(Image by NEIVANMADE)
A quick housekeeping note: After a full course of antibiotics, I am no better than I was last Friday. I’ve consulted with my primary care doc and it appears I have my first viral, not bacterial, sinus infection. And there’s nothing to do but what I’ve been doing: sinus/nasal irrigation, using my prescription nasal spray, taking my OTC allergy med, and resting. Also, my power is back on, which is nice as having the temp in your house dropping while you’re sinuses are infected is not pleasant. I’m just going to run the basics again tonight.
Over 2/3rds of Ukraine is under air raid alert as of 6:00 PM EST/1:06 AM local time in Ukraine. It appears to be drone swarms, but they may be used, as they have in the past, to punch holes in Ukraine’s air defense for missiles or glide bombs.
Russian drones in Kharkiv skies ‼️ i can hear air defense trying to shoot them down outside
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 1:02 PM
More on this after the jump.
President Zelenskyy travelled to Zaporizhzhia today. He toured the medical facility the Russian’s destroyed, met with surviving members of the hospital staff. He also made a battlefield circulation:
Zelenskyy visited the HIMARS division, one of the divisions of the 27th Rocket Artillery Brigade named after Petro Kalnyshevsky in the Zaporizhzhia direction.
t.me/c/1377735387…
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 8:55 AM
His trip included a visit to, tour of, and meeting with the students in a school built underground in a fortified bunker.
Zelenskyy visited an underground school in Zaporizhzhia. Serving as a shelter and a safe space for education, it can accommodate up to 1,000 children safely. The frontline is just 30 kilometers away. Russian forces bomb the city every day. And yet, the children are studying❤️
— Sofia (@sofiaukraini.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 11:42 AM
This little girl just met her hero🥰
— Sofia (@sofiaukraini.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 11:45 AM
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
We Must Make Every Effort to Ensure That Each Day Brings Us Closer to Peace – Address by the President
12 December 2024 – 17:13
I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!
Today, I am in the Zaporizhzhia region.
On the Day of the Land Forces – I congratulated our warriors and presented them with awards. The 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade, the 27th Rocket Artillery Brigade. As well as our Ukrainian medical staff – I am extremely grateful to everyone – at the stabilization point in the Zaporizhzhia direction. A very high level. Thank you for your professionalism, and thank you all for defending Ukraine, our people.
I had a meaningful conversation with commanders of various levels. Battalion commanders, senior officers. Changes are needed in the training of our military personnel – in training centers. Also, within the brigades themselves, all effective training experiences must be scaled up, and soon. Often, a combat brigade proves to be the best instructor. The right thing to do is to provide direct funding to the brigades, so they can procure drones at their own discretion – exactly the kind they need. We are boosting the allocations. Drone operations must also evolve continuously – because they must adapt to the dynamics of the battlefield. The war demands changes to protect lives. To protect the lives of our guys and to defend Ukraine.
There is a lot of work in the Zaporizhzhia region: the security situation, the protection of our skies. I held a meeting of the Staff here today, focusing on air defense, frontline stabilization, and achieving our core security objectives. We need genuine peace, which means we must be genuinely strong for this. And we must make every effort to ensure that each day brings us closer to peace.
Here, in Zaporizhzhia, the first modern school started operating, we were there today – a school right in the shelter. It is safe. A thousand children can study there. And thanks to this, third graders, second graders, and the youngest children were able to study together. Together and offline, so that all the social skills can be developed. This is very important – to prevent war from robbing children of the chance to become successful adults. We are building other such schools in the frontline regions, particularly in the Zaporizhzhia region. We will continue discussions with our partners next week – to increase the number of air defense systems and to achieve peace sooner.
I want to thank everyone. I thank Zaporizhzhia. I thank Dnipro, I was in touch with them today. I thank everyone who is helping us!
Glory to Ukraine!
