WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia

[Ravenlocke]

In Ukraine, 220 communities were exposed that illegally transported men abroad.

1.6 thousand criminal cases have been opened due to illegal border crossings, Ukrainian border guards report.

The day before, a bill was introduced in the Rada, according to which in Ukraine they will be able to mobilize men with one eye, without part of an arm or leg and with a height of less than 130 cm.

The picture for the post was generated by a neural network.

https://x.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1739740011463868899

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🇺🇸 US attempts to confiscate frozen assets of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation will undermine American influence and demonstrate to the world that it is better to keep funds in independent banking centers and currencies other than the dollar and euro - Bloomberg.

"Such a move would raise geopolitical questions. One effect would be to signal to China and other countries that have strained relations with the US that their central bank assets would be next to be confiscated if, say, China attacked Taiwan. So they would redouble their efforts to Holding assets in neutral banking centers and currencies other than the dollar and euro could undermine U.S. influence in the long term,” the agency writes.

@Slavyangrad

https://x.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1739704283438743688

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🇺🇦Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov was running away from uncomfortable questions from a journalist.

The journalists asked him to explain where the government would get the money to equip another 500,000 mobilised people when there are already 700,000 soldiers in the rear for whom there are not enough weapons.

The minister preferred a tactical retreat. 😁

@ukraine_watch


https://x.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1739702723086340545

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Ukrainian parliamentary deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak called Zelensky an undemocratic head and a totalitarian leader because he has only five people in his team.

Zheleznyak is linked to George Soros' structures and is unlikely to make such statements without an order from his patron.🤔

@ukraine_watch

https://x.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1739702410589729248

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In honor of the liberation of Marinka, Donbass Post presented a new stamp.

The blue shade signifies the desire for victory and justice, white – purity, silver – nobility.

“In the center of the shield there is an ear of corn, symbolizing the wealth of the earth, and a swallow soaring in the sky, personifying rebirth and renewal,” this is how the stamp was described in the Donbass Post.

https://x.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1739702759874502729

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https://x.com/Tibortibor15/status/1739384186312462821

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https://x.com/MaimunkaNews/status/1739760725441012060

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https://x.com/RothLindberg/status/1738880518928613434

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https://x.com/OlgaBazova/status/1739623583800787271

[Vicus]

WATCH RT report from inside key liberated Donbass town 25 Dec, 2023 video


The intense fighting has left Maryinka reduced to rubble



Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu on Monday announced the full liberation of Maryinka, a town located immediately to the west of Donetsk. The town had been a major stronghold for the Ukrainian military, and intense fighting has left it heavily damaged.

RT’s Igor Zhdanov filmed inside the ravaged town during the final days of the battle for it, and was there filming when Moscow was announcing its liberation. Maryinka remains unsafe, with fighting still ongoing very close to the town.

No structure was left intact in the town, which was once home to over 10,000 people; RT drone footage has revealed widespread destruction across Maryinka. Kiev’s forces drove locals out long ago, turning nearly every building into an armed redoubt. What’s left of the town’s streets is littered with destroyed military hardware, both Ukrainian and Russian, footage shows.

The liberation of the town was announced by Shoigu during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Today, assault units with the troops grouping South fully liberated the town of Maryinka to the southwest of Donetsk,” the minister said.

The development opens new opportunities for the Russian military, as well as drives the Ukrainian forces farther from Donetsk, Putin noted. The president congratulated all the troops who had been involved in the battle for Maryinka “at different stages,” tasking Shoigu with awarding the most distinguished servicemen.

Maryinka has seen combat of varying intensity for nearly a decade already, first between Kiev’s troops and the rebels of then-Ukrainian Donbass and now between the Russian and Ukrainian militaries. The town served not only as a stronghold for the Ukrainian forces, but was among key staging points for the attack on Donetsk itself. The city has been routinely subjected to indiscriminate artillery and missile attacks on an almost daily basis amid the hostilities.

