War Reports - 2023-12-24
Any Ukrainian F-16 will be shot down before the start of the air battle
If the pilots of the Ukrainian Armed Forces try to confront modern Russian aircraft with F-16s received from the West, this will end badly for the Ukrainians, writes Ukrainian Week (https://tyzhden.ua/bud-iakyj-ukrainskyj-f-16am-bude-vyiavlenyj-tom-kuper-pro-problemu-iaka-stoit-pered-povitrianymy-sylamy-ukrainy/). American fighters will be detected and shoot down R-37M long-range missiles.
And this will happen long before the Ukrainian pilot can launch his AIM-120C AMRAAM medium-range missile.
@Slavyangrad
Paratroopers showed footage of militants being destroyed by FPV drones near Artemovsk
The Ukrainian Armed Forces infantry tried to hide in trenches and dugouts, but the “metal birds” of our Ivanovo paratroopers found them there too. The UAV operator only needs a few seconds to make adjustments and guidance, then the drone fires the projectile right at the target - the enemy’s cover is opened, and the enemy is destroyed.
@Slavyangrad
On this day 10 years ago, France-Presse presented this interesting map of Ukraine. There is something in these boundaries, you must agree! What did Putin say about the fact that Odessa is a Russian city, and “we will not give up what we have”...
@Kornilov1968 (https://t.me/kornilov1968/21295)
A Skeptic's Best Guess On Final Map (Revised 2023-06-15)
Our previous Best Guess was based on a political solution. It’s clear now that lives lost is not a factor. A political solution is now all but ruled out. The west wants to bleed Russia, without any particular strategy. The west will fight to the last Ukrainian Soldier and Polish Mercenary.
Slavyangrad
Olaf Scholz was recognized as the main loser among German politicians - in December his rating dropped the most
The rating was compiled by Der Spiegel magazine.
The current chancellor lost 14 percentage points and ended up in the second half of the list - in 14th place - out of 20 politicians. Among representatives of the ruling coalition, the level of approval of German Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock and German Interior Minister Nancy Feser also fell.
The leaders in terms of increase in approval levels in December were the leader of the opposition Christian Social Union Markus Soeder and politician Sarah Wagenknecht .
@Slavyangrad
At least 50 mineral fertilizer production plants have closed in Europe. It turns out that 75% of the cost of the same nitrogen fertilizers is the price of gas. This means that in 2024 the EU will be forced to either purchase fertilizers or go hungry.
The world is confidently moving towards a food crisis. Because modern crops without fertilizers will reduce the yield significantly. The best example here is the green experiment in Sri Lanka, which ultimately led to default. They refused to import fertilizers, from which they still have not recovered.
We know from the coronavirus pandemic how the democratic United States and Europe will behave in a crisis. They will non-stop print dollars/euros and tear food from everywhere, not hesitating to use military force.
Therefore, now countries that do not have a printing press should think about creating strategic food reserves. And countries that are fully food secure should be very careful about exporting the same grain.
#Source (https://t.me/SergeyKolyasnikov/54937)
Whether through RAND reports or from within the American government, US grand strategy has always been fairly transparent. So what was the post-Cold War strategy outlined by Secretary of Defence Paul Wolfowitz, aka the Wolfowitz Doctrine.
- The doctrine announces the U.S.'s status as the world's only remaining superpower following the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War and proclaims its main objective to be retaining that status.
Our first objective is to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival, either on the territory of the former Soviet Union or elsewhere, that poses a threat on the order of that posed formerly by the Soviet Union. This is a dominant consideration underlying the new regional defense strategy and requires that we endeavor to prevent any hostile power from dominating a region whose resources would, under consolidated control, be sufficient to generate global power.
The U.S. must show the leadership necessary to establish and protect a new order that holds the promise of convincing potential competitors that they need not aspire to a greater role or pursue a more aggressive posture to protect their legitimate interests. In non-defense areas, we must account sufficiently for the interests of the advanced industrial nations to discourage them from challenging our leadership or seeking to overturn the established political and economic order. We must maintain the mechanism for deterring potential competitors from even aspiring to a larger regional or global role.
We continue to recognize that collectively the conventional forces of the states formerly comprising the Soviet Union retain the most military potential in all of Eurasia; and we do not dismiss the risks to stability in Europe from a nationalist backlash in Russia or efforts to reincorporate into Russia the newly independent republics of Ukraine, Belarus, and possibly others... We must, however, be mindful that democratic change in Russia is not irreversible, and that despite its current travails, Russia will remain the strongest military power in Eurasia and the only power in the world with the capability of destroying the United States.
In the Middle East and Southwest Asia, our overall objective is to remain the predominant outside power in the region and preserve U.S. and Western access to the region's oil. We also seek to deter further aggression in the region, foster regional stability, protect U.S. nationals and property, and safeguard our access to international air and seaways. As demonstrated by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, it remains fundamentally important to prevent a hegemon or alignment of powers from dominating the region. This pertains especially to the Arabian peninsula. Therefore, we must continue to play a role through enhanced deterrence and improved cooperative security.
