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International-UN-NGOs
Russia DID down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine killing 298 passengers and crew in 2014
2025-05-13
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Russia did down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, an aviation body has ruled more than 11 years after the disaster.

The UN's aviation council on Monday said that Russia was responsible for the downing that killed all 298 passengers and crew - including 196 Dutch citizens and 38 Australian citizens or residents.

Both governments said the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) would in the coming weeks consider what form of reparation was in order.

Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, and was shot down over eastern Ukraine as fighting raged between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces.

In November 2022, Dutch judges convicted two Russian men and a Ukrainian man in absentia of murder for their role in the attack.

Moscow called the ruling 'scandalous' and said it would not extradite its citizens.

The ICAO, which is based in Montreal, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The case was launched in 2022 by Australia and the Netherlands.

'The decision is an important step towards establishing the truth and achieving justice and accountability for all victims of Flight MH17, and their families and loved ones,' Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said in a statement.

'This decision also sends a clear message to the international community: states cannot violate international law with impunity.'

The Netherlands and Australia want the ICAO Council to order Russia to enter into negotiations over reparations, he added.

Australia Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her government welcomed the decision and urged ICAO to move swiftly to determine remedies.

'We call upon Russia to finally face up to its responsibility for this horrific act of violence and make reparations for its egregious conduct, as required under international law,' Wong said in a statement.

ICAO lacks regulatory power but holds moral suasion and sets global aviation standards overwhelmingly adopted by its 193-member states.

In 2023, three men involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 were sanctioned by the Australian government.

The sanctions target Russian Sergey Dubinskiy and Ukrainian national Leonid Kharchenko, who were both found guilty in the court and sentenced to life in jail.

Australia has also sanctioned Russian national Sergey Muchkaev, a colonel with the Russian Armed Forces.

Muchkaev in July 2014 was the commander of the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, which supplied the Buk-TELAR missile system that downed MH17.

Another convicted perpetrator, Igor Girkin, was sanctioned by Australia in 2014 for supporting separatist activity in eastern Ukraine.

'As either separatist leaders within the so-called 'People's Republic of Donetsk' at the time of the downing of Flight MH17, or a member of the Russian Armed Forces, the three people sanctioned actively supported actions and policies that threatened the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,' Foreign Minister Penny Wong said.

'These sanctions demonstrate the Australian government's ongoing commitment to hold to account those responsible for the downing of flight MH17.'

She said Australia was committed to seeking 'truth, justice and accountability' for the victims and would pursue all available avenues.
Related:
Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 02/01/2024 Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: January 31, 2024
Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 11/28/2014 EU Adds 18 Ukrainian Separatist Groups, Individuals to Blacklist
Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 07/19/2014 Transcripts of rebels admitting responsibility

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Battle for Slavyansk. Russian army prepares to defeat the 'citadel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine'
2025-02-01
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Slavyansk is where the war between Russian backed militants and Ukrainian military began in 2014, under the leadership of (now disgraced) Russian reserve FSB colonel Igor Girkin (Igor Strelkov). Its capture at the same time is both strategic and symbolic.

by Sergey Adamov

[REGNUM] The Russian Armed Forces are consolidating their successes in the SVO zone. Over the past month, the settlements of Kurakhovo and Velikaya Novosyolka were liberated in Donbass. The offensive continues in the area of ​​Pokrovsk, the center of the enemy's defense in the eastern part of the DPR. To the west, Russian troops are pushing back the enemy in the area of ​​Chasov Yar and Toretsk, advancing in the direction of Konstantinovka.

After the liberation of Pokrovsk, the last major defensive hub, the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, will remain under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The forces advancing from Pokrovsk and Chasov Yar, like two pincers, slowly squeeze Slavyansk from both sides, creating the contours of the future encirclement of a large group of enemy forces.

And although the battles for Pokrovsk are still ongoing, it is already possible to predict how the situation in Donbass will develop in the coming months.

In 2014, Slavyansk became a symbol of resistance to the DPR. The militia's takeover of the city inspired resistance throughout the Donbass. During the "anti-terrorist operation" launched by Kiev, the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk area was surrounded, but the local garrison held the line for several months.

It is symbolic that the liberation of Donbass may end where it began 11 years ago.

At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, even when faced with many problems, do not plan to retreat without a fight. Therefore, the liberation of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk-Druzhkovka-Konstantinovka agglomeration may become the most difficult task for the Russian army during the entire period of the SVO. We are talking about 5,000 square kilometers of territory, dense urban development, where more than 500 thousand people lived as of 2022. There is also a large industrial zone here, turned by the enemy into a solid fortified area.

A frontal assault on this, without exaggeration, citadel could result in major losses, so the hypothetical “Slavic operation” should develop in several stages, military expert Alexander Mikhailovsky notes in a commentary for the Regnum news agency.

"Even after the liberation of Chasov Yar, there will still be Seversk and the Serebryanskoye forestry area. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have clung very tightly to this area of ​​territory because it is strategically important. With the liberation of Seversk, the road to Slavyansk itself will open. So in the foreseeable future, we should expect that the front in this area will begin to move," the expert predicts.

In the spring of 2014, Seversk came under the control of the DPR militia forces and became a symbol of resistance on par with Slavyansk, Kramatorsk and Krasny Liman, the source recalled. However, they failed to maintain control over the city. And during the SVO, Russian troops again reached the approaches to Seversk, but so far the Ukrainian Armed Forces have managed to hold the front in this area.

The resumption of hostilities near Seversk will mean the beginning of the "Slavyansk operation". But for the complete encirclement of Slavyansk, another important task must be solved.

LEFT BANK, RIGHT BANK
In the context of the liberation of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk district, the area of ​​territory at the junction of the territories of the DPR, LPR and the Kharkov region, squeezed between the Zherebets, Oskol and Seversky Donets rivers, is of key importance. The cities of Svyatogorsk and Liman (Krasny Liman), which literally "hang" over Slavyansk, are located in this area.

Supplying Ukrainian troops in this area is seriously complicated by the lack of proper crossings. Previously, Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft consistently destroyed bridges across the Oskol River, so the Ukrainian military was forced to build several pontoon crossings, which are also regularly subject to air strikes.

Now, in the "interfluve", after a long pause, military actions have resumed. Advancing from the Svatovo region, Russian troops liberated the settlements of Zeleny Gai, Vishnevoye and Pervomayskoye.

Further advance in this area could allow the enemy group to be cut in two and force the Ukrainian Armed Forces to retreat beyond the Oskol River. However, even with the liberation of the city of Liman, which is adjacent to Slavyansk, it will still be impossible to proceed directly to storming the city, note front-line sources of the Regnum news agency familiar with the situation in this area.

"We were already in Liman, and I can say that the fighting was limited to mobile groups crossing the Seversky Donets in both directions and subsequent clashes on both banks. The bridge between Liman and Slavyansk in the area of ​​Raigorodka was blown up by the Ukrainian Armed Forces back in 2022, so it is not so easy to cross the river in this place," the source notes.

To encircle Slavyansk from the north, it is necessary to bypass the city and cut the M-03 highway to Izyum. Ukrainian sources fear that Russian troops could force the Oskol in the Gorokhovatka area north of Slavyansk and break through to Izyum.

But before that, it is necessary to completely clear the “interfluve” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

CUT THROUGH THE ENEMY'S DEFENSES
The most vulnerable section of the enemy front in the central part of Donbass is the area of ​​Konstantinovka. Russian troops are simultaneously advancing on the city from the northeast, from Chasov Yar, and from the southeast - from Toretsk.

According to reports from the field, the Ukrainian Armed Forces removed everything valuable from the city, including police and fire equipment, several months ago. According to experts, the assault on the city may develop according to a proven and repeatedly tested tactic.

At the first stage, the forces advancing from Chasov Yar can cut off supplies between Konstantinovka and Druzhkovka. Earlier, the Russian Armed Forces were also able to take control of another enemy logistics route - the highway between Konstantinovka and Pokrovsk.

Only after the city is surrounded will Russian troops be able to force the enemy to retreat. Or begin an assault.

"There are many options for how events will develop. One of them is that the enemy's front will be cut in several places. It is possible to wedge between Druzhkovka and Kramatorsk, Kramatorsk and Slavyansk. In short, to create separate pockets of defense instead of a continuous front. But this is, as they say, "drawing arrows", only an assumption. Only the command knows how it will actually be," notes expert Mikhailovsky.

The final stage of the operation in this case will be a strike on Slavyansk from the rear, which could be carried out after the liberation of the Pokrovsky district.

HOW WILL THE UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES RESPOND?
Naturally, the Ukrainian military command understands how events on the front may develop in the coming weeks and months. But it seems that Kyiv has no opportunity to influence the course of the Russian operation.

After the tactic of creating “fortress cities” failed to justify itself, the Ukrainian Armed Forces never found any effective way to stop the advance of the Russian Armed Forces, time after time wasting their forces in attempts to prolong the fighting.

The fighting in the Velikaya Novosyolka area showed that this tactic does not bring the desired results: Russian troops defeat the enemy through maneuver, intercepting supply routes and occupying key heights.

According to reports from the field, the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk region has been intensively preparing for defense in recent months. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are focusing on the industrial zone of the Novokramatorsky and Starokramatorsky machine-building plants, the Energomashspetsstal plant, the Kramatorsk heavy machine-building plant, and a number of other enterprises.

The factory workshops are stockpiling ammunition that could allow the garrison to conduct combat operations even in complete encirclement. Similar reports are coming from Slavyansk, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces are "settling" the Central, Southern and Eastern industrial zones, and Druzhkovka, where the enemy is fortifying the Druzhkovka Machine-Building Plant.

