Revenge on ukraine
Russia has acquired a weapon more terrifying than the Oreshnik missile. Panic reigns in Ukraine: “There’s no escape!” This is how we will conclude the Strategic Defense Initiative.
Translation with my notes in bold and in [brackets]
https://tsargrad.tv/articles/rossija-poluchila-oruzhie-strashnee-oreshnika-na-ukrai
ne-panika-ne-spastis-vot-chem-my-budem-zavershat-svo_1489573
Vlad Shlepchenko
December 21, 2025, 8:00 PM
Russia has acquired a weapon more terrifying than the Oreshnik missile. Panic reigns in Ukraine: “There’s no escape!” This is how we will conclude the Strategic Defense Initiative.
The paradox of the Strategic Defense Initiative was that Russia, despite possessing one of the most numerous and sophisticated arsenals of intercontinental ballistic missiles, capable of destroying Manhattan or California, lacked the means to deliver rapid and precise strikes, for example, against Lviv. Or rather, until recently.
Enemy sources report that the Russian army has used a modified version of the Iskander tactical missile system with an extended launch range for the first time. The enemy has not specified the exact target, but according to their data, the missile flew approximately 800 kilometers. This clearly indicates that the missile used was not a standard 9M723, but a new product with a significantly longer range.
It is also noted that the new Russian missile dives toward its target at an angle close to 90 degrees. Some enemy commentators have noted that the latest Iskander launches reported by the Ukrainian Armed Forces were conducted from the Rostov region, with their targets located in the Odessa region.
If our missile crews did not reach the western outskirts of the Rostov region, then the distance of the enemy’s most recent recorded strikes and the range claimed by them for the new Russian missile are roughly the same. Screenshot: ostarmour.info
If the enemy’s reports are accurate (ours have not yet officially “admitted” this), then the significance of this event for the future course of the SMO is simply impossible to overestimate.
Ballistics for Lviv
The fact is that the Iskander SRBM, the workhorse of the Russian Ground Forces’ missile brigades, was developed within the limitations of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), limiting the 9M723 quasi-ballistic missile’s range to less than 500 kilometers. To reach the Ukrainian-Polish border from the Bryansk region, at least, requires a range of at least 650 kilometers, and ideally 700 kilometers.
Conventional 9M723 Iskander missiles cannot reach Lviv even when launched from the Bryansk region. Screenshot: lostarmour.info
Yes, Russia has other weapons capable of ravaging the landscape of Western Ukraine, but NATO intelligence detects the takeoff and launch range of MiG-31Ks carrying Kinzhal missiles several dozen minutes in advance, and even learns in advance of the launch preparations of Tu-95MS strategic bombers and Kalibr carrier ships. This, incidentally, is why our strategic aviation in 2023-2024 constantly used the technique of feinting to launch ranges and then returning to base.
The cruise missile itself—whether sea- or air-launched—takes 1.5-2 hours to reach its target in Western Ukraine. Geran-2 drones take even longer to reach their designated targets. American and European satellites constantly monitor all missile loading procedures at air and naval bases, and strategic aircraft takeoffs are recorded by radar, just like the departure of ships at sea. Therefore, the Ukrainians always know in advance about the start of launches on their territory and can take appropriate action, for example, scrambling aircraft from airfields and waiting in the air for the arrival of missiles and drones.
The Chief of the General Staff declassified a state secret. Kronstadt, St. Petersburg, and Pskov will be the first to burn.
A ground-based launcher and a long-range ballistic missile fundamentally change the balance of power on the battlefield.
Firstly, tracking the movement of such a launcher is incomparably more difficult than tracking the takeoff and launch range of Kinzhal carriers and strategic bombers.
Secondly, the 9M723 quasi-ballistic missile approaches its target at speeds of Mach 6-7 (7,200-8,400 km/h), while cruise missiles fly at 800-900 km/h. Therefore, even if the enemy detects the missile’s launch, less than 10 minutes will pass from takeoff to impact, meaning the reaction time after receiving the warning is only 1-2 minutes. What can be done in that time? Clearly, not much.
