News & views related to the war in Ukraine …
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December 21, 2025
Ukraine Open Thread 2025-294
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Mr.Putin has been very patient and consistent with his statements. Professor John Mearsheimer reported that message through other chanel’s to NATO was sent about Inevitability of Nuclear War if things continue to escalate. After that Macron said that Europe needs to talk directly to Russia….
Posted by: Lancelot | Dec 22 2025 8:17 utc | 101
For once, I’d like to see a Nazi fanboy explain how and by which mechanism Russia is moving too slowly.
How if Russia doesn’t accomplish “X” soon, NATO will beat them in economy or warfare.
But they never do, because they don’t believe or understand the things that they say. The understanding of strategy is arcade like. Very shallow and cartoonish.
Russia and China are in no rush with Ukraine or Taiwan. They both know that the arc of history bends towards those with patience and vision.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Dec 22 2025 8:19 utc | 102
Posted by: Asian Frog | Dec 22 2025 4:16 utc | 87
VVP said he won’t write his memoirs (how sad), but I would be curious to know if leaving 300 billion eurobucks in the EU was actually a volontary strategic decision by the Russians.
No. Elvira Sajipzadovna offered her resignation to Vladimir Vladimirovich after the freezing of those funds, acknowledging her responsibility in making those assets available for seizure. She wouldn’t tender a fake resignation to cover for a honey pot kind of trap. So, no.
Allocating surpluses is a big issue for those having large surpluses. She parked those assets in Euroclear for lack of better options, plus it was a convenient slot to operate with them. And few people could have suspected that European politicians would risk one of the pillars of their financial ecosystem, just to stick it to Putin, that degree of spitefulness, you need to probe it to gauge its depth.
Posted by: Johan Kaspar | Dec 22 2025 8:21 utc | 103
Posted by: Johan Kaspar | Dec 22 2025 8:21 utc | 103
——————-
It also shows that the SMO was not planned well ahead and was decided in a hurry, without the possibility to remove those assets from Euroclear.
Posted by: scc | Dec 22 2025 8:36 utc | 104
Posted by: Orson Cart | Dec 22 2025 2:54 utc | 80
[…]
You have a good overall appraisal of the situation with the SMO. The fundamental reason, as often remarked by attentive observers, is evident: “demilitarization and denazification” requires killing millions of men and destroying hundred of billions of equipment and these goals have higher priority over territorial annexation. Add in the poor demography of the Russians, which severely constrains capacity to spend Russian soldiers lives, and you get what you see.
Posted by: Johan Kaspar | Dec 22 2025 8:38 utc | 105
Posted by: scc | Dec 22 2025 8:36 utc | 104
It also shows that the SMO was not planned well ahead and was decided in a hurry, without the possibility to remove those assets from Euroclear.
Not necessarily. It rather proves that Elvira Sajipzadovna was kept out of the loop in the decision-making leading to the invasion.
Posted by: Johan Kaspar | Dec 22 2025 8:41 utc | 106
Russian General Sergei Kuzovlev was personally awarded the title “Hero of Russia” by Putin on December 9. It is being reported that His wife found his body on December 17, the cause of death unknown.
Posted by: zargo | Dec 21 2025 18:34 utc | 32
You skipped the prehistory part: General Kuzovlev was the one who prematurely claimed Kupyansk was “fully liberated”, live on national TV, before the assembled general staff and the President, just to be handed the Gold Star few days later, again live on national TV, before assembled soldiers and the President.
In light of this, Ukrop claims of the contrary, spearheaded by Zelenskyy posting a selfie in front of a damaged KUPYANSK city welcome stela, even made it back to page 1 in western MSM, gloating for a day.
Guess Kuzovlev was handled in a very Russian way.
Posted by: Nervous German | Dec 22 2025 8:47 utc | 107
Re: Posted by: Lancelot | Dec 22 2025 8:17 utc | 101
Mr.Putin has been very patient and consistent with his statements. Professor John Mearsheimer reported that message through other chanel’s to NATO was sent about Inevitability of Nuclear War if things continue to escalate. After that Macron said that Europe needs to talk directly to Russia….
It’s an absolute waste of time and waste of lives talking to Micron.
He can’t be trusted and he can’t deliver and he is soon out of office. Micron is best ignored and better to present the new French President with a fait accompli deal in 18 months – better get a move on Russia.
Posted by: Julian | Dec 22 2025 9:09 utc | 108
It’s an absolute waste of time and waste of lives talking to Micron.
Posted by: Julian | Dec 22 2025 9:09 utc | 108
Macron is an opportunist. If he wants to talk, Moscow will hear him – Putin always said that dialog is always open for those who wish to talk. Waste of time? So be it.
Inevitability of Nuclear War if things continue to escalate. After that Macron said that Europe needs to talk directly to Russia
Posted by: Lancelot | Dec 22 2025 8:17 utc | 101
Bullshit. Timing matters here. EU learning to effectively having to foot the Ukraine’s bill on its own and failing to rob the Russian assets at Euroclear last Friday made Macron change his mind.
Posted by: Nervous German | Dec 22 2025 10:02 utc | 109
The Russian media wrote at the freezing time that the frozen money was in large part from past Eu payments for energy and other trade, for many years.
Anyway, the stealing was not something completely new or something that was absolutely unpredictable after the large amount of sanctions since 2014. And after Uk stole Venezuela’s gold and Us froze their assets ( reuters.com/world/americas/venezuelan-opposition-impatient-over-us-process-move-frozen-funds-sources-2023-03-15/ )
That money is not going to be ever released. Eventually Rf will have to take their assets in exchange, no other solution. Their local trial starts next year, then they could go to a foreign court which may or may not agree with them and even if they do agree, who’s going to take Nato money and assets in that jurisdiction and give them to Rf if Rf itself is too afraid to do it?
