WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia

[Tintin]

We already know from past experience how low Western media is prepared to sink in the pursuit of its (pathetic) propaganda, but this would likely make the inhabitants of the Abyss blush.

Re-purposed COVID-era false footage now being used to claim dead civilians in the Ukraine/NATO-Russia conflict

Jeez...staggeringly transparently false. The original footage first aired February 4th, 2022 on Austrian television, here: https://t.co/nafrZMDvhk

Many folks bandy the term 'propaganda' around yet fail to make it distinct from real information based on objective fact, or at least are unable to define it. This whole mini-episode should serve as a primer:

[Ravenlocke]

Aleksey The Great 🇷🇺🎖

'We've been looking forward to you so much! Thank you!'🇷🇺🌹❤️

▪️The Tsentr Group's servicemen performed another quiet feat, evacuating six civilians from Krasnoarmeysk. Among them, there is an elderly woman with mobility issues who was carefully delivered to a safe area.

▪️People were hostages: one of the rescued women with tears in her eyes told what they had to go through. Ukrainian militants broke into their house and took away remaining supplies of food and fuel. Sitting in warm place, they forced civilians at gunpoint to find food for them.

▪️The nightmare is over: the 51st Army's stormers approached close, wiped out Ukrainian militants, freeing the people.

▪️The residents of Krasnoarmeysk are now in a warm and cozy place, and the main thing, they're safe. They received all the necessary assistance.

🇷🇺 Russian Defence Ministry

https://x.com/aleksthgrt/status/2087538652146553215

[Tintin]

Situation from around Northern Kharkov

An update from AMK Mapping:

-------------

The situation for Ukraine in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast is reaching a critical point...

Russian forces have continued their new cross-border offensive operations, which seem to be aimed at encircling a large Ukrainian grouping in the northeastern corner of Kharkiv Oblast.

As a result of recent advances, they captured the villages of Artilne, Ustynivka, Ivashchyne, Anyshchyne, Shevyakivka, Zybyne, Karaichne, Vilcha, Lyman, and Volokhivka, and are now engaged in fighting for Volokhivske, Zakharivka, Ivanivka, Vasylivka, Vodyane, Vilkhuvatka, Dovzhanka, and Kupyne. Forward assault groups from the two pincers are currently just 8 km from cutting off the large Ukrainian salient.

However, the main target of this offensive may be the town of Prykolotne, which hosts the main highway intersection, and is responsible for most logistics in this sector. It's fall would make defending the Bilya Kolodyaz direction much more difficult.

Currently, a large grey-zone remains in many areas, and there is still an opportunity for Ukraine to stabilise the situation. But, if nothing is done soon, they may be forced to withdraw from this large salient to avoid being encircled.

Over a year ago, I outlined this area as having potential for unusually large Russian advances. And it appears we may be seeing this materialise now.

[Tintin]

Somewhat damning I'd say. There's also video footage but none with English subtitles, at least that I've seen.

Source: https://x.com/NovorussiaToday/status...60766207467555

"I know Zelensky very well, he's a worthless and insignificant loser, he stumbled upon a venal woman who pushed him to always want more money, so he became president, now the war is their source of revenue"

Olga Polyakova, Zelensky's ex

[Tintin]

Source: https://x.com/AMK_Mapping_/status/2087817959486230823

Situation on the Dobropillya direction, Donetsk Oblast:

Over the last three weeks, the situation has sharply deteriorated for Ukraine, as Russia makes a series of tactical breakthroughs into one of the strongest parts of the frontline.

In the southwest, Russian forces continued clearing the salient west of Hryshyne, advancing further west north of the highway. Other assault groups advanced south of Myrne, entrenching in the forested gulleys, and infiltrating further west along the southern bank of the Hryshnka River.

To the northeast, the Russians improved their positions north and northeast of Vasylivka, continued fighting for Myrne, and captured a large number of treeline positions southwest of Shevchenko. Some infiltrators have managed to reach the southern approaches to Novohryshyne and Matyasheve.

