Russia, on its part, is ready for the restoration of full-fledged relations with the United States, but fundamental conditions must first be established for this. - Vladimir Putin
💬 "When some internal fundamental changes [in the U.S.] occur, then they will begin to respect other people, other countries; then they will seek compromises instead of trying to solve their issues through sanctions and military actions. Then fundamental conditions for the restoration of full-fledged relations will be created. Currently, such conditions do not exist. But we are ready for it," the head of state pointed out, commenting on the prospects of normalizing bilateral dialogue.
🇺🇳🇷🇺 UN General Assembly Approves Russian Resolution on Fight Against Glorification of Nazism
The resolution was approved in a 118-49 vote, with 14 member states abstaining. Russia, China, and Israel were among those that voted in favor. The United States, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Germany voted against.
Several NATO member states have boots on the ground in the Ukraine conflict, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has claimed. Western military personnel are operating certain weapons systems, he alleged, and that hundreds of the US-led military bloc’s satellites are providing surveillance data to Kiev.
Speaking at a meeting of Defense Ministry officials on Tuesday, where President Vladimir Putin was also present, Shoigu stated that “NATO service members are directly operating air defense systems, tactical ballistic missiles, and multiple launch rocket systems” in Ukraine. He cited radio intercepts featuring English and Polish speakers. According to the minister, Western officers are also playing an active role in preparing Ukrainian military operations as well as training troops, both in their home countries and in Ukraine.
Russian officials have repeatedly warned that ever-deepening Western involvement in the conflict unnecessarily increases the chances of a direct military confrontation between NATO and Moscow.
The Russian defense chief went on to claim that more than 5,000 foreign fighters have been killed since hostilities broke out in February 2022, with 1,427 Polish, 466 US, and 344 UK nationals among them.
An hour and a half ago, a Russian "Special Flight Squadron" plane landed in Washington DC. They are used by Kremlin officials. It set out from St. Petersburg.
WaPo took down Ukraine from their main page.
You do the math...
Putin describes where he sees Ukraine going:
Vladimir Putin hinted at Russian support for the potential return of Western Ukrainian border regions once annexed by Stalin from Poland, Hungary & Romania.
⚡️Putin directly inferred that Russia would not oppose the "re-annexation" of these regions back to their former countries noting that he is 100% certain this is what residents of those Ukrainian border want.
⚠️Potentially:
🇺🇦Transcarpathia back to Hungary 🇭🇺
🇺🇦Galicia & Volyn back to Poland 🇵🇱
🇺🇦Bukovina back to Romania 🇷🇴
Hilarious:
The wiretapping in Zaluzhny’s office was a dummy - SBU Major General Viktor Yagun
According to him, the device did not have recording equipment or batteries.
“After some time, they will try to "leak" some audio recordings made with the help of artificial intelligence with a voice similar to Zaluzhny’s, which will once again raise the topic of confrontation between the military and civil authorities in Ukraine. This is probably beneficial to the enemy,” he noted.
Arestovich really spells it out:
Honorable War as shown by Russia:
[Russian] military captured a Polish mercenary near Krynki. He was wounded, and other militants from the group abandoned him and fled.
Russian soldiers provided the Pole with first aid and sent him to the rear. Then he will be taken to the hospital. This is how real soldiers of the army of a civilized state act. In the RF Armed Forces, this is the absolute norm and strict algorithms for the treatment of prisoners and wounded. If our opponents act differently, it means they will be considered not soldiers of the regular army of a legitimate country, but terrorists of an extremist organization.
Putin Holds a Marathon 4-Hour Press Conference: “We Will Bolster Russia’s Sovereignty, Fortify Border Security, Safeguard Rights and Freedoms of Our Citizens” (VIDEOS)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his year-end press conference with a Q&A session. It was a monumental affair, that lasted 4 hours and 4 minutes, in which Putin answered 67 questions from journalists – both Russian and foreign – and citizens.
Naturally, the western media needs to take him down a peg, so it is said that the questions were ‘carefully curated’, which is, of course, true. But just compare that to feeble Joe Biden squinting his eyes closed as he takes a couple of questions from pre-selected journalists and reads pre-written replies.
The difference between the leaders couldn’t be more clear.
We will present some highlights of the questioning marathon, with translation and reporting from Sputnik, RT, Sky News, New York Times and several Telegram channels.
The Russian President began by saying that ‘strengthening sovereignty is one of his priorities’, and that ‘Russia cannot exist without it’.
“The primary objective is to bolster Russia’s sovereignty, fortify border security, and safeguard the rights and freedoms of [our] citizens.”
“The world has been surprised the Russian economy has not collapsed under Western sanctions, but it has proved resilient and this will continue.”
Russia’s objectives in the ‘Special Military Operation’ in Ukraine remain ‘unchanged’ – the ‘denazification and demilitarization’ of Kiev’s regime remain top goals.
“Their national hero [Stephan Bandera] is a well-known Nazi figure.”