And what happened to NS investigation? Russia completely forgot about it. Maybe because it was the Americans and they are busy kissing their butts now. Kirillov’s death investigation was not finished a year later, and today they had another guy explode
Posted by: rk | Dec 22 2025 10:08 utc | 110
Guess Kuzovlev was handled in a very Russian way.
Posted by: Nervous German | Dec 22 2025 8:47 utc | 107
Yes, very Russian, he’s alive and well.
Posted by: Sh0tek | Dec 22 2025 10:14 utc | 111
We see Ukraine is executing terrorist attacks in Russia. I think this is going to be a modus operandi of the collective west and Ukraine in the next years. For Ukrainians these terror attack would be a satisfactory alternative to holding a territory.
Posted by: Simon | Dec 22 2025 10:34 utc | 112
Speaking of terrorism #112:
A car bomb attack targeting a senior officer of the Russian Armed Forces was carried out in southern Moscow, according to media reports.
The victim was identified as 56-year-old Major General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces. The explosion occurred shortly after Sarvarov entered his Kia Sorento in the courtyard of a residential building on Yasenevaya Street and began to drive away.
The vehicle was heavily damaged by the blast, and emergency responders had to extract the officer from the wreckage. Sarvarov sustained multiple shrapnel wounds and fractures and was taken to hospital in critical condition.
Preliminary findings suggest that an improvised explosive device had been planted beneath the driver’s seat. Law enforcement authorities have opened an investigation into the circumstances of the attack.
Sarvarov later died of his injuries in hospital.
—via SLG (2025-12-22 10:29Z)
Posted by: Nervous German | Dec 22 2025 10:53 utc | 113
Posted by: Julian | Dec 22 2025 9:09 utc | 108
—————————
While you are right about the irrelevance of Macron, accepting direct talks with him is another way to put a wedge between the Eurocuck clowns.
FT already stated that Macron betrayed Merz in the Russian assets stealing attempt.
Posted by: scc | Dec 22 2025 11:11 utc | 114
Johan Kaspar | Dec 22 2025 8:38 utc | 105
“Demilitarization and denazification” requires killing millions of men and destroying hundred of billions of equipment and these goals have higher priority over territorial annexation. Add in the poor demography of the Russians, which severely constrains capacity to spend Russian soldiers lives, and you get what you see.”
Does demilitarization, in Putin’s understanding, mean the literal extermination of military-age Ukrainians, i.e. the setting up of this conscription conveyor belt to funnel Ukrainians into the meat grinder like a kind of factory farm? If so, is this by some kind of unspoken (or secretly spoken) understanding between the US and Russia as far as ethnically cleansing the non-Russian borderland space?
Posted by: Flying Dutchman | Dec 22 2025 11:20 utc | 115
If Putin had chosen not to take the SMO path, and instead chosen to not confront NATO, where would we all be now.
Worse off, or better off.
Posted by: Bingo | Dec 22 2025 11:27 utc | 116
Posted by: Flying Dutchman | Dec 22 2025 11:20 utc | 115
Does demilitarization, in Putin’s understanding, mean the literal extermination of military-age Ukrainians, i.e. the setting up of this conscription conveyor belt to funnel Ukrainians into the meat grinder like a kind of factory farm?
Well, yes of course. Demilitarize is the elimination of all capacities to have a military. The Ukraines cannot be trusted to become a Costa Rica (a nation with no standing military) so necessarily all men of military age have to either (a) be processed into dead meat or invalids, (b) expelled from the conquered land, or (c) transformed into Russians. The female part of the population may remain to pop Russian babies and the old may remain of course and live the peaceful life of a pensioner. I thought this was pretty much self-evident. Demilitarization is even harsher than what it was done to the Germans and the Japanese as they were allowed to have a small military force for defensive purposes.
If so, is this by some kind of unspoken (or secretly spoken) understanding between the US and Russia as far as ethnically cleansing the non-Russian borderland space?
You’ve asked me this in a previous instance. I think the Americans received that kind of offer from the Russians (“we will clear the land and appropriate a few hundreds thousand sq-km of prime arable land and mineral resources and you are welcome to work with us in their exploitation”) but them Americans haven’t taken it yet, IMO.
Posted by: Johan Kaspar | Dec 22 2025 11:53 utc | 117
What happened to the Ukraine corruption scandal?
Posted by: Fredrick | Dec 22 2025 12:04 utc | 118
Pulled under the rug ’cause people were starting askin’ questions about their own warmonger “elites” …
Posted by: Savonarole | Dec 22 2025 12:13 utc | 119
What happened to the Ukraine corruption scandal? 118Posted by: Fredrick | Dec 22 2025 12:04 utc |
Shhhh… you’re not allowed to talked about anymore, we have a new narrative now, you have 15 mins left to talk about Epstein, then we have to move on to the new Nacro-Terrorist-Dictatorship-Badplaceastan called Venezuela and when we should bomb it
Posted by: Kadath | Dec 22 2025 12:23 utc | 120
Anyone know what happened to the Russian General that got blowed up in his car……jealous lover perhaps? That’ll happen when you date a Britkrainians. Worst partners, but always partners for life, or how ever long that lasts…..
Cheers M
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Dec 22 2025 13:34 utc | 121
LD, nazi fanboys are trolls, performing for fun or profit. You on the other hand seem to suffer from a particular form of OCD.
Why dont you get a job, or better yet, meditate, write poetry or do something that demonstrates you truly understand the war is indeed over.
Like the old adage says, all wars are bankers’ wars, because all conflicts are a contest over who controls natural resources which forms the basis of the (sovereign) debt money system.
