KYHorn

"Drone Coalition" to Start Massive Supply of Various Types of Drones to Ukraine in January "I can confirm that a significant change is expected in January - we will begin supplying tens of thousands of drones through the maritime and unmanned capabilities coalition, which the United Kingdom leads with partners Norway and Latvia," said British Deputy Defense Secretary Pollard. It's incredible how much innovation is coming from Ukraine in this war: In early December, the 13th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, “Khartia,” conducted its first fully robotic operation against the enemy in the Kharkiv direction. This shaping operation aimed to create conditions for the brigade’s further advancement. For the first time, such a large number of robotic and unmanned systems were deployed on the battlefield. The operation involved numerous ground-based robotic systems (drones for mining and demining, kamikaze drones, mobile turrets) and various types of UAVs (heavy multirotor “bombers,” surveillance drones, and diverse FPVs). “Our goal is to save soldiers’ lives by replacing them on the battlefield, wherever possible, with robotic or unmanned systems. This requires meticulous planning, a continuous search for new engineering solutions, and fostering a culture of innovation within the brigade,” commented Colonel Maksym Holubok, Chief of Staff of the “Khartia” Brigade.

Last night, Russian terrorists launched over 110 strike drones against our people. An oncology center in Kherson was destroyed, apartment buildings in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia were hit, ballistic missiles targeted Kyiv earlier, and shelling struck Sumy, Kryvyi Rih, as well as the Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions. This week alone, the terrorists have used over 550 guided aerial bombs, nearly 550 strike drones, and more than 20 missiles of various types. This is the Russian terror we are countering. I am grateful to our partners who continue to stand with Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia. Together, through our collective strength, we will secure a lasting peace.

It's interesting that it's both drones hit the exact same spot "The "Greenwich" residential complex, situated next to the "Azure Shores" skyscraper in Kazan, which was struck by a drone today, may house an apartment belonging to Timur Shagivaleev, the CEO of the "Alabuga" Special Economic Zone" It seems plausible that the intended target was a high-ranking war criminal. However, it remains unclear whether the strike was successful.

Really interesting interview with the Ukrainians in this tank: Russian telegram channels posted videos of fiber optic cable FPV strikes on a Ukrainian Abrams tank in Kursk oblast last week. Aside from a concussion, the crew survived without injury and made it back to friendly lines. @KofmanMichael and I spoke to the commander of the tank from Ukraine's 47th Mechanized Brigade about what happened, and here is what he told us: (tweeted with his permission) "That's our tank. But they only posted two of the strikes. Yesterday [from last week] was the first time that the crew survived multiple hits while inside a disabled Abrams. Actually, there were 4-6 direct hits. The crew survived, and even without injuries. God bless America. Fiber-optic FPVs. Between four and six hits within like 2 minutes. I believe that at least one more got stuck in the net. Two more missed several minutes before. They apparently hit the engine. They were unable to penetrate either the turret or the hull elsewhere while we were inside. Although they tried and had a lot of time. As I said, this tank had a unique 'cope cage' (actually, 'cope netting') and a lot more ERA than an average Abrams. We – the crew – designed the arrangement of the ERA completely on our own based on an analysis of the previous hits on all the other Abrams tanks and our own knowledge of the weak spots, and that's why we still live after so many simultaneous strikes. And that's why the Abrams rocks. Would be impossible on a [Russian/Soviet] T series tank." Russian FPV crews hit the tank with several more FPVs after it was abandoned, but the tank was not destroyed and might still be salvageable. Because of recent advances, Russian forces may capture it. When I asked how they made it back to friendly lines, "On foot. It was close to the Russian positions. We finished the combat mission and drove back just 1 km from the Russians or even less. We could not evacuate because the FPVs were coming one after another. When I finally could hear no sound, we just jumped out of the tank and ran to a treeline. They were tracking us, so a mortar started working with some more drones, but we crawled away through the treeline. In the end, in a spot still under FPV control, our company commander rushed in and took us away."

