RUNNING UPDATES ON THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE - 04.12.2022
Including geopolitical issues affecting the balance of power in the ongoing end game war to establish our common future, a closely monitored prison planet or tolerance for diverse modes of governance.
THE ROAD TO THE ULTIMATE CONCLUSION OF WORLD WAR III RUNS THROUGH HERE.
*** ARE WE IN THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM? ***
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“Ukraine. What is the truth...?
Why won’t western media tell both sides…?”
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It is poorly understood, or not at all, that Russia never wished this conflict to occur and worked for seven years through the Minsk process to bring a peaceful resolution to the need for the pro-Russian people of the Donbass region to safeguard their culture, language and close association with Russia.
This lack of understanding is deepened when erroneous notions regarding Russia’s careful military strategy to avoid civilian casualties and damage to vital infrastructure resulted in the opinion that the Russian military was either weak or incompetent. The fact is however, that Russians view Ukrainians as brother and sister Slavs and have with great reluctance begun this operation.
The Russian military has engaged in a campaign of incremental use of force and military power, choosing to target only enough strategic areas that might bring about the negotiations that Russia was open to from the start of the campaign.
The above strategy has been mistaken for weakness. In addition, most western commentators either overlook or fail to take cognisance of the depth of defensive positions the USA/UK/EU/NATO assisted in creating all along the line of contact facing the pro-Russian areas of the Donbass. And also they do not take into account the financing, training and equipping of the Ukrainian forces by these same western sponsors that have turned the Ukrainian army, over the past almost nine years into a de facto NATO force.
You will find the misconceptions and misrepresentations above in several of the video reports below. All likely to be resolved with a new found awakening in the next few weeks when it appears certain that a massive Russian military offensive will take place.
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Lead feature:
Latest update on events within Ukraine and their knock-on effects on the western world, by Alexander Mercouris of ‘The Duran’. (184k subscribers):
Italy MSM Admits Ukraine Losses, Russia Grinds Bakhmut, US DNI Haines No Moscow Regime Change.
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Latest updates from Alex Christoforou of ‘The Duran’ on the geopolitical events of the previous 24 hours (149k subscribers):
Nuland in Kiev, blames letters on Russia. Snowden, Russian citizen. Elensky upset with $60 cap. U/1
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‘Douglas Macgregor’ channel. (14.7k subscribers):
Major offensive in five weeks.
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‘Scott Ritter - Again’ channel. (69.2k subscribers):
The death of Ukraine.
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‘Times Radio’ channel from 3 months ago. (217k subscribers):
‘Russia is not going to lose this war’, former British Army chief says.
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‘Times Radio’ channel from 1 month ago. (217k subscribers):
Russia is on the offensive again, says retired British Military General.
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‘DW News’ channel. (4.33m subscribers):
Satellite images suggest Russia is preparing for massive airstrikes | DW News.
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‘Times Radio’ channel. (217k subscribers):
Putin will launch a winter offensive | Major General Tim Cross.
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THE MILITARY DAILY’ channel. (194k subscribers):
Massive Attack (Dec 04 2022) Russian artillery forces deal heavy blows to the Ukrainian army.
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Al Jazeera English’ channel. (9.7m subscribers):
Russia Donbas training: Preparations for a possible new offensive.
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‘Alexander Mercouris’ channel from 6 days ago. (184k subscribers):
Russia Prepares Winter Offensive, West Runs out of Ammunition & Weapons, Ukraine out of Power & Time.
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Straight Calls with Douglas Macgregor. (14k subscribers):
The beginning of the end of Ukraine as a country.
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‘FINANCE MAIL’ channel. (13.3k subscribers):
Scott Ritter: Ukraine Is Wasting Innocent Lives And Material On Russia. It's Just Gonna Get Worse.
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Scott Ritter: Putin Say's We Had No Choice Left, But To Launch Special Military Operation In Ukraine.
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'U.S. Tour of Duty' channel. (18.4k subscribers):
Scott Ritter Extra Ep. 26: Ask the Inspector.
