Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] A magnitude 3.1 earthquake was recorded in the Black Sea, 24 kilometers from Sevastopol. This was reported on December 12 by regional governor Mikhail Razvozhaev.
He clarified that, according to operational data from the Crimean seismic network, the earthquake had one aftershock.
"According to experts, weak and regular seismicity is normal," Razvozzhaev wrote on his Telegram channel.
The regional governor also urged citizens to trust only official information and noted that, according to Sevastopol's rescue service, no objects in the city were damaged.
It was previously reported that a magnitude 4.1 earthquake was recorded on December 6 in the Lazarevsky District of Sochi. Residents of Lazarevsky and surrounding areas reported mild shaking on social media. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 22.53 In November 2025, 226 civilians were killed and 952 injured in Ukraine, mostly by Russian missiles and drones. This was reported by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine in its monthly report on the protection of civilians.
In November, Russia carried out five large-scale combined attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities, which caused large-scale emergency power outages in most regions.
The recorded increase in the number of long-range strikes led to a significant increase in casualties in 2025. From January to November 2025, 645 civilians were killed as a result of missile and drone strikes (27% more than last year), 4,123 people were injured (68% increase).
22.38 During the Russian attack on the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk, a ship of a Turkish company was hit. Turkey called for immediate de-escalation and stated the urgent need to reach agreements on guarantees for the safety of shipping in the Black Sea, as well as to stop attacks on energy and port infrastructure.
The operator Cenk Denizcilik reported that the vessel M/V CENK T, which plies between the Turkish port of Karasu and Odessa, was damaged.
21.42 Drones of the Security Service of Ukraine again struck Russian oil production platforms in the Caspian Sea, production processes were suspended. This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda, citing sources in the SBU.
"Long-range drones of the Alpha Special Operations Center of the SBU successfully attacked the Filanovsky oil production platform for the second time this week. In addition, another platform, the Korchagin platform, was hit. Both facilities belong to the Lukoil-Nizhnevolzhskneft company and operate in the Caspian Sea," the report says.
SBU drones damaged critical equipment on both ice-resistant platforms, which led to the suspension of production processes.
The Filanovsky field is one of the largest explored in Russia and in the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea. Its reserves are estimated at 129 million tons of oil and 30 billion cubic meters of gas.
20.17 US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has been temporarily suspended from participating in peace talks on Ukraine due to disagreements within the Trump administration, The Telegraph reports, citing informed sources.
19.33 Defense forces struck an oil refinery in the Yaroslavl region of the Russian Federation and a number of facilities in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine . This was reported by the General Staff.
Thus, it is noted that as part of reducing the offensive potential of the Russian Federation and complicating the supply of fuel and ammunition to the military units of the occupiers, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine struck the facilities of the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in the Yaroslavl region of the Russian Federation.
An ammunition depot near the village of Avdiivske (formerly Pervomayske) and enemy manpower concentration sites in the Myrnograd and Rodynske districts of Donetsk Oblast were also hit.
18.59 The missile strike by Russian aggressors on a civilian ship in Chornomorsk demonstrates that Moscow does not take seriously "the chance for diplomacy that exists now, but continues the war precisely to destroy normal life in Ukraine." President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote about this in Telegra.
18.46 In Druzhkivka, Donetsk region, Russians attacked civilian transport with FPV drones - injured six people, damaged three cars. Russian troops dropped an aerial bomb on Kostyantynivka: two people were killed and one was injured, a high-rise building and a car were damaged.
18.13 The next meeting of the contact group on Ukrainian defense issues in the Ramstein format will be held online next week. The German Ministry of Defense reported this .
17.51 A ship caught fire in Odessa after the sounds of explosions. According to preliminary data, one person was injured. Information about a possible leak or air pollution with chemicals is not recorded.
The ship caught fire during an air raid alert that lasted from 15:21 to 16:22. During this period, at least four explosions were heard in Odessa. The Ukrainian Air Force warned of a ballistic missile threat from the south, and then of two high-speed targets on Chornomorsk.
17.44 EU Council President Antonio Costa said that the European Union will fulfill the commitments made in October and provide financing for Ukraine's urgent needs in 2026-2027, including military and defense support.
"I am preparing for the upcoming European Council (EUCO) meeting during telephone conversations with leaders. Together we have already faced important meetings before - and we will continue to face them. And we are ready to offer solutions again," Costa emphasized.
He assured that during preparatory telephone conversations with members of the European Council, "one message came across clearly: in October, we committed to meeting Ukraine's financial needs for the next two years. Now we need to implement this commitment."
17.23 The United States under the Donald Trump administration has effectively given Ukraine the green light to strike Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," The Atlantic reported, citing American and Ukrainian officials.
16.50 In Belgorod, Russia, the military dropped an ordnance near one of the kindergartens. The governor of the region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, noted that there was an "ordnance drop", so the explosives technicians of the Russian Ministry of Defense decided to dispose of it.
