Ukraine: US Lies, Provocation, Broken Promises, Fake News

[Anthea]

NATO Must Not Be Part of Conflict

Despite providing military assistance to Ukraine, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) must not become a party to the country's conflict with Russia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday

In a speech to the German lower house of parliament (Bundestag) ahead of a special meeting of the European Council to discuss the conflict, Scholz warned against a "public competition to outdo each other along the lines of battle tanks, submarines, aircraft..."

This would harm the unity of the West, he said.

"We preserve and strengthen this cohesion by preparing decisions confidentially first before communicating them," he said, referring to the recent decision taken by Germany and the U.S. on the delivery of battle tanks.

Due to increasing pressure on Germany by NATO partners to supply heavy artillery to Ukraine, the German government decided in late January to deliver 14 Leopard 2 tanks, and to permit partners to re-export from their Leopard stocks. In addition, the export of up to 178 of the older Leopard 1 tanks was later approved.

The U.S. followed suit shortly afterward, with President Joe Biden announcing the delivery of Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine.

However, experts say it will be months before the German and American tanks are delivered

Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia's lower house, warned last month that the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine would lead to retaliation with "more powerful weapons."

Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his request for more weapons, as well as fighter jets, during a visit to London on Wednesday.

The United Kingdom is Ukraine's second-largest supporter after the U.S. Last year alone, the UK provided military aid worth a total of almost 2.8 billion U.S. dollars, and the British government has already pledged to "sustain the same level of funding in 2023."

At the upcoming European Council meeting on Feb. 9-10, Scholz indicated that sanctions against Russia would be further tightened. The bloc will support Ukraine "for as long as necessary," he said.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/NAT ... -0013.html

Much to my disgust, the UK government gave Zelensky a royal welcome, while other countries are trying to earthquake victims, the UK government is continuing to support the corrupt Ukrainian government

[Anthea]

Russia-Iran trade hits record high

Russian diplomat Alexei Dedov said that prospects for further growth are likewise anticipated for the year 2023

Russia's ambassador to Tehran Alexei Dedov told reporters on Thursday that trade relations between Russia and Iran have reached a record high of $4.6 billion in 2022, a stark increase of 15% compared to the year prior.

The Russian diplomat added that prospects for further growth are likewise anticipated for the year 2023.

"Record trade figures for 2022 are largely due to the fruitful agricultural cooperation between Russian and Iranian companies. Agri-food accounts for about 85% of our trade," Dedov said, noting that the numbers for the year 2022 were not final and that upward revisions are still ongoing.

"Judging by where we stand politically and economically, we obviously expect bilateral trade to keep growing," Dedov said about prospects for growth in 2023.

Russian exports mainly consist of cereals and oilseeds, timber, non-organic chemicals, machine-building equipment, paper, and cardboard.

Iran, on the other hand, exports fruits, vegetables, nuts, dairy, plastics, ferrous metal products, plumbing, and construction materials.

Dedov stated that Iran Khodro intends to deliver the 2,000 cars to Russia by the end of March in an interview with Sputnik.

Dedov said that Iran Khodro is presently working on its largest program, which calls for the delivery of 2,000 automobiles to Russia by the end of the Iranian calendar year 1401, or March 20, 2023.

The envoy also mentioned SAIPA, another Iranian automaker, which is negotiating with Russian distributors to export more than 20,000 cars to that nation each year.

Dedov underlined that the challenges around acquiring certifications and establishing a network of dealerships have not yet been resolved, which may modify the delivery date despite the current negotiations. Additionally, he mentioned that Iran and Russia are in talks to produce automobiles and auto parts together.

On January 16, reports revealed that Russia and Iran are discussing the possibility of the two parties expanding their cooperation to include the cryptocurrency sector as Moscow and Tehran mull developing a joint gold-backed stablecoin.

Reports about this cooperation came out after the Executive Director of the Russian Association of the Crypto Industry and Blockchain, Alexander Brazhnikov, told Russian media that the Iranian Central Bank was considering the joint creation of a cryptocurrency with Russia as a form of payment for international transactions.

