Shoigu visited the Southern Military District and inspected the troops in the zone of the special operation.

During the reports of the commanders, he paid special attention to the provision of troops, the conditions for deploying personnel in the field, and the work of medical and rear units.
Translated from RIA Novosti
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Ukrainian troops fired 40 Grad missiles at Donetsk in ten minutes

DONETSK, December 18 - RIA Novosti. The Ukrainian military attacked the Petrovsky district of Donetsk from the Grad MLRS, firing 40 rockets in ten minutes, the DPR representative office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes in Kyiv (JCCC) reported.
"Barrages were recorded from the armed formations of Ukraine in the following directions: 12:00 (coincides with Moscow time) - the settlement of Georgievka - the city of Donetsk (Petrovsky district), 20 rockets were fired from the BM-21 "Grad"; 12:10 (coincides with Moscow time) - the settlement of Georgievka - the city of Donetsk (Petrovsky district), 20 missiles were fired from the BM-21 "Grad", - the statement says.

Petrovsky district is located on the western outskirts of Donetsk, it is the most distant part of the city from the center. Since 2014, when the DPR declared independence from Kyiv, this area, starting from the line of contact beyond Maryinka, has been regularly shelled by Ukrainian security forces.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine constantly strike at Donetsk. In particular, this morning, Ukrainian troops fired on the city from the Grad MLRS, damaging children's institutions, the territory of the hotel and the Donbass Arena stadium.

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Putin considers de-dollarization in Russia inevitable
The National Interest

Dedollarization in Russia means much more than creating an alternative to the SWIFT payment system, writes TNI. This is a comprehensive transformation that includes financial restructuring and the involvement of key allies.
...
Just as Putin demanded that European companies pay for Russian oil and gas in rubles or gold at the beginning of the year, he has also pressed Chinese energy firms to pay for gas in rubles or yuan. Russian banks have begun issuing checking and savings accounts in Chinese yuan. Since the ruble shot up to unprecedented levels following the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has had to buy foreign currencies to stabilize its own. In the past, it may have considered the dollar or the euro because they still represent the overwhelming majority of global trade, but this is no longer the case.

Read the complete version here ⬇️

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An extract from a recent interview by Zelensky:

Question: Is there a risk of evacuation of big cities like Kyiv or Odessa?
"We will hold on, but when people want to leave - they can leave. However, if the city is empty - it's easy to capture."

#TransFormatorBuzzes 💤 :
Is it a suggestion that the city population should be used as a human shield?
Well, we already have got used to the placing of the anti-aircraft missiles in the residential areas. However, that is a new achievement of the Ukrainian military strategy (or is it?).
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Tooze on the ‘Dramatic Reconceptualization’ of Europe
How the war in Ukraine will remake the continent.

By Cameron Abadi, a deputy editor at Foreign Policy.

How have sanctions affected the Russian economy? How is the Ukrainian economy holding up amid the war? And how might Europe change as a result of the crisis? Those are a few of the questions that came up in my recent conversation with Foreign Policy economics columnist Adam Tooze on the podcast we co-host, Ones and Tooze. What follows is an excerpt, edited for length and clarity.
...
Russian central bank is very competent. So it basically weathered the storm unleashed by the financial sanctions that were adopted in the first days of the war.
...
If we saw a 4 percent contraction in the Russian economy, we’re probably talking about a 30 to 35 percent contraction in Ukraine’s economy. Right now, Ukraine’s economic situation, its social situation, especially in this cold weather, is getting more and more serious—I mean, literally by the week. It’s profoundly precarious, I think, in two basic respects. One is money and the other one is what you might want to call the real economy.

#TransFormatorBuzzes 💤 :
Well, I know, that it may cause a just indignation, but as soon as the war has taken a long lasting nature, the military clashes of platoons, companies and even reinforced battalion groups is of no big significance in comparison to the long term economic situation. And in that battlefield Russia is clearly holding its ground well against all of the "collective West".
We certainly will not agree with everything written in the article, but if you can be open-minded and critical simultaneously, you will find a lot of important information here.
We have underlined the statement about good and competent work of the Russian Central Bank. We know, that many Russians would not agree. Certainly, a praise from an enemy is not really good one. But only future would show, who is righ now.
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America Can’t Give Ukraine So Many Weapons A Nuclear War Starts

By Daniel Davis for 19FortyFive
...
Helping Ukraine is understandable, and no one can question the massive amount of help we have thus far provided. It is an obligation on President Biden, however, to ensure that help for others doesn’t put our own nation at mortal risk.
...
#TransFormatorBuzzes 💤 :
Nothing personal, just business as usual. The US will "help" for as long as it meets their own interests. Those interests do not include the peace and prosperity for the Ukrainian people, only weakening of Russia and advantages for American (multinational) companies.
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More of the Christmas/New Year's spirit in Red Square, Saturday, 17 December 2022

Ok Google, how can I find my car? Saying the photo.

