Air-raid siren sounds in Ukraine, Russian missile launche

"The head of the Mykolaiv OMA, Vitalii Kim reported that the Russians launched missiles at
Ukraine." Pravada

Missile flies into house and does not explode in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast

"A missile flew into a house and did not explode in a village in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast during the massive attack by Russia." Pravada

Dozens of Missiles Blast Ukraine Again, Widespread Power Cuts

"Ukraine has been hit with a "massive" attack of over 120 missiles across the country and
cutting electricity in the west...The capital of Kyiv also saw limited strikes, and is still facing rolling blackouts and even bouts of water shortages. ." Breitbart

Belarus shoots down Ukrainian missile

"Belarusian forces intercepted and destroyed a Ukrainian S-300 anti-air missile the Defense
Ministry said.

According to the MOD, parts of the missile fell on agricultural land near the village of Gorbakha in the country’s southwestern Brest Region, which shares a border with Ukraine. There were no casualties." RT

Global shipping insurers to scrap coverage for Russia, Ukraine and Belarus

"A group of companies known as P&I (protection and indemnity) clubs that offer insurance for the majority of the world’s ocean-going ships will stop providing war risk coverage in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus from January 1, according to notices on the groups’ websites." RT

Russian ammunition storage points in Kadiivka detonate for more than 20 hours

"Ukrainian Armed Forces targeted Russian ammunition storage points in Kadiivka, Luhansk
Oblast, .....the ammunition has been detonating for almost a day." Pravada

Drunken conscript beats senior officer to death in Russia

"A drunk senior sergeant attacked a captain in a compartment of a staff carriage of a military
train at Misyash station.

It is noted that both servicemen were called up following mobilization.

The senior officer died on the spot from his injuries.

A criminal case was opened on this incident under the article on "violent actions against a senior officer committed during a mobilisation period." Pravada

Putin bans all oil sales to ‘price cap’ states

"The presidential decree bans the supply of oil and petroleum products from Russia to
countries which apply a price cap in their contracts. It also prohibits deliveries if the contracts directly or indirectly specify the cap." RT

Family of eight shot dead in occupied Makiivka, the youngest was 1 year old

"A family of eight people, including four children, has been shot dead in temporarily occupied
Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast. The occupation authorities claimed that the killers were common thieves, who had already been apprehended, but Petro Andriushchenko, Adviser to the Mayor of Mariupol, suggests that the murder was committed by mercenaries from the Wagner Group." Pravada

Russian forces hit Kherson, damaging kindergarten and medical aid station

"Russian troops have attacked a critical infrastructure facility in Kherson using artillery. A kindergarten and an emergency medical aid station have also been damaged following the Russian attack." Pravada

Russian Troops Eliminate Composite Group Of Foreign Mercenaries In DPR

"Russian troops eliminated a composite tactical group of foreign mercenaries during offensive
operations in the Donetsk direction and defeated units of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade of Ukraine's armed forces in the area of the village of Rozdolivka in the DPR......Up to 60 Ukrainian military personnel and mercenaries, as well as four armored vehicles and three pickup trucks were irrevocably destroyed by Russian troops." UrduPoint

Explosions reported in Russian city of Engels, air-raid siren sounded

"An air-raid siren has been sounded over the Engels airfield, in Saratov Oblast of the Russian Federation; explosions have been reported." Pravada

US Spies Pushed Twitter to Censor ‘Anti-Ukraine Narratives’

"The Pentagon, CIA and other US intelligence and law-enforcement agencies became

increasingly “more aggressive” with takedown requests, the latest trove of Twitter files has revealed. The documents suggest the agencies were effectively pushing the platform to censor foreign-policy stories that ran against the Washington-approved narrative.

“The files show the FBI acting as doorman to a vast program of social media surveillance and censorship, encompassing agencies across the federal government – from the State Department to the Pentagon to the CIA,” journalist Matt Taibbi wrote in the Christmas Eve edition of the Twitter Files, released with the blessing of the social media platform’s owner, Elon Musk.

Thousands of censorship requests flowed to Twitter from what were termed OGA” in the documents, or “Other Government Organizations,” through the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force. 

Twitter executives often struggled to validate government claims, but were under constant pressure to find evidence to blame any foreign actor, Russia in particular.