The US:
“Lawmakers want the key intelligence chiefs to assess U.S. security risks if America stops providing weapons to Ukraine and Russian wins the war.”
thehill.com/homenews/hou…— Christopher Miller (@christopherjm.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 6:14 AM
“The details of the report should include the impact of the ability of Ukraine’s military to defend against Russian aggression if the U.S. continues or withholds military and economic support; and if the U.S. maintains or withdraws permission on the use of long-range missiles to strike…Russia.”
— Christopher Miller (@christopherjm.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 6:14 AM
I do not have high confidence in the value of those potential assessments.
Trump on Ukraine in his Time mag interview: “The Middle East is an easier problem to handle than what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine,” he says. “The numbers of dead young soldiers lying on fields all over the place are staggering. It’s crazy what’s taking place.”
time.com/7200212/pers…— Christopher Miller (@christopherjm.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 12:23 PM
The Middle East is not an easier problem to handle than what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine. The latter is actually quite straightforward. The former is actually multiple overlapping problems, not least of which is that problems either created by or allowed to fester from forty or fifty years of ever narrowing and ossified US policies and strategies that may have once been feasible, acceptable, and suitable, but have not been for a very long time, have now come home to roost. Many of which the President-elect allowed his shonda nebbish son in law make worse in pursuit of personal profit. Which doesn’t let Sullivan or Blinken off the hook for their strategic ineptitude.
Trump criticized Kyiv for launching U.S.-made missiles into Russian territory last month. “I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that?” he says. “We’re just escalating this war and making it worse.”
time.com/7200212/pers…— Christopher Miller (@christopherjm.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 12:23 PM
The Ukrainians are doing that because they’re trying to get the genocidal Russians from attacking Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure 24/7/365. Also, because these strikes appear to be working:
⚡️Russian guided bomb attacks fall sharply after ATACMS, Storm Shadow strikes, analysts say.
Russian guided bomb attacks against Ukraine have reportedly fallen by over 50% since Western partners allowed Kyiv to target Russia with long-range missiles.
— The Kyiv Independent (@kyivindependent.com) December 12, 2024 at 5:41 PM
From The Kyiv Independent:
Russian attacks against Ukraine with guided aerial bombs have fallen over 50% since Western partners allowed Kyiv to target Russia with long-range missiles, the independent Russian outlet Agentstvo reported on Dec. 12, citing reports from the General Staff.
U.S. President Joe Biden gave Ukraine the green light to attack Russian territory with ATACMS missiles in mid-November. Within days, Kyiv reportedly also launched British Storm Shadows into Russia for the first time.
Russia carried out heavy guided bomb attacks against Ukraine from Nov. 1-20, Agentstvo reported, citing daily updates from the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Russia dropped at least 100 guided aerial bombs per day during that period, with the exception of only one day.
Those numbers fell significantly after Nov. 20, according to General Staff reports. Russia dropped 138 guided bombs on Nov. 20, marking the last time that the Russian Aerospace Forces targeted Ukraine with over 100 bombs in a single day.
Russian aircraft have launched fewer guided bombs on Ukraine in the first 12 days of December. The number of bombs topped 50 on only five days, according to the General Staff. The average number of bombs per day is now 40 or fewer.
Oliver Alexander, an open-source intelligence (OSINT) analyst, said the decrease was likely due to the threat long-range missile attacks posed to Russian airfields.
The Russian military may have been forced to move their Su-34 aircraft farther than 600 kilometers from the front line to avoid ATACMS strikes, affecting “maintenance, sorties rate, and flight hours,” he said in a post on X.
Guided aerial bombs are precision-guided munitions that have a shorter range than missiles, but are far cheaper to produce. President Volodymyr Zelensky lobbied aggressively for long-range strike permissions, in order to target Russian military airfields amid intensifying aerial attacks.
When pressed on whether or not he would abandon Ukraine, Trump says he would use U.S. support for Ukraine as leverage against Russia in negotiating an end to the war. “I want to reach an agreement,” he says, “and the only way you’re going to reach an agreement is not to abandon.”
