Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] No Russian attacks have yet been recorded in the Kramatorsk and Hulyai-Polye sectors. And in the Pokrovsk area, the intensity of fighting has significantly decreased.
Since the start of the day, 69 combat clashes between the Ukrainian army and Russian invaders have occurred on the front. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in an operational report on Thursday, October 23.
Thus, in the Severo-Slobodskoy and Kursk directions the enemy attacked three times.
Five battles took place in the Yuzhno-Slobodskoy direction. The enemy attacked areas of the settlements of Vovchansk and Kamenka, as well as in the direction of Bologovka. Three clashes are ongoing.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy attempted three times to advance toward our positions in the areas of Peschanoye, Stepnaya Novoselovka, and Petropavlovka. One attack was successfully repelled, and two more combat clashes are ongoing.
In the Liman direction, our defenders repelled four offensive actions by the invaders near the settlements of Nadezhda, Novoselovka, Zarechnoye, and Shandrigolovo. One combat engagement is ongoing.
In the Slavyansk direction, our soldiers repelled two attacks, and eight more clashes are still ongoing. Occupier units attempted to advance in the areas of Yampol, Serebryanka, Seversk, and Vyemka.
On the Konstantinovka front, the invaders advanced eight times near Shcherbinovka, Rusiny Yar, Katerynivka, and Sofiyivka. The defense forces successfully stopped all assaults.
In the Pokrovsk area, the enemy attempted to advance 16 times near the settlements of Nikanorovka, Mirnohrad, Rodynskoye, Lisovka, Zvirovoye, Udachnoye, Molodetskoye, and in the direction of other settlements. Two clashes are ongoing.
In the Aleksandrovsk direction, the aggressor launched 10 attacks near the settlements of Filiya, Sosnovka, Novoegorovka, Orestopol, and Pavlovka. One combat clash is ongoing.
In the Orekhovo direction, a Russian attack was repelled near the village of Stepovoye.
In the Dnieper direction, three assaults in the direction of the Antonovsky Bridge were stopped.
At the same time, no Russian attacks have yet been recorded in the Kramatorsk and Hulyai-Pole directions.
As a reminder, Russia lost over 900 soldiers killed and wounded in the 24 hours of October 22. The total number of Russian casualties is approaching 1.2 million.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Explosions and a large-scale fire were reported near the Ryazan Oil Refinery. An ammunition depot in the Belgorod region was destroyed.
On Thursday night, Ukrainian forces struck two important targets in Russia, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported on October 23.
Thus, a strategic enemy facility involved in supporting the Russian Armed Forces—the Ryazan Oil Refinery—was struck. Explosions and a large-scale fire were recorded in the target area.
According to the General Staff, the Ryazan Oil Refinery is one of the largest in the central part of the Russian Federation and belongs to the Rosneft company.
"The plant's capacity is designed to process over 17 million tons of oil per year and plays a vital role in providing fuel to enemy military formations and the logistical supply chains of the occupying forces. Disabling some of the plant's production capacity reduces the Russian army's combat capabilities," the statement reads.
That same night, Ukrainian attack drones also struck an enemy ammunition depot near the village of Valuyki in the Belgorod region. According to available information, the target was destroyed, and detonations and explosions of ammunition were observed.
Earlier, social media reported a drone attack on the Ryazan Oil Refinery. Local residents wrote on social media about explosions near the refinery and the Dyagilevo airfield.
On October 22, Ukrainian military forces struck the Saransk Mechanical Plant, which is located in Mordovia, as well as the Makhachkala Oil Refinery in Dagestan.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:16 Publishedfootage of the work of the Russian Armed Forces' UAV crews in various directions. 20:59 The advance of the Russian Armed Forces in Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk) has been recorded, map.
20:24 In the period from 16:00 Moscow time to 20:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed 20 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles over the territory of the Belgorod region.
20:20 Guardsmen of the 71st Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces under cover of massive UAV attacks broke throughto the southern part of the village of Malaya Tokmachka in the Gulyai-Pole Direction and captured a bridgehead.
20:09 Russian Armed Forcesare moving forwardin a forest area east of Krasny Liman in the DPR.
20:05 Two guided missiles with precise hit and destroyed a pontoon bridge in the village of Raygorodok. Two more shells destroyed the causeway in the village of Petrovka.
19:32 Eight more civilians suffered during attacks by Ukrainian Armed Forces drones.