"Nobody can say now what will happen next, but we know that there are no impossible tasks. Our aviation is "breaking" fortified industrial zones using heavy aerial bombs. And ordinary soldiers have long worked out the tactics of assault. So, no matter how they prepare, we see it and react," notes a frontline source of the Regnum news agency.

The priority task for the Russian army in Donbass is still the liberation of Pokrovsk. The city is practically blockaded, and Ukrainian sources report an "extremely difficult" situation on this section of the front.

It is unknown whether the Ukrainian Armed Forces will decide to fight for the city to the last or retreat to the territory of the Dnepropetrovsk region, but the liberation of Pokrovsk will become a prologue to the battle for Slavyansk, and therefore, for the final liberation of Donbass.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Supreme Court of the Russian Federation upheld Strelkov's sentence for calls to extremism
2024-11-07
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation has upheld the sentence of Igor Girkin (pseudonym Strelkov ) in the case of public calls for extremism, the court ruling says.

This decision was made after considering the cassation appeal of the convicted man’s lawyers.

“The cassation appeal will be dismissed,” the members of the panel of judges noted.

The court session was held on November 6 behind closed doors. Journalists were allowed to attend the reading of the operative part of the decision.

As reported by Regnum News Agency, Girkin was arrested in July 2023. In January 2024, the Moscow City Court sentenced him to four years in a general regime penal colony in January. The court ruling stated that Girkin called for extremist activity through the Internet.

At the end of May, the Court of Appeal upheld Girkin's sentence. The defense called the sentence unfounded and illegal. The prosecution insisted that the sentence should remain unchanged.

In mid-July, it became known that Girkin had been transferred to the IK-5 penal colony in Kirovo-Chepetsk. Former security officials serve their sentences in this facility.

From May to August 2014, Girkin commanded the Armed Forces of the Donetsk People's Republic. In May 2014, he was appointed Minister of Defense of the DPR. In August of the same year, Girkin was dismissed.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Former DPR Defense Minister Strelkov Transferred to Penal Colony
2024-06-28
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Former Minister of Defense of the Donetsk People's Republic Igor Girkin (call sign: Strelkov), convicted of calls for extremism, was transferred to a penal colony, his wife Miroslava Reginskaya reported on her Telegram channel.

“According to information received from the lawyer, this morning, June 27, Igor Strelkov was transferred to a penal colony,” she wrote.

The ex-minister’s wife noted that she was not informed which colony her husband was sent to.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, on May 29, the first appellate court of general jurisdiction upheld Strelkov's four-year sentence. Following the appellate court's verdict, the sentence came into force and is subject to execution.

The former minister was detained on July 21, 2023, he publicly called on Internet users to engage in extremist activities. On January 25, 2024, the Moscow City Court sentenced the former Minister of Defense of the DPR to four years in a general regime colony.

In April 2024, the convicted man's lawyer announced his desire to participate in the SVO in Ukraine. A document was attached to the appeal stating that one of the front-line military units agreed to sign a contract with Strelkov.

In 2014, he led a militia unit for several months during battles with the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Slavyansk (DPR). In early July 2014, Strelkov's unit retreated from the city on his orders. From May to August 2014, he commanded the DPR Armed Forces. In May 2014, he was appointed Minister of Defense of the republic. In August of the same year, Strelkov was dismissed.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Sukharevsky, who fired the first shot in Donbass in 2014, is appointed Syrsky’s deputy.
2024-02-14
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Colonel Vadim Sukharevsky, who in 2014 gave the order to open fire against an armed detachment in the Donbass, was appointed by the head of the Kiev regime Vladimir Zelensky as deputy commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky. This was reported by Hromadske Television.

Sukharevsky, known under the call sign Barsuk, on April 13, 2014 led the 3rd company of the 80th Airmobile Brigade in the vicinity of Slavyansk, near the village of Semyonovka. After the capture of the police station in Slavyansk by Igor Strelkov's (AKA Igor Girkin Girkin) detachment, Sukharevsky was ordered not to open fire. This decision was due to fears of a repeat of the events at Euromaidan, where police officers were arrested after the shooting.

But SBU special forces and paratroopers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were attacked by supporters of secession from Ukraine. Sukharevsky gave the order to intervene.

At his command, the Ukrainian military moved forward in an armored personnel carrier, Sukharevsky sat in the gunner’s place so that all responsibility for this decision would rest with him.

“I decided to open lethal fire myself,” Badger previously told the media.

Subsequently, his actions that day were assessed as an act of heroism, and in June 2022 he was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.

In his new position, Sukharevsky will be responsible for drones and the development of the use of drones in the Kyiv army.

As Regnum reported, the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Alexander Syrsky, may undertake operations that are extremely dangerous for the state of the Ukrainian army in order to curry favor with Zelensky. In particular, for media victories. So says former Deputy Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine Georgy Tuka.

Alexander Syrsky is known in the ranks of the Ukrainian army as a commander who does not take losses into account; another “meat grinder” organized by him cannot be ruled out, said the head of the DPR Denis Pushilin.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: January 25, 2024
2024-01-26
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title

[Korrespondent] 21:45 Peskov said in an interview with Bloomberg that Russia “was, is and will be open” to negotiations on Ukraine, but “is determined to continue the special operation until its goals are achieved.”

The agency also writes, citing sources in the Russian Federation, that Putin, through unofficial channels, is allegedly sending signals to the United States that he is open to discussing future security measures for Ukraine. According to them, Putin may be ready to consider abandoning the demand for Ukraine's neutral status and non-entry into NATO, but will insist on recognizing Russian control over the occupied territories.

21:18 Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets confirmed in a comment to Sky News that some Ukrainian prisoners of war from the Russian list of persons allegedly on board the Il-76 aircraft have already been exchanged.

20:34 Igor Strelkov (Girkin), sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment by a court in The Hague, is still inaccessible to international justice, but in Russia he received a real sentence. He was given four years in prison for calling for extremist activities. About what this means, see the material Sentence to a Terrorist.

20:19 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the air defense allegedly stopped an attack using the RM-70 Vampire multiple launch rocket system, two rockets were destroyed over the territory of the Belgorod region. And the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, claims that one person was killed as a result of a drone attack in the Belgorod village of Lozovaya Rudka.

20:16 Over the past year, Russia purchased more than $1 billion worth of chips from the United States and Europe, Bloomberg writes.

19:31 The pro-Russian Prime Minister of Slovakia after his visit to Uzhgorod softened his harsh tone towards Ukraine. About why he abruptly changed his position - in the material “Did Fico Change His Shoes?”

19:23 Peskov claims that Russia allegedly promptly informed Kiev about the transportation of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Il-76 aircraft. And the Russian permanent representative in Vienna, Lukashevich, said that Moscow did not invite either the OSCE or the UN to investigate the Il-76 crash.

18:37 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with the President of Slovenia Natasha Pirc Musar, they discussed the work on a bilateral document on security guarantees, the current defense needs of Ukraine.

17:56 The European Commission announced that it is allocating 15 million euros for the construction of new bomb shelters for schools in hot spots of Ukraine, and Lithuania will provide an additional 500 thousand euros and will take responsibility for the implementation of the project.

17:30 In Russia, prisoners who go to fight against Ukraine no longer receive pardons from Putin, the BBC Russian service reports. If previously recruits were promised money and a pardon after six months of participation in hostilities, now the contract is signed for one year and extended automatically. Prisoners will be able to receive full release and expungement of their criminal records only if they receive a state award or are dismissed due to the end of the war, loss of health, or reaching the age limit.

16:53 Ukraine is working to prepare for the visit of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olga Stefanishyna. She recalled that on January 29 in Uzhgorod a meeting is planned between the head of the OP Andrei Ermak, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dmitry Kuleba and his Hungarian colleague Peter Szijjártó. It will be connected, in particular, with the preparation of Orban’s upcoming visit to Ukraine. The last time the Prime Minister of Hungary came was in 2010, Stefanishina noted.

16:50 In the Nikolaev region, a Kh-59 guided missile fired from a Russian Su-34 fighter was destroyed, the Air Force reported.

16:31 The new head of the OSCE, Foreign Minister of Malta Ian Borg said that he will visit Kiev next week. According to him, this visit will be a demonstration of “steadfast support” for Ukraine.

16:28 The Russian Il-76 aircraft, which crashed on January 24 near Belgorod, previously delivered weapons to the airfield in Engels and to Belgorod itself, said GUR representative Andrey Yusov: “This is the aircraft that supplied S-300 and S- missiles to the Belgorod region 400 for attacks on Kharkov and the region. The Russians themselves say that those activities that are used to supply enemy forces and equipment are used at the same time, probably for transporting prisoners." Yusov emphasized that if this is true, then the Russians have actually admitted to yet another war crime.

16:22 Russia recruited more than 200 Nepalese citizens for the war in Ukraine, at least 14 of them died, said the country's Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash.

16:06 Sweden and the UK announced they are joining the newly created “drone coalition” - there are now four participating countries, along with Ukraine and Latvia, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported.

15:59 France delivered two M270 LRU MLRS to Ukraine, the country’s Ministry of Defense reported.

15:28 Zaluzhny said that he had a telephone conversation with the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, Wieslaw Kukula, and spoke about the operational situation at the front. They also discussed security risks and possible interaction in the context of Ukrainian-Polish cooperation. In particular, the issues of training Ukrainian military personnel in Poland, as well as the exchange of combat experience. The Commander-in-Chief emphasized the importance of strengthening the capabilities of the Ukrainian air defense system.