To the east, Russian forces captured the former Zaporizhka Mine west of Rodynske and captured a large number of treelines to the northwest. This has allowed them to capture the main part of Shevchenko and begin infiltrating north towards Vodyanske.

These attacks are being carried out in coordination with a large-scale operation from the east, which has resulted in Russia breaking through Ukraine's main defences east of Svitle, and gaining a foothold in the northeastern part of the town. Heavy fighting is now underway for Svitle and neighbouring Vodyanske, where the grey-zone has been significantly expanded. Additionally, some Russian soldiers are infiltrating north into the villages of Chernihivka and further west from there into Krasnopodillya.

To the northeast, Russian forces cleared the fields east, northeast, and southeast of Bilytske, before entering and capturing the majority of the city. From there, they are attempting to capture the Bilytska Mine and support operations in Chernihivka from the east. Fighting continues with some partially-isolated Ukrainian formations in the southwestern part of Bilytske.

To the north, the Russians captured the main Ukrainian strongpoint in the railway line south of Novyi Donbas after weeks of fighting, and pushed further. They then captured Novyi Donbas itself and began infiltrating west to the eastern outskirts of Dobropillya. Heavy fighting is also underway for the Hannivka area after Russian forces captured the dachas on the eastern outskirts of the village. Other Russian assault groups are attempting to push north to capture the tactical heights south of Stepy.

To the east, Russian forces recaptured the dachas northeast of Nove Shakhove and advanced north up the forested gulley, while other forces attempt to capture Vilne and the positions east of the village. Additionally, heavy fighting is ongoing for the large forest north of Shakhove and the nearby clay quarries.

+ ~74.26 in favour of Russia.

-------------------------------

Followed by:

The Ukrainian assault groups should be in Dobropillya and Kramatorsk/Slovyansk, not Dnipropetrovsk Oblast or the Komar direction.

What's unfolding in these directions could quickly become a complete and utter disaster for Ukraine if there is no response soon.

[rgray222]

Ukrainian Drones Attack Wildberries Hub and Oil Refinery in Bashkortostan

Ukrainian drones targeted a Wildberries warehouse and a major oil refinery in Russia’s Bashkortostan region, over 1,300 kilometres from Ukraine's border. Local officials reported two injured, while Wildberries confirmed the strike on its complex.



Ukrainian drones targeted a logistics hub owned by Wildberries and caused a fire at one of Russia’s largest oil refineries in the republic of Bashkortostan Thursday, according to regional officials and exiled news outlets.

Regional head Radiy Khabirov said 16 drones were shot down over the city of Salavat and five others over the nearby Chishminsky district. They are located around 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) east of Moscow and more than 1,300 kilometers (808 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

“Two people were injured in today’s attacks. Both are in hospitals receiving all necessary care,” he wrote on Telegram.

Khabirov said falling debris sparked a fire in an “industrial area.” Exiled media outlet Astra identified the site as the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat refinery, which accounts for 2.7% of Russia’s total refining throughput and which halted operations after being damaged in an attack last month.

Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, said a fire broke out at another “industrial zone” that houses one of its facilities. It noted that staff had been evacuated in advance and that no retail merchandise was being stored there.

Ukrainian Drone Strikes on Wildberries Facilities

Khabirov said a Ka-32 firefighting helicopter was deployed to help ground crews extinguish the blaze in the Chishminsky district where the logistics hub is located.

Astra said construction of the complex totaling 186,800 square meters was not yet complete.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defense systems intercepted 362 Ukrainian drones across 18 Russian regions and annexed Crimea between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

The drone barrage caused temporary flight suspensions and restrictions at regional airports in the southern cities of Ufa, Kazan, Samara and Krasnodar.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/...rtostan-a93480

[Ravenlocke]

Margarita Simonyan

Aug 12
Putin promises mirror responses to the seizure of Russian ships wherever the country considers it “necessary and purposeful”:

“We see that the authorities of some [EU] countries, in violation of international maritime law, are trying to limit the movement of our economic operators. And recently, they even came up with the idea of seizing our ships and selling off our stolen property.