Transform monetary assets into wallets of tokenized forms of wealth, be it gold or goodwill, and the necessity for resource acquisition to feed the debt pyramid disappears.
Its over whether it’s a quick (nuclear) strike or an inside job by players who understand those who execute the decapitation stand to come out huge winners.
Posted by: Markw | Dec 22 2025 15:23 utc | 122
*** Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard responded to a report from Reuters alleging that “Putin has not abandoned his aims of capturing all of Ukraine and reclaiming parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire”. Tulsi condemned that as a “lie” to undermine Trump’s peace efforts and thus risk a possible hot Russian-US war. She also claimed that “Russia’s battlefield performance indicates it does not currently have the capability to conquer and occupy all of Ukraine, let alone Europe.” ***
https://open.substack.com/pub/korybko/p/tulsis-assessment-that-putin-doesnt?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&shareImageVariant=overlay&r=2zfp1k
Posted by: frithguild | Dec 22 2025 15:26 utc | 123
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Dec 22 2025 13:34 utc | 121
Ukies usrd to shell the Donetsk civilians and then joke about blasts bing caused by some exploding AC units. So, there is nothing new in the local British plant’s skit.
Posted by: Poslan1 | Dec 22 2025 15:29 utc | 124
Worth a read
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/our-modern-spectacle
Posted by: jpc | Dec 22 2025 15:38 utc | 125
Like the old adage says, all wars are bankers’ wars, because all conflicts are a contest over who controls natural resources which forms the basis of the (sovereign) debt money system.
Posted by: Markw | Dec 22 2025 15:23 utc | 122
—
This supposition is at best half correct.
First, “the basis of the (sovereign) debt money system” is not the primitive accumulation of natural resources. It is Labour.
Second, there is a party against which bankers make war. Without Class analysis it is easy to miss that most war is conducted to expropriate surplus labour from the working class.
There are very few wars where Finance fights amongst itself. War is directed against the Working Class.
Posted by: too scents | Dec 22 2025 15:40 utc | 126
While you are right about the irrelevance of Macron, accepting direct talks with him is another way to put a wedge between the Eurocuck clowns.
Posted by: scc | Dec 22 2025 11:11 utc | 114
It’s not a real problem between Euros, it’s all just a simulation to fool Putin for the 100th time. You can’t blame them for trying, it has always worked before, even Merkel did it. Greatest Nato achievements were obtained with Putin, paid by Putin.
Meanwhile US keeps flying cargo to Poland and a new Nato hub for Ukr will start operating next month: en.topwar.ru/275457-v-rumynii-nachinaet-rabotu-krupnyj-hab-po-perebroske-vooruzhenij-na-ukrainu.html
All that in addition to the new Ukr drones factories in Greece, the place from which they probably attacked those ships and the new law that allows Ukr troops to stay in Turkey and other unnamed countries. But no one said those bases in exile must have only Ukr soldiers.
Posted by: rk | Dec 22 2025 15:45 utc | 127
No coffee in Crimea for Podolyak
🇺🇦 Advisors to the head of Zelensky’s office Mikhail Podolyak and Sergei Leshchenko have been dismissed following Andrey Yermak – Ukrainian media
https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/167966
Posted by: Norwegian | Dec 22 2025 15:46 utc | 128
OT:
R.I.P. Chris Rea
https://youtu.be/Js17BUzCUIk?si=VcXHwhjRlMPBgTM3
Posted by: Apollyon | Dec 22 2025 15:46 utc | 129
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/our-modern-spectacle
Posted by: jpc | Dec 22 2025 15:38 utc | 125
*** According to whom? Where did you get this “intelligence”? What are your sources? No one cares to ask, and the bought-off media greases the skids for these actors in compliance with their mutual benefactors. ***
Posted by: frithguild | Dec 22 2025 15:51 utc | 130
No doubt some sort of Russian retribution – via air strikes will be on the cards.
Monitor𝕏 (@MonitorX99800): “🇷🇺⚡- Head of Russia’s Operational Training Department of the Defense Ministry, Fanil Sarvarov has been assassinated in a car blast in Moscow.” | nitter.poast.org
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Dec 22 2025 16:09 utc | 131
Looks spooky to me, like a giant spider has spun a huge web.
Monitor𝕏 (@MonitorX99800): “🇺🇦🇷🇺⚡- This is how Lyman in the Donetsk region looks like now due to massive ammount of Ukrainian fiber-optic FPV drones that fly over the city every day, and each one leaves its mark.” | nitter.poast.org
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Dec 22 2025 16:11 utc | 132
@General Factotum | Dec 22 2025 0:28 utc, who said:
The greater majority of all my doctoral-level students and colleagues work in some form of defense/intelligence. Devising new ways of finding people to kill, and more efficient ways of killing them. What an awful, terrible, immoral, unconscionable waste of intellect and resources.
Yes, 1000%. Every time I look at any sort of “defense” or “security” resource allocation, I think “what an awful, terrible, immoral, unconscionable waste of intellect and resources”.
There are so many worthwhile things that could be done, but we have a vampire squid on our head, sucking the life out of us.
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Dec 22 2025 16:12 utc | 133
Posted by: Markw | Dec 22 2025 15:23 utc | 122
######
I may have OCD, bad breath, and a deviated septum, but that doesn’t make me incorrect.
The obsession of making discussion personal is very unproductive and immature. I thought with canuk going to sock puppet heaven we might be able to move beyond that…
And, like many, you don’t lay out a chain of reasoning to support your perspective.
Decapitation doesn’t solve anything. How many Iranian nuclear scientists have been assassinated?
And Soleimani?
How many Russian generals?
And on and on.