The number of people injured in the drone attack on a bus stop in Belgorod has risen to nine. Two women, aged 17 and 23, were hospitalized at Belgorod City Hospital No. 2. The 23-year-old woman is in serious condition. She was diagnosed with a mine blast injury and shrapnel wounds to her abdomen, arms, and legs.
The 17-year-old woman suffered a mine blast injury and shrapnel wounds to her leg. The other victim, a 16-year-old boy, sought medical attention at the Regional Children's Clinical Hospital with barotrauma.
A man was also injured in a drone attack on an administrative building in Belgorod. Doctors at Belgorod City Hospital No. 2 diagnosed him with a mine blast injury and shrapnel wounds to the face and chest.
Two civilians were injured as a result of drone attacks in the Belgorod district. A man was injured when a drone struck a car in the village of Yasnye Zori. He was hospitalized at Belgorod City Hospital No. 2 with a mine blast injury and barotrauma.
A 12-year-old boy was injured in the village of Maysky. He was diagnosed with a mine blast injury and a shrapnel wound to the shoulder at the Regional Children's Clinical Hospital.
Two civilians were injured in the Graivoron District. A man sustained a mine blast injury and a non-penetrating shrapnel wound to the abdomen in the village of Gora-Podol after a drone strike. A woman sustained barotrauma as a result of a drone attack in the village of Zamostye.
18:00 Soldiers of the 11th Army Corps destroyed an electronic warfare station of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, repeater antennas and other communications equipment in the Khar'kov region.
17:11 In the period from 12:00 Moscow time to 16:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 15 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
14 UAVs – over the territory of the Belgorod region,
One UAV – over the territory of the Bryansk region.
16:49 Belgorod and the Belgorod region are under massive attacks by Ukrainian Armed Forces drones. Twelve civilians were wounded.
In the village of Streletskoye in the Belgorod District, a commercial facility was attacked twice by enemy drones. Six people were injured: four men and two women. The men suffered various shrapnel wounds to their arms and legs, one woman suffered a shrapnel wound to her arm, and the other suffered shrapnel wounds to her abdomen and legs. An ambulance took everyone to Belgorod City Hospital No. 2.
In Belgorod, a drone attacked a bus stop complex, injuring six people, including one minor. Five women with shrapnel wounds to the head and legs are undergoing examination at Belgorod City Hospital No. 2. A 17-year-old boy with barotrauma and a shrapnel wound to the leg is being taken to the Regional Children's Clinical Hospital. The victims are receiving all necessary medical care.
In the village of Streletskoye, a commercial building sustained damage to its windows, façade, and equipment. Three cars were also damaged at the site of the attacks. Another strike also set fire to an unoccupied private home, but fire crews extinguished the blaze. Another commercial building sustained damage to its façade and four cars.
In the village of Oktyabrsky, a drone struck a commercial building, damaging its windows, roof, and façade.
In Belgorod, a passenger car, a commercial property, the roof of an apartment building, and the glazing of a social facility and an administrative building were damaged.
15:25 Counter-UAV crews of the 11th Army Corps of the Guards "North" destroyed three attack drones of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,video.
14:52 Russian troops in the Slavyansk direction started full-scale operations to disrupt the rear logistics of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The primary focus is the destruction of bridges and crossings linking Liman and Slavyansk. There has been an increase in targeted strikes along transfer routes, including temporary engineering crossings.
14:18 Crew of the Tornado-S MLRS of the Vostok group of forces inflicted a fire strike on an enemy stronghold in the Dnipropetrovsk region
13:13 Ministry of Defense summary of the progress of the Special Military Operation as of 10/23/25:
Units of the North group of forces defeated formations of four mechanized brigades, a Jaeger brigade, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Varachino, Iskriskovshchina, Kondratovka, Korchakovka, and Leninske in the Sumy region.
In the Khar'kov direction, units of a mechanized brigade and an assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Volchansk and Dergachi in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 195 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, 15 vehicles, a US-made 155mm M-198 howitzer, an electronic warfare station, and four supply depots.
