Ukraine

[velik_m]

https://x.com/nexta_tv/status/1976951689832808867

According to Wikipedia Russia started this war with 133 KA-52.

https://x.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/1976981440673071507

[velik_m]

https://x.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1977491973947981929

https://x.com/Osinttechnical/status/1977591847368475115

https://x.com/Osinttechnical/status/1977099302620352905

[velik_m]

Russia to call up reservists for war zones as losses mount in Ukraine

The law would allow Moscow to use reserve forces both domestically and abroad without the need for Russia to officially be at war, opening the door for reservists to be deployed to fight in Ukraine, which Russia has not declared war on despite its 2022 full-scale invasion.

The law was drawn up by Russia’s defense ministry and approved by the government on Monday, Russian news site RBC reported, and still needs to be signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Once approved, members of Russia’s reserves could be called up to take part in a two-month training program before being deployed to regions in Ukraine for specialized tasks, including what the Kremlin calls “counter-terrorism” operations.

Moscow’s move to use reservists in conflict zones comes amid shortages of military personnel in the Russian armed forces, with some estimates placing the total number of Russian casualties since its invasion of Ukraine at more than one million, which includes killed and wounded.

...



https://tvpworld.com/89463458/russian-war-losses-moscow-taps-reservists-for-ukraine

https://x.com/UkrReview/status/1978176424180957518

https://x.com/nexta_tv/status/1978080850659942456

[koriwhat]

Fuck Ukraine!

[Spurs Homer]

Permission denied! ...sure glad obama never shared battleplan info with dictators or begged for permission!)


https://youtu.be/Jxrg_w_4Nos?si=EfoenHT9rfzzcdIo

[DMX7]

Permission denied! ...sure glad obama never shared battleplan info with dictators or begged for permission!)


https://youtu.be/Jxrg_w_4Nos?si=EfoenHT9rfzzcdIo

Trump will give Putin a deadline of 6 or 7 days to come up with a viable proposal to end the war or face massive consequences.

[ChumpDumper]

Trump will give Putin a deadline of 6 or 7 days to come up with a viable proposal to end the war or face massive consequences.All Putin has to do is leave.

:lol "MASSIVE CONSEQUENCES"

Like what?

[Blake]

All Putin has to do is leave.

:lol "MASSIVE CONSEQUENCES"

Like what?

500% TARIFFS ON VODKA. WE CAN MAKE THAT HERE

[Blake]

Trump will give Putin a deadline of 6 or 7 days to come up with a viable proposal to end the war or face massive consequences.

So now you're good with helping Ukraine.

[koriwhat]

Fuck Ukraine!

[velik_m]

https://x.com/visegrad24/status/1981083142132728192

https://x.com/Tendar/status/1981115695480860750

[Winehole23]

Taco when Putin agrees to meet in person


For US sanctions: current contracts are not immediately affected, general license has been issued to allow for a "wind-down" period that gives US citizens and entities time to conclude existing transactions involving Rosneft and Lukoil without facing penalties -

[velik_m]

https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1981283629633589531

https://x.com/SavchenkoReview/status/1981435689225834737


Ex-L3Harris executive accused of selling trade secrets to Russia

Federal prosecutors have accused a former executive at L3Harris Technologies’ cyber division of stealing trade secrets and selling them to an undisclosed buyer in Russia, according to court documents obtained by CyberScoop.

The Department of Justice filed charges against Peter Williams, an Australian national who served as general manager of Trenchant, a specialized cybersecurity division within L3Harris, which provides hacking and surveillance tools to Western intelligence agencies. The DOJ alleges Williams misappropriated eight trade secrets from two unnamed companies between April 2022 and August 2025, charging that he earned $1.3 million in connection with the sales.

While the filings do not specify the nature of the stolen trade secrets nor do they identify the Russian buyer, they allege Williams systematically transferred confidential proprietary data over a period spanning more than three years. Prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of Williams’ assets, including his residence, luxury watches, jewelry, and funds in seven bank and cryptocurrency accounts, claiming these were derived from the criminal activity.

...


https://cyberscoop.com/ex-l3harris-executive-accused-of-selling-trade-secrets-to-russia/

[velik_m]

https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1981742720633679894

https://x.com/JayinKyiv/status/1981590072903496084

https://x.com/angelshalagina/status/1981343149046817056

[velik_m]

https://x.com/Tendar/status/1984377200532144464

https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1984329402482655661

[velik_m]

https://x.com/Tendar/status/1985117349511323996

https://x.com/KyivPost/status/1985295660724506650

[velik_m]

https://x.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1985411343923503430

https://x.com/saintjavelin/status/1985655171016233086

[koriwhat]

Fuck Ukraine!

[velik_m]

https://x.com/jurgen_nauditt/status/1986307112306131216

https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1986369290358939927

https://x.com/Tendar/status/1986360467778830726

[velik_m]

https://x.com/maria_drutska/status/1989308869445620165

https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1989284140311884259

https://x.com/front_ukrainian/status/1989279772036481194

[koriwhat]

Fuck Ukraine!

[velik_m]

Polish railway track blast an 'unprecedented act of sabotage', PM says

WARSAW, Nov 17 (Reuters) - An explosion that damaged a Polish railway track on a route to Ukraine was an "unprecedented act of sabotage", Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday as he vowed to catch those responsible for an incident he said could have ended in tragedy.
The blast on the Warsaw-Lublin line that connects the capital to the Ukrainian border followed a wave of arson, sabotage and cyberattacks in Poland and other European countries since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Warsaw has in the past held Russia responsible, saying Poland has become one of Moscow's biggest targets due to its role as a hub for aid to Kyiv. Russia has repeatedly denied being responsible for acts of sabotage.

"The blowing up of the railway track on the Warsaw-Lublin route is an unprecedented act of sabotage aimed at the security of the Polish state and its citizens," Tusk wrote on X.

"An investigation is underway. Just like in previous cases of this kind, we will catch the perpetrators, regardless of who their backers are."
...


https://www.reuters.com/world/explosion-polish-railway-track-was-caused-by-sabotage-pm-says-2025-11-17/

[DMX7]

We were told for years by Zelensky that a ceasefire would only benefit Russia. Now Zelensky is practically begging for one every day.

I can't believe how many people bought into everything he had to say.

[ChumpDumper]

You're just salty Russia still hasn't taken all of Ukraine.

[DMX7]

You're just salty Russia still hasn't taken all of Ukraine.

You were one of the hero worshipers who bought everything Zelensky had to say.

You have no credibility. :lol

[ChumpDumper]

You were one of the hero worshipers who bought everything Zelensky had to say.
Untrue.

I'm just on the right side of history against Putin and his bootlick, you.

[DMX7]

Untrue.

I'm just on the right side of history against Putin and his bootlick, you.

Oh really? So what did you think Zelensky was bullshitting about? I never saw you once even disagree with him in over 1,000 pages on this thread.

[BadMotorscooter]

Chump with no facts as usual...lmao

[koriwhat]

Fuck Ukraine!

[velik_m]

Russia Starts Selling Off Its Gold Reserves to Fund the War Budget, Breaking a Long-Held Taboo

Russia has begun selling physical gold from its reserves for the first time to help cover widening budget needs, the country’s Central Bank confirmed to Russian media outlet Interfax on November 20.

The move marks a significant shift in how Moscow is tapping its financial buffers to sustain government spending during the war against Ukraine.

According to the Central Bank’s press office, the regulator has started “mirroring” the Finance Ministry’s transactions within the National Wealth Fund—specifically, sales of state-held bullion. Until recently, these operations were mostly accounting maneuvers: the government would “sell” gold from the sovereign fund directly to the Central Bank, meaning the bars never left national reserves and the metal effectively moved only on paper.

Now, the Russian Central Bank is conducting real sales of physical bullion on the domestic market, similar to the way it already trades Chinese yuan assets from the fund. The regulator did not say when the gold sales began or how much metal has been released so far.

The National Wealth Fund held 405.7 metric tons of gold before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, the Finance Ministry has liquidated around 57% of that stash—about 232.6 tons—to shore up the budget.

As of November 1, 2025, the fund’s gold holdings have fallen to 173.1 tons. Combined liquid assets, including yuan holdings, have dropped from $113.5 billion before the war to just $51.6 billion today. As a share of Russia’s GDP, unspent reserves have shrunk fourfold.
...


https://united24media.com/latest-news/russia-starts-selling-off-its-gold-reserves-to-fund-the-war-budget-breaking-a-long-held-taboo-13627

[velik_m]

https://x.com/NSTRIKE01/status/1991489145181548625

[DMX7]

Terms of Witkoff's 28-Point Peace Plan are brutal for Ukraine. Zelensky waited too long to begin negotiating and will now be stuck with a bitter pill to swallow in any case.

But the time for peace is now!

[ChumpDumper]

:lmao

[velik_m]

US insists it authored Ukraine peace plan after claims of Russian 'wish list'

On Saturday, Republican Senator Mike Rounds said Rubio had told a group of lawmakers that the draft plan was not US policy.

He told the Halifax Security Forum: "What [Rubio] told us was that this was not the American proposal."

Rounds said he had been assured that the plan was presented to Steve Witkoff, who acts as Trump's overseas diplomatic envoy, by "someone... representing Russia". The senator continued: "It is not our recommendation. It is not our peace plan."

Shortly after, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Rounds's account of his conversation with Rubio was "blatantly false".

He wrote on X: "As Secretary Rubio and the entire administration has consistently maintained, this plan was authored by the United States, with input from both the Russians and Ukrainians."

Rubio then posted on social media himself, saying: "The peace proposal was authored by the US. It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine."
...


https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g95x50kdyo


https://x.com/christogrozev/status/1992269286866379117

https://x.com/Osinttechnical/status/1992450076283932880


Russia Can’t Pay Its Soldiers: Yakutia Freezes Military Bonuses Over Budget Crisis

...
As of late September 2025, Russia’s regional budgets reported a cumulative deficit of 724.8 billion rubles (approximately $8.1 billion), reversing a surplus of 472.1 billion rubles ($5.3 billion) recorded at the same point in 2024. A total of 68 regions were running deficits by that time, up from 45 the previous year.

In October, regional governments in Tatarstan, Chuvashia, Mari El, and Belgorod lowered enlistment payouts, while others canceled additional bonuses altogether.

In Tatarstan, the one-time signing bonus dropped from 2.7 million rubles ($30,000) to 400,000 rubles ($4,500). In Saint Petersburg, a gubernatorial bonus of 1.6 million rubles ($17,800) was eliminated entirely.

...


https://united24media.com/latest-news/russia-cant-pay-its-soldiers-yakutia-freezes-military-bonuses-over-budget-crisis-13691

[Blake]

Terms of Witkoff's 28-Point Peace Plan are brutal for Ukraine. Zelensky waited too long to begin negotiating and will now be stuck with a bitter pill to swallow in any case.

But the time for peace is now!

Putin can back out at any time.

[DMX7]

Putin can back out at any time.

The deal includes security guarantees for Ukraine in case he were to.