Meanwhile, western Ukraine is crucial for arms and ammunition supplies. Kyiv’s allies are transporting trains carrying equipment and fuel through this region, and warehouses have been established in the border areas where military aid is being stockpiled. The arrival of the extended-range Iskander missiles primarily means a new level of capability for striking trains and truck stops, which constantly transport military supplies to Ukraine.
Very nice to hear – the Iskander-1000!
Rumors that our specialized companies and research institutes are working on developing the Iskander with extended-range ballistic missiles have been circulating since last spring. In a video dedicated to the 78th anniversary of the Kapustin Yar test site, knowledgeable people noticed a test rig with a missile mounted on it, very reminiscent of a lengthened 9M723. According to rough estimates, the designers lengthened the engine compartment containing the solid propellant mixture by approximately 15%.
On the left is a photograph of the standard 9M723, on the right is the experimental missile from the Ministry of Defense video. Screenshot: Telegram channel “Osveditel”
It is also possible that the increased range was achieved by reducing the weight of the warhead, a fairly common practice in modern rocketry.
Russia struck Ukraine with a ground-based Kinzhal missile. The new missile’s estimated range is 1,000 km (with a 300 kg warhead). With a lighter warhead (weighing around 200 kg), the range is up to 1,300 km. For reference, the old Iskander missile had a range of up to 500 km, but with a 480 kg warhead. And a 2-2.5-fold increase in range is far from all that Russia’s adversaries will have to face (or rather, have already faced, in the form of the Ukrainian Armed Forces)..., notes military observer Yuriy Podolyaka.
The launch of the supposed prototype of the 9M723 extended-range missile, footage from a Defense Ministry video. Source: Telegram channel “Osveditel” [you can see embedded photos and video clips by opening the link at the top of my translations. The links to visuals cannot be opened from Substack].
An interesting detail
Ukrainian sources report that the new missile dives almost vertically toward its target at angles close to 90 degrees. This is a very interesting clarification.
The fact is that the radar antennas of anti-aircraft systems are aimed toward the horizon to detect objects approaching from afar. The antenna can tilt, increasing the elevation angle, but this is typically limited to 30, sometimes 40 degrees.
More frightening than the “Oreshnik” and “Sarmat”: Putin’s new weapon will turn the US “Golden Dome” into a sieve [actually, Russian ballistic nuclear-tipped missiles were already immune to air defenses]
Because of this, a dead funnel appears directly above the radar—a cone-shaped area of space in which the radar sees nothing at all. This radar feature suggests a very obvious method for countering ground-based air defense systems: launch a ballistic missile to a high altitude (approximately 50 km), then dive-dive, attacking the air defense system through the dead zone above it.
And, judging by the Ukrainians’ statements, they have already witnessed this technique in action.
The Iskander-1000 as seen by Western observers. Screenshot: Telegram channel “Military Informant”
In summary
Looking at the situation as a whole, it would not be an exaggeration to say that within the framework of the Air Defense Forces, the appearance of the Iskander-1000 system on the battlefield will be a more significant event than even the creation of the Oreshnik system.
The latter is an exceptionally powerful system, but its capabilities (and, consequently, its cost and complexity of production) are somewhat excessive for engaging targets within Ukraine. The Kyiv regime simply doesn’t have targets that couldn’t be destroyed with simpler and cheaper means. The only role the Oreshnik can play in a conflict with Ukraine is as a demonstrator of our capabilities.
Therefore, the Oreshnik is a weapon for the next war, the one European authorities have scheduled for 2030 [kind of silly for a near-bankrupt entity to schedule a war that far in the future]. The Iskander-1000, however, could very well become our workhorse, delivering hundreds of quick, deadly strikes across Ukraine, knocking out maneuverable targets, mowing down aircraft at airfields, and destroying enemy anti-aircraft systems. And if the appropriate political decision is made, this missile would also be suitable for strikes on Bankova Street and the Rada building.
**
Translation with my notes in bold and [brackets]
The main news by the evening of December 22. A blow to Tokyo. Ukraine sent a clear signal. Zelenskyy’s team flees. A repatriate girl is not being accepted into school.