This is nothing more than piracy and robbery

https://x.com/M_Simonyan/status/2087497310829740165

MFA Russia 🇷🇺

Aug 12
💬 President #Putin:

Attempts to seize Russian vessels & sell off our property are outright piracy.

❗️ If such plans are implemented, Russia will respond in kind – wherever we deem necessary, including within the Pacific Fleet’s area of responsibility.

https://t.me/MFARussia/31401



https://x.com/mfa_russia/status/2087511586369855672

[Ravenlocke]

RUSSNiUS 🇷🇺

Translated from German
Great Britain has made it clear to Putin that it has no fear of threats to detain European ships in response to the seizure of vessels from Russia's so-called "shadow fleet."

"The United Kingdom is disrupting the activities of shadow fleet vessels and deterring them from their harmful maritime operations that fuel Russia's war against Ukraine. In contrast to the Russian shadow fleet, British military forces and civilian ships operate in strict accordance with international maritime law," a government spokesperson told BBC News.

The British government also emphasized that the tanker SMYRTOS, which was detained in June and was sailing under the flag of Cameroon, remains in custody. It is suspected that the vessel is part of the Russian shadow fleet.

The British Ministry of Defence pointed out that Russia possesses a fleet of more than 700 ships responsible for transporting 75% of sanctioned Russian oil, which has been described as "a crucial source of support for the Kremlin in financing Russia's war."

Translated from German
💥 Russia will itself select the targets for the response to the aggression and piracy of the western countries, declared Sergey Lavrov.

"It is not necessarily required that this take place in the same waters where these new 'peacemakers' will carry out their lawlessness. We will select the targets ourselves, and we will decide for ourselves how we will deal with these ships."

The Russian Foreign Minister emphasized that the European Union has embarked on a dangerous path by deciding to label every ship that does not follow its instructions as a "shadow fleet.

https://x.com/vladi2726/status/2087957758947590500

[Ravenlocke]

ТАСС

Translated from Russian
Another exchange of civilians between Russia and Ukraine took place in Belarus, BelTA reports.

Eight people proceeded to the Russian Federation, seven to Ukraine:
https://vk.cc/d0siFu

https://x.com/tass_agency/status/2087907678236414390

[Ravenlocke]

ТАСС

Translated from Russian
The Russian Ambassador explained to the head of Japan's Foreign Ministry that the president's trips across the country's territory are a sovereign decision and are not discussed with foreign states.

Earlier, Japan's Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian Ambassador to Tokyo over Putin's trip to Iturup:
https://vk.cc/d0s6oh

https://x.com/tass_agency/status/2087891705844363292

ТАСС

Translated from Russian
The Kuril Islands have been, are, and will be Russian land, stated Medvedev.

He noted that anyone who does not understand the eternal belonging of the Kurils to Russia, like Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi, will face dire consequences:
https://vk.cc/d0rL2B

https://x.com/tass_agency/status/2087887876109271223

[Ravenlocke]

ТАСС

Translated from Russian
Russia transferred 261 bodies of deceased Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers to Ukraine. In exchange, 24 bodies of deceased Russian servicemen were returned to Russia, military correspondent Alexander Kots reported:
https://vk.cc/d0rJak

https://x.com/tass_agency/status/2087837476068991015

[Ravenlocke]

GeoInsider

BREAKING: 🇮🇹 Explosions and a fire have hit a munitions plant in Colleferro, Italy, around 50 km southeast of Rome.

The incident occurred at the former Simmel Difesa facility, now operated by KNDS Ammo Italy, which produces medium- and large-caliber ammunition for land and naval forces, as well as solid propellants for aerospace applications. The explosion reportedly occurred in the powder-pressing department.

Emergency crews are at the scene. No injuries have been reported so far, and the blast was reportedly limited to one area of the facility.