[Winehole23]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g95x50kdyo


https://x.com/christogrozev/status/1992269286866379117

https://x.com/Osinttechnical/status/1992450076283932880



https://united24media.com/latest-news/russia-cant-pay-its-soldiers-yakutia-freezes-military-bonuses-over-budget-crisis-13691Rubio denied the 28 point plan is a US document in a private meeting with senators, but is not denying that in public. It looks like the Trump administration has been carrying a Russian leaked/drafted plan

Witkoff and Axios got rolled, Trump administration is disarray

According to rumor, JD Vance led the charge to push the Russian plan and kept Trump in the dark

[Winehole23]

Dan Driscoll is upstaging Hegseth

Hegseth is rumored to be shook

https://www.politico.com/dims4/default/resize/630/quality/90/format/webp?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F41%2F e0%2F5e2722f64b3282bd121ea2f03d40%2Frussia-ukraine-war-us-00895.jpg




Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s high-stakes visit to Ukraine this week to deliver the Trump’s administration’s latest peace plan has placed the service leader into the role of major international negotiator — a sharp contrast from his boss, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who spent the time in Washington sitting through White House meetings and firing angry missives at Democrats on social media.

Driscoll, a close friend of Vice President JD Vance, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday and planned to talk to NATO allies. The high-profile role for Driscoll — whom President Donald Trump refers to as his “drone guy” due to his embrace of cutting-edge tech — is emblematic of the Army chief’s rising prominence in the administration. He is increasingly the public face of ambitious projects and often sells the administration’s plans to reporters, unlike Hegseth, who has focused on the less glamorous tasks of promoting acquisition reform and troop physical fitness, and eliminated most journalists from the Pentagon.

The Army leader’s visit was a profound split screen between a rising star and a novice Pentagon chief who has faced numerous scandals and lost support from some in the administration.



“There’s not a lot of trust in Hegseth to deliver these messages to key leaders,” said a person familiar with administration dynamics. “There is more trust in Dan to do that right now.”


https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/21/dan-driscoll-army-secretary-trump-administration-prominence-00663917

[Winehole23]

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/clown-show-rubio-and-other-trump-officials-bashed-for-truly-bizarre-handling-of-russia-peace-plan-circus/

[Winehole23]

family business with added statecraft, perhaps


U.S. officials and lawmakers are increasingly concerned about a meeting last month in which representatives of the Trump administration met with Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian envoy who is under U.S. sanctions, to draft a plan to end the war in Ukraine, (https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraine-russia-war/) according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

The meeting took place in Miami at the end of October and included special envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/donald-trump/) son-in-law Jared Kushner and Dmitriev, who leads the Russian Direct Investment Fund, one of Russia's largest sovereign wealth funds.

A close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, (https://www.reuters.com/topic/person/vladimir-putin/) Dmitriev has taken a leading role in talks with the U.S. about the war and has met with Witkoff several times this year. The Trump administration issued a special waiver to allow his entry, a senior U.S. official told Reuters.

Dmitriev and his fund were blacklisted by the U.S. government in 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions effectively bar American citizens and companies from dealing with them.

The meeting resulted in a 28-point plan (https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/draft-us-backed-peace-proposal-ukraine-2025-11-21/) for ending the war, two people familiar with the situation said. The plan, which was made public this week by Axios, came as a surprise to U.S. officials in various corners of the administration and has stirred confusion at embassies throughout Washington and in European capitals.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-officials-meeting-with-russian-miami-spurs-questions-about-latest-ukraine-2025-11-22/

[DMX7]

family business with added statecraft, perhaps

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-officials-meeting-with-russian-miami-spurs-questions-about-latest-ukraine-2025-11-22/

That's Trump's modus operandi. Republicans would never toloerate a Democrat doing this but Trump gets a free pass because Republicans don't want angry tweets directed their way.

[Blake]

The deal includes security guarantees for Ukraine in case he were to.

Lol "security guarantees"

You mean like a protection racket?

[Blake]

"...The security guarantee would be for an initial 10 years, and could be renewed by mutual consent...."

https://www.axios.com/2025/11/21/ukraine-security-guarantee-nato-article-5-trump


What a joke.

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nyjm4ylfid2a7mjm6varxuiq/bafkreifswnrxxsivpa36olftrjdvrvwjgbde7kfbaauf25xej oigt5vbyq@jpeg

[SnakeBoy]

Disappointing that Trump is still fartin' around with this

Just walk away

[DMX7]

"...The security guarantee would be for an initial 10 years, and could be renewed by mutual consent...."

https://www.axios.com/2025/11/21/ukraine-security-guarantee-nato-article-5-trump


What a joke.

The rumor is they could be NATO like security guarantees which is a major committment. It means we could get dragged into their war if it restarts.

10 years is plenty of time for things to settle down and for Ukraine to build up much better fortifications and overall defenses than it did have.

[Blake]

The rumor is they could be NATO like security guarantees which is a major committment. It means we could get dragged into their war if it restarts.

10 years is plenty of time for things to settle down and for Ukraine to build up much better fortifications and overall defenses than it did have.

Lol "NATO-like"

A 10 year security guarantee is shit. And the plan doesn't even guarantee that we'll respond in that time frame if Russia attacks further. It's a nothing plan that probably came from Moscow and Trump is putting out there to say he is trying to help.

You keep falling for the same conservative podcast bullshit every time.

[Blake]

Disappointing that Trump is still fartin' around with this

Just walk away

It's in our interest not to. That's why we've been messing around with this from the get go. How did you Trump tards turn into Russkies so fast?

[ChumpDumper]

The rumor is they could be NATO like security guarantees which is a major committment. It means we could get dragged into their war if it restarts.

10 years is plenty of time for things to settle down and for Ukraine to build up much better fortifications and overall defenses than it did have.

:lol rube

[Winehole23]

Disappointing that Trump is still fartin' around with this

Just walk awayTrump is a sock puppet

The inmates are running the asylum and wield the presidential autopen

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:4aqzua5vsewimmusg66fyajl/bafkreibjrgk2padoikxqbdz7ckjwoajru3b72x5l4dxv2z7op nlpbaicnu@jpeg

[Yonivore]

Trump is a sock puppet

The inmates are running the asylum and wield the presidential autopen
Wrong administration, Winehole.

[Spurs Homer]

Amazing how hard it is for people to see the obvious - which has been staring them in the face for at least the last 10 years;


Every major decision trump makes...

A) is for the benefit of the usa and democracy

or

B) when closely examined - it is always for the benefit of russia and to the detriment of the usa/democracy


I will spare you the exhaustive list of his treason/crimes/ - but if examined - the answer is always - each and every time...


B

[Blake]

Wrong administration, Winehole.

You talking about Bush/Cheney?

[ChumpDumper]

Wrong administration, Winehole.

Why is your Trump such a pussy when it comes to dictators like Putin, Xi and MBS?

[DMX7]

Lol "NATO-like"

A 10 year security guarantee is shit. And the plan doesn't even guarantee that we'll respond in that time frame if Russia attacks further. It's a nothing plan that probably came from Moscow and Trump is putting out there to say he is trying to help.

You keep falling for the same conservative podcast bullshit every time.
It’s only going to get worse for Ukraine on the current course and it can get much worse.

[ChumpDumper]

It’s only going to get worse for Ukraine on the current course and it can get much worse.

How is it going to get worse, in your opinion?

[DMX7]

How is it going to get worse, in your opinion?

:lmao

[ChumpDumper]

:lmao

You're laughing at your own opinion?

:lolK

[DMX7]

You're laughing at your own opinion?

:lolK
No, at you.:lol

[ChumpDumper]

No, at you.:lol

Why? I just asked your opinion.

You certainly weren't afraid to do it before, but now you are.

:lol at you.

[Winehole23]

Wrong administration, Winehole.Nope

[DMX7]

Why? I just asked your opinion.

You certainly weren't afraid to do it before, but now you are.

:lol at you.

If you’re not smart enough to know what happens to a country that is losing and will eventually be defeated militarily then you’re not worth any more of my time. :lol

Goodbye. :lol

[Blake]

If you’re not smart enough to know what happens to a country that is losing and will eventually be defeated militarily then you’re not worth any more of my time. :lol

Goodbye. :lol

It's gotten worse for Russia. They should just declare peace and back out.

[ChumpDumper]

If you’re not smart enough to know what happens to a country that is losing and will eventually be defeated militarily then you’re not worth any more of my time. :lol

Goodbye. :lol
How will that military defeat happen and when?

3-5 days?

:lmao

[Blake]

How will that military defeat happen and when?

3-5 days?

:lmao

They always fold when called out. Always

[Blake]

"The 28-point plan should be dropped and replaced with a simple one-point plan: Russia, get out of Ukraine!..."

https://www.bushcenter.org/publications/ending-russias-war-against-ukraine-needs-only-one-point

I'm not sure I even knew "bushcenter.org" had opinion pieces.

[Blake]

"....This month, Russia’s wartime toll of dead and wounded reached a historic milestone.

According to the British Ministry of Defence, more than one million Russian troops have been killed or injured since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022...


....just over three years, Russian fatalities are estimated to be five times higher than the combined death toll from all Soviet and Russian wars between the end of the second world war and the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022......"

https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/jun/22/one-million-and-counting-russian-casualties-hit-milestone-in-ukraine-war

[Winehole23]

Russia rug-pulling Trump is the likely outcome, again



https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:z6rujpf4u56jfie7aqic2nfg/bafkreihnnvf2ufrwrsx6ygkhhnwgghdxvhfh2yslx7dyg33rl ghnoocrgy@jpeg

[Winehole23]

quite the leak

someone is mad


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:pnx2fjuannbdpy3337ggthpp/bafkreiccmri6u26u6xlrdyn3e6ll2pup4vihd7ywx5b4mwl7t 4c6mt5cam@jpeg

[Winehole23]

Pissed off Europeans?

Liddle Marco Rubio?

Who knows?

[Winehole23]

what do you call it when the envoy calls up the counterparty, offers to carry his proposal, then coaches him how to pitch it to the US president?

:lol

[Winehole23]

what do you call it when the US envoy calls up the counterparty, offers to carry his proposal, then coaches him how to pitch it to the US president?

:lolno straight political takes on this?

(in any previous administration, Witkoff would be cooked)

[Blake]

Russia rug-pulling Trump is the likely outcome, again

Too many similarities to England's Policy of Appeasement during WWII.

[Blake]

what do you call it when the envoy calls up the counterparty, offers to carry his proposal, then coaches him how to pitch it to the US president?