According to Brazhnikov, the coin would be gold-back, which would help against volatility, noting that it would be usable in Astrakhan, which is a free-trade zone where Russia started accepting Iranian goods.

Earlier today, Sputnik reported that Russia and Iran are studying the mechanism for using digital currencies for export-import transactions, stressing that a regulatory framework is required.

"The use of digital currencies and digital financial assets in settlements for export-import operations are being considered by both Russia and Iran. However, the process of reaching any specific agreements is still at the working stage," Dedov said.

He stated that the subject necessitates extensive expert research, including the creation of the required legislative framework.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/eco ... oy-to-iran

[Anthea]

Zelensky never implemented Minsk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admits that he never thought about implementing the pivotal Minsk agreements reached with the Donbass

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted on Thursday that he had previously told German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron that the Minsk agreements were "impossible", and he did not plan on implementing them

Weeks before the Ukraine war broke out, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia was yet to hear Ukraine's words about readiness to swiftly start the implementation of the Minsk agreements during the meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Kremlin had previously said Russia did not expect any decisive breakthrough from the talks between President Putin and Macron.

"From what was said at the press conference [after Macron and Zelensky meeting], there were positive signals that a solution in Ukraine could only be based on the implementation of the Minsk agreements, which is true," Peskov said.

"Economic risks that everyone faces. Because this tension is projected onto the situation both in the markets and on the stock exchanges of our country and others," the spokesperson told reporters.

"As for Minsk as a whole, I told Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel: we will not be able to implement it like that," Zelenskyy said in an interview with Spiegel published on Thursday.

According to Zelensky, he said the same thing to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the first and last meeting with him in the Normandy format in 2019.

"I told him the same thing as the other two. They were surprised and replied: 'If we knew in advance that you would change the meaning of our meeting, then there would be problems even before the summit,'" Zelenskyy added.

The Ukrainian president said Kiev used the agreement only for the exchange of prisoners of war.

Ex-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was in office from 2005 to 2021 said in an interview published in early December that the Minsk accords were signed to "give Ukraine time" to strengthen itself.

Merkel said "The 2014 Minsk agreement was an attempt to give time to Ukraine. It also used this time to become stronger as can be seen today. The Ukraine of 2014-2015 is not the modern Ukraine."

According to her, "it was clear to everyone" that the conflict had been put on hold, noting that the issue had not been settled, "yet this was what gave Ukraine invaluable time."

Merkel was the German chancellor when Ukraine's state coup happened in 2014, and the Minsk accords on resolving the Donbass war were signed with her contribution.

Previously, in an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel, Merkel discussed her final encounters with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that during the ex-chancellor's farewell visit to Moscow in August 2021 she felt "in terms of power politics, you're done," adding that "for Putin, only power counts."

She further explained that the fact that Putin brought Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov along with him to this final visit made it clear to Merkel that her power has crumbled, given the fact that in the past their meetings were "often in private."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said weeks later that Russia was hoping for peace agreements back when it signed the Minsk agreements in 2014, but it was fooled.

"We all endured, endured, endured and hoped for some kind of peace agreement, but now it turns out that we were simply fooled," Putin told reporters.

"After the revelations of [ex-German Chancellor Angela] Merkel, [ex-Ukrainian President Petro] Poroshenko, and other politicians about the true goals of the Minsk agreements, it became obvious to everyone that Russia was not the source of the conflict in Ukraine," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also said.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... sk-agreeme

[Anthea]

Musk Blocks Ukraine Drones

Musk Blocking Ukraine from Using Starlink for Drone

SpaceX has taken measures to prevent Kiev forces from using the Starlink satellite internet service for controlling drones used in military operations, SpaceX’s president said on February 8.

The Starlink satellite internet constellation was activated over Ukraine just a few days after the Russian special military operation last year. The system quickly became the main internet and communication provider for the Kiev government and its forces.

Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer, said during a conference in Washington, D.C. that Starlink was “never never meant to be weaponized.”

“Ukrainians have leveraged it in ways that were unintentional and not part of any agreement,” she told reporters.

Shotwell referred to reports that Kiev forces had used the Starlink service to control drones used in operations against the Russian military.

“There are things that we can do to limit their ability to do that,” she said, referring to Starlink’s use with drones. “There are things that we can do, and have done.”

Using Starlink with drones went beyond the scope of an agreement SpaceX has with the Ukrainian government, Shotwell said, adding the contract was intended for humanitarian purposes such as providing broadband internet to hospitals, banks and families affected by Russia’s invasion.

“We know the military is using them for comms, and that’s ok,” she said. “But our intent was never to have them use it for offensive purposes.”

Ukraine internet service is now being provided by more than 20,000 Starlink terminals, some from Western governments and volunteers, in addition to many provided directly by SpaceX. The Russian military has been hunting down Starlink terminals on the ground with direct fire and working to disturb the system with electronic warfare means.

Ukraine’s use of Starlink to control military drones is well-documented. Last, October, several Ukrainian suicide naval drones attacked the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea’s Sevastopol Port. The drones data-link was reportedly built around a Starlink terminal.

SpaceX’s decision to curb Ukrainian use of Starlink for controlling drones may be meant to protect the company from any legal consequences. Meanwhile, Kiev forces will apparently continue to use the system for military communications just like before.

https://www.theinteldrop.org/2023/02/09 ... or-drones/

[Anthea]

Ukraine uses chemical weapons

Ukraine openly uses chemical weapons against Russian soldiers, and the OPCW remains silent

On 5 February 2023, a Ukrainian commander proudly showed in a video drones and chemical weapons canisters to be dropped by them on Russian soldiers. Three days later, and despite much hype about this official use of chemical weapons by Ukraine on social networks, and the calling out of the OPCW by several Twitter users, the organisation is conspicuous by its silence.

Three days ago, a commander of a Ukrainian army tactical air reconnaissance unit, Robert Madyar, posted a video on his Telegram channel showing several drones, as well as chemical weapons cartridges, some (empty) spread out on a table, others (full) stored in a freezer. These canisters are made to be dropped by drones, which makes these “made in Ukraine” chemical weapons all the more dangerous as Russian soldiers will not hear them coming.

https://www.donbass-insider.com/2023/02 ... ns-silent/

[Anthea]

Ukraine conflict background:

The US has admitted to being behind the 2014 far-right coup in Kiev, which overthrew the pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych

After which conflict worsened between the Kiev government and the ethnic Russians in the Donbass, with increased attacks on the Donbass

The Kiev government, similar to the Turkish government's treatment of the Kurds, tried to ban everything Russian in the Donbass:

Their language
Their books
Their culture
Their music and songs
Their traditional clothes
Their place names

The people of the Donbass held a legally recognized referendum, the people agreed to remain part of Ukraine if they were granted autonomous rights

In 12 February 2015, the Minsk agreement granting Donbas those rights was signed by the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Ukraine, Donbass, Russia, France and Germany

On 17 February 2015 the Minsk agreement was approved by the UN Security Council Resolution 2202 and became part of

INTERNATIONAL LAW

Former French President Hollande, Former Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and recently Zelensky have ALL admitted to breaking the law by not following the legislation set down in the Minsk Agreement

Basically the Minsk agreement contained an assortment of measures, including a ceasefire and constitutional reform in Ukraine granting self-government to certain areas of Donbass

The Kiev government has since been behind thousands of attacks against the civilian population of Donbass, it is beyond my comprehension that countries are supporting the Ukrainian Nazis against the people of the Donbass

[Anthea]

No sense in sanctions

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said, on Tuesday, following a meeting with French Minister for Energy Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher that both Hungary and France argued against imposing sanctions on nuclear cooperation with Russia

"Together we fought hard for the EU to classify nuclear energy as sustainable and together we are fighting against discrimination against nuclear energy ... We both agree that it makes no sense to impose sanctions on nuclear cooperation with Russia," Szijjarto said.