It is a very vicious and Western approach to think one can kill their way to success.
It doesn’t work.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Dec 22 2025 16:14 utc | 134
Pepe Escobar is scathing in his op/ed today:
Throwing Money Into a Black Void
Enter the latest European elite scam: the decision to hand over to the “criminal organization” in Kiev – President Putin’s terminology – a cool 90 billion euros joint loan for 2026-2027, at 0% interest rate. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic officially refused to be part of the scam.
This joint EU borrowing – funds that they don’t have in the first place – automatically turns into EU debt. The onus will be on EU-wide taxpayers. Not only they will be stripped of 90 billion euros of their hard earned income coupled with high taxes; they will pay European banks for the “privilege”. Everyone in the corridors of the EC in Brussels knows that only in interest, EU member-states will have to pay over 3 billion euros a year.
The imperative corollary: funds for health services, education and social rights will go even more down the drain than at present.
The imperative corollary: funds for health services, education and social rights will go even more down the drain than at present.
Posted by: karlof1 | Dec 22 2025 16:26 utc | 135
—
The EU is fighting to suppress real wages. That they are fighting in Ukraine is circumstantial to their goal of wage suppression.
Posted by: too scents | Dec 22 2025 16:45 utc | 136
The Russians and the Chinese – will be watching this war mongering mutt and saying to themselves your mouths writing cheques your body can’t cash.
Monitor𝕏 (@MonitorX99800): “🇺🇸🇷🇺🇻🇪⚡️- Republican Senator Lindsey Graham: We keep engaging Russia and Putin rebuffs all of our efforts. If he says no this time, I hope Trump will sign my bill with 85 co-sponsors, put tariffs on countries like China who buy cheap Russian oil, make Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, and seize ships that are carrying sanctioned Russian oil like you are doing in Venezuela.” | nitter.poast.org
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Dec 22 2025 17:02 utc | 137
I want to finish about my thinking.
Killing Bibi doesn’t save Gaza. Bibi is the latest in a long line of psychopathic Jews. There are many more where he came from (CIA).
Likewise, killing Zelensky won’t defeat NATO. Zelensky is a failed actor, not a tactical genius, not the “father” of the Ukrainian nation.
Decapitation, IMO, is misdirected energy and an admission of failure on the part of the aggressor.
Can’t negotiate with NATO, ok.
Run them out of bullets and money. Economics is the great leveler. As the NATO economies continue to degrade, their ability to push the Axis diminishes.
It is very likely this “war” is never conclusively resolved, and ends with the West running out of juice, sort of like the Korean war or the 12 day war with Iran.
Eventually life goes on…
There is no need to kill an opponent that is already dying. The West was in bad shape before the SMO, and since the SMO, has taken hits in every domain.
America has not been this weak in centuries. Likewise the UK, France, etc.
“You can’t piss on a gravestone and call it rain.”
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Dec 22 2025 17:06 utc | 138
The EU bigwigs are risking everything in a gamble to help defeat Russia – and not once has any EU citizens be consulted about their plan – the EU must be disbanded.
Richard (@ricwe123): “For the first time in its history, the EU has crossed a red line by issuing a collective war loan to a non-member state,and anyone calling this a “technical measure” is lying. Loans demand repayment, and here repayment is conditioned on a single outcome, Russia’s defeat. That isn’t aid, and it isn’t diplomacy. It’s a financial wager on war. The EU has deliberately tied its own money to military victory, making peace economically inconvenient and defeat financially catastrophic. From this moment on, Europe is no longer a bystander, mediator, or moral commentator. It is a creditor with skin in the battlefield. The incentives are locked in, the exit ramps are gone, and the logic is brutally simple: escalate or eat the loss. This isn’t about values anymore. It’s about sunk costs dragging Europe headfirst into a war it has now made too expensive to lose.” | nitter.poast.org
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Dec 22 2025 17:19 utc | 139
too scents | Dec 22 2025 16:45 utc | 136—
Thanks for your reply. It’s more than that IMO; it’s an attempt to break the entire welfare state system and bring in the sort of Neoliberalism ascendent within the Outlaw US Empire–a form of Feudalism based on debt-peonage. As I see it, more than three states are against the “loan,” while even the publics within the most important warmongering states will be against it. Escobar and other analysts are 100% correct to say this is a massive raid on the pocketbooks of all EU citizens–90 billion euros plus 3 billion in interest annually. And as Escobar importantly notes, the 90 billion only covers maybe two full years when the reality is whatever remains of Ukraine will be a pauper for decades, by far a worse basket-case than Greece.
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Dec 22 2025 17:02 utc | 137
Graham is an inbred pig. He represents some of the worst of humanity.
Posted by: Saint Jimmy | Dec 22 2025 17:30 utc | 141
Posted by: Apollyon | Dec 22 2025 15:46 utc | 129
Texas (2019 Remaster)
Posted by: Saint Jimmy | Dec 22 2025 17:32 utc | 142
the reality is whatever remains of Ukraine will be a pauper for decades
Posted by: karlof1 | Dec 22 2025 17:29 utc | 140
—
Not just Ukraine. According to the EC’s plan all of Europe’s wage earners are to be impoverished.
Posted by: too scents | Dec 22 2025 17:36 utc | 143
rk@127……not sure of the validity, but I was just reading that Turkey was returning the Russian S400s so it can finally participate in the NATO F35 program. Writing on the wall if true.
Cheers M
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Dec 22 2025 18:32 utc | 144
Posted by: | Dec 22 2025 4:40 utc | 89
i love your stupid , dumb and simple minded Putin propaganda , you sound like comical Ali during Irak I.
either you are a paid information propaganda whore or you really believe what you are commenting , both
is tragic. get a life , poor boy
Posted by: lovedumbass | Dec 22 2025 18:47 utc | 145
DT making a big speech tonight…with head of navy????????
