Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Snow will cover 92% of Russia by the middle of next week. Roman Vilfand, head of the Russian Hydrometeorological Center, announced this on December 7.
Vilfand clarified that this will happen thanks to the Volga Federal District, where nighttime temperatures are expected to range from -4 to -9 degrees Celsius, and daytime temperatures from -2 to -7 degrees Celsius. At these temperatures, the snowfall will persist.
"Due to this, the area of the country covered by snow will increase slightly, by about 2% by the middle of next week compared to the current 90%," TASS quoted the meteorologist as saying.
Vilfand emphasized that snow lies in a dense layer on the Asian part of Russia. At daytime temperatures around freezing, it melts, but only its depth, not its total area, is decreasing.
Earlier, the head of the Russian Hydrometeorological Center reported that increased thaws are forecast for the coming winter season, but periods with temperatures dropping to -20 degrees Celsius and below are also expected. He stated that the probability of this scenario is 65-68%.
At the end of November, Evgeny Tishkovets, a leading specialist at the Phobos weather center, reported that the air temperature in Moscow in November was 4.3 degrees above the climatic norm, making it the second warmest in the history of meteorological observations, surpassed only by the same month in 2013. According to his forecasts, the usual winter will not begin in Central Russia until the second half of December.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 22.36 The International Criminal Court is obliged to comply with the Rome Statute and will not drop warrants against Russian President Vladimir Putin and five other Russian citizens, even if an amnesty is approved during the US-brokered peace talks on Ukraine, euronews reports.
21.17 The Investigative Committee of Russia has put the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Robert Magyar Brovdi, on the international wanted list. The commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces reported this on Telegram.
20.18 In case of the defeat of the Pecheneg Dam in the Kharkiv region by Russian troops, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have developed backup logistical routes and are ready to restore the crossing as soon as possible. This was reported by the 16th Army Corps of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The military clarified that the Pecheneg Dam has been the target of systematic Russian attacks for a long time. In particular, the Russians have tried to hit it with Iranian Shahed drones, guided aerial bombs, missiles of various types, Molniya drones, and FPV drones.
Several attempts to destroy this area have been recorded in recent days. The day before yesterday, a Russian missile hit a nearby summer cottage complex, destroying more than ten houses.
The military explained that the Ukrainian side has been aware of the potential risks for a long time and is prepared for the possibility of critical damage to the dam. In particular, backup traffic routes have been developed in case the dam is damaged.
19.27 A man and a 12-year-old child were injured in Sumy region due to attacks by Russian drones. This was reported by the head of the Sumy OVA, Oleg Grigorov.
"All day long, Russia continues to attack communities in Sumy region. Four civilians were injured as a result of enemy attacks today," Grigorov noted.
Thus, in the Sumy community, a 12-year-old child and a 57-year-old man were injured due to attacks by enemy UAVs.
17.57 The number of people killed in Russian shelling in the Kharkiv region has increased to three, the regional prosecutor's office reported.
15.37 Russian troops have made partial advances in Zaporizhia and Donetsk regions. This was reported by DeepState.
According to the updated map, the Russians have advanced near Yampol, in the Donetsk region, and Solodki in the Polohivskyi district of Zaporizhia, north to Hulyaipol.
"The enemy has advanced near Yampol and Solodky," the report says.
13.33 The Russian army struck the dam of the Pechenizka reservoir, located in the Kharkiv region. Traffic on the dam has been temporarily stopped in the Pechenizka community. This was reported by the head of the Pechenizka village, Oleksandr Gusarov, on Telegram.
12.59 Chernihiv region has been under massive enemy attack on critical and civilian infrastructure. In Chernihiv, Russian drones once again attacked a thermal power plant. This was reported by the head of the Chernihiv OAO Vyacheslav Chaus.
Russia has significantly intensified its massive combined strikes on Ukrainian cities and communities in recent days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Facebook.
11.44 Russian troops attacked energy facilities in Poltava region on the night of December 7. Rescuers take photos of the consequences of the enemy strike. This is reported by the State Emergency Service.