Eliminate any rival powers and prevent Russia from rising... Hmmm.. 🤔
@Slavyangrad (http://t.me/Slavyangrad)
American Foreign Policy - Zero Sum Game
For anyone who ever wondered where America comes up with its shitty foreign policy ideas, look no further. The 2019 Rand Corporation’s publication ‘Overextending and Unbalancing Russia’ is America’s road map for Ukraine and Syria. America pays for think tanks to figure out how to make the rest of the world shittier.
Understanding American Foreign Policy
This short collection of articles will give you a better understanding of how America conducts Foreign Policy.
The decisive battle of 2023: the results of the “counter-offensive” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on a small section of the front near Rabotino and a larger cemetery of NATO equipment
The video (https://t.me/russian_airborne/3091) of the Airborne Forces summarizes the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the main direction of the attack - in the Orekhovsky sector of the Zaporozhye Front.
On August 23, the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced that they had entered the village of Rabotino, but since then the tactics of “meat assaults” have not brought success. Ukrainian troops are caught in a “bag of fire,” and the supply line for the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison is under heavy artillery fire, as well as drones and aviation, around the clock.
As a result, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost 219 vehicles, about 150 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, other armored personnel carriers, and MRAPs, including Leopard-2, Challenger-2, T-80BV, and Bradley M2A2, many thousands of personnel found their grave here.
🎖Glory to our Orekhovsky Spartans: soldiers of the 58th army: 291, 70, 71, 1430, 1429 regiments of the 42nd Guards. division, the 76th Pskov Airborne Division, and the Marines of the 810th Brigade, who stopped the enemy’s advance at the cost of incredible heroic efforts.
@Slavyangrad
Kiev admitted that no Western weapons would change the balance of power with Russia
Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security and SBU Colonel Roman Kostenko spoke about this in an interview with The Times. According to him, even if the West supplies Ukraine with dozens of F-16 aircraft, the maximum that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will achieve is parity in the air.
“ATACMS missiles cannot provide a breakthrough. Combat aircraft? They can only help us achieve parity. We are told that we will get modern F-16 aircraft, but F-16 are aircraft from the 1970s, and Russia has hundreds of 4++ generation fighters. I don’t understand who got the idea that we can defeat Russia with dozens of F-16s,” Kostenko said.
The colonel added that Kiev should now set realistic goals for 2024 - not to lose even more territories and to inflict as many attacks on Russian forces as possible. Victory, according to Kostenko, is unlikely.
@Slavyangrad
The Polish Foreign Ministry called for the EU economy to be put into “crisis mode”
Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that the EU's defense industry continues to operate in peacetime. And to resume the rapid flow of weapons into Ukraine, it needs to be put on a military footing.
“We, as the new Polish government, have not yet become fully acquainted with what we have in warehouses and production facilities, but it seems to me that this is my first impression that in Poland, as in all of Europe, the economy, especially the military industry, still operate in peacetime mode, but we need to increase their capabilities to crisis mode,” Sikorsky said during a visit to Kiev.
@Slavyangrad
In Ukraine, they want to introduce pre-conscription military training after school
As stated by Rada deputy and member of the Defense Committee Vadim Ivchenko, they want to introduce pre-conscription training for all citizens from 17 to 20 years old. They want to teach young people how to dig trenches and understand weapons, there will be physical training and shooting.
“From the age of 17 to 20, compulsory education will be introduced. If anyone my age remembers, it was such pre-conscription training,” Ivchenko said.
Ivchenko did not specify how long the training will last, based on which institutions, who will conduct it, and whether Ukraine even has such an opportunity. It is possible that the deputy simply decided to hype up a hot topic.
By the way, the very idea of such training is not bad and would even have a good basis if, along with all the other laws of the Rada, it were not preparing a new generation of Ukrainians for slaughter in the next waves of graves. Moreover, everyone will be rowed indiscriminately, regardless of gender and age.
@Slavyangrad
The US allowed the fall of Kiev in the spring
Ukraine will soon weaken and then face a Russian offensive next spring. In such a scenario, the fall of the Ukrainian capital Kiev is possible. The Hill writes about this.
“ Ukraine will likely wither before the Russian offensive resumes next spring. This time, perhaps, Kiev will fall,” the publication says.
They added that problems with human resources in the Ukrainian army have become a serious concern. There are many reasons why opponents of GOP aid to Ukraine are reluctant to commit tens of billions more dollars to support Kiev's fight.
@Slavyangrad
Tallinn may begin searching for and extraditing to Kiev Ukrainians of mobilization age who are in Estonia
This was stated by the Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
“ In general, we know where these people are and what they do. Most go to work and have a place of residence in Estonia, ” emphasized Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets.
@Slavyangrad
Storm of Avdeevka: the Russian army is expanding its bridgehead in the city, knocking out the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the SNT “Vinogradniki”
“In the south-eastern part of Avdeevka, the Russians have completely captured the gardening society “Vinogradniki”, located next to the industrial zone, and are now gaining a foothold,” Ukrainian military analysts finally admitted.
