51 minutes ago, t0mt0m said:

Zelensky said... I remember this pesky little liar/beggar once SAID that rocket which killed 2 Polish citizens by ukrainian border was shot from Russia. He (altogether with his US/UK/EU principals) was trying to get us involved into this crappy "war" by SAYING that we (Poland) have to "go into action" against Russia. Investigation proved the rocket was ukrainian , shot from ukrainian territory. Warmongering at its best. ukraks refused to cooperate with polish government in this matter, media swept the case under the rug. Until now no apology was issued and no compensation for victims families. Zelensky says what his principals want him to say or what his tiny, banderite brain tells him to say.

Russia is the agressor in this war.

Ukrainian defense forces maintain control over the northern part of Pokrovsk, and all attempts by Russian troops to break through the defenses north of the railway remain unsuccessful, according to the 7th Corps of the Air Assault Forces

 

Due to failures in this direction, the occupiers have intensified attacks on the western outskirts of Pokrovsk. The enemy’s main objective remains reaching the Hryshyne area, but all offensive actions are being blocked by Ukrainian units.

 

 

 

 

In Myrnohrad, the operational situation remains difficult. Air Assault and Marine units have been involved in the city’s defense. Ukrainian forces continue strengthening their grouping to repel pressure from the northeast and south. This has been made possible thanks to control over the logistical corridor in the Svitlo and Rivne area.

 

Russian attacks stall as Ukrainian marines hold Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad

Ukraine's defense forces struck the Syzran oil refinery and a number of other Russian occupier targets on the night of December 28, according to the Telegram channel of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

 

As noted by the General Staff, the facility's annual processing capacity ranges from 7 to 8.9 million tons of oil. In addition, the Syzran oil refinery is part of Russia's energy rear and is involved in supplying the aggressor’s armed forces.

 

The results of a recent strike on the LUKOIL-Volgogradneftepererabotka oil products processing plant in Russia’s Volgograd region have also been confirmed: a petroleum products pipeline and a technological unit for oil production were damaged.

 

Syzran oil refinery among Russian targets struck by Ukrainian forces

 

 

7 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Russia is the agressor in this war.

LOL !

https://www.compactmag.com/article/how-decades-of-folly-led-to-war-in-ukraine/ 

 

I agree with Peter Hitchens. 

 

TLDR Summary ; US NATO expansion to Ukraine, despite warnings from Cold War veterans like Kennan and Gates, provoked Russia for decades. Washington ignored Moscow's red lines, backed 2014 Euromaidan uprising, turned Ukraine into de facto military partner. Bipartisan elite's pursuit of primacy in Eurasia—driven by ideological hubris rather than strategic interest—led inevitably to war. America now embroiled in conflict of peripheral interest to it but vital to Russia, draining resources while strengthening Russia-China alliance. 

2 minutes ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

https://www.compactmag.com/article/how-decades-of-folly-led-to-war-in-ukraine/ 

 

I agree with Peter Hitchens. 

I'm not going to read that link, but was it the Nazi connection, or just land grab.............🤫

15 minutes ago, transam said:

I'm not going to read that link, but was it the Nazi connection, or just land grab.............🤫

I'm all out of emoticon non sequiters. You apparently not ! This place has long been a ghost town with very little to debate it rathers resemebles the sticks in far flung Russia - full of acoholics in hovels waving their sticks in the air. Distant wars bring light relief when their bodies are thrice removed from the bloody consequences.

 

By aggressively courting Ukraine as an ally and turning it into a military partner against Russia, Washington threw down a gauntlet to Moscow. This was the culmination of a longer process of reckless confrontation. The same post-Cold War bipartisan consensus of heedless liberal internationalists and proponents of a quasi-utopian global primacy that squandered American lives and treasure across the Middle East has now led the nation into a strategic dead end on the Great Eurasian Steppe, draining American money and scarce resources and weapons needed elsewhere. More than three years into the war, there is no compelling reason to believe Russia will suffer defeat. Its economy has proven resilient in the face of sanctions, and it fields a larger and more capable army than Ukraine.

Just now, beautifulthailand99 said:

I'm all out of emoticon non sequiters. You apparently not ! This place has long been a ghost town with very little to debate it rathers resemebles the sticks in far flung Russia - full of acoholics in hovels waving their sticks in the air. Distant wars bring light relief when their bodies are thrice removed from the bloody consequences.