“Found no links to Russia,” an unnamed analyst said in one of the emails, later suggesting he could “brainstorm” to “find a stronger connection.” Former Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth admitted in another instance that he’d found “no real matches using the info.” IW

New trade route helps Russia and Iran bypass sanctions

"Russia and Iran are building a new transcontinental trade route and are rapidly expanding supply chains, having stepped up mutual cargo deliveries across the Caspian Sea." RT

South Korean plane crashes while intercepting North Korean drones

"A South Korean KA-1 light aircraft crashed as it scrambled to intercept North Korean drones
that had intruded into South Korean airspace, Seoul’s military said, as cited by Yonhap news agency. Both pilots reportedly emerged unscathed. According to an official cited by Yonhap, the military detected multiple “unidentified objects,” suspected to be unmanned aerial vehicles, in the Gyeonggi-do province bordering on North Korea." RT

Taiwan describes scale of Beijing’s ‘strike drills’

"China has launched large-scale naval and aerial maneuvers around Taiwan, involving
dozens of aircraft, days after Washington’s pledge to provide additional military aid to Taipei.

A total of 71 jet fighters, anti-submarine planes, electronic warfare aircraft and reconnaissance drones, together with seven naval ships, have been spotted close to Taiwan in the last 24 hours, the self-governing island’s Defense Ministry said.

Taipei scrambled its own jets and Navy vessels, and also used land-based missile batteries, to monitor the movement of Beijing’s forces." RT

Putin 100% Sure US-Supplied Patriot Systems Will Be Destroyed In Ukraine

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to destroy the Patriot anti-air missile systems
that the Biden White House pledged to supply Ukraine days ago.He said that he's 100% certain that Russian forces will eradicate them when they appear inside Ukraine. "Of course, we’ll take them out, 100%!" he emphasized." ZH

Ukrainian air forces struck enemy positions - Russian troops shelled Ukrainian forces

"Ukrainian air forces have struck enemy positions twice, and Ukraine’s missile and artillery units have hit five Russian command posts and one enemy personnel cluster.

In the Siverskyi direction, Russian troops shelled the positions of Ukrainian forces near the Sumy region’s Vyntorivka, Manukhivka, Ryzhivka and Vorozhba." Ukrin

Russian forces hit centre of Kherson, killing 8 and wounding dozens of people

"Russian troops have hit the center of Kherson....eight people have been killed and 35
wounded." Pravada

Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group sneak into Ukraine, Sumy territorial defence engage in combat

"The Territorial Defence Forces of Sumy Oblast destroyed a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group that crossed the state border of Ukraine..... Territorial Defence Forces engaged in combat with the Russians in the area of Krasnopillia hromada." Pravada

Biden signs defense budget with $800M in aid for Ukraine

"U.S. President Joe Biden has signed into law an act that allocates funding for the U.S. national defense and which provides, among other things, $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine." Ukrin

The Washington Post broke story that even though Western leaders were quick to accuse Moscow of blowing up the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines, after months of investigation no evidence has been found to back the allegation

"The recent disclosure by The Washington Post that there is no evidence Russia is behind the
Nord Stream pipeline blasts is yet another example of the flimsy information war the West is desperately and recklessly waging against Russia, but at the same time losing," Scott Bennett, former US Army psychological warfare officer and US State Department counterterrorism analyst said." Sputnik

Kremlin assesses Zelensky-Biden meeting

"Washington seems intent on waging a proxy war against Russia using Ukraine as a tool,
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said. He added that the main takeaway from Wednesday’s meeting between the two countries’ leaders is that neither the US nor Ukraine is prepared to pay attention to Russia’s concerns." RT

Russia strikes Kramatorsk with missiles

"Russian military launched two missile strikes at the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast."
Pravada

US reveals more details of Patriot handover to Ukraine

"The Biden administration has confirmed the US will provide Ukraine with the Patriot air
defense system. Washington also revealed Ukrainian troops would be trained in the use of the sophisticated weapon in a third country, without elaborating on where exactly it would take place." RT

Russian City Suffers Casualties - 14,000 Without Power After Ukraine Cross Border Attack

"One civilian was killed, another eight people were wounded, and a poultry farm was damaged in Ukrainian shelling in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, the region’s governor said.

 Further he said, "An estimated 14,000 residents are still without power supply. Emergency crews are starting to reconnect the grid to backup power sources." ZH

Armed Forces of Ukraine repel Russian attacks near 10 settlements in Donbas

"Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled enemy attacks near 10 settlements in Luhansk and
Donetsk regions....Defense Forces of Ukraine repelled the occupiers’ attacks near Stelmakhivka, Chervonopopivka, Serebrianske in Luhansk region and Verkhniokamyanske, Pidhorodne, Bakhmut, Opytne, Kurdiumivka, Krasnohorivka, Marinka in Donetsk region." UKRIN

 

Putin Embraced By Lukashenko In Rare State Visit As Fears Mount Belarus Could Join Offensive

"Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the situation in neighboring Ukraine is "escalating" just before receiving a rare in-country visit by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. In statements published by the presidential press service, Lukashenko sought to refute rumors and allegations that Moscow is essentially running the country." ZeroHedge

Russia switches Europeans to horses and donkeys

"Making high fuel price threats, Russian propaganda spreads "European" ad shot in Moscow suburbs. A "social video" is being given out in Russian state mass media and Telegram channels. The video shows a man getting on a horse-drawn Mini Cooper in a parking lot, while the car is filled with hay. Another hero of the video tries to ride a donkey.

