Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Putin's Helicopter Unsuccessfully Targeted by Multiple Ukrainian Drones

2025-05-27

[Newsweek] Vladimir Putin's helicopter was targeted by Ukrainian drones as he visited the Kursk region in a surprise visit last week, a Russian military official has claimed.

The alleged attack took place as the Russian president visited the border region for the first time since Moscow claimed it had repelled Ukrainian forces from the area last month.

Putin's helicopter was "at the epicenter" of a "large-scale" Ukrainian drone attack on May 20, Yury Dashkin, commander of a Russian air defense division, said, according to Kremlin newswire Tass.

Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment by email.

WHY IT MATTERS
This is the first known instance in which the Russian president is reported to have flown through an active drone attack.

WHAT TO KNOW
Russia's defense ministry was forced to shoot down dozens of drones during the incident, according to Dashkin, who said in an interview aired by the state-run Rossiya-24 TV channel that the intensity of the assault escalated significantly as the presidential aircraft flew over Kursk.

He said Russian air defense systems engaged the drones to ensure the safety of the presidential helicopter.

Dashkin described the attack as "unprecedented" but said all the Ukrainian drones had been destroyed.

The Kremlin confirmed that Putin had visited Kursk in an unannounced trip, shortly after Russia declared it had regained full control over the region where Ukraine carried out a cross border incursion last year.

During the visit, Putin met with local volunteers, municipal leaders, and the acting governor, Alexander Khinshtein, according to Tass.

The Russian president rarely travels to front line regions and is known for a keeping physical distance from the public even during official engagements.

Ukraine maintains that its operations in Kursk continue. Earlier this month, Ukrainian troops were said to have breached the Russian border near the village of Tetkino.

Ukrainian officials haven't comment on the alleged attack on Putin, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that his country has every right to kill Putin if the opportunity arises, if doing so would protect Ukraine and its people.

Zelensky told The Sun in Kyiv in November 2023 that he has lost track of the number of times Moscow has attempted to assassinate him since Putin launched a full-scale invasion of his country.

"That's war, and Ukraine has all the rights to defend our land," the Ukrainian leader said when asked if Kyiv would take a chance to assassinate Putin if such an opportunity arose.

Link

China-Japan-Koreas

When Karma Capsizes a Warship: North Korea's Grand Launch Ends in Wet Failure — PJ Media

2025-05-26

Responding to yesterday’s little mishap.

[PJMEDIA] A Titanic Blunder For A Tinpot Regime

There's a poetic kind of justice when a dictatorship's propaganda parade ends as soggy scrap metal. North Korea

...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...
, the Hermit Kingdom so fond of choreographed triumphs and goose-stepping grandeur, recently tried launching a 5,000-ton ''stealth'' destroyer, only to have it tip sideways into the sea like a child's bathtub toy.

This wasn't just a mishap. It was a symbolic faceplant: the world's most belligerent pariah state, fresh off a backroom weapons-for-bodies deal with Vladimir Putin
...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances...
, found its supposed symbol of strength literally sideways and broken. Karma, it seems, sometimes comes in the shape of a capsized hull.

TECH FOR BLOOD
Let's be clear: this was no ordinary ship launch. The Choe Hyon-class destroyer, which paraded in front of Supreme Leader Kim Pudge Jong-un
...the overweight, pouty-looking hereditary potentate of North Korea. Pudge appears to believe in his own divinity, but has yet to produce any loaves and fishes, so his subjects remain malnourished...
with all the spectacle of a coronation, was meant to showcase Pyongyang's leap in naval capability. And thanks to its recent transactional alliance with Russia, troops in exchange for military tech, it had every reason to expect smooth sailing.

According to multiple intelligence agencies, North Korea has been sending tens of thousands of troops, laborers, and munitions to Russia for the Ukrainian meat grinder. In return, Russia has reportedly handed over satellite surveillance systems, hypersonic missile guidance data, and advanced naval designs. Kim finally had a playbook from a major power, and this warship was to be Exhibit A.

Instead, the ship's stern slid prematurely into the water during its launch at the Chongjin Shipyard while the bow stuck on the slipway, sending the vessel lurching sideways like a drunk man leaving a bar.

The result: a crippled destroyer and a furious dictator who, after inspecting the wreck, reportedly arrested bigwigs and ordered an emergency internal investigation. There are whispers that the lead engineers may never see daylight again.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Freed Russian Armed Forces Soldiers Tell About Torture in Captivity — 1186th Day of the SVO

2025-05-26

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[REGNUM]

Russian servicemen who arrived on May 24 as part of a large-scale prisoner exchange according to the formula "1000 for 1000" spoke about atrocities in captivity. The soldiers told Izvestia that in addition to regular beatings and humiliation, some were subjected to torture. One serviceman added that he does not even want to remember what he experienced. The new, 1186th day of the special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine was marked by discussions of this news, among other things.

The large-scale exchange of prisoners of war was the result of the Istanbul talks initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The first meeting of the parties after a three-year break took place on May 16. The first 390 Russians, including 270 military personnel and 120 civilians, returned to their homeland on May 23. Another 307 were released from Ukrainian captivity the day before, on May 24. The Defense Ministry confirmed that the exchange will continue.

Meanwhile, the International Public Tribunal for Crimes of Ukrainian Neo-Nazis continues to collect evidence of the Kiev regime's crimes, including against Russian servicemen. The story told by a fighter with the call sign Anzhi was published on Telegram by the chairman of the tribunal, member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation Maxim Grigoriev, on May 24. The Russian fighter told how a Kiev militant mocked his wound, in which a bullet remained: " He pulled the wound, spat in it."

