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KYIV, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces have pulled out of the embattled eastern town of Siversk, Kyiv's military said on Tuesday, as Russian troops wage a battlefield offensive aimed at threatening key cities critical to Ukraine's defences in the east.The fall of Siversk comes with Ukraine under U.S. pressure to quickly negotiate peace in the nearly four-year-old war triggered by Russia's invasion, and puts Russian forces closer to the hub of Sloviansk, some 30 km (20 miles) to the west.The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.Sloviansk is a...

Stanislav Orlov, the founder of the Russian reconnaissance and sabotage brigade “Espanola”, has been killed in Russia, Militarnyi reported on December 19, citing Russian war correspondents and statements from the unit itself. According to information published by pro-Russian military bloggers, Orlov, known by the callsign “Spaniard,” died from gunshot wounds sustained during his detention. He was reportedly accused of illegally misappropriating 1.5 billion rubles (approximately $18.5 million). The pro-Kremlin outlet Mash claimed that Orlov had been in a coma for several days prior to his death, though the exact cause of the coma was not disclosed. Orlov arrived in the...

MOSCOW (AP) — A car bomb killed a Russian general on Monday, the third such killing of a senior military officer in a year. Investigators said Ukraine may be behind the attack. Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff, died from his injuries, said Svetlana Petrenko, the spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee, the nation’s top criminal investigation agency. “Investigators are pursuing numerous lines of inquiry regarding the murder. One of these is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services,” Petrenko said. Since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine nearly...

The Russian leader explained that the relationship between Donald Trump and European elites backing Democrats was not surprisingMOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. European political elites aligned with Democrats directly meddled in the US elections, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference headlined "Results of the Year.""Donald Trump was once accused of Russia interfering in the elections, but it was not confirmed. All Congress investigations were fruitless, there was no Russian interference. By contrast, European political elites did interfere, and they did so directly. It was completely obvious, visible, and unabashed," Putin said....

It was publicly stated that there would be no NATO expansion to the east and the West "couldn't care less" about these promises, the Russian leader notedMOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. Russia does not deny anyone the right to security, but insists that promises made to it be fulfilled, including on NATO not expanding eastward, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at an expanded meeting of the Defense Ministry’s board. "I'm not even talking about NATO expansion, although that's obvious. Today, we are told that we have no right to force anyone to resolve their security issues the way we want, nor...

The New York Times’ recent report about his government’s responsibility for the worst corruption scandal in Ukraine’s history suggests that the walls are closing in and his foreign media allies are jumping ship out of desperation to retain some of their credibility after years of deifying him. It was earlier assessed that “Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Investigation Is Turning Into A Rolling Coup” after it took down Zelensky’s grey cardinal Andrey Yermak, consequently weakened the already shaky alliance keeping him in power, and thus placed more pressure upon him to cede Donbass. The latest development concerns the New York Times’ (NYT) report...

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it has struck a Russian submarine in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk using underwater drones, calling the operation a major breakthrough in naval warfare. Ukrainian authorities released video footage showing a near-surface explosion alongside a vessel, which Kyiv claims was a modern Russian submarine valued at up to $400 million. According to the SBU, the attack was carried out using “Sea Baby” underwater drones, a Ukrainian-developed system designed for stealth operations against naval targets. The agency said the blast left the submarine critically damaged and unable to operate. “This is the first time a...

Astonishing footage showed Vladimir Putin’s £300million Kilo class attack sub being obliterated by “Sea Baby” drones at a key Russian port. Ukraine’s state-of-the-art devices entered a sprawling Russian naval base completely undetected in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, 1,575km from Kyiv. In the dramatic footage, an enormous explosion sends chunks of debris showering over other parked ships moments after the sophisticated strike. The devastating blitz marks a huge blow to Mad Vlad’s bloody war in Ukraine. Putin’s multimillion-pound vessel suffered critical damage following the unprecedented attack and is now out of action according to Ukraine’s SBU special operations chiefs....

For those who understand the basics of attrition warfare, the outcome of the fight in Ukraine was obvious a long time ago. Russia's superior logistical position along with its grinding offensive tactics have worn down Ukraine's defenses and left the country with a desperate manpower shortage. The recent capture of the vital hub of Pokrovsk has now opened the door to an accelerating Russian advance. The Russian offensive is gaining significant ground from Pokrovsk to the north, all the way to Kupiansk. The strategic city of Siversk is now largely under control of Russia according to geo-location mapping. Myrnohrad, also...

U.S. satellites have detected suspicious activity deep inside Siberia, and analysts fear it may signal a major Russian strategic breakthrough. In this urgent breakdown, John Mearsheimer examines why this development has captured the immediate attention of Washington, NATO, and intelligence communities worldwide. Early assessments indicate unusual construction, heat signatures, and movement patterns consistent with advanced weapons testing or new strategic infrastructure. With limited visibility inside Russia’s interior, these satellite images are raising serious questions about Moscow’s next move. In this video, we cover: ✔️ What U.S. satellites spotted in Siberia ✔️ Why analysts believe this may be a breakthrough ✔️...