Strong analysis and reporting from Bloomberg on past decision points in this war and where's it's headed. It echoes many of the sentiments expressed on this thread over the past 3 years. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-20/russia-ukraine-us-allies-say-biden-strategy-was-too-little-too-late-for-ukraine Too Little Too Late: US Allies Say Biden Strategy Cost Ukraine Chance of Victory

The Ukrainian General Staff has confirmed a strike on the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in the Rostov region last night. The attack involved a combination of UAVs and Neptune missile systems. The refinery was the only refinery operating in Rostov region and it was used to support military activities.

We use a bin system for clean clothes as you describe. I handle all the washing and then sort them into the bins. Then, the children are responsible for folding and putting them away, though we usually do it on a particular night together. I recommend putting one person in charge of the washing and drying- it's just too chaotic, messy, and probably bad for your water/electric bill and the longevity of the machines to have 4-5 people washing their individual loads. Folding is what takes the most time and effort anyway. The person in charge will probably need to run a load per day. Just get into that routine and know that if you skip it today, you'll have to do 2 tomorrow.

Video of the assassination Video of the liquidation of the Lieutenant General of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kirillov and his assistant Ilya Polikarpov (apparently a Major) as a result of an explosion of a planted IED in Moscow. One of the best and most successful operations of this kind in the entire war.

Even after years of war, when we thought the Russians could not get any more cynical, we see something even worse. Russia not only sends the North Korean troops to storm Ukrainian positions, but also tries to conceal losses of these people. They tried to hide the presence of North Korean soldiers. It was prohibited to show their faces during training. The Russians attempted to erase any video evidence of their presence. And now, after first combats with our warriors, Russians are trying… to literally burn the faces of North Korean soldiers killed in battle. This is a demonstration of disrespect, which is currently prevalent in Russia, a disrespect to everything human. There is not a single reason for North Koreans to fight and die for Putin. And even after they do, Russia has only humiliation for them. This madness must be stopped—stoped by a reliable and durable peace, as well as Russia’s accountability for this cynical war.

At the start of December, Ukraine's 13th National Guard Brigade, "Khartia," carried out its first fully robotic operation in the Kharkiv sector, employing an unprecedented number of robotic and unmanned systems. The operation, designed to set conditions for further advancements, utilized ground-based robots (including mining, demining, and kamikaze drones, as well as mobile turrets) and various UAVs (heavy bombers, observation drones, and FPVs). Some interesting info here, including that we are still providing intel on Russian locations. Continued on the next post

Zelenskyy is backing out of signing a deal with the US on REEs. Smart move to use this as part of a deal with Trump to show the Ukrainians are not just takers and to give Trump an early win

Russian Telegram channels publish news that a senior official responsible for developing missiles and drones used to attack Ukraine was allegedly shot dead in Moscow. Mikhail Shatsky was a deputy director of Russia's Mars design bureau and was involved in modernizing guided missiles from Kh-59 to Kh-69 and developing new drones. Russian journalist Aleksandr Nevzorov claims Ukraine's military intelligence conducted the operation and an assassinator fled the crime scene.

Ruble back on track to failure 1 month: 1 Day:

If you want Ukraine specific, the daily podcast "Ukraine the Latest" by the Telegraph (UK) is excellent.

Wild

Lots of chatter on this but hard to confirm The White Helmets have announced the deployment of 5 Emergency Teams specializing in Search-and-Rescue, Wall-Breaching, and Iron Door-Opening as well as Trained Dog Units and Medical Responders to Sednaya Military Prison near the Syrian Capital of Damascus. As those there are still struggling to reach the Lower Levels of the Red Building, where upwards of 10,000 Prisoners are still believed to be trapped in Underground Cells, some of which are claimed to be over 100ft from the Surface. Rescuers at the Site can see the Prisoners on Security Cameras, but cannot reach them; with many of them likely having no clue about the Revolution or the ongoing Rescue Attempts.