Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU, targeted and killed a Russian general in Moscow this morning.
Latest: A Ukrainian intelligence official with direct knowledge of the attack told me that the security service of Ukraine, the SBU, was behind the killing of Kirillov and his assistant. “Kirilov was a war criminal and a completely legitimate target,” the official said. www.ft.com/content/ccb1…
— Christopher Miller (@christopherjm.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 3:35 AM
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.
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 6:23 AM
From The Financial Times:
A top Russian general accused of using chemical weapons in the invasion of Ukraine has died after a bomb went off at the entrance to his home in Moscow early on Tuesday, investigators said, killing him and his assistant.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, a major crimes unit, said Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of the military’s nuclear, chemical and biological defence forces, had died in an explosion caused by a bomb placed on a scooter.
Kirillov is the most prominent military officer to be assassinated since Russia began its full-scale of invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Ukraine’s SBU security service had a day earlier put out a “notice of suspicion” — essentially a warrant — for Kirillov over alleged “war crimes committed” against Kyiv’s forces.
A Ukrainian intelligence official with direct knowledge of the attack told the Financial Times that the SBU was behind the killing.
“Kirillov was a war criminal and a completely legitimate target, as he gave orders to use banned chemical weapons against the Ukrainian military,” the official said. “Such an inglorious end awaits all who kill Ukrainians. Retribution for war crimes is inevitable.”
The official said the scooter carrying the explosives had been detonated when Kirillov and his assistant, identified in Russian media as Ilya P, were near the entrance of a house on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow where the driver had come to take the general to work.
The bomb on the scooter contained between 100 and 300 grammes of TNT, according to Russian news outlets, citing sources in the investigation.
The SBU’s statement on Monday said Kirillov was “responsible for the mass use of banned chemical weapons by the Russians against the defence forces on the eastern and southern fronts of Ukraine”.
It blamed him for “more than 4,800 cases of the enemy’s use of chemical munitions [that] have been recorded since the beginning of the full-scale war”.
Much more at the link.
President Zelenskyy traveled to Lviv today. He attended a memorial service and visited with Ukrainian veterans in rehab.
President Zelensky in Lviv, on the Field of Mars, honored the memory of Ukrainian soldiers who gave their lives for independence.
t.me/c/1377735387…— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 6:26 AM
He also met with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Here is the video of their joint press availability.
Poland:
“Poland is preparing a new aid package for Ukraine worth €100 million.” – Polish Prime Minister Tusk announced during his visit to Lviv.
He also noted that Poland, together with its partners, is considering the possibility of providing Ukraine with additional equipment.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 11:41 AM
Georgia:
🗣️”The Georgian people deserves more.
They deserve better.
We stand by President Salome Zourabichvili and by all Georgians who fight for freedom and democracy”, Valérie Hayer, MEP, President of @reneweurope.bsky.social.
#GeorgiaProtests #StandWithGeorgianPeople
— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) December 17, 2024 at 11:08 AM
The regime propaganda media POSTV rigged the @Europarl_EN press release. While the press release stated that the Georgian President Zourabichvili would address the EU Parliament, POSTV added the word “former” President.
And they couldn’t rig the elections?
#terrorinGeorgia— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 3:17 PM
“We demand new elections and the release of political prisoners under the regime” – #GeorgianProtests are underway in Tbilisi. Day 20.
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 1:43 PM
Day 20. Release the unlawfully detained; schedule new, free and fair elections. #terrorinGeorgia #GeorgiaProtests
📷 Giorgi Burjanadze— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 1:46 PM
This is quite great. A good start for a potential general strike. #terrorinGeorgia #GeorgiaProtests
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 10:35 AM
Updates here: Freebusiness.ge
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 7:27 AM
JUST IN: One of the Unity-National Movement leaders Giorgi Vashadze was attacked with a screwdriver. The attacker attempted to stab him in the neck. Essentially, it’s an attempted murder.
He managed to flee. #terrorinGeorgia #GeorgiaProtests— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 2:07 PM
The attacker dropped this.
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 2:12 PM
The Kerch Strait:
Fuel oil from the wrecked tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 washed up on the Black Sea coast. Krasnodar Krai, Russia.
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 7:23 AM
The Black Sea:
Another, third Russian tanker, Volgoneft-109, has sent a distress signal near the port of Kavkaz in the Black Sea.
