Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Putin dreamed of ending NATO, and now it’s Finnish-ed.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Nothing worth doing is easy.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about it’s history.”

Maybe you would prefer that we take Joelle’s side in ALL CAPS?

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

If West Virginia and San Francisco had a love child.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Be a traveling stable for those who can’t find room at the inn.

Every day Vance writes another chapter in the book called “Worst VP Pick Ever”.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Elections aren’t won by handwringing, cowering, and/or bashing your own candidates.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

If marriage is the equivalent of selling yourself into slavery, women with self respect should reject the offer.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

I desperately hope that, yet again, I am wrong.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War for Ukraine Day 675: Russia Bombards Kharkiv and, Apparently, Belgorod, Which Is in Russia

War for Ukraine Day 675: Russia Bombards Kharkiv and, Apparently, Belgorod, Which Is in Russia

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Screen shot of new artwork by NEIVANMADE. The background is black. In the bottom foreground are grey Ukrainian homes and apartment buildings being bombarded by red Russian missiles with the Special Military Operation "Z" symbol on them. Above the missiles, written in red is the word "Ruzzians". Below the buildings being attacked is the statement "Turns Homes Into Graves".

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

Let’s start with Belgorod, Russia:

What seems to happen is a whole lot of missiles and/or missile parts came down on Belgorod:

It appears that Russian air defense hit whatever was fired at/over Belgorod, but the debris fell on Belgorod.

Russia bombarded Kharkiv again today:

More on both of these after the jump, as well as revised butcher’s bill for Russia’s massive bombardment of Ukraine.

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

Next year will be a time of global decisions, and Ukraine needs to be able to influence them and achieve its goals – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address

30 December 2023 – 22:39

I wish you good health, dear Ukrainians!

Briefly about this day.

The Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff meeting was special, summing up the year. And it also concerned next year. All that has been done this year, and what needs to be done next year. The Commander-in-Chief, the General Staff reported. Our action plan for 2024 was also presented.

A report by the Defense Intelligence and external intelligence was heard. About what the occupiers are preparing for, and in general, about the situation – about general military-political expectations and possible events in the world.

Despite everything that will happen in other countries, despite any political changes and moods, we need sufficient potential to do our own thing. To achieve our goals. It is clear that next year will be a time of many decisions – global decisions. And Ukraine needs to be able to influence them – to be able to achieve its goals. We will fight for our influence, for justice for Ukraine, and I am grateful to all the leaders who help, who have been with us since February 24th and will be with us in 2024.

Today, the entire day has been dedicated to reports on the relief operations in the aftermath of Russian strikes. In total, more than 120 of our cities and villages were affected by yesterday’s Russian attack. A total of 39 fatalities. My condolences go out to everyone who has lost loved ones. It is crucial to provide all necessary assistance to those affected –whose homes and apartments have been damaged by terrorists. It is important to address it both at the government and local levels. Ukrainian rescuers, doctors, police officers, all employees of municipal enterprises involved – I thank you for helping people, working around the clock to save as many lives as possible!

Currently, a rescue operation is underway again in Kharkiv – 17 people have been injured in another strike. And for every such strike in Kharkiv, in our Kherson region, in the cities and villages of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia region… For all strikes in Odesa, Sumy region, Kyiv, and all our other cities and regions. For every “Shahed” drone, for every Russian missile, there will be a fair responsibility of the terrorist state. Both political and very practical.

We are preparing to produce more weapons next year. We already have a clear schedule for our international work in January. We are working with our partners on solutions needed by every Ukrainian soldier, our entire nation, our state. And these decisions will be strong.

My special gratitude goes to all our partners for the new operational work to strengthen our air defense system. It is not only us who work 24/7 in the free world – and it is important. It is crucial for the resistance against terror not to cease even for a day. So that Russia cannot win anything in this war. And it will be so.

I thank all our soldiers! I thank everyone who works for our state and people!

Glory to Ukraine!

Prague, Czechia:

Here’s the revised butcher’s bill from yesterday’s attacks:

There was some discussion in the comments last night about Putin’s and Russia’s objectives in these massive bombardments. Here’s Rob Lee’s take.

Kharkiv:

Avdiivka:

This Ukrainian M2 Bradley destroys Russian manpower almost point blank near.