“Peace will come when we reach our goals,” he says. “Ukraine virtually produces or manufactures nothing… they have been importing things for free, freeloading.”
Video: “Odessa is a Russian city, everyone is aware of that, but they conjured up historical nonsense, and after the collapse of the USSR we gave into it.”
“Some 486,000 people had so far signed up voluntarily as contract soldiers, on top of the 300,000 people called up last year, and the flow is not diminishing.
In all, 1,500 people are recruited every day, with contracts signed for two or three years among volunteers.”
The Kremlin said that no less than 2 million questions were submitted – with many projected in screens in the studio – including blistering criticism.
On the subject of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Putin’s take was not perhaps the expected warlike one:
“The Russians and the Ukrainians are one people, essentially, and what we are witnessing now is a great tragedy resembling a civil war between brothers on opposing sides. And it is not even their fault, the entire southeast of Ukraine has always been pro-Russian.”
Kiev’s forces have ‘failed everywhere’ in their counteroffensive, and the much vaunted bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper is just a PR act.
“They are pushing their people and these people are going to be killed. They are going to other countries asking for money, and now they have to show the Ukrainian army has at least some chances of reaching something without thinking about any losses.”
A citizen showed outrage that Russia was being insulted around the world, and asked Putin what he thought about people who are against him.
“In many towns of the world, many people think what we are doing is correct. We have a huge number of supporters in protecting traditional values. The number of people supporting Russia is rising exponentially.”
In a noteworthy aside, Zelensky’s former advisor, now in self-imposed exile, Arestovich: “Putin calls us brothers and a united people, and we call them pigs and orcs. On the screen Putin has uncomfortable questions from Russians. Who do you think has the advantage: us or them?”
There was a crazy moment when an AI-generated video of Vladimir Putin appeared in the monitor to ask a question.
“Do you have a lot of twins (clones/doppelgangers)? What is your attitude dangers with… artificial intelligence?”
Putin responded: “You can talk like me and use my voice, my pitch, but I figured only one person can speak like myself and use my voice, and this is going to be me. As regards the AI, this is my first twin.”
Putin was the image of optimism, as he assured the world that Russia will win in the Special Military Operation.
Video: “Nord Stream pipelines were likely blown up by the US.”
Warning against assassinations:
Russian leader Vladimir Putin said that there must be a "severe" response against foreign intelligence services that "directly" support Ukraine and seek to "destabilize the socio-political situation in Russia" in a video address published on the Kremlin's website on Dec. 20.
Putin has long accused Ukraine of being guided by foreign powers, especially the U.S., and has claimed that its actions are dictated by Washington.
While the U.S. openly supports Ukraine and provides the country with funding, weapons, and strategic military assistance, there is no evidence that U.S. intelligence services actively assist Ukraine on the ground, especially within Russia.
The comments came on Russia's Security Officer's Day. Putin congratulated them for their work, particularly in parts of Ukraine that Russia illegally annexed in 2022.
He also accused Ukraine of pursuing "state terrorism" by engaging in sabotage and targeted assassinations.
Prosperity Guardian
The Pentagon, in its infinite stupidity wisdom, has announced an operation called "Prosperity Guardian" at the Horn of Africa, after the Houthis of Yemen successfully intimidated global shipping into avoiding the Suez Canal and the Red Sea (to put a squeeze on Israel) with drone and missile attacks.
You know, the same Houthis that fought the Saudi-led coalition (armed with the latest US weapons and backed by US intelligence and logistics) for something like eight years, and won. Generalizing a bit, the Saudis folded after the Houthis showed they could wreck their entire oil infrastructure and the vaunted US-supplied Patriot missiles could do nothing to stop it.
The Saudis, you see, were wiser than the Globalist American Empire, which is about to do something really stupid. Again.
🇷🇺 The Kingisepp Machine-Building Plant is building for the Russian Defense Ministry a small series of unmanned combat carrier boats "Dandelion" of 10 units for testing in combat conditions. As stated, the drone will be able to reach speeds of up to 80 km/h, cover up to 200 km and carry up to 600 kg of payload.
The Red Sea is now largely closed to traffic, affecting 8.8 million bpd of daily oil transit, and nearly 380 million tons of daily cargo transit. Global traffic now will be rerouted around Cape of Good Hope, adding on average 40% to voyage distance and even more in expense.
The collective vessel market share of MSC, Hapag Lloyd, and Maersk — each of which are recent victims to piracy attacks and have decided to totally suspend voyages via the Red Sea — is approximately 40% of global cargo trade. Transit times from Asia to the Mediterranean were at a threshold last month, and are now expected to rise up to an additional 10-14 days.
Meanwhile, global sea freight face additional risks in the Western hemisphere as drought conditions plague the Panama canal.
Sue Terpilowski of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, which represents companies concerned with supply chains, told the BBC about the likely spike in costs after four of the top five companies in the world suspended operations in the area:
“It’s security to the crew, to the ship itself and also insurance policies. Premiums are now going sky high if they can get insurance at all, so it’s going to have serious implications on stock levels, on costs and the whole dynamics of supply chains.”