:lol

Bootlicksky

[Winehole23]

(a sharp businessman)

[Winehole23]

"Dim Philby"

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%2Fid%2FOIF. ZZU4ya9RM7TKJHRgy61Y4w%3Fpid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=f052998b1789c9594196883b5a62c6775503dad33f44f0 37537075a73ac81d2d&ipo=images

[Winehole23]

Too many similarities to England's Policy of Appeasement during WWII.I dunno

I think Trump is in his own category now, comparing him to Hitler is passé

[Winehole23]

(there's never been a US president who hated other Americans and the rest of the world more)

[Winehole23]

Trump says Witkoff was engaged in normal deal making


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:kaeaz6o7w7ecvbmgiy66ius5/bafkreicj3hygck7tncuvcekgkhorivbvjojdrofuigqiszhkd htnplfpu4@jpeg

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4aqzua5vsewimmusg66fyajl/bafkreihw6aua2wwfgv7esrd5gslevd5wqxc52bboh7mazmida 2td6ggtmu@jpeg

[velik_m]

https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1994343025208607016

https://x.com/nexta_tv/status/1994482376689262664

https://x.com/BohuslavskaKate/status/1994479019236987258

https://x.com/JayinKyiv/status/1994553305255874845

[Winehole23]

doing a deal to benefit Trump donors and favorites, bypassing diplomacy and the national interest


three powerful businessmen—two Americans and a Russian—hunched over a laptop in Miami Beach last month, ostensibly to draw up a plan to end Russia’s long and deadly war with Ukraine.

But the full scope of their project went much further, according to people familiar with the talks. They were privately charting a path to bring Russia’s $2 trillion economy in from the cold—with American businesses first in line to beat European competitors to the dividends.

At his waterfront estate, billionaire developer-turned-special envoy Steve Witkoff was hosting Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign-wealth fund and Vladimir Putin’s (https://www.wsj.com/topics/person/vladimir-putin) handpicked negotiator, who had largely shaped the document they were revising on the screen. Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, had arrived from his nearby home on an island known as the “Billionaire Bunker (https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/luxury-homes/200-million-home-sales-luxury-real-estate-41b32e7e?mod=article_inline).”

Dmitriev was pushing a plan for U.S. companies to tap the roughly $300 billion of Russian central bank assets, frozen in Europe, for U.S.-Russian investment projects and a U.S.-led reconstruction of Ukraine. U.S. and Russian companies could join to exploit the vast mineral wealth in the Arctic. There were no limits to what two longtime adversaries could achieve, Dmitriev had argued for months: Their rival space industries, which raced one another during the Cold War, could even pursue a joint mission to Mars with Elon Musk’s (https://www.wsj.com/topics/person/elon-musk) SpaceX.

For the Kremlin, the Miami talks were the culmination of a strategy, hatched before Trump’s inauguration, to bypass the traditional U.S. national security apparatus and convince the administration to view Russia not as a military threat but as a land of bountiful opportunity, according to Western security officials. By dangling multibillion-dollar rare-earth and energy deals, Moscow could reshape the economic map of Europe—while driving a wedge between America and its traditional allies.

Dmitriev, a Goldman Sachs (https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/GS) alumnus, had found receptive partners in Witkoff—Trump’s longtime golfing partner—and Kushner, whose investment fund, Affinity Partners, drew billion-dollar investments from the Arab monarchies whose conflict with Israel he had helped mediate.

The two businessmen shared President Trump’s long-held approach to geopolitics. If generations of diplomats viewed the post-Soviet challenges of Eastern Europe as a Gordian knot to be painstakingly unraveled, the president envisioned an easy fix: The borders matter less than the business. In the 1980s, he had offered to personally negotiate a swift end to the Cold War while building what he told Soviet diplomats would be a Trump Tower across the street from the Kremlin, with their Communist regime as a business partner.

“Russia has so many vast resources, vast expanses of land,” Witkoff told The Wall Street Journal, describing at length his hopes that Russia, Ukraine and America would all become business partners. “If we do all that, and everybody’s prospering and they’re all a part of it, and there’s upside for everybody, that’s going to naturally be a bulwark against future conflicts there. Because everybody’s thriving.”

When a version of the 28-point plan leaked earlier this month, it drew immediate protests. Leaders in Europe and Ukraine complained it reflected mostly Russian talking points and bulldozed through nearly all of Kyiv’s red lines. They weren’t assuaged even after administration officials assured them that the plan wasn’t set in stone, worried that Russia—after violently redrawing European borders—was being rewarded with commercial opportunities.


https://images.wsj.net/im-49927670?width=1260&height=904Russian President Vladimir Putin leaves the podium during an ill-fated summit with President Trump in Alaska. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images


As Western leaders convened this week to digest the plan, Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk offered a pithy summary: “We know this is not about peace. It’s about business.”

https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/russia-u-s-peace-business-ties-4db9b290?st=zCAXtf

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:svawqo4jxobyyuqmixplvcux/bafkreihwqrlsl7rdukl7x4e2hor52fxtxlxoerjrp4jsrxf66 jzihgjfqy@jpeg

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:svawqo4jxobyyuqmixplvcux/bafkreiadvipzvsb3qxjopiscxfuhyxoykc6mav6v6tbl6mkpe 2giuf3a4y@jpeg

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:f6hdxggxx4qfijx4sd3dnbkg/bafkreib6dtxllpwxpwzrwvog5xehgy564bxssaumjfm25wv5o pfnnn2qim@jpeg

[Winehole23]

Underrated factor in the Trump-Witkoff-Kushner embarrassing Ukraine “peace” plan flop is the flood of praise they got for a Gaza plan that was also mostly “just tell everyone it’s over then think of how much money we’ll make.”

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:imihoi76dq74u5jlfnolakmv/bafkreihs6bbomyflirtsipcdkkov4nrtl26gy2xtidomxk4x4 amlfm6zae@jpeg

[Winehole23]

Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trumphttps://apnews.com/article/trump-ukraine-russia-rubio-witkoff-de0fe08a5f472e130f46aa0bf3338b43

[koriwhat]

LOL Fuck Ukraine!

[velik_m]

https://x.com/ralakbar/status/1997702620157509965

https://x.com/StratcomCentre/status/1997560726710591658

[velik_m]

Ukraine peace talks 'at critical stage' as Zelenskyy nears £100bn deal to fund two more years of war

The Prime Minister hosted the Ukrainian president at Downing Street on Monday, along with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, for private talks as efforts continue to find a way to end the war with Russia.

Mr Zelenskyy said his nation "can’t manage without Americans" and "can’t manage without Europe" as peace negotiations continued.

The discussions came as Donald Trump accused Mr Zelenskyy of having failed to read the latest peace plan, saying he was "a little disappointed" in the Ukrainian leader, while insisting Russia’s Vladimir Putin was "fine with it."

Alongside negotiations to end the war, The Times reports that around £100bn in frozen assets will be made available to Ukraine within days as European leaders seek to grant Zelenskyy leverage in negotiations.

The funds, which are frozen in European bank accounts, could be used to allow Ukraine to continue the fight against Putin for up to two more years or to fund reconstruction if a peace deal is agreed.

...


https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/starmer-says-peace-critical-ukraine-5HjdP7d_2/




As Russia’s Africa Corps fights in Mali, witnesses describe atrocities from beheadings to rapes

DOUANKARA, Mauritania (AP) — A new Russian military unit that replaced the Wagner mercenary group is carrying out abuses including rapes and beheadings as it teams up with Mali ‘s military to hunt down extremists, dozens of civilians who fled the fighting have told The Associated Press.

The Africa Corps is using the same tactics as Wagner, the refugees said, in accounts not reported by international media until now. Two refugees showed videos of villages burned by the “white men.” Two others said they found bodies of loved ones with liver and kidneys missing, an abuse the AP previously reported around Wagner.

“It’s a scorched-earth policy,” said a Malian village chief who fled. “The soldiers speak to no one. Anyone they see, they shoot. No questions, no warning. People don’t even know why they are being killed.”

...


https://apnews.com/article/mali-russia-africa-corps-mauritania-refugees-abuses-2935dd1b50397242a968f69e1dde61f2

[velik_m]

https://x.com/Tendar/status/1998304518526706109

https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1998334865276547414

[velik_m]

Russians Planned Explosions on Planes Flying to the USA from Europe

...
The key element of the scheme was the explosions at DHL logistics centers in Poland, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The parcels with magnesium fuses were sent from Lithuania.

European services found out that this was only the first stage. The next step was to blow up airplanes on routes to the United States, which would have caused mass casualties and global shock.

In Lithuania and Poland, at least 20 people are accused in the case. The organizer fled to Azerbaijan, and the FSB, SVR, and GRU publicly interceded for his release.

Intelligence also records the activities of Russian agents studying bridges and railroad infrastructure in Europe. In Poland, an explosion on the Warsaw-Lublin railroad was prevented.

Experts emphasize that intelligence services have foiled several other sabotage acts, including arson, attempts to destroy dams, and interference with water supply. The known cases are only part of the threat.

Moscow is actively recruiting Eastern European citizens and local criminals, managing operations remotely through messengers and cryptocurrency.

...



https://militarnyi.com/en/news/russians-planned-explosions-on-planes-flying-to-the-usa-from-europe/

[velik_m]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRu3MrpWolw


Putin Invites Journalists to “Surrounded” Ukrainian Forces in Kupiansk—Zelenskyy Shows Up Instead

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the city of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, contradicting Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s claims that the city is surrounded by Russian forces.

In a video address released on December 12, Zelenskyy thanked Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the Kupiansk direction and stressed the importance of the results they have achieved for Ukraine.

“Today, it is extremely important to achieve results on the front lines so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy. That’s how it works: all our strong positions within the country are strong positions in the talks on ending the war,” Zelenskyy stated.
...


https://united24media.com/latest-news/putin-invites-journalists-to-surrounded-ukrainian-forces-in-kupiansk-zelenskyy-shows-up-instead-14230

[velik_m]

UN General Assembly backs Ukraine’s resolution on strengthening global cooperation to address Chernobyl’s consequences

...
The resolution, titled "Strengthening of international cooperation and coordination of efforts to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster," was supported by 97 countries.

Eight countries voted against the resolution:

Russia, Belarus, China, North Korea, Nicaragua, Niger, and the United States.

Another 39 countries abstained.

...


https://rubryka.com/en/2025/12/11/oon-pidtrymala-ukrayinsku/

[velik_m]

https://x.com/Tendar/status/2000260459254178024

https://x.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1999926806678249936

https://x.com/wartranslated/status/2000185533926953471

https://x.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/2000169664249290944

[velik_m]

Russia Loses Submarine to Ukrainian Underwater Drone in Unprecedented Attack

Ukraine has launched a new, previously unreported “Sub Sea Baby” underwater drone and sank a Russian Kilo-class submarine in the Novorossiysk port, according to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

The SBU did not specify the date and time of the attack.

In a Monday press release, the SBU said “a Russian submarine of the class 636.3 ‘Varshavyanka’” was struck and “suffered critical damage and was actually put out of action.”

Footage released with the announcement shows multiple Russian warships docked at Novorossiysk, with the surfaced submarine at the pier as an explosion sends up splashes nearby.

The SBU estimated the submarine’s cost at about $400 million, rising to as much as $500 million to replace due to sanctions, and said it can carry up to four Kalibr cruise missiles used in attacks on Ukrainian cities.
...


https://www.kyivpost.com/post/66281


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0Axd9nb9oE

[velik_m]

UK gives Abramovich final warning to transfer £2.5bn to Ukraine fund

The UK has given its final warning to Roman Abramovich to release £2.5bn from the oligarch’s sale of Chelsea FC to give to Ukraine, telling the billionaire to release the funds within 90 days or face court action.