Putin, having left Moscow for St. Petersburg, dealt a surprise blow to Tokyo. The Japanese are stunned. It all happened when a “dear guest” from abroad arrived in the northern capital. It was then that the Kremlin exposed Japan’s 21-year-old plan. And Ukraine sent a clear political signal in negotiations with the US after the meeting in Miami. Journalists noted that the final statements from Kyiv and Washington were completely identical. Could it be that they had reached an agreement? Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service reported that the Ukrainian government was preparing to flee the country. The end of the Kyiv regime in its current form is a foregone conclusion, and officials have already prepared backup airfields. And in Tyumen, a repatriate girl with an A in Russian was not accepted into school. “My parents are Russian. We’re not migrants. We’re compatriots who have returned to our historical homeland,” explains the schoolgirl. So, what was the main news story on the evening of December 22...
A Blow to Tokyo
Chinese media saw Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to St. Petersburg as an unexpected and highly sensitive signal to Japan. According to Sohu, the “blow to Tokyo” was achieved not by grandiose statements, but by carefully calibrated diplomacy. The reason for this was Japan’s increased activity in Central Asia: Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held talks with the leaders of five countries in the region, promoting the idea of a transport and logistics corridor bypassing Russia. Essentially, an attempt to build an economic architecture without Moscow.
The Kremlin’s response was asymmetrical. While in St. Petersburg, Putin held a meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, the leader of a country occupying a key geographical position in Central Asia. Formally, the press releases discussed bilateral cooperation and trade and economic issues. However, Chinese analysts saw this as a demonstration that Russia still retains influence in the region and is capable of thwarting attempts by external players to “rewire” the post-Soviet Asian space.
Beijing emphasizes that for Japan, this was the exposure of a long-standing strategy designed to gradually displace Russia. Tokyo, having joined Western sanctions, hoped to weaken Moscow’s position, but ultimately found itself without leverage. Meanwhile, Japanese authorities recently expressed a desire to conclude a peace treaty with Russia, but nothing came of it.
Ukraine sent a clear signal
The results of the Ukraine-US talks in Miami attracted increased attention not so much for their content as for their form. Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Chairman Rustem Umerov and US Presidential Special Representative Steve Witkoff issued identical statements, differing only in language. This is rare in diplomatic practice and almost always signifies a coordinated position, with no attempts at “cosmetic adjustments” on Kyiv’s part.
Of particular interest was the statement that peace must be more than just a cessation of hostilities, but a sustainable foundation for the future. For the Ukrainian side, this represents a significant shift in rhetoric. Previously, Kyiv and its European partners insisted on a temporary ceasefire, which would allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to regroup. Russia consistently rejected this approach.
Now, Ukraine is essentially repeating Moscow’s key message about the need for long-term peace. The statements also mention security guarantees, economic recovery, and a phased implementation of the peace plan. All of this may indicate that negotiations with the US have approached their final stage. The main question remains: to what extent have these agreements been agreed upon with Russia, and whether they have been adjusted under pressure from Kyiv and Europe.
Zelenskyy’s Team Flees
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) reported that the Ukrainian political elite is preparing to flee. According to the SVR, the families of most high-ranking officials have long since been relocated abroad, while they themselves are preparing “backup airfields” in the event of the current regime’s collapse. Intelligence maintains that Kyiv has no doubt such a scenario is inevitable.
The facts pointed out by Russian intelligence services are well known even without intelligence reports. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko’s children live in the UK and the US, while Petro Poroshenko’s heirs* have also settled in London. Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk’s family resides in Austria. Rustem Umerov’s wife and children are in Florida, where he regularly visits.
As for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to sources, his main “backup airfield” is London, where his family purchased a mansion worth approximately $127 million and where his wife is currently most often found. At the same time, Ukrainian officials are transferring funds to Western banks and applying for residence permits in Europe through embassies. The fate of the country and its residents, according to the SVR, is the last thing on their minds.
Repatriate girl not accepted to school
Against this backdrop, a story from Tyumen is particularly painful. A 12-year-old repatriate girl, fluent in Russian and with an A on her written exam, was not accepted to school due to two missing points on the oral portion of the test. The child has been forced to stay home for two terms.
The girl’s family are Russian compatriots who returned from Kazakhstan. The parents have received residence permits and are awaiting citizenship. The girl has spoken only Russian since childhood and knows no other languages. Nevertheless, the commission deemed her “inadequately proficient in Russian,” citing formal criteria.