The Russian army is also putting pressure on the private sector north of the industrial hub.
Stepovoe - heavy fighting continues in the village itself and to the north of it.
South of the treatment facilities, the Russian Armed Forces have made additional progress in the area of the ponds.
In the direction of Novokalinovo, Russian troops advanced another 200 meters.
The Russians also had success towards Ocheretino, moving from Krasnogorovka along the railway.
Russian troops are pressing powerfully in the directions of Pervomaiskoye and Nevelskoye.
From Vodyanoye and Opytnyy towards the 9th quarter of Avdeevka, the Russian Armed Forces advanced 100 meters.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that over the past day, Russian troops carried out 17 attacks east of Novobakhmutovka, Stepovoy, Avdeevka and another 16 attacks in the areas of Pervomaiskoye and Nevelskoye. The Russian Aerospace Forces struck near Lastochkino. Under artillery and mortar fire, Ukrainian Armed Forces positions in the area of about 10 settlements, including Keramik, Novobakhmutovka, Berdychi, Lastochkino, Yasnobrodovka, and Netailovo.
@Slavyangrad
The first shots of the cassette RBK-500 with the installed UMPC.
The Ukrainian military discovered a failed cluster bomb.
Previously, the RBK-500 family of bombs began to be actively used at Ukrainian Armed Forces positions near Avdeevka, but the presence of correction modules on the bomb has not yet been visually confirmed.
@Slavyangrad
Readovka writes (https://t.me/readovkanews/71232)
Russian hackers who attacked Kievstar destroyed about 40% of the provider's infrastructure
As stated by the president of Kievstar, Alexander Komarov, the hacker attack for which the Solntsepek group took responsibility, destroyed about 40% of the infrastructure. As the man noted, during the period when the operator lost control of its network, hackers “did a lot of bad things.” Thus, the greatest blow fell on the virtual layer of the network. Many servers were destroyed, and data was erased, including the entire client database. However, as the head of the provider emphasized, these were supposedly not client profiles, but internal ones that helped the system.
Earlier, as a result of a hacker attack at Kievstar, a global failure occurred, which led to a cascade of outages and mass malfunctions in Ukraine. As a result, problems began to arise in the work of operators, banks, and transport. After Kievstar, Vodafone also began to fail. ATMs, terminals, and validators in public transport failed. According to Komarov, it took over a thousand people to restore the system.
Good news from the Artemovsky front.
As a result of constant fire from our artillery and constant attacks by FPV drones on the remaining enemy positions in the so-called area Sadov (dachas) on the western outskirts of Artemovsk, the enemy defense collapsed, Russian army moved forward and knocked out the enemy from Sadov (dachas), and also occupied a section of the Artyomovsk - Krasnoye (Ivanovskoye) highway.
AFU did not expect such a rapid breakthrough and was not prepared for such a turn of events, and therefore retreated, abandoning the wounded and materiel.
At the moment, the Russian army has secured their positions and is preparing for further work.
✈️ NGP exploration (https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z)
There are reports (https://t.me/ukraina_ru/181382) that in the Artemovsk area, our troops have advanced inside the residential area of the village of Bogdanovka and in the fields adjacent to it.
Bogdanova is a suburb of Chasov Yar. We're getting very close!
@Slavyangrad
Battles near Artyomovsk: The Sever-V brigade destroys the Ukrainian Armed Forces infantry, supporting the assault on Bogdanovka
In the video, soldiers of the Volunteer Corps deliver precise strikes against enemy infantry.
The footage shows night artillery work on suitable reserves, positions, and firing points of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
@Slavyangrad
Frames from Lebanese journalists who came under IDF fire.
Apparently, the Gaza Strip is not the only location where scorched earth tactics will be used.
@Slavyangrad
That case when the skill was multiplied by luck.
Drone pilots of the 218th tank regiment of the 127th Motorized Rifle Division send the FOG straight into the crowd of AFU
@Slavyangrad
Islamic Jihad releases new footage of ambushes on IDF armored vehicles in the Gaza Strip.
The militants fired at tanks and infantry fighting vehicles using RPGs, using houses and alleys for covert attacks.
@Slavyangrad
“Gazans are dying en masse”: German Spiegel called Israel the bloodiest aggressor in recent times.
“In 11 weeks of war, 20,000 people were killed in the Gaza Strip, two-thirds of them were children and women. Thousands of buried victims, as well as those who died from disease and injury, remain missing. The northern half of the coastal strip is a landscape of ruins, among which lie people who are too weak, afraid to flee, and injured.
German military analysts call the Israeli aggression one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in recent times.
According to the latest World Health Organization survey, 93% of people are at risk of hunger and at least one in four households suffer from “extreme food insecurity.”
@Slavyangrad
Panorama of war-torn Gaza.
@Slavyangrad
The war with Russia will end in negotiations, but Ukrainians need to prepare for total mobilization, said the head of the aviation and air defense service of the 3rd separate assault brigade, Vasily Samovar, in an interview with the Dnepr TV channel.