In parallel, Szijjarto highlighted that France's Framatome has been an active participant in the construction of units pertaining to the Paks-2 nuclear power plant (NPP) in Hungary.

"Successful investments in Paks are a basis for a long-lasting and reliable energy supply to Hungary," said the Hungarian FM adding "that is why we are grateful to the French government for allowing Framatome to install an instrumentation and control systems for the new Paks nuclear power plant."

EU should end sanctions against Russia: Hungary PM

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban stressed on January 13 that the European Union's sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine war are a mistake and should be ended.

Speaking to Hungarian state radio, Orban considered that if the anti-Russian sanctions are lifted, energy prices and inflation would fall in half, adding that a political decision must be taken by the EU in this regard.

"It is certain that America won the war and Europe lost. There’s a debate over whether Russia won or lost. If we talk in terms of money, we can’t say that Russia lost too much,'' the Hungarian Prime Minister pointed out.

Orban argued that his country lacks the power to end the sanctions on Russia on its own and that big states such as Germany or France could.

The Hungarian leader had said that the Western sanctions were unsuccessful in destabilizing Russia and dealt a substantial blow to Europe itself.

In mid-November, Orban warned that European economies are rapidly heading toward recession and that Europe "doesn’t have the will to determine its own foreign policy" because it follows the US’ lead.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... an-nuclear

[Anthea]

Ukrainian ‘Commander

Pictured With ISIS Patch

The Associated Press (AP) has released a series of photographs – as well as a video clip – purportedly showing several of Kiev’s fighters on the frontline in the Donetsk region. One of the soldiers, identified by the outlet as a Ukrainian unit commander named “Kurt”, can be seen wearing an ISIS (Islamic State) insignia on his left arm.

This isn’t the first time Kiev’s servicemen and paramilitaries have been caught on camera wearing extremist insignia, with many displaying Nazi tattoos or patches.

In fact, these have often been personally associated with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Earlier this week, he published several photos of Kiev’s soldiers on his Instagram account. One of the images featured a serviceman resting in a trench while wearing a ‘totenkopf’ (death’s head) skull patch – a symbol of the 3rd SS Tank Division, infamous for massacring civilians in France and the Eastern Front, including Polish Jews.

In May, Zelensky also shared an image of a soldier with a similar skull-head patch, but later deleted it. In October, he was photographed on a visit to the frontline while being surrounded by security guards wearing the same insignia.

Kiev has denied the presence of any neo-Nazi elements in the country’s military, bluntly dismissing such assertions as “Russian propaganda.”

Moscow, however, has repeatedly pointed to the fact that Kiev openly welcomes fighters with radical nationalistic and neo-Nazi views. One such example is the incorporation of the infamous Azov Regiment – which openly uses the SS-affiliated wolfsangel (wolf’s hook) rune as its official symbol – into Ukraine’s National Guard.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained that the “denazification” is one of the primary reasons Moscow ultimately decided to launch its military operation in Ukraine in late February of 2022.

https://www.infowars.com/posts/ukrainia ... sis-patch/

[Anthea]

Russia wants UNSC Investigation

On Thursday, the Russian Lower House (the Duma) adopted a draft appeal to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), proposing to initiate an investigation into the Nord Stream pipeline explosions

"We are appealing to the UNSC with a proposal to initiate a thorough investigation of this clear act of international terrorism," the Duma said, adding that investigation would be able to provide a "full legal assessment" of the sabotage, and ultimately "bring to justice" the perpetrators of this "uncalled-for crime," which has "jeopardized the security of the entire Eurasian continent."

The appeal also points to the results of an investigation, recently conducted by U.S. journalist Seymour Hersh, which testifies that the U.S. military and its Norwegian accomplices committed a criminal attack on three branches of the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea

"The administration of Joe Biden that issued the illegal order, bears full responsibility both for causing multibillion-dollar damage... and for the long-term detrimental impact of this attack on the economic development of the countries of the region as a whole, as well as for catastrophic damage to the environment," the Duma said.