The schoolgirl’s mother says the family left Kazakhstan due to pressure on Russian speakers, and is now facing similar treatment in Russia. The situation has sparked widespread controversy and once again raised questions about how formal immigration and educational procedures sometimes harm those for whom the repatriation program was created. At the same time, it’s also clear that due to the abuse of this mechanism by those who genuinely don’t speak the language, the children of Russian compatriots are now being targeted.
* Petro Poroshenko has been added by Rosfinmonitoring to a list of individuals involved in extremist activity or terrorism.
**
Erich Zuesse Substack:
To avoid WW3, regime-change in the U.S. is the ONLY way.
I found this interesting, but my viewpoint is different perhaps because I read mostly Russian articles in Russian.
Zuesse is worried that Trump’s would-be war with Venezuela will turn into a world war and pit the US against Russia (and perhaps China?).
He could be right, but I think if Trump is suicidal enough to invade or bomb Venezuela, he will find himself up against Russian weapons operated by Russian experts.
If Russia has sent Oreshniks and ship killing missiles, Russia is capable of hitting every one of the US warships in the region.
And of course, Russia has been conducting drills with nuclear tipped Sarmats mounted on vehicles travelling through forests, making them essentially invisible from space.
It Putin decides to fire these ballistic missiles, they can hit any US state and its MIRVS can take out an entire state. They can’t be stopped because they are hypersonic as they dive to earth in their last flight phase.
Trump’s attitude toward Putin signals that he fears the latter and does not want trouble. In fact, when Trump threatened to bomb Venezuela in his first term, Russia simply sent two nuclear-capable Tu-160 White Swans to that country and Trump quickly folded.
This latest scenario is a little different, with Trump acting considerably more aggressive, but I suspect his motive for the war posturing is likely the Epstein files, which he is desperate to hide or disguise. Of course, the idiot Rubio is pushing hard for a Venezuelan strike, but Trump can control him.
His support for the Israeli genocide is also in dire need of a distraction to keep the public attention at bay.
But a REAL war with Venezuela?
Not too likely, but still, possible, and that makes Erich Zusse’s speculative piece interesting at the very least.
**
“No-new-wars” Trump quietly prepares to invade Greenland
I KNOW you didn’t vote for this. Nor did you vote for the dangerous mess in Venezuela
BTW, when a politician lies to get into office, that is stealing an election, and when that happens, it is no longer quite accurate to call that politician “president.” So you can avoid that by simply saying or writing “Mr. Trump.” Otherwise, you are legitimizing an usurper.
I generally write “White House Resident Trump” partly because he stole the office by blatantly lying and also because he tramples on the Constitution. Another issue is that ALL top US politicians are bought out by AIPAC, so NONE of them deserve their titles.
NO American is forced at gunpoint to use a title to reference a politician. Remember that. It’s one thing to dislike their politics, but quite another when they are installed by a foreign lobby, lie their way into office or cynically and deliberately disregard the Constitution (for example, punishing students for expressing disapproval of genocide, as Trump does). And BTW, the Congress shares the lion’s share of the blame. These usurpers legitimize usurper Trump because they too have entered office for illegitimate reasons. They AIPAC money is the main reason, and they are all in it together. They are, quite frankly, traitors to America, and we now are all accomplices to Netanyahu’s
Mass murders in Palestine and Julani’s mass murders in Syria.
America will not escape being ranked among Hitler, Pol Pot and Pinochet (in fact,
Trump just helped install a Pinochet admirer in Chile’s presidency).
The Daily Beast sits behind a paywall, but when it has juicy reports on the illegitimate White House Resident, it sometimes lifts the paywall
Trump, 79, Makes Up a New Job to Push His Bizarre Takeover Plot
GREEN WITH ENVY
The president started publicly musing about taking over Greenland before he even entered the White House.
Updated Dec. 22 2025 8:59AM EST Published Dec. 22 2025 8:06AM EST
President Donald Trump announced that he’s nominating a MAGA ally to serve as U.S. special envoy to Greenland in a move that drew immediate anger from Denmark.
The 79-year-old president has long harbored ambitions to take over the Danish semi-autonomous territory. On Sunday, Trump announced that he would appoint Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry to serve as the envoy to the island, apparently the first time the U.S. government would have such a role.
“Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World,” Trump said in a statement.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has taken up the “volunteer” role.
Landry, who only took office as governor in January 2024, and whose term ends in January 2028, described it as a “volunteer position.”
“It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S.,” Landry wrote on X. He added, “This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana!”
Trump Admin Steps Up Intel Efforts Against Surprise Target PART OF THE PLAN Yasmeen Hamadeh
In reaction, the Danish foreign minister said on Monday that the United States must respect “the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in a brief statement emailed by his ministry to ABC News that “the appointment confirms the continued American interest in Greenland.”
“However, we insist that everyone—including the U.S.—must show respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he added.
He struck a decidedly more irritated tone in separate comments made to the Danish TV channel TV2. Calling Trump and Landry’s comments “completely unacceptable,” he said he’d be demanding an “explanation” from the U.S. ambassador.
“As long as we have a kingdom in Denmark that consists of Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland, we cannot accept that there are those who undermine our sovereignty,” he said.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, meanwhile, said Landry’s appointment “doesn’t change anything for us here at home.”
“We will determine our future ourselves. Greenland is our country,” he wrote on social media, adding: “Greenland belongs to Greenlanders, and territorial integrity must be respected.”
The Danish Defense Intelligence Service said in a report earlier this month that the United States is leveraging its economic clout to “assert its will” and is willing to threaten military force against both allies and adversaries.
Hegseth Refuses to Deny Plans to Invade Greenland and Panama EVADER IN CHIEFSarah Ewall-Wice
The report highlighted the growing “strategic importance of the Arctic” amid the intensifying conflict “between Russia and the West.”
And that’s exactly why Trump wants it. During his presidential transition and the opening months of his second term, Trump repeatedly pushed for the United States to assume jurisdiction over Greenland, and he has declined to rule out using military force to seize control of the strategically important, mineral-rich island.
“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” he wrote on Truth Social exactly a year ago.
In March, Vice President JD Vance traveled to a remote U.S. military installation in Greenland, where he accused Denmark of failing to invest adequately in the territory.
Trump Cooks Up a New Plan to Get Greenland‘AN ELEGANT SOLUTION’Jack Revell
While the dispute later faded from public view, it resurfaced in August when Danish officials summoned the U.S. ambassador after reports that at least three individuals with ties to Trump had conducted covert influence operations in Greenland. Denmark is a NATO ally of the United States.
Trump made Ken Howery, a co-founder of PayPal, the U.S. ambassador to Denmark last year.
…
Hegseth suggests Pentagon has prepared plans to invade Greenland and Panama – video
This article is more than 6 months old
The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, appeared to acknowledge that the Pentagon had contingency plans to take Greenland and Panama by force if necessary during a congressional hearing on Thursday. When repeatedly asked by representative Adam Smith if invading the two countries was a policy of the defence department, Hegseth replied: ‘Our job at the defense department is to have plans for any contingency’
**
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/04/trump-greenland-denmark-military-force
Trump says he ‘doesn’t rule out’ using military force to control Greenland
This article is more than 7 months old
President has repeatedly expressed idea of expansion into autonomous territory within fellow Nato member Denmark
Sun 4 May 2025 17.57 BST
Share
Donald Trump would not rule out using military force to gain control of Greenland, the world’s largest island and an autonomous territory within Denmark, a fellow Nato member with the US.
Since taking office, the US president has repeatedly expressed the idea of US expansion into Greenland, triggering widespread condemnation and unease both on the island itself and in the global diplomatic community. Greenland is seen as strategically important both for defense and as a future source of mineral wealth.
In an interview on NBC’s Meet The Press on Sunday, Trump was asked whether he would rule out using force against the territory.
Danish PM tells US ‘you cannot annex another country’ on visit to Greenland
“I don’t rule it out. I don’t say I’m going to do it, but I don’t rule out anything. No, not there. We need Greenland very badly. Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we’ll take care of, and we’ll cherish them, and all of that. But we need that for international security,” Trump said.
The exchange came as part of wide-ranging interview following Trump’s first 100-days in office last week and he was also asked about the idea of using military force against Canada – an idea once unthinkable but now a subject of speculation amid Trump’s repeated assertion he would like to make Canada the US’s 51st state.