He said that Ukraine does not have the same mobilization potential as Russia, does not have as much money and resources. And if Russia continues the current pace of mobilization and transition of the economy to a war footing, it will achieve success.
Therefore, Ukrainians need to prepare for total mobilization and a difficult winter.
“2024 will be much harder than 2023 and 2022 combined. I believe that this war will end, like any war in the world, with negotiations. But we must have a strong position in them,” says Samovar.
Zin Note: What ever happened to the march on Moscow? Basically, they admit they are now fighting to get the best deal at the negotiating table. Really, this was the original stated goal that the West had in mind for Ukraine. However, the West provided aid without any requirement that Zelensky sit at the negotiating table, and we are now well aware that the Western masters actively discourage negotiations. Ukraine was led down the primrose path. What will happen when the people of Ukraine wake up to this fact?
@Slavyangrad
A photo is being circulated in telegram channels, which is designated as a photo of a Russian SU-34 aircraft shot down yesterday in the Kherson region.
Actually the photo is old. It was published online back in June 2022.
It was first published back in early April 2022.
@Slavyangrad
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📌#Artemovsk
✅ Adjustment: The Russian Armed Forces took control of the forest plantations to the west of Bogdanivka
A US military intelligence official who requested anonymity in the Asia Times notes using open source data that Ukraine has taken 150,000 KIA through to October
- The author uses 3.5 WIA to KIA for both sides
As for Ukrainian casualties, the losses are regarded as national secrets and cannot be reported. However, there are occasional data points that emerge. Up until about two months ago, obituaries, church bulletins and death announcements were still openly published.
These data points suggest that, as of this past summer, there were about 43,000 dead. Incomplete data – video records of funerals, pictures of graveyards – suggest that the figure was higher, but the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s legislature) recently outlawed the filming of funerals, so much of that data dried up since summer.
Nonetheless, we can take the 43,000 KIA number as a minimum for Ukrainian KIA as of last summer. That would also suggest 150,000 WIA.
Other data became available late summer in the form of reports that came from first a maker of prosthetics and later from a non-profit that was trying to provide prosthetics to Ukrainian soldiers who have lost limbs.
This is extremely useful because the rate of loss of limbs in combat remains within fairly narrow ranges, at between 4.5% and 7% of total casualties. So, if you have seven amputees, it follows that you would have something like 100 total casualties. And if the 1/3.5 ratio is used, that would translate into 22 KIA and 78 WIA (again rounding off).
The data on the ratio of loss of limbs to total casualties are available online in studies at the National Library of Medicine. In the Iraq and Afghanistan wars of 2001 to 2011, 5.2% of all serious injuries (which roughly equates to WIA) were amputations.
If that represents 7% of total casualties, that would translate into 285,000 total casualties, or 63,000 KIA and 222,000 WIA. If the lower percentage were used (4.5%), that would suggest 440,000 total casualties, or 97,000 KIA and 343,000 WIA. If we use the US number from Iraq and Afghanistan (5.2%), then the casualty total would be 385,000, split between 85,000 KIA and 300,000 WIA.
The non-profit said that there is a need for 59,000 prosthetics; the German manufacturer gave the number as “more than 50,000.” Using the 50,000 number, and 7%, would give casualty figures of 700,000+, or 155,000 KIA and 545,000 WIA.
Using the 4.5% figure gives total casualties of 1.1 million, with 245,000 KIA and 855,000 WIA. It is difficult to get a feel for which number is best, but a conservative estimate would place Ukrainian casualties at 100,000+ KIA and 350,000+ WIA.
Note: Typically I'm not a fan of numbers that get thrown around by this or that government, as they never provide their methodology and are all subject to guesstimates or in most cases just pure propaganda. I do appreciate these numbers given his open approach to determine them and I'll also note that BBC/Mediazona have a valid process even though many question Western funded opposition journalists (Rightfully so I might add). Again like all numbers these are estimates, but I do find it interesting they've banned the filming of funerals.
#Source
(https://asiatimes.com/2023/12/exclusive-150000-ukraine-soldiers-killed-in-action-through-october/)
@Slavyangrad (http://t.me/Slavyangrad)
More Schadenfreude from Germany.
One of the world leaders in the production of seamless pipes, Vallourec, has closed the production of these products in Germany.
The company's plant in Mülheim an der Ruhr will close permanently on December 31.
The decision to close the Vallourec plants in Düsseldorf and Mülheim was announced in May last year due to, guess what, high energy prices. Thank you Scholz.
I am a former metalurg myself. To be honest this "funeral ceremony" almost brought me to tears. More skilled men, breadwinners of families, who dedicated their lives to hard work but will be declared "useless" by a society who only values hipsters who do useless shit in front of a computer.
@Slavyangrad
Airstrike on Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip
@Slavyangrad
Israel destroyed almost twice as many buildings in northern Gaza in seven weeks as it destroyed in Aleppo in three years.
@Slavyangrad
photographer: Mauricio Lima
In a major expose, (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/16/world/europe/ukraine-kherson-river-russia.html) a soldier who has been rotated into Krinki several times since October told the NYT, "it's not even a fight for survival. It's a suicide mission." The soldier cited major frustration with command as the reason for contacting the Times.