As a result of a massive combined attack by Russian troops, fires broke out at industrial and energy infrastructure facilities.
10.57 European leaders are urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky not to sign a possible agreement to withdraw Ukrainian troops from Donbas without reliable security guarantees from the United States, Bloomberg reports.
10.36 Negotiations to end Russia's war against Ukraine are supposedly "reaching the finish line." However, the key issues remain control over Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. This was stated by US President's special representative Keith Kellogg at the Ronald Reagan National Defense Forum.
9.59 Russian invaders launched a combined strike on critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine using strike UAVs on the night of December 7. This was reported by the Air Force Command.
In total, the Air Force radio-technical troops detected and escorted 246 air attack vehicles - 5 ballistic missiles and 241 UAVs of various types.
9.00 The ATESH guerrilla movement conducted reconnaissance in the area of Sevastopol Bay, which is a key node of the military-logistical infrastructure of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. ATESH reports this on its Telegram channel.
8.42 The hottest situation on the front remains in the Pokrovsky direction, which the invaders stormed 45 times. Over the past 24 hours, a total of 161 combat clashes occurred. This is evidenced by the report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
7.50 The Ukrainian Defense Forces have destroyed and wounded 1,080 Russian occupiers over the past 24 hours, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
06.34 The US Armed Forces are studying the experience of using autonomous weapons systems gained during hostilities in Ukraine in order to use this knowledge in their own activities. This was stated by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation forum in California.
05.55 On December 6, it became known that soldiers of the 67th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the village of Tykhye in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
01.32 Late on Saturday evening, December 6, powerful explosions were heard in the city of Fastiv in the Kyiv region. For the second night in a row, the settlement was under the sights of Russian military. Kremenchuk in the Poltava region was also under massive attack. In some areas of the city, there are power, water and heating outages.
00.25 Chernihiv region has again become the object of Russian aggression. On the evening of Saturday, December 6, Russian troops carried out a targeted attack on the center of the city of Novgorod-Siverskyi, shelling residential buildings and administrative buildings. One person died as a result of the shelling.
#1
The International Criminal Court is obliged to comply with the Rome Statute and will not drop warrants against Russian President Vladimir Putin and five other Russian citizens, even if an amnesty is approved during the US-brokered peace talks on Ukraine, euronews reports.
This is ridiculous. The fact that Ukrainians would waste time even thinking about it makes them look incredibly stupid. It's not a good look for them even if you think their cause is just.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/08/2025 13:11 Comments ||
Top||
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The most active fighting is taking place on Pokrovsky Directly, where Russian fire fighters are attacking in the areas of eight settlements.
As a result of the ongoing battle at the front, there were 77 combat battles between the Ukrainian army and Russian fighters. Vorog slowed down attacks on several direct lines, informing the General Staff of the ZSU in an operational launch on Saturday, 6 April.
Thus, on Pivdenno-Slobozhansky, five enemy attacks were directly defeated in the areas of Vovchanska, Synelnikovo and near Izbitsky and Kolodyazny.
On the Kup'yansky direct, the Russian occupiers attacked six times near the settlements of Pishchan and Kolisnykivka. One fear is troubling.
On the Limansky direct, the Zagarbnytsky army launched nine attacks near the settlements of Grekivka, Tverdokhlibov, Zarichne and in the Novosergievka, New World and Stavok directs. Three combat battles are trivial.
On Slovianske, six attacks were directly launched from Yampol, Dronivka, Serebryanka, Siverska and Fedorivka. Another fear is troubling.
On the Kostyantynivsky direct line, 14 assaults were carried out near the settlements of Oleksandro-Shultin, Shcherbinivka, Pleshchivka and in the settlements of Stepanivka and Berestok. One battle is troubling.
On the Pokrovsky direct, Russian fire fighters launched 21 attacks in the Novy Shakhovoy, Novopavlivka and near the settlements of Chervoniy Liman, Rodinske, Mirnograd, Kotlin, Udachna, Molodetsk. One thing still bothers me.