15:25 Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico confirmed that his country will support the allocation of 50 billion euros to Ukraine from the EU: “I understand that some of our statements may cause controversy. But we are asked to approve 50 billion euros for Ukraine for the next four years. Slovakia agrees and will agree. We will not create any obstacles."

15:12 Bloomberg writes, citing sources, that Hungary has changed its mind about blocking the creation of an EU military fund of 5.4 billion euros for Ukraine. This will pave the way for an agreement to reorganize the mechanism designed to ensure a stable supply of weapons to Kyiv, as soon as the participating countries sort out the technical issues.

15:06 Last week, the Russians suddenly broke into one of the districts of Avdeevka, known as the Tsar’s Hunt, and captured several streets. The occupiers, as the Ukrainian military reported, suddenly found themselves in the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It was a mystery to our soldiers how the enemy was able to break into the city unnoticed. Read more in the article Underground pipe.

14:27 Russian public pages write that as a result of a Ukrainian strike on a military training ground near the occupied Ilovaisk of the Donetsk region, 24 Russian servicemen were killed. According to some reports, the strike was carried out on a cluster of UAV operators.

13:53 There were supposed to be military-political VIPs of the Russian Federation on board the Il-76, but at the last moment the FSB forbade them to board, said GUR representative Andrei Yusov. According to him, Ukrainian intelligence found out this after the plane crashed. Yusov also noted that only five bodies were delivered to the local morgue in Belgorod the day before, and Russian rescuers were not allowed to inspect the crash site. All this data will be transferred for international investigation.

13:44 Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis arrived in Kiev - this is his eighth visit to Ukraine after the Russian invasion in February 2022.

13:40 Russia is increasing the use of gas grenades using prohibited lethal substances, said Andrey Rudyk, speaker of the Center for Research of Captured and Advanced Weapons and Military Equipment. In December 2023 alone, 81 cases of the use of gas grenades were recorded, and in total, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 626 cases of chemical attacks against the Ukrainian military are known.

According to Rudyk, Russia, contrary to its obligations under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention, is developing new RG-V gas grenades using chloroacetophenone.

13:18 The Moscow City Court sentenced terrorist Igor Girkin-Strelkov to four years in a general regime colony for calling for extremism. He was also banned from administering Internet pages for two years.

13:11 “Head” of Crimea Sergei Aksenov issued a decree according to which a “special regime” of entry and exit is introduced on the administrative border between the peninsula and the occupied part of the Kherson region. According to the decree, the regime of entry in the north of Crimea “is equal to the regime of entry across the state border of the Russian Federation.” The places of crossing the administrative border are the automobile checkpoints Armyansk, Perekop, Dzhankoy, as well as the railway checkpoints Armyansk and Dzhankoy.

To cross the border, foreign citizens or stateless persons must have “a valid identification document recognized in accordance with international treaties by the Russian Federation.” In addition, according to the document, Russian military convoys will move along specially designated roads in agreement with the Border Directorate of the FSB of Russia, Radio Liberty reports.

13:05 The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution calling on member countries to recognize the deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia as genocide of the Ukrainian people. The document was approved unanimously.

12:56 Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, at least 25 representatives of religious personnel have been killed, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience reported. As of today, the destruction of more than 500 religious buildings has been recorded, 9% of which were completely destroyed, 16% were damaged beyond repair.

12:13 Ukraine has not yet seen any signs that there were a large number of prisoners of war on the Il-76 military plane that crashed in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, said Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmitry Lubinets: “I cannot say affirmatively that there really were prisoners of war there. After analyzing the photos and videos that we saw on the Internet... if the Russians had any photos or videos that our prisoners of war were there, they would have already used them. We did not see any signs that there were there were so many people - citizens of Ukraine, or non-citizens of Ukraine."

11:56 Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen expressed confidence that Orban will lift his veto on the €50 billion aid package to Ukraine. According to her, the Hungarian Foreign Minister gave a “positive signal.” If this does not happen, then, according to her, the EU “will find another solution.”

11:50 Russia is resorting to new tactics of using drones and preparing new powerful attacks on Ukraine, said Natalya Gumenyuk, speaker of the Southern Defense Forces. According to her, during today’s night attack in the south, the enemy resorted to “tactical tricks”: “They used low passage of drones over water, making their detection as difficult as possible for air defense systems, and approached in the direction of actually residential areas, although they also maneuvered among industrial "This is a search for new tactics to plan for the upcoming powerful actions."

11:43 The SBU has opened criminal proceedings into the crash of an Il-76 in the Belgorod region, Ukrainian media report citing sources in the Security Service. The investigation is carried out under Art. 438 of the Criminal Code - violation of the laws and customs of war. Currently, the SBU is carrying out a set of measures to clarify all the circumstances of the plane crash.

11:21 The Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked a military training ground in occupied Ilovaisk, Donetsk region, the opposition Russian publication Astra reported. Local publics and residents reported explosions in Ilovaisk on January 24 at around 3 p.m. According to the publication's sources, as a result of the shelling at a military training ground near the village of Pokrovka, there were killed and wounded servicemen, their number is being established.

11:10 Ukrainian media report, citing sources, that the oil refinery in Russian Tuapse was attacked by SBU drones the night before. After two powerful explosions, a large-scale fire started there, and the installation for the primary processing of petroleum products - vacuum and atmospheric columns - was damaged.

10:52 NATO underestimated Russia's ability to produce ammunition and recruit troops, said the commander of the Estonian Defense Forces, Martin Herem. According to him, predictions that Russian troops would reach the limit of their resources did not materialize. The Russian army is capable of producing several million artillery shells a year, far outpacing European efforts, and can recruit hundreds of thousands of new soldiers.

10:17 Both black boxes of the Il-76 that crashed in the Belgorod region have been found, Russian media report citing emergency services.

09:58 The delay in helping Ukraine in Congress is due to pressure from Trump and his desire to build a campaign on migration issues, Voice of America correspondent Ostap Yarysh reports, citing several sources in the American media. They note that a compromise on Ukraine and the border is supposedly not in Trump’s interests, because it would add points to Biden before the election.

09:29 In Odessa, six people were injured as a result of a night drone attack, said Oleg Kiper, head of the OVA. One of the drones hit a partially inhabited multi-storey new building in the Khadzhibey district - a fire broke out, several apartments were damaged, and one person received burns. Another downed drone crashed through the roof of a two-story residential building in the Primorsky district. In the same residential area, another UAV fell, the blast wave damaged surrounding houses, and four people were injured.

Another attack drone fell near a high-rise building in the Primorsky district, without detonation. There were no casualties. It was also recorded that a warehouse of a furniture factory in an industrial area of ​​Odessa was hit, a powerful fire started, and one person was injured by the shock wave.

09:04 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of January 25:

  • personnel - about 379,610 (+950) people,

  • tanks - 6257 (+30),

  • armored combat vehicles - 11,621 (+42),

  • artillery systems - 9067 (+59),

  • MLRS - 972 (+1),

  • air defense systems - 660 (+1),

  • aircraft - 331 (+0),

  • helicopters - 324 (+0),

  • UAV of operational-tactical level - 7033 (+35),

  • cruise missiles - 1844 (+2),

  • ships/boats - 23 (+0),

  • submarines - 1 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tank trucks - 12,044 (+39),

  • special equipment - 1420 (+4).

08:46 On the evening of January 24, the enemy fired at the village. Bolshaya Rogan, Kharkov region - four people were injured, including a 17-year-old teenager. Four residential buildings and cars were damaged and destroyed, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. In addition, the Russians attacked the village with KAB. Olkhovatka, Kupyansky district, a farm was damaged, no people were injured.

08:37 In the Nikolaev region, as a result of the evening shelling of the village. In Dmitrovka, Kutsurubskaya community, a critical infrastructure facility was damaged, leaving three settlements without power supply. Residential buildings were also damaged, but no people were injured, said Vitaly Kim, head of the OVA.

07:53 Over the past 24 hours, 58 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report. In the Avdeevka direction, the Defense Forces repelled four enemy attacks in the Avdeevka area and another eight attacks near Pervomaiskoye and Nevelskoye, Donetsk region. In the Maryinsky direction, nine attacks were repulsed near Georgievka and Novomikhailovka, Donetsk region.

In the Kupyansky direction, six enemy attacks were repelled near Sinkovka, Kharkov region; on Limansky - four attacks near Ternov, east of Dibrova, Donetsk region, and five more attacks in the areas of Makeevka, Serebryansky forestry, Lugansk region; on Bakhmutsky - seven attacks near Vasyukovka, Bogdanovka, Ivanovsky and Kleshcheevka, Donetsk region; on Shakhtarsky - two attacks south of Zolotaya Niva and east of Staromayorsky, Donetsk region; in Zaporozhye - one attack in the Rabotino area of ​​the Zaporozhye region. In the Kherson direction, measures are continuing to expand the bridgehead; over the past 24 hours, the enemy unsuccessfully tried seven times to storm the positions of the Ukrainian troops.

07:38 In the Krivorozhsky district of the Dnepropetrovsk region, during a night drone attack due to a hit, one of the enterprises caused destruction, a building caught fire. Rescuers extinguished the fire, no people were injured, said Sergei Lysak, head of the OVA.

06:40 At night, air defense destroyed 11 of 14 attack UAVs of the Shahed-136/131 type, which Russia attacked from the Primorsko-Akhtarsk area and Cape Chauda, ​​the Air Force command reported. The drones were destroyed within the Odessa and Nikolaev regions. In addition, the Russian Federation attacked with four S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles from the Belgorod region in the direction of Kharkov and one from the occupied territory of the Donetsk region.