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George Galloway’s ‘Mother of all Talk Shows’. (231k subscribers):
MOATS Ep 193 with George Galloway.
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‘The Dive’ with Jackson Hinkle. (197k subscribers):
Azov NAZIS Remain On Twitter, Kanye BOOTED.
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oh sh*t.
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ukraine is stuck.
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‘The Left Lens’ channel with Danny Haiphong. (231k subscribers):
EU's CRINGE Hypocrisy Toward Russia EXPOSED by Ukraine Quagmire.
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‘TeleSUR English’ channel. (192k subscribers):
Ukraine prepares false flag attack to accuse Russia.
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'Garland Nixon' channel. ( 37.1K subscribers):
ARE EU LEADERS FALLING OFF THE BIDEN SUICIDE WAGON - MACRON/SCHOLZ TALK RUSSIA SECURITY GUARANTEE.
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'Sean Foo' channel. (61.5k subscribers):
Putin’s About To Flip The World Order - Russian Reset Will Shock The West!
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‘Multipolarista’ channel with Ben Norton. (37.1k subscribers):
How oil corporations influenced US President Eisenhower and CIA coup in Iran.
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‘ShanghaiEye魔都眼’ channel. (111k subscribers):
Belorussia’s Lukashenko questions West's willingness to talk and end the conflict in Ukraine.
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‘Emil Cosman’ channel. (37.3k subscribers):
Russia to encircle Bakhmut, and take the town in Donetsk Oblast. Russia's offensive continues.
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‘‘BORZZIKMAN’ channel (116k subscribers):
The U.S. Politely Squashed France! Europe is just ''Consumable Material'' for Washington!
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'Firstpost' channel. (164k subscribers):
Hungary Torpedoes EU Aid for Ukraine | European Union | Russia Ukraine War.
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'Hindustan Times' channel (4.99m subscribers):
New Sukhoi Su-35s for Putin's men, Russia's 'most advanced' fighter in the Ukraine war | Details:
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Biden can't rescue EU from its Russian energy dependence. Here's why:
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Putin out for blood: Zelensky dubs situation in Soledar 'most painful' | Infantry & positions hit.
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'Deepin Moments' channel. (45.4k subscribers):
A big change in the international situation! 20 countries signed an energy cooperation with Russia!
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No Oil for U.S! It's Useless to Bow Down Voluntarily! Venezuela Stops US Oil Cooperation!
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‘Tech Revolution’ channel. (52.8k subscribers):
TERRIFYING! UK Is Set To Face The Worst CRISIS In History That Will DESTROY The Entire Global Energy.
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‘numuves’ channel. (80.6k subscribers):
CHINA protests | Trudeau OWNS himself!
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CRINGIEST pro-war video by Ukrainian Azov soldier.
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‘Daniel Dumbrill’ channel. (169k subscribers):
I haven't left China in half a decade: Covid-Zero & Protests - My thoughts.
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Article from Russia Today (RT) - 4th December 2022:
Russia, Ukraine and the West: As winter arrives on the battlefield, what will happen next in the conflict?
Moscow has pulled out of a key southern city but launched a major air offensive striking targets deep inside Ukraine
The battle for Kherson that we discussed in our last article ended in Ukraine’s favor – but with a small twist: there was no actual battle. For three weeks, Russia evacuated not only residents who wished to leave the city – and the right bank of the Dnieper River – but even monuments that the adversary entering the city might find objectionable.
By November 10, the last of the military personnel had left the right bank of the Dnieper, and after they crossed they blew up the bridges (included the long-suffering Antonovsky Bridge) spanning the river, as well as the overpass across the Kakhovka reservoir dam.
Ukrainian forces entered the city a day or two later, and the entire maneuver took place without any noticeable fighting. It may so happen that the border of Kherson Region will be fixed for a long time, years or even decades, along the Dnieper River.
If we summarize the ground strategy of the Russian Army throughout its campaign, after the initial February offensive, it can be formulated as follows: we do not attack anywhere except Donbass; we do not hold on to land and cities; if defense is fraught with costs and losses, we do not hesitate to retreat. It is impossible to say whether this is a forced decision or a pre-selected policy, due to the fact that the military objectives of the special military operation have not been publicly stated.
