We already understand what steps are needed to bring the key goal – Ukraine’s accession to the EU – closer – address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

8 November 2023 – 22:45

I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!

Today was a day that Ukraine’s history will definitely remember.

There is a positive signal from the European Commission – a recommendation to start negotiations on our country’s membership in the EU. This is exactly the decision we expected. I thank you, Ursula, Madam President of the European Commission, and all your colleagues for always having an unwavering and sincere belief in Ukraine. Our people deserve to be in the European Union – together with all the free peoples of our Europe. And we are doing everything for this. I am convinced that there is no alternative to the borders of a democratic Europe matching the borders of the European Union. After all, this is political protection for our common values, economic security, and – most importantly – one of the key guarantees of peace and freedom on the continent.

We are now awaiting the European Council’s decision on the negotiations in December, and we have already prepared for this decision. Ukraine is doing its part. This is our top priority. And I am grateful to everyone in our country who contributes to this work.

Of course, we already understand what next steps are needed to move forward after the European Council’s decision and bring the key goal – our country’s accession to the EU – closer. Ukrainian freedom, Ukrainian institutions, our common European home will only get stronger. Today, the Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine, Mrs. Katarina Mathernova, handed me the report of the European Commission. Relevant meetings have already been held with representatives of the government and the Verkhovna Rada on the draft laws and reforms that are at the heart of our transformation – transformation of our state – and at the heart of our movement to the European Union. And I hope that the European Commission will start implementing its part of the joint work as soon as possible – assessing the compliance of Ukrainian legislation with the EU acquis.

Today I spoke with the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, and congratulated her on the European Commission’s decision for Moldova. We will coordinate our steps towards the European Union. It is important for Ukraine and the whole of Europe that Moldova is as successful and stable as possible. We will help. By the way, I informed Madam President about our actions to protect people in the Middle East. Ukraine has already helped evacuate 36 Moldovan citizens from the Gaza Strip. More than 40 Ukrainian citizens have also been rescued. I would like to recognize the efforts of the Main Intelligence Directorate and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, which are dealing with this issue. Thank you for that.

I also spoke with the President of Georgia. I congratulated Georgia on the positive message from the European Commission. We in Ukraine sincerely support Georgia, Georgia’s independence and sincerely wish for the restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity. When we are together on the European path, this can be done. In a conversation with Madam President of Georgia, I spoke about Ukrainian citizen Mikheil Saakashvili. His life matters, and it would be right to show humanity to his fate.

Another aspect about the EU issue. Today I signed a decree on preparing the negotiation process with the European Union. Clear points. Clear instructions. We will approach the expected steps absolutely prepared.

Several other international events took place today. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation visited Ukraine. I held a meeting and negotiations with him. For Ukraine, this is an absolutely important context, the development of our infrastructure, strengthening existing ties with the world, and creating new ones. Reconstruction. I am grateful to Mr. Secretary for his understanding of Ukraine.

One more thing.

A conversation with Mr. Prime Minister of Japan. I thanked Fumio for helping our country and for Japan’s leadership in protecting international law. We discussed our next steps – security, diplomatic, and economic. Japan is among those who do the most to support our freedom.

And this is just one of our days. Ukraine’s power is evident. Ukraine’s successes in international work and in achieving our goals are evident. Solidarity with Ukraine is felt in all parts of the world. I finished this day talking to university students from Mexico – young men and women who are sincerely interested in Ukraine and want to know the truth about Ukraine and the Russian war against our country. I am grateful for the words of support, and I am grateful for every question that was asked. Mexico, by the way, was represented at the meeting of advisors on the Peace Formula that took place recently. The European Union, Moldova, Georgia, the United States, Japan, Mexico. I am grateful to everyone in the world who helps! Glory to all our people who are fighting and working for Ukraine! Our warriors – I thank you for every step you take, for your strength, which allows Ukraine to live.

Glory to Ukraine!

The cost:

Meet Bekha, a Ukrainian drone pilot. As a kid, he dreamt of joining reconnaissance.
 
His dream came true, but so did his greatest fear of being an amputee.

Nevertheless his fight, like the fight of millions of Ukrainians, continues.