There are also several Russian vehicles (looks like BMPs) getting the same love by the 25mm Bushmaster cannon. They are getting beaten up pretty bad, while Russians try to hide behind them but to no avail. They are all just cannon fodder. And food they became, first for the Bradley and later for the wildlife.

Source: https://t.me/operativnoZSU/129606

#Ukraine #Donetsk #Avdiivka

 

Somewhere in the Donbas:

Vuhledar

Left bank of the Dnipro, Russian occupied Kherson Oblast:

Russian occupied Kherson, Oblast:

Obligatory:

More on whatever actually happened in Belgorod, Russia:

Welcome to Belgorod!

You wanted this war, get it! All of Russia must burn!

This will not happen, the Russians have erased the Ukrainian cities and the quiet peaceful country

Telegram – http://t.me/a_shtirlitz

Whatever has happened in Belgorod, I’m finding the footage sickening and difficult to watch.

However, coming to my mind is the Kyiv TV tower attack on 1 March 2022. Mutilated bodies of innocent bypassers, scorched by powerful explosions. Since then, we’ve seen thousands and thousands of similar acts of violence perpetrated by Putin’s forces.

He ordered his henchmen to use a derogatory term against a country of 40 million people, calling it the “SMO zone”.

As if there’s a door that you can open from the safe Russian side, and behind it you will find war and devastation. Terrible things can only happen in the “SMO zone”, says Putin to Russians, but you are safe.

But this should not be the case. Anyone supporting the war on the other side should know they bear responsibility and this responsibility might hit them at any moment.

For two years, they’ve been too secure. Too secure compared to what they did, do, and will be doing in Ukraine.

Responsibility for what happened today in Belgorod lies squarely on Putin and his supporters. And I’m not necessarily referring to the fact that Russian S-300 in their own typical way of being Made-in-Russia garbage hit their own people. It goes far beyond than that.

This entire war was doomed to come back to Russia. It was Moscow where this war has been conceived and here we have the results. From a 3-day “special operation” to a full scale war where hundreds of thousands Russians already perished. Now when Russians completely lost control of things, it was only a matter of time that it will hit them.

Russian calls for “vengeance” are as dumb as they are redundant. They don’t need excuses to murder, they already murder as they please. They can only convince the last uncertain one in the West that peace can only be established by completely annihilating the Russian army in Ukraine and the surrounding border area. Hitting Kharkiv right now is as self-defeating as it can be. It won’t shatter Ukrainian resolve, in the contrary. The Ukrainian nation has never been so unified and determined. They will do whatever is necessary for their freedom and independence.

#Ukraine #Russia #Belgorod

For those looking to make a donation before the end of the year:

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron tweets today, but here’s an adjacent one from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

There is a new video at Patron’s official TikTok.

@patron__dsns

Мій 2023 рік в картинках. Було багато хорошого: зустрічі з гарними людьми, безліч добрих справ, робота з найкращою командою у світі. Та було й погане… Мрію, щоб 2024 рік видався кращим і щасливішим для усіх людей і для України. Усіх обіймаю і дарую передноворічний лизь!❤️🐾 #песпатрон

♬ оригінальний звук – Patron_official

Here’s the machine translation of the caption:

My 2023 in pictures. There were many good things: meetings with good people, many good deeds, working with the best team in the world. But there were also some bad things… I dream that 2024 will be a better and happier year for all people and for Ukraine. I hug everyone and give you a New Year’s lick! ❤️🐾 #песпатрон

Open thread!

 

Reader Interactions

29Comments

  1. 1.

    Another Scott

    Darth Putin
    @[email protected]

    Having failed to win the war by bombing Ukrainian civilians I am attempting to win it by bombing Russian civilians.

    I remain a master strategist.

    Dec 30, 2023, 13:33

    Happy New Year’s Adam, Adam, and everyone.

    Slava Ukraini!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  2. 2.

    Carlo Graziani

    @Another Scott: Yeah, that was quite an own-goal. It suggests that, possibly, the Ukrainians should simply launch cheap unarmed drones at targets in Russia, and just let Russian air defense do the damage.

  3. 3.

    Gin & Tonic

    That Shtirlitz Tweet has translation issues. “Вся рашка має палати” means “All of russia must burn.” The second word, рашка (rashka) is a colloquial term for russia. The last word is a weird one – it is both the infinitive “to burn” and the plural of palaces or chambers.

  5. 5.