" I was interrogated by a Crimean Tatar from Kraken (an organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation). He said: "You are a Muslim, you should kill Russians." I answered him with the words of Rasul Gamzatov : "I am an Avar in Dagestan, a Dagestani throughout Russia, and beyond its borders, I am Russian." For this, they began to beat me with bats - on the legs, on the body. I was there for four days," Anzhi shared.

Former prisoner of war with call sign Anzhi spoke about the atrocities of Kyiv militants and doctors

Among other episodes of torture, the Russian fighter said that he was even beaten by a Red Cross employee and medics. This happened when the prisoners were brought to the Kharkiv pretrial detention center (SIZO).

"When we were unloading, I saw that the building had "Red Cross" written on it. One of those who accompanied us turned out to be a Red Cross employee. He beat me too," Anzhi explained.

He added that they also beat him in the pre-trial detention center - with sticks and hands.

"There was no medical assistance. I had a wound, a bullet in my body, shrapnel, my arm wouldn't straighten, my leg was festering. I asked for help - the doctor said: "Let the Russians pull me out." Other doctors beat me. They beat me right on my wounded leg," Anzhi said.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Buffer zone: Russian troops conduct military operations in Sumy region

2025-05-25

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Sergey Adamov

[REGNUM] The Russian Armed Forces continue their successful offensive on the border between Russia and Ukraine at the junction of the Kursk and Sumy regions.

In this way, Russian troops are creating a “buffer zone” or barrier in the border areas to prevent new attempts by Ukrainian troops to invade and to prevent the creation of new groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border area.

For the first time, the question of the need to create a buffer zone that could protect border regions from attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces was raised after the liberation of the city of Sudzha in the Kursk region.

During a visit to the command post of the Russian troops, President Vladimir Putin instructed the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, to consider the issue of taking control of part of the territory of the Sumy region of Ukraine adjacent to the border with Russia.

"Completely liberate the territory of the Kursk region. Restore the situation along the state border line. And, of course, we need to think about creating a zone along the state border in the future," the president noted during the meeting.

A month later, Russian army units began to implement the plan. However, according to statements by officials, the troops will not be limited to the territory of Sumy region, but will also expand the buffer zone in the Chernihiv and Kharkiv regions of Ukraine.

A number of observers believe that the zone will expand to a depth of tens, if not hundreds of kilometers, but for now military operations are limited to a small border zone.

SUDZHA AND BEYOND
The transfer of hostilities to Ukrainian territory became possible after the complete liberation of the Sudzhansky district of the Kursk region and the arrival of Russian troops at the state border.

According to reports from the field, in recent weeks Russian troops have launched a successful offensive in the Sumy region, liberated the village of Loknya and reached the outskirts of the village of Yunakovka, from where the invasion of the Kursk region began almost a year ago.

The liberation of Yunakovka will allow the creation of a full-fledged bridgehead that will be able to cover the Sudzhansky district from new attempts at invasion by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

At the beginning of 2022, more than a thousand people lived in the village. As military actions escalated, the settlement was evacuated and turned into a major logistics center due to its convenient geographic location. The N-07 highway, connecting Kursk and Sumy, passes through Yunakovka

Earlier in the same area, the villages of Basovka, Zhuravka and Veselovka were liberated. The Ukrainian army units, previously withdrawn to Sumy Oblast from Sudzha, are suffering heavy losses due to the incompetence of local leadership and Kiev's inflated demands, stated Alexander Shirshin, battalion commander of the 47th brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, online.

“People’s lives are being spent like extra money at a party, and the proportionality of losses and results indicates a low level of efficiency,” he wrote on social media.

Earlier, the commander submitted a report for dismissal and accused the leadership of "moronic orders." The Ukrainian General Staff responded to the situation by promising to "sort it out." However, Ukrainian troops in the border area continue to retreat.

STRIKES AT THE REAR
In parallel with the offensive along the border, the Russian armed forces are striking at the enemy's rear throughout the border zone.

Recently, the Iskander missile system hit the Ukrainian National Guard training ground in the city of Shostka, where mobilized personnel were being trained. According to the Ukrainian side, dozens of people were killed and wounded as a result of the strike, but the actual losses could be much higher.

The targets of the missile attacks are shelters and logistics points on the outskirts of Sumy and within the city limits.

According to reports from the area, Russian aircraft also struck a bridge across the Psel River between the settlements of Mogritsa and Barilovka in the border area. Several sections of the bridge collapsed.

The bridge has been the target of airstrikes on several occasions in the past, but Ukrainian military engineers have built several crossings to supply the group in the Mogritsa area.

Presumably, after the liberation of Yunakovka, Russian troops will continue to advance along the border to establish control over a significant area of territory with further access to the Psel River.

Thus, the size of the buffer zone could increase to 13 km in length and 10 km in depth of Ukrainian territory.

There are no large settlements or fortified positions in this section of the border, which creates favorable prospects for a Russian offensive.

This bridgehead can be used in the future both for the direct defense of Russian territory and for a possible offensive deep into Ukraine, right up to the suburbs of the city of Sumy.

However, even control over this section of the border will allow the establishment of an “artillery blockade” regime over the outskirts of Sumy and surrounding settlements, preventing the Ukrainian Armed Forces from concentrating their forces there.

In many ways, the operation in the border area is a continuation of the operation to liberate the Kursk region.