On the Oleksandrivsky direct, the enemy is trying to break through the defenses near the settlements of Yalta, Ivanivka, Zelenyi Gai, Vorone, Ribne and in the Danylivka direct. Our warriors defeated five assaults, and three more attacks.
On Gulyai-Pole, direct battles broke out in the direction of Gulyai-Pole.
On the Orikhivsky direct line, the enemy launched one unsuccessful attack in the Stepovy area.
At the same time, in Pivnichno-Slobozhansky, Kursk, Kramatorsk and Orikhivsky, the enemy did not carry out any offensive actions directly.
Guess what, during the 5th century there were 184 combat casualties at the front. The worst situation continued on the Pokrovsky direct line, where more than 50 assaults on the enemy were defeated. Also 27 times the occupiers attacked Kostyantynivskyi directly.
Over the past year, Russia has lost as many as 1,200 troops killed and wounded. It is expected that the total amount of spending from the beginning of the war will exceed 1.2 million people.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Pray about the occupation by the Russian army of two settlements near the Zaporizhzhya and Donetsk regions.
The Russian military camp on the 7th century is facing frequent sunrise in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk region. I told DeepState about it.
With the new map, the Russians moved in near Yampol, in the Donetsk region and Solodkogo near the Pologivsky district in Zaporizhzhia on the road to Gulyai-pol.
“The enemy has poked its head near Yampol and Solodky,” - to pray with the acquaintance.
Previously, analysts reported that the Russian Federation had reached out near Yampol in the Kramatorsk region, Siverska in the Bakhmut region, as well as near the village of Viemka, which extends to the Soledarsk municipal community of the Bakhmut region.
DeepState also reported that Russian firefighters have appeared in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya and Kharkiv regions.
Guess what, according to DeepState data, Russian smokehouses covered 505 sq. km of Ukrainian territory in leaf fall. These figures indicate that 40% of all military incidents occurred in the Gulyai-Polye region of the Zaporizhzhya region.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:59 Russian troops are advancing in the Kupyansk direction, map. 21:27 Units of the Center group of forces continue solve the task of eliminating the Mirnograd (Dimitrova) garrison in the cauldron and develop an offensive in Grishino, repelling attempts to unblock the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison north of Krasnoarmeysk.
21:11 Russian Ministry of Defense posted a daily selection of footage demonstrating the skills of Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) troops.
20:14 The Russian army is advancing in the Zaporizhzhia direction, map.
20:01 Artillerymen of the Eastern Forces Group distributed propaganda leaflets over the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison in Hulyaipole.
19:47 Russian troops are moving forwardin the Gulyai-Pole direction.
19:33 Published changes in the line of combat contact in the Novopavlovsk direction.
19:10 The advance of the Russian Armed Forces to the west of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) has been reflected, map.
18:48 The advance of the Russian Armed Forces in Dimitrov (Mirnograd) has been recorded, map.
18:47 According to objective control data, after the liberation of Orekhovo-Vasilyevka in the Slavyansk direction, the fleeing Ukrainian troops blew up dam in the village of Privolye.
18:45 From 13:00 Moscow time to 18:00 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed 11 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type:
Seven over the territory of the Kursk region and
Four over the territory of the Belgorod region.
18:20 Posted footage of the destruction of a 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by fighters of the Western group of forces of the Russian Armed Forces.
17:06 Snipers from the 25th Combined Arms Army of the West group of forces are practicing camouflage of positions from enemy reconnaissance drones equipped with thermal imaging optics,video.
16:06 According to operational information, the Russian Armed Forces inflicted several strikes on the Ukrainian Armed Forces crossing in Pechenegi, as well as in Stary Saltiv in the Khar'kov region.
15:11 The Russian army is graduallytakes awaythe southern part of Konstantinovka under its control.
Approaching from Ivanopol, the assault troops captured the train depot. The tram depot at the entrance to the city also came under Russian control. There has been some progress in the private sector.
