[ToSD] Russian nationals are showing up at the southern border of the United States to request asylum — and they aren’t being allowed in.
Russians are currently leaving their homeland by the thousands, motivated by the country’s economy, politics and war against Ukraine. The number of Russian exiles since 2022 is in the hundreds of thousands and likely in excess of a million, according to media reports from all over the world. But I was told by a guy who talks to people that Russia was Nirvana?
Those trying to enter the U.S. have hit a literal and figurative wall, says a local attorney representing hundreds of Russians.
He said that the Biden administration is refusing entry, even after the administration’s promise that the U.S. would welcome those fleeing the war and their participation in it.
"[Immigration and Customs Enforcement] has detained virtually all Russian-speaking adults requesting asylum at a port of entry to the United States," said Bonsall-based lawyer Curtis Morrison.
"Basically, ICE has made a decision to blanket-detain all migrants who are Russian asylum seekers, even after their asylum claims have been granted, in violation of their previous policy called the 2009 Parole Directive.
"That’s the focus of our lawsuit."
The lawsuit was filed against ICE, the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
He said they may not actually be Russian.
"They may not even be from Russia but a country next to Russia, or maybe speak Russian," Morrison said.
"We don’t know why ICE implemented this policy, but there’s definitely something up with the Biden administration deciding to treat Russians differently ... ICE has detained virtually all Russian-speaking adults requesting asylum at a port of entry to the United States," he added.
Vladimir Putin says a Russian overnight missile and drone attack on Ukraine's power grid is a response to Ukraine's use of long-range US and UK weapons inside Russia
The Russian leader also threatens to target Kyiv's "decision-making centres" with Russia's new ballistic missile
The BBC's Sarah Rainsford says his claim of responding to the use of long-range Western weapons is deliberately misleading - the last big attack was before such weapons were deployed
Ukraine reports no fatalities after the attack, but more than a million Ukrainians have been left without power as 12 targets were struck
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the attack as a "vile escalation"
This is the second attack on the country's energy system this month, writes the BBC's Paul Adams in Ukraine, with temperatures falling
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:40 Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov held meetings with top officials of South Korea during his visit to Seoul. He reported on the facts of the participation of a 12,000-strong contingent of DPRK troops in the war on the side of Russia.
"The DPRK troops not only provide equipment and people, but also actively support strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure," Umerov said.
22.10 Special Operations Forces fighters in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation captured several dozen servicemen of the 810th Marine Brigade. This happened on November 27, when Russia celebrates Marine Corps Day.
21.55 US President Joe Biden may not have time to provide Ukraine with the promised multi-billion dollar aid. He does not have enough time before Donald Trump's inauguration. The Wall Street Journal writes about this. The Pentagon has already reached the monthly limit for sending weapons to Ukraine and is now facing logistical problems in delivering weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
21:40 President Volodymyr Zelensky heard a report from Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky on the situation at the front. The hottest areas remain Donetsk. First of all, this is the Kurakhivske direction.
21.19 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The parties discussed strengthening Ukraine's air defense. Ukraine handed over to its partners a list of air defense systems in service in the Alliance countries.
20:55 US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired General Keith Kellogg to serve as his special representative for the settlement of Russia's war against Ukraine.
"Together, we will secure peace through strength and make America and the world safe again!" the politician said.
20:35 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects a report on the negotiations from Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov after his return from South Korea. According to the head of state, the range of issues concerns Russia's involvement of North Korea in the war against Ukraine.
20:10 The United States believes that Ukraine needs to lower the mobilization age to 18 years. This was reported by Reuters, citing an unnamed senior representative of the US presidential administration.
He argues that Ukraine is not mobilizing and training enough soldiers for the war with Russia. Therefore, according to the official, the ranks of personnel need to be replenished.
19.55 Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, 41 generals have been dismissed from the Ukrainian Armed Forces for health reasons. This was reported by the Main Communications Directorate of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The data covers the period from February 24, 2022 to August 1, 2024.
18.54 The Russian army has significantly increased shelling of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, using various types of weapons. This was reported by the head of the Kupyansk city military administration, Andrey Besedin.
17.45. Since the beginning of the current day, 102 combat clashes have occurred on the front. This was reported in the evening by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the Pokrovsk direction, the Russian army made 24 attempts to push the Ukrainian defenders from their positions.