BOOMERANG EFFECT
Despite reports from a number of sources that the buffer zone will soon be expanded in depth and along the Ukrainian border all the way to Sumy, Kharkov, and perhaps even deeper, for now Russian troops are limiting themselves to a small zone, seeking to take control of key settlements, bridges and road junctions.

The offensive is largely hampered by the predominantly wooded nature of the terrain along the northern section of the border between Ukraine and Russia.

However, this same factor also works against the Ukrainian Armed Forces, since all movements of Ukrainian equipment along the few roads are tracked using aerial reconnaissance, after which the targets are destroyed by artillery and kamikaze drones.

And for now, Russian troops have no need to expand the buffer zone in depth, military expert Alexander Mikhailovsky told IA Regnum. "If the command sets the task of ensuring the safety of our territories from a possible breakthrough, then there is no need to expand the buffer zone deeper than 20-30 km. The main thing is that the enemy cannot concentrate a breakthrough group and use artillery to shell border areas.

If a decision is made to secure the borders from shelling from, say, HIMARS, then it will be possible to move deeper. But for now, it seems, somewhat different tasks are being solved,” the expert explained.

Thus, the adventurous offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region has returned to Ukraine like a boomerang. At the same time, Kyiv has no reserves left to contain the Russian offensive in two directions at once.

From the Ukrainian side, via korrespondent.net
Russians are advancing in Sumy region - DeepState

Russians managed to gain a foothold in Sumy region.

The project analysts have updated the map of military actions in Sumy region. 62.6 sq. km of the region's territory are designated as occupied.

Russian troops managed to gain a foothold in Sumy region along the Veselivka-Zhuravka-Novenke-Basovka section, this territory is now marked on the map as occupied, and not as a "gray zone". This was reported by the analytical project DeepState on Saturday, May 24.

The map of military actions in Sumy region has been updated. The project analysts have designated 62.6 sq. km of the region's territory as occupied.

"For a long time, Sumy region could be perceived as a gray zone, because the fighters of the Defense Forces tried and are trying to contain the enemy, striking with drones at movements and attempts to accumulate. In this area, the Russians use infantry and attract ATVs for quick access to a given point of assault.

However, it is worth noting that they managed to consolidate their position along the Veselevka-Zhuravka-Novenkoye-Basovka section and they continue to make attempts to enter Belovody, and the situation in Loknya is also difficult. In particular, our units are actively working against Russians in these settlements. Recently, for example, enemy infantry that ran into houses in Belovody was eliminated by drones of the State Border Service of Ukraine," the report says.

It is noted that the Defense Forces managed to somewhat stabilize the sharp advance of Russian troops into the depths of Sumy region. At the same time, the crews of the Defense Forces daily and every night destroy the infantry of the occupiers, who are trying, albeit with great losses, to occupy more territory, because after pushing the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of Kursk region, the Russians planned to create a "buffer zone" in Sumy region.

According to DeepState, Russian troops have advanced near Odradnoye, Troitskoye, Novenkoye, Basovka and Zhuravka. Since May 24, part of the territory in Sumy region in the area of the settlements of Veselevka, Zhuravka, Novenkoye and Basovka has been designated as occupied by Russians.

Recall that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin recently stated that the Russian army is creating a "buffer security zone" along the border between Russia and Ukraine.

Russian troops are actively transferring personnel to the border areas of the Kharkiv region. Ukrainian military assumes that the enemy is preparing for active assault actions.

Link

Home Front: Politix

Trump orders huge purge at crucial agency [NSC] that's pivotal for Americans' safety

2025-05-24

Hostile takeover stuff. Deep State intelligence folks played politics for years — now the swamp is being drained, as promised.

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Donald Trump is ordering a major overhaul of the National Security Council that will shrink its size by over 100 staffers in the wake of the 'SignalGate' scandal.

The move will see the ouster of some political appointees and return many career government employees back to their home agencies.

The number of staff at the NSC is expected to be significantly reduced, according to the officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive personnel matter.

CNN reported over 100 employees are going to be given a pink slip in the mass reshuffle.

The shakeup is just the latest shoe to drop at the NSC, which is being made over after the ouster early this month of Mike Waltz over the SignalGate scandal.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been serving as national security adviser since the ouster of Waltz, who was nominated to serve as Trump's UN ambassador.

The move is expected to elevate the importance of the State Department and Pentagon in advising Trump on important foreign policy decisions.

The NSC, created during the Truman administration, is an arm of the White House tasked with advising and assisting the president on national security and foreign policy and coordinating among various government agencies.

Trump was frustrated in his first term by political appointees and advisers who he felt gummed up his 'America First' agenda.

There were roughly 395 people working at the NSC, including about 180 support staff, according to one official.

About 90 to 95 of those being ousted are policy or subject matter experts seconded from other government agencies. They will be given an opportunity to return to their home agencies.

Not much of a punishment, unless they’re no longer wanted in their old place under its new management.

Many of the political appointees will also be given positions elsewhere in the administration.

Biden political appointees???

The NSC has been in a continual state of tumult during the early going of Trump´s second go-around in the White House.

Waltz was ousted weeks after Trump fired several NSC officials, just a day after the influential far-right activist Laura Loomer raised concerns directly to him about staff loyalty.

Loomer told journalist Tara Palmeri earlier this month that she had sounded the alarm about Waltz's anti-Trump past and claimed he hadn't vetted his staff to weed out liberals.

Waltz has been a lightning rod for controversy in the still-nascent second Trump administration. He has been to blame for accidentally leaking military plans to the press via an unfortunate Signal group chat.