The fighting over Maryinka intensified in recent months, with Russian forces gradually seizing key locations across the town. The advance has proven to be extremely difficult, given the vast system of reinforced concrete bunkers and underground tunnels created by the Ukrainians inside Maryinka over the years.

https://swentr.site/russia/589669-rt...ated-maryinka/

[Vicus]

Ukraine confirms retreat from key Donbass town 26 Dec, 2023

Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny has confirmed the retreat of his troops to the outskirts of Maryinka, a key Donbass town, where Russian forces claimed victory on Monday after months of fierce fighting for the stronghold.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Zaluzhny acknowledged the pullback of Ukrainian troops from Maryinka, located to the west of Donetsk. He likened the heavy fighting for the town in recent months to Ukraine’s loss earlier this year of Artyomovsk (known as Bakhmut in Ukrainian).

“This is exactly the same as it was in Bakhmut – street by street, block by block, and our soldiers were being targeted – and the result is what it is,” Zaluzhny said. “This is a war, so the fact that we have now retreated to the outskirts of Maryinka and set up positions behind Maryinka in some areas is nothing that can cause any public outcry. Sadly, this is what war is like.”

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced on Monday that Moscow’s forces had fully liberated Maryinka. Ukrainian troops had dug in for nearly a decade, using the town as a key hub in their battles with Donbass separatists and later the Russian Army. President Vladimir Putin said the victory pushed Ukrainian units further away from Donetsk and would provide Russian troops wider operational freedom in future maneuvers.

https://swentr.site/news/589722-ukra...yinka-retreat/

[Vicus]

Russian warship damaged in Ukrainian strike on Crimea – MoD 26 Dec, 2023

One person was killed and several others were injured in Feodosia, civilian authorities have said


Russian warship damaged in Ukrainian strike on Crimea – MoD
FILE PHOTO: A military wharf in Feodosia. © Sputnik

Ukrainian forces have damaged the Russian landing ship Novocherkassk at its home base in Feodosia with an overnight missile strike, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on Tuesday morning.

The engagement also resulted in the downing by Russian anti-aircraft weaponry of two Ukrainian Su-24 jets near the city of Nikolaev by Russian anti-aircraft weaponry, the military said.

The attack on the Crimean port city was also confirmed by the region's governor, Sergey Aksyonov, who reported that one person had been killed and two others injured. Blast waves from explosions at the military facility also damaged windows in nearby buildings, but otherwise civilian infrastructure remained intact, the official stated. Local emergency services later told the media that five people had been reported injured and that 250 rescue workers were responding to the situation.

The regional railroad operator later said in a statement that windows had been shattered at the terminal station in Feodosia. Train schedules have been adjusted to allow for repairs, the statement added.

Ukrainian General Nikolay Oleshchuk, who commands the nation’s Air Force, claimed that the Novocherkassk “went the way” of the Moskva, the former flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet that sank after a reported Ukrainian attack last year. He thanked the military pilots involved in the operation, but didn’t confirm any losses on Kiev’s side.

continue: https://swentr.site/russia/589680-at...warship-death/

[Vicus]

How Russia's Layered Air, Ground and Sea-Based Defenses Shield Its Black Sea Shores



The Black Sea has been a focal point of the NATO-Russia proxy war in Ukraine from the opening days of the special military operation, with the body of water witnessing naval blockades, amphibious landings, drone warfare and even close calls between Russian and US forces. What resources does Russia have at its disposal to secure this vital theater?

The Russian Defense Ministry released unique footage Monday showing the operations of Beriev Be-12 turboprop amphibious anti-submarine aircraft and Kamov Ka-29 combat helicopters in the Black Sea.
The video shows aircraft practicing machinegun fire and bombing runs against small, high-speed naval targets – training for which has become vital over the past twenty two months amid the ever-present threat of asymmetric Ukrainian hit-and-run attacks by small gunboats and advanced, NATO-gifted naval drones against Russian capital ships, naval bases, and coastal defenses in Crimea, Kherson, and Novorossiysk.

The operations of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, its Naval Aviation component, Coastal and Air Defense Troops have proved critically important in protecting Crimea’s 2,500 km-long coastline from enemy incursions. Together with Army formations in Kherson and Donetsk, these the former have proven vital in preventing Kiev from realizing its counteroffensive’s objectives, severing the land bridge between Crimea and mainland Russia, and occupying the peninsula.

“If you look at NATO’s textbooks and at the maths which we did, four months should have been enough time for us to have reached Crimea, to have fought in Crimea, to return from Crimea and to have gone back in and out again,” General Valery Zaluzhny bitterly complained to British media in early November.