Oh dear, are you cornered, I think so, can't answer a simple question because it will make you look stupid....🤫

 

And, where do you come from, just for good measure........😀

2 minutes ago, transam said:

Oh dear, are you cornered, I think so, can't answer a simple question because it will make you look stupid....🤫

 

And, where do you come from, just for good measure........😀

I've told you before the same as you from my mum. 

According to a statement from the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) on its website, the intelligence agency obtained a large cache of data on Russia's recently commissioned K-555 Knyaz Pozharskiy, Russia's newest nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.   

 

Militarnyi reported that Ukrainian intelligence not only had details about the submarine's crew, including the names, ranks, and qualifications of its sailors, but it also obtained key information about the Knyaz Pozharskiy's readiness instructions and design. 

 

 

Among the design information obtained by Ukrainian intelligence are documents about the Knyaz Pozharskiy’s combat layout, survivability systems, and the crew’s organizational structure. The cache of documents also included important engineering records. 

 

 

 The submarine was commissioned into the Russian Navy on July 24th, 2025, in a ceremony attended by Vladimir Putin, Militarnyi noted. 

 

 

The 555A Borei-A class is a particularly noteworthy vessel because it serves as one of the core weapons that make up Russia’s sea-based nuclear deterrent. A 555A Borei-A class submarine can carry sixteen RSM-56 Bulava ballistic missiles.  

 

Russian naval secrets exposed after Ukraine leaks classified sub details

 

United24 also reported that the 555A Borei-A class of submarine was designed to slip past NATO's defenses, making Ukraine’s acquisition of key documents about the Knyaz Pozharskiy an important win not only for Kyiv but also its Western allies. 

Bribery-for-votes allegations rock Ukraine’s parliament

 

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office have announced that they have uncovered an organised criminal group that, according to investigators, included sitting members of Ukraine’s parliament.

 

https://caliber.az/en/post/bribery-for-votes-allegations-rock-ukraine-s-parliament-investigators-say

 

This "country" is a mental state.

1 hour ago, t0mt0m said:

Bribery-for-votes allegations rock Ukraine’s parliament

 

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office have announced that they have uncovered an organised criminal group that, according to investigators, included sitting members of Ukraine’s parliament.

 

https://caliber.az/en/post/bribery-for-votes-allegations-rock-ukraine-s-parliament-investigators-say

 

This "country" is a mental state.

Good to see the country being transparent about corruption, unlike Russia.

 

Disproportionate mobilization feeds the meat grinder 

 

According to United24’s assessment of the data, regions with some of the highest mobilization rates of Russian soldiers, such as Dagestan, North Ossetia, Chechnya, and Bashkortostan—which are all in the North Caucasus region—as well as Buryatia, Yakutia, and Tuva—all of which are in Russia’s far east—suffered high losses. 

 

Larger regions like Krasnodar, Stavropol Krais, Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Samara, and Rostov had also recorded substantial losses. However, key regions like Moscow and St. Petersburg had lower proportional loss figures.

 

 Why Russia’s ethnic and economically disadvantaged regions have been hit harder by higher losses than its other regions isn’t an accident, according to the UK Ministry of Defense; it's part of a deliberate effort by the Kremlin to leverage financial incentives to replenish its forces while not impacting more politically important Russian regions.  

 

Intelligence report exposes Putin’s plan for managing high Russian war losses

 

Can't have the children of the middle class and elite going off to war. Let the peasants die instead.

The first operators of critical infrastructure in the energy and defense-industrial sectors have already purchased and installed electronic warfare (EW) systems to protect their facilities, said Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal.

 

 

 

According to Shmyhal, the initiative is being implemented by the Ministry of Defense following a decision by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The purchased equipment is already operational and actively protecting strategic facilities.

Enterprises can use their own funds or additional resources to acquire EW systems. The equipment remains the property of the enterprise and cannot be moved to cover other facilities or regions.

 

The use of powerful EW systems is carried out exclusively by the military. The equipment is integrated into the nationwide air defense system and used to protect critical infrastructure.

"This is an example of how the state, business, and Ukrainian military work together to strengthen the country’s defense," the defense minister emphasized.

 

Ukraine installs electronic warfare systems to protect critical infrastructure

Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SSO) carried out a series of strikes on Russian targets in temporarily occupied areas, targeting a depot of Shahed drones, a pontoon crossing, and enemy equipment.

The strikes occurred on the night of December 28. SSO operators targeting Russian positions using FP-2 strike drones.