17.18. Russians attacked a civilian car in the Zaporizhia region from an FPV drone. Two people were injured. This was reported by the head of the Zaporizhia OVA Ivan Fedorov. It is noted that the occupiers also fired at a car with two civilian men who were moving along the road in the Vasilievsky district. The driver and passenger of the car were injured and hospitalized.
16.45. National Guard fighters stopped an attempt by Russian occupiers to advance in the Zaporizhia direction. The video was published by the commander of the National Guard Oleksandr Pivnenko. According to him, the Russians tried to attack the positions of the National Guard with a group of infantry, but their actions were detected in advance by Spartan aerial reconnaissance.
16.23 In the Kherson region, in the area of the Antonovsky Bridge, Russian troops are practicing forcing actions with small groups of infantry. This was stated by the spokesman for the Defense Forces of the South, Vladislav Voloshin.
15.34 The Russian army is experiencing serious problems with medical care at all levels. This was reported by the British Ministry of Defense. Significant delays in the evacuation of wounded Russian soldiers are recorded. As a result, mortality rates are high.
14.20 The occupiers are using mines in the occupied Bakhmut of the Donetsk region for military purposes. They are setting up warehouses and hospitals there. This was stated by the spokesman for the Operational-Strategic Group of Forces Khortitsa Nazar Voloshin on the air of the telethon. According to him, Bakhmut is the first point for the temporary deployment of the 98th Airborne Division and the 3rd Army Corps of the Russian Federation.
12:58 In the Zaporizhia region, a Russian drone attacked a car that was transporting bread to frontline communities. This was reported on November 27 by the head of the Zaporizhia OVA Ivan Fedorov.
12.47 Russian troops once again shelled the Dniprovskyi district of Kherson. A 70-year-old woman was injured.
10.54 A Ukrainian delegation headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is on a visit to South Korea. Ukrainian representatives will meet with the country's President Yun Sok-yul and Defense Minister Kim Jong-hyun.
10.35. Over the past 24 hours, 224 combat clashes have been recorded at the front. Yesterday, aviation, missile forces and artillery of the Defense Forces carried out nine strikes on areas of concentration of enemy personnel and military equipment. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on November 27.
9.45. Damage was recorded in the Kiev region as a result of falling debris from downed Russian drones. This was reported by the head of the Kiev Regional State Administration Ruslan Kravchenko. According to him, there are no casualties among the population. No critical or residential infrastructure was hit. At the same time, as a result of falling debris from downed targets in one of the populated areas, the blast wave damaged the glazing of 18 apartments and three office spaces in three multi-story buildings. In addition, in two districts, windows, doors and roofs in four private houses, four outbuildings and a garage were damaged.
9.30. Russian troops launched 89 drones at Ukraine. Air defense shot down 36 drones, another 48 were lost. This was reported by the Ukrainian Air Force. Enemy UAVs were shot down in the Kiev, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Poltava, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi and Nikolaev regions.
08:47 Russians have occupied Novoselidovka in the Kurakhovsky direction and Petrovka in the Pokrovsky direction of the Donetsk region. Enemy advances have also been recorded around Novomlynsk and in Kruglyakovka in the Kharkiv region. This is reported by DeepState analysts.
08:25 The new ballistic missile that Russia recently used to attack the Dnieper had several warheads, but no explosives, and therefore caused little damage. This was reported by Reuters, citing two high-ranking sources in the Ukrainian government.
07:58 US President Joe Biden has called on Congress to allocate an additional $24 billion to increase military support for Ukraine. The White House Office of Management and Budget has proposed including this financial assistance in the package of solutions to avoid a cut-off in funding by the next presidential administration.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Ukrainian Armed Forces repel Russian attacks.
In the Pokrovsk direction, the Russian army made 24 attempts to push the Ukrainian defenders from their positions.
There have been 102 combat clashes on the front since the beginning of the current day. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the evening of November 27.
It is noted that today, areas of the settlements of Popovka and Dmitrovka in the Sumy region suffered from artillery shelling from Russian territory.