— Christopher Miller (@christopherjm.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 12:23 PM
The President-elect has laid down a marker and made the commitment to not abandon Ukraine as part of his negotiating strategy. I would expect it is worth as much as every other commitment he has ever made.
According to the White House, Joe Biden has approved a new military aid package for Ukraine. The package, which is the 72nd of its kind, will include air defense systems, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 2:44 PM
The Kyiv Independent has the details:
The United States has approved a new weapons package for Ukraine, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said during a White House press briefing Dec. 12.
The announcement comes as outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden attempts to hasten shipments of military aid to Ukraine ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
“Today, the president approved a new security assistance package for Ukraine that will provide them with additional air defense, artillery, drones, and armored vehicles,” Kirby said.
The latest package marks the 72nd shipment of U.S. military aid under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows the U.S. to transfer weapons from existing stockpiles to allies in urgent situations.
Kirby did not specify the dollar amount attached to the new round of assistance, but said Biden was committed to ongoing aid deliveries.
“We’re going to provide additional packages right up to the end of this administration,” he said.
Two days prior, the U.S. on Dec. 10 announced a $20 billion loan to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets. The loan is the culmination of a Group of Seven (G7) deal to lend Kyiv a total $50 billion, all supported by proceeds from frozen Russian funds.
The Pentagon on Dec. 7 also announced an arms package for Ukraine worth nearly $1 billion.
The White House aims to send a large-scale influx of weapons to Kyiv before Jan. 20, when Trump officially begins his term. The stated aim is to improve Ukraine’s negotiating leverage before Trump withdraws U.S. aid and pressures Kyiv to strike a deal with Moscow.
Trump told Time magazine on Dec. 12 that his administration will not “abandon” Ukraine, but will use U.S. aid to urge a negotiated resolution.
Estonia:
Looks like a good diplo memoir on Ukraine by EU’s ex-envoy. One caveat: “The 370-page book, published only in Estonian, is unlikely to be translated into other languages. It is written for Estonian readers, filled with comparisons to the Estonian context” www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/articles…
— Shashank Joshi (@shashj.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 5:50 AM
Looks like a good diplo memoir on Ukraine by EU’s ex-envoy. One caveat: “The 370-page book, published only in Estonian, is unlikely to be translated into other languages. It is written for Estonian readers, filled with comparisons to the Estonian context” www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/articles…
— Shashank Joshi (@shashj.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 5:50 AM
From European Pravda:
EU Ambassador Matti Maasikas (pictured from behind) played a part in many key decisions in Ukraine, though his role often remained invisible to the public
“From 2019 to 2023, the years I was there, quite a bit happened, to put it mildly.”
This is the opening line in a new book by Matti Maasikas, who headed the EU delegation in Kyiv during the historic events of recent years. It’s fairly unusual to write memoirs just a year after stepping down from a post. What makes these even more “off the grid” is the fact that Maasikas is continuing his diplomatic career. After Ukraine, he took on a leadership role in one of the EU’s external action departments.
Nonetheless, the (now former) ambassador has dared to bring details that typically remain secret forever out into the open.
The 370-page book, published only in Estonian, is unlikely to be translated into other languages. It is written for Estonian readers, filled with comparisons to the Estonian context and references to figures and politicians little known outside the country, and with the stated aim of “giving Estonian readers a broader understanding of Ukrainian history, society, identity, and aspirations”.
The book delves deeply into historical and linguistic nuances, often explaining the sometimes free-wheeling “Cossack” nature of Ukrainians.
There are details of conversations with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Andrii Yermak,
stories about how certain reforms were pushed through, explanations of the transformations within Ukraine’s leadership, and accounts of what Ukrainian government and opposition representatives said behind closed doors.
The book also highlights intriguing differences between Ukrainian political customs and Western practices.
European Pravda has read the book and selected the most interesting and relevant highlights for you.