"All people who were in the building have been moved to a safe place. Currently, the services are quickly evacuating residents living within a radius of 300 meters," he said.
Meanwhile, Telegram channels write that a Russian air bomb fell near Kindergarten No. 55 in the Kreid area, as indicated by a characteristic crater.
16.37 Since the beginning of the day, 93 combat clashes have taken place on the front in 11 directions. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in an operational update . The Russian occupation army has focused its attacks on three key directions in the Donetsk region.
16.02 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will arrive on a visit to the German capital Berlin on Monday, December 15. This was reported by Bild , citing information received from security circles. The exact format of the talks is still unclear. It is also not yet known whether a US representative will be present.
15.26 A ceasefire in Ukraine can only come after the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas. Yuri Ushakov , an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said this in a comment to Russian media. The territory of Donbas will completely come under Russian control, if not through negotiations, then through military means, he believes.
At the same time, the Kremlin representative suggested for the first time that there would be no military personnel from either Russia or Ukraine in the occupied territory of Donbas, but there would be the Russian Guard and the Russian police.
15.02 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the city of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, where the Ukrainian army is fighting with Russian occupiers. It is now extremely important to achieve results on the front so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy, the head of state noted.
14.27 Over the past two days, the Ukrainian military has hit three important targets in the temporarily occupied Crimea, including an An-26 military transport aircraft . This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The drone hit the enemy aircraft at the moment when the Russians were preparing for takeoff and had even started the An-26 engines.
14.12 The head of the Kremlin regime, Vladimir Putin, is trying to present the successes of his occupation army as a process that will supposedly "inevitably lead to the complete defeat of Ukraine." US President Donald Trump's negotiating team and the American leader himself seem to share this position. In fact, it is far from reality, according to Ukrainian military personnel on the front lines and independent experts, The Wall Street Journal reports.
13:50 Russian aggressors struck the Novovodolazka community in the Kharkiv region with drones. Six people are currently known to have been injured, said the head of the Kharkiv OVA, Oleg Synegubov.
13.23 Ukrainian military conducted a successful operation in the Kupyansk direction and in the city of Kupyansk, Kharkiv region. This was reported by the Charter National Guard Corps. During the fighting, the villages of Kindrashivka, Radkivka and their surroundings, as well as a number of neighborhoods in the north of Kupyansk, were liberated.
12.58 Ukrainian military and the Chernaya Iskra rebel movement conducted a special operation, as a result of which they hit two Russian ships in the Caspian Sea that were transporting weapons and military equipment. This was reported by the Special Operations Forces (SOF) command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
12.25 Three men who committed a double terrorist act in the Darnytsia district were detained in Kyiv. The SBU reported this. The perpetrators were detained "hot on the trail" within six hours of the explosions.
12.19 The Moscow City Court sentenced in absentia the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, and several ICC judges to terms ranging from 3.5 to 15 years in prison. This was reported by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office.
12.01 Since the beginning of this year alone, the aggressor country Russia has attacked Ukrainian energy facilities 4.5 thousand times . Deputy Minister of Energy Roman Andarak reported this at a briefing. Recent history knows no examples when the energy system of individual states existed under conditions of such large-scale and targeted terror, he noted.
11.41 The information disseminated in the media about the alleged "consent of Ukraine to the creation of a buffer zone" in Donbas is incorrect. This was told to journalists by the presidential communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
11.23 In the Russian city of Orsk in the Orenburg region, a fire broke out at the local Mechanical Plant . It produces more than 50% of artillery shells of certain calibers produced in Russia. It also manufactures components for multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS).
10.59 A drone destroyed a Russian An-26 transport plane at the Kacha airfield in temporarily occupied Crimea. This was reported by the monitoring Telegram channel Crimean Wind.
10.36 On Friday night, Russian invaders carried out drone strikes on energy facilities in several regions. This was reported by Ukrenergo. As of this morning, a significant number of consumers in the Odessa and Donetsk regions have been left without electricity due to attacks by the "shaheeds". There are also local power outages in the Kharkiv region as a result of the fighting.
10.24 Over the past 24 hours, a total of 174 combat clashes with the enemy were recorded on the front, the most intense direction being Pokrovsky, where the occupiers carried out 49 attacks. This was reported by the General Staff.
9.59 Russia attacked Ukraine using 80 attack drones. Air defense forces managed to shoot down 64 enemy UAVs. The Ukrainian Air Force reported this on Telegram.
9.47 Russian occupiers have advanced near Myrnograd in the Donetsk region. Analysts from the Ukrainian monitoring project DeepState reported this on Telegram.
8.50 Russian occupiers attacked Odessa and the Odessa region with drones on the night of December 12. The energy sector was hit, buildings were damaged, and fires broke out. This was reported by the head of the Odessa Military Administrative District, Serhiy Lysak, on his Telegram channel.