In the Kharkov direction, Russian occupiers attempted to storm the defensive lines of Ukrainian forces in the areas of Vovchansk and Tykhoye four times; the attacks were repelled.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy has actively attacked our units' positions in the areas of Kolesnikovka, Zagryzovo, Zelenyi Gai and Kruglyakovka seven times. Ukrainian soldiers are steadfastly holding the line, three combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Liman direction, the Russian army carried out four attacks on Ukrainian positions near Grekovka, Novoegorovka and Torskoye.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the invaders carried out one assault action in the direction of the Defense Forces positions near Belaya Gora.
In the Toretsk direction, the occupiers tried five times to displace Ukrainian units from their positions in the Toretsk area. Two attacks were repelled, three clashes continue.
In the Pokrovsk direction, the Russian army made 24 attempts to push the Ukrainian defenders from their positions in the areas of Mirolyubovka, Promin, Lisovka, Dachensky, Zhelty and Chumatsky. The defense forces are holding off the pressure, repelling 11 attacks. The enemy's losses are being clarified.
In the Kurakhovsky direction, fighting continues near Solntsevka, Berestki, Kurakhovo, Dalnee, Yelizavetovka, Antonovka and Ganovka. According to updated information, 21 Russian attacks have been repelled today, six clashes are ongoing.
In the Vremevsky direction, two attacks by the invaders are continuing; today, the enemy has made 13 attempts to advance near Trudovoye, Konstantinopolskoye, Razliv, Razdolnoye, Sukhi Yal and Novodarovka.
In the Dnieper direction, the occupiers tried three times to drive Ukrainian soldiers from their positions, but to no avail.
In the Kursk region, Ukrainian defenders have repelled 11 attacks by invaders, three clashes are ongoing.
In the Seversky, Gulyai-Polye and Orekhov directions, the occupiers continue to shell the positions of the Defense Forces and civilian infrastructure.
Let us recall that, according to the spokesman for the Southern Defense Forces, Vladislav Voloshin, Russian troops are amassing forces in the area of the Kinburn Spit to maintain defense and prevent Ukrainian troops from crossing the Dnieper.
Linked article is available only through a VPN
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Kharkov direction, the Sever Group of Forces hit formations of the 92nd Air Assault Brigade of the AFU and 5th Border Detachment of the Ukrainian border police near Liptsy, Kazachya Lopan, and Slatino (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 60 troops, four motor vehicles, and a 122mm D-30 howitzer. One ammunition depot was wiped out.
The Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of 43rd, 53rd, 60th, 63rd, 67th Mechanised brigades of the AFU, and 119th Territorial Defence Brigade near Novoosinovo, Bezmyatezhnoye (Kharkov region), Kirovsk, Ivanovka, Krasny Liman (Donetsk People's Republic), and Serebryansky forestry.
Russian units repelled four counter-attacks launched by assault groups of the 14th, 116th Mechanised brigades, 3rd Tank Brigade of the AFU, and 1st National Guard Brigade.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 450 troops, three U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carriers, a Kozak armoured fighting vehicle, four motor vehicles, a 155mm M-198 howitzer and a 105mm M-119 gun made in the USA. Two Anklav-N electronic warfare stations and four ammunition depots were eliminated.
The Yug Group of Forces improved the tactical situation along the front line and hit formations of the 28th, 54th Mechanised brigades, 56th Motorised Infantry Brigade of the AFU, and 37th Naval Infantry Brigade near Konstantinovka, Kramatorsk, Andreyevka, and Slavyansk (Donetsk People's Republic).
Three counterattacks launched by units of the AFU 24th Mechanised Brigade and 76th Air Assault Brigade were repelled. The AFU losses amounted to more than 400 troops, two motor vehicles, and two U.S.-made 105mm M-119 guns. One missile and artillery depot was destroyed.
As a result of successful actions, the Tsentr Group of Forces liberated Novoya Ilinka (Donetsk People's Republic) and defeated manpower and hardware of the 151st Mechanised Brigade of the AFU, 38th Naval Infantry Brigade, and 132nd Territorial Defence Brigade near Dzerzhinsk, Shcherbinovka, Leonidovka, and Dimitrov (Donetsk People's Republic).
Russian units repelled ten counterattacks launched by assault groups of the 53rd, 100th, 151st Mechanised brigades, 59th Motorised Infantry Brigade, 25th Airborne Brigade, 49th Assault Battalion of the AFU, 35th Naval Infantry Brigade, and Lyut Assault Brigade of the National Police of Ukraine.
