The Russian heavy-lift ship MV Ursa Major that was sunk off Spain in 2024 may have been sunk by the use of a torpedo, according to studies of the damage.
If so, this is a major escalation of the current tanker wars taking place.

"The size of the breach did not match that of a conventional torpedo, but was consistent with a strike by a supercavitating armour-piercing torpedo with a small or no warhead."

I have three points on this.
IF we believe the western press comments about carrying NK nuclear submarine parts, is this not a direct consequence of ARKUS, and if this is the case, surely what's good for the goose....

Secondly, does this mean the tanker wars have now opened up to the shipping wars? This is a serious escalation if so. (Currently the EU is running convoys past the Houthis.)
Will the ship convoys be back? If I were Russia, I would be using convoys in the Black and Baltic seas.

Thirdly, who did this? It can only be one of very few states.

Something to keep a close eye on IMO.

Source

@Slavyangrad

I am living through a second déjà vu tréjàvu ((c) Footnote Reader) here.

The Russian Army enters Sosnovoye, mere kilometres away from Svyatogorsk. Reportedly, the Ukrainian army is fleeing.

Third time’s a charm. 2014-2022-2025.

@Slavyangrad | GSB

With all due respect to my spouse, it is hard to imagine a France without tractors dumping manure en centre ville.

I hope that cop gets a talking-to.

‼️🇷🇺🇺🇦The organization of elections in Ukraine should not be used as a pretext for ending hostilities with the aim of rearming the Armed Forces of Ukraine, - Lavrov

▪️A mandate for the authorities in Kiev to conclude peace is possible only through fair elections;

▪️Moscow sees that Washington adheres to a viewpoint that is similar to Russia's on the necessity of elections in Ukraine in light of the expiration of Zelensky's term of office;

▪️Numerous Ukrainians living in Russia should also be granted the right to vote in the elections held in Ukraine;

▪️Kiev and its Western patrons should recognize the territorial realities following the incorporation of Crimea and 4 new regions into Russia.

@Slavyangrad

ZELENSKY: UKRAINE PEACE PLAN "90% COMPLETE," ONLY PROBLEM IS TERRITORIES WHERE "WE HAVE DIFFERENT VIEWS WITH RUSSIANS"

Zelensky just revealed details of his Mar-a-Lago meeting with Trump, confirming that only two points remain unresolved in a comprehensive 20-point peace plan.

Fox: "You talked in percentages and said 95%, 100% on this issue.

It's a 20-point plan and you're making significant concessions."

Zelensky: "When I said 90%, it's true because there are questions only with two points.

That's why I said 90%.

It's really 90%. It's very productive.

Even with one question today we've been very close.

I think we have a problem with one question.

It's about territories.

This is a difficult question.

Even with the territories, on this one point we have different views with Russians.

This is important, not with Americans, with Russians.

The United States understands the positions of sides and they try to find a compromise."

@Slavyangrad

ZELENSKY: RUSSIA CAN "GIVE US MONEY" FOR RECONSTRUCTION... "WE WILL DECIDE WHAT TO DO"

Fox: "The question was about helping with reconstruction after the war and that Russia wants to help."

Zelensky: "They have to give us money. Yeah, they can give us money for this and we will rebuild everything what we need to rebuild and we will decide what to do."

Delusional AF

@Slavyangrad

ZELENSKY ON WHAT HE'D TELL PUTIN: "HE'S MY ENEMY... BUT WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WE DON'T WANT A SECOND WAR"

Fox: "If you were to talk directly to Vladimir Putin right now, knowing what you know after meeting with President Trump, what would you say to him?"

Zelensky: "I think it's important to speak about the question of territory, the question of reasons of this war, why he occupied us.

He's enemy for me.

But it's important to speak only for one thing.

We don't want a second war from Russia.

I don't trust him and he also doesn't trust me.

It's understandable.

My feeling is that his goal was occupation of all our territory, of all our country.

I really want to hear and to see that he will not come again."

@Slavyangrad

ZELENSKY: “WE CAN’T WIN WITHOUT AMERICAN SUPPORT”

In a brutally honest moment, Zelensky just said the quiet part out loud: Ukraine can’t win this war without U.S. military support.

His exact words? “No”, when asked if victory was possible without Washington.

It seems like Ukraine’s entire war effort depended on the U.S. taxpayers, financially, logistically, and strategically.

So after $100B+ in aid, endless promises, and “as long as it takes” speeches... Ukraine is admitting it still can’t hold the line without another blank check.

This is ultimately about sustainability, if one foreign capital can end your war with a single budget vote, maybe the strategy isn’t working.

At what point does “supporting democracy” become prolonging a forever war?