8.00 One person was killed and four others were injured as a result of a Russian strike on the city of Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region. Acting head of the OVA Vladislav Gaivanenko said this on Telegram.
7.43 The Ukrainian Defense Forces neutralized 1,400 Russian invaders over the past 24 hours. The total losses of enemy personnel in the war exceeded 1 million 186 thousand people. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in its morning summary published on Facebook.
04.58 Drones have once again attacked a refinery in Yaroslavl, Russia. Local residents are posting footage of a fire at the plant.
03.21 Russians attacked Odessa with drones. Part of the city was left without electricity and water.
01.01 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Europe insists on a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. At the same time, any peace agreement must not contain the seeds of future conflicts. She also said that the next week will be decisive on the issue of financing Ukraine.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 19:33 Crew of the Molniya-2 UAV from the Sever group's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) unit destroyed stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Khar'kov direction. 18:44 Artillery crews of the 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer of the Vostok group destroyed a group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Gulyaipole.
Operators of unmanned aerial vehicle units within the city limits of Hulyaipole detected the movement of a group of Ukrainian units, who were moving between cover and attempting to take up positions deep within the built-up area. Aerial reconnaissance recorded the enemy's route and transmitted updated coordinates to artillery.
17:48 The Ukrainian Armed Forces continue their local offensive in Kupyansk. In the southern part, a group of 15 Ukrainian fighters from the 425th Battalion has entered nearby high-rise buildings; drones are now removing them. In the northern part, the enemy is also attempting to enter in small assault groups, hiding in basements.MAP.
17:31 Servicemen of the 27th Guards Motorized Rifle Division of the Center group of forces, who took part in the liberation of Krasnoarmeysk, DPR,handed overstate and departmental awards.
16:42 FPV drone calculations at the Rubicon Center amazedautomotive and armored vehicles, ground-based robotic systems, elements of communication systems, temporary deployment points of Ukrainian Armed Forces units, as well as enemy UAVs in the area of the Special Military Operation.
15:30 Russian journalists are working in Krasnoarmeysk in the DPR, liberated by units of the Center group of forces.
15:18 The Russian Armed Forces entered Ozernoye and continue fighting for Dibrova in the Krasnolimansk direction, MAP.
14:44 Crew of the 122mm BM-21 Grad MLRS of the Yuzhnaya group of forces completed aimed salvo of 122mm rockets at the temporary deployment point of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Konstantinovsky direction.
13:55 UAV operators of the Northern Forces Group destroyed enemy artillery positions in the Sumy region.
Drone operators from the Vostok group have identified a camouflaged position of an American-made M-777 towed artillery system and several D-30 guns in the Gulyaipole area.
Operators of attack drones from the Dnipro group of forces destroyed a BvS 10 armored personnel carrier and a Ukrainian Armed Forces food depot on the right bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson region.
13:20 From 09:00 Moscow time to 13:00 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 34 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
11 UAVs – over the territory of the Bryansk region,
Eight UAVs – over the territory of the Tula region,
Six UAVs – over the territory of the Moscow region,
Three UAVs – over the territory of the Kaluga region,
Three UAVs – over the territory of the Oryol region,
Two UAVs – over the territory of the Kursk region,
One UAV – over the territory of the Vladimir region.
12:38 Summary of Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the Special Military Operation from December 6 to 12, 2025:
Over the course of a week, as a result of decisive actions by units of the North military group in the Khar'kov direction, the village of Liman in the Khar'kov region was liberated.
The formations of three mechanized brigades, two motorized infantry brigades, a Jaeger brigade, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a territorial defense brigade, and a border detachment of the Ukrainian Border Service were defeated.
In the Sumy region, the manpower and equipment of two mechanized, motorized infantry, infantry, ranger, and airborne assault brigades, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, three territorial defense brigades, and a border detachment of the Ukrainian Border Service were damaged.
In total, in the area of responsibility of the North group of forces, the enemy lost over 1,470 servicemen, a tank, eight combat armored vehicles, 72 cars, 12 field artillery guns, two counter-battery radar stations, 18 ammunition and material depots.
Units of the "West" force group continued to destroy the Ukrainian Armed Forces group encircled on the left bank of the Oskol River. The villages of Kurilovka and Kucherovka in the Khar'kov region were liberated.
Four mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade, two assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a territorial defense brigade, and two National Guard brigades were defeated.
Enemy losses in this direction amounted to more than 1,530 troops, two tanks, 34 armored combat vehicles (including 17 Western-made), 98 motor vehicles, and 11 field artillery pieces. Seven electronic warfare stations and 47 ammunition depots were destroyed.
Over the past week, units of the Southern Group of Forces liberated the settlements of Seversk and Chervone in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The manpower and equipment of four mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade, two assault brigades, an airborne assault brigade, a mountain assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a naval infantry brigade, two territorial defense brigades, and two national guard brigades were damaged.
