Ukraine’s military losses top 1 million – Lavrov

Kiev’s Western backers have nearly depleted their resources for waging the proxy war against Russia, the foreign minister says

Kiev does not release regular official tallies of its killed and wounded soldiers, and estimates vary widely. Earlier this year, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky told NBC News that since 2022, 43,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed and around 380,000 wounded. In a later interview, he said 100,000 were killed, but his office later denied the figure.

Kiev’s backers in the Western media have been skeptical of the numbers, with most analyses suggesting that total Ukrainian casualties are much higher.

“According to numerous independent estimates, the losses of the Ukrainian armed forces have long since exceeded one million people and continue to rise,” Lavrov said on Thursday during an embassy roundtable on resolving the Ukraine conflict.

He added that amid a general frontline collapse, Kiev’s Western backers are unlikely to keep propping up the regime much longer, as their “resources for waging a proxy war” against Russia “are being depleted.”

Last month, TASS cited Russian Defense Ministry data suggesting that Ukraine has been losing around 1,400 servicemen daily as killed or wounded, with total losses exceeding 468,000 in the first 11 months of 2025. President Vladimir Putin has said Russia’s losses are far lower, though Moscow also does not disclose exact casualty figures.

https://www.rt.com/russia/629311-lavrov-ukraine-losses-million/

US 'Answers' China By Sending Pair Of Nuclear-Capable Bombers Over Sea Of Japan

On Wednesday we detailed that Japanese and South Korean fighter jets quickly answered a joint Russian-Chinese long-range bomber flight over the Western Pacific. Chinese J-16 fighter jets, two Russian Su-30 fighters and an A-50 early-warning aircraft were part of the provocative flight, which also passed close to South Korea. Russia's Defense Ministry (MoD) had confirmed its Tu-95MS strategic bombers and China’s H-9 strategic bombers conducted the eight hour flight over the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the Western Pacific - but that at no time was any country's airspace violated.

Washington has quickly injected itself into the ratcheting situation, coming amid a diplomatic and economic standoff between Japan and China, by sending US nuclear capable bombers on patrol over the Sea of Japan.

Japan's government confirmed its fighter planes joined the US bomber patrol, which was clearly a show of force signaling China and Russia.

"We confirmed the strong resolve of Japan and the United States not to allow any unilateral change of the status quo by force, as well as the readiness of the Self-Defense Forces and the US military," Japan's Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The fresh exercise with the US Air Force was conducted in "an increasingly severe security environment surrounding our country" - it said.

The flight included a pair of US B-52 bombers, escorted by Japanese F-35 stealth fighters and three F-15 jets. Beijing had presented the prior, longer flight as routine and in accord with international law.

"We consider it a grave concern from the standpoint of Japan's security," Japan's Chief of Staff, Joint Staff General Hiroaki Uchikura, commented of the prior Chinese-Russian aerial patrol.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun responded dismissively, saying "The Japanese side has no need to make a fuss about nothing or to take this personally."

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-answers-china-sending-pair-nuclear-capable-bombers-over-sea-japan

Over 30 Kamikaze Drones Sent On Moscow Overnight, Shutting Down Airports

An overnight drone assault on Russia by Ukraine was particularly large, including dozens of drones sent on Moscow. The Russian defense ministry said it down 287 drones across the country, one of the highest single-night totals ever recorded in the war.

Among these were 32 Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drone inbound on Moscow, reportedly intercepted. The disruption of airspace around Moscow was enough to briefly shut down area hubs and cause the delay of some 200 flights, impacting at least four airports.

In addition to the 32 drones "intercepted and shot down" which were directly targeting the capital city, at least 40 more were headed toward the broader Moscow region, the defense ministry noted.

Two fertilizer plants were also targeted in the western Novgorod and Smolensk regions. Fire resulted at one of these, the Acron mineral fertilizer plant, among Russia's largest chemical producers.

The drone assault was quite extended in time too, with authorities saying it lasted over a period of some eight hours. Large drone waves were reported in other regions as well:

Bryansk region: 118 drones

Moscow region: 40

Kaluga region: 40

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/over-30-kamikaze-drones-sent-moscow-overnight-shutting-down-airports

TIME Person Of The Year Are The Architects Of AI

https://x.com/TIME/status/1999097617633189955

Congress Votes to Hand Over Another $800 Million to Ukraine War – But So Far Refuses to Vote for $2,000 Trump Tariff Rebate Checks for Working Americans

If anyone was still on the fence about AI being EVIL

Disney Invests $1 Billion In OpenAI, Strikes Landmark Deal To Bring Beloved Characters To Sora

Disney and OpenAI have resolved their prior video-generation rights dispute by entering into a three-year licensing and technology partnership that makes Disney the first major content partner for Sora, OpenAI's generative video platform.