Zelenskyy before the full-scale war
Ambassador Maasikas’s tenure in Ukraine began in September 2019, when the parliament, with its single-party majority, was already operating in “turbo mode”. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was settling into his role as head of state, convinced he could deliver on his campaign pledges.
But one of those pledges already seemed problematic – and it happened to be his central one.
This was the promise of “peace with Russia”, which the ambassador says the Ukrainian leadership genuinely believed in.
Throughout the book, Matti Maasikas frequently emphasises – and has examples to back this up – that the defining characteristic of Zelenskyy as a politician is sincerity (along with the associated traits of emotionality and empathy). Furthermore, he behaved very differently from how heads of state usually conduct themselves.
As an example, the ambassador described a dinner Zelenskyy had with G7 ambassadors in Poltava in the spring of 2020.
“The president was in good spirits, answering all our questions… But what was most impressive was that the president generously gave the floor to his advisers, even allowing one of them to interrupt him, without seeming bothered. This is very unusual for political leaders,” Maasikas recalled.
The ambassador noted that the G7 ambassadors even discussed afterwards whether this was merely a performance to create a positive impression. He himself is confident that it wasn’t.
Zelenskyy’s emotional nature was both a help and a hindrance to him.
“The above does not mean that Zelenskyy only had good days. I have seen him impatient, superficial, tired,” the ambassador added.
For instance, during international negotiations, Zelenskyy would sometimes fixate on a single issue that he found particularly objectionable, disregarding other important matters. This happened during one of Ursula von der Leyen’s visits. Similarly, Maasikas mentioned how his first meeting with Zelenskyy in November 2019 was overshadowed by some news about Nord Stream 2 which Zelenskyy was outraged about (but was later revealed to be fake).
These instances were exceptions. On the whole, Maasikas views Zelenskyy’s emotionality as a positive trait: “Passion is important in politics; significant achievements are rarely accomplished through cold calculation alone.”
However, Maasikas found it harder to agree with Zelenskyy’s 2019-2020 stance on Ukraine’s history. He referred to the president’s controversial New Year address, which included the words “It doesn’t matter whose monument you meet your loved one in front of.”
“This speech was praised by many in Ukraine and especially in the well-wishing West. However, I felt rather uneasy about it. It does indeed matter who the monument is to, or what the street name is, and both those who praised the speech and, of course, Zelenskyy himself later learned this lesson very vividly. While Lenin statues had generally been taken down in Ukraine, since 2014, statues of Russian and Soviet generals, statesmen, and cultural figures were still standing in 2019, like trees in a forest. When they began to be changed across the board in 2022, there was no mercy for streets named after Pushkin or Tolstoy,” Maasikas reflected.
The “Russian track” of Zelenskyy’s presidency is not the book’s main focus, though there are some interesting references to it.
“After becoming president, there were those in Zelenskyy’s team who sincerely believed that his fame as an actor in Russia would help him make peace with Moscow,” the ambassador wrote.
“I can’t imagine the extent of personal disappointment and rage Zelensky must have felt when his main election promise – peace with Russia – turned out to be exactly the opposite, diplomatically speaking,” Maasikas noted.
Although Zelenskyy realised that this goal was unattainable well before Russia’s full-scale invasion, the turning point for him was likely the liberation of the north of Kyiv Oblast, when the scale of atrocities in Bucha and beyond became clear.
From Poroshenko to Boyko
The full-scale war transformed not just Ukraine’s political landscape, but also its politicians. EU Ambassador Matti Maasikas had dealings with the entire political elite, including opposition figures, and shares his observations of them in the book.
One of those figures is former president Petro Poroshenko.
The ambassador emphasises that for the current government, Poroshenko embodied everything that was wrong, and vice versa: “The mutual antipathy between Zelenskyy and Poroshenko was constant and very palpable.”
Given Poroshenko’s strong international connections, this animosity sometimes created challenges for the ambassador.