Keir Starmer told the House of Commons the funds from Abramovich, who is subject to UK sanctions, would be converted into a new foundation for humanitarian causes in Ukraine and that the issuing of a licence for the transfer was the last chance Abramovich would have to comply.

The move comes on the eve of a crucial EU summit, where leaders will be urged to agree to use Russia’s frozen assets to provide Ukraine with a €90bn loan.

“The clock is ticking on Roman Abramovich to honour the commitment he made when Chelsea FC was sold and transfer the £2.5bn to a humanitarian cause for Ukraine,” Starmer said. “This government is prepared to enforce it through the courts so that every penny reaches those whose lives have been torn apart by Putin’s illegal war.”

...


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/17/uk-will-transfer-abramovich-cash-from-sale-of-chelsea-to-ukraine-fund-starmer-says

https://x.com/NOELreports/status/2001215273840312687

https://x.com/Tendar/status/2000920609958846533

[velik_m]

https://x.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/2001388368316309884

https://x.com/Beefeater_Fella/status/2001224246928785613

https://x.com/NOELreports/status/2001426521538384128

https://x.com/KShevchenkoReal/status/2001333379963183167

[velik_m]

Russia: US has promised us Ukrainian territory

The United States has promised Russia that Ukraine will give up territory as part of a peace settlement, Moscow’s foreign minister has said.

Sergei Lavrov said the Trump administration understood that “territories where Russians have lived for centuries should once again become part of Russia”.

Mr Lavrov was referring to Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea – five Ukrainian territories that were illegally annexed by Vladimir Putin in 2022.
...



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/12/16/russia-us-promised-ukrainian-territory-war-sergei-lavrov/

[Winehole23]

"Lavrov says"

What does the US say?

[Winehole23]

what does Ukraine say?

[velik_m]

Russian drone crashes in Türkiye's Izmit province near Istanbul amid escalation

A drone believed to be a Russian-made Orlan-10 reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle was found in a rural area of Kocaeli's Izmit district on Friday, prompting authorities to launch an investigation.

According to reports, residents spotted the motionless aerial vehicle on land in the rural Cubuklubala neighborhood and notified authorities. Gendarmerie teams were dispatched to the area following the report.

Interior ministry officials announced that investigations are ongoing regarding a Russian-origin Orlan-10 drone.

The incident marks the second drone-related event in Türkiye this week, following the shootdown of an unidentified drone near Cankiri by Turkish F-16s on Monday.



https://www.turkiyetoday.com/nation/russian-drone-crashes-in-turkiyes-izmit-province-near-istanbul-amid-escalation-3211615

https://x.com/raging545/status/2001930373811609664

https://x.com/NOELreports/status/2001940418397929781

[Winehole23]

why is Russia f*cking with Turkey?

[velik_m]

I doubt it's intentional and electronic counter measures can cause drones to go off course. It's more that Russia just doesn't care. It's not like NATO will do anything about it.

[velik_m]

US quietly removes sanctions from firms accused of supplying Russia’s military

The United States has removed sanctions from several foreign companies previously accused of supplying equipment to Russia, including items linked to its defense and military-industrial sectors.

The changes were published on the US Treasury Department’s website on December 18, without any explanation for the move.
...



https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/12/19/us-quietly-removes-sanctions-from-firms-accused-of-supplying-russias-military/

[velik_m]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH-VqTiSYXE

[velik_m]

Facing Record-Low Birth Rates, Putin Says Teen Marriage Is the Answer

Russian leader Vladimir Putin urged Russians to follow what he described as “Caucasus traditions” of early marriage in an effort to boost the country’s collapsing birth rate, speaking during his annual televised “Direct Line” call-in show, The Moscow Times reported on December 21.

Putin pointed to families in Russia’s North Caucasus, saying marriages there often take place at a young age and should serve as an example. He cited Chechnya’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his large family, arguing that Russians should prioritize starting families earlier rather than delaying childbirth for education, career, or financial stability.

The comments came as Russia’s demographic crisis deepens. The country’s total fertility rate has fallen to about 1.4 children per woman, far below the replacement level of 2.1.

...


https://united24media.com/latest-news/facing-record-low-birth-rates-putin-says-teen-marriage-is-the-answer-14442

https://x.com/Microinteracti1/status/2002354584799658181

https://x.com/angelshalagina/status/2002305974149755153

[velik_m]

Russian general killed by bomb under his car in Moscow

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian general was killed Monday morning after an explosive device detonated underneath his car in southern Moscow, investigators said.

Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff, died from his injuries, Svetlana Petrenko, official spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee, said.

“Investigators are pursuing numerous lines of enquiry regarding the murder. One of these is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services,” Petrenko said.

...


https://apnews.com/article/russia-explosion-general-killed-sarvarov-73413ae5936609832f706ab26f864b3c

[velik_m]

Russian “Ghost Ship” Sank While Smuggling Nuclear Reactor Parts Likely Bound for North Korea

Spanish investigators have confirmed that the Russian cargo vessel Ursa Major, which sank off the coast of Cartagena in December 2024, was carrying undeclared nuclear reactor components likely bound for North Korea.

According to La Verdad, the ship was part of Russia’s shadow fleet and took an unusual route from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok through the Mediterranean.

Though the ship’s manifest listed only empty containers and port equipment, aerial images revealed two large, undeclared containers at the stern. Authorities later identified them as housings for VM-4SG nuclear reactors.

...


https://united24media.com/latest-news/russian-ghost-ship-sank-while-smuggling-nuclear-reactor-parts-likely-bound-to-north-korea-14622

[velik_m]

HOLY MOLY!! The REPO emergency mechanism has reached an all time high in Russia, at 4.7 trillion rubles provided in liquidity!!!!!

If this isn’t a sign of a banking crisis, then it’s a sign of massive government spending and inflation…

Note odd maturity date of 2 weeks due to holidays.

Expenses will likely be postponed until after January 1 to make the budget deficit look smaller. Even though it’s already at over 6 trillion rubles, per the electronic budget portal.

What happens when you delay 20% of payments in your state budget, and you’re running a hybrid planned economy?

Nothing good! December’s output numbers will be terrible.



https://bsky.app/profile/ukrainewarpod.bsky.social/post/3mb7ot5zwo22s

[velik_m]

Russia has lost its missile attack warning satellite constellation

Only one of the six "Tundra"-type Russian satellites launched into orbit remains operational, writes Russian nuclear weapons expert from Geneva Pavel Podvig.

The "Tundra" satellites are the space component of Russia's missile attack warning system. The minimum operational configuration of the constellation is four satellites.
...


https://bsky.app/profile/anno1540.bsky.social/post/3mb777r37qc2b

[Winehole23]

?

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:4aqzua5vsewimmusg66fyajl/bafkreie36n4rhhbyn5gu64ywr7xr3j5xjs6dnvxx5yejoqvmr q44hv7fyi@jpeg

[DMX7]

“If it’s possible to deal with dictators [Maduro] this way, then the US knows what to do next,” [Zelensky] added, suggesting that Trump should handle Putin the same way [as Maduro], as Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine three years after invading the war-torn country.

https://nypost.com/2026/01/03/world-news/zelensky-calls-for-us-to-take-down-putin-following-capture-of-venezuela-dictator-nicolas-maduro/

[ChumpDumper]

He's not wrong. At the very least Trump shouldn't treat Putin like Putin is his daddy.

[Blake]

https://nypost.com/2026/01/03/world-news/zelensky-calls-for-us-to-take-down-putin-following-capture-of-venezuela-dictator-nicolas-maduro/

Why did you post this? You want the U.S. to take out Putin?

[DMX7]

Why did you post this? You want the U.S. to take out Putin?

No, just pointing out that Zelensky is floating the idea. He doesn't seem all that opposed to what Trump did in Venezuela.

[Blake]

No, just pointing out that Zelensky is floating the idea. He doesn't seem all that opposed to what Trump did in Venezuela.

Why wouldn't Zelensky want Putin taken out by the US like we did to Maduro? He's in desperation mode, just like Europe was in WW2 when they placed for our help against Hitler.

Not sure what your point is.

[velik_m]

https://x.com/jurgen_nauditt/status/2010757218828755399

https://x.com/Tendar/status/2011076063804129317

https://x.com/NOELreports/status/2010987025214656794


REPO now makes up half of Russia’s banking sector liquidity. The rest is just required reserves. Horrible. The banking market is frozen.

Elvira Nabiullina printed 5.1 trillion rubles and injected it into the banks. That’s over 2% of entire GDP. Hugely inflationary.


https://bsky.app/profile/ukrainewarpod.bsky.social/post/3mcb6sd7kl22t

[velik_m]

https://x.com/Tendar/status/2011530885062148485

https://x.com/Tendar/status/2011495894345027917

https://x.com/Beefeater_Fella/status/2011357085670253020

[velik_m]

Russia: The Russian Ministry of Finance announces that:

“The expected volume of additional oil and gas revenues of the federal budget is forecasted in January 2026 in the amount of -231.9 billion rubles.”


https://bsky.app/profile/prune602.bsky.social/post/3mci2axe7xk2k

[velik_m]

Russia says its 2025 budget hit revised-revised plan. In Jan '25 they planned a 1.2tr rub deficit but it ended at 5.6tr.

How did they keep it down to just 5.6tr? Drastic Q4 austerity.

Spending was higher Q1-Q3 vs 2024. Then for Oct-Dec they made 14% nominal cuts, or almost 20% inflation adjusted.


https://bsky.app/profile/leoskyview.bsky.social/post/3mcs7qapwj22e



Russia's budget plan implies the following for 2025Q4 vs 2024Q4. Inflation adjusted using Rosstat's 7.7%

👉37% cuts in national defence
👉74% cuts in housing and public utilities
👉59% cuts in social security
👉19% cuts in healthcare
👉16% cuts in education
👉22% cuts in law enforcement


https://bsky.app/profile/leoskyview.bsky.social/post/3m5xgd7iauk22

[velik_m]

https://x.com/DzisMaksym/status/2013965325981605905

https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/2013733658914406557

[velik_m]

https://x.com/Tendar/status/2014859930243633534

[velik_m]

Russia Is Facing a Strategic Bomber Production Crisis

...

In terms of strategic aviation, the Ministry of Defense expected delivery of four Tu-160M bombers between 2022 and 2023. However, as of early 2026, only two of these aircraft have been transferred to the Russian Armed Forces. The remaining units are reportedly still undergoing preparation, though no official reason for the delay has been disclosed.

Tupolev’s Tu-22M3M modernization program has also faced setbacks. Only two aircraft have been upgraded since the program’s start in 2018, despite initial claims by the Kazan plant that 30 bombers would be modernized.

Meanwhile, the production of Tu-214 commercial airliners—an effort often cited by Russian officials as part of the country’s push for import substitution—has lagged behind targets.

According to Defense Express, no aircraft were delivered in 2023 despite a stated goal of three units. In 2024, only one was delivered out of a planned ten.
...



https://united24media.com/latest-news/russia-is-facing-a-strategic-bomber-production-crisis-15308



Russian Railways Spiral Into $45 Billion Debt Amid Freight Collapse

The debt of the state-owned Russian company Russian Railways (RZD) has grown to 4 trillion rubles ($45 billion). To stabilize the company, the state urgently needs to allocate 1.3 trillion rubles, or more than $10 billion. This is unfolding against the backdrop of a deep crisis in one of RZD’s most profitable segments—freight transportation.

