Avdiivka Map Shows Russian Advances Near Quarry as Ukraine Holds Coke Plant

Story by David Brennan • 2h

Intense fighting continues around the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka as Russian forces advance with high reported losses, while Kyiv pivots to a defensive winter strategy and Moscow ramps up its nationwide bombing campaign.

The Institute for the Study of War's Tuesday evening update noted "confirmed advances" of Russian units northeast of Kupyansk in the northeastern Luhansk Oblast, and north of Bakhmut and southwest of Avdiivka in the Donetsk Oblast. Moscow's troops also "continued positional meeting engagements along the entire line of contact," the ISW wrote.

Some of the most intense fighting along the 600-mile front is taking place in Avdiivka, a heavily fortified Ukrainian city that since 2014 has been at the forefront of Kyiv's battles with Moscow and Kremlin-controlled local separatists.

Russian forces are currently advancing around the flanks of the settlement, which sits just outside the Russian-occupied Donbas city of Donetsk.

Newsweek was unable to independently verify the latest battlefield movements and has contacted the Russian defense ministry by email to request comment.

Russia appears to be trying to close a noose around Avdiivka, bringing the western approach routes to the embattled city under fire control and preventing reinforcements. Russian forces used the same approach to take the Donetsk city of Bakhmut earlier this year, though they destroyed the city and suffered huge casualties in doing so.

Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament and the chair of the body's foreign affairs committee, told Newsweek in October that Moscow "might be trying to repeat the situation with Bakhmut, and it's ready to sacrifice lots of its human lives."

A Russian capture of Avdiivka would pose new dangers for Ukraine in the Donetsk region, potentially opening up a route to the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk—since 2014 the administrative capital of the Ukrainian-controlled Donetsk region—43 miles to the north.

Losing the city would also be a significant political blow, given the storied position of Avdiivka in the history of Ukraine's war against Russia and its local separatist allies in the Donbas region.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/avdiivka-map-shows-russian-advances-near-quarry-as-ukraine-holds-coke-plant/ar-AA1lNKrJ

Houthis Threaten to Attack US Warships if Washington Targets Yemen

Reuters December 20, 2023

DUBAI, Dec 20 (Reuters) – The leader of Yemen’s Houthis warned on Wednesday they would strike U.S. warships if the Iranian-backed militia was targeted by Washington, which this week set up a multinational force to counter Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

The Houthis, which control vast amounts of territory in Yemen after years of war, have since last month fired drones and missiles at international vessels sailing through the Red Sea, attacks it says respond to Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip.

The U.S.-led security initiative will see Washington and ten other, mostly NATO countries patrol the Red Sea to deter and respond to future Houthi attacks that have so far led to major global shipping lines rerouting around Africa instead.

“We will not stand idly by if the Americans are tempted to escalate further and commit foolishness by targeting our country or waging war against it,” Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said.

“Any American targeting of our country will be targeted by us, and we will make American battleships, interests, and navigation a target for our missiles, drones, and military operations,” he said in a televised speech.

The crisis in the Red Sea has grown out of the war between Israel and Gaza’s ruling Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, the latest conflict in the Middle East to pit the U.S. and its allies against regional power Iran and its Arab militia proxies.

The war began on Oct. 7 when Hamas fighters stormed across the Gaza border into southern Israel, where Israeli authorities say the militants killed about 1,200 mostly civilian Israelis and foreigners.

Israel’s retaliatory bombardment and invasion of Gaza, which Israeli officials state is aimed at wiping out Hamas, has killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the densely populated, coastal enclave.

Iranian proxies including the Houthis and Lebanese Hezbollah have fired rockets at Israel since the conflict began. The Houthis, meanwhile, have stepped up their Red Sea attacks, threatening to target all ships heading to Israel and warning shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports.

The attacks have disrupted a key trade route that links Europe and North America with Asia via the Suez Canal and caused container shipping costs to rise sharply as companies seek to ship their goods via alternative, often longer, routes.

Dubbed “Operation Prosperity Guardian,” Britain, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, along with the U.S., will conduct joint patrols in the southern Red Sea and the adjacent Gulf of Aden.

“As long as the Americans want to enter into a direct war with us, they should know that we are not those who fear them, and that they are facing an entire people,” al-Houthi said.

He warned the Americans against sending soldiers to Yemen, saying they would “face something harsher than what they faced in Afghanistan and what they suffered in Vietnam.”

https://gcaptain.com/houthis-threaten-to-attack-us-warships-if-washington-targets-yemen/

>>20105333

How about acceptance of #Calexit by the other States? California ballots mean nothing if they are no longer part of the Union

>>20105358

KEK

You haven't done shit fedboi, other than give anons giggle fits

>>20105403

What's a "QANON?"

>>20105429

Napolean found out

Hitler found out

Ivan OWNS Winter

>>20105466

Golden Seal Root and Echinacea, get them in separate capsules, Walmart even carries the stuff near the pharmacy with the other vitamins. Take at least six of each capsule and then go to bed. The body heals itself during sleep.

Used to do that all the time at first sign of sickness.

