TheOldGuy @TheOldGuy@qoto.org

Ukraine received some fine presents
https://t.me/WarriorsUkrainian/16324

It's Orban vs Europe
https://t.me/WarriorsUkrainian/16323

Russia launched 8 Islander missiles. None made it to the intended target
https://t.me/WarriorsUkrainian/16328

In an interview, the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, Carsten Breuer, warns remarkably directly about a possible “defensive war” in Germany - FAZ

The German Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) recently spoke publicly about the need for the Bundeswehr to become “war-ready,” which earned him a lot of criticism.

Germany's highest-ranking soldier went one step further in an interview and spoke of the possibility that "we may one day have to wage a defensive war and no longer have the choice whether we want to take part in an operation far away."

Society in the Federal Republic needs to get used to this idea, explained Bundeswehr Inspector General Carsten Breuer in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).

But that's not all: Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, the general of the German army warned urgently against Moscow's ruler Vladimir Putin.

“The fact that Russia is arming itself at the moment and how Putin is positioning himself worries me. It should concern us all, but most importantly we need to turn those concerns into action now. “We have to become aware of how we can deal with this lasting threat,” Breuer told the daily newspaper: “In the next few years we will not be able to go back to where we were before 2022.”

“We should be afraid that Russia will win this war, that Putin will win this war. Because then we will be faced with a completely new security situation in Germany,” Defense Minister Pistorius said on ZDF’s “heute journal” on December 5th. He and Breuer are not the only admonishers.

Dr. Mölling from the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) strongly advised the West to equip the Ukrainians with the conditions for a new offensive in 2024. Otherwise, hesitation could have devastating consequences for Europe in a few years - including for Germany. “It has to be said relatively clearly that we will probably face the consequences of not helping Ukraine and thus continuing to endanger our own security in five or six years,” he stated.

Sweden announced a winter aid package for Ukraine worth 120 million euros

The money taken from Sweden's aid budget, among other things, will be used to purchase heating equipment and increase the capacity of the Ukrainian electricity grid. It is also about other measures that will help Ukrainians survive the winter, for example, the construction of shelters.

According to Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, this is the largest support within the framework of Sweden's bilateral aid to Ukraine.

- The support for Ukraine is almost existential for us, says Ulf Kristersson.

Kristersson expresses concern that the long-term support for Ukraine has begun to be questioned from several quarters. Not least with the USA, by far the largest donor, the White House is finding it increasingly difficult to get its proposals through Congress.

- If the US begins to fail in its support, there is a risk that European countries will also fail, and if European support fails, it will also have consequences in the American debate. It is extremely important that the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries and others bordering Russia are on the front line to maintain agreement on aid to Ukraine, says Ulf Kristersson.

Back from Medical. Got a smaller brace with instructions to take it off several times a day and open and close my hand, stretching the tendons

From "The Analyst":

KRYNKY, AVDIVKA, OTHER NEWS

It seems the Russians got themselves into a terrible mess launching an offensive to try and regain the trenches in the forested area.
Their armour was taken out by a mix of drone types, drone-seeded mines, and Javelins.
The supporting Russian artillery fell quickly to a counter-battery attack - they have no answer to this except to move as they don’t have the radars to know where to strike. By the time they realised most of it had been destroyed.
Yet another Russian assault that had the men and the equipment but not the planning, morale or any real coordination resulting in abject failure.

AVDIVKA

Russia changed its strategy from attacking in the north and trying to hold Stepove to attacking from the south of the northern salient along the reservoirs, nearest the industrial railway station at the south east end of the coking plant.
Clearly they have started to run out of resources again having expended so many - this was almost all infantry. Exposed by having to walk on foot under full view of Ukrainian drones, with little fire support and mediocre support from BMP’s they failed miserably.
The Russian death toll, again, was high, morale is clearly low - they seem to understand they’re going into an impossible situation and make minimal effort - mostly trying to keep alive and hiding as soon as they can. It doesn’t help. Eventually they get found by the ubiquitous drones Ukraine seems to have mastered so well. Another failed effort.

Overall the Russians haven’t been having much success as much because of the mud-snow-freeze conditions. It’s just getting too difficult in many areas to move about and it looks like they’ve blasted through their available reserves at Avdivka again. It doesn’t mean they won’t try again or even stop trying, just that the pace might slow for a while.
This is no bad thing for Ukraine - its 155mm shell situation is getting worse by the day, although the 152mm production for old equipment is said to be adequate from domestic and foreign sources.

Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦!

Thank you for the accolades Kevin.

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/this-is-just-embarrassing-for-kevin-mccarthy-2/53520/

Donny Dimwit will not be testifying in his civil trial because he thinks he has already won.
https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/donald-trump-just-cut-and-ran/53523/

Everyone needs to read this.
https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/the-gops-jagged-little-pill/53521/

Wouldn't it be wonderful if whoever bought it renamed it Leticia Tower?