The video ends with "good" advice in English with Russian subtitles: "Dear Europeans, switch to alternative transport because soon petrol will be too expensive." Ukrin

Russians hit Kherson city center, injuring three people, one in serious condition

"Russian troops shelled Kherson city again." Ukrin

New details emerge about Ukrainian ‘gift’ explosion at Polish police HQ

"A grenade launcher that allegedly exploded at a Polish police headquarters, injuring a top
commander, had not been subjected to any border or customs checks as it arrived in the country from Ukraine, Poland’s Zet radio has reported.

The weapon had been delivered to Poland by train, which runs between Ukraine and the Polish border town of Przemysl, sources told the outlet on Friday.

Poland has demanded explanations from the Ukrainian side over the incident." RT

 

Russian Diplomat Hospitalized In Mail-Bomb 'Terror Attack'

"Russian government has said one of its diplomats stationed in the Central African Republic was hospitalized Friday after opening a letter bomb, which detonated upon opening. "Dmitry Sitiy, who runs the Bangui branch of Russian House, a state-funded cultural center that promotes Russian culture around the world, collected a parcel addressed to him from a DHL office earlier on Friday, according to a source in the Russian Embassy cited by news agency RIA Novosti," The Moscow Times writes." ZH

Poland Demands Answers After 'Gift' Police Chief Received From Ukraine Officials Exploded

"Poland's police chief Jaroslaw Szymczyk was hospitalized after a "gift" package that he
received exploded, according to international reports, after a recent string of similar exploding mail and package incidents across Europe believed related to the war in Ukraine. 

Poland's Interior Ministry confirmed, "Yesterday at 7:50 a.m., an explosion occurred in a room adjacent to the office of the Police Chief." It's said that Szymczyk only sustained minor injuries. "During the Police Chief's working visit to Ukraine on December 11-12 this year, where he met with the heads of the Ukrainian Police and Emergency Situations Service, he received some gifts, one of which exploded," the statement detailed." ZH

Ukraine hits Donetsk with worst shelling in eight years

"The city of Donetsk has been subjected to the largest-scale Ukrainian artillery attack since the region rebelled against Kiev in the wake of the 2014 armed coup in Kiev, local officials have said. A cathedral was among the buildings hit by Kiev’s artillery." RT

Vatican apologizes to Russia

"The Vatican has issued a formal apology to Russia for derogatory remarks made by Pope Francis last month about some ethnic groups in the country, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

The ministry received the message on Thursday from Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. It expressed the Holy See’s respect for “all peoples of Russia, their dignity, faith and culture, just like all other nations and peoples of the world,” Zakharova told a press briefing.

Pope Francis made a negative generalized assessment of the character of Buryats and Chechens, two of the many ethnic groups living in Russia, in an interview published in late November. He described them as “of Russia but… not of the Russian tradition” and claimed that such people were “the cruelest” of the Russian troops in Ukraine." RT

Enemy launches 23 airstrikes on civilian infrastructure

"During the day  Russia launched 23 airstrikes and seven missile strikes on the civilian
infrastructure of the towns of Kurakhove and Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region." Ukein

Ukraine Seizes Assets Of Russian Orthodox Clerics

"Ukraine has ratcheted up its campaign against a branch of the Eastern Orthodox church with
ties to Russia. On the order of President Volodymyr Zelensky, seven senior clerics from the Russian Orthodox church will have their assets seized and face bans on a range of economic and legal activities." ZH

Vladimir Putin called “archangel” and “God-loving Ruler” in prayer books for soldiers

"A prayer for the Russian dictator is conspicuous in the booklet. “Give Victory to Supreme Commander Vladimir, brave Archangel and God-loving Ruler of Russia,” one of the lines reads. Above the prayer is a cross symbol, and to its left and right are Kalashnikov assault rifles.

Vladimir Putin is called in the prayer book “the archangel – the leader of the heavenly hosts”, thus being compared to the archangel Michael." PolandNews

Russian forces hit Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast

"Russian invaders struck the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast.....The air-raid siren was sounded in the city from 12:50 to 13:30." Pravada

Situation in Kosovo resembles Ukraine

"The ongoing standoff in Kosovo bears an uncanny resemblance to the Donbass crisis,
Russia's envoy to Belgrade Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko told Rossiya 24 TV channeL.