    Another Scott

    Not to hijack the thread, but this seems to me to be a thoughtful and important piece. TheCrimson.com:

    […]

    During my long career as a Jewish educator and leader — including thirteen years living in Jerusalem — I have seen and lived through my community’s struggles. Now, as an elder leader, with the benefit of hindsight, I feel compelled to speak to what I see as a disturbing trend gripping our campus, and many others: The cynical weaponization of antisemitism by powerful forces who seek to intimidate and ultimately silence legitimate criticism of Israel and of American policy on Israel.

    In most cases, it takes the form of bullying pro-Palestine organizers. In others, these campaigns persecute anyone who simply doesn’t show due deference to the bullies.

    The recent effort to smear our new University President, Claudine Gay, is a case in point. I applaud the decision by the Harvard Corporation to stand by Dr. Gay amid the ludicrous charges that she somehow supports genocide against Jews, and I hope Harvard will continue to take a clear and strong stance against any further efforts by these powerful parties to meddle in university affairs, especially over personnel decisions.

    The toppling of the president of the University of Pennsylvania is a sobering example of what can happen when we empower these unscrupulous forces to dictate our path as university leaders. The stakes are as high as they’ve ever been. Our vigilance must be up to the task.

    […]

    Let me speak directly to Jewish students at Harvard.

    I know that it’s alienating and hurtful to so many of you when campus Jewish organizations, like Hillel and Chabad, take positions that exclude your voices. To those students, I say: The Jewish tradition is much deeper than any organization. No one has a monopoly on Judaism.

    Continue to learn Torah, Jewish history, and our ethical traditions. Continue to draw from these sources — your sources — to find yourself, to build community, to build your own power, and even to build your own Jewish organizations.

    Be boldly critical of Israel — not despite being Jewish, but because you are. There is no tradition more central to Judaism than prophetic truth-telling, no Jewish imperative more urgent than bravely criticizing corrupt leadership, starting with our own.

    […]

    Bernie Steinberg was the executive director of Harvard Hillel from 1993 to 2010.

    Wise words that apply in many situations, no matter one’s religion. We have to be able to talk about – and listen to – all kinds of things without losing sight of the dangers of those loud voices who have other goals in mind.

    Well worth a click, IMHO.

    Peace and comfort to the innocents.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  7. 7.

    Alison Rose

    In the NYT’s article about the attack on Belgorod, they say:

    The Russian authorities said on Saturday that a Ukrainian attack on the city of Belgorod had killed at least 20 people and injured more than 110 others, in what would be the deadliest single assault against a Russian city since the start of the war nearly two years ago.

    Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that Ukraine had hit Belgorod — a regional center of around 330,000 residents about 25 miles north of the Ukrainian border — with two missiles and several rockets, adding that the strike was “indiscriminate.”

    The Ukrainian government has not officially commented on the Belgorod attack, and Russian claims could not be independently verified.

    But the article is headlined “Ukrainian Missile Attack on a Russian City Kills at Least 20, Officials Say”. Using russian statements to headline and lead off the article and then shoving in a little “could not be verified” feels absurd to me. People just seeing the headline are going to think it’s proven that it was Ukraine, and the “Officials Say” doesn’t indicated which officials. This is so lazy.

    In other news: TANK CAT.

    Thank you as always, Adam.

  9. 9.

    Jay

    AlliGee
    @AlliGee8TV
    10h
    Statement by Mr. NAGANO Shunsuke, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, at the Arria-formula meeting on Ukraine

    It is quite eye-opening to learn about a history of “Maidan” from the Russian point of view. At the same time, for most of us here and the world, it is quite obvious that this is another attempt to defame and criticize Ukraine and the West, thereby distracting world’s attention from what is going on right now in Ukrainian territories – disastrous humanitarian situation due to Russia’s aggression – as well as justifying the brutal aggression against a sovereign state.

    We arefed up with Russia calling so many Security Council meetings including Arria-formula meetings to this end. Do we, the Council Members and UN Member States, really deserve this? Despite all the efforts by Russia, no reasonable person would believe its narrative. Such misuse of the prerogative of a Council member would rather be self destructive, further damaging its reputation. It is sad for everybody.

    We once again urge the Russian Federation not to squander our precious time and resources for your political purposes. Russia should direct its diplomatic energy toward correcting its own violation of the UN Charter.