📹: @United24media pic.twitter.com/44MPLsi2Ct

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 8, 2023

Washington, DC:

The coordinator of the National Security Council of the White House, John Kirby, said during a briefing that the United States has allocated more than $60 billion in aid to Ukraine of which 96% is now used. There is $1.1 billion left for replenishment. https://t.co/rPZ1keDZ70

— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) November 8, 2023

Brussels, Belgium:

Belgium will allocate half of the €1.7 billion Ukraine fund to the military and the other half to civilian aid. Ukraine definitely needs this support

— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) November 8, 2023

Tatarigami has done a long interview with a Ukrainian company commander who goes by the call sign Snake. First tweet from the thread, the rest from the Thread Reader App:

I'd like to introduce a concise yet important interview with a seasoned Ukrainian company commander, known by the callsign Zmiy (Snake). He's a veteran of the 2014 and 2022 wars and offers direct insights into crucial issues. Strong language ahead.

🧵Thread: pic.twitter.com/nt1GnJAggV

— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) November 8, 2023

1. Hello! Please introduce yourself and briefly tell us about you.

– My name is not important, as during the war I use only the callsign “Snake”. This is my Second Punic War. Between wars, I managed to find myself in the IT field. Right now, I am a company commander.
Image
2. When did the war for Ukraine start for you?

– The war started for me as far back as 2013. I was living the typical life of an average Ukrainian. It was a weekend, and I woke up after a night out and
…saw the news about Berkut (riot police) beating protesters near the monument and on Bankova Street. That’s how it began

(Context: He is referring to events in 2013, which started massive protests against Yanukovich, culminating in his fleeing the country and russian invasion)
3. Tell us about your first encounter with the enemy

– It was in October 2014 – our convoy was moving from Mariupol Airport and got ambushed. The ambush was organized in a piss-poor manner, so we didn’t suffer any casualties and managed to suppress the attackers.
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4. How has the enemy changed since then?

– The enemy is the same shi*head. Tactics and weapons vary by location and unit. I’ve seen many variants, but no standard. Today you’re fu**ing up rookies, and later they send veterans who have balls to crawl to your positions at night
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5. Before the invasion, many overestimated the capabilities of the russian army. Now it seems there’s a different view – the russian army is weak and doesn’t know what to do with all their weapons rusty. What would be your assessment of the enemy’s forces as of October 2023?
– I’d advise all adepts of “conscriptovich” theory to take a closer look at the map. Because if they were so weak, we’d already be near Don. Ten rusty rifles can suppress one new AR rifle. And if they have the option to send just as many in the assault – oooh sh*t!
Image
..You must also understand that an old tank is still a fu**ing tank that rapidly spits out shells. The enemy, just as before, is ruthless when it comes to casualties, and math plays a role here. Bastards can afford meat assaults; we can’t. Commanders who don’t get this are idiots
6. Very often, one can come across the opinion that russian mobilized almost entirely lack warfare skills and pose no threat. To what extent is this statement accurate, considering that some of them have been in combat for almost a year?
Image
– Let me give you an example. When the front line collapsed in Kharkiv region, we cornered one of them. We offered him to surrender, but he chose to fight. When we finally eliminated him, according to his military ID, he had been mobilized for just two weeks.
Image
..But he fought, and he delayed us. The fact that they are willing to fight even if they aren’t fully prepared is significant. Time is a scarce resource, and they have the numbers. That’s why we didn’t advance into Svatove, and beyond that, it didn’t matter if he was ready or not
7. There’s a lot of discussion about the importance of building a strong NCO corps in the armed forces, seen as a key factor for successful unit leadership in battle, similar to the US. What do you think about this? And how much is this idea put into practice in our military?
– A competent sergeant is like a diamond. They are both a warrior and a leader. I don’t see any systematic work in terms of leadership at all. Without leaders, there’s no one to lead into battle here and now…
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…The army operates on a vertical hierarchy, and if soldiers have no one to lead them, it’s not a combat unit; it’s just a mob of guys with guns

8. If you had the chance to work with Western weaponry, which one did you like the most?
– Nothing serious ever landed in my naughty hands. I’ve fired various disposable grenade launchers. The AT4 packs a punch, as long as you don’t fu*k up the button business. Anyone who’s fired it knows.
9. If you had the opportunity to change (improve) three things in the army, what would you improve or change?