And the White House, days into the administration, sidelined about 160 NSC aides, sending them home while the administration reviewed staffing and tried to align it with Trump´s agenda.

The aides were career government employees, commonly referred to as detailees.

This latest shakeup amounts to a 'liquidation' of NSC staffing with both career government detailees on assignment to the NSC being sent back to their home agencies and several political appointees being pushed out of their positions, according to the person familiar with the decision.

It wasn´t just Loomer who viewed Waltz suspiciously. He was viewed with a measure of skepticism by some in the MAGA world who saw the former Army Green Beret and three-term congressman as too tied to Washington's foreign policy establishment.

On Russia, Waltz shared Trump´s concerns about the high price tag of extensive U.S. military aid to Ukraine.

But Waltz also advocated for further diplomatically isolating President Vladimir Putin - a position that was out of step with Trump, who has viewed the Russian leader, at moments, with admiration for his cunning in dealings with Trump´s predecessors.

His more hawkish rhetoric on Iran and China, including U.S. policy toward Taiwan, seemed increasingly out of step with Trump.

Before getting rid of Waltz, the president fired several members of his National Security Council team. The individuals fired were Brian Walsh, Thomas Boodry and David Feith.

The president - setting aside belligerent rhetoric about taking over Greenland from Denmark - has tilted more toward military restraint and diplomacy in facing some of the United States' most challenging issues with adversaries.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

A Naval Blockade of Russian Oil Exports Risks a Military Showdown

2025-05-24

[Carnegie Politika] The sanctions deployed against Russia have failed to break Vladimir Putin’s war machine, and now the West is looking for ways to make them more potent. In doing so, Western policymakers should remain clear-eyed about potential risks and side effects.

by Sergey Vakulenko
Published on July 5, 2024

Two and a half years ago, in the run-up to Russia’s full-fledged war against Ukraine, Moscow was promised "sanctions from hell." It was widely expected that these sanctions would crush the Russian economy. That did not happen, and one of the reasons was that Russia managed to maintain its oil exports’ prewar volume and revenues. It was clear from the outset that it would be next to impossible to completely eliminate Russian oil from the global markets, but there were strong hopes that the price cap mechanism would at least put pressure on the price and put the cash flows under control of the Western coalition, which might eventually drastically reduce the resources available for the Russian military effort.

Russia, for its part, was determined to keep its oil trade outside of the Western-controlled system—and has succeeded. Initially, Russian crude prices fell significantly, and Moscow had to spend money building up a shadow fleet of tankers, since Western-owned ones were no longer available to it, but the discounts are much smaller now, and oil revenues are higher than pre-COVID and prewar levels. So far, the price cap mechanism has been ineffective.

The price cap mechanism was built on a belief that the West has a monopoly on the services needed to move oil from Russian ports to Asian refineries: that Russia would not be able to manage without Western-owned tankers, insurance underwritten by Western-led P&I clubs, or bank transactions in Western currencies passing through Western banks. That belief turned out to be incorrect. Russia managed to organize a parallel system to handle its oil trade by amassing a shadow fleet and finding alternative insurance providers.

This is a deeply unsatisfying state of affairs for Western policymakers, from both a reputational and practical point of view. First, it undermines the authority of the Western coalition and the effectiveness of future sanctions, since they are dependent on the willingness of potential sanctions violators and violation abettors to take risks, having weighed up the likely losses and rewards. Second, the failure of the price cap keeps Russian coffers full and the war machine running. Accordingly, Western governments are looking for more radical solutions and fixes.

Danish and Finnish officials have announced that they are looking for legal ways to deny passage to ships carrying Russian crude and diesel through marine chokepoints such as the Danish straits, the entrance to the Gulf of Finland, and the English Channel if they are not operating in accordance with the price cap mechanism. In all these cases, the ships would have to pass within 12 nautical miles of Danish, Finnish or Estonian, or English or French shores.

The ships in question often belong to non-Russian owners, sail under non-Russian flags, and carry cargo owned by non-Russian traders. They might have insurance certificates issued by Russian insurers that don’t belong to international insurance clubs, but those insurers had a substantial share of the oil cargo business before the war.

The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which governs international marine traffic, cites the right of peaceful passage as a fundamental legal principle. In some cases, free passage is governed by much older treaties, such as the 1857 Copenhagen Convention for the Danish straits. Naval blockades have been tools of war and casus belli many times in history. UNCLOS was drafted and signed with the idea of eliminating this source of tensions and lowering the chances of war. As a result, it left very little room for littoral states to hinder the free passage of commercial vessels.

The challenge European policymakers are facing now, therefore, is how to make a blockade—an act often used during hostilities—look like a justified peacetime measure within the framework of conventions written to avoid hostilities. In other words, how to conduct an act of war while technically not conducting an act of war.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen has said: "It’s just not very easy because international maritime law is basically geared towards opening navigation and making it very difficult for any country to intervene with free traffic. The law was built for a completely different world than what we are now looking at."

It is understandable that the West prefers to take a measured approach in its conflict with Russia, sticking to commercial issues and avoiding any show of physical force. As tempting as it is to use technicalities to pursue strategic goals and justify a forceful course of action in the confrontation between Russia and the West, stopping tankers carrying Russian crude in the Danish straits could prompt an escalation on Russia’s part, such as an armed naval escort.