Posted by: Jo | Dec 22 2025 19:09 utc | 146
sean the leprechaun | Dec 22 2025 13:34 utc | 121
I often think “troll” of our self-proclaimed son of Erin, but never more than at times like these.
Posted by: YetAnotherAnon | Dec 22 2025 19:44 utc | 147
Alexander Mercouris: ‘Dangerous Game’
https://www.youtube.com/@AlexMercouris/videos
“Russian Sumy advance alarms Kiev; Dirty war escalates, Russian general killed; Chinese tanker seized.”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 22 2025 20:22 utc | 148
Posted by: lovedumbass | Dec 22 2025 18:47 utc | 145
Pathetic. Please try to stay sober. Everything he posted is accurate.
Posted by: Saint Jimmy | Dec 22 2025 20:27 utc | 149
DW: John Helmer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPEk86o9–I
“NATO & Russia. One miscalculation away.”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 22 2025 20:28 utc | 150
🇷🇺🇻🇪🇺🇸 BREAKING!! Russia’s Foreign Ministry has begun evacuating the families of its diplomats from Venezuela, according to a European intelligence official, with women and children included as officials reportedly assess the situation in “very grim tones.”
—DD Geopolitics, 2025-12-22 20:16Z
“European intelligence” already sees Syria 2.0 coming for Moscow.
Posted by: Nervous German | Dec 22 2025 20:29 utc | 151
@Nervous German | Dec 22 2025 20:29 utc | 151
“according to a European intelligence official” – I think we need independent conformation
Posted by: Norwegian | Dec 22 2025 20:35 utc | 152
@Norwegian | Dec 22 2025 20:35 utc | 152
confirmation of course.
Posted by: Norwegian | Dec 22 2025 20:36 utc | 153
Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 22 2025 20:22 utc | 148
————————-
Perhaps China should reinstate the total embargo of rare earths and components towards the US?
What are they waiting for?
Posted by: scc | Dec 22 2025 20:41 utc | 154
Posted by: Norwegian | Dec 22 2025 20:36 utc | 153
Russia and China are very quiet about Venezuela, even before Trump put it on his public agenda. We have absolutely no idea what they’re doing, since reporting is scarce. But yes, “European” and “intelligence” in the same sentence is quite provocative.
Posted by: Nervous German | Dec 22 2025 20:46 utc | 155
Posted by: Nervous German | Dec 22 2025 20:29 utc | 151
“European intelligence” is a contradiction in terms.
Posted by: Saint Jimmy | Dec 22 2025 20:48 utc | 156
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Dec 22 2025 18:32 utc | 144
The news about Turkey trying to return the s400 and get their money back appeared in msm, it is probably fake. I doubt they try to return it, it is their only method of monitoring what Us is doing in their sky.
Posted by: rk | Dec 22 2025 21:50 utc | 157
The Globe and Mail
Opinion: Divisions persist, but Canadians are forming a broad consensus on the need for nation-building*
7 hours ago
*Whether we like it or not.
Further reading for canuckophiles:
iPolitics
Who works for the Major Projects Office?
Yahoo! Finance Canada
The lesson Canada can’t forget as it sets out to do big things
The Walrus
I’ve Built Mines and Pipelines. Carney’s Plan to Fast-Track Major Projects Scares Me
Posted by: Laurence | Dec 22 2025 22:06 utc | 158
Russia is seemingly at complete mercy of Ukraine’s covert actions. Whether its ships, or refineries, assassinations or airplanes…Embarrassing.
Posted by: Wolfila Totila Attila | Dec 22 2025 22:07 utc | 159
scc@154:
Good question. John Helmer opined China risks looking like ‘the greatest paper tiger there is’. The American bully badly needs a good punch in the nose and a serious demonstration from both Russia and China that they mean business, otherwise the bully will only increase his bullying.
Trump Approves Largest-Ever Arms Sale to Taiwan
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/12/22/dfnm-d22.html
“The Trump administration last Thursday approved an $11.1 billion arms package to Taiwan – the largest single US weapons sale to the island in history. The package, the second since Trump was installed in office this year, is a calculated escalation in US imperialism’s war preparations against China…”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 22 2025 22:23 utc | 160
The Duran
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8L36f25Kb0
“Macron or Merz, who will rule over Europe?”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 22 2025 22:47 utc | 161
YetAnotherAnon@147…….me? Trolling? No, when the president of one country mocks another country as weak because immigrants in rubber boats are raping their women and children and then one of his generals get topped……that’s trolling, Brit style….bit of a shit show eh? But yeah, totally my fault.
Cheers M
….the difference between me and Mr Putin, never, ever, ever, ever…..even being flayed, would I call any Brit a partner…….ever!
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Dec 22 2025 22:51 utc | 162
Posted by: Wolfila Totila Attila | Dec 22 2025 22:07 utc | 159
######
One could say the same thing about the Americans being at the mercy of Israeli false flags.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Dec 22 2025 22:53 utc | 163
YetAnotherAnon@147…….me? Trolling? No, when the president of one country mocks another country as weak because immigrants in rubber boats are raping their women and children and then one of his generals get topped……that’s trolling, Brit style….bit of a shit show eh? But yeah, totally my fault.
Cheers M
….the difference between me and Mr Putin, never, ever, ever, ever…..even being flayed, would I call any Brit a partner…….ever!