The enemy lost up to 415 troops, seven motor vehicles, a 152mm D-20 gun, and a 122mm D-30 howitzer.
The Vostok Group of Forces continued advancing to the depth of the enemy's defences and inflicted losses on formations of the 32nd Mechanised Brigade, 128th Mountain Assault Brigade of the AFU, and 241st Territorial Defence Brigade near Volnoye Pole, Komar (Donetsk People's Republic), and Temirovka (Zaporozhye region).
Three counter-attacks launched by assault groups of the 23rd Mechanised Brigade and 110th Territorial Defence Brigade were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 145 troops, two tanks, a U.S.-made MaxxPro armoured fighting vehicle, three motor vehicles, and a 152mm 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system.
The Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the 110th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU and 118th Territorial Defence Brigade close to Novoyakovlevka and Malaya Tokmachka (Zaporozhye region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 65 troops, three motor vehicles, and a 122mm D-30 howitzer. A Bukovel-AD electronic warfare station was eliminated.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces delivered strikes at infrastructure of military airfields, as well as engaged clusters of enemy manpower and military hardware in 144 areas.
Air defence units shot down 54 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 649 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 36,773 unmanned aerial vehicles, 586 anti-aircraft missile systems, 19,515 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,492 MLRS combat vehicles, 18,631 field artillery guns and mortars, and 28,762 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.
Over the past 24 hours, Energodar and surrounding areas of the Zaporozhye NPP were attacked six times by copter-type unmanned aerial vehicles and shelled twice by tube artillery.
All unmanned aerial vehicles were either destroyed by air defence units or suppressed by electronic warfare assets. As a result of the provocation, there are no casualties and damage.
At the moment, the staff of the Zaporozhye NPP continues to work as usual, the radiological level around the NPP's facilities is normal.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Newsfront] 23:57 Official summary of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC from 00:00 11/27/2024 to 00:00 11/28/2024.
A total of 11 facts of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces were recorded by the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC over the past day.
There were no reports of civilian casualties.
DAMAGED:
No damage to residential buildings or civil infrastructure facilities was recorded.
A total of 11 artillery attacks in the Gorlovka direction.
A total of 34 units of various ammunition were fired.
21:00 Calculation of the Tor-M2 anti-aircraft missile system of the Center group of forces covered actions of motorized rifle and tank units against enemy reconnaissance drones in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
19:57 Russian troops were able to cross the Oskolgain a foothold on the outskirts of Dvurechnaya, reported war correspondent Timofey Ermakov.
19:12 UAV operators of the North group of troops destroyed another Ukrainian Armed Forces vehicle in the Khar'kov region. A camouflaged Ukrainian Armed Forces vehicle was identified in a wooded area using a reconnaissance drone. The objective control footage shows a precise strike by an FPV drone on a Ukrainian Armed Forces vehicle and its fire.
18:50 The Russian army is launching massive strikes on the positions of the Ukrainian garrison in Kurakhovo–video.
18:08 The situation along the entire line of combat contact with the Russian Federation remains difficult for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Ukrainian General Staff admitted.
Earlier, the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC reported that the eastern front in the combat zone could “collapse” if the Russian Armed Forces maintain the current pace of advance.
16:50 Russian Armed Forces advance towards Sudzha in Kursk Region –map.
16:50 Calculation of the ATGM "Kornet" of the Crimean paratroopers destroyed a group of enemy infantry fighting vehicles in the border area of the Kursk region.
15:59 Enemy reports: "Kurakhovskoye direction. The Russian Armed Forces are regrouping before storming Starye Terny, which controls the Kurakovskoye Reservoir dam from the north.
On the southern flank, the Russians are trying to block the exit routes from the city by moving west and northwest.
Elizavetovka is holding on with its last strength, most of the settlement is in the gray zone, the Russian Armed Forces are constantly storming with armor and landing as far as possible to gain a foothold in the ruins.
Their advance is also recorded in the southeast from Trudovoye in the direction of Veselaya Roshcha.
The neck of this bag becomes even narrower and all escape routes are under close fire control of the enemy."
