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President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday put a price on how much is needed for Ukraine to survive the winter, pleading some 800 million euros (U.S.$840+ million) is necessary to help his country survive Russia’s bombing of its civilian infrastructure. The call comes as Moscow has switched tactics since October when it began airstrikes targeting Ukraine’s energy network, plunging millions into cold and darkness at the onset of winter. As AFP reports, Zelensky made the request for more cash donations to help the country’s energy sector at an international conference in Paris, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, designed to raise...

Interesting live stream round table analyst discussion of where the Ukraine war is now and how it is likely to end. These analysts agree that there is not likely to be "big arrow" moves, but rather grinding of Ukraine with slow Russian territorial gains and continued huge Ukrainian casualties. They see no possibility of a negotiated settlement and are particularly critical of Angela Merkle's recent disclosure that the Minsk agreements were always a sham in order to buy time for Ukraine to prepare for war. They believe Russia has come to the conclusion that the West can never be trusted...

Dec 12, 2022 Russian leader Vladimir Putin made the biggest mistake of his life by invading Ukraine! Reactions against Putin's rule in Russia are growing every day! Soldiers in the Russian army have also started to revolt. Russia is experiencing the most chaotic period in its history! Experts say Russia is in grave danger! So how did the process turn out like this? How is Putin, who wanted to bring about the end of Ukraine, bringing about the end of Russia? What danger is Russia in? Let's answer these questions one by one! First of all, we need to rewind...

Due to the risks bound up with the novelty of the technology of biometric data, the Church stands for the fundamental right of citizens to refuse biometric identification, according to the head of the Russian Church. In a letter to the Chairman of the Russian State Duma regarding a large on biometric personal data adopted in October, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill notes that while technological developments are welcome, “the Church has always called for people to remember the risks they inevitably bring with them,” reports patriarchia.ru. As the Patriarch notes, the Russian Council of Bishops adopted a document on personal...

MOSCOW. Dec 12 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian authorities have imposed sanctions for five years against some prominent figures of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church who Kiev believes are pro-Russian. Among them are seven clergymen, including Metropolitan Antony of Borispol and Brovary, manager of affairs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Panteleimon of Lugansk and Alchevsk, Metropolitan Luka of Zaporozhye and Melitopol, and Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernovtsy and Bukoviny, the Ukrainian media reported. The Security Service of Ukraine's sanctions lists also include Archbishop Paisiy of Konstantinovsky (vicar of the Gorlovka diocese), Archimandrite Ioann (Prokopenko) of the Zaporozhye diocese, and Archimandrite Alexiy (Fyodorov)...

NATO's head said earlier this month that Russia may want the fighting to slow, seeking a "freeze" in the fighting so it can better prepare for a bigger assault next year. "What we see now is Russia is actually trying to have some kind of 'freeze' of this war at least for a short period of time so they can regroup, repair, recover," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. "And then try to launch a bigger offensive next spring." The UK Ministry of Defence predicted on Monday that Russian forces will not see any big gains over the winter, even...

An enormous 100-foot-wide sinkhole nicknamed the “Gate to Hell” has opened up near a popular Russian ski resort, prompting a handful of evacuations and a pause in operations until further notice. The sinkhole collapsed at a nearby mine in Siberia’s Kemerovo region that is owned by a British company linked to billionaire Roman Abramovich. Aerial footage of the collapse shows the sinkhole formed near the side of a road, with at least one house teetering toward the crater. Residents of four nearby houses were evacuated over the past few days due to warnings about the collapse, and no casualties have...

By attacking the energy infrastructure of Ukraine, Russia is trying to 'flood' Europe with a new wave of refugees, Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal told French broadcaster TF-1 on Dec. 12. Shmyhal was arguing for Ukraine to be given access to Patriot anti-air systems, suggesting the batteries are needed to protect the country from Russian attacks, which routinely leave millions of Ukrainian without power, water, or heating.

The Russian military is quickly running out of artillery and rocket ammunition, Pentagon officials said Monday, and the Russian army can only sustain its current rate of attack in Ukraine until early next year. A senior U.S. defense official told reporters on a conference call that Moscow is increasingly turning to Iran and North Korea to replenish its “rapidly dwindling” stockpiles of rocket and artillery rounds,...

Ukraine needs “about two billion cubic meters” of additional gas to get through the winter, President Volodymyr Zelensky told G7 nations on Monday.During a video conference he also urged the G7 to send more weapons to Ukraine, including “modern tanks” as well as “rocket artillery and more long-range missiles”. “Unfortunately, Russia still has the advantage in artillery and missiles. This is a fact. These capabilities of the occupying army are the ones to fuel the Kremlin’s arrogance,” Zelensky said.