"As part of this new, three-year licensing agreement, Sora will be able to generate short, user-prompted social videos that can be viewed and shared by fans, drawing from a set of more than 200 animated, masked and creature characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars, including costumes, props, vehicles, and iconic environments," Disney wrote in a press release.

As part of the agreement, Disney will invest $1 billion in OpenAI and receive warrants for additional equity.

Disney will feature a curated selection of fan-generated Sora videos on Disney+, and both companies will collaborate to develop innovative AI products and enhance experiences across Disney's platforms.

In addition to enhancing the user experience with AI, Disney will adopt OpenAI tools for employees and use OpenAI APIs to build new internal and consumer-facing applications. So does that mean a restructuring of coders at the studio is just ahead?

"Technological innovation has continually shaped the evolution of entertainment, bringing with it new ways to create and share great stories with the world," Disney CEO Robert Iger wrote in a press release.

Iger continued, "The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence marks an important moment for our industry, and through this collaboration with OpenAI we will thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works."

He noted, "Bringing together Disney's iconic stories and characters with OpenAI's groundbreaking technology puts imagination and creativity directly into the hands of Disney fans in ways we've never seen before, giving them richer and more personal ways to connect with the Disney characters and stories they love."

https://www.zerohedge.com/ai/disney-invests-1-billion-openai-strikes-landmark-deal-bring-beloved-characters-sora

US-Backed Opposition Leader Secretly Whisked Out Of Venezuela, Appears In Oslo To Urge Regime Change

As the main opposition figurehead and rival to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, she's reportedly been in hiding for many months. María Corina Machado hasn't appeared in public for nearly a year, after she was briefly detained all the way back on Jan. 9 in Caracas.

Fearing another arrest where she could go away to prison for good, Machado has avoided public political or or protest events, even as her star was rising internationally with her being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

But there are reports she was safely whisked out of the country while Caracas authorities were distracted and preoccupied with Wednesday's US seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker.

After this, Machado popped up in Oslo, Norway - where she announced while appearing on a hotel balcony that many people had "risked their lives" to get her there. "I am very grateful to them, and this is a measure of what this recognition means to the Venezuelan people," she said. The purported details sound straight out of a Hollywood movie:

The Wall Street Journal, though, said she wore a wig and a disguise when she began her journey on Monday. First, she left her hideout in a Caracas suburb where she had been living for nearly a year, heading for a coastal fishing village.

Two people helped her flee. The trio passed 10 military checkpoints, avoiding capture each time, on a nerve-wracking 10-hour trip, before reaching the coast around midnight, the newspaper said. They then began a perilous trip across the open Caribbean Sea to Curacao in an open wooden fishing skiff.

According to the WSJ, the US military was informed of her crossing, to avoid the boat being targeted by airstrikes. Machado confirmed on Thursday that she had US support.

"Machado arrived in Curacao around 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Tuesday. She was met by a private contractor who specializes in extractions and was supplied by the Trump administration," according to the WSJ account.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-backed-opposition-leader-secretly-whisked-out-venezuela-appears-oslo-urge-regime

Rep Massie Introduces Bill For US To Dump 'Cold War Relic' NATO

The bill argues that the US military cannot be seen as the police force of the world, and that given NATO was created to counter the long-gone Soviet Union, which no longer exists, American taxpayers’ money would be better spent elsewhere.

"We should withdraw from NATO and use that money to defend our own country, not socialist countries… US participation has cost taxpayers trillions of dollars and continues to risk US involvement in foreign wars… America should not be the world’s security blanket - especially when wealthy countries refuse to pay for their own defense," Massie said.

That latter part is likely designed to gain Trump's attention and sympathy, given the president has been emphasizing this point all the way back to his first term.

The bill if passed would require the US government to formally notify NATO that it intends to end its membership and halt the use of American funds for shared budgets. Republican Senator Lee actually introduced similar legislation earlier this year, but it stalled in committee.