“It’s highly unlikely. I don’t see it with Canada. I just don’t see it, I have to be honest with you,” Trump said.
Trump said he had spoke with Canada’s new prime minister, Mark Carney, and confirmed that the pair had not spoken about making his country part of the US.
But he said they could discuss the topic when Carney visits Washington DC “this week or next week”. Carney, along with around 90% of Canadians, oppose the idea of folding Canada into the US. But Trump said he was open to a discussion.
“I’ll always talk about that. You know why? We subsidize Canada to the tune of $200bn a year,” Trump said. “We don’t need their cars. In fact, we don’t want their cars. We don’t need their energy. We don’t even want their energy. We have more than they do. We don’t want their lumber. We have great lumber. All I have to do is free it up from the environmental lunatics.”
Triumph for Carney: what happened in Canada’s election, and what will it mean?
Trump said that if “Canada was part of the US it wouldn’t cost us. It would be great … it would be a cherished state. And, if you look at our map, if you look at the geography – I’m a real estate guy at heart. When I look down at that without that artificial line that was drawn with a ruler many years ago – was just an artificial line, goes straight across. You don’t even realize.”
“What a beautiful country it would be,” he added.
A poll published last month found that 68% of Americans believe Trump is serious about the US trying to take over Greenland, and 53% think Trump is serious when he talks about the US trying to take control of Canada.
But the survey, commissioned by ABC News found that respondents didn’t think either annexation would be a good idea. About 86% said they opposed the US trying to take control of Canada, and 76% opposed trying to take control of Greenland.
**
Turkey says Kurdish-led SDF does not intend to advance integration with Syrian state
ReutersPublished: 22 December ,2025: 01:30 PM GST Updated: 22 December ,2025: 08:54 PM GST
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria appear to have no intention of honoring a commitment to integrate into the state’s armed forces by a year-end deadline, Turkey’s foreign minister said on Monday.
Turkey views the US-backed SDF, which controls swathes of northeastern Syria, as a terrorist organization and has warned of military action if the group does not honor the agreement.
Last week, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey hoped to avoid resorting to military action against the SDF, but that its patience was running out.
For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“We see the SDF has no intention to make too much of an advance (towards integration),” Fidan said on Monday in Damascus after talks between a high-level Turkish delegation and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and others.
“The SDF is running some of its operations in coordination with Israel, (and this) is actually a major obstacle to ongoing negotiations with Damascus,” he said.
The visit to Syria’s capital by the Turkish officials, who included Turkey’s defense minister and intelligence chief, came amid efforts by Syrian, SDF and US officials to show some progress with the deal.
Turkey has accused the SDF of stalling ahead of a year-end deadline, and Israel of resorting to “destabilizing” policies in Syria and of causing security risks in the country’s south.
There was no immediate comment on Fidan’s remarks from the SDF or Israel.
Ankara says the SDF presence along its southern borders poses a security threat to both Turkey and Syria, and that the Damascus government must address this. It has said any integration must ensure the SDF is disbanded – in line with a disarmament process between outlawed Kurdish PKK militants and the Turkish state – and its chain of command broken.
Sources have previously told Reuters that Damascus sent a proposal to the SDF expressing openness to reorganizing the group’s roughly 50,000 fighters into three main divisions and smaller brigades as long as it cedes some chains of command and opens its territory to other Syrian army units.
Al-Shaibani said Damascus did not see “any initiative or serious will” from the SDF to implement the agreement but had recently proposed to the Syrian Kurds another way to advance the process.
“...We received a response yesterday and this response is currently being studied,” he said.
Turkey has conducted cross-border military operations against the SDF in the past.
Read more: Turkey warns Syrian Kurdish ‘patience running out’
**
**
China’s Strong Reaction to US Seizure of Oil Tankers Off the Coast of Venezuela
Published:
December 22, 2025, 11:30 GMT
Caracas has the right to develop relations with other countries, says the Chinese Foreign Ministry
China’s Strong Reaction to US Seizure of Oil Tankers Off the Coast of Venezuela
The seizure of ships belonging to another country by the United States violates international law, declared Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Monday, commenting on Washington’s recent seizure of oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela.