Though the Ukrainian MoD has claimed they've captured many strongholds on the left bank of the Dneiper, soldiers on the ground have stated, "there are no positiions. There is no such thing as an observation post."
A drone commander positioned on the opposite side of the river told the Times that Russian's were taking losses as well, though his accounts focus on material losses and not on casualties.
For the past three months some of the most experienced Ukrainian Marine forces have been struggling to hold on to a small piece of the village. Given the number of casualties taken to hold the positiion, it seems unclear as to why Ukraine has clung to this position.
@Slavyangrad
#UkraineRussiaWar
🌐 Place: #Novomykhailivka
🕰 Date: ~22.12.2023
📌 Coordinates: 47.8514487, 37.4989115
📝 Description: Russian FPV drones attack positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Novomykhailivka.
🖥 id: 22122023.1833
✉️source: https://t.me/sudoplatov_official/947
#UkraineRussiaWar
🌐 Place: #Novomykhailivka
🕰 Date: ~22.12.2023
📌 Coordinates: 47.8816, 37.51085
📝 Description: Russian FPV drones attack positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Novomykhailivka.
🖥 id: 22122023.1732
✉️source: https://t.me/creamy_caprice/3706
#UkraineRussiaWar
🌐 Place: #Torske
🕰 Date: ~22.12.2023
📌 Coordinates: 49.077531, 38.023465
49.078592, 38.012432
📝 Description: The Russian military damaged a Ukrainian Armed Forces tank that was attacking Russian positions near Torske.
🖥 id: 22122023.1830
✉️source: https://t.me/creamy_caprice/3708
#UkraineRussiaWar
🌐 Place: #Vinohradniki
🕰 Date: ~22.12.2023
📌 Coordinates: 48.116627, 37.786558
📝 Description: The Russian military took control of Vinohradniki in the Avdiivka industrial zone.
🖥 id: 23122023.0802
✉️source: https://t.me/creamy_caprice/3710
#UkraineRussiaWar
🌐 Place: #Bohdanivka
🕰 Date: ~22.12.2023
📌 Coordinates: 48.625300, 37.895800
📝 Description: The Russian military is harassing Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the Bohdanivka area.
🖥 id: 23122023.0809
✉️source: https://t.me/RVvoenkor/58767
#UkraineRussiaWar
🌐 Place: #Verbove
🕰 Date: ~22.12.2023
📌 Coordinates: 47.42655, 35.91059
📝 Description: Russian drones fire at positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Verbove area.
🖥 id: 23122023.0701
✉️source: https://t.me/creamy_caprice/3713
#UkraineRussiaWar
🌐 Place: #Synkivka
🕰 Date: ~22.12.2023
📌 Coordinates: 49.76932, 37.70328
📝 Description: Russian artillery attacks Ukrainian Armed Forces infantry in the Synkivka area.
🖥 id: 23122023.0711
✉️source: https://t.me/creamy_caprice/3715
#UkraineRussiaWar
🌐 Place: #Novomykhailivka
🕰 Date: ~23.12.2023
📌 Coordinates: 47.850700, 37.488500
📝 Description: Russian artillery attacks the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Novomykhailivka.
🖥 id: 23122023.1607
✉️source: https://t.me/voin_dv/6366
#UkraineRussiaWar
🌐 Place: #Bohdanivka
🕰 Date: .12.2023
📌 Coordinates: 48.6151, 37.91706
📝 Description: A Russian drone fired at Ukrainian Armed Forces infantry in the Bohdanivka area.
🖥 id: 23122023.1611
✉️source: https://t.me/creamy_caprice/3717
#UkraineRussiaWar
🌐 Place: #Klishchiivka
🕰 Date: ~23.12.2023
📌 Coordinates: 48.54917, 37.94964
📝 Description: The Russian military attacks the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Klishchiivka.
🖥 id: 23122023.1616
✉️source: https://t.me/creamy_caprice/3719
The Russian army storms Bogdanovka and advances on a wide front 1.5 km on the northern flank of Artyomovsk
“North of Bogdanovka, the 200th brigade, and the Volunteer Corps occupied several forest belts and entered the settlement, occupying its northeastern part,” Ukrainian military propagandists finally admitted. "Southeast of Bogdanovka, Russian troops advanced along the railway."
Northeast of the Popovsky Forest, the Russian Armed Forces have occupied the territory of the cemetery and are conducting offensive operations in the western and southwestern directions.
During the assault, the territories of the Bakhmutsky Shlyakh autodrome and the dairy farm west of Khromovo came under the control of the Russian Airborne Forces.
"The advance of Russian troops in an area up to 5.92 km wide to a depth of 1.54 km,” admits the enemy’s resources.
@Slavyangrad
🇷🇺🇺🇦Russians are turning captured cities into fortified fortresses - fake “mayor” of Melitopol
Tokmak is already cordoned off by “rat holes” on all sides, and near Melitopol, Russian troops are digging in from Vasilievka and Crimea, said the Ukrainian pseudo-mayor of Melitopol Fedorov.