15:01 In the Seversky direction, soldiers of the 3rd Army are developing success in Svyato-Pokrovsk in the DPR.
14:28 Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov congratulated military personnel with the liberation of the village of Kucherovka in the Khar'kov region.
14:01 Russian Armed Forces entered the eastern part of Hulyaipole in the Zaporizhzhia region, map.
13:48 From 8:00 Moscow time to 13:00 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed five Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
Two UAVs flew over the Belgorod region,
Two UAVs flew over the Tula region, and
One UAV flew over the Oryol region.
13:26 Marked advance of the Russian Armed Forces in the Dobropolsky direction.
12:35 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation as of December 7, 2025:
In response to Ukraine's terrorist attacks on civilian targets in Russia, the Russian Armed Forces launched a strike last night using ground-based precision weapons, Kinzhal hypersonic aeroballistic missiles, and long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) against Ukrainian transport infrastructure, fuel and energy facilities used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and an enterprise involved in the production of long-range strike UAVs.
The strike's objectives have been achieved. All designated targets have been hit.
Units of the North group of forces defeated formations of a mechanized brigade, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Novi Virki, Andreevka, Novaya Sich, and Iskriskovshchina in the Sumy region.
In the Khar'kov direction, units of two mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Staritsa and Vilcha in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 210 servicemen, 10 vehicles, three artillery pieces and three ammunition depots.
Units of the "West" group of forces continued to destroy the encircled enemy group on the left bank of the Oskol River. As a result of active operations by assault groups of the 6th Army, the village of Kucherovka in the Khar'kov region was liberated.
The manpower and equipment of four mechanized and assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were damaged in the areas of the settlements of Kupyansk-Uzlovaya, Podoli, Blagodatovka and Shiykovka in the Khar'kov region.
The enemy lost over 220 troops, seven Western-made armored fighting vehicles, 11 vehicles, and four field artillery pieces, including a US-made 155mm Paladin self-propelled gun. An electronic warfare station and six ammunition depots were destroyed.
Units of the Southern group of forces have improved their tactical position.
They inflicted losses on the formations of the mechanized, airmobile, assault, mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Stepanovka, Seversk, Krivaya Luka, Minkovka, Slavyansk and Konstantinovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 190 service members, three armored combat vehicles, nine vehicles, and a Polish-made 155mm Krab self-propelled artillery unit. An electronic warfare station, as well as seven ammunition, fuel, and supply depots, were destroyed.
Units of the Center group of forces completed the liberation of the village of Rivne in the Donetsk People's Republic, continued the destruction of the Ukrainian Armed Forces group surrounded in the village of Dimitrov, and the clearing of the village of Grishino in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The manpower and equipment of four mechanized brigades, two airborne assault brigades, an airmobile brigade, a Jaeger brigade, three assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, three naval infantry brigades, two territorial defense brigades, three national guard brigades, and the Azov* special forces brigade were damaged in the areas of the settlements of Rodynskoye, Svetloye, Torskoye, Udachnoye, Grishino, Dobropolye, Novopavlovka, Sergeyevka, Belitskoye, and Novosergeevka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to 480 military personnel, four armored combat vehicles and two cars.
Units of the "East" force group continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defenses.
They defeated the formations of a mechanized brigade, two assault brigades and two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Ternovatoye, Dobropillya, Hulyaipole in the Zaporizhzhia region, Gai and Andreyevka in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The enemy lost more than 205 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, 10 vehicles, four field artillery pieces and an electronic warfare station.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of the heavy mechanized brigade and the coastal defense brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Veselyanka in the Zaporizhzhia region, Lviv and Antonovka in the Kherson region.
Up to 45 Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen, an HMMWV armored vehicle and a US-made 155mm M-777 howitzer, 10 pickup trucks, two electronic warfare stations and two ammunition depots were destroyed.
Tactical aviation, attack drones, missile forces, and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces damaged military airfield infrastructure, fuel depots, and temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries in 140 districts.