Units of the "West" force grouping improved their position along the forward edge. They defeated the personnel and equipment of six mechanized brigades, an assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a National Guard brigade near the settlements of Velyka Shapkovka, Kupyansk, Kurilovka, and Senkovo in the Khar'kov region, and Drobyshevo and Yampol in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost over 230 troops, 16 vehicles, and three field artillery pieces. Six electronic warfare stations and five ammunition depots were destroyed.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces occupied more advantageous lines and positions. They defeated formations of three mechanized brigades, a mountain assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a territorial defense brigade near the settlements of Dronivka, Ivanopol, Pazeno, Seversk, and Fedorovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost up to 145 servicemen, a tank, three armored combat vehicles, three cars, two 155mm Western-made artillery pieces, an electronic warfare station, and a supply depot.
Units of the Center Forces Group improved their tactical position. They defeated the personnel and equipment of three mechanized brigades, a Jaeger brigade, an assault brigade, two airborne assault brigades, four assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two naval infantry brigades, and two National Guard brigades near the settlements of Belitskoye, Grishino, Dimitrov, Zolotoy Kolodez, and Krasnoarmeysk in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The Ukrainian armed forces lost over 535 servicemen, a tank, four NATO-made armored combat vehicles, three pickup trucks, and an artillery piece.
Units of the "East" force group advanced deep into the enemy's defenses. They defeated formations of two mechanized brigades, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a territorial defense brigade near the settlements of Oleksiivka, Yehorivka, and Orestopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and Vyshneve and Uspenovka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 390 servicemen, three combat armored vehicles, 10 cars, and two counter-battery radar stations.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of a mechanized, mountain assault brigade, two coastal defense brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Novoandriivka, Primorskoye, Stepnogorsk in the Zaporizhzhia region, Antonovka and Belozerka in the Kherson region.
More than 85 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, 15 vehicles, three electronic warfare stations and two supply depots were destroyed.
12:39 In the period from 08:00 Moscow time to 12:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 32 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
17 UAVs were flying over the Kaluga region,
Six UAVs were flying over the Bryansk region,
Four UAVs were flying over the Belgorod region,
Two UAVs were flying over the Republic of Crimea,
One UAV was flying over the Kursk region,
One UAV was flying over the Orenburg region, and
One UAV was flying over the Moscow region.
11:03 In the Bryansk region, due to an attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, on a civilian vehicle a woman died.
10:38 Russian Armed Forceshiton oil and gas facilities and port infrastructure of Ukraine
On the night of October 22, the Russian Armed Forces launched a series of strikes against key energy and transport infrastructure facilities in Ukraine. Those hit included energy installations in the Kyiv and Poltava regions, including oil and gas facilities in the Myrhorod district.
10:02 The Ukrainian Armed Forces are active in the Sumy direction. They attempted to penetrate the Alekseyevka area from two sides, but our units counterattacked and repelled the main attempts. The situation has now stabilized, and no new attacks have been reported. Meanwhile, the remnants of scattered groups near the village are being cleared.
In the Kondratovka direction, the enemy, represented by the 225th Separate Assault Regiment, continues its attempts to storm Konstantinovka. They are attacking under the cover of poor weather conditions, when aerial reconnaissance is limited.
The 78th Separate Assault Regiment is virtually inactive in the Stepnoye area. It has currently taken up positions and deployed personnel to defend the area. The enemy is actively engaging with cannon artillery and intensively deploying Baba Yaga hexocopter-type UAVs.
Further east, the situation is more intense. Assault groups from the 3rd Special Forces Division of the 71st Mechanized Brigade, supported by FPV drone crews, conducted offensive operations near Varachino.
9:03 In Kamenskoye, Dnipropetrovsk region, there was a strike inflicted on the Dnieper Metallurgical Plant and the Dnieper Thermal Power Plant.
Strikes were carried out on targets in the Zaporizhzhia region.
A major fire broke out at an enemy facility in Snovsk, Chernihiv Oblast.
Railroad infrastructure was hit in Sumy Oblast.
8:30 During the past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 139 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
56 - over the territory of the Belgorod region,
22 - over the territory of the Bryansk region,
21 - over the territory of the Voronezh region,
14 - over the territory of the Ryazan region,
13 - over the territory of the Rostov region,
Four - over the territory of the Republic of Crimea,
Two - over the territory of the Tambov region,
Two - over the territory of the Volgograd region,
Two - over the territory of the Oryol region,
Two - over the territory of the Kaluga region,
One - over the territory of the Kursk region.