Of course, most Congress members have viewpoints which merely reflect the 'pro-NATO' established position of the vast majority of Western politicians generally, so it's very unlikely to ever be passed.

Massie wrote on X, "NATO is a Cold War relic. The United States should withdraw from NATO and use that money to defend our country, not socialist countries. Today, I introduced HR 6508 to end our NATO membership."

"Our Constitution did not authorize permanent foreign entanglements, something our Founding Fathers explicitly warned us against," he said additionally.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/massie-introduces-bill-us-dump-cold-war-relic-nato

war first America last

https://x.com/rittenhouse2a/status/1998789064405725612

https://www.antiwar.com/

Israel steals more land again

Israel approves construction of 764 houses in three West Bank settlements

Smotrich says units in Hashmonaim, Beitar Illit, and Givat Ze’ev part of ‘strategic move’ to bolster settlements; Palestinian Authority says policy ‘aims to ignite the region’

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that the Higher Planning Council, the Defense Ministry body in charge of settlement construction plans in the West Bank, approved 478, 230, and 56 housing units in the Hashmonaim, Beitar Illit, and Givat Ze’ev, respectively.

Smotrich, who oversees civilian affairs in the West Bank, called the council’s decision part of a “clear strategic move to strengthen settlement and ensure continuity of life, security and growth.” Wednesday’s decision puts the total of housing units approved in the West Bank since Smotrich assumed his post at 51,370, he said in the statement.

The settlements are thought by most of the international community to be illegal under international law.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-approves-construction-of-764-houses-in-three-west-bank-settlements/

Venezuela’s former Chief of National Intelligence Hugo Carvajal has OFFICIALLY RELEASED every U.S. Senator who is on THE VENEZUELA LIST of politicians who have been receiving MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN KICKBACKS from the Maduro regime and Venezuelan drug trafficking organizations

that make up his government in exchange for using their government positions and influence to undermine President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s ongoing war with these narcoterrorists. Every one of these Senators is guilty of providing aid and comfort to THE ENEMY during a time of war and has the blood of their fellow American citizens (HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of whom die of drug overdoses every year at the hands of these criminal drug trafficking organizations that bring deadly drugs into our country) on their hands. May each and every one of them be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and may their names forever live in shame for their treason. Below is EVERY U.S. SENATOR ON THE VENEZUELA LIST: 👇🏻👇🏻