14:59 The Russian Armed Forces have made significant progress in several areas in the DPR and Khar'kov region, according to a map of Deep State.
13:55 Ukrainian channels confirm the fall of the settlement of Kopanki in the Khar'kov region. In addition, it is reported that the Russian Armed Forces have reached the outskirts of the settlement of Zeleny Gai.
13:35 The Russian Armed Forces occupied the southern part of the village of Lysovka in the Pokrovsky direction
13:12 In the Pokrovsk-Kurakhovskoye direction, Russian attack aircraft advanced in the Lysovka area in the direction of Dachenskoye.
As in Kurakhovo, and in a number of other areas, the enemy, having limited forces and means, tries to counterattack. In most cases, this results in burned armored vehicles, losses and retreats to the starting positions for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
12:49 Russian troops have come very close to the village of Pushkino in the Selidovsky district.
12:10 The Russian Armed Forces may begin an offensive on the southeastern part of the Dnipropetrovsk region, — ISW.
Analysts note that this could help the Russian Armed Forces achieve their strategic goal – the complete liberation of the DPR.
11:54 Enemy reports: "Russian Armed Forces are advancing in Donbas, encircling Velyka Novosilka. Tactical successes of Russian troops in the west of Donetsk Oblast pose a threat to the supply lines of the Armed Forces of Ukraine leading to Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia Oblasts."
11:21 The Russian Armed Forces have taken control of the supply lines of the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison in Velyka Novosyolka in the DPR, Vladimir Rogov reported.
10:49 Supercam UAV crews of the West group of forces around the clock carry out control over the enemy, and also adjust the fire of artillery and tank units on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
10:15 Ukrainian resources confirm new successes of the Russian Armed Forces beyond Oskol. Deep State reported on the advancement of the Russian Armed Forces and the expansion of the bridgehead beyond Oskol. The Ukrainian channel classifies the settlement of Novomlynsk as a "gray zone".
10:04 The Ukrainian Armed Forces have reinforced their group with foreign legion fighters in the largest fortified area, the Chasovoyarsk refractory plant, the security forces reported.
09:57 The Russian Armed Forces have advanced in three areas in the Khar'kov region: in the area of Kolesnikovka, Kruglyakovka and Dvurechnaya. The advance of Russian troops in this direction has been recorded for the third day in a row.
09:30 Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel in Kurakhovo are attempting to leave their positions on the western outskirts of the city en masse. According to security forces, the fugitives are "desperately trying to get out along the only accessible, but exposed road."
09:17 Special forces of the Russian National Guard destroyed five Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel in a forest in the Kursk region –video.
09:05 UAV calculation of the group commander "Aida" of the special forces "Akhmat" revealed servicemen in NATO uniforms in one of the forest plantations northeast of Sudzha in the Kursk region.
08:57 Servicemen of the Black Sea Fleet Naval Infantry Brigade of the North Forces Group captured Ukrainian Armed Forces bunkers in the border area of the Kursk Region.frames– work to support combat operations in the areas of responsibility of the naval infantry unit.
08:31 Volunteers of the BARS-32 detachment of the Dnepr group are conducting an active defense at a distance of up to a kilometer from the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Zaporizhia region, preventing their sorties, said the company commander with the call sign "Melnik" -video.
08:14 Footage of defeat of enemy infantry and various equipment in one of the directions of the front line.
08:08 Russian intelligence discovered launch area of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Grom-2 OTRK. The launcher was destroyed by a precise strike from the Iskander OTRK.
08:04 A reconnaissance drone of the “South” group shot down a Ukrainian copter-bomber near Novgorodskoye in the DPR, preventing the latter from carrying out a bombing run –video.
08:00 Enemy reports: "The Russian Armed Forces have taken control of Novoselidovka and Petrovka, and have also advanced near Novomlynsk, Zhelty, Pustynka, Pushkino, Razdolnoye, Razliv, Vesyoly Gai, Rovnopol, Solntsevka, Kruglyakovka, Berestki and Kurakhovo."
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Denis Davydov
[REGNUM] The 120mm mortar shells of the Ukrainian Armed Forces turned out to be defective in huge quantities and do not fly anywhere. Sometimes they even get stuck in the mortar barrel, to the delight of the crew. The epic video was posted online by Ukrainian investigative journalist Yuriy Nikolov, after which an impressive scandal began around the Ministry of Defense, which placed an order for production at the plant of the state company "Ukrainian Defense Industry".