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Dec 22 2025 22:59 utc | 164
The Duran — “Macron or Merz, who will rule over Europe?”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 22 2025 22:47 utc | 161
Gawd. Really? None of the current elites will, not for long. As stated several times now by VVP. Or are Duran implying Macron would fully reverse course, perhaps by starting to unilaterally lift any and all sanctions in addition to allowing RT back on Astra satellites and delivering Mistral? Oh, he can’t… bummer.
Posted by: Nervous German | Dec 22 2025 23:49 utc | 165
Re: Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 22 2025 22:47 utc | 161
The Duran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8L36f25Kb0 “Macron or Merz, who will rule over Europe?”
Micron’s plan revealed – to take von der Leyen’s job in 2027
Micron’s post-Presidential career plan has been revealed.
Micron has backstabbed Merz & Von der Leyen with this move and his plan is clear – Micron plans to undermine Merz & Von Der Leyen and force her out of office in mid-2027.
Micron has his eyes on being President of the European Commission in mid-2027 – with the support of the likes of Meloni, and perhaps even the likes of Tusk, Orban, Fico, and the like.
Micron’s plan has been revealed – and perhaps is sniffing the wind now and making his move.
Posted by: Julian | Dec 22 2025 23:54 utc | 166
Major General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, killed in a terrorist attack in Moscow, became the 13th major Russian military leader to die at the hands of Ukrainian terrorists. This figure was calculated by those familiar with statistics.How many more deaths will it take in the Russian military leadership for security, counterintelligence, and countering enemy terrorism on our territory, including deep in the rear, to be given due attention?The question remains open.And secondly, without retaliatory action against the enemy’s leadership, terror will not end. Without relentless, mirror-image action on all fronts, in all cities and countries. Do we lack the political will for this? So be it.Subscribe to MAX@voenkorKotenok
Posted by: MiniMO | Dec 23 2025 3:15 utc | 167
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8-WZPsieIE
Mechanics of the Russia legal challenge to the unprofessional attempt by euro political leaders to outright steal Russian Central Bank assets.
Its all hinges on the independence of courts in nations like China, India, Brazil, …
The process has started. Russia is seeking restitution not only of principal, but also all the profits already taken from mature assets.
Posted by: Johan Kaspar | Dec 23 2025 8:36 utc | 168
https://sonar21.com/what-russia-could-do/
Peter Haenseler provides a good complement to the Youtuve video above by Egov Haze.
Posted by: Johan Kaspar | Dec 23 2025 8:47 utc | 169
Portugal doing 50,m via PYRL for Ukraine , Denmark £200 m for humanitarian needs and the like .
Funny people like Stubble now saying Russia is no threat to Europe……exposing the fraud? Rutte gone too far and people realising they cannot live up to his war ambitions?
Finnish President Stubb admitted that Russia poses no threat to Europe.
The narrative of a “Russian threat” is merely a pretext for the militarization of Europe. NATO leadership is thus seeking to justify demands on countries to increase their military budgets.
ukr_leaks_eng
Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk outlined the conditions for holding elections in Ukraine.
The elections require resolution of a number of issues. These include: voting for soldiers stationed at the front, the voting rights of millions of Ukrainians currently abroad, the voting rights of citizens (in Russia), and the presence of foreign observers to ensure democratic and secure elections.
The Ukrainian parliament has formed a working group to examine issues related to holding elections during martial law, according to David Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People faction.
According to him, the discussion will take place within the Committee on the Organization of State Authority, Local Self-Government, Regional Development, and Urban Planning.
@ukr_leaks_eng
German Defense Minister Pistorius stated that, unlike Rutte, he does not believe in a full-scale war between Russia and NATO:
“Perhaps he wanted to describe very vividly what could happen. I don’t believe in such a scenario. In my opinion, Putin does not intend to wage a full-scale world war against NATO.”
However, a few weeks ago, Pistorius very much believed in the possibility of such a war as early as 2026.
And however not only but also
A second major military equipment coordination and transit center for Ukraine will be operational in Romania starting in January 2026, announced General Mike Keller, Deputy Commander of the NATO Security and Training Council’s Command for Ukraine.According to the portal, the launch of the new center in Romania will double the transit capacity of military aid, and the PURL (paid by Europeans, delivered by Americans) mechanism will ensure the uninterrupted flow of arms.@ukr_leaks_eng
@ukr_leaks_engThe EU Council extended economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, until July 2026.The measures include restrictions on trade, finance, energy, and technology, a ban on Russian oil imports, and the exclusion of banks from the SWIFT system.@ukr_leaks_eng@ukr_leaks_eng
DT still wondering where Biden 350b went. Ain,t no trust DT -z?
Posted by: Jo | Dec 23 2025 11:47 utc | 170
The new scheme to loan 90 billion euros to the Ukraines on the back of taxpayers of 24 euro states, supports my prediction that the war will end with the complete annexation of all the Ukraines into Russia, after extermination and expulsion of all ukrop males of military age.
To understand how, read the new Simplicius:
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/another-failure-euco-summit-conditions
The only manner in which Europe will recover the loan is by the Ukraines winning the war over Russia and thus forcing Russia to pay reparations.
Thus, there are now 24 euro nations with a strong incentive to keep fighting with the hope that Russia will lose.
Fat chance.
But, to give up is to lose 90 billion euros ipso facto, while keeping fighting has the hope that the complete loss of those 90 billion euros (plus a new and similar package a few months down the road) will happen when someone else is in charge.
So, as I’ve predicted, whether Russia or anyone else wants it or not, fighting will continue to the last ukrop. The defeat of euro political elites will be far more comprehensive.
Posted by: Johan Kaspar | Dec 23 2025 11:48 utc | 171
Bolton calls for sending Ukrainians to war at the age of 18 and not holding elections (EADaily, December 16, 2025 — in Russian)
Former U.S. presidential adviser John Bolton called for sending Ukrainians to war at the age of 18 and not holding elections in Ukraine. He stated this in an interview with France 24.