✅ Lisa Murkowski - R - Alaska

✅ Mark Kelly - D - Arizona

✅ Ruben Gallego - D - Arizona

✅ Alex Padilla - D - California

✅ Adam Schiff - D - California

✅ Michael Bennet - D - Colorado

✅ John Hickenlooper - D - Colorado

✅ Richard Blumenthal - D - Connecticut

✅ Chris Murphy - D - Connecticut

✅ Chris Coons - D - Delaware

✅ Jon Ossoff - D - Georgia

✅ Raphael Warnock - D - Georgia

✅ Brian Schatz - D - Hawaii

✅ Mazie Hirono - D - Hawaii

✅ Dick Durbin - D - Illinois

✅ Tammy Duckworth - D - Illinois

✅ Chuck Grassley - R - Iowa

✅ Joni Ernst - R - Iowa

✅ Mitch McConnell - R - Kentucky

✅ Rand Paul - R - Kentucky

✅ Bill Cassidy - R - Louisiana

✅ Susan Collins - R - Maine

✅ Angus King - I - Maine

✅ Chris Van Hollen - D - Maryland

✅ Angela Alsobrooks - D - Maryland

✅ Elizabeth Warren - D - Massachusetts

✅ Ed Markey - D - Massachusetts

✅ Gary Peters - D - Michigan

✅ Elissa Slotkin - D - Michigan

✅ Amy Klobuchar - D - Minnesota

✅ Tina Smith - D - Minnesota

✅ Roger Wicker - R - Mississippi

✅ Deb Fischer - R - Nebraska

✅ Jacky Rosen - D - Nevada

✅ Catherine Cortez Masto - D - Nevada

✅ Jeanne Shaheen - D - New Hampshire

✅ Maggie Hassan - D - New Hampshire

✅ Cory Booker - D - New Jersey

✅ Andy Kim - D - New Jersey

✅ Martin Heinrich - D - New Mexico

✅ Ben Ray Lujan - D - New Mexico

✅ Chuck Schumer - D - New York

✅ Kirsten Gillibrand - D - New York

✅ Thom Tillis - R - North Carolina

✅ James Lankford - R - Oklahoma

✅ Ron Wyden - D - Oregon

✅ Jeff Merkley - D - Oregon

✅ Dave McCormick - R - Pennsylvania

✅ Jack Reed - D - Rhode Island

✅ Sheldon Whitehouse - D - Rhode Island

✅ John Thune - R - South Dakota

✅ John Cornyn - R - Texas

✅ Bernie Sanders - I - Vermont

✅ Peter Welch - D - Vermont

✅ Mark Warner - D - Virginia

✅ Tim Kaine - D - Virginia

✅ Patty Murray - D - Washington

✅ Maria Cantwell - D - Washington

✅ Jim Justice - R - West Virginia

✅ Tammy Baldwin - D - Wisconsin

>>23970168

https://x.com/1776General_/status/1999096211488362728

The Role of Jewish Elites and Neocons in Framing Vladimir Putin in Political Discourse

Vladimir Putin might reasonably take pride in his resilience, given that numerous neoconservative commentators, influential figures within the Jewish elite and media circles, and a wide array of anti-Putin outlets—particularly in the United States—have produced a litany of half-baked literature portraying him in highly negative terms. Over the past decade, these groups have released a multitude of publications depicting Putin as a latter-day Hitler. Jonathan Katz, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund and director of Democracy Initiatives, has gone so far as to assert that Putin “is this century’s equivalent to Hitler, and the threat he poses to Europe, the U.S., and global security extends far beyond the current conflict in Ukraine.”[1]

Katz further contends: “Like Hitler, Putin has amassed virtually unchallenged power within Russia, eliminating political opposition and facing minimal institutional constraints on his regime or its deployment of military force and other hybrid instruments to brutally seize and illegally annex territory in neighboring states. [Putin] disturbingly mirrors several of Hitler’s characteristics—cold, calculated, and displaying neither remorse nor regard for the sanctity of human life.”[2]

In a similar vein, Rabbi Abraham Cooper stated that,

“Tragically, what the world is witnessing today invokes memories of the Nazi blitzkrieg. To be clear, no one is accusing Vladimir Putin of preparing death camps and gas chambers. But the brutality of the Russian military in invading a peaceful neighbor that includes indiscriminate targeting of civilians and decimating cities evokes memories of Nazi armies invading the USSR (Soviet Union) in 1941”[3]

According to former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, Putin represents “a 21st-century Hitler.”[4]

Former Ukrainian politician Svitlana Zalishchuk similarly told CNN that Putin is “a Hitler of our time.”[5]

John Blake of CNN asserted that Putin has employed “Hitler-like strategies and tactics” to rationalize his acts of brutality, particularly in regions such as Ukraine.[6] Even Prince Charles of Britain remarked in 2014 that “Putin is essentially replicating the actions of Hitler.”[7] Simon Jenkins of the Guardian writes in March of this year that “the Western world appears to regard” Putin as a modern-day Hitler.[8] In a 2017 debate with Tucker Carlson on Fox News, Jewish Neocon Max Boot unambiguously declared that “Putin is the number one geopolitical threat that we face; I think that’s true today.”[9]

more

https://www.unz.com/article/the-role-of-jewish-elites-and-neocons-in-framing-vladimir-putin-in-political-discourse/

Trump Admin Shells Out $140M In New Strategy To Ramp Up ICE Deportations

Trump Admin Shells Out $140M In New Strategy To Ramp Up ICE Deportations

December 11, 2025

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The Trump administration wants to deport more people at a quicker pace.

In its latest move to ramp up the mass deportation effort, the Department of Homeland Security signed a roughly $140 million contract to buy six Boeing 737 planes to operate flights without the assistance of outside contractors, according to The Washington Post.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation flights via what’s known as “ICE Air” have long relied on charter companies to carry out removals.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said on X Wednesday that the effort will save American taxpayers $279 million.

“These planes will allow ICE to operate more effectively, including by using more efficient flight patterns,” McLaughlin said. “President Trump and @Sec_Noem are committed to quickly and efficiently getting criminal illegal aliens OUT of our country.”