Gushing rainstorm to trigger flash flooding from Southern California to Arizona

Alex Sosnowski Wed, December 20, 2023 at 12:44 PM EST

A big storm will swing in from the Pacific Ocean and could bring a month's worth of rain through the end of the week that could top what Hilary delivered along the coast of Southern California. Enough rain will fall to lead to major travel problems due to flash flooding and debris flows from the California coast to portions of Arizona, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.

A big storm swinging in from the Pacific Ocean could bring a month's worth of rain through the end of the week and lead to major travel problems, flooding and debris flow from California to portions of Arizona. Some areas of coastal Southern California may even pick up more rain than when Hilary delivered back in August.

The same storm has been drenching areas in Northern and Central California into midweek while remaining largely offshore over the Pacific. However, during the latter part of the week, the storm will push southward and turn inland over Southern California with drenching and problematic results.

"This storm will deliver a month's worth of rain in about 24 hours to portions of Southern California and Arizona," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.

The heaviest rain and worst travel conditions will affect Santa Barbara, California, from Wednesday night to Thursday night while the Los Angeles area will be hit the hardest from Thursday through Thursday night. The zone from San Diego to Palm Springs, California, is likely to be blasted by the heaviest rain from Thursday night to Friday morning.

"While the low-lying coastal areas from Los Angeles to San Diego are likely to pick up a general 1-4 inches of rain from the slow-moving storm, the mountains from Santa Barbara County to Ventura and Los Angeles counties will pick up much heavier amounts ranging from 6-8 inches and locally more," retired AccuWeather Western Weather Expert, and California native, Ken Clark said.

As the rain pours down, water will collect in low spots on area streets and highways, leading to ponding. Any debris blocking storm drains can result in more serious urban flooding.

Streams and rivers will surge in the area as many lakes and reservoirs are near full capacity and may not be able to absorb the runoff as well as they did last year during widespread drought.

Dry streambeds, called arroyos, will quickly fill with water and may become raging torrents. As such, AccuWeather forecasters urge people to stay alert for rapidly changing weather conditions that may prompt quick action and possible evacuations.

Roads in hilly locations and outlying areas may become blocked. The pouring rain can lead to road washouts, landslides and mudslides. Where there have been recent wildfires, debris flows are possible.

"With all the rain and the problems it will create, commutes will be difficult, and motorists will need to seek alternate routes as traffic will be snarled from Thursday to Friday," Clark said.

More:

https://news.yahoo.com/gushing-rainstorm-trigger-flash-flooding-174408139.html

U.S. Tightens Enforcement of Price Cap on Russian Oil

Mike Schuler December 20, 2023

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has intensified its efforts to enforce the price cap on Russian oil by taking action against shipowners and vessels involved in transporting Russian crude oil above the cap.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated SUN Ship Management, a Government of Russia-owned ship manager based in the UAE, along with several lesser-known oil traders who have become frequent participants in the seaborne transportation of Russian-origin oil since the price cap was imposed.

SUN Ship Management, owned by the Russian Federation’s owned fleet operator Sovcomflot (SCF), manages vessels owned by SCF. Notably, SUN Ship manages the SCF Primorye, a vessel previously identified by OFAC for transporting Russian crude oil priced above $60 per barrel, surpassing the price cap, while utilizing the services of a U.S.-based provider that is subject to certain restrictions.

The Price Cap Coalition, consisting of the G7, the European Union, and Australia, has agreed to prohibit the import of Russian crude oil and petroleum products and restrict related maritime transport services unless they are bought and sold at or below specific price caps. The policy aims to ensure a reliable supply of oil while reducing Russian Federation’s oil revenues following its invasion of Ukraine and inflated global energy prices.

Since the implementation of the price cap, lesser-known oil traders with opaque ownership structures have emerged as significant participants in the seaborne transport of oil produced by major Russian oil companies, accounting for up to half of Russia’s oil exports.

OFAC, in coordination with the Price Cap Coalition, has also updated the Guidance on Implementation of the Price Cap Policy for Russian Oil, aligning with G7 Leaders’ commitments to strengthen compliance and enforcement, including sanctions on deceptive practices and updating rules and regulations.

In addition to SUN Ship, the Treasury Department’s announcement today identified multiple lesser-known oil traders for their involvement in facilitating Russian seaborne oil shipments.

Bellatrix Energy Limited and Covart Energy Limited, both based in Hong Kong, have significantly increased their share of the Russian oil trade since the price cap policy was implemented. According to the Treasury Department, they have made numerous port calls in Russia and received loans from Russian state-owned banks. Voliton DMCC, based in the UAE, has also seen an increase in its share of the Russian oil trade. These companies, along with their vessels, have been designated by OFAC for operating in the marine sector of the Russian economy.

“Today’s designations demonstrate our commitment to upholding the principles of the price cap policy, which advance the goals of supporting stable energy markets while reducing Russian revenues to fund its war against Ukraine,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo. “Participants in the maritime transport of Russian oil, especially Tier 1 actors like traders, must adhere to the compliance guidelines agreed upon by the Price Cap Coalition or face the consequences.”

https://gcaptain.com/us-tightens-enforcement-of-price-cap-on-russian-oil/

>>20105730

Great idea, no anons would recommend a clot shot to go with cough syrup