01:32 Military assistance to Ukraine is in the national interests of the United States, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said: “This was never about charity, this is not about demonstrating charity or about abstract principles of international relations. This is about cold, hard American interests ". He explained that Washington's direct interest is to prevent authoritarian regimes from redrawing the world map using force.

"It is in our interests to help reduce the military capabilities of a significant adversary without sacrificing American lives. It is in our interests to deter aggressive behavior before it sparks a broader conflict and directly threatens our closest allies and trading partners," McConnell said.

00:49 Air Force Commander Nikolai Oleshchuk called Russian propaganda messages about the crash of the Il-76 plane a “fake flow of information to an external audience.” According to him, in this way the Russian Federation is trying to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of the world community in order to reduce international support.

At the same time, Oleschuk emphasized that the Air Force “beat, beat and will beat the enemy, wherever he is.” "The air force is doing everything to reach the enemy both in the sky and on the ground. You read our reports. Many Russian aircraft and crews will never be able to terrorize our people. They are destroyed. We have more and more tools and capabilities to get the enemy where he doesn’t expect it,” added the commander of the Armed Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

00:12 A day of mourning has been declared in Kharkov on Thursday, January 25, said Mayor Igor Terekhov. According to him, the rocket attacks on January 23 led to one of the largest tragedies in the city in terms of the number of victims during the entire period of a full-scale war.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Prosecutor asks for almost five years in prison in the Strelkov case of extremism
2024-01-19
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

To remind: Igor Strelkov is the call sign for Russian retired reserve FSB Colonel Igor Girkin, who has claimed in the past to be the main operative in the Russian takeover in Crimea and the two breakaway republics, Donetsk and Lugansk. He was formerly in command of separatist forces in the beginning, starting on Slavyansk.

He is being sent up for shooting his mouth off about the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.

[Regnum] Former DPR Defense Minister Igor Strelkov (Girkin), the state prosecution asked for four years and 11 months in a general regime colony for calls for extremism. The press service of the Moscow City Court reported this.

“The state prosecutor requested for Girkin the main punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of four years and 11 months in a general regime colony and an additional one in the form of deprivation of the right to administer sites in telecommunication networks, including on the Internet for three years,” TASS reported in press service of the court.

As reported by IA Regnum, Igor Strelkov was detained on July 21, 2023. Since that time he has been under arrest in a pre-trial detention center.

He is charged with public calls for extremist activities (under Part 2 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Under this article, the accused faces up to five years in prison. Strelkov denies his guilt.

In 2014, Igor Strelkov led a militia detachment for several months during battles with the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Slavyansk (DPR). At the beginning of July 2014, Strelkov’s unit, on his orders, retreated from the city.

From May 12 to August 14, 2014, he commanded the DPR Armed Forces. On May 16, 2014, Strelkov was appointed Minister of Defense of this republic. In August of the same year he was dismissed. After this, Strelkov left Donbass.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Strelkov's lawyer announced the completion of the investigation into his client's case
2023-11-16
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

AKA as Igor Girkin

[Regnum] The preliminary investigation into the case of former DPR Defense Minister Igor Strelkov (Girkin) has been completed, and his defense has already become familiar with the materials. The lawyer of the accused, Alexander Molokhov, told reporters about this.

“The preliminary investigation into the case of my client Girkin has been completed, he and I have already familiarized ourselves with his materials. Now the case has been transferred to the prosecutor’s office for approval of the indictment,” the lawyer said in an interview with TASS .

The lawyer noted that the prosecutor's office is given 10 days to decide whether to approve the case. Molokhov admitted that the procedure may take a shorter time. After the case is approved by the prosecutor's office, the investigation materials will go to the court, which will consider them.

Igor Strelkov was detained on July 21, 2023. Since that time he has been under arrest in a pre-trial detention center. In September, the Meshchansky Court of Moscow extended Strelkov’s arrest until December 18.

He is charged with public calls for extremist activities (under Part 2 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Under this article, the accused faces up to five years in prison.

In 2014, Igor Strelkov led a militia detachment for several months during battles with the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Slavyansk (DPR). At the beginning of July 2014, Strelkov’s unit, on his orders, retreated from the city.

From May 12 to August 14, 2014, he commanded the DPR Armed Forces. On May 16, 2014, Strelkov was appointed Minister of Defense of this republic. In August of the same year he was dismissed. After this, Strelkov left Donbass.

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Igor Strelkov about his current situation and political forecast for the next six months
2023-10-26
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Text taken from the V Kontakte page of Strelkov Igor Ivanovich

Note: It is unclear who "Mikhail" is, other than an acquaintance of Strelkov (Igor Girkin)

A pretextual translation: Girkin expects no good to come of the war in Ukraine, and the government in Russia is working to make their plans so.

Fragments of Strelkov’s letter to me:

“Greetings, Mikhail.

I'm glad to receive a letter from you. I think that if you had sent it by mail, it would either not have reached me at all or would have taken a very long time. Glad you came back alive and not crippled. I hope our mutual friends are doing the same (Ernest, Prince and others). You haven’t written anything about them, but I’m worried about all of them.

I believe (with a high probability) that on October 17 I will go back to the pre-trial detention center, and not under house arrest. Just based on logic, it didn’t make any sense to keep me in a cage and then, shortly before the trial, give me the opportunity to communicate with the press, etc. Naturally, no one who still has a brain in their head can seriously believe that I would “hide from the investigation.”

My arrest is aimed at “silencing as much as possible” and in this regard it works well, so I don’t see any reason for the initiators of the case to change the situation. On this basis, I believe that the matter will not be limited to a fine or other “symbolic” punishment - that’s not why everything was started (I need to be “off” from the agenda for a year or two so that I don’t “get in the way” of the bastards from different “towers” ​​at sharing of power).

I will be very surprised if they give me a “real term” (1-2 years). The situation is “going crazy” and our ghouls from APeshechka “have no time for curtsies”; power and even (for many) their precious skin are at stake.

The way “Cook” was removed is a clear demonstration that all constraint has been discarded (and the majority never had any brains).
"Cook" being an obvious reference to the late Evgeniy Prigozhin
For the rest: I believe that the situation in the country will “stabilize” for some time - the authorities are up to the so-called. “elections” will “freeze” all processes. And what will happen next - God knows, but obviously nothing good, since the “millstone” of time to prepare for victory for the sake of “internal stability” (while keeping the entire team of a mediocre thief unchanged) - a priori cannot lead to anything good .

And this is in the absence of “black swans” (such as the “Prigozhinsky rebellion” or defeats at the front, which are not at all guaranteed against repetition).

A protracted war is fatal for our economy and statehood, but the Kremlin nevertheless relied on it (in the hope of a change for the better due to “external factors” like “Trump 2.0”), since any “sudden movements”:
a) do not work for these “head-assers”;
A clear reference to the people in the Russian government, who have their heads stuck up their asses
b) they are objectively shaking the “situation” to dangerous levels (as the same “Cook” rebellion showed)

So they will “pull the cat by the tail” in the hope of “maybe.”

I am saddened by my father’s illness. Give him your regards and wishes for good health for many years to come. Hang in there!

I wish you and your family all the best,
your friend

I. Strelkov.
"Lefortovo" 10/07/2023"

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: July 21st, 2023
2023-07-22
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 23:19 Putin said today that Stalin allegedly "donated" land to Poland, and Russia is ready to "remind" about it.
Does Russia plan to take the land back? Sue for it in some international court? File a lien against it, should Poland ever choose to sell it? Open a second front in the war against Ukraine? I’m very confused.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Warsaw would call the Russian ambassador to the Foreign Ministry after the words of the Russian president.

23:17 China calls on Ukraine and Russia to return to the negotiating table, said Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the UN Geng Shuang. At the same time, he stressed that Beijing stands for the territorial integrity of any state and respect for the principles of the UN Charter, but countries' concerns regarding security should also be taken into account.

23:15 Biden and Zelensky are discussing the possibility of supplying Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles, but the final decision has not yet been made, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. He also said that Ukraine is consulting with the United States on when to deploy the main forces during the counteroffensive. And Washington, according to Sullivan, is ready to take risks when supplying new weapons to Ukraine. At the same time, the United States focuses on helping Ukraine and does not seek to change power in Russia.

22:57 Zelensky said at the Aspen Security Forum that the Crimean Bridge is a legitimate target for Ukraine, because the Russians transport weapons along it. According to him, this goal must be neutralized: "The goal is to return the entire Crimea, because it is our sovereign territory... The Kerch bridge is not some small logistical road. It is used to deliver ammunition and militarize Crimea. It is clear to us that this enemy facility, built outside the framework of international law, is our goal. And any goal that brings war, not peace, must be neutralized."

Zelensky also acknowledged that the Ukrainian counter-offensive is moving slower than expected, as the operation began later than originally planned: "Because we started a little later ... this gave Russia time to mine all our land and build several lines of defense." At the same time, the President added that Ukraine "is approaching the moment when response actions can gain momentum, because we are already passing through some places where there are mines and clearing these areas."

21:26 The Russians launched three airstrikes on New York in the Donetsk region, four are known to be wounded, the President's Office reported.

21:24 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with Erdogan: "We coordinated efforts to resume the work of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Unblocking the grain corridor is an absolute priority. We discussed the implementation of the Peace Formula. I asked President Erdogan to facilitate the return of Ukrainian prisoners, including Crimean Tatars."

21:20 US Senators Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal presented a draft resolution on Senate support for Ukraine's early entry into NATO.

21:16 After the end of the war, at least 4 million people will become veterans in Ukraine, predicts Minister for Veterans Affairs Yulia Laputina.