8:00 Crew of the 240mm self-propelled mortar 2S4 "Tulip" of the "Center" group of forces destroyeda fortified command post for Ukrainian Armed Forces drones in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
Fire control and adjustment were carried out in real time with the help of the group's UAV operators.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] In recent days, reports have been coming in of significant advances by Russian Armed Forces within the city of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk in Ukrainian sources) in the western DPR. The assault on the city has been ongoing for several weeks. According to the latest reports, our troops, having broken through Ukrainian Armed Forces defenses on the southwestern outskirts of the city, have advanced deep into residential areas. Fighting continues in the city center.
According to several sources, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been driven out of the city train station area. The line of contact runs along the railway (running west to east and roughly dividing the city in half) and Olshansky Street, which runs parallel to the railway.
There are reports that Ukrainian troops have been forced to abandon a fortified area of the city's industrial zone and are continuing to retreat.
According to other reports, the Ukrainian Armed Forces deliberately abandoned several positions in the development, retreating northeast to the industrial zone of the Krasnoarmeysk Dinas Plant (where Dinas, a refractory product made from silicon dioxide, was produced). The enemy is retreating to neighboring plants located further northeast between Krasnoarmeysk and the satellite town of Dimitrov (Mirnograd).
FORCED THE ENEMY TO RETREAT
Ukrainian sources, in turn, report that Russian troops have managed to penetrate the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defenses at the point where the M-30 Krasnoarmeysk - Pavlohrad - Dnipropetrovsk highway becomes Zashchitnykiv Ukrayiny Street. Thus, enemy supplies coming from the west have been intercepted in the central districts of Krasnoarmeysk.
Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the city found themselves on the verge of encirclement, a front-line source told Regnum news agency.
"The road to Dnipropetrovsk has remained the main supply route for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in recent months," the source explained. " Seizing control of the road seriously complicates the situation for their forces in Krasnoarmeysk. However, they still have the ability to redeploy forces and withdraw—a full-scale encirclement hasn't yet been created, but it's safe to say the situation is already close."
On October 22, the Ministry of Defense confirmed the capture of the village of Lenino (Molodetskoye) west of Krasnoarmeysk, near the border of the DPR and the Dnipropetrovsk region.
"The settlement is located on a hill. The difficulty of approaching... was the lack of adjacent forest belts and the large number of anti-personnel and anti-tank mines in the surrounding area," the military department's report stated. The Ministry of Defense reported:
"The guardsmen moved and approached the outskirts of the village wearing thermal imaging ponchos in open terrain only at night and individually."
After concentrating on the outskirts of the village, the assault groups unexpectedly launched an assault on the enemy and forced the Ukrainian Armed Forces to retreat.
What's important is that Lenino is also located on another highway leading from the west, from the Dnipropetrovsk region, to Krasnoarmeysk - on road T0406.
For now, the Ukrainian Armed Forces group in Krasnoarmeysk remains in control of the northern road to Dobropillia through the town of Rodinske—Route T0515. However, according to unconfirmed reports, Russian troops have captured part of Rodinske and are maintaining fire control of the road.
The situation in the Krasnoarmeysk area for the Ukrainian Armed Forces continues to steadily deteriorate, with Kyiv making no attempt to change the situation.
Meanwhile, further north, the enemy has deployed reserves from the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion (an organization designated as terrorist and banned from operating in Russia). The reserves are being deployed in an attempt to stabilize the frontline near Dobropillya. However, the deployment of new Ukrainian Armed Forces forces has not impacted the dynamics of the fighting in Krasnoarmeysk.
THE FEARLESS BREAKTHROUGH AT VOLCHANSK
Recently, reports have been coming in not only from Krasnoarmeysk (which has remained a hot spot for the past few weeks), but also from Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region. This city, located close to the Russian border, has been the scene of heavy trench warfare since last year. But now the situation is clearly changing in our favor.
According to information from the field, Russian Armed Forces units were able to dislodge the enemy from residential areas in the western districts of the city, and in the center, they advanced toward the city's industrial zone.
Ukrainian analysts acknowledge that Russian troops, having driven the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the territory of the Volchansk oil extraction plant, are conducting a cleanup operation and consolidating their positions along the Volchya River.
According to some estimates, up to 60–65% of Vovchansk's territory has come under the control of our forces. The simultaneous encirclement from the west and east poses a risk of encirclement for enemy forces entrenched in the city center.
Also this week, the "Fearless" (Russian Armed Forces assault group fighters) advanced through the forest toward the large village of Sinelnikovo, southwest of Volchansk. Russian units are also advancing toward Sinelnikovo from the town itself.