– I would introduce mandatory assessments of officers for battle planning. Criteria for the success of a unit’s actions would be based on …
Image
…task completion without excessive losses. There should also be mandatory analysis of operations, both successful and unsuccessful, at every level from platoon and higher.
10. Quite often, on the internet, we see different types of collections: for drones and for transportation. Can you explain why there’s a need for so many drones and vehicles?

– All of these resources provide the means to sustain the units’ operations – reconnaissance, and…
…mobility. The conditions in which we have to operate and counter the enemy become significant factors that affect the duration of our work. Intense combat eats everything like a dragon, within a matter of days, or hours. But that’s no excuse for carelessness with donated items
Image
11. Can a regular infantry unit function effectively without a drone?
– Infantry can do it all, but I recommend having a pocket drone that can work in your favor at a short distance. It saved my life multiple times when, instead of going on foot, I flew a few hundred meters ahead
Image
12. To what extent can volunteer movements actually fill the gaps in logistics?

– The army is a highly regulated structure, and volunteers help save time and nerves with their contributions, especially in terms of inventory management
13. Let’s imagine that the war is over, and everyone is returning to civilian life. How do you see yourself after the war?
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– I really want to reform education, as the junior officers, the backbone of the army, come in with almost no knowledge, and obtusely die because they wasted four years. That’s what I see now, and it’s fu**ed up.
14. Could you recommend your favorite places for foreigners to visit in Ukraine after the war?

– Under Dementiivka, we dug in like crazy Viet Cong. Let them come and see the fruits of my labor.
– Thank you for your time
– You are welcome

If you liked this interview, please like and share this thread, and follow us. We also recommend checking Snake’s account @Tonny52337430 for more of his stories in Ukrainian

The Pivdennyi Port, Odesa:

This Liberian-flagged commercial ship entering the Ukrainian port of Odesa was struck by a Russian Kh-31P missile. One person was killed and three more wounded.

A grain deal or any kind of a deal with Russia is useless. Only a robust response, which will be painful for Russia’s… pic.twitter.com/hZW8SFcpst

— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) November 8, 2023

This Liberian-flagged commercial ship entering the Ukrainian port of Odesa was struck by a Russian Kh-31P missile. One person was killed and three more wounded.

A grain deal or any kind of a deal with Russia is useless. Only a robust response, which will be painful for Russia’s commercial interests, will create a lasting solution. And I suspect that Ukrainians are already making preparations for responding in kind.

#Ukraine #Odesa #BlackSea

Russians attacked the Liberian-flagged ship with an Kh-31 missile when it entered the port in the Odesa region.
Three members of the crew – citizens of the Philippines – were injured. The maritime pilot died, another port worker was injured.https://t.co/jobwLbNqjj pic.twitter.com/Sk6sWPXs8B

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 8, 2023

The left bank of the Dnipro, Russian occupied Kherson:

Exclusive footage of rotation of Ukrainian forces on the left bank of the Kherson region. There is a foothold. Russian losses in equipment (BMP-2/IMR-2) and personnel are visible.

Respect to those operating in this area. It is hard, but they manage. More footage later.

✊🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/YjVVL1Cjhu

— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) November 8, 2023

Kupyansk:

Several FPV drones + talent × skills = russian "Tor" SAM system turned into scrap metal

📹: 103rd @TDF_UA Brigade pic.twitter.com/5GGnvhzIbK

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 8, 2023

Russian occupied Kherson:

Targeting of the Russian Leer-2 electronic warfare systemhttps://t.co/ZaFPQZ933s pic.twitter.com/Moi9WXTxsQ

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 8, 2023

For those of you fans of Russian military equipment going kaboom:

Strike on Russian ZALA UAV operators during preparations for the flight. https://t.co/eTUIwjkQ3i pic.twitter.com/JXCBD5Yse7

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 8, 2023

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron tweets tonight, but here’s a very good boy courtesy of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense:

The AFU Dog Service has about 1000 service dogs.@PatronDsns, you have great competition.

📸: Support Forces pic.twitter.com/wv1Dw2dgX7

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 8, 2023

And here’s a new video from Patron’s official TikTok:

@patron__dsns

✨🧚🏻✨

♬ She was a fairy – Sierra (Nirvanas version)

Open thread!

Ukraine means strengthening of the entire European community for the EU – address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

7 November 2023 – 22:08

I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!