In total, Ukrainian armed forces lost over 1,095 service members, 24 armored combat vehicles (including six NATO-made vehicles), 81 motor vehicles, and eight field artillery pieces in the Southern Group's area of responsibility. Six electronic warfare stations and 35 ammunition, fuel, and supply depots were destroyed.
Over the course of the week, units of the Center group of forces liberated the village of Rivne in the Donetsk People's Republic, continued to destroy the encircled group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the village of Dimitrov, and also cleared scattered enemy formations in the villages of Svetloe and Grishino in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Formations of six mechanized brigades, two Jaeger brigades, an airmobile brigade, an airborne brigade, two airborne assault brigades, three assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, three naval infantry brigades, two territorial defense brigades, and four National Guard brigades were defeated.
Enemy losses in this direction amounted to more than 3,130 servicemen, two tanks, 17 armored combat vehicles, 29 cars and four field artillery pieces.
Units of the "East" group of forces continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defenses and liberated the village of Ostapovskoye in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The manpower and equipment of three mechanized brigades, three assault brigades, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades were damaged.
Over the past week, in the area of responsibility of the Eastern Group of Forces, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost over 1,580 servicemen, 26 combat armored vehicles, 78 automobiles, eight field artillery guns, four electronic warfare stations, and three ammunition and material depots.
Units of the Dnepr military group liberated the village of Novodanilovka in the Zaporizhzhia region.
The formations of two mechanized brigades, a mountain assault brigade and three coastal defense brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were defeated.
Up to 310 Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen, five armored combat vehicles, 78 cars, five field artillery pieces, including three US-made 155mm M-777 howitzers, nine electronic warfare stations, 14 ammunition, fuel, and supply depots were destroyed
12:19 In response to terrorist attacks by Ukraine on civilian targets in Russia by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation from December 6 to 12 inflicted a massive strike and five group strikes, including with Kinzhal aeroballistic hypersonic missiles, which hit Ukrainian military industry enterprises, fuel and energy complex facilities that supported their operation, transport, airfield and port infrastructure used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, assembly shops, storage areas, pre-flight preparation and launch sites for long-range strike unmanned aerial vehicles, fuel and military-technical equipment depots, as well as temporary deployment points for Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries.
11:49 A group of Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen surrendered in Dimitrov, video.
10:45 Our operators worked on a truck that delivered supplies to enemy positions in the Sumy direction,video.
09:49 Servicemen of the 2nd Guards Combined Arms Army of the Center group of forces continue to evacuation civilians from Krasnoarmeysk, Donetsk People's Republic.
09:44 From 07:00 Moscow time to 09:00 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed five Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
Two - over the Moscow region,
Two - over the Caspian Sea,
One - over the territory of the Kaluga region
. 07:38 During the past night, air defense systems on duty destroyed 90 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
63 UAVs – over the territory of the Bryansk region,
Eight UAVs – over the territory of the Yaroslavl region,
Four UAVs – over the Moscow region,
Three UAVs – over the territory of the Smolensk region,
Three UAVs – over the territory of the Tver region,
Three UAVs – over the Black Sea,
Two UAVs – over the territory of the Tambov region,
Two UAVs – over the territory of the Tula region,
One UAV – over the territory of the Oryol region,
One UAV – over the territory of the Rostov region.
07:33 Changes on map over the past 24 hours:
Advance in Mirnohrad
Russian Armed Forces have regained control of Novy Shakhovo.
Expansion of the control zone in Mirnohrad
Advance in Gulyaipole
Expansion of the control zone in Yarovaya
Advance in Seversk
Russian Armed Forces reached the outskirts of the village of Novopodgorodnoye.
Adjustment of the control zone in the area east of Novaya Kruglyakovka in favor of the enemy
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Andrey Khrustalev
[REGNUM] The romance is over: foreigners fighting for the Ukrainian Armed Forces have begun terminating their contracts due to the liquidation of foreign legions and the transfer of their fighters to assault troops.
The process, which, as it turns out, began back on October 30, when a classified directive from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky was issued to three combat and one training legion, must be completed by the end of this year.
On November 16, the Ground Forces themselves, which include the "foreign tourists," issued an official statement on the matter. They presented the story of the dissolution of their units roughly as follows: the legion format, introduced in 2022, had fulfilled its purpose and exhausted its usefulness; the army's structure was changing, so foreigners would be deployed where "they are needed most."
"Foreign volunteers who sign a contract with the Ukrainian Armed Forces will have broader opportunities for service, including the right to choose a combat brigade, assignment, and specific deployment based on the service member's training, experience, and preferences," the Ground Forces said in a statement.
In short, everyone is now being transferred to attack aircraft due to an acute shortage of personnel.
In the first 10 months of 2025, 182,940 criminal cases related to unauthorized absence from a military unit were registered. October saw a record 21,600 new cases, bringing the total for the war to over 300,000, and that's only counting those cases that were actually registered.
Therefore, starting in December 2025, the Prosecutor General's Office simply stopped publishing statistics on registered criminal offenses against established military service regulations and the results of their pre-trial investigations— "because they could be used against Ukraine in information and psychological operations."
