian Ostafyevo airfield in the Moscow region. This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
10:40 On Friday night and in the morning, Russia attacked Ukraine with Iskander-M ballistic missiles, Shahed-type attack drones and other types of drones. Most of the targets were destroyed by air defense, the Ukrainian Air Force reported .
9:57 ISW believes that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin views the Oreshnik ballistic missile as part of a non-nuclear deterrent. In his mind, this should prompt the West to make decisions that benefit Russia, against the backdrop of previous unsuccessful rhetoric on nuclear weapons.
9:45 The number of casualties as a result of the morning missile strike on Kiev has increased. One person is known to have died. This was reported by the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko.
8:59 The Russian Armed Forces launched a combined missile attack on Kiev at around 07:00 on the morning of December 20. A total of eight missiles were fired.
8:46 In the morning of December 20, the Russians launched a missile attack on Kiev. Falling debris is recorded in several areas of the capital.
8:27 Kherson and its suburbs were subjected to unprecedented shelling by the Russian army. In addition, sabotage and reconnaissance groups (DRG) broke through in the direction of the regional center. There are dead and many wounded among the city residents.
7:25 Russian occupiers captured Trudovoye and Uspenovka, occupying the last piece of the notorious "Uspenovka pocket". However, not all Ukrainian soldiers managed to get out of it. This was reported by the DeepState project.
05:47 Kherson is under massive artillery shelling. Local authorities have called on residents not to go outside.
02:25 Russians have launched a missile strike on Kryvyi Rih for the second night in a row. This time, the missile destroyed a two-story building, injuring five people. Surrounding houses and a hospital were also damaged.
Linked article is available only through a VPN.
[EngMilRu] From 14 to 20 December 2024, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out 24 group strikes by precision weaponry and attack unmanned aerial vehicles, which hit energy facilities that were used to support the AFU, infrastructure of military airfields, UAV workshops and depots, a military echelon at an offloading site, as well as temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries.
Over the past week, units of the Sever Group of Forces continued to eliminate AFU formations on the territory of Kursk region.
Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of two tank brigades, one heavy mechanised brigade, seven mechanised brigades, three air assault brigades, two assault battalions of the AFU, one naval infantry brigade, and five territorial defence brigades.
In Kharkov direction, Russian troops hit units of one mechanised brigade, one motorised infantry brigade, one air assault brigade of the AFU, two territorial defence brigades, one border detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
Over the past week, the enemy losses were over 2,675 troops, nine tanks, 73 armoured fighting vehicles, including one Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and one U.S.-made Stryker armoured personnel carrier, 68 motor vehicles, two Croatian-made RAK-SA-12 MLRS launchers, and 26 field artillery guns.
The Zapad Group of Forces' units improved the situation along the front line, defeated military personnel and hardware of five mechanised brigades, one infantry brigade, one jaeger brigade, one assault brigade, one airmobile brigade, one airborne brigade of the AFU, three territorial defence brigades, and one national guard brigade. In addition, 18 counter-attacks of AFU assault detachments were repelled.
The AFU losses were more than 3,610 troops, two tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles, six armoured personnel carriers, including one U.S.-made M-113 and one Polish-made Rosomak armoured personnel carriers and four other armoured fighting vehicles, 34 motor vehicles, and 57 field artillery guns, including eight Western-made 155mm ones.
Four electronic warfare stations and counter-battery radars and six ammunition depots were eliminated.
As a result of decisive actions, units of the Yug Group of Forces liberated Annovka, Vesely Gai, Yelizavetovka, Trudovoye, and Uspenovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
Russian troops hit units of six mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, one infantry brigade, two airmobile brigades, one assault brigade, one air assault brigade, one mountain assault brigade of the AFU, one naval infantry brigade, and three territorial defence brigades.
Over the past week, the AFU losses were more than 2,365 troops, one tank, five armoured personnel carriers, including one U.S.-made Stryker and three U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carriers, 12 other armoured fighting vehicles, 20 motor vehicles, 17 field artillery guns, including seven Western-made ones, four electronic warfare stations and counter-battery radars, and five ammunition depots.
The Tsentr Group of Forces' units continued advancing into the depth of the enemy's defences and liberated Novopustynka, Pushkino, and Starye Terny (Donetsk People's Republic).