KNDS is a major European defense company producing armored vehicles, artillery systems and ammunition for military forces across Europe and NATO.

KNDS also has a subsidiary in Kyiv, KNDS Ukraine LLC, established in 2024 to support cooperation with Ukraine’s government and defense industry, including plans for joint production of 155mm artillery ammunition in Ukraine.

https://x.com/InsiderGeo/status/2087912477396750745

[Ravenlocke]

🇷🇺 STANISLAV KRAPIVNIK 🇷🇺

Aug 12
What is needed for a reciprocal response to Europe

Continuing the topic of Russia's response to European piracy today. During his report to the Supreme Commander, Admiral Viktor Liina emphasized that the Pacific Fleet has all the necessary forces to inspect and detain ships of unfriendly states and their shadow fleet. What forces are needed to accomplish this task?

First, trained boarding teams. Yes, a significant portion of the marines are engaged in combat operations in the special military operation zone. However, from those who remain at their permanent bases, it is quite possible to form enough inspection groups in a short period of time. And we don't need hundreds of them. Fortunately, the Pacific Fleet marines already have experience in capturing large ships. In May 2010, "black berets" from the Boris P. Shapoшnikov large anti-submarine warfare ship successfully stormed and captured the "Moscow University" oil tanker, which had been seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, without any casualties. A lot of time has passed, but the experience remains.

Second, if we have accepted the challenge in this maritime confrontation, it is probably worth considering the creation of a specialized private military company (PMC) for the navy. If the military are responsible for inspecting and detaining unfriendly ships, then private security companies could be tasked with protecting and escorting commercial vessels. In the West, there are dozens of PMCs that provide security for maritime shipping. And their employees are capable of defending themselves: they are often armed no worse than army units.

Third, equipment. The Pacific Fleet does not have any problems with its equipment. In recent years, its ship composition has been updated even faster than in the Northern Fleet. In the Far East, there are enough means to deliver inspection groups to the board of suspicious ships. This includes fast boats, maneuverable corvettes, and deck helicopters. In addition, they operate under the cover of infrastructure on the mainland.

The Navy's intelligence has proven that we can see all unfriendly maritime targets. Whether we will take reciprocal measures against them now depends on the actions of the Europeans themselves.

About what lies behind Moscow's "anti-piracy" decision - in my channel on MАКС.

@sashakots

https://x.com/STANISKRAPIVNIK/status...72027968217431

Sputnik

Aug 12
🚨🇷🇺 Russia's Pacific Fleet has the muscle to board and seize hostile-nation vessels, Admiral says

Key takeaways from Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Viktor Liin’s report to President Putin:

🔸 Russia’s Pacific maritime forces stand ready to secure national interests across the Asia-Pacific;

🔸 New hostile blocs are crystallizing in the region: NATO in all but name, operating under a different banner;

🔸 The West is actively choking Russia’s maritime trade routes to deal a blow to its economy;

🔸 A traffic audit reveals that out of 1,001 vessels in the Asia-Pasific region, 379 sail under unfriendly flags;

🔸 The Pacific fleet has the resources to detain such ships whenever necessary;

🔸 The security landscape is fraught and growing more volatile by the day;

🔸 The West is quietly moving military cargo under third-party flags, relying on what is essentially a shadow fleet

https://x.com/SputnikInt/status/2087457354618990667

[Ravenlocke]

Zlatti71

Putin closed the Pacific Fleet’s summer exercise from the deck of the missile cruiser Varyag off Sakhalin, then took lunch with the crew. The visit doubled as a warning to Europe over the detention of tankers tied to Russian oil exports.