Today is mostly a day of meetings. I have recently finished a meeting with the intelligence. It was a meeting in a narrow circle, very sensitive issues of protecting our people were discussed. Details will be available later.

I also held a meeting on international events and our Ukrainian events that are expected in November. This month is both the anniversary of the beginning of the Revolution of Dignity and the anniversary of the Holodomor. There will be various components of government work, including an international component. Everything is being prepared.

Special attention – and this is daily attention – is paid to relations with the European Union. Tomorrow is an important day. We are expecting the EU’s historic conclusion – a report on Ukraine’s implementation of the European Commission’s recommendations. We are already preparing our next steps after this report. Our legislative work, strengthening of state institutions. Ukraine has already come a long way in its rapprochement with the European Union, and our country is fully aware that becoming a member of the European Union is a political decision of all the countries that are already in the community and want to see a new state in the European Union, but it is also the work of the state itself.

Our work is to bring EU standards and community practices closer to Ukraine and adopt them. Ukraine will be in the EU. And we will achieve this, in particular, through the transformation of our country – an internal transformation that is absolutely in the interests of our people. For Ukraine, the EU means economic security and social stability, and for the EU, Ukraine means strengthening of the entire community. And it is very important that deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine continue to support the legislative initiatives necessary for our European integration.

As usual, I started the day with a conference call. The most important was the report that additional NASAMS air defense systems had been deployed. And that’s not all. Ukraine’s sky shield will be further reinforced. I am grateful to the partners who help and to our entire team working in the international area.

Of course, I was in touch with the Minister of Defense and the commanders throughout the day. Kupyansk, Bakhmut, Maryinka, Avdiivka, Melitopol direction, the whole south. We have results worth noting. The 108th separate mountain assault battalion of the 10th brigade, the 3rd battalion of the 54th brigade, the 92nd separate assault brigade, our artillerymen of the 26th, 40th and 55th separate artillery brigades, the “Seventy-ninth” air assault brigade, the 53rd and 110th separate mechanized brigades, the 3rd operational brigade of the National Guard and the 132nd separate reconnaissance battalion. Warriors, I thank you all for your strength! Your strength, the strength of everyone who is fighting for Ukraine, everyone who is helping, is the lifeblood of our people. Ukraine will prevail and be free. And it will be equal among equals in our common European home.

Glory to Ukraine!

Additional NASAMS air defense systems have been put on combat duty — President @ZelenskyyUa

We are grateful to our partners for the timely reinforcement of our air defense before winter.#StandWithUkraine

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 7, 2023

Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs has some important thoughts:

We have the guns.
We have the jets.
We have the bombs.
And yet… we hesitate to help the heroes to finish the job.
We know Putin is planning a victory parade.
We shouldn’t be planning to walk away from a win.

— Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 (@GLandsbergis) November 7, 2023

Tatarigami breaks down how US funding to Ukraine works, where the money actually goes, and what oversight is actually taking place. First tweet from the thread, the rest from the Thread Reader App.

A great memo clarifying the facts about US aid to Ukraine, expertly debunking myths with a direct approach. Written by @LukeDCoffey for the US think-tank @HudsonInstitute. Here are the key points from "Fourteen Facts about US Aid to Ukraine."
🧵Thread: pic.twitter.com/cT6GDCMh26

— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) November 7, 2023

– The US is not writing “blank checks” to Ukraine, and most of the money allocated to help Ukraine never leaves the US. About $70 billion of authorized aid for Ukraine stays in the US, backing the top-tier defense industry and generating well-paying jobs in 38 states. 

– There has never been more accountability for US military assistance than what is available for Ukraine aid. After Russia’s invasion, the US government formed the Ukraine Oversight Interagency Working Group, with over 160 officials from 20 federal agencies overseeing US aid. 

– For a modest amount of money, US aid helps Ukraine dismantle Russia’s armed forces without a single American firing a shot or being shot at. Up to 300,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded in Ukraine, and the original invasion force from February 2022 doesn’t exist 

– A victorious Ukraine means a safer Taiwan. In the words of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, “The security of the Indo-Pacific region is inseparable from European security.” 

– European stability, which Russia is trying to undermine, affects the American worker. The US and Europe are each other’s biggest export markets. In 2022, 45 out of 50 states, including California, the largest single-state economy, shipped more goods to Europe than to China. 