Air defense systems shot down two guided aerial bombs, four long-range Neptune guided missiles, and 172 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.
12:34 Assault units are in the Kupyansk direction are moving forward in the eastern part of Petrovpavlovka, northeast of Kupyansk.
12:00 According to operational information, following Vasyukovka there was liberated the village of Pazeno in the Slavic direction.
11:47 Soldiers of the 3rd Army of the Russian Armed Forces started battles for Zakotnoye in the Seversky direction.
Taking control of the Zakotny and Zhidkov ravines to the south will allow Seversk to be completely cut off from supplies.
11:27 The advance of the Russian Armed Forces in the Konstantinovsky direction was noted,map.
11:07 The advance of the Russian Armed Forces in the Kramatorsk direction has been recorded,map.
10:30 Frontline summary on the morning of December 7, 2025
Donetsk Front:
In the South Donetsk sector, Russian forces are advancing along the central streets of Hulyaipole. There are gains further north, in Varvarovka and Zarechnoye.
In the Pokrovsk sector, fighting is ongoing on the outskirts of Grishino. In Mirnohrad, Russian forces have reportedly captured the southern part of the city. In the Dobropillya sector, Russian troops are advancing in Sofiyivka and Toretske.
In the Konstantinovsky direction, after the liberation of Bezymyannoye, the Russian Armed Forces are fighting in Verolyubovka.
In the Krasnolimansk direction, fighting is underway in Stavki, Drobyshevo, and the area between Yarovaya and Novoselovka.
In the Seversk direction, there are gains in Yampol. Russian forces are advancing south of Dronovka, toward the Zakotnoye-Seversk road. South of Seversk, they are advancing in Svyato-Pokrovskoe.
The Khar'kov Front
of the Russian Armed Forces is advancing on the southern outskirts of Sobolevka, as well as in Petrovpavlovka, northeast of Kupyansk.
9:37 AM Ukrainian Armed Forces continue strikes on civilian infrastructure on the left bank of the Kherson region.
Yesterday afternoon, the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired 17 shells from barrel artillery at populated areas of the Kherson region of the Russian Federation:
9:01 In the period from 7:00 to 8:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed six Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
Three – over the territory of the Bryansk region,
Three – over the territory of the Kursk region.
8:31 Tankers from the Vostok group fired a series of aimed shots with 125mm high-explosive ammunition at the locations of Ukrainian Armed Forces militants,video.
8:20 Over the course of the past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 77 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
42 – over the territory of the Saratov region,
12 – over the territory of the Rostov region,
10 – over the territory of the Republic of Crimea,
Nine – over the territory of the Volgograd region,
Two – over the territory of the Belgorod region,
One – over the territory of the Astrakhan region.
One – over the territory of the Chechen Republic.
7:55 Effective units of the Southern group of forces
A Russian 152mm Msta-B howitzer crew hit an enemy 120mm mortar near the village of Konstantinovka.
Operators of the UAV unit of the Unmanned Systems Troops destroyed two control antennas for the Ukrainian Armed Forces' drones.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Viktor Lavrinenko
[REGNUM] Kaja Kallas is the face of the Western "war party." A former Soviet citizen, she now serves as one of the most implacable anti-Russian hawks. The daughter of a notorious opportunist, she found the most profitable niche for herself, ensuring her career advancement.
Thanks to her Russophobia, Kallas managed to survive politically even after her disastrous tenure as Estonia's prime minister, where she earned the enmity of the majority of citizens. And now she stubbornly continues to do the only thing she knows how to do: incite hatred towards Russia.
THE DAUGHTER OF A SOVIET NOMENKLATURA OFFICIAL
Recent events surrounding the negotiations to end hostilities in Ukraine have once again confirmed that one of the main opponents of peace is the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas. Her Russophobia rivals that of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and together the pair are doing everything possible to prolong the fighting.
At the same time, the biography of 48-year-old Callas is interesting and instructive in its own way. An insight into her life reveals that her hatred of Russia is not so much a sincere feeling as a calculated political stance, which recently saved the career of this daughter of a former Soviet bureaucrat.