Railways are also the main transportation artery for the Russian army. Throughout its history, Moscow has used rail as a primary means of delivering supplies to the front. This is why Russia built a railway along the land corridor to Crimea and why it prioritizes the capture of railway hubs in Ukrainian territory.

At the same time, rail transport is critical for Russia’s civilian industry. The country’s vast geography makes rail the only viable option for moving goods over long distances. This includes, for example, coal, which is delivered to ports almost exclusively by rail. In sum, the railway sector is one of the key indicators of the health of Russia’s non-military economy—and it is in poor shape.

...


https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/russian-railways-spiral-into-45-billion-debt-amid-freight-collapse-15245

[velik_m]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6i4uffZvhc

[velik_m]

https://x.com/wartranslated/status/2016178894383067636

[velik_m]

https://x.com/pepel_klaasa/status/2016297223135314174


Russian Jets Keep Failing Mid-Flight—Fourth Emergency Landing in Seven Days

A Boeing 757 operated by Russian airline Azur Air was forced to make an emergency landing in Hanoi after one of its engines failed mid-flight, according to Russian State Media TASS on January 27.

The aircraft was en route from Nha Trang, Vietnam to Irkutsk with 238 passengers and seven crew members on board. The emergency landing proceeded normally, but the airline has warned of potential scheduling disruptions, including delays and rerouted flights.

...

On January 23, another Azur Air Boeing 757 en route from Phuket, Thailand to Barnaul also suffered an engine failure and made an emergency landing in Lanzhou, China. No casualties were reported in that case either.

Later the same day, a Boeing 737 flying from Kaliningrad to Moscow experienced landing gear issues and was forced to land at Sheremetyevo Airport. No injuries were reported.

Separately, during the night of January 23, a Yakutia Airlines Boeing 737-800 traveling from Novosibirsk to Krasnoyarsk made an emergency landing after cabin pressure began to drop. According to the airline, the issue was likely caused by ice buildup in a pressurization system valve. The aircraft was carrying 158 passengers.

According to data from the Aviaincident monitoring channel, the number of technical incidents involving Russian commercial aircraft quadrupled in 2025 compared to 2024. More than 800 cases of technical malfunction resulting in flight cancellations or diversions were reported between January and the end of November.

...



https://united24media.com/latest-news/russian-jets-keep-failing-mid-flight-fourth-emergency-landing-in-seven-days-15405

[velik_m]

https://x.com/wartranslated/status/2017301417393066323

https://x.com/maria_drutska/status/2017275664546566155

Russian amputees being sent back to the front line (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/30/russian-amputees-sent-back-front-line-ukraine/)

[velik_m]

Russia Concentrates Most of Its Su-57 Fleet at a Single Airbase

The Russian Aerospace Forces have concentrated a large share of their Su-57 fighter jets at the Dzyomgi airbase in Russia’s Khabarovsk region.

Satellite images released by the AviVector project confirm this.

The images, dated February 9, capture 15 Su-57 fighter aircraft parked in the open. Also visible at the airbase are 18 Su-35S fighter jets, three MiG-31BM interceptor aircraft, and two Mi-8 helicopters.

Overall, the number of Su-57 fighter aircraft remains limited. There is photographic evidence confirming at least 16 jets, and several additional combat aircraft have been delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces recently.

Thus, the total number of Su-57s including experimental prototypes can be estimated at around 20 to 25 units.
...


https://militarnyi.com/en/news/russia-concentrates-most-of-its-su-57-fleet/



Major Lukoil Refinery in Volgograd Catches Fire as 108 Drone Barrage Strikes Russia

Lukoil’s Volgograd oil refinery in Russia was reportedly damaged in an overnight drone attack on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

The Telegram channel Astra conducted an OSINT analysis of eyewitness footage.

Early Wednesday morning residents of Volgograd reported multiple explosions. Regional Governor Andrei Bocharov later confirmed a fire at a refinery in the southern part of the city.

“Russian Ministry of Defense air defense units are repelling a massive terrorist attack by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on energy and civilian infrastructure facilities in the Volgograd Region,” Bocharov wrote.

...



https://www.kyivpost.com/post/69822

[velik_m]

https://www.kielinstitut.de/fileadmin/_processed_/1/5/csm_mi2026-02-11_Trends-in-Ukraine-aid_EN_95cebb3442.svg


Ukraine support after 4 years of war: Europe steps up

In 2025, European aid increased notably, with military aid allocation rising by 67 percent and financial and humanitarian aid by 59 percent compared to the annual average between 2022 and 2024. Because of the full withdrawal of the US, however, total military aid allocations to Ukraine in 2025 was 13 percent below the annual average between 2022 and 2024. The decline in humanitarian and financial aid allocation was smaller, at around -5 percent compared to the past three years, with overall volumes remaining above the levels recorded in 2022 and 2023 (all figures inflation-adjusted).

https://www.kielinstitut.de/publications/news/ukraine-support-after-4-years-of-war-europe-steps-up/

[velik_m]

‼️ Russia: “Putin nationalized the assets of every tenth billionaire on the Forbes list.”

“Between 2014 and 2025, 30 of the 311 people on the Forbes list, or approximately 9%, faced nationalization or forced asset sales under non-market conditions. Of these, 17 were among the top 100 richest businessmen of the last decade.”

https://bsky.app/profile/prune602.bsky.social/post/3mf66ro5mwc2a



Iran and Russia to Hold Joint Navy Drills as U.S. Pressures Tehran on Nuclear Program

Iran and Russia will hold joint naval drills this week, the Russian Defense Ministry and Iranian state media said Wednesday, as U.S. and Iranian officials meet in Switzerland for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Russia’s military released a video showing one of its warships, the corvette Stoiky, arriving at the port city of Bandar Abbas, where Iran’s navy is based.

In a statement, the Defense Ministry said “Russian and Iranian sailors were working in tandem to ensure the safety of civilian navigation.”

Iranian state media, citing a navy spokesman, reported that joint exercises would begin on Thursday and take place in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean.

“The aim [of the drills] is to strengthen maritime security and to deepen relations between the navies of the two countries,” the spokesperson said without specifying when the exercises would end.
...



https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/02/18/iran-and-russia-to-hold-joint-navy-drills-as-us-pressures-tehran-on-nuclear-program-a91990

[velik_m]

Russia Arrests Head of Demographic Institute as Fertility Rate Plunges to Record Low

...
Zhuravlev’s arrest follows complaints from two former subordinates, including a project manager and a head of the information department, who accused him of potential corruption within the institute.

The institute, established by the regional government, was tasked with creating measures to support fertility, conducting social research, and promoting “family values,” The Moscow Times wrote.

The backdrop to this scandal is Russia’s continuing demographic crisis, with birth rates falling to their lowest levels in over 200 years. In the first quarter of 2025, births dropped by 4% compared to the previous year, with 288,800 children born. This marks a historic low, according to demographer Alexei Raksha.

In 2024, Russia saw only 1.22 million births, the lowest figure since 1999, while the natural population decline reached nearly 600,000 people. After this information came to light, the Russian authorities had classified detailed data on birth rates and total population figures, according to The Moscow Times, citing Rossstat data.

Despite government efforts, such as the “Demography” national project launched in 2018, the country’s birth rate has continued to decrease for the tenth consecutive year.

...


https://united24media.com/latest-news/russia-arrests-head-of-demographic-institute-as-fertility-rate-plunges-to-record-low-16121


One of Russia's most important ballistic missile factories reportedly hit in Ukrainian long-range strike, at least 11 injured

The Votkinsk Machine Building Plant — a key missile production hub in Russia's Udmurt Republic — was struck during a drone and missile attack late in the evening of Feb. 20, according to local eyewitnesses and Telegram monitoring channels.

The Votkinsk Plant is a strategic, state-owned defense enterprise and one of the most important missile factories in Russia. It produces short-range Iskander-M ballistic missiles — used frequently in attacks against Ukraine — and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), capable of carrying nuclear warheads as far as the United States.

It is also suspected that the plant produces Russia's new Oreshnik ICBM.

According to independent Russian Telegram news channel Astra, at least 11 people were reported injured as a result of the attack.
...


https://kyivindependent.com/drone-strikes-russian-ballistic-missile-factory-over-1-300-km-from-ukraines-border/

[velik_m]

Deep Inside Putin’s War Machine, the Pain Is Starting to Show

...
The local industrialists’ association set out a litany of troubles facing companies in a letter to a top regional official this month. It highlighted sharp falls in investment, profits, orders and production over the past year in the region of some 3 million people that’s about 500 kilometers (310 miles) east of Moscow.

The association urged local authorities to raise its concerns with President Vladimir Putin’s government in Moscow. It appealed for renewed investments, the return of preferential loan rates and faster settlement of invoices, pointing out that giant state enterprises such as the United Shipbuilding Corporation, Roscosmos, Rosatom, and Rostec were among the main culprits in overdue payments.

Payment delays may be an indication that financial stresses are spreading as contractors are forced to deplete their reserves to meet running costs or turn to costly borrowing that further erodes profitability. That’s even as state spending on defense jumped about 30% last year, while it’s projected to be largely flat in 2026.

Borrowing costs have ballooned as subsidized loans have dried up, forcing companies to pay commercial rates exceeding 20%, the association in Nizhny Novgorod said. The scale of unpaid invoices held by local businesses has surpassed 100 billion rubles ($1.3 billion), it said.

...


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-27/russia-ukraine-putin-s-war-economy-puts-industrial-region-under-pressure

[DMX7]

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/02/18/iran-and-russia-to-hold-joint-navy-drills-as-us-pressures-tehran-on-nuclear-program-a91990

And now Iran doesn't have a Navy. The entire fleet has been sunk.

[velik_m]

Admiral Grigorovich frigate possibly hit in Russia's Novorossiysk port

Satellite images of the port after the attack by Ukrainian UAVs and sea drones showed smoke rising from one of the warships.

The vessel was identified as a frigate of the Admiral Grigorovich class.

“The Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation has three Project 11356R Burevestnik frigates,” the Crimean Wind experts said.

“Of these, Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov are in Novorossiysk, while Admiral Grigorovich is in the Mediterranean Sea.”

These are modern ships, carriers of Kalibr cruise missiles. They can carry a Ka-27/Ka-31 deck helicopter and Orlan UAVs.

On the evening of March 1, Novorossiysk came under drone attack. Telegram channels reported a large-scale fire at the local port’s oil terminal. According to Telegram channel Shot, “dozens of powerful explosions” were heard in the city.
...



https://english.nv.ua/nation/admiral-grigorovich-class-frigate-may-have-been-destroyed-in-port-of-novorossisysk-50588481.html


Russian manufacturers can’t find workers—but they’re cutting the ones they have

Russian manufacturers cut jobs at the fastest rate since June 2025, even as the country’s factory sector showed faint signs of stabilizing in February, according to data from S&P Global published on Monday.