 

In the Donetsk region, a depot storing Shahed strike drones in Makiivka was destroyed. Near the settlement of Nikonorivka, a Russian pontoon crossing was eliminated.

In the Luhansk region, near Antratsyt, Special Operations Forces drones struck the location of a repair unit from the 1435th Motorized Rifle Regiment.

 

"The Special Operations Forces continue to carry out asymmetric actions to undermine the offensive capabilities of the Russian army," the SSO added.

 

Ukrainian special forces release video of hitting Russian Shahed depot, pontoon crossing

13 hours ago, t0mt0m said:

Bribery-for-votes allegations rock Ukraine’s parliament

 

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office have announced that they have uncovered an organised criminal group that, according to investigators, included sitting members of Ukraine’s parliament.

 

https://caliber.az/en/post/bribery-for-votes-allegations-rock-ukraine-s-parliament-investigators-say

 

This "country" is a mental state.

 

Trump's pressing the levers - like a horse's head in the bed. 

 

The claims in the article you linked are largely true and are being reported by multiple reputable international and Ukrainian news outlets.

As of late December 2025, a significant corruption scandal is indeed unfolding in Ukraine involving allegations of "bribery for votes" within the parliament (Verkhovna Rada).

Key Facts of the Case:

• The Investigation: On December 27, 2025, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) announced they had exposed an "organized criminal group" that included sitting members of parliament.

• The Allegations: Investigators allege that these lawmakers received "systematic illegal benefits" (bribes) in exchange for their voting behavior on specific legislation.

• Parliamentary Raids: Investigators attempted to search parliamentary offices and committees (specifically the Transport and Infrastructure Committee). These efforts were initially blocked by the State Security Administration, leading to a public standoff before investigators were eventually granted access.

• Named Suspects: While official agencies haven't named everyone, Ukrainian investigative outlets like Zn.ua and Ukrainska Pravda have identified Yuriy Kisel (a member of President Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party) as a central figure, along with other MPs like Yevhen Pyvovarov and Ihor Nehulevskyi.

Broader Context:

This scandal is particularly sensitive because:

1. Political Timing: It broke just as President Zelenskyy was traveling to Florida to meet with Donald Trump to discuss peace proposals and security guarantees.

2. Recent Precedent: It follows the November 2024 resignation of Zelenskyy’s Chief of Staff, Andriy Yermak, amid a separate $100 million corruption probe in the energy sector.

3. Domestic Pressure: There have been recent public protests in Kyiv regarding the independence of anti-corruption agencies, which the government recently moved to restore after a controversial attempt to curtail their powers earlier in the year.

Verdict: The report that investigators have alleged a "bribery-for-votes" scheme in the Ukrainian parliament is accurate and confirmed by the official statements of Ukraine's own anti-corruption agencies.

On 12/29/2025 at 11:51 AM, beautifulthailand99 said:

I've told you before the same as you from my mum. 

As I thought, you would just hate to read a comparison regarding where you come from.............🤥...........😒

 

How does Moscow view Donald Trump at the end of 2025? One Russian paper today: “The US leader’s philosophy is closer to the values of Russia’s president, not the politicians of the Old World…he sees Europe as a liberal stronghold that must be destroyed…” Meanwhile, Russia's economic problems feature prominently in the papers, with one warning that industry "has entered a perfect storm."

Russia's war against Ukraine could end in 2026, as the size of the Russian army has stopped growing for the first time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Fox News.

 

"This year, for the first time, the number of mobilized people and the number of losses are the same. So this year, 2025, was the first time the number of their army stopped increasing. So we think that in 2026, God bless us, we will stop the war. Otherwise, Putin will decide to mobilize people. So now he has contracts because his nation doesn't respect mobilization," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

 

Due to heavy losses in the Pokrovsk sector, the Russian command began forming assault units made up of women.

There were also reports of mass recruitment of reservists in Russia, allegedly to guard critical infrastructure facilities. The creation of such units has begun in at least 20 regions of the country.

 

War could end in 2026 as Russia fears mobilization - Zelenskyy

 

 

 

Over the past 10 months, Russian losses in the war with Ukraine have been growing faster than any time since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, BBC analysis suggests. As peace efforts intensified in 2025 under pressure from US President Donald Trump's administration, 40% more obituaries of soldiers were published in Russian sources compared with the previous year.

