Running Newsticker for the War in Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelensky Is TIME's 2022 Person of the Year

 

Given that Russia has launched strikes deep into Ukrainian territory -- even into Poland, Ukrainian strikes on Russian targets anywhere are obviously not an "escalation".

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-russia-highlight-ukraines-tactical-ingenuity

 

Russia can **** off. **** or get off the pot. They ain't nuking ****.

 

Ukraine Conflict Updates
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 7

Click here to read the full report.
Key Takeaways

• Russian President Vladimir Putin is setting conditions for a protracted war of conquest in Ukraine.
• Putin is using Russia’s Human Rights Council to consolidate power while rejecting principles of international human rights law.
• NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg made comments supporting ISW’s previous assessments that an operational pause in the winter of 2022-2023 would favor Russia.
• Russian forces used Shahed-136 drones in Ukraine for the first time in three weeks.
• Russian efforts to pressure Belarus into joining the war in Ukraine may be causing friction in the Belarusian military.
• Russian forces are likely increasing the pace of their counterattacks in eastern Kharkiv and western Luhansk Oblast.
• Russian forces continued offensive operations in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka-Donetsk City areas.
• Russian forces continued defensive operations and the reorientation of their forces in eastern Kherson Oblast.
• Independent Russian media sources indicated that mobilization efforts will continue despite statements from Russian officials to the contrary.
• Russian occupation authorities are likely transforming Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, into a rear military and logistics base for Russian forces. . . .

Ukrainian forces continued to strike Russian positions and rear areas in Kherson Oblast on December 7. A Ukrainian source reported that Ukrainian shelled Nova Kakhovka and Hopry (near Hola Prystan) in Kherson Oblast.[50] A Russian source claimed that Ukrainian forces struck Hola Prystan with HIMARS rockets.[51] A Russian source also claimed that Russian air defenses repelled Ukrainian drone attacks targeting the Belbek airfield in Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea.[52] . . . .

 

Zalensky of course rallied the peoples of Ukraine to fight and fight valiantly against the invading Russian hordes. Zalensky united the various religious,ethnic, language groups to defend Ukraine and their freedom. Two of the largest religious groups in Ukraine are the Orthodox and the Easter Rite Catholics and there has been friction between them for 600 hundred years. Zalensky who comes from a Jewish family cannot be accused of showing favoritism between those groups. Catholic , Orthodox , Jewish, Muslim Ukrainian and Russian speakers are fighting the Russian invaders together. Zalensky took the negative that Putin spit turned it into a spear and is pointing it at Putin and his invaders. Yes he is person of the years, and we could add the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zalenska as a person of the year also.

 

Reuters
Ukraine should continue to fight, Nobel Peace laureate says

 

Ukraine Conflict Updates
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 8

Click here to read the full report.
Key Takeaways

• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that the risk of Russian nuclear escalation is low.
• Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff General Mark Milley stated that fighting may intensify in Ukraine during the winter.
• The Kremlin has likely not abandoned its maximalist goals in Ukraine despite Dmitry Pskov’s comments on Russian territorial objectives.
• The Kremlin’s Western-orientated messaging continues to anger the pro-war milblogger community.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin may be distancing his rhetoric from nationalists’ unrealistic demands for the Russian war in Ukraine.
• A senior Kremlin official admitted that the Kremlin tolerates criticism from the pro-war milblogger community out of a desire to appeal to the wider nationalist community.
• Ukrainian officials stated that Russian forces further militarized the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
• Russian forces reinforced positions near Svatove and conducted counterattacks near Kreminna amid continued Ukrainian counteroffensive operations in eastern Ukraine.
• Russian forces continued offensive operations in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka–Donetsk City areas.
• A Russian government official implied that Putin’s word is law when it comes to the military mobilization of Russian citizens.
• Russian occupation officials increased security measures in Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine. . . .

Ukrainian forces continued to target rear areas in southern Ukraine on December 8. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that Russian air defenses intercepted Ukrainian MLRS rounds near Tokmak, Zaporizhia Oblast.[54] Ukrainian Head of Berdyansk Victoria Halytsyna reported that multiple unidentified explosions (possibly Ukrainian strikes) occurred at an air base in occupied Berdyansk, but Russian occupation authorities denied the reports of explosions.[55] Ukrainian and Russian sources reported that Russian air defenses activated over Sevastopol overnight, and Sevastopol occupation head Mikhail Razvozhaev later stated that Russian air defenses shot down a UAV.[56] . . . .

 

Canada Imposes Russia, Iran, Myanmar Sanctions Over Human Rights Abuses. Canada has imposed fresh sanctions on Russia, Iran and Myanmar for alleged human rights abuses. The measures target 33 current and former Russian officials and six entities involved in crackdowns on Russians who were protesting against the Ukraine war. The sanctions also targeted 22 Iranian individuals for their roles in alleged abuses against protesters involved in recent anti-government unrest. Regarding Myanmar, the measures targeted 12 individuals and three entities with key functions in the Myanmar military. Barron’s Reuters

 

UK Sanctions Russians, Iranians, Others Over Human Rights Abuses. The UK imposed sanctions against 30 individuals across 11 countries over alleged human rights abuses. The measures include Russian military officials, Iranian officials involved in crackdowns on anti-government protests, and Myanmar security officials. Separately, the UK concluded that the human rights situation in China has deteriorated over the last year with surveillance and persecution of Uighurs Muslims in the Xinjiang region. Reuters UK Government

 

Ukraine Says Russia Abducted Two Nuclear Plant Staff. Ukraine’s atomic agency Energoatom said Thursday that Russian forces abducted two senior Ukrainian staff from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. The agency claimed the two staff members were beaten and then taken in an “unknown direction.” A third worker, who is reportedly responsible for plant safety, was also allegedly detained. Russia did not comment on the accusations. Reuters