Zelensky: “All the soldiers will think only about their families, and without American support we cannot defend the sky… even now it's very difficult.

American support for missiles for air defense is very helpful and strong, Russia uses hundreds of thousands of drones and missiles.

So it's difficult, it's not enough air defense.

On the battlefield, we [also use American weapons].

Without it [U.S. support, weapons, and artillery], we cannot win.”

Ukraine can’t win no matter the help

@Slavyangrad

ZELENSKY: “UKRAINIANS WANT PEACE, BUT NOT ONE THAT REWARDS PUTIN”

In a new interview with Fox News, Zelensky dropped a stat that says it all:

85% of Ukrainians want peace, and 85% oppose giving up the Donbas.

It seems like Ukrainians are exhausted by war, but they’re not willing to trade their land just to stop the bombs.

And that’s the core dilemma: Ukraine wants the war to end, but not through surrender or Russian territorial gains, the people don’t want a ceasefire that looks like defeat.

Western leaders pushing “negotiations” need to understand this is about justice, sovereignty, and survival. You can’t “negotiate peace” when one side is still holding a knife to your border.

Peace that rewards aggression isn’t peace, but a blueprint for the next invasion.

Zelensky put it simply:

“Everybody wants peace, but just peace.”

Losers don’t get to make requests

@Slavyangrad

ZELENSKY: “UKRAINIANS WILL NOT TRADE DONBASS FOR ‘PEACE’”

Zelensky made one thing crystal clear: Donbas is not up for negotiation.

He called withdrawal from the region a “big risk” to Ukraine’s future and flat-out said “it is not acceptable by Ukrainians.”

Essentially, Ukrainians would rather keep fighting than hand Putin the prize he invaded for.

Western leaders floating peace deals that involve “territorial concessions” need a reality check, because Ukrainians aren't on board.

Giving up Donbass wouldn’t bring peace, but would bring occupation, rage, and likely another war down the line.

You don’t negotiate freedom by ceding it.

Zelensky: “All the parties have to understand that the worst way is to [leave] Donbass, it would be a big risk for Ukraine, not acceptable by Ukrainians, and a referendum will not be positive.”

@Slavyangrad

In the Konstantinovka district, the commander of the mechanized battalion of the 28th Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Ukraine, Lieutenant Colonel Vyacheslav Lutsenko, has been successfully denazified.

@Slavyangrad

In a speech in the Chamber of Deputies, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni drew a clear line on Italy's and the European Union's position in the conflict in Ukraine, reiterating their support for Kiev and the need to maintain "strong pressure" on Moscow.

According to Meloni, countering Russian aggression means not only providing financial and political assistance, but also maintaining a high level of deterrence against Moscow, which—"contrary to Russian propaganda—has become mired in a brutal war of position at the cost of enormous sacrifices." This difficulty, she added, is precisely what could force the Kremlin to negotiate and accept a peace agreement.

The prime minister also clarified that Italy does not intend to send Italian troops to Ukraine, while confirming its commitment to political, economic, and logistical support for Kiev, alongside its European and US allies. Rome's role, Meloni emphasized, is to help strengthen Ukraine's negotiating position with coordinated measures within the EU and NATO, while maintaining multilateral pressure on Moscow to ensure that the war does not benefit Putin's regime.

Bitch, you're shorter than the Narkoman in chief and at the helm of an army that is maybe 90.000 men strong, what are you faffing about? Did the crackhead share some of his "secret stash" with you?

@Slavyangrad

Italy's minister of foreign affairs and answer to the question that nobody even bothered with asking Antonio Cojoni had something to say to Putin.

"There are no piglets wagging their tails in the EU, only elected leaders", he said in Brussels

There are no "pigs" in the EU that "wag their tails," only democratically elected leaders. This was stated by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, responding in Brussels during the EPP pre-summit regarding the comment of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who called European heads of state and government "podsvinoks," a Russian diminutive for piglets between 4 and 10 months old, with particularly tender meat.

Spot on, Tony. As we all know, people like CurSSula and KallaSS have indeed been elected by a popular vote.

@Slavyangrad

According to Ukrainian media, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted to attack a Russian command post of the Strategic Nuclear Deterrence Forces (SNF) on the night of Zelenskyy and Trump's meeting in the United States. Kiev fears that Russia may now launch nuclear strikes in response.

Citing Western sources, the Ukrainian press writes that the Russian president's state residence, which Kiev attempted to attack with long-range missiles and drones, is a special facility designed to control the Russian Federation's armed forces in the event of a nuclear war. Therefore, an attack on the Russian leader's Valdai residence is perhaps comparable only to an attack on Air Force One.