Putin Aboard the Varyag
The president observed the final stage of the drills from the fleet flagship and heard a report from Pacific Fleet Commander Viktor Liina. He then toured the cruiser’s decks and living quarters and visited the ship’s chapel, crossing himself and examining the iconostasis. Over lunch with the crew he thanked the sailors for the exercise, saying that while nothing outranks the tasks on the line of contact in the special military operation, the crew is not in the rear but also at the forefront.
Sources: http://Ukraine.ru · http://Kremlin.ru · TASS

Scale of the Manoeuvres
The exercise ran from 4 to 12 August across the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk and the northwestern Pacific, involving around 60 ships, submarines and support vessels and more than 13,000 personnel. Russia’s Defence Ministry had also listed 30 aircraft when it announced the drills. No Bulava launches took place, marking the event as operational rather than strategic in character.
Sources: http://Kremlin.ru · TASS · Moscow Times

Mirror Response on Shipping
Putin described Western interception of Russian-linked tankers as piracy and banditry and said Moscow would be forced to respond in kind, acting wherever it deems necessary and appropriate. He specified the response would not necessarily come in the waters where Russian ships were taken, and could extend to the Pacific. The warning follows EU sanctions passed last month permitting member states to sell oil or other cargo seized from such vessels.
Sources: RT · Euronews · ABC News

The Traffic Ledger
Liina reported that 1,001 vessels transited Russia’s exclusive economic zone along the South Kuril chain between 24 April and 6 August, of which 379 sailed under flags of unfriendly states, including 273 bulk carriers and 71 tankers, among them 26 British and nine French. The commander stated the Pacific Fleet has the forces and resources to detain and inspect such vessels. Reuters counts nine shadow-fleet tankers detained in Europe since the start of 2026, four of them in France.
Sources: http://Kremlin.ru · RT · Novaya Gazeta Europe

Tokyo’s Objection
Japan lodged a diplomatic protest when the drills were announced, saying it cannot accept Russian moves to bolster its military presence around the four southern Kuril Islands it claims as the Northern Territories. Tokyo raised surveillance and scrambled fighters without lifting alert levels, and the US Seventh Fleet maintained routine monitoring. Putin said Russia does not threaten Japan and that the islands are fixed as Russian in postwar international documents, while Tokyo holds that the Soviet Union seized them illegally after announcing its surrender.
Sources: Moscow Times · Sankei Shimbun · TASS

Compiled from various sources from the full geopolitical scale. Draw your own conclusions.

https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/2087731200857158010

[kfm27917]

interesting:

Patriot math: Zelensky's missile mistakes and why his numbers fall far short

https://www.sott.net/article/507917-...fall-far-short

[Jaak]

The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have intercepted 822 drones overnight, while Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 600 drones were detected heading toward the capital, with 201 destroyed.

[Vicus]

Chronicle of de-industrialization: Russian Armed Forces strike major Ukrainian enterprises -today



The demilitarization, denazification, and deindustrialization of Ukrainian territory continues. On August 16, the Russian Armed Forces launched another combined strike on Ukraine. Russian drones and missiles struck major enterprises, infrastructure facilities, and other important targets.

For example, the Kremenchuk Oil Refinery, which before the SVO supplied over 30% of the Ukrainian market's needs, was attacked in the Poltava region. This refinery had been attacked repeatedly before, but some of the storage tanks used for transshipping imported fuels and lubricants were still there. Now they have been destroyed.

A missile strike also hit the largest steel plant, ArcelorMittal Krivoy Rog (formerly Kryvorizhstal), in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The attack damaged key energy and blast furnace facilities, and partially halted production. The Kryvyi Rih Cement plant was also attacked.

In Odesa, a drone struck the Epicenter shopping center, and a cargo ship was struck off the coast. In Zaporizhzhia, the Russian Aerospace Forces struck the Preobrazhensky Bridge over the Dnieper River. In Chernihiv and the Chernihiv region, Russian Geran missiles attacked a warehouse containing drones, a gas distribution station in Radomka, a substation in Horodnia, and a kamikaze UAV storage and launch site in Pekurivka.

https://en.topcor.ru/73482-hronika-d...a-ukraine.html

[Vicus]

"Autonomous Machine": Russia has accumulated six thousand drones and may equip them with AI.