    We remain steadfast in upholding and strengthening the free and open international order based on the rule of law, respecting the UN Charter. There must be no impunity for war crimes and other atrocities. Justice must be done, and those who are responsible for the undeniable atrocities must be held accountable.

    Read More Here: un.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/n…

    https://nitter.net/AlliGee8TV/status/1741147167425798210#m

  11. 11.

    Jay

    @Alison Rose:

    given ruZZian claims of how many F-16’s they have shot down, how many HIMARS they have destroyed, how many Abrams tanks they have captured, etc, ad nauseum,

    I doubt that anything happened in Belogrod.

  13. 13.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Another Scott: Just how many of me do you think there are?

    I’m pretty sure one of me is more than sufficient. Two of me is definitely one too many. I’m also pretty sure for most people one of me is definitely one too many.

  21. 21.

    Vadranor

    Adam,

    Perhaps you can answer this question.  There has to be people in Brussels, both at the EU and NATO, who are familiar with Polish history.  They cannot be unaware of the catastrophic impact that the demand for unanimity at the Polish Sejm (Parliament) had on the country, including the disappearance of Poland as a separate country for more than a century.  So why do the EU and NATO require unanimity (or to use their euphemism consensus) in decisions.  The population of the EU is 448 million; Hungary has a population of 10 million.  To give individual autocrats such as Orban or Erdogan enormous power to blackmail other members is lunacy.

  22. 22.

    Andrya

    @Vadranor:   I totally agree with you- it’s almost as bad a lunacy as the Electoral College in the US.

    Let me also express my opinionated opinion about what Orban is doing- he’s expecting a putin victory and russian domination of Eastern Europe  (which may G-d forbid) and wants putin to keep him in power.   (“Hey, Vlad, I’m your good buddy!  I blocked EU aid to Ukraine!”.)

  23. 23.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @Vadranor: Unlike the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the EU & NATO are not sovereign entities in their own right, unanimity is the price paid to bring member states into the fold. This is especially true in the case of NATO, which is a mutual defense alliance. Countries would be more hesitant to join NATO if they perceive that they can be hijacked to serve as fodder to advance the foreign policy priorities of the US or Germany/France/UK.

  24. 24.

    bjacques

    @Andrya: I hope the EU slow-walks release to Hungary of those withheld €10B development funds. It was a bribe that clearly failed and made them look like mugs.

    I reckon it wouldn’t be hard to take the dispersal pattern of the Belgorod “missile strikes” and prove they resulted from a shootdown.

  29. 29.

    YY_Sima Qian

    OT, but a couple of days ago the China National People’s Congress (NPC) announced dismissals of 9 very senior current & former military commanders. The China National People’s Political Consultative Congress (NPPCC) also announced dismissals of several senior executives in Chinese state owned weapons manufacturers. The 9 generals include 6 retired senior commanders & 3 slightly less senior active duty commanders. 2 were senior officers in the PLA Rocket Forces (PLARF) that had been reported missing at the same time as the disgraced Defense Minister Li Shangfu back in the summer. 8 out of 9 have direction connections Li Shangfu, either through the PLA Rocket Forces (PLARF) or the PLA Equipment Development Department (EDD), for which Li Shangfu was the former head, before appointment as the DM. These actions signifies an ongoing purge of Li’s associates.

    Here is WaPo’s coverage:

    What China’s new defense minister tells us about Xi’s military purge
    By Christian Shepherd
    December 30, 2023 at 10:54 a.m. EST
    A dramatic clear-out and reshuffle of the Chinese military’s top brass escalated this week when the ruling Communist Party dismissed high-ranking officers and appointed a naval commander as defense minister four months after his predecessor disappeared amid a sweeping corruption crackdown.
    …

    Here is a good overview by Lyle Morris on Twitter:

    Thread on PLA personnel removals announced at 7th session of the 14th NPC (thanks to @NPC_Observer for flagging). The NPC, in one fell swoop, quietly removed several senior leaders of the PLA Rocket Force (PLARF) and CMC Equipment Development Department (EDD). Here they are, with my take on implications for the PLA. 1) Zhang Zhenzhong (张振中) deputy chief of staff of the Joint Staff Department and previous deputy commander of the PLARF.