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/donald-trump-just-admitted-he-expects-to-lose-trump-tower/53512/

Tomorrow I have an appointment with the surgeon. I believe I will start physical therapy. Probably gone most of the day.

"Slava Ukraini" he shouted after being taken prisoner. The Russians promptly shot him for that.

https://t.me/WarriorsUkrainian/16282

The US Congress appears no closer to a deal ahead of a critical week for negotiations over funding for aid to defend Ukraine.

US lawmakers will leave for Christmas holidays in just a few days time and funding for defending against Putin is about to run out, with the lives of Ukrainians and the security of Europe and NATO allies at stake.

Republican Sen. James Lankford and Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy, who are leading the immigration and border negotiations, said in separate interviews on Sunday that talks are ongoing between the two sides, according to CNN.

Casting this point in negotiations as “one of the most dangerous moments” in American history, Murphy warned in stark terms about the national security implications of not reaching a deal.

“Vladimir Putin is delighting right now in Republicans’ insistence that we get a deal on immigration reform, and if we don’t, then they are going to allow Vladimir Putin to march into Ukraine and perhaps into Europe,” he said on NBC.

President Joe Biden sent a clear message to lawmakers Congress last week that he’s open to striking a compromise with Republicans on border security. While lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have expressed an openness to reaching a deal, the two sides still seem no closer to doing so.

With House Republicans demanding that the Senate-negotiated deal stick as close as possible to the House-passed border bill, HR 2, many Democrats have said that it’s a nonstarter.

White House budget director Shalanda Young, meanwhile, indicated in a separate interview on CBS Sunday that a deal was still possible, but warned that demands without compromise would tank negotiations.

“You can’t have everything your way in a negotiation. Democrats and Republicans have to vote for this bill. So I agree it’s time to cut a deal that both sides can agree to,” Young said.

First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, has warned that Ukrainians are in "mortal danger" of being left to die if Western countries don't continue their financial support.

**** GRAPHIC DRUNKENNESS LEADING TO DEATH ***

https://t.me/pilotblog/8414

Iran is having a careless smokers problem. VIVA THE RESISTANCE

https://t.me/NewsWorld_23/2932?single

Today Hamas stole the Christian community’s humanitarian aid in Gaza.

In Gaza lives a small Christian community. They are also victims of the humanitarian crisis Hamas brought upon Gaza.

It was therefore decided to provide them with humanitarian aid. So in coordination between Israel, the UN, and other relevant authorities, an UNRWA truck filled with aid was sent to them today.

Sadly, once the truck entered Gaza, Hamas terrorists stormed the truck, wounded the driver, and stole all the humanitarian supplies for themselves.

(Story told first at the news of Israel’s Channel12)

The British Ministry of Defense has indicated that Russia has initiated a more concentrated series of airstrikes aimed at dismantling Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

Intelligence reports highlight that on the night of December 7, the Russian Air Force conducted a significant wave of attacks on Kyiv and central Ukraine, marking the first such intensive assault since September 21. These attacks, believed to be executed by likely Tu-95 heavy bombers, involved the launch of at least 16 cruise missiles.

Initial assessments suggest that despite this onslaught, most of the missiles were effectively intercepted by Ukrainian air defense systems, as noted by analysts.

While regrettably one civilian lost their life, the extent of damage resulting from the attack remains relatively minimal at this stage, as affirmed by the British Ministry of Defense.

A pilot, callsign bes has died of injuries suffered in a shelling. He covered three children to protect them. They were uninjured
https://t.me/warinukraineua/1694

👀 Yesterday, the Russian Armed Forces tried to knock out the Ukrainian forces from Krynky, but were defeated

📅 On December 10, the Russian army, with the forces of the probably new 104th Assault Division, tried to knock out the Ukrainian marines from the settlement of Krynky on the left bank of the Kherson region, where the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been holding a bridgehead for over a month. The Russian command realized that flooding the bridgehead with FABs will not help knock out the Ukrainian forces, and the losses from Ukrainian FPV drone operators are too great. And after the incident with the downing of the Su-24M, airstrikes began to be used less often

🫤 That is why the Russian Ministry of Defense decided to act, and threw about a Motorized Infantry Battalion of up to 30 tanks and other armored vehicles into the slaughter.  According to the soldiers of the 35th Brigade, the Russians tried despite everything to drive deep into the bridgehead with huge forces and take it under their control, but they did not succeed

⚓ The plan completely failed. In a couple of days about 15 units of armored fighting vehicles were lost with the landing force in Krynky. Also, in neighboring villages and in the forest there is now even more destroyed equipment and personnel that simply could not get there. All this thanks to the Marines and aerial reconnaissance. FPV kamikaze drones have also played an incredible role