This approach also erodes trust and respect for the rules-based international order. Rules are commitment devices: their true value is demonstrated when they are applied against the current interests of their authors and proponents. If the conventions signed in the Cold War era are of no use today, then what is? Russia has long accused the West of hypocrisy and has justified its actions by citing double standards and manipulation of the rules to the advantage of the United States and EU. The use of UNCLOS to exercise a naval blockade against Russia will only provide Moscow with another story to tell the Global South.

The West still has the means to enforce the price cap more strictly and more broadly by going after profit-seekers who are willing to help move Russian oil for a fee and turn a blind eye to phony price cap compliance attestation. The West could also threaten secondary sanctions against Chinese and Indian buyers—if it has the will to expend political capital on the issue. But attempts to stop the physical flow of Russian oil through international straits would amount to a blockade, and will be seen as such.

That’s not to say that it’s not the right thing to do—but it should be done with a full and clear understanding of the significance of the act and possible consequences, rather than naively sleepwalking into the next level of conflict.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Russian army is heading to Krasnoarmeysk. Ukrainian Armed Forces are on the verge of a major defeat

2025-05-24

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Sergey Adamov

[REGNUM] Fighters of the Russian group of troops "Center" continue their successful advance toward the city of Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk) in the DPR. As reported by the Ministry of Defense, in the Pokrovsk direction, the militarily important village of Novaya Pokrovka has been occupied - it is located on the highway that connects two defense nodes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Pokrovsk and Konstantinovka.

With the liberation of the Novaya Poltavka region, Russian troops reached the outskirts of the settlement of Novoekonomicheskoe, which is closely adjacent to Mirnograd, a satellite city of Pokrovsk.

Earlier, the villages and settlements of Novoolenovka (Novoelenovka), Malinovka and Yelizavetovka were liberated in this direction. Combat operations continue in the area of the settlements of Popov Yar, Poltavka, Mirnoye and Shevchenko Pervoye. The goal of our troops here is to expand the control zone along the strategically important T0504 Konstantinovka-Pokrovsk highway. This will allow us to cut the enemy group and create the preconditions for a new offensive.

The Pokrovsk agglomeration finds itself in a semi-ring. However, even in such conditions, the assault on the city can lead to major losses, since the Ukrainian Armed Forces still have supply routes at their disposal: the T0406 highway, which connects Pokrovsk with the Dnepropetrovsk region, and the road to the Kharkov region through the villages of Rodinskoye and Dobropolye.

In the near future, it can be expected that the second route will be cut off in the foreseeable future, a front-line source for IA Regnum noted.

"Both Pokrovsk and the surrounding settlements have been turned into a powerful fortified area. This is an agglomeration where about 100 thousand people lived. There is dense construction and a large industrial zone. But there are no large settlements north of Pokrovsk, so it is possible to bypass the city from the north. The existing reserves hold the route from Pokrovsk to the Dnepropetrovsk region, so the Ukrainian Armed Forces will have to either remove them or wait for the front north of Pokrovsk to collapse," our interlocutor said.

In the near future, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command may attempt to stabilize the front line along the Kazenny Torets River by fortifying the settlements of Novoekonomicheskoe, Razino, and Novotoretskoe. If the enemy fails to "slow down" the front in the coming weeks, Russian troops will be able to launch an offensive on Rodinskoe and cut off one of the enemy's two supply routes to Pokrovsk, bringing the city closer to being completely encircled.

For the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the loss of Pokrovsk will be the largest military defeat, which, as the Regnum news agency’s interlocutor believes, could lead to the collapse of the front line in Donbass or in the neighboring Dnepropetrovsk region.

Russian troops are also building on their success in another strategically important area – the border between the Kursk and Belgorod regions and the northwestern regions of Ukraine. Earlier, Vladimir Putin set the task of creating a buffer zone along the Russian-Ukrainian border, designed to secure Russian territory.

According to reports from the field, the operation to create such a buffer zone is continuing in the Sumy region, where Russian troops have liberated the village of Loknya and reached the outskirts of the village of Yunakovka, from where the invasion of the Kursk region began almost a year ago.

The liberation of Yunakovka will allow the creation of a full-fledged bridgehead that will be able to cover the Sudzhansky district from new attempts at invasion by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Another sign of the last few days is the intensification of air attacks on Ukrainian Armed Forces positions, which consolidate the successes of the ground forces. The enemy admits: Russian aviation (including Su-34 frontline bombers, which strike with guided bombs with planning and correction modules) carried out a series of strikes on the rear of the groups in the Donetsk and Sumy directions.

One of the targets was the Ukrainian National Guard training ground in the city of Shostka in the Sumy region, 50 km from the border with Russia. The enemy lost dozens of fighters. A significant success was the destruction of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, which our aerial reconnaissance detected near the village of Ordzhonikidze in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The Iskander operational missile system worked against the American-made air defense system. It "covered" the control center, the AN/MPQ-65 radar station and three launchers.

Footage of the Patriot's destruction was published by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The destruction of one air defense battery can be considered a major success, the consequences of which will have a direct impact on the course of military operations in the near future, military expert Alexander Romanenko told Regnum news agency.

"Here we need to look first of all not at the quantity - how much of what was destroyed, but at the result in a strategic sense. In essence, an entire region was left without air cover. In this case, Dnepropetrovsk, where military enterprises are located, the rear of the group in Donbass and in the Zaporizhia region, was left without cover. Now they will be under attack, and the front will not receive shells, reinforcements, etc.," Romanenko noted.