@Slavyangrad
Russian drones sniper throw ammunition into trenches and dugouts of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
The skill of the UAV operators of the 110th brigade of the 1st Donetsk Army Corps knows no bounds - covering distances at extremely low altitudes, the drones of the Russian Armed Forces “at low-level flight” accurately throw explosives at Ukrainian nationalists into trenches and dugouts.
@Slavyangrad
For Ukraine, those mobilized from the eastern regions are second-class people
A serviceman of the 79th separate air assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Pavel Koshchenko, and his unit were sent to a training ground near Dnepropetrovsk without communications, food, or ammunition. The military were not trained in anything but were only forced to dig trenches.
“ Basically, everyone was forcibly mobilized from the eastern regions. Well, they consider us, immigrants from the eastern regions, to be second class. We are simple, hard-working people. And they consider themselves an elite, close to the West,” said the captive Pavel.
He held out in position with his colleagues for three days - then they ran out of ammunition and food. The fighters were hiding in the basement of an abandoned house; Koshchenko decided to surrender when Russian soldiers found them.
@Slavyangrad
The Russian Army continues to destroy the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, attacking near Rabotino and Verbovoy
In the Orekhovsky sector of the Zaporozhye Front, Russian units do not stop assault operations, developing their success with a series of intense attacks on the Kopani-Rabotino-Novoprokopovka-Verbovoe line.
In the area of Kopani-Rabotino - Novoprokopovka, an attack infantry from the Southern Military District, with powerful support from artillery, tanks, and attack drones, destroyed the infantry of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, taking position after position.
Between Novoprokopovka and Verbov, Russian troops continue to advance and gain a foothold in the northern direction.
Near Verbovoy and Novopokrovka, airborne units with the support of MLRS, howitzers, tanks, and infantry fighting vehicles are constantly advancing with battles, capturing the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ support forces.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to hold positions and from time to time counterattack with infantry groups.
In the evening, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported attacks by the Russian Armed Forces west of Verbovoy and Robotino, where “the enemy tried to oust Ukrainian units from their occupied lines.” The Russian Aerospace Forces carried out airstrikes near Robotino and Orekhov.
@Slavyangrad
Hezbollah attacked the Israeli settlement of Shlomi on the border with a heavy Burkan missile.
@Slavyangrad
Capture of Avdeevka Would Be a "Strategic Victory"
Despite previous efforts to diminish the impact of ousting the AFU from the city, the New York Times now admits that it would be a "strategic victory". (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/22/world/europe/russia-ukraine-war.html?searchResultPosition=1)
The ISW has stated that Russia has lost hundreds of men and mechanized vehicles, this in the wake of Ukrainian claims of over a thousand soldiers killed per day in the city. Ukraine is also taking serious losses in the area. According to one soldier, only six of the men in his unit of over 50 soldiers were not injured or dead after the first day of fighting in Avdeevka.
According to a Ukrainian special forces unit within the city, only 1000 civilians remain in the city and the majority of those are pensioners. He stated that these pensioners were a source of frustration, as they put the lives of his men at risk by remaining in the city.
Russia has now conquered more territory than was lost in the year 2023 according to the New York Times.
@Slavyangrad
The captives are accompanied by two copters: one watches and the second is armed with VOGs to prevent escape
@Slavyangrad
@Slavyangrad
Unlimited mobilization continues, whoever cannot fight off the jackals will very soon find himself at “zero”, where the chance of survival is 15%, the chance of becoming crippled is 50% and the chance of dying is 35%.
It’s better to learn to run well, like this guy in Chernivtsi.
The military commissars even tried to beat the Ukrainian with machine guns, hoping to knock him out and then take him to the TCC, where people disappear.
Ukraine is getting closer to 🇰🇵 North Korea.
Zin Note: This is an insult to North Korea, frankly...
@Slavyangrad
‼️🇷🇺“🅾️valiant” and ZVO advance at Liman, advancing 1.5 km
▪️In the Liman direction, Russian troops continue to press in the direction of Yampolovka and Ternov. The fighting shifted to the eastern part of the Laptev Yar and the Kruglaya ravine.
▪️ “The Russians are advancing in an area up to 3.52 km wide to a depth of up to 1.53 km,” Ukrainian military analysts quite accurately note in reports and maps.
▪️ Positional combat operations continue in Serebryansky forestry.
▪️On Friday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that in the Liman direction, Russian troops carried out 4 attacks near the settlement of Terny.
@Slavyangrad
⚡️ (https://t.me/sitrepmaps/5368)🇷🇺🇺🇦⚔️ Front #Summary for 23 Dec 2023 by 17:08⚡️
🔹In #Kherson Direction, our forces are attacking the AFU in #Krynki and hitting boats on the #Dnieper. There are still AFU springboards near the Cossack Camps, in #Krynki and near the #Antonovsky Bridge. To support their garrisons and to counter Russian aviation, artillery and drones, the AFU has sent several Bukovel EW crews and additional air defence units to #Kherson. They are using them at full capacity.