“I often had to explain to German Christian Democrats or Swedish conservatives that things in Ukraine were not as bad as they told me, that Zelenskyy was not a mini-Putin, that democracy was not being stifled, nor the media muzzled, understanding well from which sources such views were drawn,” Maasikas recalls. “Consistently, at all meetings, whether one-on-one or in the G7 format, he claimed that all the good things in Ukraine were his doing, while Zelenskyy only ruined everything.”
But that was before the full-scale war. From 2022 onwards, Poroshenko’s criticism softened considerably. According to Maasikas, there were speeches and closed-door negotiations during which Poroshenko refrained entirely from criticising the government.
The war
The book naturally goes into some detail about the period of Russian blackmailing of the West in 2021, which eventually led to the invasion on 24 February 2022. The ambassador states that he had no doubt that a full-scale invasion would happen, as the information he was receiving from his counterparts, particularly from the American and British embassies in Ukraine, left no other option. However, the expectations were optimistic.
“On 16 February [one of the dates when US intelligence had predicted the full-scale war could start – ed.], my colleagues Artur Gębal and Eamonn Prendergast from downtown decided to stay at my place just in case. Over a not-too-anxious glass of wine, we discussed that the war was definitely coming and that Ukrainians would definitely fight fiercely. Already then, as reminded later by the colleagues staying that night at my place, I was confident Ukraine would ultimately prevail and win this unjust war,” Maasikas recalls.
In the period leading up to the invasion, the EU mission in Kyiv faced a difficult task – first evacuating employees’ families, and then the staff themselves, while still giving the impression that the EU was fully present in Kyiv, Maasikas acknowledges.
At the same time, the embassy was preparing for the worst, including the possibility of the Russians capturing the mission.
“We copied the contents of the servers to Brussels. We sent a lot of documents to Brussels via diplomatic post, and we also destroyed quite a few documents. We destroyed all our encryption technology for information systems, as a very large part of the information exchanged in EU diplomacy is encrypted. This was all by the book, but if I ever find myself in such a situation again, I wouldn’t destroy everything – when we returned to Kyiv in April, setting up the computer network again required the presence of a representative from a Western company, who the company refused to send to a war zone,” he shares.
On 24 February, only seven EU diplomats remained in Kyiv. All of them left on 25 February, as did representatives from 11 other countries. Maasikas admits that this decision was probably a mistake and he should have stayed, as Polish Ambassador Bartosz Cichocki did. However, by early April, the EU ambassador had returned to the capital, and he was the first Western diplomat to resume a permanent presence in Kyiv after the war began.
Overall, Maasikas speaks positively about the EU’s position and is pleased with how Europe managed to change its perception of the situation starting from the first few days of the war.
“Right from the early phase of the invasion EU leaders managed to abandon their old instinctive statements such as ‘The most important thing is to silence the guns,’ ‘Escalation must be prevented,’ and especially ‘Both sides must take steps.’ The Russians would not have taken any steps according to our statements. The EU’s assessment of the situation was clear: it was an unjustified and unprovoked aggression by Russia, against which Ukraine had the right to defend itself, and the European Union supported Ukraine in this. A side was chosen, and it was a huge step for the EU,” he writes.
And then other changes began.
EU leaders had to abandon their preconceptions about a European future for Ukraine – or more precisely, Ukraine and Moldova. Maasikas points out that for both political and geographical reasons, “Ukraine’s accession without Moldova is almost impossible”.
Much more at the link!
Georgia:
#GeorgianProtests
21:50
Day 15
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 12:59 PM
According to one of the opposition leaders Mamuka Khazaradze, the regime turned the heating off for President Zourabichvili at the Presidential Palace.
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 4:17 PM
Visiting MEPs joined #GeorgianProtests in Tbilisi.
Day 15
Rasa Jukneviciene
Bernard Guetta
Nathalie Loiseau
Michał Szczerba
Tobias Cremer
Reinier van Lanschot— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 1:49 PM
“Mr Ivanishvili has to take into consideration: we do with the Russian oligarchs the same: we froze their assets, and he has to take care about this”, Michał Szczerba
about the response to human rights violations in #Georgia.