“I believe that Ukraine, like Great Britain during World War II, has very compelling arguments [for not holding elections — EADaily]. You can’t have elections during a war, especially in the case of Ukraine, when a foreign invader occupies 20% of the country’s territory. If you want to be fair, then there should be free and fair elections in Russia too. We know that won’t happen,” the politician said.
In his opinion, Ukraine needs to do more to show that the fight against corruption is ongoing. And perhaps even hold local elections in places “that are not occupied by the Russians.”
“And I think this is an advice from a friend. I think they need to lower the draft age from 25 to 18 to increase the number of personnel on the battlefield and to ensure that the burden of war is shared equally among all countries,” Bolton continued.
Posted by: S | Dec 23 2025 11:54 utc | 172
Posted by: Jo | Dec 23 2025 11:47 utc | 170
——————–
Meaning that Hungary, Slovakia did not veto the sanction renewal.
As usual
Posted by: scc | Dec 23 2025 12:07 utc | 173
Il Fatto Quotidiano: The Kremlin knows how to read treaties better than Ursula von der Leyen (EADaily, December 17, 2025 — in Russian)
The plan for Ukraine’s rapid accession to the European Union threatens to turn the local conflict into a pan-European war, according to the Il Fatto Quotidiano publication.
It is noted that the Treaty on European Union contains defense provisions obliging it to assist allies using “all available means.”
According to the Financial Times, Ukraine is scheduled to join the EU by January 1, 2027—“and not a day later,” the publication writes.
“However, there is one detail that our strategists allegedly overlook. This concerns Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union, which includes provisions on mutual defense that are even more important than Article 5 of the NATO Charter. These provisions oblige EU member states to assist those under attack using ‘all available means.’ Simply put, if Ukraine joins the EU while in a state of active armed conflict or an armed ceasefire, and Russia launches a missile strike against it, Italy, France and Germany will legally find themselves in a state of war with Russia,” the publication, cited by Inosmi, states.
Essentially, Europe wants to turn the local conflict into a pan-European war, while the EU insists that “Moscow should happily agree to such terms.”
“However, the Kremlin knows how to read treaties better than Ursula von der Leyen. Offering Russia Ukraine’s membership in the EU rather than NATO is like offering a diabetic a whipped cream cake and assuring them it’s safe because there’s no cherry on top. Perseverance is a virtue, and stupidity is a vice. However, for Brussels, stupidity has become a political doctrine,” the publication concludes.
…
Posted by: S | Dec 23 2025 12:11 utc | 174
For those reading french I recommend this site: https://www.dedefensa.org/.
A jewel in the non-narrative and not-propaganda ecosystem.
Posted by: scc | Dec 23 2025 12:54 utc | 175
Posted by: scc | Dec 23 2025 12:54 utc | 175
[…]
Mercy. Good reading material.
One highlight in Cadeau de l’UE : ‘Eurautodestruction’: the defeat of top eurocrats plus the German dunce was so complete that the question of the Russian assets was not even put to a vote or discussed during the 16 hours meeting last Thursday. Eurocrat retards plus the German dunce had enough working neurons to fear the matter would not even gather a qualified majority.
From Le cochon de Troie de Trump: “Deux générations entières d’Ukrainiens (depuis le milieu des années 1980 au moins) ont eu le cerveau lavé par la propagande occidentale.”
Exactly. These people are lost. I recall talking to Russians about their cultural transformation after the collapse of Marxism. They said once Western advertisement splashed over their TV screen, initially they didn’t understand it was all bullshit. If a candy on a TV ad offered an explosion of freshness in the mouth, they literally expected a small explosion in their mouths, literal explosion. So deluded were they.
Well, Russian quickly grew out of that delusion while ukrops, poor low-IQ ukrops, are still drooling and flapping about aimlessly begging for the the West to please accept them.
Posted by: Johan Kaspar | Dec 23 2025 13:58 utc | 176
MiniMO@…….it would appear the Russians would rather fight and die, right down to the last Officer Cadet, rather than avenge the death of their top brass……
Cheers M
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Dec 23 2025 14:19 utc | 177
Posted by: scc | Dec 23 2025 12:54 utc | 175
Ausgezeichnet ! Danke !
Posted by: Oliver Krug | Dec 23 2025 14:38 utc | 178
LoveDonbass@97…..not much use having stand off weapons when your partner is standing on your nuts…..and not those mythical Hazelnuts, no, the big nuts that swing back and forth……FUKUS has Russia’s balls pinned to the black erf of Boulder 404 …..Mr Putin is reduced to mocking his partners……not very business like is it?
Cheers M
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Dec 23 2025 15:16 utc | 179
RIP Sarvarov. Very sad that he served under a president who won’t avenge him.
Posted by: T-90M | Dec 23 2025 15:54 utc | 180
JT: Mark Sleboda: ‘Flashpoint To WWIII’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEXNDnLLMg
“Russia is preparing for NATO: Why WW3 is inevitable.”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 23 2025 16:01 utc | 181
181 corrected:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEXNDndLLMg
Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 23 2025 16:02 utc | 182
Rutte gone too far and people realising they cannot live up to his war ambitions?
Former employee of Royal Dutch Shell … see the Seven Sisters …
Corporate bagman for Unilever – British Petroleum – (Royal) Dutch Shell .. close ally to all British Prime Ministers, especially clown Boris Johnson … endorsed culling the elderly -herd immunity- like Trump and his cabal during Covid pandemic … let ‘er rip 😂
Defeat Putin and repossess the fossil fuel wealth of Sakhalin 2
Shell Leave ⬅️ Russia 🇷🇺
“Nothing to launch” – Ukrainian colonel on strikes on the center of Moscow
Ukraine does not have the available weapons capable of quantitatively and qualitatively coping with the Moscow air defense system.