In Donbass, meanwhile, the slow grinding down of the Ukrainian defenses continues. The Wagner forces, together with the militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic – which is now part of the Russian army – are gradually moving on the town of Artemovsk (Bakhmut), for which we had anticipated battles back in July. Photographs from this part of the front are now reminiscent of scenes from the First World War: knee-deep trenches in the mud, ground pockmarked with holes from exploded shells, and bare burnt tree trunks.
On the rest of the front there is still a lull. Meanwhile, the main development in recent weeks has been Russia’s transition to using long-range precision weapons virtually all across Ukraine. In contrast to previous phases (with the possible exception of the very start of the operation) there are now regular strikes by air and sea – and probably ground-launched cruise missiles – as well as by loitering munitions.
The target of the strikes, as far as can be judged from both official statements of the Russian Ministry of Defense and objective data (not to mention the reaction of Ukrainian officials), is primarily energy infrastructure. The reason for this choice seems to lie in the high degree of ‘visibility’ of such a strategy and the multi-faceted strategic impact it has on Ukraine's defense capabilities. It is possible that the choice of targets is also partly due to insufficient capabilities in reconnaissance and asset-targeting, and in the weapons themselves, which apparently do not allow strikes against small and/or fortified targets, or 'time-sensitive' objects.
These strikes, among other things, disrupt logistics and communication, which will probably gradually reduce the flexibility of the opponent’s military machine and deprive it of initiative. However, it is too early to speak of any radical breakthrough: the effects of the current strategy are cumulative and may reach a critical stage in the near future. Given the time of year, the impact on the civilian population will be significant, and we may well see a truly tragic picture.
Another story is the situation around the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. The facility itself and the adjacent city of Energodar have been under Russian control since March, while since July the plant has been subjected to regular shelling by Ukrainian forces. Russia, through the International Atomic Energy Agency, is pressing for an end to the bombing, while Ukraine is demanding the “demilitarization” of the plant – i.e., to have it transferred to its control. Contacts on the issue continue, while the plant itself has been shut down since early September.
So, what’s next? There seems to already be an active search for solutions to strengthen Ukraine’s air and missile defense capabilities, as well as a change in approach regarding the construction of appropriate systems, taking into account the accumulated experience of countering military strikes from Russia. However, this has so far been very specific, and there is the sense that protecting infrastructure is not always more important to Kiev than preventing strikes against the small number of remaining and newly delivered Western anti-aircraft missile systems.
Another area of countermeasures could be the supplying of new weapon systems with an ever-increasing range, including relatively exotic ones – in particular, the high-precision guided decoy aerial bomb SDB (GLSDB), which would be adapted for launch from HIMARS and MLRS. The airborne and maritime strike drones at the disposal of the Ukrainian side may also continue to be improved.
One type of long-range barraging munitions, ‘Geraniums’, deserve particular attention. Perhaps here we see an example of institutional ‘inertia’ among the militaries of major powers, as this class of weapon had until recently only been available in Israel, Iran, and partly in North Korea and China, as well as among some non-state actors. It is likely that we will now see an increased focus on such strikes and countermeasures, while Ukraine will be a testing ground for all parties involved.
In the absence of successful negotiations for a ceasefire, it appears that long-range, high-precision weapon strikes against infrastructure deep inside Ukraine will continue. However, further escalation (including nuclear) seems unlikely. This could change if NATO as a whole, or individual members, becomes fully engaged in the hostilities, which the US-led bloc has so far studiously avoided, preferring to maintain control over the scale of the conflict and to avoid becoming directly involved.
MAPPING CHANNELS
* Updates will be added here as and when they become available.
LATEST UPDATE FROM DIMA OF THE MILITARY SUMMARY CHANNEL (75.8k subscribers):
Ukraine. Military Summary And Analysis 04.12.2022.