20:48 The Bulgarian Parliament voted for the transfer of about 100 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine. It is assumed that the vehicles will be delivered not from the warehouses of the army, but from the stocks of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The experts concluded that the transfer of equipment will not harm the Bulgarian Armed Forces.

20:42 Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko, former CEO of the 1+1 Media media holding, is resigning. The day before, a discussion broke out in Ukrainian society with renewed vigor about the appropriateness of significant expenditures on projects far from military needs. Separately got here Tkachenko. For more details, see Culture in War .

20:27 The South African government has officially applied to the ICC for a warrant for Putin's arrest. South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, has previously petitioned the court to oblige the government to execute a warrant for the arrest of the Russian president. "Thanks to the District Attorney's ongoing political and legal pressure to ensure that our country's international obligations are upheld, on July 17, 2023, the government officially initiated the process of arresting Vladimir Putin if he sets foot on our soil," the party said in a statement.

19:49 The government has launched the mass production of ammunition for UAVs in Ukraine, said the head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Mikhail Fedorov. According to him, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a fundamental resolution, which at the state level recognizes the procedure for the production, purchase and supply of ammunition for UAVs. According to the document, private companies will be able to legally produce ammunition for drones. The Decree defines the procedure for obtaining the status of a UAV ammunition manufacturer and establishes clear requirements for companies producing them.

19:40 The court sent the terrorist Girkin-Strelkov to a pre-trial detention center until September 18 on charges of extremism. Meanwhile, telegram channels report the arrest of the former "governor of the DPR", collaborator Pavel Gubarev, who staged a picket under the court building demanding the release of Girkin.

19:36 Russia is preparing an alternative grain supply plan to oust Ukraine from the world market, writes the Financial Times. According to the sources of the publication, Putin proposed an alternative initiative, according to which Qatar will pay Moscow for the delivery of Russian grain to Turkey, which will then distribute the harvest to "needy countries." However, neither Qatar nor Türkiye agreed to such a proposal.

19:29 In the Primorsky district of Mariupol, in the Cheryomushki area, partisans set fire to an operational warehouse with the occupiers' ammunition, the adviser to the mayor of the city, Petr Andryushchenko, reports with reference to the Mariupol resistance.

19:25 Israeli intelligence agencies have appealed to Russian intelligence officers with a demand to stop the campaign to disinform the Israeli society, Ynet reports. In particular, a lot of messages in Hebrew with pro-Russian propaganda appeared on social networks. Usually such publications contain calls to stop supporting Ukraine, but recently there have also been provocative reports of internal divisions in Israel.
To be fair, the entire Black Bloc movement dates back to Stalin’s Red Shirt proxy force that brawled with the original Nazi Brown Shirts back in the 1930s. So the old KGB man may yet feel a sentimental attachment, despite his desire to trigger the sentimental love of their birthplace among former Soviet Jews in Israel today.
19:21 New Zealand has imposed new sanctions against Russia and Belarus. In particular, restrictions were imposed on the Russian military-industrial complex, paramilitaries and persons involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children, as well as Belarusian banks helping the Russian Federation. In total, there are 14 Russian individuals and organizations and six banks on the list.

19:17 Zelensky said in an evening video message that at today's meeting of the Headquarters, the issues of protecting cities and communities, as well as ports from Russian strikes were discussed in detail: "If someone in Russia hopes that they can make the Black Sea a space for arbitrariness and terrorism, then they will not succeed. We know how to defend ourselves, we see in the world a willingness to work together and further - and more actively - to ensure peace in this region." The president also plans to discuss the situation in the Black Sea region and food security with Erdogan tonight.

18:50 Russia considers the port infrastructure of Ukraine as "a place of deployment and replenishment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with Western weapons," said Dmitry Polyansky, First Deputy Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN. According to him, over the year, Ukraine, under the guise of the Black Sea initiative, allegedly accumulated "significant military-industrial, fuel capacities in ports."

18:16 Almost a third of the territory of Ukraine is contaminated with unexploded ordnance, landmines and cluster munitions, UN Deputy Secretary General Rosemary DiCarlo said at a meeting of the Security Council.
Call out the mine-hunting rats!
17:38 The number of victims of a Russian missile attack on the Chernihiv region has increased to two - the body of another person was removed from under the rubble of the house of culture, the head of the OVA Vyacheslav Chaus said. He specified that the enemy fired four rockets at the settlement.

17:15 The US logistical assistance inspection testified the absence of claims from the American side to Ukraine's accounting of weapons and military equipment, Deputy Defense Minister Volodymyr Gavrilov said: "Artillery, ammunition, complex air defense systems, armored vehicles - everything was taken into account in Ukraine. Last year, an automated system for accounting and passing all weapons and military equipment through logistics was introduced. With the help of partners, the LOGFAS and Karavay programs were introduced, QR code to accompany military equipment to the military unit, and, if necessary, to come there and see what is there."

16:57 Zelensky wants to create a Silicon Valley in Crimea, Mikhail Fedorov, head of the Ministry of Digital Development, said: "The president has an idea in Crimea to build a project similar to the Valley - with a super-technological university, companies operating there year-round, etc."
If you’re gonna dream, dream big.
16:50 The Russian Defense Ministry's statement that ships in the Black Sea will be considered as potential carriers of military cargo refers to requests for their inspection, "to find out what they are carrying," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said. He added that the issues of transit of ships in the Black Sea will be discussed in the course of possible new contacts between Putin and Erdogan.

16:43 The Russians fired artillery at the village of Druzhba of the Toretsk community of the Donetsk region - one of the shells hit the yard, two children of ten and 16 years old were killed, another person was injured, said the head of the OVA Pavel Kirilenko.

16:19 Dmitry Petrovsky, a former Yaroslavl deputy and militant of PMC Wagner, wrote a statement against Girkin. The reason is a personal insult to Putin. Details about the arrest of Strelkov-Girkin - in the material Humiliated Putin .

15:55 The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal of the Ministry for Strategic Industries, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Digital Development to implement a pilot project for the production, purchase and supply of ammunition for unmanned systems and combat units of unmanned systems within two years, Taras Melnichuk, permanent representative of the government in the Verkhovna Rada, said.

15:16 Yermak announced "unpleasant sanctions surprises for the Russian Federation."

15:02 Shmygal urged the leaders of local and central authorities to postpone "all expenses that are not in time today." "This is a matter of common sense and understanding of priorities. We have repeatedly spoken about the need to attract extra-budgetary partner funding. Today, the entire civilized world supports us, this allows us to implement reforms and projects without budget funding," the prime minister emphasized.

According to him, the government allocated UAH 672 billion for defense needs in six months of 2023, and all taxes of citizens and businesses during this time amounted to UAH 600 billion. “That is, every hryvnia and every penny that the citizens of Ukraine pay to the budget, we immediately send to the salaries of the military, equipment, weapons, drones, ammunition and other support for our army,” Shmyhal said.

14:38 Egypt is dissatisfied with Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Initiative and intends to continue importing Ukrainian wheat through alternative routes, Minister of Supplies Ali al-Museilehi said in a Bloomberg commentary. He also urged Moscow to reconsider its position.

14:10 Zelensky announced that he had held a regular meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, at which he instructed Zaluzhny, Navy Commander Alexei Neizhpapa and Infrastructure Minister Alexander Kubrakov to prepare a set of actions to continue the operation of the grain corridor, and the Foreign Ministry to work out similar diplomatic steps.

13:47 The wife of terrorist Igor Girkin (Strelkov) announced his detention by Russian security forces. He is charged under the article "extremism".

13:39 The Russians launched a missile attack on the Chernihiv region - the building of the house of culture was damaged, the body of one person was found under the rubble, the analysis of the rubble continues, the head of the IVA Vyacheslav Chaus said.

13:24 Putin said that the unleashing of "aggression against Belarus" by Ukraine would mean aggression against Russia, "all means will be used for protection."

13:20 Erdogan said that Russia "in favor of the active work of the grain corridor" and the West "should take measures to restart it." The Turkish President also noted that Moscow has "certain expectations from the grain deal," which he is going to discuss with Putin in the near future.

13:01 The Russians fired seven missiles at the Odessa region - an infrastructure facility in the Belgorod-Dniester region was hit, said Natalya Gumenyuk, spokesman for the Southern Defense Forces. So far, there is no information about the victims.

12:29 In Russia, from the spring of 2024, the upper limit of the draft age will be raised from 27 to 30 years. The lower limit will remain unchanged - 18 years, although it was previously planned to raise it to 21 years. Andrey Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Committee on Defense, said that it was decided to leave the lower limit of the draft age at 18, "because a lot of guys want to go to serve at the age of 18."

11:46 Germany handed over the first ten Leopard 1A5 tanks to Ukraine. Also, the new package of military assistance from Germany included 20 MG3 machine guns for tanks and armored vehicles, 1035 shells of 155 mm caliber and smoke ammunition of the same caliber, a bridge system and 12 trailers, ten radars, 16,000 Zetros trucks and 100. In total, Ukraine expects more than 100 Leopard 1 tanks from the German side.

11:17 The Ministry of Defense reported that since February 22, 2022, it has adopted 28 models of UAVs of various types of Ukrainian production. Among them, in particular, nine models of kamikaze drones, of which three are aircraft types, as well as six models of FPV drones. The total number of UAVs delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine as part of the procurement of the Ministry of Defense totals "thousands of units," the department assures.

The Ministry of Defense also assured that the supply of Ukrainian-made UAVs for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine "is constantly growing exponentially", contracts have been signed with a number of Ukrainian companies for the mass production of ten models of drones of various types, names and volumes are not disclosed for security reasons.