It is reported that fuel oil leaked through a crack on board.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 8:58 AM
The Kursk cross border offensive:
“Special Operations Forces killed 50 North Koreans on Kursk Front.
Soldiers of the 8th Regiment of the Special Operations Forces gave a warm welcome to North Korean troops in Kursk region. Over the course of three days, SOF operators killed 50 enemy soldiers and wounded 47 more.” t.me/ukr_sof/1305
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 4:22 AM
Zaporizhzhia Oblast:
In the Zaporizhzhia direction, a unit of the 3rd Special Operations Regiment demolished a building where Russians were hiding, destroyed a concealed enemy vehicle, and struck a military-purpose golf cart.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 11:52 AM
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
There are no new Patron skeets or videos today. Here is some adjacent material.
This is Glamour the Ukrainian cat! 😺 He is cared for by Lili, who is helping 80 (yes 80 🤯!) cats and dogs in the liberated frontline city of Izium. Some of the cats were sick, so the Hachiko team brought medicine along with food. Lili has quite the full house of displaced pets!
— Nate Mook (@natemook.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 5:27 PM
Open thread!
@mistermix.bsky.social
Another reason to be concerned about the safety of scooters /s
Gin & Tonic
@@mistermix.bsky.social: I’m just disappointed they didn’t have him fall out a window.
KatKapCC
@Gin & Tonic: Honestly…I would have chuckled a bit if they had.
Chetan Murthy
@Gin & Tonic: Haha, first thought was “but Putin’s probably patented that move, they wouldn’t want to pay him the license fee” *grin*.
Sally
I am assuming the break up of the tankers is just bad weather/poor maintenance. But, it would be fair if UA let people wonder if they had a hand in the disasters. Though the oil spill is not their style. Still, it would be fitting if the shadow fleet were scared.
Geminid
@Sally: Also from what I’ve read, those tankers were more for river use, and of a class not rated for waters like the Black Sea. Someone else may have better information though.
Jay
@Sally:
@Geminid:
Yes they are river class, not rated for the Black Sea.
Worse yet, ruZZia had 17 of them, (now 14 or 15), and all should have been decommissioned in 2000. They are between 40 and 50 years old, and do not meet current international Marine standards for transporting oils and fuels.
ruZZia just recertifies them every year any way, with out any independent inspections, so technically, they can only operate and be insured in ruZZian waters.
The whole “ruZZian Ghost Fleet” for international oil smuggling is in the same condition, all 240 Supertankers.
Chetan Murthy
@Jay: I wonder why Turkey lets them transit the Bosphorus. You’d think they’d be worried about the risk of spills.
Jay
Thank you, Adam.
lashonharangue
This is a podcast that explains the Russians are pushing these river rated vessels into the Black sea because of the defensive measures they have installed near the Kerch Bridge. This is preventing ocean going vessels from entering into ports where these vessels could transfer the cargos. The transfers are now taking place in much rougher waters.
Chetan Murthy
@lashonharangue: o.i.c. these tankers are not meant to transit to the Med; just to the Black Sea where they transfer to oceangoing vessels. Thank you for this.
Tokyokie
Glamour is a cool-looking kitty.🐱
West of the Rockies
They blew his ass up… literally.
Jay
@Chetan Murthy:
They don’t. They only shuttle between ruZZian ports on both sides of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The only Straight they pass through is the Kerch Straight.
Chris
@West of the Rockies:
Let’s not sell the Ukrainians short. They seem to have blown up a whole lot more of him than his ass.
Mallard Filmore
@Sally: Those tankers are built for river travel. On the high sea, the left end can be on top of a wave, the middle in the “valley”, and the right end on top of the next wave. They do not have the strength to “bridge” the trough, or the opposite where the middle is on top and the ends are hanging down.
Jay
@Mallard Filmore:
And of course, they were cut in half, had a center section removed, and were rewelded back together 20 years ago to allow them to skirt the gross displacement and length rules,
and predictably broke apart along the weld seams.
AlaskaReader
Thanks Adam
way2blue
@Gin & Tonic: Ha. Would have been operational ambiguity. Leading the talking heads to wonder what he’d done to displease Putin…
way2blue
@Tokyokie: Indeed—with her very chic blue & yellow eyes.