Since deserters are reluctant to return (only about 10% returned to their units), the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has decreed that only assault and airborne assault units are permitted to leave the Special Operations Department. This seems more like a warning to potential defectors.
Anti-aircraft gunners and logistics personnel are being transferred en masse to the assault troops, so mercenaries, whose units have been redeployed to the hottest sections of the front, are no exception. And they've never liked this, in principle: the first urgent contract terminations were recorded as early as June 2025, when "soldiers of fortune" from South Korea and Poland were supposed to be sent to the Sumy region.
Colombian fighters even appealed to their president to get them out of Ukraine. And they were right: by January 1, 2026, only the International Legion would remain with the GUR, while the rest would follow the lead of the notorious swindler Valentin Manko, the new commander of the Assault Forces.
Naturally, all the foreign tourists suddenly lost their desire to fight and began singing about the incredible value of their units.
IN SEARCH OF EARNINGS AND ADRENALINE
With the start of the Second World War, a flood of mercenaries from all corners of the world – Poland, Britain, Georgia, Colombia and a number of other countries – poured into Ukraine.
Most of the "wild geese" (their actual number is carefully concealed) wanted to make a good profit, since the average mercenary was promised between 2,000 and 5,000 US dollars a month, with additional fees for the destruction of military equipment, while professionals like snipers and miners could earn around 10,000 dollars a month.
Colombians at one point became the most numerous: their army is the fourth largest in Latin America, and the country has over 400,000 military reservists.
Retired military personnel can count on a $400 pension, which is paltry by Colombian standards, forcing them to become mercenaries to support their families. And given the high level of violence in the country, where it's common for someone to kill a neighbor over a domestic dispute, the Colombians required no psychological preparation.
However, in Ukraine, it turned out that their alleyway shootout skills were of no use. The BBC Latin American Service quotes a message from a WhatsApp group of mercenaries:
"It's hell. We're barely shooting. Drones are everywhere. Anyone who lasts more than a year should get a monument in their honor. People are taking incredible risks for a few thousand pesos."
In fact, Ukrainian officers working on foreign recruitment note that there's a large influx from Latin America, joining line units like Magur's 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade and the Third Tank Brigade. "But these are mostly villagers and farmers. In other words, these are people who came here to try to make money."
Therefore, "white people" from Europe, Canada, and the United States primarily sought to gain access to the GUR, where its own "international reconnaissance legion" contained a comparable number of separate units to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Since they were "special forces," they didn't storm the landings but spent their time in restaurants.
The peak of those wishing to fight was at the very beginning, when the strategic initiative was with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the West was pumping weapons into the Kiev regime, and Ukrainian society was dreaming of the 1991 borders and then the "return of Kuban."
But the momentum began to wane in March 2022, when strikes on the Yavoriv training ground, where the Foreign Legion's training base was located, killed between several dozen and several hundred mercenaries and instructors.
The failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' counteroffensive in 2023 and subsequent actions by the Russian Armed Forces demonstrated that for the mercenaries, the "safari against the Russians" had turned into a bloodbath with enormous losses.
A FAIR WAR
A Brazilian who managed to survive in Yavoriv and escape to Poland filmed a video in which he commented on the situation:
"I don't know what to say, special forces from all over the world, from France, from all over Europe, from South Korea, Chile, America, Canada. Guys, the whole world is there, special forces from all over the world are there. And then, very simply, all I know is that they're all dead. They're all destroyed. You just can't understand one thing: a plane firing missiles at you. You can't understand. It's over, it's over. The whole unit is destroyed."
But that was just the beginning.
Foreigners from the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade suffered heavy losses in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (Grekovka, Karpovka, Novoegorovka). A large number of Mexicans and Brazilians were killed in the Kharkiv area.
The French Legion, the International Legion Normandy Brigade, and the Kraken special forces (designated a terrorist unit and banned in Russia) were soundly defeated in the Belgorod and Bryansk regions. And, of course, it's worth noting the heavy losses of mercenaries in the Kursk adventure.
In September, information emerged that hackers from the Nessus CGOP group had hacked the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine database in August 2025 and obtained information about the deaths of a thousand mercenaries, including 303 Colombians, 89 Americans, 42 Britons, 20 Poles, and so on.
Another 2,000 or so mercenaries on this list are listed as missing in action, and many are listed as having died from various diseases outside the combat zone.
For example, Colombian German Avila Jaramillo joined the Carpathian Sich Battalion in January 2024 and "died" under mysterious circumstances in August 2024. Documents sent with his body to Colombia indicated the cause of death was ischemic stroke.
Former US Army Ranger Cedric Charles Hamm was listed at home last April as the "53rd American volunteer killed in Ukraine." However, for the Ukrainian side, he is missing in action—only his passport, not his body, was found near Chasovy Yar.