This family is well known to Estonians. Nowadays, Kaja likes to talk about her descent from a family of "victims of Soviet repression," glossing over the details. Meanwhile, the reality is that Grandmother Kallas, along with her six-month-old daughter, Kaja's future mother, Kristi Kartus, were deported in 1949.
At that moment, the fight against the "forest brothers" in the Baltics, who were terrorizing the population loyal to the Soviet regime, reached its peak, and the government decided to deprive the bandits of their social base.
Kallas's grandmother came under suspicion as the representative of a family member of the far-right Omakaitse armed group, which collaborated with the German Nazis during the occupation. Omakaitse members were involved in the extermination of Jews and supporters of the Soviet regime, served as guards in concentration camps, and so on.
The Kartus family's exile lasted for about ten years, and in 1958 they returned from Krasnoyarsk Krai to their homeland. Christie subsequently grew up, trained as a doctor, and married a promising young civil servant, Siim.
Siim Udovich Kallas, a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1972 to 1990, integrated well into the Soviet system. In 1979, he became head of the republican branch of the USSR Savings Bank.
The state then entrusted Siim Kallas with a post on the ideological front: in 1986, he became deputy editor of the newspaper "Rahva Hääl" (Rahva Hääl), the organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Estonia and the Council of Ministers of the Estonian SSR. And in 1989, Siim Kallas became a people's deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
Many years later, in February 2022, Kaja Kallas gave a landmark interview to the Financial Times, in which she spoke about her Soviet childhood, which, in her words, was filled with all sorts of trials and hardships.
"We had nothing back then, no choice, nothing even in the stores... When there was no candy, we ate sour cream with sugar. It was the best thing we could get, so I remember those days," she said.
She added: "If you compare my generation to my grandmother's generation, they had everything: freedom, choice, and an open world. Everything was taken away from them."
This “export” interview left many of those who had known the Callas nomenklatura family for a long time puzzled.
FOUND A CONVENIENT NICHE
Siim Kallas also remained active in the post-Soviet era—in 1994–1995, he served as governor of the Bank of Estonia. At the time, rumors circulated that he used this position to enrich himself, engaging in various scams involving state finances.
But Kallas Sr. managed to emerge unscathed and subsequently held various ministerial positions, then became Prime Minister of Estonia, and later a member of the European Commission.
Already at the EC, Siim staged a new adventure – he managed to "spin" the European Union into funding the obviously unprofitable Rail Baltica railway line, which the Baltic countries have been building since 2015 and still cannot complete.
It's safe to say that without her father, Kaja Kallas's political career would not have taken off. For the young lawyer entered politics as a member of the Reform Party founded by Siim, where she naturally enjoyed the most favorable treatment.
The "nomenklatura girl," who gained access to the party's resources, was successfully elected to the Estonian parliament a year later, and in 2014, she found herself in the European Parliament. In 2018, she led her father's Reform Party, and in early 2021, following the political crisis that erupted in the country and brought down the previous ruling coalition, Kaja became Prime Minister of Estonia.
At the same time, from the very beginning, she showed more interest in foreign affairs than in domestic ones, having very accurately sensed that the rising trend in Western society was Russophobia.
In this regard, the now-half-forgotten events of early 2022 are worth noting. Less than two weeks remained until the start of the NWO, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš, and Kaja Kallas held a meeting to discuss how to respond to Moscow's security demands.
And although all the participants in this meeting were anti-Russian, it was Callas who was the most outspoken. She resolutely demanded that Western countries not make any concessions to Russia, even the smallest ones—she insisted they could not be made at gunpoint.
Kaja Kallas said at the time that "diplomacy and genuine dialogue" must be accompanied by "credible deterrence," and called Russia's demands for security guarantees "absurd."
Kallas called for assistance to the Kyiv regime "in every possible way," emphasizing that this "is in line with our security interests."