This was stated in an interview with journalist Lyudmila Nemyrei by Colonel Konstantin Mashovets, an observer of the Ukrainian military propaganda group “Information Resistance”, the Константин МашовецPolitNavigator correspondent reports.
” Why is nothing flying in the center of Moscow? This would end the war in a month , ” Nemyrya asked a question that, according to her, “no one can clearly answer.”
“It doesn’t fly for two reasons. Because there is nothing to fly, first. And secondly, the special air defense district of the Russian Federation, the air defense of Moscow, is probably one of the most heavily fortified sectors and zones of air defense in the world, both in missile and air defense terms. For these two reasons.
Ukraine simply does not have the means to finish off so that something breaks through, overcomes that level of air defense and About Moscow and the regions that the enemy has, ” Mashovets commented.
https://politnavigator.news/nechego-zapuskat-ukrainskijj-polkovnik-ob-udarakh-po-centru-moskvy.html (via translation add-on.)
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Dec 23 2025 17:48 utc | 184
Posted by: T-90M | Dec 23 2025 15:54 utc | 180
Too bad you served below the turd of the bilge.
Posted by: Laurence | Dec 23 2025 19:11 utc | 186
Alexander Mercouris: ‘Pressure on All Fronts’
https://www.youtube.com/@AlexMercouris/videos
“Massive strike, Russia quick advance Kharkov and Zaporozhye. Orban, logic of loan takes EU into war.”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 23 2025 20:08 utc | 187
This doesn’t look comfortable, given the degradation of the Ukrainian electrical grid:
Frosts will hit up to -12: a sharp cold snap is taking place in Ukraine
Fresh air mass of Arctic origin will dominate the territory of Ukraine on December 24-25
This is reported by RegioNews with reference to the forecast of Natalia Didenko.
According to her, at night it is expected -5…-12 degrees, -2 in the daytime…-7 degrees.
“There will be no precipitation yet, snow will come on December 26. Yes, and with a strong wind. In Kiev on Christmas Eve and Christmas – no precipitation. But with frost, ” the report says.
At night in the capital it will be -8…-10 degrees, during the day -3 … -5 degrees.
From December 26, it will warm up again, but snow will appear.
https://regionews.ua/ukr/news/ukraine/1766498439-vdaryat-morozi-do–12-v-ukrayinu-yde-rizke-poholodannya (via translation add-on.)
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Dec 23 2025 22:17 utc | 188
Jeremy Rhymings-Lang // 184
“Why is nothing flying in the center of Moscow? This would end the war in a month.”
Two small sentences, and so much said. The assumption underlying them is that while Berlin and London endured devastating bombed attacks in World War II, Hanoi endured devastating bombed attacks in its war with the United States, and Kiev has endured devastating aerial attacks for the last several years, the people of Moscow are so weak they wont last more than thirty days of mild drone attacks. What type of idiot believes shit like this?
On the flip side, the two sentences may hold a truth. If the Ukrainians managed to launch massive attacks on Moscow, the Russian people’s tolerance for a slow SMO might end and calls for a brutal destruction of the Ukrainian government. In that case, the war might end in less than a month – with a comprehensive victory for Russia.
Posted by: Nobody Special | Dec 24 2025 0:17 utc | 189
BBC
Zelensky moves towards demilitarised zones in latest peace plan for Ukraine
1 hour ago
The Globe and Mail
U.S. and Ukraine have draft proposal for ending war with Russia, Zelensky says
2 hours ago
Toronto Star
Zelenskyy says he’s open to a free economic zone in Ukraine’s east but it must be put to a vote
5 hours ago
Al Jazeera
Zelenskyy unveils details of new peace plan, seeks Trump talks on territory
O o
Natalya is a Russian citizen whose two sons served in the SMO and survived and is a frequent commentator at my substack and is more patriotic than Putin.
Posted by: karlof1 | Dec 24 2025 2:02 utc | 107
Posted by: Laurence | Dec 24 2025 14:41 utc | 190
George Galloway
https://rumble.com/v73ezda-britain-manufacturing-consent-for-a-war-psychosis-george-galloway.html
“Britain ‘manufacturing consent for a war psychosis’. Speaking in Jakarta, British politician and broadcaster delivers a blistering assessment of the UK’s role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.”
Excellent. (Aside from quoting Macbeth as Julius Caesar.)
Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 24 2025 15:16 utc | 191
Russia can’t control their own capital. Multiple bombings in less than a week. Consequences of starting a war and invading and bombing Ukraine.
Posted by: Extreme Peanut | Dec 24 2025 16:45 utc | 192
Russia can’t control their own capital.
Neither could the Brits. ( IRA bombings for several years.)
and for the US it is day to day life : cops being shot by civilians, civilians being shot by cops…
Posted by: MAKK | Dec 24 2025 16:55 utc | 193
Alexander Mercouris: ‘All Out Assault’
https://www.youtube.com/@AlexMercouris/videos
“All out assault on Konstantinovka; Russia hails its MIC’s success; responds icily Kiev 20-point-plan.”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 24 2025 20:58 utc | 194
CrossTalk: ‘Productive, Constructive’?
https://rumble.com/v73f72g-crosstalk-productive.html
“After almost 4 years of conflict in Ukraine, some European leaders are beginning to realize a dialogue with Russia might be a good idea. Better late than never. The question is: What can the Europeans say at this point? CrossTalking with James Jatras, Adeyinka Makinde, and Michael Maloof.”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 24 2025 22:52 utc | 195