The Purchasing Managers’ Index—a monthly survey of factory bosses that tracks orders, output, and hiring, where anything below 50 signals shrinking activity—edged up to 49.5 from 49.4 in January.

But factories have now been cutting production for twelve consecutive months, and the marginal improvement came not from new activity but from firms running down existing stocks. The question for Western policymakers tracking whether economic pressure on Russia is working: is this stabilization, or a war economy learning to run on less?
...


https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/03/03/russia-manufacturing-pmi-february-2026-job-losses/

[velik_m]

https://x.com/United24media/status/2029529579161784459

https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/2029443711772324233

[velik_m]

It has happened. Russian GDP is contracting. According to the Russian Ministry of Economic Development GDP in January 2026 decreased by 2,1% in annual terms. (https://bsky.app/profile/delfoo.bsky.social/post/3mgapcvxkwk2n)

[velik_m]

https://x.com/atrupar/status/2030055448150262139

[ChumpDumper]

Compared to college football player compensation?

ST Trumptards, REACT!

[velik_m]

https://x.com/StratcomCentre/status/2031388774618316935

[Blake]

And now Iran doesn't have a Navy. The entire fleet has been sunk.

OBLITERATED!!

[velik_m]

https://x.com/tendar/status/2031676813387129278


Moscow faces fiber optic deficit as only plant in ruins after Ukrainian strike

"A new problem has arisen in the technological sector in Russia: the authorities are forced to postpone the mandatory localization of optical fiber production for at least two years due to the shutdown of the country's only plant that produced this product," the statement wrote.

"The Ministry of Industry and Trade proposed temporarily allowing the use of imported optical fiber for the production of cables in Russia, and postponing the requirement for the mandatory use of domestic raw materials until 2028."

The reason for this decision was the shutdown of the Optovolokonnye Sistemy plant, which ceased operations following critical equipment damage after Ukrainian attack, and the existing warehouse stocks of products, as of the Russian government's estimates, will soon be exhausted.
...



https://english.nv.ua/business/moscow-faces-fiber-deficit-as-only-plant-sits-ruined-50590845.html

[velik_m]

https://x.com/JayinKyiv/status/2032040842043539771

https://x.com/visegrad24/status/2032025820303143261

https://x.com/NOELreports/status/2031647106193052093

[Winehole23]

*rooting for Ukraine, against Putin and Russia*

[Ball Buster]

:lol


https://www.readthemaple.com/content/images/size/w2000/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/790cefc7-d773-4e44-9ae5-c49ca25929da-copy.jpghttps://www.startpage.com/av/proxy-image?piurl=https%3A%2F%2Flibya360.files.wordpress .com%2F2022%2F06%2F8c2d48dafbc4a585a31e3db910a53f4 e0e5dc370.jpg&sp=1773344466T4c7d3c4f22270302f632ce86fe03a14b9bbf eeac507a8f6a944fcfeac3a949e9

[Winehole23]

yeah, well it's war

Russia has plenty of Nazis too

[ChumpDumper]

:lol


https://www.startpage.com/av/proxy-image?piurl=https%3A%2F%2Flibya360.files.wordpress .com%2F2022%2F06%2F8c2d48dafbc4a585a31e3db910a53f4 e0e5dc370.jpg&sp=1773344466T4c7d3c4f22270302f632ce86fe03a14b9bbf eeac507a8f6a944fcfeac3a949e9

Can't save your embed fail. Are you rootin for Putin to take over all of Ukraine?

[ChumpDumper]

:lol


https://www.startpage.com/av/proxy-image?piurl=https%3A%2F%2Flibya360.files.wordpress .com%2F2022%2F06%2F8c2d48dafbc4a585a31e3db910a53f4 e0e5dc370.jpg&sp=1773344466T4c7d3c4f22270302f632ce86fe03a14b9bbf eeac507a8f6a944fcfeac3a949e9

Can't save your embed fail. Are you rootin for Putin to take over all of Ukraine?

[Ball Buster]

Can't save my double-post fail :cry.

Is Putin taking over all of Ukraine? :lol

Russia is fighting against the people who killed 14 thousand Russian speakers in the Donbas.

Agreeing with Cheney/Bush neo-cons :lol This border scurmish is so important. We need nukes on the Russian border :lol

As we invade a new country every fucking week :lol


https://assets.nationbuilder.com/codepink/pages/32571/attachments/original/1646844204/1207188548-2.jpg?1646844204
https://www.startpage.com/av/proxy-image?piurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftherealnews.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F07%2Fbnorton0711nazis.j pg&sp=1773386517T2e407d928bd9e44942ac1cbf3205b23040e4 25b4aa31c65f25222b4f7d0496cd

[ChumpDumper]

Is Putin taking over all of Ukraine? :lol

Russia is fighting against the people who killed 14 thousand Russian speakers in the Donbas.

Agreeing with Cheney/Bush neo-cons :lol This border scurmish is so important. We need nukes on the Russian border :lol

As we invade a new country every fucking week :lol


https://www.startpage.com/av/proxy-image?piurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftherealnews.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F07%2Fbnorton0711nazis.j pg&sp=1773386517T2e407d928bd9e44942ac1cbf3205b23040e4 25b4aa31c65f25222b4f7d0496cd

You apparently keep trying to post images from an image search.

Why can't you just answer questions like a normal person?

Are you on Putin's side and against Ukraine's side in that war?

Yes or no.

[Ball Buster]

You apparently keep trying to post images from an image search.

Why can't you just answer questions like a normal person?

Are you on Putin's side and against Ukraine's side in that war?

Yes or no.

Im against Victoria Nuland’s involvement in the 2014 CIA led coup Ukraine that resulted in the overthrowing of the democratically elected president.

i’m against Ukraine violating the Minsk accords.

I am against Boris Johnson along with the Nazi Azov brigade convincing Vladimir Zelenskyy to abandon peace talks.

I am against sending Europe’s most corrupt country (according to the New York Times) $200 billion for a war, they obviously would never win.

Ukraine had many opportunities to make peace, and they opted for war under pressure from the west and their own radical right.

supporting the Ukraine war is insanely stupid as it has now killed over 1 million young Ukrainian men.

[velik_m]

Im against Victoria Nuland’s involvement in the 2014 CIA led coup Ukraine that resulted in the overthrowing of the democratically elected president.

i’m against Ukraine violating the Minsk accords.

I am against Boris Johnson along with the Nazi Azov brigade convincing Vladimir Zelenskyy to abandon peace talks.

I am against sending Europe’s most corrupt country (according to the New York Times) $200 billion for a war, they obviously would never win.

Ukraine had many opportunities to make peace, and they opted for war under pressure from the west and their own radical right.

supporting the Ukraine war is insanely stupid as it has now killed over 1 million young Ukrainian men.

Ah yes, the infamous 2014 coup where 2/3rd of Rada (including members of his own party!) voted to remove the president. And then the "totally not Russian asset" president fled to Russia. Removing leadership by voting - truly the bloodiest coup ever in the history.

[ChumpDumper]

Im against Victoria Nuland’s involvement in the 2014 CIA led coup Ukraine that resulted in the overthrowing of the democratically elected president.

i’m against Ukraine violating the Minsk accords.

I am against Boris Johnson along with the Nazi Azov brigade convincing Vladimir Zelenskyy to abandon peace talks.

I am against sending Europe’s most corrupt country (according to the New York Times) $200 billion for a war, they obviously would never win.

Ukraine had many opportunities to make peace, and they opted for war under pressure from the west and their own radical right.

supporting the Ukraine war is insanely stupid as it has now killed over 1 million young Ukrainian men.
Are you in favor of Putin's invasion of Ukraine and wish Russia's complete takeover of Ukraine?

Yes or no.

[velik_m]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkiWWVEMtFY

[velik_m]

Russia: “A wave of bond defaults wiped out 22 billion rubles in investments from tens of thousands of Russians.” (https://bsky.app/profile/prune602.bsky.social/post/3mgxkphjcy22c)

https://x.com/JayinKyiv/status/2032788402425184764

[velik_m]

https://x.com/ShaunPinnerUA/status/2033169446144000246

https://x.com/JayinKyiv/status/2033105600482029810

[Ball Buster]

Are you in favor of Putin's invasion of Ukraine and wish Russia's complete takeover of Ukraine?

Yes or no.

i’m in favor of you being educated about the Ukraine war


The war in Ukraine is also an American war. The US toppled the government in Ukraine in 2014, selected its new government, hijacked its intelligence services, built secret CIA bases along the Russian border, armed and trained right-wing groups to attack Donbas and have veto power over Ukrainian voters' demand for peace, cancelled Zelensky's peace mandate in 2019, hijacked its civil society with "NGOs", built a large proxy army in Ukraine, supported the purging of Ukraine's media, political opposition, and the Orthodox Church, and sabotaged the Minsk peace agreement. After Russia invaded, the US sabotaged the Istanbul negotiations, shut down diplomacy, and provided most of the weapons, ammunition, logistics, intelligence, targeting, and war planning for Ukraine. The objective of the US has been the strategic defeat of Russia as a rival centre of power, to be achieved by fighting to the last Ukrainian and the last euro. Suggesting that the US selflessly "helped" Europe in Ukraine is an absurd argument that even contradicts Trump's previous statements that this has been a proxy war provoked by NATO expansionism. Europe should not receive more "help", and NATO should be dissolved.

https://x.com/glenn_diesen/status/2033457224438169870?s=61&t=CQfvV293J518QWnxG7pQDg

[ChumpDumper]

i’m in favor of you being educated about the Ukraine war

After Russia invaded

https://x.com/glenn_diesen/status/2033457224438169870?s=61&t=CQfvV293J518QWnxG7pQDg
:lol You can't answer a simple yes or no question.

Pathetic.

[ChumpDumper]

The ol' "look what you made muh pootie-poot do" gambit simply doesn't fly.

Putin wants to restore the Russian empire and everything he has done in Ukraine and other former SSRs proves it.

And yeah, I am against that. I have a real, clear position on this -- something a guy like busted balls can't claim.

[Ball Buster]

:lol You can't answer a simple yes or no question.

Pathetic.

what were the CIA doing in Ukraine since 2014?

everything that’s reported in the blurb above is accurate.

your premise that Putin was unprovoked into attacking Ukraine is false. Therefore, your question is stupid

the whole world knows this. That’s why Vladimir Putin is largely popular universally.

also it’s hypocritical to hate Putin, with the United States’ terrible history of invading countries, while currently genocide tens of thousands of innocent civilians in Palestine.

Normie Democrats won’t even acknowledge Palestine.

[velik_m]

There is no evidence of "CIA secret bases" near Russian border. What there is evidence of, is Russian soldiers in Ukraine and FSB agent in charge of "separatists". What were Russian soldiers doing in Ukraine since 2014?

[Ball Buster]

Russian soldiers in Ukraine = ethnic Russians who lived there. They're labled "Russian soldiers" by media. But they were the people fighting against Azov Ukranians that were bombing them.