10:38 At night, the Russians fired at the private sector in Konstantinovka, Donetsk region: two people were killed, about 20 households, the road surface and the gas pipeline were damaged, the Office of the Prosecutor General said.

10:31 China supplies Russia with "significant military capabilities," Macron's foreign policy adviser Emmanuel Bonn said. The French authorities have clarified that they are talking about dual-use technologies and non-lethal assistance, such as helmets and body armor.

10:29 CIA director William Burns hopes that the Ukrainian offensive will be helped, among other things, by "disorder among the political and military leadership of the Russian Federation." He cited intelligence evidence that there are "some significant structural weaknesses lurking behind significant defenses" built by the Russian army. In particular, these are "low morale", "bad command" and "disorder among the political and military leadership of the Russian Federation."

10:26 The European Union cannot yet agree on the transfer of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine due to Germany's position and legal concerns, said Jeffrey van Leeuwen, adviser to the Prime Minister of the Netherlands on foreign affairs and security.

10:17 The Russian army seeks to find weaknesses in the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Chernihiv and Sumy directions - sabotage and reconnaissance groups are trying to penetrate the border areas, but all attempts were unsuccessful, said Sergey Naev, commander of the Pivnich Joint Strategic Forces Group. He assured that in the event of an attempt to cross any section of the state border, the enemy would not be successful, and if the threat level increased, the General Staff provided for the reinforcement of troops.

09:44 Ukraine asks the European Commission to subsidize the transportation of Ukrainian agricultural products through distant European ports, said Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Solsky.

09:20 The CIA sees no signs of Russia preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine "in the coming days and weeks," director of the agency William Burns said.

09:07 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, two people were killed (in Konstantinovka), two more were injured. In the Kharkiv region, one person was killed as a result of shelling from a tank in the village of Kazachya Lopan, and three more people were injured in the region, according to the IVA.

09:03 The Russians attacked the infrastructure facility of the Pologovsky district of the Zaporozhye region. Four workers were killed, two more were injured, said Yury Malashko, head of the OVA.

08:59 Ukrainian troops were successfully advancing in three directions of the southern front: Novodanilovka - Verbove, Novodanilovka - Robotino, Novodarovka - Priyutnoye, spokesman of the General Staff Andrei Kovalev said. At the same time, the Defense Forces continue their offensive north and south of Bakhmut. On the directions of Orekhovo-Vasilyevka - Paraskoveevka, Kleshcheevka - Andreevka, heavy battles are going on without changing the positions.

08:50 Russians fired Kalibr rockets at an agricultural enterprise in the Odessa region at night - they hit grain terminals, destroyed agricultural equipment, said Natalya Gumenyuk, speaker of OK Pivden. Oleg Kiper, head of the Odessa OVA, specified that 100 tons of peas and 20 tons of barley were destroyed as a result of the strike, two people were injured.

08:38 At a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, Hungary opposed the EU's attempt to create a long-term fund of up to 20 billion euros to support the Ukrainian army, writes Politico. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that Budapest would object to the plan until Ukraine removed the Hungarian bank OTP from its list of "war sponsors."

08:19 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of July 21:

  • personnel - about 240,690 (+680) people liquidated,

  • tanks - 4133 (+4),

  • armored fighting vehicles - 8080 (+15),

  • artillery systems - 4610 (+18),

  • MLRS - 692 (+0),

  • air defense systems - 440 (+7),

  • aircraft - 315 (+0),

  • helicopters - 310 (+0),

  • UAV operational-tactical level - 3933 (+15),

  • cruise missiles - 1298 (+5),

  • ships/boats - 18 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tankers - 7145 (+11),

  • special equipment - 686 (+1).

07:25 The Russian army is concentrating its main efforts on the Kupyansky, Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions - 32 military clashes have occurred over the past day, the General Staff said in the morning summary . At the same time, the Defense Forces continue the offensive operation in the Melitopol and Berdyansk directions, and consolidate on the achieved lines.

04:16 Criminal organizations in Ukraine at the beginning of a full-scale war managed to steal some weapons and equipment provided by the United States and allies, but later they were returned, CNN reports, citing a report by the Pentagon Inspector General. So, at the end of June 2022, an organized criminal group led by an unnamed Russian official joined a volunteer battalion on forged documents and stole weapons - a grenade launcher and a machine gun, as well as more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Ukrainian intelligence uncovered the conspiracy.

Also in June last year, Ukrainian intelligence agencies uncovered a conspiracy of merchants who were trying to sell weapons and ammunition stolen from the front line in southern Ukraine. In addition, a conspiracy of Ukrainian criminals posing as humanitarian workers who stole bulletproof vests worth $17,000 was exposed. And in August 2022, the Ukrainian special services exposed a group of fighters from a volunteer battalion who stole 60 rifles and nearly 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

03:52 The United States may transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine before the end of this year, said White House strategic communications coordinator John Kirby: "F-16s will arrive in Ukraine, most likely before the end of the year. But we do not believe that only F-16s will be able to change the situation." According to him, now Ukraine also needs more artillery shells.

02:11 Wagner PMC mercenaries arriving in Belarus are being reintegrated into the Russian army, US Department of Defense Deputy Spokesperson Sabrina Singh said: "Given what we see in Belarus, we see reports that Wagner PMC forces continue to move into this region and continue, I think, to consolidate there ... We certainly see how Wagner forces are reintegrated into the Russian army."

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Strelkov arrested for 2 months
2023-07-22
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin.

Disclosure: I follow Strelkov (retired FSB Colonel Igor Girkin) on V Kontakte. He has been mercilessly critical of Evgeny Prigozhin and the Russian Defense Ministry. I personally thought his criticisms of Prigozhin were unfair and inaccurate.

Col. Girkin has claimed on more than one occasion that he led the revolt in Donbas as well as in Crimea.

[ColonelCassad] The court arrested Strelkov until September 18 under Article 280 (Part 2) for inciting extremist activities on social networks. The court rejected the option of replacing the pre-trial detention center with house arrest.

The maximum possible term is 5 years.

In addition to the arrest of Strelkov, today the list of foreign agents includes:

  • Konstantin Borovoy (without Novodvorskaya, it’s completely rotten)

  • Mikhail Kozyrev (Rain)

  • Pavel Sulyandziga (former member of the RF OP)

  • Alexander Litvinov ( administrator of the Planerka TV channel) RF and authorities.

Parshin, deputy head of the Ministry of Digital Development, was fired. He is involved in a case of corruption on a large scale.

PS. Pavel Gubarev, who was detained at the court, where Strelkov was discharged for 2 months in a pre-trial detention center, has already been released.

More from regnum.ru
Igor Strelkov was arrested for two months

Former DPR Defense Minister Igor Strelkov was arrested for two months.

The court arrested Igor Strelkov for two months, until September 18
The decision to arrest Strelkov was made on July 21 by the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow, the former minister will remain in jail until September 18.

He was charged with public calls to carry out extremist activities on the Internet and faces up to five years in prison.

As IA Regnum reported , Strelkov's wife reported about the arrest on July 21. On her Telegram channel , Miroslava Reginskaya said that the security forces arrived at Strelkov’s house at about 11:30 a.m., and her husband was charged under Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Extremism”).

In 2014, Strelkov led the fighters during the battles in Slovyansk for several months. From May 12 to August 14, 2014 he was the commander of the Armed Forces of the DPR. From May 16 - Minister of Defense. In August, he was dismissed and left the territory of Donbass.

According to media reports, recently he lived in Moscow.

More from Enver Slager8035
Russia arrests Igor Girkin, ex-security officer who led operations in Ukraine

[WaPo] Russian authorities on Friday detained Igor Girkin, a former Russian commander in Ukraine and prominent war blogger, reportedly on charges of promoting extremism — marking the first time Moscow has taken action against a fervent supporter of the war in Ukraine but one who voiced loud criticism of Russian leaders and their often botched military strategy.

Criticizing the war and the military is illegal in Russia, and authorities have cracked down mercilessly on those expressing antiwar views, including schoolchildren. But Russian law enforcement has ignored fierce, often fiery, criticism from pro-war hawks who have lambasted battlefield decisions, decried repeated military setbacks and demanded harsher attacks on Ukraine.

Girkin, who is also known by his nom de guerre Igor Strelkov, is an ex-officer of the Federal Security Service, or FSB. He played a role in Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014 and then served as a commander in Russian-controlled areas of Donbas in eastern Ukraine, where he helped foment a separatist war and was accused of extrajudicial killings.

In November, Girkin and two co-defendants were convicted by a court in the Netherlands of murder in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, an attack that killed all 298 passengers and crew members aboard. Russia had shielded Girkin from extradition in that case.

Now, however, Girkin is being accused of "public calls for extremist activities" online, Russian state news agencies reported. On Friday evening, he appeared in a Moscow court at a pretrial hearing where investigators asked that he be jailed for two months.

More from Besoeker
Russian hardline Putin critic and commander Strelkov detained in Moscow

[BBC] Outspoken pro-war blogger Igor Girkin, who has fiercely criticised Russia's military strategy in Ukraine, has been remanded in custody by a court in Moscow, accused of extremism.

The hardline nationalist, also known as Igor Strelkov, could face up to five years in jail.

His wife said he was detained on Friday at their Moscow flat while she was out.

A former FSB intelligence colonel, Strelkov played a key role in Russia's 2014 landgrab of Crimea.

He went on to lead Russia's proxy army in the ensuing war in eastern Ukraine.