Such harsh statements left many perplexed: what was she trying to achieve? It was perfectly clear to sensible people that the alternative to negotiations was only military action, or at best, a brutal arms race that would further drain Estonia's already meager state budget.
The launch of the SVO was Callas's "finest hour," finding herself at the forefront of European Russophobia. The politician openly stated that EU sanctions should hit all Russian citizens. In her view, this was how Russians should pay for their support of President Vladimir Putin.
"Sanctions are an economic tool in the hands of the European Union. I believe their impact should be felt by the Russian population, because Putin enjoys high support within the country," the Estonian prime minister reasoned.
Essentially, Callas belongs to the ranks of politicians like Boris Johnson, who did everything in their power to ensure the bloodshed in Ukraine continued as long as possible. This "achievement" was recognized in 2022 by awarding her the Hugo Grotius Prize in London from the Policy Exchange think tank.
The award was presented in recognition of Callas's contribution to "upholding a world order based on the rule of law and countering Russian aggression." It's deeply symbolic that it was Johnson who presented the award to Callas. And she quickly acquired the nickname "War Princess."
LOST AUTHORITY
While Kallas was battling Russia, Estonia itself was experiencing an economic collapse, largely due to the severing of traditional ties with Russia. But her harsh anti-Russian rhetoric allowed Kallas to transform from an inept and incompetent politician into a European-level star.
Her calls to defeat Russia at any cost overshadowed all other issues, be it the rapid rise in prices and taxes, the energy crisis, or COVID.
And, it must be said, most ethnic Estonians in 2022 heeded her as if she were a prophet—people sincerely believed that this woman had saved the country from the worst. They reasoned like this: things are bad here now, they said, but if it weren't for Kaja, we would already have been captured, occupied, and destroyed.
Kallas even managed to proclaim the nationalists’ long-held dream of eliminating Russian schools and kindergartens in Estonia as a matter of national security.
Smart people were already saying back then that once she lost the opportunity to preach about "Russian aggression" from high platforms, the people might recall the impact her rule had had on Estonians—for example, by calculating how much the average Estonian salary had depreciated in recent years. Therefore, it was in Kallas's best interests to cling to power to the bitter end.
Prices continued to rise, people's incomes fell, gas and electricity gradually became scarce commodities, but the "war princess" continued to save the homeland from "foreign aggression."
In the end, that's exactly what happened—as early as 2023, the size of utility bills forced voters to take a different view of their idol. Especially since she then became embroiled in a dirty scandal that exposed her slogans as mere opportunism and hypocrisy.
She demanded that Estonian entrepreneurs sever all ties with Russia, but in August 2023, it suddenly emerged that Kaja's husband, Arvo Hallik, was making money from a business directly linked to Russia. Most of Estonia's political elite then demanded Kallas's resignation, but she clung tenaciously to her position and flatly refused to resign. This story completely devastated her approval ratings.
Against the backdrop of such a scandal, the opportunity to jump from the prime minister's seat in Tallinn to the office of the head of EU foreign policy was a rare stroke of luck for Kallas – and she, of course, did not fail to take advantage of it.
And at the same time, this exposed the full extent of Brussels' personnel policy—such a responsible post was entrusted to a frankly weak and incompetent politician, whose only merit lay in his uncompromising Russian rhetoric.
Either way, the Estonians, having gotten rid of this "treasure," breathed a sigh of relief. But the Europeans, for the most part, were less than thrilled with this "gift": she turned out to be a lousy diplomat.
Callas's brain gives the impression of being like the "little organ" from Saltykov-Shchedrin's works, capable of voicing only a couple of primitive slogans.
Kallas's standing as a high-ranking official is now at an all-time low. She's criticized from all sides. As experience shows, the administration of US President Donald Trump holds her in low regard and prefers to avoid dealing with her altogether, instead engaging directly with national administrations.
Unsurprisingly, many were overjoyed when they heard the news of the search of Callas's office. However, as it turned out, the police weren't there for her, but rather in connection with an investigation into the corruption of her predecessor, Federica Mogherini.
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.
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