“China has always opposed unilateral sanctions, which, lacking any basis in international law, are illegal and, moreover, are not authorized by the United Nations Security Council. It also opposes any action that violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, infringes upon the sovereignty and security of other countries, or constitutes unilateral acts of intimidation,” the spokesperson stated.
Petro rejects the blockade against Venezuela amid the US campaign of aggression.
Petro rejects the blockade against Venezuela amid the US campaign of aggression. Caracas has the right to independently develop “mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries,” he added, indicating that Beijing “believes the international community understands and supports Venezuela’s position in defending its legitimate rights and interests.”
His statements come in the context of Washington’s seizure last Saturday of the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Centuries.
US Aggression Against Venezuela
In addition to the extensive military deployment in the Caribbean Sea and the bombing of alleged drug-trafficking boats, the US has begun seizing ships transporting Venezuelan crude oil, actions that the Nicolás Maduro government denounces as “theft” and “an act of piracy.”
Last week, Donald Trump ordered a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, after baselessly accusing Caracas of “stealing” crude oil, “land, and other assets.”
In this regard, the Venezuelan government emphasized Venezuela’s sovereignty over all its resources and warned that the US president is seeking to impose a naval military blockade on the country “in an absolutely irrational manner” with the aim of “stealing” its natural resources, which he “assumes are his property.”
**
https://ria.ru/20251221/rossiya-2063557899.html
Russia didn’t dare do this: Putin upset some people beyond belief
Kirill Strelnikov
Exactly one day before the direct line with Vladimir Putin, peaceful Europeans made their bet: instead of Russian money, they would arm the Kyiv regime with their own. The minimum plan is two more years, and then we’ll see (either Trump dies, or a new Democratic president comes to power in the US, or a miracle happens). The emboldened Kyiv clown even blurted out that a peace agreement “may not happen.”
A few days earlier, the Carnegie Endowment*, through an oversight, leaked the position of the European Reich Chancellery in its article “Should Europe Negotiate with Russia?”, which boils down to the following: “The Kremlin is an adversary to be driven into a corner, not a partner to be accommodated. The EU’s approach to Russia must outlive—and outgrow—this war.”
Flags with EU symbols - RIA Novosti, 1920, 20.12.2025
“Burn the continent.” The EU’s plans for Russia astonished a journalist
December 20, 5:11 PM
This is all you need to know about the Kyiv and European leaders’ desire for peace.
Merz and Macron, having provided Kyiv with money and flexed their soy muscles, were hoping to hear threats and curses from Putin, indicating confusion, anger, and despair. Instead, the president calmly stated a simple point: the rejection of diplomacy, taking into account Russia’s legitimate interests, and the reliance on a military solution to the Ukrainian conflict have led Europe to a strategic impasse, the solution of which will be extremely costly for the EU—even to the point of cleansing these Augean stables with blood and fire.
But most importantly, Putin clearly and unequivocally conveyed that Russia is prepared for any degree of escalation and any duration of the current conflict (precisely what the Europeans have been insisting on all along). Specifically, the Russian leader casually stated that “the Russian army has become the most combat-ready in the world” and bluntly warned that any provocations, such as attempts to blockade the Kaliningrad region, would be dealt with in the harshest and most brutal manner, even if there was a risk of “large-scale armed conflict.” We see this risk, but we’re prepared to take it—plans are laid out, goals are defined, forces are assigned. And you?
This came as a very painful surprise to the pig-headed bastards, prompting lamentations in the pocket media like “Putin is sending a signal that the war in Ukraine will continue” or “Putin refuses any compromise.” Blackmail didn’t work—it happens.
And then there’s the US News, which reports: “Russian troops have completely seized the strategic initiative and are advancing along the entire front line.” And Germany’s Die Welt writes that “Europeans should acknowledge Ukraine’s likely defeat in the conflict with Russia, while Kyiv, despite EU aid, is running out of military, public, and financial resources.” The New Statesman, for its part, reports that “while Putin boasts of low unemployment and rising wages, Europe continues to suffer the consequences of its severing ties with Russia, making its position in a long-term standoff more vulnerable.”