Igor Strelkov was one of three men convicted in absentia by a Dutch court last November of murder for his role in a missile strike in 2014 that downed a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet over the conflict area, with the loss of all 298 people on board.

But as the full-scale invasion of last year became increasingly bogged down, Strelkov's criticism of military failings and the commander in chief, President Vladimir Putin, became more vociferous.

"We have already lost," he told social media followers last year.

A few days ago he called the Kremlin leader "a nonentity" and "a cowardly waste of space", says BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg.

More from the V Kontakte page of Elmira Kerimova
The doctor of PMC "Wagner" admitted that he wrote a statement on Strelkov

Former municipal deputy Dmitry Petrovsky told the media that he did it four days ago.

📝“He collects big donations supposedly to help our guys,and is not responsible for spending money. The last straw, of course, was Strelkov's words about our President Vladimir Putin. I think that insulting the first person of the state is a crime,” Petrovsky said.

The media, meanwhile, write about other reasons for the detention of Igor Strelkov. It may be related to the end of the examination of his streams and videos for discrediting the RF Armed Forces. Also, a resident of Novosibirsk applied for the former Minister of Defense of the DPR. She asked to check Strelkov for discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

There is no official confirmation of any of the versions yet.

So it can be seen that Rantburg is truly a team effort. Well done, all!
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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: June 12th, 2023
2023-06-13
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 22:44 The UN is already supplying humanitarian aid to the right bank of the Dnieper in the flood-affected Kherson region, and has also formed a mission for the occupied left bank, which is waiting for security guarantees from Russia, Kuleba said. "The United Nations has finally turned around, the International Committee of the Red Cross has begun to work. They also supply their humanitarian aid to the affected population on the right bank," the minister said.

Kuleba also said that the UN coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, promised him to redouble the relief effort: "And they really did. And they promised to prepare missions ready to go to the left bank to alleviate the humanitarian consequences for the population." Such a mission, according to him, has already been formed. She sent a request for security guarantees for Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine immediately provided such guarantees, the Russian Federation has not yet responded. According to Kuleba, 19 countries have already provided humanitarian assistance to overcome the consequences of the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station.

22:39 The United States warned the Chinese side about the inadmissibility of military support for the Russian Federation and so far does not see Beijing stepping over this red line, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said. At the same time, according to him, Washington is concerned about the activity of some private Chinese companies engaged in the transfer of technology, including dual-use technology, to Russia. In addition, Blinken drew attention to the problem of Iran's transfer of weapons to Russia, including drones. He stressed that the United States continues to make efforts to deprive the Russian Federation of this opportunity.

22:31 Macron said following a meeting with Scholz and Duda that the Ukrainian offensive will last several weeks or months: "The Ukrainian counteroffensive began several days ago, it was carefully planned. This counteroffensive should last several weeks or months ... We have done everything to help implement it within the framework we have outlined since the beginning of the conflict: punish Russia to stop its military efforts, help Ukraine resist and retake territory, but never attack Russia and avoid any form of escalation of this conflict."

22:26 Zelensky said in an evening video message that he had held a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief: “The fighting is tough, but our movement is there, and this is very important. The enemy’s losses are exactly what we need. And although the weather these days is unfavorable, our rains the task is complicated, but still the strength of our soldiers gives results. Generals Syrsky and Tarnavsky reported on the successes already achieved, on which points of the front we need to strengthen and by what actions we can break more Russian positions."

"There was a report by the commander-in-chief on the general situation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Security Service - on stabilization measures in the de-occupied territories. We are very actively working with the supply of the necessary weapons, shells. There was also an intelligence report - on the options for the enemy's actions. We maintain and strengthen our operational dominance. I am especially grateful for Bakhmut We are increasing our control in this area," the president added.

22:22 The G7 countries are developing a scheme to combat the theft of Ukrainian grain by Russia, said UK Minister of Food and Agriculture Mark Spencer. According to him, it is planned to use chemical identification of the origin of grain. The G7 countries are already cooperating with Ukraine to prevent grain theft, he added.

22:18 Due to the destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station and the spill of the reservoir, four regions - Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Kherson and Nikolaev - will suffer from problems with water supply in the near future, and water will not flow to Crimea for at least a year, Ukrhydroenergo CEO Igor Sirota told Radio Liberty . He clarified that even if the peninsula is de-occupied, Ukraine will not be able to provide it with water at first. Sirota added that alternative solutions are now being considered to provide the population, primarily with drinking water.

21:47 Kiev is working on creating an alliance of defense industries that would unite the production capacities of Ukrainian and Western arms enterprises and help establish the production of modern equipment for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kuleba said. "Since the scale of the war is not decreasing, since we are receiving more and more assistance, all this needs to be serviced. Secondly, we need new modern developments: drones, the production of high-precision projectiles, many other things - all this also needs to be created," the minister explained.

The new alliance is designed to solve two problems: to ensure the continuity of the supply of Western equipment to Ukraine, and to integrate the Ukrainian military-industrial complex into the Western defense industry.

21:04 Over the past week, during the offensive operation in the Donetsk and Taurida operational areas, seven settlements were liberated: Lobkovoe, Levadnoye, Novodarovka, Neskuchnoye, Storozhevo, Makarovka, Blagodatnoye, said Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar. The advance of the Ukrainian troops amounted to 6.5 km, the area of ​​the territory taken under control - 90 square meters. km.

20:59 11 people have already been evacuated from the recently liberated settlements of Donbass, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said. In particular, three people were evacuated from Blagodatnoye, seven from Storozhevoye, and one from Neskuchnoye.

20:53 Kiev's partners no longer doubt that Ukraine is not involved in undermining the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station, but have not yet built a consensus on Russia's direct responsibility for this, Kuleba said. According to him, the Western media, with their ambiguous headlines, "caused great harm to the truth about this story, and now we have to turn this story towards the truth with super efforts."

20:01 Iran receives Chinese spare parts for drones, which allows them to be quickly produced and transferred to Russia. The process takes about three months, writes The Wall Street Journal. The journalists found out that in the Iranian drone, which was shot down over Ukraine in April, they found a Chinese part - a voltage converter. For the first time, experts found a component from China, manufactured in 2023, in a drone.

19:45 The death toll due to the flooding of Kherson has increased to ten, said the head of the OVA Alexander Prokudin. Another 20 people were injured, including five police officers and two rescuers. 35 people are listed as missing, including seven children.

19:34 Denmark will provide Ukraine with additional ammunition, including 2,000 artillery shells, worth about 33.5 million euros, the country's government said.

19:28 NATO defense ministers on June 15, the day of the Ramstein meeting, will also meet with the heads of 25 major Western defense companies as part of efforts to increase the production of ammunition, Euractiv writes, citing defense sources. Western states are looking for ways to continue military support for Ukraine and replenish their own supplies.

19:17 Ukrainian defenders destroyed another Russian attack helicopter Ka-52, known as the Alligator, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.

According to the General Staff, cases of desertion in the Storm-Z assault units of the Russian troops have become more frequent in the Luhansk region, which are increasingly leaving their combat positions without permission. It is also known about the desertion of about 25 Russian soldiers in Mariupol and Novoazovsk due to the unofficial termination of vacations promised to them by the Russian military leadership.

In the flooded Hola Pristan, Kherson region, the invaders allow the evacuation of Ukrainian citizens only after receiving a bribe. At the same time, passports and birth certificates and other Ukrainian documents are destroyed. Local residents are resettled in the Crimea and Krasnodar.

18:39 The Russians mined a chemical plant in the Crimea. In the event of its undermining, not only seven regions of Ukraine will suffer, but also Turkey and the Russian Federation itself. Both the Main Intelligence Directorate and experts are convinced that the occupiers are ready to create a new man-made man-made disaster. About why this is for the enemy - in the material New threat from the Russians .

18:33 Dutch Defense Minister Kaisa Ollongren said that Ukrainian pilots can start training on F-16 fighters this summer. Reuters, citing two sources, reports that the training will begin with two groups of 12 Ukrainian pilots who already have experience flying MiG fighter jets. A likely training location would be Denmark, which has the necessary flight simulators.

18:15 A division of the Bal missile system has been relocated to the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation, which is capable of launching X-35 / 35U missiles with a range of up to 500 km, the National Resistance Center under the MTR of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported, citing information from the underground. This installation is part of the 11th separate coastal missile and artillery brigade of the coastal troops of the Black Sea Fleet, the location is Utash, Krasnodar Territory. The division is designed to destroy ships, however, due to the lack of missiles, the Ball was compared in terms of range and ability to fire at land targets with the Bastion missile defense system using the Onyx supersonic missile.

17:57 In Kherson, a ban on entry to the Korabel microdistrict is introduced, said the head of the Kherson GVA Roman Mrochko. The curfew for this microdistrict will be in effect from 15:00 Tuesday, June 13, until 12:00 the next day. The curfew in this mode will last until June 19 inclusive. Demining, investigative actions and work of utilities will be carried out. Mrochko also said that after the water drops, the locations for the distribution of humanitarian aid and medicines will be determined, which can be received from 12:00 to 15:00 daily.

17:34 Head of the Defense Committee of the British Parliament Tobias Ellwood said that "in the next few days we should expect a big attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in one or another part of Donbass." According to him, Ukraine is now conducting probing and formative operations, and "the main front of the Ukrainian potential is still in reserve, ready for this attack."

16:46 The Russians dropped three guided bombs on the front-line city of Orekhov, Zaporozhye region. One person was killed, one was wounded, private houses and communications were destroyed, said the head of the OVA, Yuri Malashko.

16:21 Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin denied media reports about the supply of Chinese armored vehicles to Russia: "We are making efforts for a peaceful dialogue, and do not supply weapons and do not incite enmity. This position is obvious to the world community."