    2) Zhang Yulin (张育林) deputy minister of the EDD and member of the Financial and Economic Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress. 3) Rao Wenmin (饶文敏), representative from the EDD to the 14th NPC

    4) LtGen Ju Xinchun (鞠新春) naval commander of the Southern Theater Command; previous deputy minister of the EDD of the Central Military Commission, previous deputy commander-in-chief of China’s manned space program, and deputy commander-in-chief of the space station phase mission general headquarters; previous director of the EDD of the South China Sea Fleet, and previous deputy commander of the South China Sea Fleet.

    5) Gen. Ding Laihang (丁来杭), former Commander of the PLA Air Force (until Sept. 2021). 6) Gen. Li Yuchao (李玉超), Commander, PLA Rocket Force.

    7) MajGen Lu Hong (吕宏), Director of the EDD, PLA Rocket Force. 8) LtGen Li Chuanguang (李传广), chief of staff and deputy commander of PLARF. 9) Zhou Yaning (周亚宁), member of the 19th Central Committee and commander of the PLARF.

    In total, three generals, four lieutenant generals, and the two commanders of the Rocket Force were dismissed. The biggest takeway is these officers’ connection to Li Shangfu, and their ties to the PLARF, equipment development department and the space program.

    This amounts to one of the largest purges in the PLARF and EDD in decades, all tying back to Li. Something major must have occurred to precipitate this kind of purge. Two likely scenarios are a major corruption scandal or an intel leak.

    Third unlikely scenario, but which cannot be completely ruled out, is a political rivalry to Xi’s power base within the PLA (i.e. soft coup). /END

    Having lived in China since 2007, I would say that Xi’s anti-corruption campaign has had a dramatic impact on suppressing the petty corruption that use to be ubiquitous in daily lives. Talking to people who work inside of the Party-State bureaucracy at various levels, the consensus is that there are far fewer opportunities for graft (& elevated fear for engaging in such activities), compensation has remained stagnant (especially in light of recent financial difficulties across many local governments due to the deflation of the real estate bubble), while demands on performance & workload have gone up significantly.

    Nevertheless, there remain many opportunities for corrupt dealings between government & businesses, particularly when the Party-State bureaucracy is distracted by more urgent challenges & the entire machinery has been mobilized to pursue a single object at all costs. That is inevitable given the PRC’s hard authoritarian governance, inadequate institutionalization for internal check, & lack of independent press & judiciary. One example is the ‘Dynamic Zero COVID” policy, which spawned numerous new businesses that went into manufacturing of RT-PCR tests, establishing labs doing the RT-PCR assays on an industrial scale, constructing temporary hospitals or quarantine centers, etc. There were rumors & hints of shady deals on a massive scale in many localities, from no-bid contracts awarded to the well connected to price gauging the local governments to sham operations. Apparently, something similar had gone on w/ the ongoing expansion of the PRC’s nuclear arsenal, specifically the massive fields of missile siloes constructed in the PRC’s NW regions, & possibly the massive expansion of the already extensive tunnel networks that hide the PLARF’s road mobile missile batteries. That explains the nexus connecting the PLARF & the EDD.

    Western reporting has raised the possibility of an intel leak leading to the purge. While not out of the realm of possibility, the number of current/former senior commanders purged, as well as senior executives in the Chinese MIC, would suggest a massive network of agents in service of foreign powers that has penetrated the PLA & the Chinese MIC at the highest levels, as opposed to a discrete failure (no matter how damaging). This would rival & possibly exceed the penetration that the CIA had achieved into the upper echelons of the CPC regime back in the late 00s, & its dismantling would be just as damaging as when the CIA network was rolled up in 2010. Given recent reporting, I find it rather implausible. Historically, senior officials who had close associate turning out to be foreign intelligence assets would see their careers end, but would not otherwise be visibly punished themselves, unless directly implicated.

    American Spies Confront a New, Formidable China
    CIA lost network of agents a decade ago and has struggled to rebuild in the surveillance state America calls its top security priority; ‘no real insight into leadership plans’

    WASHINGTON—Beijing’s spycatchers all but blinded the U.S. in China a decade ago when they systematically rounded up a network of Chinese agents working for the CIA. As many as two dozen assets providing information to the U.S. were executed or imprisoned, among them high-ranking Chinese officials.

    The CIA is still struggling to rebuild its human espionage capabilities in China, the agency’s top intelligence target, according to interviews with current and former U.S. officials. The gaps leave the U.S. with limited understanding of secret deliberations among Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his inner circle on key security issues such as Taiwan and other topics, the officials said.

    …

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