Russian troops engaged units of one heavy mechanised brigade, six mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, one infantry brigade, one jaeger brigade, two assault brigades, two assault battalions of the AFU, one naval infantry brigade, two territorial defence brigades, and two national guard brigades. In addition, 67 counter-attacks of the enemy were repelled.
The AFU losses were more than 2,945 troops, two tanks, 15 armoured fighting vehicles, including three U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and two U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carriers, 23 motor vehicles, and 43 field artillery guns.
As a result of active operations, units of the Vostok Group of Forces liberated Zelenovka and Novy Komar (Donetsk People's Republic).
Russian troops hit formations of two mechanised brigades, one mountain assault brigade of the AFU, three territorial defence brigades, and two national guard brigades. In addition, 16 counter-attacks launched by AFU assault detachments were repelled.
The AFU losses were up to 1,215 troops, two tanks, including one German-made Leopard tank, two infantry fighting vehicles, 11 other armoured fighting vehicles, 22 motor vehicles, and 20 field artillery guns, including six self-propelled artillery systems and NATO-made 155mm howitzers.
The Dnepr Group of Forces' units engaged manpower and hardware of one heavy mechanised brigade, two mechanised brigades, one infantry brigade, one air assault brigade, one mountain assault brigade of the AFU, three territorial defence brigades, and one national guard brigade.
The AFU losses were up to 440 troops, 20 motor vehicles, 16 field artillery guns, including three U.S.-made 155mm M-777 howitzers.
In addition, one HIMARS MLRS combat vehicle and four U.S.-made Patriot SAM system launchers, five electronic warfare stations, and six field ammunition depots were eliminated.
Air defence units shot down one Ukrainian Air Force's MiG-29 aircraft, six U.S.-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles, three UK-made Storm Shadow air-based cruise missiles, one Neptune long-range guided missile, four French-made Hammer guided aerial bombs, 18 U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, and 519 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
Over the past week, 59 Ukrainian servicemen surrendered on the line of contact.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 650 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 38,152 unmanned aerial vehicles, 590 anti-aircraft missile systems, 19,933 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,504 MLRS combat vehicles, 19,874 field artillery guns and mortars, and 29,384 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the operation to neutralise an enemy group, which broke into the territory of Kursk region.
In the course of offensive operations, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of one heavy mechanised brigade, five mechanised brigades, three air assault brigades, one naval infantry brigade, and four territorial defence brigades of the AFU near Aleksandriya, Gornal, Kurilovka, Lebedevka, Leonidovo, Martynovka, Mirny, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Pogrebki, Russkoye Porechnoye, Sverdlikovo, Cherkasskaya Konopelka, and Yuzhny. Four counter-attacks of the enemy's assault detachments were repelled.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the enemy near Guyevo, Maryevka, Mikhaylovka, Nikolskoye, Novaya Sorochina, Rubanshchina, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye as well as Basovka, Belovody, Vodolagi, Zhuravka, Obody, and Khoten in Sumy region.
The AFU losses were more than 340 troops, three tanks, one armoured personnel carrier, 13 armoured fighting vehicles, four motor vehicles, and one electronic warfare station.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 42,440 troops, 248 tanks, 187 infantry fighting vehicles, 128 armoured personnel carriers, 1,301 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,158 motor vehicles, 323 artillery guns, 42 MLRS launchers, including 11 of HIMARS and six of MLRS made by the USA, 13 anti-aircraft missile launchers, seven transport-loading vehicles, 76 EW stations, 13 counter-battery warfare radars, four air defence radars, 27 units of engineering and other materiel, including 13 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, six 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] 23:59 Official summary of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC from 00:00 12/20/2024 to 00:00 12/21/2024.
A total of 17 cases of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces were recorded by the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC over the past 24 hours.
There were reports of five civilians being injured.
DAMAGED:
Administrative buildings,
Five residential buildings,
One bus and an ambulance,
one civil infrastructure facility.
15 artillery attacks in the Gorlovka direction,
one artillery attack in the Donetsk direction,
One artillery attack in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
A total of 52 units of various ammunition were fired.
23:20 The right bank of the Kherson region is not controlled by the Russian Federation, under powerful fire processing of enemy positions! The destruction of equipment and personnel of militants is underway.
