Political strategic level
Vladimir Putin, the führer of terrorist Russia, has "converted to god" and instructed his war crimes minstrel Sergei Shoigu to impose a ceasefire for Orthodox Christmas. Vladyka ordered a ceasefire from 12.00 on 6 January to 00.00 on 7 January "along the entire line of contact of the North Caucasus Military District".
At the same time, Putin called on Ukraine to also impose a ceasefire for Christmas. "Taking into account the large number of Orthodox Christians living in the war zones, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and to allow them to take part in the services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day", the dictator said. The Russian propaganda website TASS quoted a statement by the Russian defence ministry as saying that Sergei Shoigu had complied with Putin's order to impose a so-called "ceasefire" on Christmas Day.
This cunning move shows that the occupying forces are on the verge of exhaustion and that a collapse is imminent on the front line at Bakhmut and along the P-66 highway. Russia needs at least a brief pause to reorganise at least partially the remnants of its drift on one side and to stop the eastward movement of the Ukrainians and to close the main fist of the Horde in the encirclement ring around the Kremlin. If the Ukrainians continue their offensive, they will meet with condemnation in the west, calculate the analytical minds of the union of apartment thieves and rapists.
But Western leaders have shown unity and wisdom.
Charles Michel, President of the European Council, called Putin's call for an immediate 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine "hypocritical". The only way to restore peace is for Russia to withdraw its troops from the occupied country, he declared.
"The withdrawal of Russian troops is [the only] serious option to restore peace and security. Declaring a unilateral ceasefire is as fake and hypocritical as the illegal and grotesque annexations and the accompanying referendums," tweeted Ch. Michel tweeted.
Meanwhile, when asked about the proposed ceasefire, US President Biden told reporters at the White House: "I don't want to react to anything Putin says. I found it interesting that he wanted to bomb hospitals, kindergartens and churches... On the 25th and New Year's Day. I mean, I think he's trying to find oxygen".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky immediately rejected Russia's proposal for a ceasefire on Orthodox Christmas, saying it was a ploy to halt the advance of Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donbass and to bring in more of its own forces. Speaking in strident Russian and addressing both the Kremlin and all Russians, Mr Zelensky said that Moscow had repeatedly ignored Kyiv's own peace plan. The war will end, he said, when the Russian army leaves Ukraine or is expelled.
"Now they want to use Christmas as a cover, if only for a short time, to stop the movement of our boys in the Donbas and to bring equipment, ammunition and mobilised troops closer to our positions," Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address. "What will this do for them? Only another increase in their overall losses."
The main Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been recognised as independent by the Church hierarchy since 2019 and rejects any notion of subordination to the Moscow Patriarch. Many Ukrainian believers have changed their calendar and celebrate Christmas on 25 December as in the West.
Germany has declared that Germany's hospitality and public tolerance towards Ukrainians is under threat. According to the German Ministry of the Interior, 1 045 854 Ukrainian refugees were registered in the country on 2 January. Around 80% of them are women and one-third are children.
"We have reached the limits of our capacity to deal with the refugee problem", stressed Uwe Brandl, President of the German Association of Cities and Communities (DStGB). Housing is the main problem, he said. Many Ukrainian refugees have settled with friends, acquaintances and sympathetic Germans. "But this cannot be a permanent solution," said Brandl, "another one must be found.
The threat to hospitality and public tolerance is nothing compared to the bombs and mangled bodies of children, Herr Uwe. Again, that strange, nose-wrinkling smell of the Kremlin that some in Germany cannot resist.
The sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of the invasion of Ukraine are effective, but they may not be enough. Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Russia, said that sanctions against the aggressor would only weaken the Russian economy by a few percent. "The sanctions that are slowing down the Russian economy are also working: next year the Russian economy will be a few percent weaker than this year. Certain sectors of the economy are particularly hard hit. For example, the car industry. They are suffering because of the sanctions, and thank God they are".
At the same time, he noted that the oil price cap was a mistake. "It is difficult to assess the effectiveness of the sanctions against Naftogaz and the price cap. Our working group proposed a price ceiling of USD 30-35. They decided on 60, and I think that is a mistake, but nevertheless, roughly speaking, this year Russia will receive several times less money from the West to maintain its army than last year. This is a good thing," McFaul noted.
Oh yes! USD 30 a barrel is what is needed. Wise man, former ambassador, anyway.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a telephone conversation during which they discussed humanitarian and energy assistance, as well as the activities of the "grain corridor".
R. Erdogan said that he was ready to mediate for a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine and stressed that Ankara was ready to contribute by diplomatic means to accelerate the processes concerning the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. For his part, Vladimir Zelensky added that the talks also focused on security cooperation.
Clever little bastard, that Turkish dictator. Everything he does is aimed at one goal: strengthening the Turkish state and its position, not only in the region, but in its attempt to become a global player. That is all well and good, but the white threads that bind all the proposals together shine through from afar.