On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also spoke out in favor of conducting objective, impartial and professional investigations into the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines.

His request occurred in response to the call from Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov for international media to look into the details about the explosions, which were disclosed by U.S. journalist Seymour Hersh.

Wang pointed out that the explosions have had a serious negative impact on the global energy market and ecological environment, while also sparking concerns from the international community about the security of major cross-border infrastructure.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Rus ... -0011.html

[Anthea]

ISIS terrorist attack

Russia thwarts an attack in Kaluga by members of the terrorist organization "ISIS", with no casualties reported

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Friday that it has thwarted a terrorist attack in the Russian Kaluga region, where ISIS members planned to detonate fuel and lubricant tanks at a chemical plant.

The agency's special service stated that the terrorist act was set to be implemented using a homemade explosive device to detonate the tanks.

The FSB stated that during the arrest, two terrorists demonstrated armed resistance and were injured by gunfire. According to the FSB, the two militants swore allegiance to the international terrorist organization and after committing the crime, were planning to flee to rebel-held Syrian territories.

The FSB reported no casualties during the clash

It also reported that in the course of urgent investigation procedures, an explosives production laboratory was found at the terrorists' residence, in addition to a ready-to-use high-energy explosive device, incendiary containers, firearms and ammunition.

In a statement on February 13th, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service had said that the US is recruiting fighters to plot and execute terrorist attacks on Russian soil, and that of CIS countries (such as Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Uzbekistan).

"According to credible data received by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia, the US military is actively recruiting militants from jihadist groups affiliated with Daesh and Al-Qaeda to carry out terrorist attacks in Russia and the CIS countries. Particular attention is paid to attracting people from the Russian North Caucasus and Central Asia to cooperation," the SVR statement read.

It further announced that last month that 60 militants were brought on board by the US after they received training at the Al-Tanf military base in Syria, with the intent to be sent to CIS countries - intending to target top diplomats and security officials.

Overwhelmed with the "crazy idea of exsanguinating Russia," the US views it as acceptable to employ terrorists only to serve their own needs and purposes, the SVR said, adding that a "definitive loss" in the moral principles is evident in US security services.

"Washington's strategists consider it acceptable to use terrorists directly for their dirty purposes. Such actions put Washington on a par with major international terrorist groups," the statement concluded.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... -in-kaluga

[Anthea]

Germans: No jets to Ukraine

The German political research firm, Infratest dimap, revealed that roughly 64% of the 1,216 German survey participants oppose the prospective sale of military jets to Ukraine, while just 23% support it

In February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended an EU parliament meeting and a regular EU summit of the heads of state as a last-minute guest.

His trip to Brussels came following a short European tour to the UK and France on February 8 and 9, where he was lobbying for more weapons and garnering support for his request from the 27-bloc member states to supply his country with lighter jets and long-range missiles.

In an address to the MEPs, Zelensky said that "we are defending against the most anti-European force of the modern world -- we are defending ourselves, we Ukrainians on the battlefield, along with you," as he urged for more advanced systems.

On February 12, Former British army intelligence officer Philip Ingram told Newsweek, on that topic, that these calls came after the Ukrainian President upgraded his land forces' capabilities.

"To properly support land manoeuver operations, he needs the ability to generate at least local air superiority, a protective air bubble around attacking land forces," Ingram said.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... -send-jets

Hopefully the will of the people will win

[Anthea]

French army officers against war

A recent poll reveals that the majority of French army officers believe that Western countries, including France, do not seek peace

More than 90% of French army officers are against an open war in Ukraine, a survey conducted by the French website Place-armes.fr about the Ukrainian crisis and a possible war against Russia.

According to the website, the survey was conducted between November 1 till December 13, 2022, by email and on the website itself.

The results of the survey came from "responses in 631 letters and 11,382 by internet," Place-armes.fr noted.