20:14 Scorpios-328 are working FPV drones and airdrops on Ukrainian Armed Forces positions in the Kherson direction.
19:48 Ixovody GV "North" continue to destroy enemy armored vehicles with Lancet loitering munitions. This time, reconnaissance UAVs discovered two T-64s in the area of the settlements of Nikolaevka and Pogrebki in the Kursk region. Both tanks were destroyed along with the crew.
19:28 Enemy tank stopped –video
Attack drone crews of the West group of forces destroyed a T-72 tank of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Khar'kov region.
18:44 According to preliminary data, six people died in Rylsk, including one child.
18:27 The VOSTOK group has completed clearing the village of Novy Komar –DIVGEN.
Video footage from the village of Novy Komar, where the Vostok group, joint actions of the 40th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade's riflemen, motorized riflemen and tank crews of the 36th Army on December 19 completely completed clearing the streets of the village of the enemy.
In addition, with each passing day, as a result of the penetration of the troops of the "Vostok" group into the depths of the enemy's defense, the settlement of Velikaya Novosyolka and its garrison are increasingly surrounded. The main crossings have been destroyed by aviation, artillery and UAVs are taking control of the roads.
17:55 A criminal case has been opened on the fact of a terrorist attack committed by Ukrainian military personnel in the Kursk region, reported Investigator.
Today, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, using remote means of fire destruction, launched a missile strike on the city of Rylsk in the Kursk region, where civilians were located. The militants chose civilian objects as targets. According to preliminary data, there are dead and injured, the exact number is being established.
17:47 Missile threat declared in Kalanchak MO
Emergency services have been put on high alert, the governor of the Kherson region reported.
17:11 Russian flag in Novopustynka –video.
16:40 The exchange of bodies of dead servicemen took place between Russia and Ukraine.
The exchange took place on the border with Ukraine in the Gomel region, in Belarus, reports war correspondent Alexander Kots.
Russia gave 503 bodies to Ukraine and returned the bodies of forty-two of our heroes to their homeland.
16:16 Armed Forces of Ukraine fired upon Rylsk, Kursk region, preliminary, by six ATACMS missiles, there are wounded.
15:42 Two civilians were wounded as a result of an attack by Ukrainian UAVs in the Belgorod region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported.
14:24 Operational situation in the area of Velikaya (Bolshaya) Novosyolka reports war correspondent Yuri Kotenok:
In the Velikonovoselkovsky direction, units of the 5th Army continue to advance southwest of Velikaya Novosyolka in the direction of the Gulyaipole-Velikaya Novosyolka road, attacking the fortified area north of Novodarovka and in the direction of Novosyolka, as well as in the direction of Neskuchnoye and Vremyevka, forming a pocket to the south, in the area of Storozhyevoye.
Velikaya Novosyolka is under constant fire control. Units of the Russian Armed Forces are identifying and destroying the enemy in the village (urban settlement).
To the north of it, our assault forces have taken full control of Novy Komar and are expanding the zone of control of the territory to the north in the direction of Novoocheretovatoye, from where the enemy is trying to counterattack, and to the west to the Mokrye Yaly River.
Our units are also attacking in the direction of Razdolnoye - Bogatyr. The Ukrainian Armed Forces, having brought up reserves, are putting up fierce resistance here, trying to prevent our advance to the north.
14:12 At 13:40 Moscow time, a Ukrainian fixed-wing UAV was destroyed over the territory of the Belgorod region, the Ministry of Defense reported.
13:57 According to preliminary data, high-ranking officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ukrainian special services were killed in the attack on the SBU headquarters in Kyiv, stated RIA Novosti in the pro-Russian underground.
13:18 Air raid siren has been declared throughout Ukraine.
13:13 There is an air raid alarm again in Kyiv.
13:05 RIA Novosti: The Ministry of Defense showed a video from Novopustynka in the DPR, over which the Russian tricolor was raised after liberation.
13:03 Russia responds to attacks on its territory, as Putin said, stated Dmitry Peskov.