Vice-Admiral Atlee of the Royal Navy also added insult to injury, stating in an interview with Bloomberg that NATO countries’ armed forces lack the strength for a protracted conflict with Russia (if one were to occur). Calculations have also emerged, according to which the EU’s bold €90 billion military loan to Kyiv will drain Europe of at least €3 billion annually in interest (among other things), and the loan itself will last less than a year—before it will be necessary to chip in again. Beautiful.
Interestingly, in anticipation of Putin’s “Year in Review,” the British publication The Economist read up on Kremlin propaganda and brazenly began asking for a salary in rubles. It turns out that “the Russian Armed Forces, possessing overwhelming superiority in manpower, equipment, and unmanned systems, are conducting a systematic offensive in several strategic directions, creating a critical situation for the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” “Russia is increasing its resources, while the Ukrainian Armed Forces are facing a chronic shortage of personnel and equipment,” “the situation for the Ukrainian army is aggravated not only by the enemy’s material superiority, but also by the growing dominance of the Russian army in the use of drones,” and the most terrible thing is that “Russia’s current offensive is systemic and long-term in nature.” The Europeans’ despair was captured in an analysis by the American think tank CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies): “Diplomatic efforts to negotiate a ceasefire with Moscow (read: a full or partial capitulation of Russia) have failed. <…> Russia’s goals in Ukraine remain largely unchanged. Despite the economic, military-industrial, and demographic burden, the war remains sustainable for the Kremlin for the foreseeable future.”
They failed to intimidate, they cannot sit it out and endure it, the escalation will end very quickly and very badly.
All that remains is to pray, but Putin has outdone himself here too. When asked by the audience during the live Q&A session what he personally believes in, the Russian president replied: “In the Lord, who is with us. And who will never abandon Russia.”
* An organization acting as a foreign agent and deemed undesirable in Russia.
**
From Don Hank reader forum
I want to recommend this substack: https://substack.com/@limitstoprogress
Calling oneself “Christian” these days means you have ties to one of the business-gospel “churches” and are not Jewish or Catholic or Muslim. That’s all. You don’t have to know the first thing about Jesus (who was actually trying to teach the Jews of his day), or the Apostle Paul who’s mission was to the Gentiles (Goyim).
Announcing you are “pro-Trump” implies a sub-room-temperature IQ and a disdain for facts of any kind, and implying that everyone else should reset to your level as a lowest common-denominator.
**
Air strike update with my notes in bold and in [brackets]
Translation with my notes in bold and in [brackets]
December 22, 2025, 09:00
Russian Armed Forces strike Ukrainian Armed Forces targets in Ukraine’s rear areas
A new attack on Ukrainian Armed Forces targets has been launched in Ukraine’s rear areas. Explosions occurred in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, and Kharkiv oblasts. The strikes targeted targets near the port of OdDecember 22, 2025, 09:00
Russian Armed Forces strike Ukrainian Armed Forces targets in Ukraine’s rear areas.
A new attack on Ukrainian Armed Forces targets has been launched in Ukraine’s rear areas. Explosions occurred in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, and Kharkiv oblasts. The strikes targeted targets near the port of Odessa, a major transshipment hub for NATO equipment supplied by the West.
The previous day, infrastructure—large storage tanks—was hit near the seaport. Geran drones struck one after another, resulting in a massive fire. All of this is in response to the Kyiv regime’s terrorist attacks on civilian targets in Russia.
Thank you, Don, for the recommendation! I keep recommending your writing, it is the best and most comprehensive, but I have under 200 readers! The EU Elite need to shut up and learn to cooperate with Russia, without cheap energy, they are sheep that have gone astray. Japan should smarten up and join BRICS, it's failing economy has no means to do an end-run around Russia or anyone else. NATO, before its recent period of uselessness, should have been traded for a UN Security Council re-wired to do the task of preventing wars of aggression. Therefore, no USA on the UNSC. If you soon see Evil-bibi visit USA, then you know the attack on Iran is imminent. A sad state of affairs for the Christmas season.
Why you think Putin is not part of the clan of grotesque human beings is beyond me. Much of his country lives in virtual poverty while he and his cronies are wealthy beyond measure and are now creating a war economy simply because the war in Ukraine is not going as planned. If he was really interested in peace, he would promote a real independently verifiable vote in the some of the eastern Ukraine areas and see whether they really do want to be part of Russia. But nobody is even talking about that, are they?