“The whole situation, everything, including Pristina’s attitude towards the Kosovo Serbs, resembles, although on a smaller scale, what has happened and is still happening in Ukraine,” the diplomat said. The West is also treating the ethnic Albanian government in Kosovo the same way it has Kiev, he argued. 

Comparing the Donbass crisis to tensions in Kosovo, the ambassador added that “Pristina’s desire … to take control over all of Kosovo, including the regions inhabited by Serbs, at all cost” is what “lies at the heart” of this standoff. Any further escalation would lead to more drastic consequences, Botsan-Kharchenko warned." RT

India accuses China over Himalayan border unrest

"Beijing has been accused of trying to “unilaterally” change the status quo on the disputed Himalayan border between India and China, according to a statement by India’s defense ministry on Tuesday.

Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh last week, marking the first altercation between the two nuclear-armed powers in nearly two years. New Delhi said soldiers from both sides sustained only minor injuries.  AFP reported at least six Indian soldiers were injured in the scuffle." RT

Russian forces hit Kherson using MLRS and artillery

"Russian military launched another artillery attack on Kherson and its suburbs. A woman has been killed, and four people have been injured. " Pravada

Who Is Purposely Sabotaging Power Plants All Over America?

"Someone has been attacking power plants all over the country, and federal authorities are
trying to determine who it is.  In recent days, we have seen significant sabotage on both the east and west coasts, and so it can’t just be one individual that is responsible. 

The recent incident in North Carolina was particularly alarming.

At approximately 7 PM on Saturday night, gunfire erupted at two electrical substations in Moore County.  Officials are calling this “an intentional and coordinated attack”…

Duke Energy restored power to all of its North Carolina customers Wednesday evening, four days after 45,000 customers were left in the dark after what officials have said was an intentional and coordinated attack on two substations in Moore County. Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields has said a motive for the attack is not known. It is also not clear what kind of protective measures were in place to prevent such an assault." ZH

Paratroopers smash Russian sabotage group near Bakhmut

"Members of the 71st Separate Hunting Brigade of the Air Assault Troops of the Armed
Forces of Ukraine smashed a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group in Bakhmut district, Donetsk region." UF

Ukraine's Armed Forces repel attacks near 11 settlements

"Over the past day, the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled Russia’s attacks in the
areas of Novoselivske, Andriivka, Chervonopopivka, Zhytlivka, Serebrianske, Bilohorivka settlements in Luhansk region; Verkhniokamyanske, Soledar, Bakhmutske, Pidhorodne, and Bakhmut in Donetsk region." UF

Sanctions on Russia are backfiring – former Austrian vice-chancellor

"Western sanctions imposed on Moscow have failed to make a dent in Russia’s economy and
ultimately only hurt Europeans, former Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache has said. He also accused eupolicymakers of turning a blind eye to the deadly fighting in Donbass, which he said served as a prelude to the current conflict for many years." RT

Putin responds to Merkel bombshell

"Putin has said he is “disappointed” by former German chancellor Angela Merkel’s recent
comments regarding the Minsk agreements – the now defunct roadmap for peace in Ukraine – which she admitted was a ruse to buy Ukraine more time to build up its military. 

“What can you say to that?” Putin said during a press conference, adding that he was shocked to hear such a confession from the former German leader, having believed that Russia’s partners in Berlin “treated us with sincerity.” RT

Putin Admits to Troop Desertions

"Putin insisted that troop desertions were not a large-scale problem and that they were
occurring “less and less now.”Breitbart

“WE GOT OUR SPY BACK”; Ex-Kremlin Aide Celebrates Big Victory For Russia After Biden Gets Played By Putin

"Former Putin aide Sergei Markov wrote a blistering series of Telegram messages on Thursday celebrating how Putin “outplayed” Biden in the prisoner swap that brought Brittney Griner back to the US in exchange for Viktor Bout, who government officials have called “one of the most dangerous men on the face of the earth."

“Putin outplayed Biden,” Markov wrote on Telegram. “We got back our spy, it seems, and gave away a normal girl,” he continued." TP

Trump Goes Scorched Earth After Biden Trades Brittney Griner for “Merchant of Death”

"Former President Trump unleashed on Joe Biden after he traded WNBA player Brittney
Griner for Russian arms dealer, the “Merchant of Death.”

“What kind of a deal is it to swap Brittney Griner, a basketball player who openly hates our Country, for the man known as “The Merchant of Death,” who is one of the biggest arms dealers anywhere in the World, and responsible for tens of thousands of deaths and horrific injuries,” Trump wrote. “Why wasn’t former Marine Paul Whelan included in this totally one-sided transaction? He would have been let out for the asking. What a “stupid” and unpatriotic embarrassment for the USA!!" PJmedia