The source believes that in order to detect the position of the Patriot complex, aerial reconnaissance used means that record the thermal field and infrared radiation reflected by objects. Overall, the success of the operation was achieved thanks to the coordinated work of reconnaissance means and Iskander complexes. This combination has already proven itself: in particular, it allowed for serious damage to be inflicted on Ukrainian aviation stationed at military airfields.

In the foreseeable future, it should be expected that aviation will increase the intensity of strikes on the enemy's rear in Donbass, which is left without air cover, which means that the pace of the Russian army's summer offensive will gradually increase.

Link

Science & Technology

The cruiser Arkhangelsk conducted a Kalibr firing at a coastal target at a range of 600 km

2025-05-24

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] As part of planned combat training activities, the Northern Fleet's nuclear submarine cruiser Arkhangelsk successfully fired a Kalibr cruise missile at a coastal target. The launch was made from the Barents Sea at the Chizha test site in the Arkhangelsk Region. The distance to the target position was more than 600 km.

As reported by the Ministry of Defense, the missile launch was successful and confirmed all flight and technical parameters. According to objective control data, the launch was carried out in accordance with the plan and without any comments.

Northern Fleet Commander Vice-Admiral Konstantin Kabantsov noted the professionalism and naval training of the crew during the preparation and execution of the shooting.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, during a trip to Murmansk on March 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin inspected the Arkhangelsk.

The Arkhangelsk submarine of Project 885M Yasen-M is the newest fourth-generation multi-purpose nuclear ship, which was accepted into the Navy on December 27, 2024.

Arkhangelsk became the fifth ship of the Yasen-M project in the fleet.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Only military objects will be selected as targets

2025-05-24

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin.
[ColonelCassad] Russian Foreign Ministry on enemy UAV attacks.

The Kiev regime does not stop terrorizing civilians and civilian objects in many Russian regions, including Moscow.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, from May 20 to 08:00 on May 23, a multiple increase was recorded - 788 attacks by aircraft-type UAVs and Western-made missiles on the territory of the Russian Federation, and outside the Special Military Operation zone. Our air defense forces destroyed 776 drones and missiles, 12 UAVs, unfortunately, reached their target.

There are dead and wounded. On May 22, as a result of an attack on the village of Panteleimonovna in the DPR, 8 people were wounded. On the same day, in the Vasilievsky municipal district of the Zaporizhia region, as a result of drone strikes, a girl born in 1990 was killed, four children were wounded - 10, 9, 8 years old and a one-year-old child.

On the night of May 23, as a result of the crash of a downed UAV, which caused a fire in the industrial zone of the city of Yelets in the Lipetsk region, 8 people were injured. In addition, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out two strikes with "Hymars" missiles on civilian objects in the city of Lgov in the Kursk region, where people were also injured, including two children.

It should also be noted that even after the Kursk region was cleared of Ukrainian servicemen, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to try to penetrate our territory and strike with UAVs, as well as long-range artillery and missiles.

Under these conditions, the President of the Russian Federation was forced to make a decision to create a security zone in the adjacent territory in order to minimize the possibility of infiltration by the Armed Forces of Ukraine and strikes on our border areas using various weapons.

The latest barbaric terrorist actions by the Kiev regime have been undertaken in an attempt to disrupt the process of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, which have resumed with the assistance of the US Administration and are aimed at a final settlement of the conflict, and to prevent the implementation of the first agreements agreed upon in Istanbul on May 16, including a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war.

The course taken by the Ukrainian "war party" also includes violations of the so-called "energy" and Easter truces, which Russia strictly observed, as well as the ceasefire we declared during the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory.

Of course, Russia will give an adequate response to the massive terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime. Unlike the Ukrainian side, only military facilities and enterprises of the military-industrial complex will be selected as targets.

But, we emphasize, our fundamental commitment to a constructive search for ways to peacefully resolve the conflict through dialogue remains unchanged.

Diplomatic preparations for a massive strike on Ukraine. We are waiting.

Lavrov also separately spoke about the need for regime change in Ukraine.

"If Zelensky's junta expects that somehow an agreement will be reached to end the hostilities, and what remains of Ukraine will live according to the laws that they adopted, this is an illusion, this cannot be allowed under any circumstances. Millions of people on the territory of Ukraine speak Russian, it is their native language, and putting them under the leadership of a junta that has banned even speaking Russian - this will be a very big crime. We will definitely not allow this" (c)

The Nazi regime in Ukraine is a guarantee of the resumption of war in a certain amount of time.

Without the denazification of Ukraine, the goals of the SVO cannot be achieved.

More from regnum.ru
Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Russian Federation will give an adequate response to the massive drone attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

The goal of the massive attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Russian territory is to disrupt the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations that have begun, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on May 23.

The department recalled that in recent days the Ukrainian Armed Forces have increased the number of strikes on Russian territory using drones and missiles. As a result of terrorist attacks, there are civilians killed and injured, including children.

“The latest barbaric terrorist actions by the Kiev regime have been undertaken in an attempt to disrupt the process of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, which have resumed with the assistance of the US administration and are aimed at a final settlement of the conflict, and to prevent the implementation of the first agreements agreed upon in Istanbul on May 16, which include a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war,” the statement said.

Russia will give an adequate response to these attacks, but only military facilities and defense industry enterprises will be selected as targets, the ministry noted.

“But, we emphasize, our fundamental commitment to a constructive search for ways to resolve the situation peacefully through dialogue remains unchanged,” the Foreign Ministry added.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, the Kiev regime has recently stepped up targeted attacks on civilians in Russian regions. On May 19, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, reported that 621 civilians had been killed as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Russian regions, and at least 3,217 people had been injured. Most of the attacks were recorded in the Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk, Rostov regions, Krasnodar Krai, as well as in Crimea and Sevastopol.