Information about the deliveries appeared in the media after Ramzan Kadyrov published a video of new purchased military equipment from his Akhmat unit on June 6. What kind of equipment it was and where it was bought, he did not say.

15:55 IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that he was already on his way to Ukraine, where, in particular, he would meet with Zelensky, assess the situation at the ZNPP and present his assistance program after the disaster at the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station.

15:19 In Melitopol, in the locomotive depot, a diesel locomotive was blown up at night, with which the Russians transported fuel to the front, Mayor Ivan Fedorov said.

15:05 Zelensky signed a law establishing May 8 in Ukraine as the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in the Second World War of 1939-1945, and May 9 as Europe Day. Now the day off will be exactly May 8th.

14:47 The water level in the cooling pond of the Zaporozhye NPP is 16.67 meters - this is quite enough to meet the needs of the station. Despite the undermining of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam by the Russians, the situation at the ZNPP remains stable and under control, Energoatom said.

14:21 Borrell believes that peace talks on Ukraine are unlikely to begin before the 2024 US presidential election, as Putin is waiting for the results of these elections. At the same time, the European diplomat urged China to put pressure on Putin to end the war as soon as possible.

13:56 The State Bureau of Investigation handed over to the Armed Forces of Ukraine the arrested cars of Medvedchuk and Kozak's relatives for $1 million. In particular, 12 trucks, a truck crane, a minibus, a van and two SUVs were handed over.

13:38 Russian publics write that the reason for the derailment of a freight train with 15 wagons in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation was the attack of kamikaze drones. According to them, one drone hit the tail of the freight train, and the second exploded right in front of the train. The authorities of the region claim that all 15 cars were empty.

13:26 In the Kherson region, the number of deaths due to flooding after the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station has increased to eight, Interior Minister Igor Klimenko said. In addition, 42 people are considered missing, including seven children. In the Nikolaev area two persons were lost.

13:07 The leader of the private military campaign Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, firmly refused the contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense. The militant Igor Strelkov-Girkin has already reacted to such an attack. He dubbed the current situation in the Russian army as a "military mutiny." For more details, see the article Military conflict in Russia .

12:58 Brazil will be invited to the Global Peace Summit, which will discuss the Zelensky Peace Formula, Yermak said: "I believe that the summit will not be complete without the participation of the countries of the Global South, in particular, Brazil, India, China, Saudi Arabia and African countries "Ukraine is very interested in developing relations with Brazil, in our strategic partnership. And we are ready to do everything in our power to achieve this goal."

12:29 In the morning, the Russians fired two rockets at Avdiivka, Donetsk region. According to preliminary information, two people were injured, the House of Culture and residential high-rise buildings were damaged, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.

12:02 Kadyrov's special unit Akhmat reported that he had signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry, as required by Shoigu's new order. Earlier, Prigozhin said that his mercenaries would not do this.

11:57 Zaporozhye separate territorial defense brigade reported that on June 4, the village of Novodarovka was liberated from the invaders. Numerous attempts by the enemy to return the settlement under control, which lasted several days, were unsuccessful.

11:26 Over the past day, the Defense Forces advanced on the flanks in the Bakhmut direction at a distance of 250 to 700 meters, said the speaker of the Eastern Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Cherevaty. According to him, positional battles are taking place in this direction, the enemy is trying to counterattack, but to no avail.

11:23 In Armyansk in the north of Crimea, the Russians are preparing representatives of the occupation administration and the local population for the evacuation, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reports. According to Ukrainian intelligence, due to the terrorist attack at the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station and, as a result, the lack of water in the North Crimean Canal, production processes at the Crimean Titanium plant in Armyansk have been disrupted to a critical level. There is talk in the city about a possible shutdown of the plant. At the same time, the engineering units of the Russian army over the past few days have been mining the workshops of the enterprise, which are still working, and also laying explosives in the factory and adjacent territory.

The terrorist attack at the Crimean Titan enterprise, for which the Russians are preparing, will mean an artificial man-made disaster, terrifying in its consequences, the GUR warns. Thus, about 200 tons of technological ammonia are used in the refrigeration equipment of the plant. In the event of an explosion at the plant, the ammonia cloud, depending on the direction of the wind, will cover the surrounding areas in half an hour. Under the threat, first of all, will be the occupied Armyansk, Krasnoperekopsky district and the southern regions of the Kherson region.

11:09 NATO begins unprecedented exercises to deploy air forces in Europe. Up to 10 thousand people and about 250 military aircraft from 25 countries of the Alliance and partners, including Japan and Sweden, will take part in them. The purpose of the event is to increase readiness to defend against drones and cruise missiles in the event of an attack on cities. The exercises will last until June 23.

11:03 Patriot manufacturer Raytheon Technologies intends to increase the production of these air defense systems to 12 units per year and transfer five more systems to Ukraine by the end of next year, Greg Hayes, the company's executive director, told The Wall Street Journal.

10:58 The Russian Telegram channel Mash writes that a cell tower has been destroyed in the village of Novy, Volokonovsky District, Belgorod Region. According to the channel, on the evening of June 11, local residents heard a strong explosion - a kamikaze drone flew into the tower of one of the mobile operators. The border is about 4 km from the scene of the incident. Residents report that there are minor communication problems in the Volokonovsky district.

10:47 The Russian side does not carry out the evacuation of people after the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station, but instead uses the information of the Ukrainian side and passes it off as their work, spokesman for the State Border Service Andriy Demchenko said. In particular, according to him, they use the staff of the State Border Guard Service, passing them off as their own.

Demchenko said that the entire subdivision of the GNSU involved in the evacuation of the victims, evacuated about 100 people, including 15 over the past day. Aerial reconnaissance units are also involved in the process to identify people in need of help.

Demchenko also said that the border guards are recording uncontrolled explosions of ammunition, which, together with fragments of household items and garbage, were carried into the Black Sea by water from the Kakhovka reservoir. The State Border Guard Service urges citizens not to get anything out of the water on their own.

10:08 More than 72% or 14,395 cubic meters have already been lost from the Kakhovka reservoir. km of water, the Ministry of Ecology reported. The water level in the Dnieper in Kherson, on average, has been decreasing by 1-5 cm per hour over the past day. In the area of ​​the Nizhnedneprovsky Natural Park, the water is gradually disappearing. The shallowing of the water area in the Kamenskaya Sich National Park by 8.5 meters continues. River water level Ingulets in the alignment of the Ingulets irrigation system is slowly decreasing, but the water gradually continues to arrive in the Nikolaev region.

09:39 In Kherson, the water continues to recede and has already reached 3.29 meters. For half a day, the level decreased by 64 cm, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. 46 settlements remain flooded: 32 on the right bank (3801 houses) and 14 on the temporarily occupied territory. 2743 people were saved, including 228 children. On the left bank, the situation remains critical, with the Russians blocking the evacuation and opening fire in the back of those trying to escape. However, 112 people still managed to evacuate.

09:03 The water level in the Kakhovka reservoir near Nikopol as of 20:00 on June 11 was 9.04 meters. Due to the loss of hydraulic connection with the main part of the reservoir, further observations are not possible, Ukrhydroenergo reported. The water level in the Dnieper at the level of Kherson per day decreased by 57 cm and as of 6:00 on June 12 is 3.62 meters. The undermining of the Kakhovskaya HPP did not affect the operating modes of the Kievskaya HPP and the PSP, Kanevskaya, Kremenchugskaya and Srednedneprovskaya HPPs.

08:45 In the Kherson region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, three people were killed, 12 were injured. In the Donetsk region, one dead (in Avdeevka), two wounded. In the Kharkiv region, three people were injured, in Zaporizhia - one, according to the IVA.

08:41 At the next meeting in the Ramstein format, which will be held on June 15, Ukraine's partners will discuss the details of creating an "aircraft coalition," Reznikov said. "For the time being, we are talking about the training of pilots and our technicians and engineers who will be involved in aircraft maintenance. Substantive issues will be discussed with the teams of the ministries of defense of the Netherlands, Denmark, the United States and other countries that have joined this coalition," the minister specified. Also, according to him, "everything related to air defense, shells, ammunition, artillery" will be discussed.

08:34 The Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated Storozhevoye in Donetsk region , the joint press center of the Defense Forces of the Taurida direction reported.

08:30 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of June 12.

  • personnel - about 216,180 (+540) people liquidated,

  • tanks - 3931 (+5),

  • armored combat vehicles - 7636 (+5),

  • artillery systems - 3746 (+10),

  • MLRS - 601 (+0),

  • air defense systems - 362 (+0),

  • aircraft - 314 (+0),

  • helicopters - 299 (+0),

  • UAV operational-tactical level - 3307 (+7),

  • cruise missiles - 1183 (+0),

  • ships/boats - 18 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tankers - 6471 (+10),

  • special equipment - 510 (+1).

07:33 The Russian army is concentrating its main efforts on the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions, there are heavy battles. Over the past day, there have been 25 clashes, the General Staff said in the morning summary .

According to the General Staff, over the past week, the Russians have suffered significant losses in the Bakhmut direction. Only in the military hospital near the village of Persianovka, Rostov region, more than 50 soldiers with severe wounds arrive daily. The hospital is overcrowded, and due to the lack of medical staff, the mortality rate among the seriously injured is very high.

01:09 Vladimir Rogov, a representative of the "administration" of the occupied Zaporozhye region, reported explosions in Tokmak and Melitopol. According to him, Tokmak was allegedly shelled from multiple launch rocket systems, and air defenses went off in Melitopol.

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