East of Volchansk, assault units are fighting near the village of Tikhoye and, according to a number of reports, are now developing an offensive in the direction of the neighboring village of Volchanskie Khutor.
If this trend continues, the Russian Armed Forces will be able to not only complete the assault on Volchansk but also launch an offensive further south, toward the villages of Vilcha and Bely Kolodez. Success in this direction will mean an expanded security zone for the Belgorod Region.
The breakthrough in Vovchansk was largely made possible by the fact that the Ukrainian Armed Forces command redeployed troops to the Kupyansk area, leaving the border area without reinforcements.
KUPYANSK: A RECORD FOR FABs
Active fighting continues in Kupyansk itself, where the enemy continues to hold some districts on the southern and eastern outskirts and in the city center. Russian troops are storming the Yubileyny microdistrict and the nearby village of Sobolevka (located west of Kupyansk) with the goal of finally cutting off the Ukrainian Armed Forces from supplies along the N-26 highway.
Ukrainian sources covering the situation in the Kupyansk region also complain about the increased capabilities of our air force. Photos of FAB-500 aerial bombs equipped with a unified control and correction module (UCCM) and a jet engine are being published online.
Thanks to the engine, the bombs can glide to a target from a distance of over 200 km, allowing Russian bombers to carry out pinpoint strikes on enemy positions while avoiding areas where the Ukrainian air defense system is active.
Earlier, the Ukrainian General Staff acknowledged that Russian forces fired 268 guided bombs at Ukrainian Armed Forces positions in just one day, October 17, a record for the entire duration of the war. It was noted that guided bombs are extremely difficult to intercept, but they are also highly accurate.
GULYAI-POLYE DISTRICT: NO CHANCE OF A COUNTERATTACK
In addition to the western DPR and two cities in the Kharkiv region that are "problematic" for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the active offensive of Russian troops continues further south – in the area where the DPR borders with the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions meet.
On October 22, the Ministry of Defense confirmed the liberation of the village of Pavlovka in the Gulyai-Polye district.
Control of this “inhabitant” creates the conditions for a further offensive in the direction of Privolnoye, and on the other hand, for advancing beyond the Yanchur River and storming the settlement of Uspenovka.
Novogrigorovka and Novovasilyevskoye were previously liberated in this direction. The enemy, in turn, is seeking to stabilize the front line along the river, relying on fortified areas in Uspenovka and Novonikolayevka.
A breakthrough in the front line in this area could create opportunities for a further offensive on the regional center of Hulyaipole, a strategically important hub of the enemy's defenses. Due to the predominantly flat steppe nature of the terrain, a presence in large populated areas allows for the effective control of large swathes of terrain and deprives the enemy of the opportunity to counterattack.
The active use of air power makes it impossible for the enemy to accumulate forces in the frontline zone, which, as a result, deprives Kyiv of the opportunity to launch a counteroffensive. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are forced to continue to operate on the defensive, leaving the initiative entirely to Russian forces.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by David Narmania
[RIA] Donald Trump, for whom current US First Lady Melania is his third wife, knows for sure that a man in a relationship, even an international one, can be anything but boring. That's why he manages to keep the entire world on an emotional roller coaster.
To avoid deceiving ourselves in this regard, we must accept that Trump is, first and foremost, the president of the United States. For him, the interests of his country, as he understands them, are paramount. Sometimes this vision coincides with some part of the spectrum of Russian interests, and this is where the opportunity for cooperation arises. But these interests are never identical.
Take, for example, the conflict in Ukraine. For the current American leader, it's crucial to achieve a settlement as quickly as possible so he can do what he does best—build business and develop business ties. This is not only for economic but also political reasons: for Washington, a rapprochement between Russia and China would be fatal, because a partnership between Moscow and Beijing would be a wake for American hegemony.
What's not in Russia's interests, however, is attempting to conclude a ceasefire without addressing the underlying causes of the conflict. Stopping hostilities at any cost is precisely the Ukrainian narrative.
Kyiv has almost as many deserters per month as the TCC manhunters manage to recruit. Zelenskyy is the one who risks a blackout across Ukraine this winter. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are currently semi-encircled in the Krasnoarmiisk agglomeration, Kupyansk is almost lost, Seversk is falling away, and Russian attack aircraft have already entered Kostiantynivka. The Kyiv regime needs to figure out what to do with the Dnipropetrovsk region, where our troops are advancing.