The acceleration of de-globalization is leading to a surge of uncertainty along major global maritime routes and transport expenses.
— 🇺🇸/🇮🇷 NEW: Carrier Strike Group 1 led by the 'USS Carl Vinson' is moving West towards the Middle East, abandoning its mission in the Phillipine & South China Sea
Regarding Nazis:
Maria Zakharova says.
.....
Moscow will not allow Ukraine to continue being a “Nazi state” that poses a threat to both Russia and other nations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.
In an exclusive interview with AFP published on Saturday, Zakharova confirmed that the goals of “denazification” and “demilitarization” of Ukraine, as declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the onset of the conflict in February 2022, remain unchanged. According to Zakharova, the events surrounding the Ukrainian crisis have underscored Russia’s belief in the necessity of launching its special military operation.
“From the very beginning of the hostilities, the [Ukrainian] neo-Nazis have been cynically using the civilian population as ‘human shields’ and brutally treating Russian prisoners of war. Their main goal in this conflict is to kill as many Russians as possible,” Zakharova explained.
"We will not allow the existence on our borders of an aggressive Nazi state from whose territory there is a danger for Russia and its neighbors."
Asked about the prospects of somehow settling the conflict, Zakharova said that the only way to reach a “lasting peace” was, effectively, meeting all of Russia’s demands. “It is necessary to confirm the neutral, non-aligned and nuclear-free status of Ukraine, carry out its demilitarization and denazification, acknowledge new territorial realities, and ensure the rights of Russian-speaking citizens and national minorities living in this country,” she explained.
The spokeswoman also confirmed that Russia remains ready to resolve the conflict through diplomacy, stating that Moscow has never refused to do so. However, to make such negotiations possible, “the Kiev regime and its Western curators” must take “practical steps and show goodwill.” Thus far, neither of them have shown such “political will,” she added.
“A comprehensive, sustainable and just resolution of the conflict over Ukraine depends, to a large extent, on addressing its very causes. The West must stop pumping up the Ukrainian military with weaponry, while Kiev must cease hostilities and withdraw its troops from Russian territory,” Zakharova explained, referring to the four formerly-Ukrainian regions – Zaporozhye, Kherson, and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics – that were incorporated into Russia after referendums last fall.
.....
With Ukraine’s military facing mounting deaths and a stalemate on the battlefield, army recruiters have become increasingly aggressive in their efforts to replenish the ranks, in some cases pulling men off the streets and whisking them to recruiting centers using intimidation and even physical force.
Recruiters have confiscated passports, taken people from their jobs and, in at least one case, tried to send a mentally disabled person to military training, according to lawyers, activists and Ukrainian men who have been subject to coercive tactics. Videos of soldiers shoving people into cars and holding men against their will in recruiting centers are surfacing with increasing frequency on social media and in local news reports.
From RezidentUA:
💬 "According to sources from the General Staff in Ukraine, a new service from the Military Commissariat is gaining popularity, where military officials issue conscription notices to competitors in business or for revenge for $5,000-10,000.
The information is not officially disclosed yet, but investigations into such cases are already underway in seven regions."
🐻 Don't like your business competitor? A guy cut you off in traffic? The neighbors dog barks all the time?
For a "small" fee you can send them to the front!
Another social propaganda video from the Armed Forces of Ukraine:
“You can be together. Share the most difficult moments. And rejoice in common victories. AFU unites families"
Until the last Ukrainian family...
Kiev spanked/fined PornHub
The reason was the refusal of the adult site to register in the country and pay taxes for the maintenance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Daniil Getmantsev, a fine was issued to the company operating the site in the amount of $5,543.
“I remind you that every penny of the so-called tax on Google goes to finance the needs of our army. And Ukraine, according to the PornHub rating, is in 14th place in the world in terms of views of this site,” Getmantsev explained.
🤡 Kennedy: RFK Jr Denies Gaza Siege Is Even Happening
"2.2 million people [are] having their access to water, food, medicine, blocked right now by lsrael. Do you think it's acceptable to impose a siege on the entire civilian population in Gaza?"
"First of all, I don't think that's happening... I don't see any proof of that."
🇮🇱🇵🇸 In Israel, they proposed clearing Gaza and turning it into a museum like in the Auschwitz concentration camp
“Send all Gazans to refugee camps in Lebanon and level the entire sector so that it becomes an empty museum like Auschwitz ,” said David Azoulay, head of the city of Metula in northern Israel.
The gusto with which Israel talks about the destruction of the Palestinians, as well as the horrifying analogies, suggest “unlearned history lessons” on the part of the Jews there.
🇺🇸🇾🇪📝 It really is incredible watching the U.S. expose its top assets in this reckless of a manner.
All of their logistics are exposed here, and the Houthis have just demonstrated that ASBMs work. That should be ringing alarm bells in Washington, especially given the USN already concedes the Houthis have one of the best Anti-Ship missile forces in the world.