On Dec12, delegation of 7 MEPs met people at #GeorgiaProtests in #Tbilisi— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) December 12, 2024 at 5:20 PM
German MEP Sergey Lagodinsky on the EU and international response when Georgian Dream elects a president, as Salome Zourabichvili calls it illegitimate.
Dec.12 – A delegation of 7 MEPs walked along Rustaveli Ave to join the Georgian people protesting for the 14th consecutive day
#GeorgiaProtests
— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) December 12, 2024 at 5:54 PM
German MEP Sergey Lagodinsky comments on the EU Ambassador’s meeting with Georgian Dream’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, which was criticized by President Salome Zourabichvili.
— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) December 12, 2024 at 5:54 PM
Citizens expose torture and inhuman treatment by the Interior Ministry. See the details in @studiomonitori’s new journalistic investigation.
youtu.be/qoxb398QoJI?…
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 9:53 AM
The Georgian IT community has now blocked Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue.
#GeorgiaProtests
15:25
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 6:38 AM
The IT community is still marching on Rustaveli Ave, and the street is blocked.
Their demands are:
● The release of political prisoners held by the regime
● Conducting re-elections
● Punishment of those responsible for violence against citizens14:40
#GeorgiaProtests
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 5:53 AM
Representatives of the IT sector are holding a protest march in #Tbilisi, demanding the release of illegally detained prisoners.
#GeorgiaProtests #Georgia
— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) December 12, 2024 at 6:32 AM
Nerds of Prey.
Kyiv Independent’s new documentary, “Can You Hear Me? The Invisible Battles of Ukrainian Military Medics,” shows the journey of a group of Ukrainian military medics from the heat of battle in war-torn Ukraine to the serene forests of Sweden for a short mental health retreat.
— The Kyiv Independent (@kyivindependent.com) December 12, 2024 at 10:18 AM
Here’s the full video:
Zaporizhzhia:
The 46-hour rescue operation in Zaporizhzhia has concluded.
A russian missile strike on a medical facility killed 11 people and injured 22 others, including a 5-year-old child.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 9:32 AM
Sumy Oblast:
If you wondered what the mobile Ukrainian air defense teams were like, this is the thread for you.
While waiting out an air raid because of another swarm of Shaheds, here’s a thread with insights from a night spent with one of Ukraine’s mobile air defense groups in Sumy. It’s a key area where many drones pass on their way deeper into Ukraine. 🧵 1/
— Maria Avdeeva (@mariainkharkiv.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 5:47 PM
2/ November set a record for drone attacks, with an average of 83 Shaheds (Geran) launched daily. Russia is also using Gerbera drones—cheap styrofoam decoys that overwhelm Ukrainian defenses and can double as reconnaissance tools when equipped with cameras.
— Maria Avdeeva (@mariainkharkiv.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 5:47 PM
3/ These mobile groups are small—just 2-3 people with a vehicle, radar, and a heavy machine gun. They’re fast, flexible, and ready to set up along likely drone routes.
— Maria Avdeeva (@mariainkharkiv.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 5:47 PM
4/ When the call comes, they’re in position within 10 minutes, ready to take their shot. But it’s no easy task to hit a drone flying over 1 km above at a speed of 150 km/h.
— Maria Avdeeva (@mariainkharkiv.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 5:47 PM
5/ For Russia, Shaheds aren’t just weapons—they’re tools of terror, meant to break spirits and sow chaos. But every intercepted drone denies Russia that goal
— Maria Avdeeva (@mariainkharkiv.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 5:47 PM
Kherson Oblast:
Russians deliberately bombard a fire truck that arrived at a fire in a comprehensive school. Kherson region. These videos are published online by Russians themselves, proud of their war crimes and feeling their impunity.