That's why they desperately need at least some pause in the conflict to catch their breath. And here, Zelenskyy and Trump's interests already align. The problem is, this coincidence is temporary, and if the Ukrainian Armed Forces succeed, the conflict will resume with renewed vigor.
This is likely exactly what Sergey Lavrov was trying to convey to Marco Rubio. And under these circumstances, with Trump demanding to "stop where we are," the Budapest summit truly had critically little chance of achieving a breakthrough.
But let's be honest: just a week ago, Zelenskyy was flying to Washington for Tomahawk missiles, which would certainly have been launched at peaceful Russian cities: Kyiv has no use for these weapons except for terrorism. All this would have brought the world to the brink of World War III, and that brink would have been much closer than during the Cuban Missile Crisis. And then Putin and Trump called each other, and Zelenskyy's triumph turned into a public rebuke. Suddenly, the story of the summit and the tunnels to Alaska emerged.
Now come the sanctions. Painful, no doubt, as usual, but not deadly. Also, as usual. Meanwhile, Western media outlets began to leak news that Trump had given the go-ahead to use missiles to strike deep into Russia—an allegation the White House immediately denied. And then they announced restrictions and the cancellation of the summit.
Or rather, not even a cancellation, but a postponement. Trump himself admitted that he will meet with Putin "in the future." And in that future, the situation for Kyiv will be even more dire. In other words, Russia has managed to buy time on the diplomatic front for the military, radically reducing the risk of escalation in the confrontation with the West. And if that requires a week's wait for Budapest, it's a perfectly acceptable price.
US President Donald Trump's decision to impose new anti-Russian sanctions was necessary; they will be effective and will harm Russia. This was stated by the White House on October 23.
"The President [Trump] has said he will impose sanctions on Russia when he deems it appropriate and necessary. And yesterday was that day," White House press secretary Caroline Levitt told reporters.
According to her, the US expects the new restrictions to cause significant harm to Russia. Furthermore, Trump's dissatisfaction with the pace of the Ukrainian conflict resolution extends to both sides, Levitt added. The American leader also sees no interest on Russia's part in reaching a peace agreement.
On October 22, the United States imposed measures against Russian oil companies Lukoil, Rosneft, and their subsidiaries as part of a new sanctions package. The US Treasury Department explained that the restrictions are aimed at increasing pressure on Russia's energy sector and reducing its revenues. The new list includes 34 subsidiaries of these companies based in Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry called these restrictive measures counterproductive.
Commenting on the new US anti-Russian sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that these restrictions, while they will have certain consequences for Russia, will not significantly impact the country's economic well-being. The head of state called the sanctions an unfriendly act and an attempt to exert pressure on Russia.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Hungary still does not intend to provide military aid to the Kyiv regime. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated the country's unchanged position at a rally held outside the parliament building on October 23 following the anti-war "Peace March" in Budapest.
He stressed that he would not allow EU leaders to drag Hungary into the military conflict in Ukraine.
"We will not give up our money, we will not give up our weapons, and we will not go to war to die for Ukraine," the head of government said.
Orban noted that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is not a conflict of Budapest.
I can’t imagine either of the parties making it all the way to some mutual battlefield somewhere between them. No doubt this shows my ignorance of warfighting necessities.
[Regnum] The French military must prepare for a military clash with Russia in three to four years. This was reported by Le Figaro newspaper, citing the Chief of the General Staff of the French Armed Forces, General Fabien Mandon.
"Russia is a country that could be tempted to continue the war on our continent, and this is a defining element of my preparation plan. The first objective I set for the armed forces is to be prepared for a shock in three to four years," the French Chief of the General Staff stated.
He also called on the authorities to increase the country's military budget now. The draft bill envisages an increase in military spending to €57.1 billion in 2026 (an increase of 13% compared to the current year). As a result, France's military spending could reach 2.2% of GDP.
According to the general, if potential adversaries see the efforts being made, they may abandon the attack.
Earlier, Sergei Naryshkin, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, speaking at a meeting of the Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services of the CIS Member States in Uzbekistan, stated that European NATO member countries are actively preparing for war with Russia. According to him, the Macrons, Mertzes, and Kallas are prepared to offer their nations only Russophobia and an accelerated buildup of military potential with an eye toward a large-scale armed conflict. The North Atlantic Alliance intends to quickly provide the Allied Response Force with all necessary resources, and Russia is aware of these preparations, he added.