🔹In #Zaporozhye Direction, localised battles are taking place with the initiative by our army. Ours attacked west of #Rabotino and from the direction of #Verbovoye. The AFU, apparently, are busy building defensive structures. The breakthrough of our army on this line in one place will nullify all enemy efforts on this front, which became the main target of the AFU.
🔹In #SouthDonetsk Direction, our forces are trying to advance towards #Staromayorskoye, so far without success. Northwest of #Maryinka, the AFU are also holding their positions for now. And on the southern outskirts of #Novomikhaylovka and near #Pobeda, ours are slowly advancing.
🔹In #Donetsk Direction, the frontline around #Avdeyevka has not changed so far. Although there is serious fighting in all areas. Our army is targeting the approaches to the city from the southeast of the industrial zone and from the northeast, to the Coke Plant. A bit further northwest, heavy fighting continues in #Stepovoye and to the north of it. Most of the village is grey zone, but the AFU are still fighting. Further northwards, our forces pushed the AFU back from some positions near #Novokalinovo and advanced along the railway towards #Ocheretino. On the southern flank, our fighters are attacking at #Pervomayskoye, #Nevelskoye, moving slightly from #Vodyanoye and #Opytnoye to the limits of #Avdeyevka.
🔹In #Bakhmuth Direction, our forces have gained a foothold in the north of #Bogdanovka, in fact, the approaches to Chasov Yar, one of the most important defence nodes of the AFU. In the south and southwest there is still no change, although fighting is ongoing.
🔹In #Svatovo Direction, our troops are advancing in the landings near #Sinkovka. And at #Kremennaya, the control zone is being expanded a little north of the #Torskoye ledge.
t.me/sitreports /@olegtsarov (https://t.me/olegtsarov/9701)/#smo/
Scott Ritter: US ‘Builds Trap for Itself’ in Red Sea
Scott Ritter
On December 18, following a tour of the Middle East with stops in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Israel, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, under the umbrella of Combined Task Force (CTF) 153, which focuses on security in the Red Sea, to protect maritime shipping.
Back on November 19, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, operating in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza, took over an Israeli-linked cargo ship, the Galaxy Leader. The Houthis announced that they would block all shipping transiting the Red Sea toward Israel—in effect establishing a blockade of Israel—until Israel allowed humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The Houthis have subsequently attacked numerous vessels passing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a narrow passageway leading into the Red Sea and further on to the Suez Canal, threatening global trade as major oil and shipping giants, including BP, MSC, Evergreen, OOCL, and Maersk, suspended operations through the Red Sea. The damage to the Israeli economy done by the Houthi blockage is estimated to run into the billions of dollars, and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to use military force against the Houthis if the United States does not intervene on its behalf.
CTF 153, which has operated under both US and Egyptian command, is tasked with international maritime security and capacity-building efforts in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden. Its compliment of four ships—three US destroyers (the USS Carney, USS Mason, and USS Thomas Hudner) and the UK Royal Navy guided-missile destroyer HMS Diamond) have all been involved in intercepting Houthi missiles and drones fired against either Israel or merchant shipping operating in the Red Sea.
Austin also ordered Carrier Strike Group 2, consisting of aircraft carrier the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and three escorts (a cruiser and two destroyers), to join up with CTF 153 as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian. Ohio-class submarine the USS Florida, equipped with 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, is also operating in the region.
Austin announced that the US and UK would be joined by Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian. Notable absentees include Arab nations like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Australia was asked to provide a warship, but offered personnel only.
French Navy guided-missile frigate the FS Languedoc is already operating in the Red Sea and, like its US and UK counterparts, has been involved in the shooting down of Houthi drones and missiles. However, France has stated that the Languedoc will operate under French command, complicating its relationship with CTF 153.
Italy’s Defense Ministry has announced that it will deploy naval frigate the Virginio Fasanto the Red Sea. Its command relationship with CTF 153 remains unclear as of the present time.
The military problem facing CTF 153 is threefold. First, there is a need to establish a barrier defense against the Houthi missile and drone attacks. This will require that the guided missile destroyers and frigates establish a picket line along the eastern channel of the Bab al-Mandeb Straight which will screen shipping from any Houthi attack. Second, CTF 153 will need to engage in aggressive patrolling designed to deter and repel any Houthi efforts to repeat their hijacking of the Galaxy Leader. Lastly, CTF 153 will need to provide mine clearance capabilities to deal with any sea mines that the Houthis may place in the narrow waters of the Bab al-Mandeb.
These missions alone will be taxing, and difficult to accomplish. As things stand, while the CTF 153 ships have shot down dozens of Houthi drones and missiles, scores have gotten through, striking targets in Israel and hitting shipping in the Red Sea. Simply put, CTF 153 doesn’t have enough ships to adequately screen either Israel or maritime shipping from Houthi attack. And given the lack of mine warfare ships in the CTF 153 organization, any deployment of sea mines by the Houthis will effectively close the region from commercial shipping, and threaten military deployments in the area, until demining capability can be deployed.