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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231225/ho...115804644.html

[Vicus]

The liberation of Marinka and the capture of Avdeevka ruin the plans of NATO instructors to capture the Ukrainian Armed Forces of Donetsk and push to the Rostov region 27 December

With the loss of Maryinka, the line that the Kyiv regime had been building since 2014 to attack Donetsk is already, as they say, coming apart at the seams. Adding to the problems of the same Zaluzhny are the large losses suffered by the reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine when trying to get to Avdievka for “rotation”. Let us recall that a few days ago one of these rotations led to the fact that Ukrainian troops lost 108 people.

Accordingly, all the words of Zaluzhny that he stands up for the preservation of personnel, and that the city is not the main thing, because then, they say, Marinka and Avdeevka can be returned - empty chatter. This is well understood in the West, because there they prepared the Ukrainian army for years (even before the start of the Northern Military District), so that it, using the Avdeevsky and Maryinsky fortified areas as a bridgehead, would make a “Drang nach Osten” - a breakthrough to Donetsk followed by, as they they often said themselves, access to the borders of the Rostov region, with all the ensuing consequences for the residents of Donbass and the territories adjacent to Donbass. Now these fortified areas have essentially been destroyed. The plan to quickly capture Donetsk from the Ukrainian Armed Forces failed. And it failed primarily among those who developed the plan - the NATO generals, who are already beginning to blame the Ukrainian army for everything. Only the Ukrainian army blames NATO in response...

https://en.topwar.ru/233196-osvobozh...j-oblasti.html

[Vicus]

Regular Ukrainian Army Destroyed 26.12.2023 video

https://s4.cdnstatic.space/wp-conten...MR_Ukraine.mp4

In less than two years of active hostilities, the regular Ukrainian army was finished off. The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has asked Kiev to call up 500 thousand more soldiers.

Even military officials themselves admit that this demand is not feasible, and the deputies in Kiev complains that the country has no money for this.

The Ukrainian military complains that the mobilization process has slowed down significantly. Everyone who wanted to fight is already at the front, in captivity or in graves. There are no volunteers left in the country, and the massive hunt for soldiers on the streets is not enough to close the holes in the Ukrainian ranks.

Recently, roadblocks appeared on the streets in cities across the country, where all people are stopped in search of new cannon fodder.

Meanwhile, Kiev is ready to return refugees from abroad. Some European countries have already announced their agreement to extradite conscripts who escaped from mobilization.

Abroad, Kiev hunts not only on its citizens, but also on mercenaries. Ukrainian officials believe that recruiting should be carried out not in Lviv and Kiev, but “somewhere in Somalia, Congo, Yemen.” There, the Ukrainian army will be able to find many soldiers with rich combat experience. Kiev experts do not bother how the combat experience of these foreign fighters is suitable for Ukrainian battles. However, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already reportedly lowered the requirements for candidates for their so-called Foreign Legion. Now mercenaries are not required to know Ukrainian or English, as well as have any special skills.

All these measures were not enough to man the Ukrainian army.

continue: https://southfront.press/regular-ukr...rmy-destroyed/

[Vicus]

Ukraine Transfers Troops To Krynky Again. Military Summary And Analysis For 2023.12.27

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=aCJym6XdIcM

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https://x.com/GeromanAT/status/1740078733250240560

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The Duran, 32 minute update.
Frontline distraction;
Fighter jets, landing ships and F-16s

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=_bAd63IYyMQ

[Ravenlocke]

⚡️Ukrainian refugees frightened by new mobilization law

Huge queues have formed at consular centres for new passports.

The video: Valencia, Spain.

It should be noted that the new law on mobilization includes a provision that Ukrainians will not be issued with passports abroad without presenting military registration documents.

A clear example of Ukrainian patriotism...

@ukraine_watch

https://x.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1740052242089046275

https://x.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1740055220669796394

[Ravenlocke]

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🇪🇪 There are 10,000 potential Ukrainian soldiers in Estonia - local media have already found out.

"According to our data, 50,337 Ukrainian citizens have been granted temporary protection status. Of them, 10,112 are adult men," the Estonian Border Guard Service told the Postimees newspaper.