And the British man Jordan Chadwick was tortured and killed by another British man.
One way or another, all those who wanted to have some fun were sorted into three directions: direct recruitment by units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (or by the will of recruiters, as with the Colombians), into units of the Main Intelligence Directorate (where the Poles, who avoid unnecessary risks, prefer to “fight”) and the notorious “four-legion” formation in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
"30% of the new recruits were assigned to assault troops. And people fled, realizing it was a one-way ticket," one of the unit's representatives told Ukrainian journalists on condition of anonymity. He believes the legionnaires are being trained to replace these "fugitives."
However, they are desperately resisting. According to Pavel Slavinsky, Chief of Staff of the 2nd International Legion, none of the Ukrainian soldiers are planning to transfer to the stormtroopers: they have already found new assignments in case of disbandment.
"We have a very large drone component—more than ten different types of UAVs. They're distributed among various structures: not only ground forces, but also specialized ones—workshops and laboratories, " the chief of staff explained. " These are high-level specialists; they receive offers quite frequently, and now they're starting to accept them."
And those they work with, citizens of various countries, don't want that idiot Manko to "use his human resources more effectively." If you read interviews with foreign fighters, each one has a "mission," coming to "fight for freedom" as their highest value.
Consequently, the lack of personal freedom and the very unceremonious treatment of personnel by the Ukrainian command are perceived extremely negatively.
They agreed to fight only where it was personally interesting and convenient for them, which is confirmed by the above statistics of desertion from assault units.
According to the chief of staff, only four of them want to transfer to units where their comrades serve—all the rest plan to break their contracts and return home.
The local staff, however, obviously found a cushy spot for themselves.
Today, it is known that the 1st and 3rd Foreign Legions have already been disbanded, the 2nd is desperately proving its usefulness, since an “experiment” on new tactics for using light infantry and UAVs was “conducted” at their training grounds, and the 4th, the training one, was reformatted into a training center for foreigners and stateless persons.
"The image losses for Ukraine are colossal because foreigners are the bearers of this European passion. They fight for us, thereby demonstrating that Europe and the civilized world are on our side," Slavinsky believes. "And now they're going home, spreading the message that there's no other place for foreign volunteers in Ukraine except to 'go and die in a prison cell.'"
But there's no other place for Ukrainian citizens either. And this should be the next astonishing revelation for anyone who naively believed that this war for Ukraine had any connection to justice, common sense, or a bright future.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] "The city of Seversk has been liberated," Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin. On December 11, units of the 3rd Guards Combined Arms Luhansk-Severodonetsk Army completed the battle to capture the strategically important city in the northeastern DPR.
The capture of Seversk creates the conditions for an offensive toward Slovyansk, Sergei Medvedev, commander of the Southern Group of Forces, told the president. Located 36 kilometers west of liberated Seversk, Slovyansk was the first flashpoint in Donbas against Kyiv's aggression in the spring of 2014.
But this city, occupied since the summer of 2014, has been converted into a Ukrainian Armed Forces fortified area—the last remaining one in Donbas. Seversk also remained such a "fortress" until the fall of 2025.
WHY SEVERSK WAS IMPREGNABLE FOR SO LONG
Seversk occupies a key position on the map of Donbas. Its proximity to Lysychansk to the west, Slovyansk to the east, and Artemovsk to the south makes this small town (population: approximately 11,000 as of 2021) a key road junction, both militarily and economically.
To the east is Lisichansk, to the south is Artemovsk, and to the west is the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration.
The city is located in a lowland, surrounded by commanding heights. Logically, this makes the force occupying the city vulnerable; however, the first phase of the battle for the city in July–September 2022 ended unsuccessfully for our troops. Here, it's worth returning to the situation of 2014.
At the beginning of the Russian Spring, Seversk temporarily came under the control of the Donbas militia, which held Slovyansk. However, the city was later abandoned due to the utter imbalance of forces.
Under the control of the Ukrainian regime, the city became one of the elements of a powerful fortified area of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The Serebryanskoye forestry and the Belaya Gora heights were also part of this fortification complex. The difficult, predominantly forested terrain, along with a system of ravines and water obstacles, hampered the advance of our troops and allowed the Ukrainian Armed Forces to hold the front line for almost three years.
Within the city itself, a long and extensive network of interconnected trenches, ditches, and shelters was dug, running in close proximity to residential buildings and other civilian structures in the city.
The withdrawal of Russian Armed Forces from the northern territories of the Kharkiv region in September–October 2022 played a role.
From 2023 to the autumn of 2025, the line of combat contact in the Seversk region was a salient.
To the northeast and east are Kremennaya and Lisichansk (LPR), liberated in the spring and summer of 2022, respectively. To the south are Soledar (the fighting for which ended in January 2023) and Artemovsk, liberated by May of that year.
Only after the liberation of the territories north of Seversk—the Belogorsk fortified area—and the subsequent clearing of the Serebryansky forest in the summer of 2025, were Russian troops able to approach the outskirts of Seversk.