The only way that Operation Prosperity Guardian could possibly keep the Bab al-Mandeb Straight open is to launch strikes against the Houthi capability of launching missiles and drones in hopes of interdicting them before they can be used. Here the plot thickens—the Houthis have made it clear that if attacked, they will expand the conflict to include Saudi and UAE oil production, threatening global energy supplies. Moreover, targeting mobile missile and drone launchers is no simple task—Saudi Arabia, using US intelligence support to assist in targeting, was unable to prevent the Houthis from launching missiles and drones against Saudi targets during the entirety of its ongoing conflict with the Houthis. The US would likely run into similar problems.
In short, by initiating Operation Prosperity Guardian, the US appears to have built a trap for itself, where it is damned if it doesn’t attack the Houthi (since the Red Sea would remain blocked to all Israeli traffic), and damned if it does (since it wouldn’t be able to stop the Houthi attacks, and such action would likely expand the scope and scale of the conflict to the detriment of US interests.)
Keep in mind that all of this could have been solved with a single phone call from US President Joe Biden to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directing Israel to accept a ceasefire and allow humanitarian aid to be sent to the Palestinian residents of Gaza. Instead, the United States is destroying its moral standing in the world by openly facilitating the ongoing slaughter of Palestinian civilians at the hands of the Israel Defense Forces, while simultaneously undermining the credibility of US military deterrence by getting itself mired in a tar baby of its own making.
The deployment of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower into the Sea of Aden comes on the heels of its brief foray into the Persian Gulf, where it was closely monitored by Iran. The US has also deployed a second carrier battlegroup, consisting of the USS Gerald R. Ford and its six escorts, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Meanwhile, the USS Carl Vinson and its five escorts operate just over the horizon, in the South China Sea.
Never in the history of the American Navy have so many carrier battlegroups been moved around the globe with so little impact.
The reality of modern warfare is that small nations and non-state actors such as the Houthis can be armed with modern military weaponry which negates the military impact of multibillion-dollar investments such as the carrier battlegroup. It costs the Houthis tens of thousands of dollars to fire its drones and missiles against Israel and maritime shipping; it costs the US Navy millions of dollars to shoot them down. Moreover, it costs the US navy hundreds of millions of dollars just to keep a carrier battle group deployed and operating, while the Houthis can credibly threaten to sink a carrier using weapons that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The final score card regarding Operation Prosperity Guardian has yet to be written. But the reality is that it will most likely not succeed in its mission of preventing Houthi attacks against either Israel or maritime shipping. This failure goes far beyond the issue of security for the Red Sea. The United States has long maintained that it could guarantee that if Iran ever sought to close the strategic Straight of Hormuz, the US Navy would be able to reopen it in a very short period. Operation Prosperity Guardian puts a lie to that claim. The fact is, the world balance of power has changed dramatically, and legacy systems like the carrier battlegroup are no longer the dominant means of power projection they once were. The US has, in effect, put all its eggs in one basket through its over-reliance upon the carrier battlegroup when it comes to force projection.
The looming failure of Operation Prosperity Guardian exposes the impotence of the US when it comes to being able to accomplish its plans for regional dominance in the Persian Gulf, South Pacific, and Taiwan, and signals a new era where the appearance of an American fleet of the shores of a far way land no longer inspires fear and intimidation. For a nation like the United States, which has premised so much of its foreign and national security on the notion of strength-based deterrence, the revelation that its military power projection capabilities are more bark than bite undermines its credibility as an ally and partner in a world largely defined by conflicts created by, or on behalf of, the United States.
Military Situation In Syria On December 23, 2023
SouthFront
Russian "Lancet" hit the target of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kherson direction
Loitering ammunition destroyed the Ukrainian armored boat of Project 58150 “Gyurza”.
@Slavyangrad
Tonight and tomorrow there will be a response for our downed Sushki (SU-34) over Krynki.
Now the Geraniums are opening the air defenses, and then the missiles will come. The first strikes in Kherson have already brought results - the deployed tracking system has been completely destroyed. We will find both air defense systems and detection stations.
#Source (https://t.me/geraniran/1020)
❗️The Ukrainian Armed Forces deployed large forces in an attempt to stop the advance of the Russian Armed Forces towards Chasov Yar.
There is a serious battle going on near Bakhmut (Artyomovsk), specialized resources report, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have thrown up to two battalions for slaughter. The enemy has some successes, but their losses are also great.
@Slavyangrad
The Pentagon said a chemical tanker off the coast of India was attacked by a drone launched from Iran.
A drone attacked a ship, according to media reports, sailing under the flag of Liberia and “affiliated” with Israel on Saturday. An explosion and fire were reported, but no injuries were reported.
-I don't believe it.
@Slavyangrad
War Reports - 2023-12-25 (Breaking News)
US-led Red Sea coalition: who is in and who is out? The US has initiated Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational naval coalition to protect Red Sea commercial traffic from Houthi attacks. As of now, over 20 countries are on board, with notable participants including the UK, Canada, Greece, and Australia.