The Trump administration has already deported more than 579,000 illegal immigrants, according to President Trump’s Border Czar, Tom Homan. Still, they are short of their lofty goal of carrying out one million deportations each year.

The latest contract was awarded to Daedalus Aviation, which was established in February 2024 and “offers a full range of commercial and charter aviation services” and “provides comprehensive responsive flight operations tailored to the unique needs of each mission,” according to The Washington Post.

Funding for the new initiative comes from the Republican-backed One Big Beautiful Bill that gave DHS a whopping $165 billion earlier this year.

Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, along with her advisor Corey Lewandowski, ordered agency officials to purchase 10 737 jets from Spirit Airlines to carry out their own deportation flights.

Both Noem and Lewandowski were warned that it would be more cost-effective to hire more flight contractors, according to the outlet. It was also later discovered that the planes didn’t have engines.

The Trump administration has pressured ICE to increase the number of arrests to meet its deportation goals, but sources within the agency have told The Daily Wire that the pace is unsustainable.

https://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2025/12/trump-admin-shells-out-140m-in-new.html

Why Your Grandfather Didn't Trust Banks

https://youtu.be/NSAf1-wAEMc

Ex Israeli official confirms 'majority' of captives in Gaza's Jabalia killed by friendly fire

Released captives have repeatedly testified that they lived in fear of Israeli bombs while they were being held by the resistance

Nitzan Alon, Israel’s former coordinator for the affairs of captives, admitted on 9 December that most of the Israelis who were held by Hamas in Gaza’s northern city of Jabalia were killed by the army’s airstrikes.

“Israeli fire killed most of the hostages in Jabalia due to intelligence gaps,” Alon, now retired, told Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

Alon added that many of the captives who arrived in the strip alive died not long after due to Israeli airstrikes targeting the buildings where they were being held.

Among them were three Israeli captives who were killed by an Israeli attack in December 2023. This was the result of “incorrect assumptions on the ground.”

“The fear caused by our airstrikes was repeatedly mentioned in the hostages’ testimonies,” Alon went on to say.

He also said internal pressure on the government and protests organized by the families of the captives had very little effect on the negotiations.

Alon also claimed Israel began the war with a “hostages first, Hamas later” approach, but ended up choosing a different path.

“If Hamas remains in power in Gaza, we achieved none of our goals. If it is dismantled, people will still debate the price – and many will argue a similar agreement could have been reached much earlier,” he concluded.

Just five days earlier, Alon admitted to Yedioth Ahronoth that the Bibas family was not kidnapped by Hamas.

Four members of the family – a man, his wife, and their two children – were taken captive during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood by the Mujahideen Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement.

Their bodies were handed over in February 2025 by Hamas. Israel claims Hamas fighters killed the Bibas family with their “bare hands,” but both Hamas and the Mujahideen Brigades affirm that they were killed by an Israeli strike.

“Take the Bibas family, for example. We knew who abducted them. We informed Hamas who the kidnappers were so they could locate the bodies and return them,” Alon told the Israeli newspaper last week.

Significant amounts of evidence have emerged since the war started regarding Israel’s implementation of the Hannibal Directive on 7 October – a measure taken to prevent the capture of Israelis even if it risks their lives.

Israeli helicopters and tanks indiscriminately opened fire at the settlements that were stormed by Hamas fighters that Saturday, causing mass destruction and many Israeli casualties, testimonies have confirmed.

Released captives have also confirmed to Israeli media that they were more afraid of being killed by Israeli airstrikes than by Hamas.

https://thecradle.co/articles/ex-israeli-official-confirms-majority-of-captives-in-gazas-jabalia-killed-by-friendly-fire

Palantir Lands $448 Million Deal To Fix Navy Submarine Delays

Palantir Technologies is becoming a deeper partner to the US military as the Navy launches ShipOS, a $448 million effort to use the company’s AI and data tools to improve submarine production, according to a new report from Bloomberg.

The deal will provide Palantir’s Foundry and Artificial Intelligence Platform across select shipyards and suppliers.

The Navy wants to fix chronic delays and overruns affecting its Virginia- and Columbia-class programs. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan said the goal is to speed up an industry that has struggled with labor issues and subcontractor delays: “By enabling industry to adopt AI and autonomy tools at scale, we’re helping the shipbuilding industry improve schedules, increase capacity, and reduce costs.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/palantir-lands-448-million-deal-fix-navy-submarine-delays