 

Russian, US Diplomats Meet in Istanbul. Russian and US diplomats met in Istanbul on Friday. Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russian state media that the two sides are discussing lower-level issues like visas, embassy staffing levels and the work of each other’s organizations and agencies abroad. A US Embassy spokesperson confirmed that the Ukraine war was not discussed. Reuters RFE/RL

 

Estonia Supporting Ukraine Cyber Defenses. Politico is out with a new report saying Estonia has played a vital role in bolstering Ukrainian cyber defenses against Russian cyberattacks. Estonian cyber officials said in interviews that they are in constant contact with Ukrainian counterparts, that they share threat intelligence with Kyiv and help thwart attempted hacks of Ukrainian critical infrastructure. Experts say Estonia has outsized expertise on Russian cyber threats given its own experience countering Russian cyberattacks. Politico

 

Partisans strike again?

U.S.
The New Voice of Ukraine
Massive fire with explosions hits shopping mall in Moscow, video report

 

was a disgruntled smoker....talking of which the factory which is the main supplier of tires to RF suffered a similar incident....

 

....sometimes you watch something and all you can think is.....whaaaat the fuuuuuck...

!!???

 

Never seen John Sweeney not wearing his beanie!!



Twitter

John mentions at the end about people falling out of windows.....here's the latest one.....

 

(641) Nachgefragt: Neue EU-Ausbildungsmission für die Ukraine I Bundeswehr - YouTube

Just use the setting button, to get english under titles

 

Old sparky

 

Ukraine Conflict Updates
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 9

Click here to read the full report.
Key Takeaways

• Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to discuss negotiations with Ukraine as a means of separating Ukraine from its Western supporters by portraying Kyiv as unwilling to compromise or even to talk seriously.
• Putin’s positioning in the Russian information space continues to oscillate between supporting the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) and backing the nationalist and pro-war milblogger community.
• An independent open-source investigation by the BBC’s Russia service and independent Russia outlet Mediazona found that members of Russian national republics deploy to Ukraine at disproportionately higher rates than ethnically Russian oblasts, but that ethnic Russians are dying at a rate proportional to their representation in the Russian Federation population, contrary to previous ISW assessments.
• Russian officials strengthened existing legislation to stifle domestic dissent.
• Senior US officials stated that Russia is providing an unprecedented level of military and technical support to Iran in exchange for Iranian-made weapons systems.
• Russian forces established defensive lines near Svatove, and Russian and Ukrainian forces conducted ground attacks near Kreminna.
• Russian forces continued ground attacks near Bakhmut and Avdiivka.
• Russian forces may have established positions on an island west of Kherson City in the Dnipro River.
• Ukrainian forces’ interdiction campaign against Russian military assets and logistics hubs in southern Ukraine has likely degraded Russian forces, their logistics lines, and broader Russian morale.
• Putin doubled down on claims that Russia will not conduct a second wave of mobilization amidst persistent concerns within Russian society.
• Russian occupation authorities continued to strengthen physical, legal, and social control over occupied territories. . . .

Ukrainian forces continued to strike Russian force concentrations in southern Ukraine. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that December 7 Ukrainian strikes against Russian forces near Berdyansk, Tokmak, Melitopol, Enerhodar, Dniprorudne, Polohy, and Vasylivka, Zaporizhia Oblast— all along strategic logistics lines – wounded 240 personnel and destroyed three ammunition depots and 20 pieces of military equipment.[56] A Ukrainian source reported that Ukrainian forces struck Hola Prystan (on the Kherson City-Armiansk highway) and Chaplynka (on the Nova Kakhovka-Armiansk highway), Kherson Oblast, both areas of reported Russian defensive fortifications.[57]

Ukrainian forces’ interdiction campaign against Russian military assets and logistics hubs in southern Ukraine has likely degraded Russian forces, their logistics lines, and broader Russian morale. A Russian milblogger claimed that he spoke to Russian soldiers who have served in Nova Kakhovka, Kherson Oblast, who claim that Ukrainian HIMARS strikes completely destroyed military infrastructure in Nova Kakhovka, including housing, river crossings, and equipment concentrations, and inflicted significant manpower casualties—all of which the milblogger claimed significantly degraded Russian forces, adding that Russian forces have not been able to replenish their losses at an appropriate rate or quality.[58] The milblogger noted that Russian forces in “all major cities” suffered the same results from Ukrainian strikes and expressed anger that Russian military leadership failed to compensate for enough of its shortcomings to win the war.[59] . . . .

Numerous Russian claims of desertion among mobilized personnel continue to challenge Putin’s December 7 claims regarding deserters. A Russian opposition source collected social media evidence composed of photos, videos, and family accounts that indicate that Russian forces are continuing to detain deserters and are holding them in 12 detention centers in occupied Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.[66] Pskov Oblast officials have asked military prosecutors to investigate the appeals from families and their lawyers regarding the 265 mobilized men detained in basements in occupied Luhansk Oblast.[67] . . . .

 

...apparently the Pushkin Art Museum abruptly caught fire today....shame....probably full of all the looted stuff from Ukraine....

Karma sucks huh

Another day another fire

 

Basically seems there's a dozen fires or so per day in Mafialand....I understand lotsa heavy smokers in Mafiosi....they should be more careful in butting out....never heard of ashtrays?

 

Reading this from the report.....

they're so full of shyt these Russian cnuts...of course they're not open to any form of negotiation....jeez

...and the rail bridge....being the most important element remains shut....good!!
...soon be time for another attack