During his speech at the Valdai International Discussion Club on October 2, President Vladimir Putin stated that responsibility for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine lies with Europe. He noted that Europeans are constantly escalating the situation, and no other objective is currently apparent in their actions.
At the same time, Russia has no intention of attacking NATO states and sees no point in doing so. Putin has repeatedly noted that Western politicians are intimidating the population with an imaginary "Russian threat" to divert attention from domestic problems to foreign ones
#4
...FWIW, I have served alongside French forces on two occasions. They were cocky little bastards, but they also had the skills to back it up, as long as their political masters don't screw it up.
#16
Well how do you think migrants from the Middle East make it to Poland? Russia and Belarus give them visa, let them fly in and send them straight to the border, if necessary quite forcefully. That's why Poland is building fences and Finland has closed all border crossings with Russia.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
10/24/2025 9:34 Comments ||
Top||
#17
I know it's old hat, but surely that hag and Minsk Agreement signatory Angela Merkel had nothing to do with all this.
#24
If you could just step back from the war hysteria being promoted by guys like Fabien Mando, you might see that Russian aggression against Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014 was triggered by NATO threats to expand into those countries.
Putin has warned NATO leaders that their expansion to Russia's borders constitutes an existential threat to Russia. That kind of language means war is on the table and yet NATO continues it push to the east.
What? You expect Putin to believe your assurances that you won't use those countries as staging areas for aggression against Russia itself? You expected him to believe Joe Biden's assurances that Tomahawk missiles in Ukraine would not be fitted with nuclear warheads? Why, after the trashing of the Minsk agreements and the Maidan Coup, would he believe that?
Leave those countries alone and you just might find the Russians to be a bit more agreeable. Otherwise, you are liable to end up like Napoleon in the graphic there, humiliated and retreating in the snow with your tail between your legs.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/24/2025 12:45 Comments ||
Top||
#25
you might see that Russian aggression against Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014 was triggered by NATO threats to expand into those countries
Give me a fucking break. Russia is aggressive and expansive. Always has been to protect the flat and very hoard/tank friendly heartland. They always push out to the defensive areas.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Malek Dudakov
[REGNUM] A sharp rift in Washington has brought the nascent negotiations between Russia and the United States to the brink of collapse. The White House has imposed the first significant sanctions since Donald Trump's second term in office. A meeting between the two leaders in Budapest has also been postponed. This development could be seen as Trump attempting to play a cunning game.
In reality, the actions of the American president are more likely explained by the desperate situation in which he finds himself, mired in many crises at once.
Since the spring, Trump's team had hoped to implement a rather rudimentary strategy in the Ukrainian situation: to exert pressure on all parties and force them to accept terms that would be acceptable to the Americans. The problems with this approach became apparent immediately: even when cooperating with European hawks and the Ukrainian lobby, the White House often lacked the capacity or will to exert effective pressure.
As for Russia, Trump quickly ran into a lack of any serious leverage. Threatening new sanctions was pointless, as Trump himself has repeatedly acknowledged.
The vacillations surrounding the supply of new weapons, such as long-range Tomahawk missiles, have come to nothing. The Pentagon is extremely concerned about both Russia's retaliatory actions and the depletion of its own arsenals. Otherwise, in the event of further escalation around Venezuela, there simply might not be enough missiles.
Over the summer, the US administration unsuccessfully attempted to influence Russia's key trading partners, China and India, by threatening them with secondary tariffs. This was done, in part, under pressure from hawks in the Senate, who were attempting to impose 500% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil.
Ultimately, the sanctions bill vanished into thin air, and Congress became mired in internal battles amid the government shutdown and the inability to approve a new US budget for next year.
However, recently the sanctions agenda has once again come to the fore.
The logic of hawkish legislators is roughly as follows: we can't pass the budget anyway because of all the divisions. So let's retreat to our comfort zone and threaten Russia with sanctions again. That's why the Senate began pushing new bills that, among other things, would include Russia on the list of "state sponsors of terrorism" alongside North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, and Syria. This would amount to a de facto attempt to impose an embargo against Russia.
The Trump administration is clearly not prepared to take such a radical step, for several reasons.
First, the US economy is dependent on critical raw materials like uranium, which comes from Russia. Furthermore, this would undermine any attempts to reach an agreement with Moscow and would sharply worsen Washington's already difficult relations with Beijing and New Delhi.