– The lessons the US learns from Ukraine will make America stronger in the Indo-Pacific. Supporting Ukraine revealed existing flaws in the American defense industry, which the US is now addressing. Fortunately, these issues came to light when the US was not engaged in a war. 

– Ukraine is not a new “forever war.” Ukrainians don’t seek or desire US troops to fight Russia. They simply request resources, which the US can readily supply. 

– Claims that US aid to Ukraine costs “$900 per American household” and that the proposed aid will add “over $1,000” to the tax burden of “every family of four in America” are highly misleading. These figures mislead since federal income tax is not uniformly applied to households 

Kindly share this thread. For the list of sources, visit the website and check out the PDF version.

The Fourteen Facts about US Aid to UkraineView PDF Since Russia invaded Ukraine for the second time in eight years, Russian troops have ravaged Ukraine’s cities, raped its women, and stolen its children. Russian missiles and Iranian drones st…https://www.hudson.org/foreign-policy/fourteen-facts-about-us-aid-support-cost-ukraine-luke-coffey

My fault here as well… Should have done myself instead of waiting for someone else to do it

— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) November 7, 2023

You know how it goes – if it didn’t go viral on social media, it never happened 😅

— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) November 7, 2023

The reason:

The memories of battles fade away in the tender embrace of children.

📹: @MVS_UA pic.twitter.com/Eu9W6MbPfN

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 7, 2023

Donetsk Oblast:

Ukrainian strike against a facility in the temporarily occupied Donetsk carried out today with HIMARS. According to Ukrainian sources, a UAV pilot “school” was destroyed. Some also mention that the facility (building) was used to host informational operations. pic.twitter.com/q2VJRKekh6

— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) November 7, 2023

Krynky, the left bank of the Dnipro, Russian occupied Kherson:

Russian military bloggers apparently noticed a Ukrainian BTR-4E crossing the Dnieper yesterday to join the foothold established in Krynky, on the left bank. They are saying this is the first sighting of heavy vehicles in the area.https://t.co/DUUNO7MYuB pic.twitter.com/dCp3YYUPMP

— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) November 7, 2023

While the Western magazines are competing in doomposting, Ukrainians continue stretching Russian defences and striking their targets. Just a week ago, Ukrainians were still trying to get a foothold in Krynky, a settlement of a slightly unusual shape. Today, they're already… pic.twitter.com/FO73oUDI79

— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) November 7, 2023

Here’s the screen grab of Dmitri’s translation:

Not the best mood among the occupiers near the Dnieper.https://t.co/gcxTKalf1X pic.twitter.com/lcbFXJCvmB

— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) November 7, 2023

Crimea:

🧵First, he built a bridge to Crimea. The war broke out and it turned out to be quite vulnerable. Now, one of his companies is constructing a railway line from Crimea to Russia, as an alternative route. You know the guy: Arkady Rotenberg, one of Putin's closest friends. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/3hfd4aVMUU

— Mark Krutov (@kromark) November 7, 2023

From Radio Free Europe’s/Radio Liberty’s Radio Svoboda: (machine translation)

In early October 2023, OSINT analysts noticed on satellite imagery traces of the construction of a new railway from Donetsk to Mariupol. A month later, on November 6, the governor of the partially occupied Zaporizhzhya region of Ukraine, Yevgeny Balitsky, appointed by Russia, made a statement from which it can be assumed, that this road will be part of a longer journey bypassing the bridge across the Kerch Strait. One of the construction contractors, as Radio Liberty found out, is a company associated with Putin’s friend Arkady Rotenberg, who received the title Hero of Labor for “contribution to the construction of the Crimean bridge”.

Balitsky told reporters about the construction of the railway line from Akimovka (a village about 30 kilometers south of Melitopol) to Rostov-on-Don via Berdyansk and Mariupol, noting that “the construction of the project has already begun by Donetsk”. Part of the new branch, Donetsk section – Mariupol, as told Radio Liberty a month ago will allow you to push the road from the front line and improve the supply of Russian troops in the south. The same with the mentioned Balitsky Akimovka: a straight branch from it to Berdyansk will be south of the existing one, which goes through located just 20 kilometers from the Tokmak front line.