After a series of publications in the media and hysterical statements by politicians, the military department nevertheless convened a meeting, recalled a batch of 100,000 mines (which would have been enough for six months of economical use) and ordered an inspection of the manufacturing plant. New production and sending of a batch of shells to the military will take another two to three months. However, as the editor-in-chief of the publication "Censor.net" Yuri Butusov claims , other batches have already been sent to the troops, and the scale of the catastrophe is difficult to assess.
Moreover, several batches of 82 mm caliber mines from the same manufacturer were recalled from the troops in November.
The situation is made especially piquant by the fact that the production of these munitions was pompously presented in February last year as a joint project "with a member country of the North Atlantic Alliance." "120-mm mines are manufactured using modern technologies. Production capacities are dispersed, in particular, part of them are located in one of the European countries," the state concern "Ukroboronprom" reported on this matter.
Now it turns out that they fall apart in the hands, work abnormally, deviate from the aiming point by hundreds of meters, fall on the flight path at a distance of 10-150 meters from the mortar. In one part of 17 shots, nine mines did not reach the target up to 600 meters, seven did not explode (three did not leave the barrel at all) and only one mine hit the target.
And according to Butusov, Ukraine allocated 24 billion dollars for production.
But that's not all.
In February 2024, the Ukrainian Defense Procurement Agency advanced almost $1.2 billion to supply 152/122mm ammunition. According to the "opposition," there are problems with them, too. The scandal-mongering MP from "European Solidarity" Oleksiy Goncharenko said that "one defense enterprise was supposed to supply 250,000 122mm rounds by the end of the year, starting in May, and another 50,000. Of the entire batch, only the second enterprise was able to supply 20,000. Or maybe there is something there that we don't know about? What should we do now? We don't have the ammunition that we need right now to defend Pokrovsk, Kupyansk, etc. What is the Defense Minister doing?"
And he immediately registered a draft resolution proposing to dismiss Minister Rustem Umerov - on November 26 it already appeared on the Verkhovna Rada website. The ministry is weakly kicking in response - in the confusion its head slipped away to Seoul with his delegation . In the capital of South Korea, Umerov is negotiating military aid to Kiev, demonstrating that he has no time to deal with all sorts of trifles.
The interdepartmental commission that was created included representatives from the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Strategic Industry, and the defense sector, and it spent several weeks in a closed session investigating the causes of the problem. "I cannot disclose the details, but in general it was found that the main reasons were the drop in temperature and increased humidity. In dry weather conditions, these mines did not malfunction," Fedir Venislavsky, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Defense Committee, told the press .
He carefully avoids accusations against the manufacturing plant, saying, let law enforcement say such serious things, especially since the State Bureau of Investigation has already opened a criminal case. And Venislavsky is skeptical about the dismissal of the Minister of Defense. What does Umerov have to do with it? All this is more the competence of the Ministry for Strategic Industries, since the enterprises are part of its structure.
However, the freelance adviser to the President of Ukraine on strategic issues, Alexander Kamyshin , who headed the Ministry of Strategic Industry until September 2024, is keeping a mysterious silence. They promised to bring imported mines to the army as a replacement, and then, apparently, they set a course to winding down the scandal and "covering up the ends." The military is already accused of improperly storing ammunition, due to which "the gunpowder simply got damp."
Too much money has already been written off and spent.
But the fact that Umerov and Kamyshin knew everything and understood it perfectly is evidenced by the Ukrainian weapons supply system itself. At the very beginning, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine says what weapons it needs, and the Ministry of Defense informs the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) how much and what needs to be contracted. The military representative from the Main Directorate for Technical Evaluation and Quality Control of Armaments and Military Equipment of the Ministry of Defense evaluates directly at the plant whether weapons can be made there or not.
If the conclusion is positive, the JSC concludes a contract and gives an advance payment for the launch of production, and the military representative controls the quality and quantity. Without his signature, there will be no payment. And if the complaints came directly from the troops, this means that at all previous stages, crooked mines were missed deliberately.