Ultimately, under pressure from hawks, Trump again adopted a middle ground. In the summer, he imposed 25% tariffs on India instead of the 500% promised by the Senate. Now, he has increased sanctions pressure on Russia's largest oil exporters, Rosneft and Lukoil.
Europe quickly joined the American sanctions. First London, then Brussels adopted similar measures. Overall, the impact of the sanctions will be felt primarily in the European economy.
Brussels will increase pressure on recalcitrant Eastern European countries that continue to buy oil from Russia.
Russian liquefied natural gas is a separate issue, as it's actively purchased in Europe by countries like France, Spain, and Belgium. They have strongly advocated for pushing back the deadline for phasing out Russian gas, now to 2027 or even later.
As for other countries, the effect of Trump's tariffs will be mitigated. Indian state-owned companies will find new ways to buy Russian oil, which New Delhi will certainly not refuse. Indian private companies may even ignore the US sanctions altogether.
Moreover, there has been no significant progress in the US-India negotiations so far. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to pointedly avoid personal meetings with Trump.
The situation with China will be even more revealing. Trump's first major Asian tour of his second term will begin very soon. However, details are still scant. All that is known is that he will visit Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea.
At the same time, the White House is strongly urging the Chinese side to hold a major bilateral summit on the trade agenda. However, Beijing has already made it clear that it does not intend to make any significant concessions to the United States at this time.
China recently tightened the screws on rare earth metal supplies, causing genuine panic in America. After all, in the spring, when supplies were already short, American industry was practically on the brink of collapse. And the price of these scarce metals soared by 4,000%.
In response, Trump imposed further tariffs on China. At the same time, he's literally begging Chinese businessmen to resume purchasing American soybeans. Without Chinese contracts, many farmers in the Midwest, the breadbasket of the United States, could simply go bankrupt. China, meanwhile, stopped buying soybeans from the United States in the spring and found new suppliers in Brazil and Argentina.
It's highly unlikely that Trump will be able to reach an amicable agreement with Beijing during his Asian tour. And he certainly won't be able to persuade China to stop buying Russian oil. He could, of course, threaten new sanctions, but this would have no effect and would only exacerbate the problems for American importers, who are facing retaliatory restrictions from China.
Moreover, inflation in the US has now reached 3% for the first time in Trump's second term. This is due to the delayed effects of all the tariffs imposed and the soaring cost of imported goods. American businesses are literally living in a state of complete chaos from month to month, unsure of what other tariffs to expect.
Most Americans expect the economic situation in the United States to worsen over the next year, and only 35-38% of citizens currently approve of Trump's economic policies.
The current anti-Russian sanctions adventure, coupled with the escalation around Venezuela, could lead to higher fuel prices on the domestic market, which could further damage Trump's position ahead of the congressional elections.
But there is also a theoretical way out of the current impasse. When it becomes clear that sanctions pressure on Russia is once again ineffective, hawks in Congress will have a much harder time justifying the introduction of new restrictions against Moscow.
At the same time, the realists remaining in the White House will be able to use this argument to their advantage: they say, we tried to pressure Russia with sanctions and arms supplies, but nothing worked, so let's sit down at the negotiating table under normal conditions.
The only question is whether Trump will still have the political capital by then for a serious dialogue with Russia. Or will he become completely bogged down in his internal wars with the Democrats, the conflict with Venezuela, and the endless drama in the Middle East, from which escape may be impossible.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassaad] Serial deployment of Russia's low-orbit satellite constellation will begin in December 2025 or January 2026; the first six satellites are already in orbit.
This was announced by Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov at the plenary session of the "Road-2025" exhibition and forum. "The launch of Russian low-orbit satellites from one of our private companies will help expand communications coverage to every corner of Russia. Ground-based cellular networks do not cover the entire map of our country. Serial deployment of the Russian low-orbit satellite constellation will begin as early as December 2025 or January 2026. The first six test satellites are already in orbit. This will be our full-fledged technological response to foreign analogues and a significant step forward."
This has certainly been significantly delayed. Such a constellation was needed yesterday. Especially after the launch of the Second Military Operation, people began to consider the inadequacy of our military and civilian satellite constellation to address the military and civilian challenges we faced. It became ridiculous that the army was forced to use terminals from the American satellite system.
But at one time, they had helped the British launch the OneWeb satellites, which are now being used for attacks on Russia. Ultimately, the idea that we needed to rely on our own resources for satellite communications prevailed.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