Along with this, as before found out Radio Liberty, Russia is building a new highway from Mariupol to Rostov-on-Don in parallel with the seashore and the current road, but bypassing settlements.

The general scheme of the new railway, which should pass through the occupied Ukrainian territories and connect Crimea with Rostov-on-Don, bypassing the bridge over the Kerch Strait, which has been successfully attacked by Ukraine several times. Green color shows the existing sections of the road, yellow – the now constructed Donetsk section – Mariupol, red – the designed section Akimovka – Mariupol:

In October, Radio Liberty managed to find out that one of the contractors for the construction of a new railway in the occupied Donetsk region is Promstroy LLC”, in 2021, selected by the Russian authorities for a pilot project on the use of the labor of prisoners in the construction of BAM and related to the ChOP, sending volunteers to the war in Ukraine. In November, several job sites appeared on job sites announcements, in which another limited liability company, Almaz, is looking for specialists “to carry out the construction of the railway in new territories”.

The place of work in most ads is indicated by Mariupol. LLC “Almaz” requires a geodetic engineer and his assistant, foremen and other specialists, and the deadline for the start of work is the “end of August” already remaining in the past”. The promised salary of the surveyor – “from 250,000 rubles per hand” is more than two times more than the same “Almaz” offers similar specialists in the Saratov region of Russia.

In another vacancies “Almaza” – “personnel specialist / clerk” – the applicant will work in the village of Chermalyk in the occupied part of the Donetsk region of Ukraine. It is located 10 kilometers from the future railway from Donetsk to Mariupol, the ongoing construction of which is clearly visible in satellite imagery.

As Radio Liberty found out, Almaz LLC has recently been associated with the business empire of one of Vladimir Putin’s closest friends Arkady Rotenberg – a person who received an award from the president for the construction of the Crimean bridge, bypassing which a new railway is now being built on the peninsula annexed by Russia.

Escape from sanctions?

From official site Almaz group of companies follows that until 2023 the company was engaged in the extraction of non-metallic minerals (mainly sand) and worked on 5 sand quarries in the Moscow region and the Krasnodar Territory. This year, “A new line of work – the construction of federal roads of federal significance” has been opened in ALMAZ Group of Companies, the website says.

The emergence of this new direction coincided with the entry into the business group of a major construction player – JSC “Roads and Bridges”. 50% of Almaza owns Roads and Bridges JSC since September 13, 2023, at about this time, judging by satellite imagery, the construction of a new railway began in the occupied Donetsk region. The remaining 50% of Almaza”divided into three of its former founders.

JSC “Roads and Bridges” – a relatively young company, it was formed only three years ago. Now it is one of the largest assets of Arkady Rotenberg.

“Roads and Bridges” were formed by the separation into a separate company from the famous Mostotrest”. “Mostotrest” located under control Rotenberg, built the M-11 highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg, infrastructure facilities in Sochi to the 2014 Olympics, transport hordes in Moscow and many other iconic objects of the Putin era, the main of which is – Crimean bridge, for the construction of which the company came under international sanctions.

In October 2020, most of Mostotrest’s construction assets” was highlighted to the joint-stock company “Roads and Bridges”. It continued to work at facilities previously associated with Mostotrest, and over the three years of its existence made only four corporate acquisitions, two of which in September this year – 50 percent shares in related LLC Almaz and LLC Rubin”. These firms (they have almost the same list of founders and the same registration address) were major players in the sand mining market, but did not have experience in road construction. Now Almaz is looking for specialists to accompany the construction of the railway in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.

Historically, rail construction is not quite a profile work for Rotenberg structures. In 2019, the entrepreneur took up the restructuring of his assets and, together with the WEB, created the National Projectroy holding”. The main contribution of Rotenberg to the new structure was precisely JSC “Roads and Bridges”. This fall, 48 percent of the National Project” got out group “1520”, the largest construction contractor of Russian Railways. Thus, National Projectroy combined the country’s largest assets for the construction of bridges and roads (through the Rotenberg structure) and for the construction of railways (via “1520”).