It continued, "we wanted to ask the French people about questions that no one dares to ask them and which nevertheless affect their daily lives and their future."

The website described the results as "extremely significant and unambiguous."

The results revealed that 96.71% of respondents are against an open war in Ukraine and 96.71% are against sending French troops to Ukraine, noting that 98.33% of the 3.29% who agree on sending troops doubt that this process can be approved without a parliament vote

According to the results, 80.63% of respondents would be ready to participate in demonstrations to prevent the transition to war

The website highlighted that 89.2% believe that the war primarily benefits the United States and 91.66% believe that Western countries, including France, do not seek peace.

It added that 88.07% of respondents believe that hasty decisions could shove Paris into a direct confrontation with Moscow.

Elsewhere, the survey indicated that the majority of respondents blame French leaders in power for the current energy crisis and stress the need to lift the sanctions against Russia.

It is noteworthy that in late January, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would not rule out France delivering fighter jets to Ukraine but warned against the risk of escalation in the conflict.

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu also confirmed that France will send 12 more Caesar truck-mounted howitzers to Ukraine.

France was by early December the 7th-largest supporter of Ukraine since the war broke out, according to data on military and financial aid collated by the Germany-based Institute for the World Economy think-tank.

However, Macron and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday agreed that both countries share a common objective to push toward the end of the war in Ukraine, as per Macron's office.

Macron and Wang "expressed the same objective of contributing to peace in accordance with international law," the statement said.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... benefits-u

[Anthea]

Russian gas supply up 9.5%

Russian energy giant Gazprom reported that the volume of Russian gas shipments to Europe via Ukraine through the Sudzha entry point climbed 9.5% to 39.2 million cubic meters on Saturday in comparison to the previous day

"Gazprom is supplying Russian gas for transit through the territory of Ukraine in the amount confirmed by the Ukrainian side through the Sudzha entry point — 39.2 million cubic meters, as of February 18," the company said.

This comes as Gazprom celebrates its 30th anniversary during which CEO Alexey Miller confirmed that the company is getting ready to kick off the projects of the Powers of Siberia-2 and Soyuz Vostok gas pipelines that run through Mongolia to China.

As the Nord Stream pipelines were sabotaged late last September, the transit route through Ukraine is the sole remaining conduit for Russian gas flows to central and western Europe.

The explosions occurred on September 26 at three of the four strings of Nord Stream 1 and 2 underwater pipelines, which are designed to transport a total of 110 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Europe each year.

In a recent development, the Pulitzer winner American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh said last week that US Navy divers had planted explosives to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines in late 2022

"Last June, the Navy divers, operating under the cover of a widely publicized mid-summer NATO exercise known as BALTOPS 22, planted the remotely triggered explosives that, three months later, destroyed three of the four Nord Stream pipelines, according to a source with direct knowledge of the operational planning," Hersh wrote in his Substack newsletter.

Hersh later confirmed that he authored the investigative report in question

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/eco ... p:-gazprom

[Anthea]

Ukrainian UAV production destroyed

Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers were killed during the past few hours of fighting with Russia on various frontlines

Russian Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Sunday that President Vladimir Putin will discuss in his upcoming speech before the Federal Assembly the Russian operation in Ukraine, giving the issue a lot of attention.

"Our entire lives currently revolve around the special military operation, and this operation is one way or another affecting our lives and life on the continent, and therefore, of course, we must expect that President gives it plenty of attention," Peskov said.

According to Peskov, Putin's upcoming speech will be "one of the most important presidential activities over the past year."

It is highly expected for Putin to address the Federal Assembly on February 21, three days before the first anniversary of the Russian operation in Ukraine.
Russian missiles destroy UAV production line

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that long-range, high-precision guided missiles from the sea hit the deployment point of the 383rd Regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' drones near the city of Khmelnitsky, and the two artillery ammunition depots near the Grechani railway station in the Khmelnitsky district.