Operational level
US officials have reported that the new US arms package for Ukraine will include around 50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, with one official putting the value of the package at around 2.8 billion dollars. The latest security package is expected to be delivered to Ukraine on Friday, officials said.
Of the estimated $2.8 billion package, around $800 million is made up of foreign military financing to help Ukraine acquire weapons. The rest of the funds were earmarked for the US President to transfer defence supplies such as Humvees, trucks and ammunition from stockpiles in response to the emergency, without Congressional approval.
US President Joe Biden spoke by telephone with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. During the talks, Scholz said that Berlin intends to transfer a Marder BMP and a Patriot air defence battery to Ukraine. "President Biden and Chancellor Scholz expressed their joint commitment to continue to provide Ukraine with the necessary financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support for as long as needed. To this end, the US intends to provide Ukraine with Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and Germany with Marder infantry fighting vehicles," the White House press office said.
A small step, a crack in the barrier of consciousness that we talked about yesterday, seems to have broken through the barrier. We will not be too happy just yet, because we need to see both Bradleys and Marders on the ground in Ukraine, but we are optimistic that we will see Abrams and leopards before too long.
Vova, the Ukrainians are coming to see you off in The Hague with a special, modern armoured and heavily armed NATO 'transport'.
The Russian Führer, overwhelmed by the joy of universal gift-giving, has also sent 'support' to Belarus. On 5 January, a 34-vehicle train, the size of a battalion, arrived in Brest, Belarus. It carried new BTR-82A armoured personnel carriers, probably destined for the 38th Airborne Brigade.
Considering that the occupying forces are losing about a battalion a day in Ukraine, this is a cat's tear for the aggressor.
To be a thief, Putler's cook Prigozhin, founder of Russia's Wagner Group, is "obsessed" with Bakhmuta because he wants to take control of the salt and gypsum mines near the rubble of that city, a White House official said, explaining why Russia is holding on to the strip.
Well, yes, Soledar and the surrounding towns used to be the centres of salt and gypsum extraction in Ukraine. However, this is an oversimplified explanation that does not take into account the operational picture.
And the whole operational picture shows that the regime's war criminals are being pushed more and more seriously into a corner. Their belief in some kind of superweapon that they can pull out of their pockets like a rabbit at the last moment is very worrying. The inadequate assessment of the situation is a serious sign that the Kremlin is, and will continue to be, making decisions that are increasingly divorced from reality. Hallucinating terrorists with a nuclear stake in their hand can cause a lot of trouble for themselves. And the rest of the world.
Tactical level
Maratas Kasemas, editor-in-chief of the Russian propaganda media outlet Sputnik Lietuva, is detained in Latvia. He is suspected of violating EU economic sanctions against Russia and spying for a terrorist state. When we in Lithuania are struggling to cleanse ourselves of the scum, the Latvian brothers come to the rescue.
On the left bank of the Kherson region, the occupiers have stepped up filtration. In Novaya Kakhovka and Kakhovka the enemy is constantly raiding the area - looking for artillery fire correctors. Apparently, it does not like the precision strikes of recent days on the places of accumulation of drizzles.
On the Eastern Front, the main clashes took place east of Bakhmut along the Kurdiumovka and in Bakhmutse. The Russians intensified their offensive in the east of the town of Bakhmut, near Ivanhrad. At Opytne, the occupiers are trying to keep control of the 05-13 road. To the north-east of Bakhmut, detachments of Driskis have been spotted on the move, possibly preparing to cut off Podhorodne in order to facilitate the attack on Bakhmutse. A total of 6 attacks were repulsed here during the day.
Near Invangrad, Ukrainians shot down a Russian Su-25. The pilot ejected directly into the arms of the defenders.
On the north-eastern and southern fronts, the north-eastern and southern fronts were relatively calm, with Russian marauders terrorising local civilians in Kherson. Artillery fire hit three villages and damaged infrastructure.
Sources on the ground report that, thanks to successful reconnaissance by the Special Operations Forces, HIMARS reached the base of the Russian armed Waltzes at Gavrilovka II, Kalanchak district, Kherson region. The occupiers had been moving there for five days, with around 1 000 Drisks and equipment in improvised barracks. As a result of the Ukrainian strikes, 100 occupiers were wounded or killed, many of whom are missing. About 20 Russian officers were eliminated.
Photo: First confirmed loss of Ukraine's new Shark reconnaissance drone - Interestingly, the drone reportedly crashed near Aksai, in the Rostov region, which is about 200 km from the frontline.
Thank you for being together and giving us the opportunity to say what we really think. Legal entities are welcome to enter into support agreements. Would you like to invite us for a discussion or training? Contact: info@visagentura.com
Public Information Security Agency, Account No LT447300010172065624