The fact is that back in the winter of 2023-2024, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Strategic Industry agreed among themselves that they would implement Zelensky's brilliant idea of increasing weapons production in Ukraine instead of purchasing them abroad to their mutual benefit. A sweet order was placed at the enterprise with the task of producing various ammunition, including the production of 120mm mine rounds in the amount of 300 thousand with the possibility of increasing the volume to 370 thousand per year.
The military representative on the spot issued a conclusion that the plant does not know how to make the right fuses and does not have the necessary gunpowder (it must be said that no one in Ukraine has them, and there are no methods for checking foreign products). However, all this was removed from the contract documents, and the fuses were brought from the warehouses of the Logistics Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - what they had. And there were non-standard ones, triggered "only during the assembly of the second charge."
Nevertheless, on February 9, 2023, AOZ received an even more optimistic conclusion from the military representative - taking into account the workload, the plant can produce 670 thousand mines per year! And the contract was signed, including for 43 billion UAH, which Zelensky took from local budgets and redirected to the state budget for the production of weapons.
That is, local communities have simply been brazenly robbed and will be robbed again, since those responsible must get imported replacements for defective products from underground. And since the scandal has come to light, foreign suppliers will gladly raise prices. They know very well that Ukraine has no alternative. Sources for the publication "Zerkalo Nedeli" claim that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are currently using up to 20 thousand mines per month in a very economical mode.
"The manufacturing company will eliminate all problems at its own expense and supply a completely new batch of mines instead of those mines that have such defects. They will undergo stricter control - this particular batch and from this manufacturer - in order to avoid any problems in the future," MP Venislavsky reassures everyone.
The ruling party he represents has remained remarkably calm in the face of the critical problem of ammunition shortages. And this is not surprising, since in the conditions of the destruction of almost all sectors of the economy, the main money revolves in the orbit of the Ministry of Defense. The minister is its manager, and his department is constantly embroiled in scandals due to brazen theft.
Literally at the beginning of this year, violations of more than 10 billion hryvnias were revealed in the Ministry of Defense in just 4 months. Former Deputy Minister of Defense Vyacheslav Shapovalov , who was responsible for logistics, purchased billions of hryvnias worth of “defective” bulletproof vests and winter jackets for servicemen. The troops ordered the famous eggs for 17 hryvnias each, and the head of the Ministry of Defense department and his accomplices were caught stealing 1.5 billion hryvnias from the purchase of shells.
In September 2024, the SBU and the National Police detained the head of the Finance Department of the Ministry of Defense and two of his accomplices who demanded bribes for the accrual of social benefits for wounded soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The employees of the TCC, reporting to the General Staff at the final point, are maintained at the expense of the Ministry of Defense: provision of personnel, transport, material and technical resources. That is, the shaft of cash collected from victims caught on the street is also concentrated there, at the top. Investments must be worked off.
So when someone from the current Ukrainian elite talks about a "war for survival" (or, as the famous volunteer Maria Berlinskaya said , " so that our tribe survives "), then all this is very serious. This tribe will do everything to survive, even if no one else survives from those who actually pay for this war with their lives and future.
Commentary by Russian military journalist is in italics.
[ColonelCassad] The character in the video reports that in Dzerzhinsk, in one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces brigades, losses in 10 days amounted to "minus 500". Some simply disappeared.
UAV company commander Andrey Onistrat on the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Toretsk:
I arrive in Toretsk as part of the 150th Brigade. I am going to interact with the 95th Brigade, which we are replacing. This has been going on for a long time, we can talk about it. On the first evening, I arrive in Toretsk, drive around all the points. He shows "here is one point, here is the second point, here is the third, here is this, here is this, here is this". From there I go to the Delta situation center and listen to the duty officer's report that up to 150 people [Russian Armed Forces fighters] have entered Toretsk, behind our lines.
That is, it is clear that Toretsk is long, well, it is like Manhattan, and our LBS is physically located there at the very top, near Gorlovka. And at that moment, and there are already 150 people [Russian Armed Forces fighters] sitting here, and the 95th couldn’t handle it, that is, it’s a known fact, and at that moment we receive the task of withdrawing and replacing the 95th [brigade] to the LBS. That is, past the already captured territories.