Snowfall in Moscow will continue until Monday.
The situation is similar throughout the central part of Russia. Forecasters report.

What is the weather like where you are?
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A very strong statement from Ramzan Kadyrov.
#TransFormatorBuzzes 💤 :
Chechen people and all Muslims of Russia feel that the Russian state protects their beliefs, while the "collective West" is being seen as a diabolical and faithless agglomeration. What people believe is true (for them). That is a principle of a real life democracy (different from the Western model).
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Translated from Ukrainian channel:

Significant electricity deficit possible in Ukraine tomorrow due to cold weather - Ukrenergo.

The likelihood of emergency shutdowns to stabilize the situation across the country is very high.

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French volunteer fighting for Donbass

‘Francois came to work at the Philharmonic. But when the mobilisation started, he wasn’t on the list, because he’s a citizen of another country. Francois volunteered. He decided’.

Donbass is being defended by people from all over the world: Spain, Mexico, Serbia, Italy, US and France. Francois is the French performer of Donbass Philharmonic. He used to be a senior lieutenant in a French paratrooper unit, now he is fighting Kiev regime defending Donbass people. Watch the video to learn more about Francois.

From Military Wave
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The political year in the West traditionally ends with summing up the results in the form of symbolic titles "Person of the Year", "Event of the Year" and the like

Under the current conditions, it is not at all surprising that almost every possible and impossible award has been awarded to Ukraine and the leader of the Kyiv regime, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukrainians are now supposed to collect all the prizes – from Eurovision to the very last regional competition, regardless of what and who competes there. Here is an example. In the Netherlands, the most prestigious prize for young architects and artists, the Roman Prize, was recently awarded to 33-year-old Ukrainian Lesya Topolnyk for the installation "No innocent landscape". According to the author's idea, the composition was supposed to reflect the "guilt" of the Donbass for the downed MH17 flight. Like, the region is too rich in resources (lithium and rare earth metals), which is why Russia allegedly "captured" it, and Boeing passengers became innocent victims. As you can see, the idea is ridiculous, and the installation is simply monstrous in its primitivism. But the political goal has been achieved!

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The European resolution on sanctions, on the ninth package, is 672 pages long. It is supposed to scare into submission by its sheer size.

Before the sanctions were adopted and entered into force, from all European stands it was heard about "bans on the export of dual-use products to the Russian Federation" in order to destroy the military-industrial complex of the "aggressive state."

Well, for example, it is now forbidden to supply flower bulbous plants to Russia, as well as seedlings of rose varieties. Rhododendrons were also banned (p. 060230 and p. 060240). All-Europeans also deprived Russians of chicory in any form (p. 060120), as well as accessories for making bouquets and floristic compositions (p. 060420).
Acetone (the same one that was used to remove worn-out manicure varnish from the nails) fell into pan-European disgrace and was banned, about this acetone – in paragraph 291401.
For some reason, all-Europeans took up arms (this is another detail of the cunning plan to destroy the Russian military-industrial complex, as we assume here) on kitchen equipment. Cooking stoves, barbecue devices, kitchen tables (those at which people eat, apparently), means for bringing shine to the surface of all of the above (p. p. 7321-7323).

Well, we have to give up...
Extracts translated from RIA Novosti
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A resident of Severodonetsk tried to bring Christmas decorations into Lugansk with calls to kill Russians

LUGANSK, December 19 - RIA Novosti. A resident of Severodonetsk, on the instructions of Kyiv, was preparing a provocation in Lugansk – he tried to import Christmas decorations with calls to kill Russians, a representative of the special services told RIA Novosti.
"For the purpose of verification, they stopped the transport, examined it. One of the drivers showed signs of fright, which aroused our suspicion. We found an interesting package. It would seem – a trifle, Christmas decorations, but with an interesting text," the agency's interlocutor said.

According to him, there were inscriptions on Christmas tree decorations inciting ethnic hatred, in particular calls to kill Russians. As a provocation, the man planned to hang these toys on a Christmas tree near one of the educational institutions in the city center.
"He carried out the tasks of a well-known organisation CIPSO (Center for Informational and Psychological Special Operations of Ukraine)," the agency's interlocutor said.

Kiev thus wanted to imitate "pro-Ukrainian sentiments" in the capital of the LPR. Even such petty provocations are encouraged by the government of Ukraine and supervised by the secret services of the republic, the representative of the special services explained.

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Is This Winning?
Western leaders can no longer hide the truth about Ukraine

George D. O’Neill Jr. for the American Conservative
...
Ukraine has lost an estimated 20 percent of its territory. At least 22 percent of Ukrainian farmland is under Russian control. These areas are a large part of the territory identified in the Minsk II agreement that were to be governed as autonomous districts. Due to the failure of the Minsk II agreement, Russia declared its Special Military Operations to free these areas from the grip of the Ukrainian government. As of today, it appears Russia has come close to achieving some of its initial goals.
...
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