WHAT PRECEDED THE ASSAULT
Fighting for the city began at the end of September, when Russian troops, after taking control of the Serebryansky forestry, began encircling the city from three directions.
Success was achieved thanks to the Russian army's offensive in two sections of the front - in the area of Krasnoarmeysk and Dobropolye.
Kyiv withdrew neo-Nazi formations and airborne units from the Serebryansky forest, thereby exposing its defenses.
By September 25, the city was semi-encircled, and the Ukrainian group's supply lines were under fire. Attempts by the Ukrainian Armed Forces command to redeploy reserves into the city were continually thwarted. Russian troops reached the southern and northern outskirts of Seversk.
Here, geography played to the advantage of the Russian Armed Forces: seizing control over the surrounding heights allowed them to target enemy positions located in the lowlands.
In the first half of October, signs of disorganization of the Ukrainian forces appeared in residential areas: some of the command left the city.
Units of the 82nd Airborne Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces also retreated, and the territorial defense formations made up of mobilized troops remained in place.
Gradually, the fighting moved from the outskirts to residential areas.
HOW DID THE ASSAULT TAKE PLACE?
By November, Russian units had consolidated their position in the southern part of Seversk, gradually expanding their zone of control.
By the end of November, the enemy's defenses on the northern approaches to the city had been broken through, and Russian troops had entered the suburbs.
As Sergei Medvedev, commander of the South group, explained to Vladimir Putin on December 11, the success of our troops was facilitated by a meticulously planned, comprehensive fire strike against the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The aforementioned loss of commanding heights by the enemy deprived him of points for adjusting artillery and drones.
The group in the city was vulnerable to the combined attacks of our missilemen, artillerymen, Aerospace Forces, aviation (enemy "fortresses" were methodically destroyed by FABs) and UAV units.
In the city blocks, the infantry, acting in small groups, pinned down the enemy, forcing them into battle.
But despite all the advantages for the advancing Russian Armed Forces, capturing the city was a difficult task, particularly given the deeply echeloned defense established by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the city's eastern districts. Igor Kuzmenkov, commander of the 3rd Army, emphasized this fact in his report to the president.
He emphasized that in order to reduce losses, it was decided to block the Ukrainian Armed Forces group from three sides, cutting off logistics routes.
Having carried out a flanking envelopment in converging directions, our military began to consistently drive the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of city blocks.
"The enemy put up the most resistance in the high-rise quarter, at the dolomite plant, at the bakery, and at the railway station, where they had prepared fortified defensive positions," Kuzmenkov said.
He pointed out that the decisive blow was delivered by units of the 7th and 88th separate motorized rifle brigades: advancing from the north and south, they cut off the routes from Seversk to the west, the last logistical connections of the Ukrainian Armed Forces group.
In recent weeks, Russian troops have been clearing city blocks of remaining enemy units, destroying scattered Ukrainian Armed Forces groups and gradually advancing toward the city center.
HOW THE THEATER OF WAR IS CHANGING
The liberation of Seversk changed the configuration of the front line. With the heights and urban development under control, conditions opened for further advancement toward Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.
However, the situation for the Ukrainian Armed Forces becomes even more complicated if you look at the situation strategically.
The agglomeration, which, in addition to the two aforementioned cities, also includes Konstantinovka and Druzhkovka, finds itself surrounded.
The assault on Konstantinovka is already underway, as Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov announced in his report to the president.
“45% of the buildings in this community are under our control,” he emphasized.
A front is being built against the enemy's fortified area from the southwest from the direction of Krasnoarmeysk, from the southeast from the Dzerzhinsk (Toretsk) region, and from the east and southeast from Artemovsk and Seversk.
As already noted, the distance to the outskirts of Slavyansk on the Artemovsk-Seversky highway is only 35 km.
If the enemy is tied down in battle in the Kupyansk region, the territories of the Kharkiv region north of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration also become a source of threat to the Ukrainian Armed Forces group.
Thus, as Sergei Medvedev, commander of the Southern Group of Forces, indicated in his report to the president, the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Slavyansk are more vulnerable.
It's worth noting that the offensive on Seversk was led by forces of the 3rd Guards Combined Arms Luhansk-Severodonetsk Army, created from the former 2nd Corps of the LPR People's Militia—the same militia that had been fighting since 2014.
And perhaps it is now, with the liberation of Seversk, which once became one of the first cities of the Russian Spring, that the final offensive will begin, which will allow the liberation of Donbass to be completed.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Alexander Moiseyev has been awarded the highest naval rank of Admiral of the Fleet, according to information on the Russian Ministry of Defense website.
"Aleksandr Alekseevich Moiseyev, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet," reads the section on the ministry's website containing information on the commanders-in-chief of the branches of the Russian Armed Forces.