12:27 Other important statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense on the progress of the SVO:
— Russian air defense shot down a MiG-29 aircraft and 519 Ukrainian drones in a week;
— 59 Ukrainian servicemen surrendered on the contact line;
— The Russian Armed Forces liberated 10 settlements in the DPR;
— Russian troops carried out 24 group strikes with high-precision weapons and drones, destroying energy facilities that supplied the Ukrainian Armed Forces;
— The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 3,610 servicemen in the area of responsibility of the “West” group in a week;
— The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 440 fighters and six field ammunition depots in a week due to the actions of the Dnepr group;
— Up to 1,250 people and one Leopard were lost by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in a week in the area of responsibility of the Eastern Group;
— The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 2,365 people in a week as a result of the actions of the “South” group;
— The losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the zone of the “Center” group of forces over the week amounted to more than 2,945 soldiers, two tanks and 15 combat armored vehicles were destroyed.
12:17 Official: Russian Armed Forces liberated Novopustynovka and Uspenovka in the DPR, the Ministry of Defense reported.
12:01 Consequences of the Russian Armed Forces strike on the SBU command post at 75 Antonovycha (former Gorky Street) in Kyiv –photo.
11:58 The Russian Armed Forces have advanced in the Kursk region near the village of Kruglen'koye, as confirmed by the enemy map Deep State.
The Ukrainian monitoring resource also writes about the advancement towards Malaya Loknya in the north of the Ukrainian Armed Forces bridgehead.
11:55 War correspondent Kitty:
Red Army direction.
Our units are conducting offensive operations on Mirolyubovka, Sukhaya Balka, in Dachenskoye, Lysovka, in the direction of Zeleny from Novy Trud, along the railway to Chunishino, from Shevchenko in the direction of Zverevo, in Peschanoye, in the direction of Volkovo, reached Solyonoye, advanced in Novovasilyevka.
On the entire section of the LBS south of Dmitrov and Krasnoarmeysk, there is strong pressure from our troops with the goal of finally capturing the outer line of defense of the agglomeration and reaching directly to the outskirts of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) and Dmitrov (Mirnograd).
In addition, there is a systematic envelopment of Krasnoarmeysk from the southwest. The countermeasures taken by the enemy are not able to stop the advance of the RF Armed Forces. The enemy's defense is "cracking at the seams."
South of Novotroitskoye, our assaults entered Novoyelenovka from the north and east, and are also fighting on the outskirts of Ukrainka.
North of Kurakhovo, the enemy reports strong pressure in the direction of Slavyanka, Petrovpavlovka, Andreyevka from the side of Krasnoye (Sontsovka) and Starye Terny.
In addition, our units are conducting assault operations in Shevchenko, advancing in the direction of Dachnoye from the direction of Starye Terny.
West of Kurakhovo our assaults reached the southwestern outskirts of Ulakly and took the Gulyaipole-Kurakhovo road under fire control. South of Zelenovka the plantings in the fields came under our control.
In Kurakhovo, the fighting moved to the western part of the city (the industrial zone area, thermal power plant).
South of Dachnoye and Kurakhovo, fighting continues for the defensive positions of the Ukrops in the fields and on the right bank of the Sukhie Yaly River (Yantarnoye and to the east).
11:31 Frames show yesterday's attack on the industrial zone of Kramatorsk, from where the enemy launched HIMARS missiles at the Rostov region.
11:26 In Khar'kov, the Russian Armed Forces liquidated enemy temporary deployment point
In the north-eastern part of Khar'kov, a temporary deployment point for one of the enemy’s armed units was destroyed.
The number of militants eliminated was more than 15 people. The number of wounded has not been established.
The site of the impact was immediately cordoned off by security forces, and three fire trucks and eight ambulances arrived.
11:10 Ministry of Defense Russia:
On December 18, 2024, a missile strike was launched from the territory of Ukraine against the Kamensky Combine enterprise in the Rostov region using six American-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles and four Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles.
In response to the actions of the Kyiv regime, supported by Western curators, this morning a group strike with long-range precision weapons was carried out on the SBU command post, the Kyiv design bureau "Luch", which designs and manufactures the "Neptune" missile systems, ground-based cruise missiles MLRS "Vilkha", as well as the position of the "Patriot" anti-aircraft missile system.
The strike targets have been achieved. All objects have been hit.
10:47 In Donetsk worked air defense system
Falling fragments were heard in the Kalininsky district of the city. According to preliminary information, there were no civilian casualties.