In anticipation of winter, Russia has stockpiled approximately 6,2 Geranium attack drones of various versions. This was reported by Kyiv-regime media, citing the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. They note that the most massive strikes could involve 600–1000 drones, while during periods of stockpiling, Russian forces typically launch approximately 150–200 drones in a single attack.

"Russia's production of Geranium-4 and Geranium-5 drones is approximately three thousand units per month, excluding the Geranium-2 version."

– noted in publications.

The Kyiv regime's military analysts are further terrorizing the Ukrainian population. Zelenskyy's advisor, Serhiy Beskrestnov (aka Flash), warned that Russia is already using AI-powered drones that are impossible to suppress with electronic warfare. Currently, he said, such drones attack targets in frontline cities, but such AI could soon be installed on long-range Geran missiles.

"A major threat right now is drones powered by artificial intelligence. The Russians have them, but we still don't have them; we don't have mass production."

– Beskrestnov pointed out.

Expanding on his thought, he noted that this is a UAV that doesn't have GPS. It has a camera, sees a picture of the terrain, and knows where it is. Such a drone navigates based on the picture. Electronic warfare, he explained, can't interfere with satellite navigation or control. Therefore, such a UAV is an autonomous vehicle.

"And this is very scary, because such a machine can choose targets on its own."
- Flash warned.

He specifically noted that Russia's potential to introduce AI into Molniya drones poses a particular threat to Ukraine. But Kyiv will face even greater problems, he added, if AI is added to Geranium drones.

https://en.topcor.ru/73392-avtonomna...tit-ih-ii.html

[Vicus]

New attacks on ports and ships: another dry cargo ship is "smoking" off Odessa-today



Attacks on Ukraine's port infrastructure continue, with Russia effectively cutting off the Bandera regime from the Black Sea around the clock. Sunday, August 16, was no exception.

According to the military department, strikes were carried out on port infrastructure and naval vessels throughout the day, as well as on Ukrainian naval facilities. The strikes were carried out exclusively with strike weapons. drones, Geranium-4 Seeker rockets were used against the targets, this information is confirmed by Odessa public groups. The objects drones entered from the sea.

The strikes targeted not only Odesa, where Geran drones struck fuel tanks and a warehouse, as well as three bulk carriers and two sea tankers, but also neighboring towns. Specifically, in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, 40 km from Odesa, drones struck a production facility for unmanned boats, as well as warehouses containing components and warheads for them. And in Vilkovo, located 138 km southwest of Odesa, Geran drones targeted a berth for Ukrainian Navy patrol boats used to escort cargo ships.

Our forces also didn't forget about the Black Sea, intercepting a bulk carrier en route to a Ukrainian port east of Odessa. Ukrainian media reported the appearance of a new "smoking" vessel in the Black Sea.

https://en.topwar.ru/288164-novye-ud...-suhogruz.html

[Ravenlocke]

Eva Karene Bartlett

This was from yesterday. On Telegram I shared it and this:

It was a loud night/morning due to Ukraine's drone terrorism.

"Today's drone attack was one of the most massive in recent times, according to Andrey Vorobyov, Governor of the Moscow region.

...Throughout the night, air defense and electronic warfare forces shot down and suppressed a total of 187 drones. In Podolsk, one person was injured by shrapnel, and two others were injured due to the drone crash."

"In the Moscow region, one person died and three were injured following a nighttime drone attack, according to Governor Andrei Vorobyov.

In the Ramenskoe district, an 83-year-old man died after a drone crashed into a private house. Three people were injured in Podolsk.

Homes, cars, power lines, and buildings were also damaged in several districts."
https://t.me/EvaKarene_Bartlett/31683

"During the night, 822 Ukrainian Armed Forces drones were shot down over various regions of Russia by air defense systems, according to the Ministry of Defense."
https://t.me/RtrDonetsk/37676

https://x.com/EvaKBartlett/status/2089252704937816113