Compare polls showing large majorities of Crimean and Donbas residents declaring their desire to separate from Kiev post-2014 to the polls showing only a bare plurality of Ukrainians supporting the Maidan coup

Washington defines democracy according to its imperial objectives

https://x.com/maxblumenthal/status/1669150194150023171

[ChumpDumper]

what were the CIA doing in Ukraine since 2014?

everything that’s reported in the blurb above is accurate.

your premise that Putin was unprovoked into attacking Ukraine is false. Therefore, your question is stupid

the whole world knows this. That’s why Vladimir Putin is largely popular universally.

also it’s hypocritical to hate Putin, with the United States’ terrible history of invading countries, while currently genocide tens of thousands of innocent civilians in Palestine.

Normie Democrats won’t even acknowledge Palestine.So you support Putin's quest to reestablish the Russian empire, correct?

A simple yes or no is all that is needed here.

[Ball Buster]

So you support Putin's quest to reestablish the Russian empire, correct?

A simple yes or no is all that is needed here.

I support Ukraine not getting pillaged by American corporations after the war is over.

[ChumpDumper]

I support Ukraine not getting pillaged by American corporations after the war is over.Just answer my simple question.

Do you support Putin's ongoing quest to reestablish the Russian empire?

Yes

or

no.

[Ball Buster]

Define reestablish Russian empire.

[ChumpDumper]

Define reestablish Russian empire.

:lmao

Thank you for answering. You are in favor of it.

[Ball Buster]

That's your "gotcha" :lol

Do you know who you sound like? :lmao

https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kzH8!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14f7c06 2-b46b-4509-bc94-4e891c5280e2_3652x2859.jpeg

[ChumpDumper]

Nah, I just don't want to be in your rodeo.

You've made it clear there is a form of that question to which you will answer "yes."

So I'm taking your answer as "yes."

If you want to explain how your answer is actually "no"-- go ahead and do it.

No one anywhere is stopping you from making yourself perfectly clear.

I predict you will not make yourself clear at all.

[Ball Buster]

You've made it clear you're gullible, and you drink the neo-con koolaid. You're an 80's Republican, who for some reason identifies as left-leaning.

[ChumpDumper]

You've made it clear you're gullible, and you drink the neo-con koolaid. You're an 80's Republican, who for some reason identifies as left-leaning.There's nothing neocon about being against Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

I am against Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Are you?

[Ball Buster]

Right.. so this is a group of neo-cons in 2016. They're convincing the leader of Ukraine here to violate the Minsk agreements. That way, they could get the proxy war they wanted.

You're in lock-step with Lindsey Graham :lol
https://cdn.wiadomosci.onet.pl/1/FJ7k9lMaHR0cDovL29jZG4uZXUvaW1hZ2VzL3B1bHNjbXMvTm1 FN01EQV8vNjIwZGJjYWZkMTZlMjMyNDY0YjljNzViMzUzZjMwM jMuanBlZ5KVAwDNAXDNEADNCQCTBc0JJM0FJN4AAqEwB6ExBA

[ChumpDumper]

Are you for or against Putin's invasion of Ukraine?

Just answer.

[velik_m]

Russian soldiers in Ukraine = ethnic Russians who lived there. They're labled "Russian soldiers" by media. But they were the people fighting against Azov Ukranians that were bombing them.



https://x.com/maxblumenthal/status/1669150194150023171

No, dumbass. Actual Russian army formations, like the 200th brigade: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2016/01/16/russias-200th-motorized-infantry-brigade-in-the-donbass/

[velik_m]

https://x.com/astraiaintel/status/2035019173139534167

https://x.com/NAFORaccoon/status/2034954780963934277

https://x.com/POLITICOEurope/status/2035018346295390257

[Winehole23]

Russian influencers only do this when they're very distressed


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:l2ergmeybgzz22mx5foxlpc6/bafkreieuupr5khlwejngprrddvj4deur3mdng6ltq4apeydhc 3llkzkeuq

[SnakeBoy]

lol expert on russian influencer behavior

[velik_m]

[]Russia's Ust-Luga restarts oil exports, Primorsk remains shut after drone attacks, sources say
...
The governor of the Leningrad region, ​Alexander Drozdenko, said several fuel reservoirs in Primorsk had been set ablaze after drone attacks but did not mention the suspension of oil exports.
It was not immediately clear if the port of ​Ust-Luga had sustained any damage.

Russia's oil pipeline monopoly Transneft, which operates both ports, ​did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Primorsk, which is able to export more than #1 ⁠million barrels of crude oil per day, is a major outlet for Russia's flagship Urals crude and high-quality diesel.
According to sources, Ust-Luga exported 32.9 million metric tons of oil products last year, and Primorsk 16.8 million tons.

Ust-Luga handles around 700,000 bpd of ​oil exports.

Ukraine has regularly ​attacked Russian oil ⁠exporting facilities and oil refineries in an attempt to undermine Moscow's war economy.

Ukraine's military has confirmed it struck an oil terminal at Primorsk, ​as well as an oil refinery in the city of ​Ufa in ⁠the Bashkortostan region.
...


https://www.reuters.com/world/fuel-reservoir-russias-primorsk-port-fire-after-drone-attack-governor-says-2026-03-23/

[velik_m]

https://x.com/NOELreports/status/2036418899810406822

https://x.com/EuromaidanPress/status/2036022142412763634

https://x.com/StratcomCentre/status/2036379389173092697

[SnakeBoy]

2037167624770007092

Let's hope it's true

[ChumpDumper]

2037167624770007092

Let's hope it's true

Actively rooting for Putin and genocide.

Just like you're told to do.

[Ball Buster]

Actively rooting for Putin and genocide.

Just like you're told to do.

virtue signals about caring about genocide.

gives two shits about this :lol


(image removed)

[ChumpDumper]

virtue signals about caring about genocide.

gives two shits about this :lol

https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1754659805-1698211766.jpg

I'm no fan of Israel's genocide either.

You need to learn to pay attention.

[velik_m]

Russia is sending upgraded drones used in the Ukraine war to Iran, officials say

LONDON (AP) — Russia is sending a shipment of drones to Iran including upgraded versions of the drone technology that Tehran originally supplied to Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine, U.S. and European officials told The Associated Press this week.

Iran has been firing drone barrages at Israel, its Gulf neighbors and U.S. bases across the Middle East for more than a month following the U.S. and Israeli attack on the country. While Iran has its own stocks of Shahed drones, Russia has made improvements to the design during the war in Ukraine, including adding better navigation capabilities.

Russian and Iranian officials have had “very active” discussions this month regarding transferring drones from Russia to Iran, the European intelligence official told AP. A U.S. defense official said it is unclear if the shipment is a one-time delivery or part of a series. Neither official could say how significant the delivery is or how many drones were sent. Another European official said a small number of drones would not have a major impact on the outcome of the war. All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
...


https://www.thestar.com/news/world/europe/russia-is-sending-upgraded-drones-used-in-the-ukraine-war-to-iran-officials-say/article_d4db92dc-4196-5651-bd3a-08e61dc0378c.html

[velik_m]

https://x.com/JayinKyiv/status/2037453802459075032

https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/2037217015249707257

https://x.com/Richard_AHolmes/status/2037509729463755070

[velik_m]

https://x.com/NOELreports/status/2037503404512088496

https://x.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/2037876034234696057

https://x.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/2037790065485640013

https://x.com/maria_avdv/status/2037863346947404222

[velik_m]

Democrats demand answers on sanctioned Russian lawmakers visiting Capitol

Democratic lawmakers and one Republican colleague on Friday demanded answers from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about why sanctioned Russian lawmakers visited the U.S. and toured the U.S. Capitol building this week, a visit organized by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.).

The letter, signed by Reps. Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), called the lawmakers’ visit to meet with some members of Congress and other officials “deeply concerning.”

“Because these individuals are subject to U.S. sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s full-scale, unjustified invasion of Ukraine, their entry into the United States would have required the issuance of sanctions waivers,” the letter reads.

The House members warn that the State Duma members’ “presence in Washington risks undermining” U.S. efforts supporting Ukraine and European allies amid the war with Russia. They argued that the visit legitimizes Russian officials who have been actively involved in “the dismantling of international rules and norms” and goes against “the core purpose of sanctions policy itself.”

The letter demands answers about who decided to approve sanctions waivers to allow the Russian lawmakers into the U.S., who issued them visas, which office or agency initiated or requested the waivers, and what national security or foreign policy objectives were advanced by the meetings, among other questions.
...


https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5805300-democrats-question-russian-lawmakers-us-capitol-visit/

[velik_m]

https://x.com/KyivPost/status/2038974618526941200

https://x.com/BohuslavskaKate/status/2039013285052170654

https://x.com/JayinKyiv/status/2038878989243044329

[velik_m]

Russian military plane crashes in Crimea, killing 29

A Russian An-26 military transport plane crashed into a cliff in Crimea, killing 29 people on board, due to a possible technical malfunction, Russia's defence ministry said early on Wednesday, according to news agencies.

TASS news agency, quoting the ministry, said communication with the aircraft was lost at about 6 p.m. local time (1500 GMT) on Tuesday on a planned flight over Crimea. The peninsula, covered in sweeping mountains leading down to the coast of the Black Sea, was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014.

"The defence ministry reported that a search team found the site of the catastrophe," TASS reported. "According to a report from the site, six crew members and 23 passengers on board were killed."
...



https://tvpworld.com/92404708/russia-military-transport-plane-crashes-in-crimea-killing-29

[velik_m]

https://x.com/onestpress/status/2039816149026701503

[velik_m]

https://x.com/michaeldweiss/status/2039940740319437206

https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/2039609689525100654

https://x.com/MagellanQuest/status/2039418671718682671

https://x.com/nexta_tv/status/2040044146547683405

[velik_m]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xrtsfIcgXg&t=1940s

[velik_m]

https://x.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/2042278032514130280

https://x.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/2042227164624420882

https://bsky.app/profile/alberthubble.bsky.social/post/3mj3dd622sk2k

[velik_m]

Putin finally admits Russia’s economy is in trouble and grasps for answers, after warnings about a financial crisis have been piling up

Russian President Vladimir Putin made his concerns about the economy public as he vented frustration at aides and demanded they come up with solutions.

During a televised meeting on the economy Wednesday, he revealed that GDP shrank by combined 1.8% in January and February, adding that manufacturing, industrial production and construction were negative.

“I expect to hear detailed reports today on the current economic situation and why the trajectory of macroeconomic indicators is currently below expectations,” Putin said. “Moreover, below the expectations of not only experts and analysts, but also the forecasts of the government itself and the central bank of Russia.”

...

The tight labor market has stoked inflation and kept benchmark interest rates high. Although the central bank has recently eased them a bit, they have caused strains in the economy and financial system, prompting a series of warnings.

Earlier this year, Russian officials told Putin that a financial crisis could hit by the summer amid spiraling inflation. With companies feeling the squeeze of high rates and weaker consumption, more workers were going unpaid, getting furloughed, or seeing their hours cut. As a result, consumers were having trouble servicing their loans, raising concerns of a crash in the financial sector.

...

The Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting, a state-backed Russian think tank, also said in December the country could face a banking crisis by October if loan troubles worsen and depositors pull out their funds.