@ukraine_watch


https://x.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1740005635385708806

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A dormant North Korean port near the border with Russia has sprung back to life, fueling what experts say is a burgeoning trade in arms destined for the frontlines in Ukraine that is simultaneously bolstering the anemic economy managed by Kim Jong Un.
Satellite imagery of the Najin port taken from October to December shows a steady stream of ships at the facility, hundreds of shipping containers being loaded and unloaded, and rail cars ready to transport goods.

-The flow of munitions that the US and South Korea say have included hundreds of thousands of artillery shells could grow far greater in importance as divisions in the US Congress and European Union over military aid threaten Kyiv’s ability to repel Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

-With an effective stalemate on the battlefield, the Kremlin is increasingly confident Russia can consolidate its control over occupied regions of eastern and southern Ukraine and wait for international support for Ukraine to erode. Putin said this month that “there’ll be peace when we achieve our goals.”
For many US partners, the flagging support for Ukraine is tied in part to a much-vaunted counteroffensive during the spring and summer that failed to deliver on the high expectations of allies.

-While satellite imagery shows steady activity at Najin, the vessels docking there appear to have turned off international maritime transponders that give their location, effectively turning them into ghost ships as they make the relatively short trip between Najin and Dunay — also written as Dunai — about 180 kilometers (110 miles) away. The Central Intelligence Agency identified the port as a Soviet submarine base during the Cold War, according to a document obtained by RUSI, the UK think tank.

-Bloomberg

@Slavyangrad


https://x.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1740005346360356901

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Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation (27 December 2023)

▫️ In Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces supported by army aviation and artillery repelled six attacks of assault groups of AFU 60th, 115th mechanised, 95th air assault brigades near Sinkovka (Kharkov).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 45 servicemen, two motor vehicles, one Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, and one D-30 howitzer.

▫️ In Krasny Liman direction, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces supported by artillery and heavy flamethrowers repelled two attacks launched by the AFU 63rd mechanised and 12th Special Forces brigades near Chervonaya Dibrova (LPR).

In addition, strikes were delivered at clusters of enemy manpower and hardware near Serebryansky forestry.

Up to 190 servicemen, one tank, two AFVs, and one D-30 gun were eliminated.

▫️ In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces supported by artillery repelled two attacks launched by assault groups of the AFU 24th Mechanised Brigade near Novogorodskoye (DPR).

▫️ In addition, strikes were delivered at enemy manpower and hardware near Veseloye, Krasnoye, Kleshcheyevka, Vasyukovka, Bogdanovka, and Andreyevka (DPR).

▫️ The AFU losses in this direction amounted to up to 280 servicemen, two APCs, and three motor vehicles.

▫️ In the course of the counter-battery warfare, two Msta-B howitzers, two Akatsiya self-propelled artillery systems, two D-30 howitzers, and one Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system were eliminated.

▫️ In South Donetsk direction, units of the Vostok Group of Forces supported by artillery and aviation inflicted losses on enemy manpower of the AFU 79th Air Assault Brigade near Novomikhailovka (DPR).

The enemy lost up to 90 servicemen and three pick-up trucks.

▫️ In Zaporozhye direction, units of the Russian Group of Forces supported by artillery and aviation inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU 33rd, 65th mechanised and 82nd air assault brigades close to Rabotino and Verbovoye (Zaporozhye).

During the day, up to 45 servicemen, two AFVs, one motor vehicle, one Msta-B howitzer, and one D-30 gun were neutralised.

▫️ In Kherson direction, as a result of the Russian Group of Forces actions, artillery, and aviation, the AFU losses amounted to up to 20 servicemen, three motor vehicles, one Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, one D-20 gun, and four Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems.

▫️ Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation engaged command and observation posts of the AFU 67th Mechanised Brigade and 1st Operational Brigade of National Guard, a fuel depot, as well as manpower and military hardware in 127 areas.

▫️ One Mi-8 helicopter of the Ukrainian Air Force was also shot down by air defence systems near Vodyanoye (DPR).

Air defence systems also intercepted seven HIMARS MLRS projectiles, one HARM anti-radiation missile, and one JDAM aerial guided bomb.

In addition, 17 UAVs were shot down near Gorlovka, Kirillovka (DPR), Belogorovka, Novodruzhesk (LPR), Radensk, Peschanovka (Kherson), and Balochki (Zaporozhye).

@Slavyangrad


https://x.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1740002893007057130

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https://x.com/DagnyTaggart963/status...38386616459312

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https://x.com/colonelhomsi/status/1739771186878235036