 

Overall, the BBC has confirmed the names of almost 160,000 people killed fighting on Russia's side in Ukraine.

BBC News Russian has been counting Russian war losses together with independent outlet Mediazona and a group of volunteers since February 2022. We keep a list of named individuals whose deaths we were able to confirm using official reports, newspapers, social media, and new memorials and graves.

 

The real death toll is believed to be much higher, and military experts we have consulted believe our analysis of cemeteries, war memorials and obituaries might represent 45-65% of the total.

That would put the number of Russian deaths at between 243,000 and 352,000.

 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62n922dnw7o

 

The number of obituaries for any given period is a preliminary estimate of the confirmed losses, as some need additional verification and will eventually be discarded. But it can indicate how the intensity of fighting is changing over time.

Clearly Russia won the war.

 

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/s/VamY7zuG6s

Ukraine is collapsing quicker than Russia will and that's why Europe is so alarmed and Trump has left the game.

https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/12/30/huliaipole-has-fallen/

Outgunned territorials retreat. Now the path to Zaporizhzhia is open.

Ukrainian commanders neglected the defense of Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Now the town has fallen … and the chaos has just begun.

Huliaipole was the largest and most fortified Ukrainian stronghold in eastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast—a town that had long remained impregnable while Russian forces battered themselves against its defenses from multiple directions.

Its fall—chaotic, with at least two top officers killed or captured, a command post abandoned with equipment still inside—wasn't a sudden collapse. It was the predictable result of defending with a few territorial battalions what needed a full brigade. Russia still recruits over 30,000 soldiers monthly. Ukraine doesn't. The 80-km path to Zaporizhzhia city and its 700,000 residents is now open.

https://kyivindependent.com/battalion-commanders-actions-to-be-subject-to-legal-review-syrskyi-on-loss-of-ukrainian-command-post-in-huliaipole-in-zaporizhzhia-oblast/

Syrskyi says battalion commander to face legal review after loss of command post in Huliaipole

Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces had the opportunity to destroy the equipment and materials before withdrawing to prevent them from falling into Russian hands, but failed to do so.

"The battalion command could have been structured differently," Syrskyi said, adding that reinforcements from the 5th Assault Brigade were already on their way to the battalion at the time.

"The military law enforcement agency is currently conducting an investigation," Syrskyi said. "The battalion commander's actions will be subject to a legal review in the first instance."

1 minute ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

And, say something.......? 🤫

1 minute ago, transam said:

And, say something.......? 🤫

You're just being dismissive. I've provided two Ukrainian sources documenting the chaos and retreat at Huliaipole, followed by Russian footage of the abandoned HQ. I initially assumed the video was staged propaganda until I read those Ukrainian reports.

The HQ was abandoned with a significant amount of intelligence materials left in place. What does that tell you?

Not bad for an army supposedly fighting with shovels, donkeys and scavenged washing machine parts. But crack on my new year's resolution is to spend less time on t'internet and prioritise my time .

1 hour ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

You're just being dismissive. I've provided two Ukrainian sources documenting the chaos and retreat at Huliaipole, followed by Russian footage of the abandoned HQ. I initially assumed the video was staged propaganda until I read those Ukrainian reports.

The HQ was abandoned with a significant amount of intelligence materials left in place. What does that tell you?

Not bad for an army supposedly fighting with shovels, donkeys and scavenged washing machine parts. But crack on my new year's resolution is to spend less time on t'internet and prioritise my time .

Great......................Putin needs you.................🤗

The partisan movement Atesh has disrupted Russian railway logistics on the Kupiansk direction, according to the movement.

As reported, Atesh agents successfully carried out a sabotage operation in Voronezh’s Railway District, destroying a diesel locomotive that was used to transport military cargo - primarily supplies for the Russian forces’ Kupiansk grouping.

The destruction of the locomotive complicated the formation of military echelons and disrupted train schedules for the delivery of weapons and equipment.

“Atesh agents continue to methodically destroy infrastructure that supports the military operations of the Russian Armed Forces. Putin’s army is suffering losses in rear cities both in occupied Ukrainian territories and deep inside Russia, thanks to the struggle of our agents,” the movement said in its statement.

Atesh partisans disrupt Russia’s rail logistics near Kupiansk

Earlier, it was reported that agents of the Atesh partisan movement carried out another act of sabotage in Russia’s Rostov region, paralyzing a key railway supply hub for the Russian army near Rostov-on-Don.