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 7:07 AM
Kharkiv:
For the first time since the full-scale invasion, streets of Kharkiv shine with Christmas lights. Hope shines bright—Ukraine will prevail.
— Maria Avdeeva (@mariainkharkiv.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 1:19 PM
Kharkiv Oblast:
During an operation in the Kharkiv region, fighters from the 3rd Company of the “Karakurt Colony” of the 2nd Mechanized Battalion of the Third Assault Brigade conducted a clearance of a village where occupiers had entrenched themselves.
t.me/c/1377735387…— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 3:25 PM
Russian occupied Markyne:
Russian ammunition depot in Markyne, not far from Mariupol, was targeted tonight
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 4:19 AM
The Kupyansk direction:
🔥Soldiers from the 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade “Achilles” demonstrated a spectacular repulsion of an enemy mechanized assault involving eight armored vehicles in the Kupyansk direction. Notably, an enemy T-80 tank was destroyed.
www.instagram.com/achilles_92o…— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 12:40 PM
Grozny:
There is a rumor that something is exploding in Grozny, russia.
What Kadyrov doing?
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 11, 2024 at 6:26 PM
Now we wait for confirmation.
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
Here is some adjacent material from Georgia:
I feel like it’s become a matter of principle that us dog people do something as well!
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 12, 2024 at 3:43 PM
And a new video from Patron’s official TikTok!
@patron__dsns 🥱🥱🥱 #песпатрон
Open thread!
Old School
Those cats are adorable.
Thanks, Adam. Feel better.
Nukular Biskits
That’s putting it far nice than I would have, Adam.
Once again, great round-up.
For someone who’s getting his ass kicked by the crud, you do good work.
As always, thanks.
Jay
Thank you, Adam.
YY_Sima Qian
Not much you can do about viral infections, do take care of yourself & don’t pick up a bacterial infection in your weakened state.
piratedan
on a semi-related note Alexander Smirnov has cut a deal with the FBI admitting that the entire Biden Burisma bribery allegations were fabricated in toto.
jame
Thank you again for all the news from Ukraine.
I hope you feel better soon. Sinus infections are the worst!
Jay
https://xcancel.com/MavkaSlavka/status/1867269873409425861#m
Jay
https://xcancel.com/GlasnostGone/status/1867271511138025886#m
YY_Sima Qian
@Jay: Kind of like Germany’s Grand Coalitions under Merkel.
Gin & Tonic
@Jay:
I don’t think Adam’s posted anything about this (probably not reliable enough reporting for his taste) but I’ve read that Budanov sent some experienced drone operators to assist the Syrian rebels. I think having russians looking over their shoulders more is a good thing.
Jay
@Gin & Tonic:
HUR has been very, very busy anywhere the ruZZians are, except in the West.
Word is, it was experienced drone operators sent as trainers, and experienced drone builders to show HTS how to modify and arm off the shelf commercial drones.
YY_Sima Qian
@Gin & Tonic: I’ve read 20 – 25 drone operators w/ ~ 150 drones, modest impact. Then again, the SAA just melted away w/o offering resistance.
lashonharangue
Thanks Adam. Hope you feel better soon.
Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom
Get well soon Adam.
bjacques
@Nukular Biskits: I wonder if it’s possible to leverage Putin’s loser stink to give Trump pause. Donald, if you’re listening, this would be a great time to throw Pooty Poot under the bus. Like Roy Cohn.
I wonder if Zelenskyy saying “peace” a lot is to box Putin into a corner as intransigent and thus tarnish him in the eyes Trump, who sure loves to make deals.
Adam, I wish you a speedy recovery.
Traveller
I am appreciative of your sinus stories…I am sympathetic of course…but it is oddly comforting knowing that others are suffering similarily also…may we all soon get better together! This doesn’t sound right, but it is late, probably the last post in this thread and I have to go work on my nose. Best Wishes, Traveller
AlaskaReader
Thanks Adam
Bex
I made a wish too.