In June, Russian banks raised red flags on a potential debt crisis as high interest rates weigh on borrowers’ ability to pay off loans. Also that month, the head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs warned many companies were in “a pre-default situation.”



https://fortune.com/2026/04/18/russia-economy-contraction-vladimir-putin-financial-crisis-warnings-iran-ukraine-war-drones-oil-exports/

It's a complete mystery what could cause all this.

[Winehole23]

looks like Ukraine does have a card -- one that the US covets


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:bbp2b224lro3bfnzcqwwnkfo/bafkreib5p4aehqesayp2ybyshtc3fx7bxfalhtwkubkqg3dnw 66gybcvbqhttps://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-turns-ukrainian-counter-drone-tech-after-iran-attacks-sources-say-2026-04-22/

[velik_m]

Ukraine kills 12 Russian FSB officers in drone strike

Ukraine has killed a dozen Russian officers in a series of strikes on an FSB command post in the occupied Donetsk region, its top drone commander has claimed.

Eight high-precision drones crashed into a building housing special forces, killing 12 officers and wounding 15 more on Wednesday, Robert Brovdi said.

Video footage released by Mr Brovdi, the commander of Ukraine’s unmanned systems forces, showed a number of first-person view drones being steered towards a high-rise building before huge explosions could be seen blowing out one of its floors and blasting debris across the surrounding area.

...


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/23/ukraine-kills-12-russian-fsb-officers-in-drone-strike/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_fsb-officers-in-drone-strike/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open

[velik_m]

https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2046590653983867166

https://x.com/EuromaidanPress/status/2046599339171041592

[velik_m]

https://x.com/POLITICOEurope/status/2047292724408189186

https://x.com/Mylovanov/status/2047322892342268135

[velik_m]

Looks like another Russian ally is in trouble:


Explosions and gunfire as armed groups launch co-ordinated attacks across Mali

...

Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the FLA, wrote on social media that its forces had taken control of Kidal and were expanding its presence in the centre of Gao.

He posted footage purporting to show militants taking over a camp occupied by the Malian army and Russian mercenaries in Kidal, as well as a military helicopter that had supposedly been shot down near Gao. The BBC has not been able to verify these claims.

The FLA has for years been fighting for the creation of the state of Azawad in northern Mali, a large swathe of which it has effective control over.

Ramadane also urged neighbouring countries Burkina Faso and Niger not to intervene.

Mali is currently ruled by a military junta led by Gen Assimi Goïta, who first seized power in a coup in 2020, promising to restore security and push back armed groups.

The junta had popular support when it took power, promising to deal with the long-running security crisis prompted by the Tuareg rebellion in the north, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants.

UN peacekeepers and French forces deployed to deal with the escalating insurgency left after the junta took over, and the military government hired Russian mercenaries to help tackle the insecurity.

However, the jihadist insurgency has continued and large parts of the north and east of the country remain outside government control.



https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyx7nnrkqdo

[velik_m]

https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/2048173797136625727

[velik_m]

https://x.com/NOELreports/status/2049765675674059096

https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/2049873462567502117

https://x.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/2049897734283423995

[Th'Pusher]

Is this war still going on? This thing was supposed to be over on DAY 1!

[velik_m]

Ukraine hit Russian Su-57s at remote airbase

Ukraine struck Russian Su-57 Felon stealth fighters and a Su-34 Fullback strike aircraft deep inside Russian territory, at Shagol airfield in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, approximately 1,700 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed the strike, attributing it to the Forces of Unmanned Systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The announcement stated that several Su-57 fighters and one Su-34 fighter-bomber were hit at Shagol airfield. The degree of damage is still being assessed, the General Staff said, but the strike was described as confirmed results of measures to reduce the enemy’s ability to strike civilian targets on Ukrainian territory.

...


https://defence-blog.com/ukraine-hit-russian-su-57s-at-remote-airbase/

[Blake]

What a load. He tried to get into war with Iran.


:lol by nixing the John Kerry deal that paid them US taxpayer dollars to promise not to make nukes for 10 years?

Also, your statement lacks evidence or proof.

Lol 5 years later

[Blake]

Thats my bitch :tu

https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1468885154500280321?s=19

I bet she still is

[Blake]

:lol

How likely is an invasion in 2022?

In general, a large-scale Russian offensive operation against Ukraine in 2022 seems unlikely according to many indicators, even judging by purely military requirements.

https://kyivindependent.com/national/center-for-defense-strategies-how-probable-is-large-scale-war-in-ukraine-analysis/

caLLeD iT

[velik_m]

https://x.com/UkrReview/status/2049953829047992320

[velik_m]

Unsettled Kremlin tightens security around Putin amid assassinations and coup fears, intel report says

The Kremlin has dramatically increased the personal security around President Vladimir Putin, installing surveillance systems in the homes of close staffers as part of new measures prompted by a wave of assassinations of top Russian military figures and fears of a coup, according to a report from a European intelligence agency obtained by CNN.

Cooks, bodyguards and photographers who work with the president are also banned from traveling on public transport, the dossier says. Visitors to the Kremlin chief must be screened twice, and those working close to him can only use phones without internet access, it adds.

Some of the measures were put in place in recent months in the wake of the killing of a top general in December, which sparked a dispute in the top ranks of Russia’s security establishment, the report says. They suggest mounting unease within the Kremlin as it faces growing problems at home and abroad, including economic woes, increasing signs of dissent and setbacks on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Russian security officials have drastically reduced the number of locations that Putin regularly visits, the report says. He and his family have stopped going to their usual residences in the Moscow region and at Valdai, the president’s secluded summer property which lies between St. Petersburg and the capital.

He has not visited a military facility this year so far, the report says, despite regular trips in 2025. To get around these restrictions, the Kremlin releases pre-recorded images of him to the public, the report adds.
...


https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/04/europe/putin-russia-security-intelligence-intl

[velik_m]

Armenia signs agreements with EU and France

The Armenia–EU summit followed the 8th European Political Community Summit, hosted in Yerevan on 4 May, making Armenia the first South Caucasus country to host the summit since its inception in 2022. It was also the largest international conference ever held in Armenia.

In the frameworks of the bilateral summit, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hosted the President of the European Council António Costa and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

Following the summit, Armenia and the EU adopted a joint declaration and signed a number of documents, including the Armenia–EU Connectivity Partnership. The sides also initialled a document on the ‘working arrangement on operational cooperation in the field of border management’ between Armenia and the EU Border and Coast Guard Agency.

The cooperation dates back to 2024, when Armenian border troops took control over all the checkpoints of the Armenian borders, including at the Yerevan Zvartnots Airport. Previously, Russian border guards had been stationed at the checkpoints. While they have since left, Russians still maintain their presence along the border with Turkey and Iran.

...



https://oc-media.org/armenia-signs-agreements-with-eu-and-france/

[Winehole23]

Victory Day parade lasts 45 minutes with no actual military equipment present

He looks happy

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:3ilzhrzkar3icae4mfyupmqp/bafkreieej5gjsm5khvfo437bvbb7qcqy7ws3mq7vb7eiuhqnf 724kde6ua

[velik_m]

https://x.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/2057413432052199892

[Thread]

Just checkin' in, fellows.

I'm still President.

Putin is still in Ukraine.

See's ya when either I'm no longer President, or, when the Putin keeps a millimeter of Ukrainian dirt.

Love always,

- Dale

P.S., And may OKC do to your Spurs what McVeigh did to OKC.

[velik_m]

Mercenaries in Mali Come With High Cost, Few Results

Mali’s ruling junta has paid nearly $1 billion to Russian mercenaries since 2021 in an effort to stop the spread of Islamic terrorists and Tuareg rebels. However, analysts say it’s unclear what the country has gotten for its money.

Years of Russian brutality, including the 2023 Moura massacre of 300 Fulani men, have undermined public support for the government in the north and central regions of the country. The Russian-backed attacks on Kidal in 2023 effectively ended the 2015 peace agreement with the Tuaregs and led to late April’s retreat from that same town after the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) joined forces to retake it.

FLA-JNIM collaboration is a strategic shift that has put the government and its Russian supporters at a strategic disadvantage, according to analysts at the Robert Lansing Institute for Global and Democratic Studies.

“By combining local legitimacy with transnational networks, these groups have effectively outmaneuvered both Malian forces and their Russian partners,” the Lansing Institute wrote recently.

Africa Corps, like its predecessor, the Wagner Group, costs Mali at least $10 million per month even as terror groups have expanded their footprint in the country. The junta pays for Africa Corps in cash rather than resources as the Central African Republic has done.

“It’s a big weight for the Malian economy, but it’s a guarantee for the junta to stay in power and rob the country,” analyst Wassim Nasr with the Soufan Center told ADF in an interview. “Their priority is to preserve the regime.”

...



https://adf-magazine.com/2026/05/mercenaries-in-mali-come-with-high-cost-few-results/

[velik_m]

Russia signs military partnership with the Taliban

Russia and Afghanistan signed a military cooperation agreement on Wednesday, just one year after the Kremlin removed the Taliban from a list of banned terrorist groups.

The new agreement underscores the deepening ties between the Kremlin and the Taliban, and while the exact details remain murky, Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoub said the agreement marked an expansion of the bilateral relations between the two countries.

“Interaction with Russia is important for us,” Yaqoub said following a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu at the International Security Forum in Moscow. “Afghanistan and Russia have long-standing and historic relations, and we want to move forward in this direction.”

...



https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-afghanistan-military-partnership-taliban-new-deal/

[velik_m]

Sweden announces 16 Gripens for Ukraine

Sweden plans to transfer 16 used Saab JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighter jets to Ukraine and support Kyiv in procuring up to 20 newer Gripen E aircraft, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced on May 28.

"Ukraine has clearly identified Gripen as the priority choice for its air force in the long term and intends to acquire the newest version, Gripen E," Kristersson said at a joint news conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Uppsala.

According to the Swedish government, Ukraine plans to finance the future purchase of Gripen E/F aircraft using 2.5 billion euros ($2.8 billion) from the European Union's Ukraine Support Loan mechanism.

Kristersson said negotiations over the Gripen E procurement are ongoing and that deliveries of the newer aircraft could begin by 2030.

He added that Sweden would also transfer 16 Gripen C/D aircraft currently used by the Swedish Air Force, with deliveries expected to begin in early 2027 after Ukraine finalizes the purchase agreement and Sweden secures the required export approvals.

The transfer would further expand Ukraine's fleet of Western-supplied fighter aircraft, which already includes American F-16s and French Mirage 2000s but remains insufficient to fully defend Ukrainian cities and infrastructure from daily Russian missile and drone attacks.

"This is truly a historic event, a historic day for our cooperation and for our countries," Zelensky said during the press conference.

"We're talking specifically about a squadron of Gripens for Ukraine, and this is tremendously important support for us," he added

...



https://kyivindependent.com/sweden-set-to-provide-gripen-fighter-jets-to-ukraine-media-reports/

[velik_m]

Ukrainian forces destroy two Tu-142 warplanes and launcher for Iskander system in Russia's Taganrog overnight – video (https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/05/30/8037035/)

[velik_m]

https://x.com/TheFl0orIsLaVa/status/2062040656504070484

https://x.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/2062144806927704457

https://x.com/i/status/2062130166692733147