In contrast to the warmongers, President Trump has continuously said, “I want everybody to stop dying.”So, what’s preventing peace? Russian President Putin offered peace December 25, 2022, January 6, 2023, and again on June 14, 2024, with TASS reporting Putin offered “another real peace proposal to Kiev,” stating, “These parameters were generally agreed upon by everyone back during the Istanbul talks in 2022.” Yet, all of these proposals were rejected by Zelensky, the Biden administration, and the Brennen-infested CIA.Remember, this mess started in 2014 with Biden and the CIA in Kyiv toppling the duly elected pro-Russian president of Ukraine, because...

Military analyst Denys Popovych said on Radio NV that Russian troops are currently encircled near Kupyansk and explained how Ukrainian forces carried out a successful operation there on Dec. 13. There are now encircled Russian army units in the city that are clearly in the final stage of their presence there. Cleanup operations are ongoing, and it is impossible to predict when they will end. Why do the Russians make such statements about capturing Kupyansk? They are taking territory on credit. They need it to demonstrate that they are advancing and achieving success. They lost Kupyansk during our Kharkiv counteroffensive,...

Yesterday, an incident occurred in one of Russia’s bomber aviation regiments involving an aircraft that was parked inside a shelter. According to the Russian propagandist Fighterbomber, the ejection system accidentally activated on board. As a result, both the pilot and the navigator were killed, suffering fatal injuries. The incident likely involved either a Su-34 fighter-bomber or a Su-24 frontline bomber. Such cases occur due to improper maintenance of the ejection system or accidental activation.

On Sunday, December 7, US lawmakers unveiled the final text of the defense policy bill, which includes record funding for national security as well as aid for Ukraine, according to Reuters, Fox News, and AOL.Media reports state that the bill allocates $901 billion for military spending for fiscal year 2026-$8 billion more than what President Donald Trump requested in May of this year.The legislation also assists Ukraine.“The legislation reauthorizes the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative at $400 million per year for fiscal years 2026 and 2027,” Fox News reports.Additionally, the US Congress will require more frequent reporting on allied contributions to...

Ukraine will not surrender territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky declared Monday, rejecting a central Russian demand that President Donald Trump had incorporated into his latest proposal to end the Kremlin’s war. “Under our laws, under international law — and under moral law — we have no right to give anything away,” Zelensky said, after meeting with top European leaders to discuss Trump’s plan Monday. “That is what we are fighting for.” The unequivocal declaration that Ukraine will not surrender land could mark the collapse of Trump’s plan, which critics condemned as fulfilling a wish list of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelensky,...

Donald Trump Jr. made some not so surprising allegations against Ukraine at the Doha Forum in December. Donald Trump, Jr. recently made some noise about the ongoing Ukrainian War with Russia. Earlier this month Don Jr. unloaded on Ukrainian aid, telling fitness trainer and author, Jillian Michaels, that when he went to Monaco with his girlfriend, half of the super cars he saw on the street had Ukrainian plates. Via Chief Nerd. 🚨 Don Jr Goes Off on the Ukraine War“I was actually in Monaco earlier this summer … and every other car there was an Italian supercar, like a...

Luxury mansions, duffel bags stacked full of cash, and a golden toilet. These are just some of the excesses that members of Volodymyr Zelensky's inner circle enjoyed as Russian missiles rained down on civilians, according to Ukraine's top anticorruption agencies. The scandal had old-school elements: its co-conspirators are accused of employing code names for each other such as 'Professor', 'Sugarman', 'Karlson', and 'Rocket' as they lined their pockets amid Moscow's years-long invasion. The corruption crisis sweeping Zelensky's government could not have occurred at a more pivotal moment in the country's history, as it thrashes out a peace proposal that will...

Donald Trump may walk away from the Ukrainian war, the US president’s oldest son has said in comments to a Middle East conference. In a lengthy tirade against the purpose of continued fighting in Ukraine, Donald Trump Jr also said Ukraine’s “corrupt” rich had fled their country leaving “what they believed to be the peasant class” to fight the war. Trump Jr has no formal role inside his father’s administration, but is a key figure in the Maga movement. His intervention reflects the antipathy among some inside the Trump team towards the Ukrainian government, and comes as Trump’s negotiating team...

Moldova is working with the European Union and the United States on a plan to reintegrate the separatist region of Transnistria, a process officials describe as sensitive and requiring full discretion, according to the Romanian daily Adevarul. Transnistria, on the left bank of the Dniester, has operated for more than three decades as a de facto entity sustained politically, militarily and economically by Moscow since the 1992 conflict. The renewed focus on reintegration comes as Chișinău accelerates its EU accession efforts and seeks stronger Western backing for its security and state consolidation agenda.

Norway will allocate $7 billion dollars to Ukraine for defense needs next year. Additionally, Ukraine and Norway will launch joint defense production on Ukrainian territory, according to a post by Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, Denys Shmyhal. Shmyhal reported that during his working visit to Norway, he met with his counterpart, Tore Sandvik, and received an invitation to a meeting of the defense ministers of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). Ukraine will participate in this format for the first time.