Moiseyev was born on April 16, 1962, in the Kaliningrad region. In 1987, he graduated from the A.S. Popov Higher Naval School of Radioelectronics in St. Petersburg. He served on nuclear submarines of the Northern Fleet, holding positions ranging from combat unit engineer to missile submarine commander, submarine unit commander, and submarine force commander.
In 2003, he graduated with honors from the Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union N. G. Kuznetsov Naval Academy, and in 2011, with honors and a medal, from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
In 2019, Moiseyev was appointed commander of the Northern Fleet, and in 2024, commander-in-chief of the Navy.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] Regarding the talk of a demilitarized zone that could be created in the territories of Donbas still occupied by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
1. Such a clause was already included in the original 28 clauses.
2. The entire Donbas is effectively controlled by Russia.
3. Instead of the Russian Armed Forces, units of the Russian National Guard are being deployed in this part of Donbas.
4. Since Prigozhin's mutiny, the Russian National Guard units are armed with tanks, artillery, and multiple rocket launchers.
5. The Kyiv regime has already dropped the issue, claiming it was misunderstood and doesn't want such a zone either.
For now, the scenario of the remaining part of Donbas coming under the military control of Zolotov's department seems unlikely, primarily due to the inability of the Kyiv Nazis to negotiate. Zolotov is General Viktor Vasilyevich Zolotov, commander of the Russian National Guard...
So for now, we will take what's ours by force. It's also worth noting that the fire will not cease as long as the Ukrainian Armed Forces remain in Donbas.
[Breitbart] Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday in Turkmenistan to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Their meeting was unexpectedly interrupted by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who demanded an audience with Putin to secure his support against India and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
Oh. Not because Pakistan cares about the subject, but just to have a conversation President Putin can’t avoid.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Erdogan held a “thorough exchange of views on Ukrainian affairs” while meeting in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, on the sidelines of the International Forum for Peace and Trust.
The forum assumed something of an ironic air, given that Putin and other attendees, such as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and a special envoy from China, have all launched unprovoked wars of aggression in recent years.
The event is held in Turkmenistan because it is the only country in the world to be granted a permanent status of “neutrality” by the United Nations, a recognition conferred by the U.N. General Assembly in 1995. The forum was held on Friday because December 12 was proclaimed as the “International Day of Neutrality” by the United Nations in 2017.
According to the Kremlin, the meeting between Putin, Erdogan, and their respective delegations followed up on a telephone conversation between the Russian and Turkish leaders on November 24, which was focused on the Ukraine conflict. Erdogan met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a week before that call and has been eager to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
“At a time of increasing uncertainty, conflict and fragility on a global scale, we need to shoulder responsibility to establish international dialogue, cooperation, trust and peace,” Erdogan said at the forum in Ashgabat.
Erdogan said Turkey has a unique “responsibility that our history, geography and civilization have placed upon us” to serve as a mediator, and will use “all our might to ensure that peace and dialogue prevail.”
“We are ready to provide concrete support for diplomatic initiatives aimed at a ceasefire and peace,” he said of the conflict in Ukraine.
Erdogan proposed a “limited ceasefire” against ports and energy facilities by both sides in the Russia-Ukraine war, alluding to Ukrainian attacks on Russian tankers in the Black Sea off the Turkish coast. Turkey viewed the attacks as a “worrying escalation” in the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Erdogan has already approached him with his proposal for a limited ceasefire and he was agreeable.
“President Erdogan mentioned this to me. I told him we would support it. He wanted to organize a corresponding meeting – initially at team level, then at the leaders’ level. I told him we are ready,” he said.
“From what I understand, the Russians simply told them that they would not agree to any ceasefire unless an agreement is signed,” Zelensky added.
The meeting between Putin and Erdogan took a bizarre turn when Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, visibly annoyed after waiting outside the meeting room for his chance to speak with Putin, forced his way through the door.
Sharif was escorted back out of the meeting room by security guards about ten minutes later, apparently without getting his desired interaction with Putin:
Media outlets in Pakistan’s rival India found the incident very amusing, gleefully relaying social media comments mocking Sharif for behaving like a child or “beggar.”
“Sharif’s gaffe was swift and brief – a calculated gate-crash, a desperate reach for relevance after being left in the shadows,” chortled India Today.
India’s Firstpost suggested Sharif blew his stack because he has seen India cozying up to Russia over the past few months and he interpreted Putin leaving him to cool his heels in a waiting room for 40 minutes as a sign that Pakistan is out of favor in Moscow.
This realignment comes as Pakistan is fighting increasingly severe border skirmishes with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, a conflict that Putin could potentially use his influence in Kabul to defuse. India, which has developed a close diplomatic and trade relationship with the Taliban over the past year, openly supports the Taliban against Pakistan.
Firstpost noted Sharif made a rather desperate play for Putin’s affections at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in September, unsuccessfully attempting to squeeze into a collegial conversation between Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Chinese dictator Xi Jinping. The image of Pakistan getting pushed out of the Chinese-Russian axis to make room for India was undeniably potent.
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.
