>>20019898

==Russians Are Advancing ‘On All Sides’! Watch: Victory Banner Flies Over Maryinka – Missiles at Tunnels Under Coke Plant in Avdiivka – Su-25 Aircraft Blasted by Lancet Drone

by Paul Serran Dec. 2, 2023

The Mainstream Media in the west continues with their (for them) painful work of realigning the public’s expectations in face of the upcoming Russian victory in the war against Ukraine.

While today’s main theme was Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s assessment of the war, let’s just take a peek at a couple of developments.

For starters, look what a once-great magazine has belatedly understood:

The Economist reported:

“For the first time since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24th 2022, he looks as if he could win. Russia’s president has put his country on a war footing and strengthened his grip on power. He has procured military supplies abroad and is helping turn the global south against America. Crucially, he is undermining the conviction in the West that Ukraine can—and must—emerge from the war as a thriving European democracy.”

Ok, for the lads at The Economist, it’s ‘the first time’ they realize that. Let’s carry on.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared that Ukraine will build defensive structures from Donbas to Western Ukraine.

There will be fortifications on the main defensive lines, including the Avdeevsky, Maryinsky and Kupyansk-Limansky directions – as well as along the borders with Russia and Belarus.

Also vital to note: Ukraine’s Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny was conspicuously absent when Volodymyr Zelensky met with army commanders yesterday. The undeclared civil war is on.

Sputnik reported:

“Zelensky visited a military command post in Kharkov Oblast on November 30 to discuss strengthening fortifications and other front-line necessities.

Footage accompanying the post showed Zelensky conferring with recently appointed businessman-turned-Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi and others.

However, the no-show by the Commander-in-Chief, coming amid the spiraling Zelensky-Zaluzhny spat, begs the question: is this further proof of bitter behind-the-scenes infighting for control of Ukraine?”

But let’s cut to the chase: Russia’s army is advancing ‘in all directions’ in Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated on Friday.

Euronews reported:

“’Our military is acting with competence and determination, occupying a more favorable position, and expanding its zones of control in all directions’, said Shoigu.”

During the six months of the counter-offensive, Ukrainians lost more than 125,000 men and 16,000 weapons, according to Shoigu.

“The Ukrainian counteroffensive, launched in June after months of preparation, has stalled in the south and east, without significant progress.”

In the autumn, Russian forces have launched attacks, notably assaulting Avdiivka, in northern Donetsk.

“Moscow’s army has “considerably increased” its activity around Avdiivka in recent days, Oleksandr Tarnavsky, the Ukrainian commander responsible for the area, said on Wednesday.”

Despite the massive supply of Western weapons and training, Kiev’s summer offensive could not breach the formidable Russian defensive lines.

To close this update, it bears mentioning that Pulitzer Prize Winner Seymour Hersh claims, citing anonymous US official sources, that ‘Russia and Ukraine military are allegedly conducting secret peace negotiations’, despite the objections of Zelensky and the White House.

More:

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/russians-are-advancing-all-sides-watch-victory-banner/

>>20019938

US Says Warship Attacked, UK-Owned Ship Hit By ‘Rocket Fire’

By Christine Burke Bloomberg December 3, 2023

Dec 3, 2023 (Bloomberg) –A US warship, the USS Carney, and multiple commercial ships came under attack Sunday in the Red Sea, Associated Press reported, citing a statement from the Pentagon.

The incidents are the latest in a string of attacks on vessels in the region since rebels in Yemen last month issued a threat against ships with ties to Israel. The Pentagon didn’t identify where the latest fire came from, AP said.

Earlier, Al Arabiya reported that a UK-owned ship transiting the Red Sea was “struck by a rocket” off Yemen’s western coast, citing the maritime security firm Ambrey.

The Bahamas-flagged vessel, which was on its way to Singapore from the US, issued “distress calls related to piracy/missile attack,” Al Arabiya cited Ambrey as saying.

The ship’s owner was linked to Dan David Ungar, a UK citizen listed in British directories as an Israeli resident, Al Arabiya said.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said it received a report of a drone attack in the vicinity of the Bab el Mandeb Strait near Yemen. It’s unclear if the incidents are related.

US Central Command on Saturday said on X, formerly Twitter, that a US military plane had intercepted an Iranian drone “operating in an unsafe and unprofessional manner during aircraft carrier flight operations in the Arabian Gulf.”

https://gcaptain.com/us-says-warship-attacked-uk-owned-ship-hit-by-rocket-fire/

>>20019957 (me)

Canada #49 >>20019669

NATO Chief: West Should Brace For More 'Bad News' From Ukraine

by Tyler Durden Sunday, Dec 03, 2023 - 12:15 PM

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a fresh interview warned the Western alliance to brace for more "bad news" from Ukraine, according to Saturday remarks given to Germany's national ARD television.

He was asked whether he thinks the situation will worsen for Ukrainian forces in the future, after the counteroffensive has been widely acknowledged as a failure. "We should also be prepared for bad news," he responded. "Wars develop in phases. But we have to support Ukraine in both good and bad times."

He said that in response to the current "critical situation" the West must boost ammunition production. "I will leave it to the Ukrainians and military commanders to make these difficult operational decisions," Stoltenberg explained.

"One of the issues we should address is the fragmentation of the European defense industry," he said. Countries have gone from being enthusiastic supporters and donors of Ukraine's cause to more lately sounding the alarm over dwindling or tapped defense stockpiles, as ammo production also can't keep up.

AFP/Getty Images

A week ago, a German official raised eyebrows by speculating that if Germany was forced to enter a major war its troops would only last "two days in battle" due to severe shortages of defense supplied and ammunition as a result of giving them to Ukraine. Below are the German politician's words, according to a translation:

The combat capacity of the German Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr, has been seriously weakened by the shortage caused by the continuous supplies of material and ammunition to Kiev, said Johann Wadephul, German deputy of the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party. His comments come as it was discovered nearly half of Germans want to see the coalition government dissolved.

“Crucial [German] troop units can only last a maximum of two days in a battle [due to these shortages]. And that is a catastrophic finding overall,” Wadephul said. “Anyone who even talks about being ready for war, but expects the Bundeswehr to be at least ready to defend itself, should have ensured that such a bad situation does not occur. Unfortunately, the opposite is the case.”

Wadephul argued that the process of improving the combat capacity of the country’s armed forces was slow and blamed the German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, for the current state of things. He added that he sees high-sounding statements but little real action to change the current situation.

According to the politician, “the turning point” for the Bundeswehr has not yet arrived.

“Even when it comes to replacement procurement, the Bundeswehr is actually making a loss. As correct as the donations to Ukraine are in terms of material and ammunition, in the current security situation, it is unacceptable that there is no compensation,” Wadephul said. “We need much more [weapons] than we have had.”

All of this is also part of the 'war fatigue' echoed in media headlines. Still, Stoltenberg and the Biden White House are pressing European leaders to double and triple down. Stoltenberg also recently tried to swat down assertions that fatigue has finally set in even among NATO leadership.

And in his latest interview, the NATO chief emphasized that "Wars are inherently unpredictable" - but that "we know that the more we support Ukraine, the faster the war will end." Yet this strategy hasn't worked out so far.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/nato-chief-says-west-should-brace-more-bad-news-ukraine

>>20019930

Strange, I saw what you posted, saw only Mormons in there

>>20020151

Decided not to use the MAGA Patriot tag anymore?