Moscow said Ukraine's losses amounted to around 70 dead and wounded, in addition to a tank, an armored personnel carrier, two armored vehicles, two D-30 cannons, and a D-20 howitzer.

Moreover, two ammunition and fuel depots of the 72nd Motorized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed near the village of Vodiane.

Furthermore, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov told reporters on Sunday that Russian forces hit 92 artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at firing positions in 118 districts during the last 24 hours.

"Army aviation, missile forces and artillery of groups of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed 92 artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at firing positions, as well as forces and equipment in 118 districts over the past day," he said.

Russian troops also destroyed Akatsiya, Gvozdika, and Msta-B howitzers, as well as four warehouses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with ammunition in the Kherson direction, Konashenkov revealed.

Meanwhile, he said, Russia's Southern Group of Forces killed some 250 Ukrainian servicemen and destroyed at least 12 pieces of equipment in the Donetsk direction.

Konashenkov said on Saturday that attack and army aircraft of Russia's Western group of forces defeated enemy units along the Kupyansk frontline in the past day.

"Attack and army aircraft, as well as artillery forces, defeated enemy units near the Novosyolovskoye settlement in the Lugansk People's Republic and the Zapadnoye, Masyutovka, and Krakhmalnoye settlements in the Kharkov Region," he said.

According to Konashenkov, "the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 80 troops, three armored combat vehicles, four cars, a Msta-B howitzer, and a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer."

Kunashenkov also reported that his country's Western group of forces completely controlled the Gryanikovka settlement in the Kharkov Region.

"The Gryanikovka settlement in the Kharkov Region has been completely liberated as a result of an offensive operation by the Western group of forces along the Kupyansk frontline," he said.

Russia's advances come after Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irna Vereshchuk urged on Friday all residents of Bakhmut to evacuate from the city immediately. "I appeal to the civilians who are still in Bakhmut. If you are adequate, law-abiding, and patriotic citizens, you must evacuate immediately," she wrote on Telegram.

The official declared that up to 6,000 people were still present in the city that was taken over by Russian forces, adding that staying could "expose them to danger...second, you are creating additional problems and risks for all those people who are trying to help you (the military, the national police, volunteers). Third, you prevent our defense and security forces from working normally in the city. Because they have to be concerned about your safety all the time. Therefore, I once again urge you to evacuate immediately."

A few days ago, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby warned that the city of Bakhmut may fall to Wagner forces, but it would not have a strategic bearing on the war as a whole.

Kirby acknowledged the recent advances made by Wagner in Bakhmut but noted that it's still uncertain whether the city will fall.

Bakhmut, which is situated north of Donetsk, holds strategic significance for the course of the war. The city has long been the transportation route of food and supplies for the Ukrainian troops stationed in the Donbass.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... ction-line

[Anthea]

Ukraine launched 40 rockets

Ukrainian forces launched a cascade of 40 rockets at central Donetsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) on Sunday, targeting 7 residential and business areas that were already bombed previously

According to the DPR joint coordination center, the missiles struck the neighborhoods of Kievsky and Voroshilovsky in just the span of two minutes, and a Sputnik correspondent added that throughout the day, bangs were continuously heard across the city.

Donetsk Mayor Alexei Kulemzin confirmed that a library, a school building, a park, and multiple homes have been hit as a result.

Back in December, Ukrainian troops shelled the city of Donetsk using BM-21 Grad rockets and according to the DPR mission, two people, including a teenager, were injured in the shelling. Ukrainian troops also shelled the city of Horlivka overnight.

It is noteworthy that on September 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, signed agreements on the accession of these territories to Russia, following referenda that showed that an overwhelming majority of the local population supported becoming part of Russia.

The Russian troops were able to free Nikolayevka in the DPR this month after fully liberating Kurdyumovka by downing four Ukrainian drones and 15 HIMARS rockets.

"In the Donetsk area, volunteers of assault units with the fire support of missile troops and artillery of the southern battlegroup liberated the settlement of Nikolayevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic as a result of successful offensive operations."

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... ghborhoods