Russian forces have been attempting to seize Bakhmut in Ukraine’s Donetsk region for at least seven months. But in recent weeks, the battle in and around the city has become one of the fiercest of the nine-month war in Ukraine. Bakhmut, which sits above a vast salt mine and is famed for its Soviet-era winery, has been badly damaged — and in parts totally destroyed — by constant shelling. Russia’s determination to take Bakhmut has puzzled many observers, who question Moscow’s huge commitment of resources to the fight despite the city’s relative lack of strategic significance. The Moscow Times considers...

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not hold his annual year-end press conference for the first time in a decade, prompting speculation that the Russian leader is sick or running scared from answering questions about Ukraine as the war enters its 10th month. “As for the big press conference, yes, it won’t happen before the New Year,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday. “But we hope that the president will still find an opportunity to talk with [journalists], as he regularly does, including during foreign [visits],” Peskov added. While Peskov gave no reason behind the move, the war in Ukraine...

The reactions to the lopsided Brittney Griner/Viktor Bout swap are still coming in.Here’s Derek Maltz, former DEA Special Operations Director, talking with Fox News, describing the effort they made to put Bout in jail, what a danger he was to the world, and that he was convicted on serious terrorism charges. He notes that even the Obama administration got how serious this was and Joe Biden was the Vice President at the time, so he had to know what a danger Bout was to the world. “Putin has just established a new tool,” Maltz said, and others will “take advantage...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday thanked President Biden for “unprecedented” support the U.S. has provided as the country’s fight against Russia enters the rough winter months. “I had a phone call with U.S. President Joseph Biden and thanked for the unprecedented defense and financial assistance that the U.S. provides to Ukraine,” Zelensky said in a post on his Telegram account. “This not only helps succeed on the battlefield, but also maintains the stability of the Ukrainian economy.” The Ukrainian president also thanked the U.S. for aid to restore Ukraine’s battered energy system and “emphasized the importance” of shoring up...

Igor Girkin, a Russian army veteran and former defense minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, was among those who "directly" criticized the Russian leader. According to the ISW, Girkin "specifically criticized" Putin's statement on December 9 that described the progress of the "special military operation" as "stable." In a Telegram post, Girkin said: "[Putin] "assured us that the Special Military Operation was proceeding normally, calmly, according to plan (however, this time he did not add anything about being ahead of schedule)." In addition, the ISW added in its assessment that Russian authorities planned to launch programs in Russia and...

It’s a video but here you are: —————————————————— 0:00 well let's look just at the near term 0:02 it's very hard to to look ahead of those 0:05 who do it usually get burned and 0:07 chastised for it but let's look at weeks 0:11 or maybe a month ahead and talk about 0:14 what the war termination operation that 0:17 the role that the Russians hope to to 0:20 launch might look like and what its 0:23 objectives would be not that we know 0:24 anything about what would actually 0:27 happen but if as I think we're both...

VLADIMIR Putin has cancelled his annual press conference for the first time in 10 years and axed his New Year's Eve party at the Kremlin. It comes amid ongoing rumours about his poor health and his struggles with Russia's disastrous war in Ukraine. Putin has been speculated to be suffering ailments from cancer to Parkinson's - and has repeatedly appeared unwell on camera. And meanwhile, there is growing dissatisfaction with his failing war as Russia fast approaches 100,000 casualties in Ukraine. Since 2012, the final press conference of the President of Russia has always been held in December. The seemingly...

The Pentagon has given its tacit endorsement of Ukrainian attacks inside Russian territory and no longer fears such operations could lead to a “dramatic” Russian escalation, The Times reported on Friday, citing unnamed US defense officials. The US position appears to only be based on the fact that up to this point, Russia hasn’t responded to attacks on its territory with nuclear weapons or by attacking NATO countries. The Times report reads: “Moscow’s revenge attacks have to date all involved conventional missile strikes against civilian targets. Previously, the Pentagon was warier of Ukraine attacking Russia because it feared the Kremlin...

Governor of Luhansk region said Ukrainian forces attacked a hotel in Kadiivka Serhiy Gaidai said survivors face inadequate medical services to treat them Ukrainian officials also claim up to 200 Russian troops were killed in Melitopol But President Zelensky said situation 'remains very difficult' in frontline cities Serhiy Gaidai (pictured), the governor of the Russian-occupied Luhansk region, told Ukrainian television that Ukrainian forces have attacked a hotel where members of Russia's brutal private Wagner military group were based Ukrainian forces have attacked a hotel where members of Russia's brutal private Wagner military group were based, killing many, a local leader...

U.S. aid to Ukraine totals $68 billion, and the White House has just asked Congress for another $37.7 billion. In the spring, the new Congress will consider aid in the context of the administration’s proposed FY 2024 budget. With these decisions ahead, it is worth reviewing how much aid there has been, what that aid does, and what the administration is requesting. Such a review turns up some surprises and will help clarify discussions about future aid packages.Q1: How much aid has there been?A1: Congress has passed three aid packages. The first in March ($13.6 billion) was tacked onto the...