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LATEST UPDATE FROM THE 'DEFENSE POLITICS ASIA' MAPPING CHANNEL (50k subscribers):
No update posted so far today.
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LATEST UPDATE BY ‘NEW WORLD ECONOMICS’ (27.8k subscribers):
No update posted so far today.
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LATEST UPDATE BY THETI MAPPING (14.5k subscribers):
No update posted so far today.
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LATEST UPDATE BY ‘BALKAN MAPPING’ (134k subscribers):
Ukraine [4 Dec 2022] 'Today'.
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LATEST UPDATE BY THE ‘MILITARY AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS NETWORK’ (55.6k subscribers):
No update posted so far today.
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LATEST UPDATE BY ‘NEW WORLD ECONOMICS’ (27.3k subscribers):
No update posted so far today.
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LATEST UPDATE FROM ‘RYBAR’ VIA ‘Itapirkanmaa2’ channel. (24.6k subscribers):
No update posted so far today.
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LATEST UPDATE FROM ‘WAR IN UKRAINE’ (35.5k subscribers):
Ukraine: military situation with maps Dec 3, 2022.
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LATEST UPDATE FROM ‘M MAPPING’ (4.39k subscribers):
Ukraine [4 December].
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Detailed situation reports can be found on a daily basis concerning events in Ukraine over the past 24 hours at the ‘A SKEPTIC’ Substack account:
Link to 'A SKEPTIC' Substack channel.
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SUPPORTING SCOTT RITTER
I've been listening to Scott Ritter describe how things are for him and I suspect have been for him for quite some time now.
He has been doing a LOT of unpaid work with a great many interview requests coming in that he has been ready and willing to agree to. But the work where receives some pay for have suffered due to this, being left until the wee small hours of the night to complete work on.
Scott, I think you will agree, has been one of the most influential voices out there on Russia and Ukraine.
I was moved by Scott's words to take an annual subscription to his Substack account that he runs in coordination with his colleague on 'U.S. Tour of Duty', Jeff Norman. This is the main way that Scott recommends to help him with finances with which to upgrade his delivery of comment on Russia and Ukraine, via a better microphone etc. and perhaps the creation of a recording studio in his basement to create a more professional and impressive look. To invest in these things he would like to be sure that this has a viable financial future.
Would you also like to help by subscribing at one of the various levels to Scott's Substack account? I hope so. If so the link is here:
Below you'll find the edited part of the video where Scott talks of his commitments to get the facts out on events in Ukraine and of the finances that would come in handy to enhance their delivery:
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VICTORY BELONGS TO RUSSIA: IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME
Each day that passes makes a conclusive Russian victory in the Donbass and beyond more certain. As Russia bolsters her forces, and weaponry, those of Ukraine decrease. Russian forces gain ready access to rest and recuperation as troop numbers increase. The increasingly exhausted and demoralised Ukrainian troops have an ever decreasing prospect of such respite. This situation is likely to bring them to complete breakdown as Russia unleashes the firepower of the more modern and advanced weaponry that is arriving with the newly mobilised Russian troops.
The various Ukrainian offensives are now weak when confronted by the reinforced Russian lines. A few futile efforts achieve quite miserable results before fire reigns down on the Ukrainian troops and they are forced back to their starting positions.
And now, all this being said, we have arrived at the wet, and later, freezing conditions where these pathetic Ukrainian forces will be subject to myriad forms of abject misery with death and injury all around them while they lie sodden or frozen, abandoned to their fate by Kiev.
The pitiable young and old of Ukraine have been frogmarched to their deaths as cannon-fodder while the bestial elites of the collective West urge their "president" to add more to their number there at the gates of Hell and their doom. We must feel for the majority of them as they are not the Nazis we revile, in most part they are decent men, fathers, sons, brothers, husband and uncles, who no doubt saw through the coup of 2014 for what it was. But sadly, their fate seems sealed.
Nothing will stop Russia now. Every factor favours them. Victory will be Russia's. In Donbass and beyond and in due course across the world.
Victory belongs to Russia: It is now only a matter of time.
UPDATES TO BE ADDED HERE AS AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