The first day — 4 armored vehicles, minus 40 people. They disappeared. Disappeared. Not only were they not accompanied, but they disappeared. On the second day, the situation repeats itself. I talk to the brigade commander, I say, “go listen to the situation in the situation center, you can see everything there, dots, people, how many people came in.” [Well, that is, 40 people went and didn’t come back?] No, they didn’t come back, they disappeared! [And the next day, the same 40 of our people?] Yes! Well, I don’t know if it was 40, I wasn’t at the command post when they were sent, but... In short, 10 days — minus 500 people. Just minus 500!
The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in Dzerzhinsk (Ukrainian name — Toretsk) over 10 days amounted to 500 fighters. This was stated on November 27 by the commander of the drone company Andriy Onistrat.
According to him, the fighters disappeared during the period when the 95th brigade was replaced by the 150th. At that time, about 150 Russian soldiers entered the rear.
"Four armored vehicles, minus 40 people. They disappeared. Not only were they not accompanied. And they disappeared," the commander was quoted as saying by the publication "Strana.ua".
The situation repeated itself over the course of 10 days. As a result, the Ukrainian army lost 500 people.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, fighters from the nationalist Azov battalion (an organization recognized as terrorist and extremist, banned in Russia) near Dzerzhinsk began to probe Russian forward positions by dropping explosives from drones. The company commander of the 56th separate special forces battalion (OSPN) of the 51st Army, call sign Shmel, noted that the battalion's fighters have stopped throwing drones around. Now they do not send the "bird" one way, but drop explosives from it onto positions and fly the UAVs back.
On November 4, Ukrainian troops began evacuating civilians from the town of Konstantinovka in the part of the DPR controlled by the Kiev regime. It is less than 10 km from Dzerzhinsk, where Russian troops are gradually liberating house by house. Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers noted that for the Ukrainian side, a breakthrough by the Russian Armed Forces in Dzerzhinsk would have “catastrophic” consequences.
On October 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian troops had liberated two-thirds of Dzerzhinsk. According to The New York Times, the advance of the Russian Armed Forces in the city area could cut off Ukrainian positions from logistics routes, which would lead to a collapse of the defense.
Where are those Somali pirates?
[ZeroHedge] For much of the past three years, tankers carrying Russian crude oil - usually in violation of western embargo - skirted western sanctions and oversight by engaged in so-called Ship-to-Ship (STS) transfers somewhere in the open sea far from prying eyes and even further from hostile coast guard supervision.
The practice, usually carried out in secret with digital tracking beacons switched off or falsified, can help to obscure the origins of the oil, helping to beat sanctions. It also creates another layer of separation between the buyers and sellers of cargoes.
Of course, to keep STS as a viable option, the places where it takes place have to change periodically. And as Bloomberg reports, the secret switching of Russian fuel cargoes between tankers at sea has migrated to new hotspots off the coast of Greece after the European country used naval drills to try and block the activity in one location.
About 1 million barrels a month of diesel, fuel oil and other petroleum products has been getting flipped near the islands of Lesbos and Chios in the Aegean Sea, according to data from analytics firm Vortexa.
The area only became popular after Greece’s navy carried out drills around the Laconian Gulf, previously the No. 1 site for the practice in Europe.
A recent surge in ship-to-ship transfers involving Russian oil and fuel in and around Europe has raised environmental concerns because of question marks over the safety and insurance of the vessels involved. Not only that, but the fact that the activity has been soaring confirms that nobody takes the threat of western sanctions seriously any more.
Ship-to-ship switching is still happening close by the Laconian Gulf, but at a much-reduced rate since Greece’s naval drills began. The maneuvers left a narrow stretch of water unaffected and it’s in that location that they’re still taking place.
The transfers have also become regular off the Italian port of Augusta since May, when the Greek navy began its exercises. On November 14, the drills were extended until mid-March.
While the recent crackdown on Russian STS may have delayed the activity, it certainly won't stop it. And in any event, it pales in comparison to the unprecedented STS activity taking place 40 miles east off the Malaysian peninsula which is the "the world’s largest gathering point for dark fleet tankers"...
... and where millions of barrels Iranian oil are transferred to ships heading to China every day in violation of multiple western sanctions, keeping China's economy humming (see "The Clandestine Oil Shipping Hub Funneling Iranian Crude to China").
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.