Rotenberg and Crimea

The services that Arkady Rotenberg provides to Vladimir Putin, for example, taking possession of the infamous palace of the president in Gelendzhik or participating in risky and sanctions, and in terms of security, construction in the occupied territory is not left without remuneration. How wrotein 2021, the Russian edition of Project, thanks to the sale of nationalized Ukrainian property, Rotenberg structures became the largest owner of leisure and recreation facilities on the Crimean coast, having received many profitable state contracts along with this on the annexed peninsula, for example, for the reconstruction of the Artek camp”. In 2018, companies associated with Rotenberg bought the Dulber sanatorium in Koreisa at a nominal price, which until 2014 served deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Arkady Rotenberg himself, as the journalists of the Project found out, in 2021 began the construction of his “capital” – mansion with a total area of 6 – 7 thousand square meters on Cape Sarych, only land under which is estimated at 35 million dollars.

In open databases, neither Almaz LLC nor its parent companies linking this company with Arkady Rotenberg, there is no mention of state contracts for the construction of a railway through the occupied Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya regions of Ukraine in the annexed Crimea. As with Promstroy LLC, which we talked about in early October, the construction project is not mentioned on the official website of Almaz or its parent companies, as well as vacancies, which talk about work in Ukraine. You can find them only on job ad sites. No one called back to the phone number left by the correspondent of Radio Liberty under one of the announcements at the time of publication of this material. Responses to questions sent to Almaz LLC and Rubin LLC by e-mail,we did not receive this publication at the time of this publication either.

Click through to see all the maps, diagrams, and pictures!

Bonus post #2: Why do we think that 'Almaz' will be working on the same 'yellow' part from Donetsk to Mariupol? They have yet another job (https://t.co/JO0sjWwPWh), with the office in Chermalik, Donetsk Oblast, just 10 km from the line that is being constructed at a full pace. pic.twitter.com/yH2nh0wbjc

— Mark Krutov (@kromark) November 7, 2023

Bucha in 2022 after the Ukrainian military had liberated it and today after it has been rebuilt:

And the same place today: pic.twitter.com/j6Vb31GMpx

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) November 6, 2023

Russia by way of Russian occupied Mariopul:

Photo provided by Bohdan’s lawyer, Kateryna Bobrovska, who calls for attention to the dire situation of Bohdan Ermokhin and his immediate repatriation to Ukraine.

— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) November 7, 2023

Bohdan Yermokhin from Mariupol, who was deported to Russia by the occupiers in 2022, is at risk of being conscripted into the Russian army when he turns 18 on November 19th. Russia not only parades stolen Ukrainian children on propagandist shows, but also won’t stop at sending them to the war in Ukraine.

Taganrog air base, Russia:

Something at the military airport of Taganrog in Russia is burning.

Considering that Russian forces were compelled to abandon the Berdyansk airport and relocate large portions of their chopper fleet to this air base, this is a noteworthy development.

Source:… pic.twitter.com/3ucd1K7twW

— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) November 7, 2023

Something at the military airport of Taganrog in Russia is burning.

Considering that Russian forces were compelled to abandon the Berdyansk airport and relocate large portions of their chopper fleet to this air base, this is a noteworthy development.

Source: https://t.me/operativnoZSU/122223

#Ukraine #Russia #Taganrog

 

In reference to the events in Taganrog air base, Brady Africk reported that parts of the Russian chopper fleet were repositioned to this location. Russia has been banking on that Ukraine will not use Western missiles against an airbase on Russian soil. Unfortunately for them,… https://t.co/eZvF2Yk3Ts pic.twitter.com/YjLaEFisFH

— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) November 7, 2023

In reference to the events in Taganrog air base, Brady Africk reported that parts of the Russian chopper fleet were repositioned to this location. Russia has been banking on that Ukraine will not use Western missiles against an airbase on Russian soil. Unfortunately for them, Ukraine has other means to accomplish that.

However, this is another reminder how much Russia relies on Western indecisiveness, partially still falling for Russia’s posturing and empty threats. All Russian military targets, whether inside in Ukraine or outside, are legitimate targets. Period. Russia would have been long defeated if the West would have stopped tapping the break.

It is time to remove all constraints and reservations.

#Ukraine

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron tweets tonight, so here’s an adjacent one from the Ministry of Ukraine:

When your peaceful sleep is protected by your brother-in-arms. pic.twitter.com/DJwrg5jc9R

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 7, 2023

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

@patron__dsns

Подивились би?👀❤️

♬ original sound – Charlea

Here’s the machine translation of the caption:

Would you like to see it? 👀❤️

Open thread!