In the epicenter, the glazing of several apartment buildings was damaged, local TG channels report.
10:22 Residential development in Kurakhovo is under the control of Russian forces, the final countdown has begun for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This is stated by Vladimir Rogov.
10:18 On the night of December 20, the Russian Armed Forces launched a massive air strike at military targets on the territory of Ukraine.
At least four powerful explosions thundered in Kyiv, there is a “very bright glow” in the city, eyewitnesses write on local Telegram channels
Following the explosions in Kyiv, a fire has been observed in the area of the military plant "Artem", local TG channels report.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] On Friday, December 20, the Second Western District Military Court sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison a militant of the Azov battalion (a terrorist organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation) Ivan Pilipchuk.
Pilipchuk was found guilty of preparing a terrorist attack at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, TASS reports.
“Based on the totality of the crimes, by partial addition of the sentences, Ivan Ivanovich Pilipchuk is finally sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment, with the first 5 years to be served in prison, and the remaining term to be served in a strict regime penal colony,” the text of the verdict reads.
Pilipchuk will serve his sentence after his extradition to Russia.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on August 22, the Basmanny Court of Moscow arrested Pilipchuk in absentia on charges of preparing a terrorist attack. He is accused of committing crimes under Part 1 of Article 30, Part 3 of Article 30 ("Preparation for a crime"), Part 2 of Article 205 ("Commission of a terrorist attack by a group of persons by prior conspiracy"), Part 3 of Article 223.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Illegal manufacture of explosives"). The Azov militant was put on the wanted list.
In July, the court sentenced two other defendants in the case to 22 and 15 years in prison. Mikhail Darii and Ilya Kovylkov were found guilty of preparing a terrorist attack on the Central Gas Station at Sheremetyevo Airport on orders from the SBU, attempting to join a terrorist organization, and promoting terrorism among young people.
The investigation established that the suspects intended to blow up fuel tanks at the central filling station in Sheremetyevo to destabilize the situation in the country and were engaged in terrorist propaganda in the Telegram messenger. It also turned out that they acted on the instructions of the Ukrainian special services, the curators of Darius and Kovylkov promised to pay them a cash reward of $3 thousand.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Ukrainian troops attacked the city of Rylsk in the Kursk region with missiles, as a result of which civilians were injured and social facilities were damaged. The head of the Rylsk district, Andrei Belousov, told RIA Novosti on December 20.
According to him, the city was subjected to massive missile attacks, with approximately 15 hits recorded.
"Yes, there are victims. We don't know exactly how many yet. Social facilities..." Belousov said.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on November 26, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on attacks by Ukraine on the territory of the Kursk region using American ATACMS operational-tactical missiles, which were carried out twice in three days. As a result, Russian servicemen were injured.
Later that day, the Defense Ministry released footage from the Kursk-Vostochny airfield, which was attacked by ATACMS missiles. It showed fragments of missile bodies with their numbers and other data lying on the runway and in other parts of the airfield. On November 27, the Main Military Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia reported the deaths of two people as a result of the missile strike.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Gam Express vessel sent a distress signal in the Kerch Strait, the press service of the Southern Transport Prosecutor's Office reported on December 20.
“The safety of navigation is being monitored in connection with the distress signal sent by the Gam Express vessel in the Kerch Strait,” the department noted on its Telegram channel.
The Novorossiysk Transport Prosecutor's Office has been entrusted with control. The Russian Trade Union of Seafarers, whose report is cited by TASS, reported that there are sailors from Syria and Egypt on board the ship.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on December 15, the tankers Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, which were transporting fuel oil, sank in the Kerch Strait during a storm. As a result of the emergency, a partial leak of petroleum products occurred.
On December 17, it became known that another tanker with fuel oil, Volgoneft 109, located near the port of Kavkaz in the Kerch Strait, sent a distress signal. The Marine Rescue Service clarified that the crew of this vessel is safe.
It was specified that the tanker captain reported damage to the cargo tank. The rescue vessel escorted the Volgoneft 109 to a safe anchorage.
🚨 BREAKING: US president-elect Donald Trump informed European allies that he will continue military support for Ukraine during his presidency and wants the allies to raise NATO defense spending to 5% of GDP, with a near term target of 3.5%. https://t.co/mNVp7p43Qv
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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.