On May 22, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked Lgov in the Kursk region. Sixteen people were injured, including two teenagers. On the same day, eight people were injured in the village of Panteleimonovka near Avdiivka in the DPR in a HIMARS missile strike. Also on May 22, Ukrainian forces attacked a civilian car in the Vasilievsky municipal district of the Zaporizhia region. One person was killed and four children were injured.

On May 23, the Ministry of Defense reported that during the repelling of a massive drone attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which has been ongoing since May 20, air defense systems shot down more than 1,100 drones.

On May 22, at a meeting with members of the government, President Vladimir Putin said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces and their foreign mercenaries were using terrorist methods. The head of state emphasized that the target of Ukrainian strikes was not military facilities, but ambulances, agricultural machinery, and other civilian targets.

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Science & Technology

How Trump's $175billion Golden Dome missile defence can make US 'invulnerable' to nukes from China, Russia, or North Korea - as Beijing warns it will trigger a new arms race amid growing WW3 fears

2025-05-21

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Donald Trump has unveiled his plans for a $175 billion 'Golden Dome' defence system which he says will protect the US from the world's most powerful weapons - provoking fury from China and Russia amid fears it will trigger a global arms race.

Such a defence programme is 'long overdue' and 'absolutely necessary' amid growing threats from China, North Korea and Russia, experts have said in response to Tuesday's announcement.

Moscow and Beijing have both put offensive weapons in space, such as satellites with abilities to disable critical US satellites, which can make America vulnerable to attack.

Beijing has warned that the plan to put US weapons into the earth's orbit for the first time 'heightens the risk of space becoming a battlefield, fuels an arms race, and undermines international security.'

Meanwhile Moscow has called for Washington to make contact regarding the programme. Trump said on Tuesday that he had not yet spoken to Vladimir Putin regarding the programme, but would do so 'at the right time'.

Following talks between the allies earlier this month, Beijing and Moscow released a joint statement condemning Washington's plans as being 'deeply destabilising' and turning space into 'an arena for armed confrontation.'
The plan is necessary, according to the US Defence Intelligence Agency, because missile threats from America's adversaries will not only 'expand in scale and sophistication in the coming decade' but already exist.

An unclassified DIA report released this month stated that China and Russia 'are developing an array of novel delivery systems,' to exploit gaps in US defences, while traditional ballistic missiles are expected to remain the primary threat to American soil.

North Korea has successfully tested such missiles with sufficient range to reach any part of the US, the DIA stated, while Iran will likely be able to launch ICBMs within the next decade.

Trump declared on Tuesday that the establishment of the Golden Dome would provide 'close to 100 percent protection' of the US and is 'very important for the success and even survival of our country.'

He said it would be delivered within two and a half to three years - before the end of his presidential term.

'I'm pleased to announce that we have officially selected an architecture for this state-of-the-art system that will deploy next-generation technologies across the land, sea and space, including space-based sensors and interceptors,' Trump said.

'Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world, and even if they're launched from space. And we will have the best system ever built.'

Trump issued an executive order on January 27 instructing defence secretary Pete Hegseth to make the plan a reality.

While limited details were made available on how the architecture of the ambitious system will work - with hypersonic interceptors not expected to be delivered until the mid-2030s - Hegseth said they would draw on existing technologies and build it up over the coming years.

He said that some technology such as space-based sensors and air and missile defense already exist, but added that all systems comprising the Golden Dome would 'need to be seamlessly integrated' in order for it to work.

'Golden Dome will be fielded in phases, prioritising defense where the threat is greatest,' he added.

He promised that the completed system will protect the US from 'cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, drones, whether they're conventional or nuclear.'

It comes as the US Air Force on launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic as part of tests at the Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, early on Wednesday.

'This ICBM test launch underscores the strength of the nation's nuclear deterrent and the readiness of the ICBM leg of the triad,' said Gen. Thomas Bussiere, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Kirill Dmitriev on US-Russia negotiations on Ukraine

2025-05-21

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Text taken from a news article posted on kadmitriev

Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin is in italics:
[ColonelCassad] One of the participants in direct negotiations with the US, Kirill Dmitriev, on the current state of the negotiation process between the US and Russia on Ukraine.

The dialogue between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump is extremely important for the US to understand the root causes, essence and possible solutions to the conflict in Ukraine. The fact that this dialogue contributes to the balanced and constructive position of the Trump administration so far is causing hysteria among European politicians, European and British media.

Titanic efforts of Western politicians and media are aimed at disrupting the constructive dialogue between Russia and the US.

We will continue to work on possible mutually beneficial projects with the US in the investment and economic spheres.

Western media on the shock of European leaders following the call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump - Part 1

Axios: Trump's compliance with Putin stunned European leaders during the call Barak Ravid, Dave Lawler - Axios

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and five other European leaders joined a conference call with Donald Trump immediately after his conversation with Vladimir Putin on Monday. They were hoping to hear that Putin had agreed to a cease-fire — or that the U.S. would sanction him if he refused.

Instead, Trump said Putin had agreed to talks, emphasized that the U.S. would not participate in those talks, and opposed sanctioning Putin at this stage, two people on the call and one familiar with the details told Axios.

Why It Matters: Trump seemed closer to walking away from the issue entirely, the people said. Some leaders on the call were “surprised” or even “shocked.”