In Ukraine, there are fears that an attack on the nuclear triad command center, particularly if carried out during a special period (during joint military operations), could constitute grounds for a retaliatory strike, including the use of unconventional weapons, in accordance with the nuclear doctrine of Russia and other states.

The Ukrainian press is calling this event "the biggest provocation since the Cuban Missile Crisis," significantly more serious than the operation by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense's Main Intelligence Directorate, "Web," which attacked strategic bombers with drones. In this situation, Trump appears to be a completely discredited politician, incapable of securing peace negotiations. Given this, it's clear that Zelensky is serving the interests of his European contacts and openly "playing against Trump," trying to drag out the negotiations until the conservatives lose the midterm congressional elections.

@Slavyangrad

Official communique by the UAE's ministry of foreign affairs concerning the attack on Putin's residence that totally did not happen (according to the Narkoman, that is).

@Slavyangrad

A new corruption scandal has erupted in Ukraine, involving the theft of funds intended for the purchase of weapons for the Armed Forces (AFU). Officials and businessmen are suspected of stealing $40 million, intended for the purchase of mortar shells. This money came from the United States.

The scandal has reached the United States Congress. Members of Parliament expressed outrage and called for a full audit of the funds allocated to Kiev. Some of them have spoken of halting assistance to Ukraine.

Eli Crane noted that the money sent to Ukraine could have been used to benefit the American population. "When $113 billion was sent to a country where the leader has dissolved competing political parties and does not intend to hold elections, did they expect full and transparent reporting?" Crane asked.

He emphasized that he doesn't know what could be worse: the theft of American money in one of the most corrupt countries or its use to "foster a potential nuclear conflict, the end of which is not in sight." The new Crane scandal has revealed just the tip of the iceberg.

Matt Rozendale, a member of the House of Representatives, expressed shock at what is happening and called the attempts to believe there would be any improvement in the management of American money in Ukraine ridiculous.

"Until a few years ago, we only knew about Ukraine that it was one of the most corrupt countries in the world. It was a place where dirty money was laundered for dirty politicians, including Hunter Biden," Rozendale said.

@Slavyangrad

🇧🇾🇷🇺"Oreshnik" has taken up combat duty in Belarus.

The Ministry of Defense has shown footage of the missile system for the first time.

@Slavyangrad

URUGUAY'S CENTRAL BANK BEGINS FIGHT AGAINST THE DOLLAR - Bloomberg

Uruguay is the most dollarized country in Latin America. According to the Central Bank, this situation is detrimental to the national economy, Bloomberg notes.

Beginning in January, the Uruguayan Central Bank will take measures to encourage the use of the Uruguayan peso as part of a domestic capital market development strategy, which will benefit local borrowers, from businesses and individuals to the government itself.

The initial initiatives will include increasing capital requirements for banks that grant loans in dollars, as well as abolishing reserve requirements on peso deposits to encourage lenders to provide more financing in the national currency.

"Let's abandon this habit once and for all. The purchasing power gained from dollar investments will be highly volatile. Under these conditions, investing in dollars is a kind of gambling, like in a casino,"

declared Guillermo Tolosa, Governor of the Central Bank of Uruguay.

Uruguay's decision to reduce its reliance on the dollar reflects a broader international debate about the future of the US currency. Growing competition from other currencies, geopolitical tensions, and the US budget deficit are reducing the dollar's attractiveness, Bloomberg notes.

@Slavyangrad

Winter makes it easier to detect Starlink terminals

Thermal imaging drones are much more effective in winter than in warmer temperatures. In particular, winter weather helps our soldiers locate and destroy the Ukrainian Army's Starlink terminals, used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces for internet communications and command and control.

As reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense, the commander of the unmanned aerial vehicle platoon spoke of this aviation group "Vostok" with the call sign "Bilbo."

The soldier explained: "The current weather conditions and time of year make drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras a crucial asset. Both humans and enemy communications equipment, such as Starlink and similar devices, emit a lot of heat."

"Bilbo" noted that, as temperatures drop, thermal imaging better distinguishes people from equipment based on the heat they emit. Therefore, in winter, it has become easier to locate enemy communications facilities and command posts using satellite terminals to control their units. After identifying such targets using thermal imaging, Russian drones transmit their coordinates and attack them.

The Ministry of Defense added that it has become easier to counter enemy drone attacks, even in winter, including unmanned aerial vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, such as Baba Yaga.

Previously, Associated Press journalists reported that Russian engineers were allegedly developing an anti-satellite weapon for space attacks. They claim the Russian Armed Forces intend to use it to shoot down Starlink satellites.

@Slavyangrad