“I think something’s going to happen. If it doesn’t, I’m just going to step aside and they’re going to have to continue on their own. This was a European situation and it should have stayed a European situation,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office hours after the calls.

◾️How it happened: Trump spoke briefly with Zelensky on Monday morning and, according to sources, asked him what to tell Putin.

Zelensky was happy that Trump called him for advice. He asked him to demand an immediate ceasefire, threaten new sanctions against Russia, and not make any concessions to Putin without Ukraine’s approval.

◾️Behind the scenes: After the call with Putin ended, Trump contacted Zelensky again — this time, the leaders of Germany, France, Italy, Finland, and the European Commission also participated in the conversation.

“The second call was longer and different in nature from the first,” Zelensky later said.

While one of the European participants called the conversation “constructive,” another source said Zelensky found it “bad.” The White House declined to comment.

Trump told the leaders that Putin had agreed to immediately begin direct talks on a ceasefire. According to one of the sources, there was a few seconds of confused silence.

Zelensky recalled that Putin had agreed to talks before, with the first round taking place in Istanbul on Friday. Trump, according to the sources, did not respond directly to this.

The sources also say that Zelensky and several other leaders pointed out to Trump that it was he who had previously proposed starting peace talks with an immediate 30-day ceasefire.

Western media on the shock of European leaders after the call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump - part 2

◾️Tension point: Other European leaders on the call asked about the possibility of US sanctions against Russia, but Trump responded that he thought it was a bad idea and stressed that, in his opinion, Putin wanted to make a deal.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni intervened to ask why it was not possible to declare a ceasefire for at least two weeks while the talks were being prepared. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz asked what concessions Russia would be willing to make.

Trump responded that Putin would present a “memorandum of peace” with terms for a ceasefire and an end to the war. One of the sources said Trump asked Putin to come up with “something we can work with,” rather than a proposal that would be rejected out of hand.

Zelensky, according to the sources, noted that previous talks, including meetings last week, had yielded no results and stressed that unless Trump pressed, Putin would not budge.

Between the lines: Participants in the call were surprised that Trump seemed pleased with what Putin had said and presented it as some kind of progress, although the Russian leader’s position had essentially not changed, the sources said.

◾️What’s next: Trump said that Russia and Ukraine could hold direct bilateral talks without intermediaries, since they are the ones who best understand the details of the conflict.

Meloni and Merz disagreed and insisted that the US and European countries should be involved in the negotiations.

“Somebody has to be the judge,” Meloni said. Merz suggested a meeting with all parties.

Trump later suggested the Vatican as a possible venue for the talks.

“I think something will happen. And if not, I’ll just step aside and they’ll have to carry on. This was a European situation and it should have stayed European,” Trump repeated to reporters.

◾️What’s happening now: Finnish President Alexander Stubb asked Trump what the next steps are.

“I don’t know. Somebody has to come out and say whether the talks are going well or not, and then we’ll decide what to do,” Trump replied.

Europe's main problem is that the US and RF did not let it into the negotiating table on Ukraine, although Europe really wanted to.That is why Europe has a great desire to disrupt separate negotiations between the US and RF, where Ukraine is discussed without Ukraine.

Over the past week, the US and RF have turned all the EU's "red lines" into "brown lines".

Yesterday, the cocaine Fuhrer again squealed that Ukraine will not withdraw its troops from the occupied territories and will not recognize them as part of Russia. And he will not refuse to join NATO either. A bid for the summer campaign.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

2025 Peace Talks: We are on the right track

2025-05-20

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] Putin and Trump's talks have ended.

Putin called the talks meaningful and useful. Putin thanked Trump for organizing the talks with Ukraine.

Russia is in favor of stopping the fighting, but it is necessary to develop the most effective paths forward.

Russia is ready to work on a memorandum with Ukraine, including a ceasefire.

Russia and Ukraine need to find compromises that would suit all parties.

We are on the right track (c) Putin

We will continue to negotiate.

Trump's version.

The conversation with Putin went very well.
Russia and Ukraine will immediately begin talks on ending the war (c) Trump

The full text of Trump's statement:

"My conversation with Putin has just ended. I believe it went very well. Russia and Ukraine will immediately begin talks on a ceasefire and, more importantly, a complete end to the war. The terms will be agreed upon between the two sides - as they should be, because only they know the details of the negotiation process that are not available to anyone else. The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent. If it were not so, I would say so right now, and not later.Russia wants to do massive TRADE with the United States after this disastrous "bloodbath" is over, and I support that idea. Russia has tremendous opportunities to create jobs and build wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED. Ukraine can also be a major beneficiary of trade relations as it rebuilds its country.

Russia-Ukraine talks will begin immediately. I communicated this to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb in a phone call immediately after my conversation with President Putin.

The Vatican, according to the Pope, has expressed a strong interest in hosting these talks on its territory.

Let the process begin! (c) Trump

More from regnum.ru
Peskov said that a meeting between Putin and Trump is not currently being prepared

A meeting between Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump is not currently being prepared. This was reported on May 19 by the official Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“No, it is not being prepared now,” Peskov said, answering a question from journalists.

Earlier on May 19, the Russian leader's press secretary noted: Putin and Trump will decide on a possible meeting and its timing themselves. At the same time, he emphasized that the negotiations between the leaders of Russia and the United States must be productive, and for this they must be well prepared.

Peskov also announced a telephone conversation between the Russian president and his American counterpart, which will take place on May 19 at 17:00 Moscow time. The US president had previously stated that the main topics of the conversation would be a ceasefire in Ukraine and trade issues.

Link

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