RUNNING UPDATES ON THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE - 20.12.2024
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.
PUTIN REMAINS SUPERCOOL AS THE WESTERN DOGS OF WAR DESPERATELY SEEK EVERY POSSIBLE WAY TO CREATE BARRIERS TO TRUMP’S PEACE PLAN IN UKRAINE.
COLLECTIVE WEST | RUSSIA
ALEXANDER MERCOURIS of THE DURAN: PUTIN, NO Deal, Talks, Truce with Illegitimate Zelensky; Zelensky MELTDOWN; Huge Strike Rocks Kiev.
ALEX CHRISTOFOROU of THE DURAN: RUSSIA hits SBU. 4 YEAR Biden cover-up. NORTH KOREA secret revealed. Putin crazy, Trump STRONG man.
GARLAND NIXON - SCOTT RITTER - ANDREI MARTYANOV: SCOTT RITTER AND ANDREI MARTYANOV - NEOCON PROVOCATIONS & PRESIDENT PUTIN'S YEARLY Q & A.
VLADIMIR PUTIN@ Putin on Ukraine, Assad, Trump and Zelensky: Highlights from his Direct Line.
VLADIMIR PUTIN: This strike with the Oreshnik missile will be useful for both the Americans and us.
VLADIMIR PUTIN: FULL Q&A WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN - 19TH DECEMBER 2024
Putin on Ukraine, Israel, Trump, Zelensky and even porn: Highlights from his Direct Line.
The annual event ran for over four hours and saw the Russian president address topics from Ukraine regrets to future hopes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual ‘Direct Line’ event in Moscow on Thursday during which he addressed a wide range of issues in the marathon Q&A session. From regrets about the timing of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine to blunt comments on global and domestic challenges, the Russian leader offered numerous insights into his thinking. Here are the key takeaways from the event:
Putin: Maybe we should have launched the Ukraine operation earlier
The Russian president acknowledged that it might have been better to have launched the military operation in Ukraine sooner.
“You know, if it were possible to look at the situation in 2022, knowing what is happening now, what would I think? That such a decision, which was made at the beginning of 2022, should have been made earlier,” he said. Putin added that he acted at the time “because it was impossible to stand still and wait for the situation to get worse for us – that’s what it’s all about.”
He said the operation is a necessary step to secure Russia’s national interests, dismissing accusations of aggression.
READ MORE: From ‘illegitimate’ Zelensky to frontline advances: Putin’s key Direct Line statements on Ukraine
Moscow ready to talk to Ukraine, but Zelensky needs to be elected
Putin signaled Moscow’s willingness to engage in talks with Ukraine – but with conditions.
“We are ready for dialogue, but if not with the head of the regime, then with whom? If he is illegitimate himself. You know, if someone runs for election [and] gains legitimacy, we will talk to anyone, including Zelensky,” Putin said, implying that Vladimir Zelensky lacks democratic legitimacy due to his having postponed the elections.
He also criticized Kiev’s Western backers for prolonging the war by supplying arms.
Zelensky will likely go abroad
Putin speculated that Zelensky might seek exile, hinting at the potential political fallout in Ukraine.
“He will be supported by the people whose interests he serves today,” the president remarked.
Porn is a global ‘scourge’
Putin addressed what he described as the moral decay caused by internet pornography.
“This is not only our problem, but also the problem of many other countries,” he said. “The answer can be what? In general, you could ban, but you should always offer an alternative that is more interesting than a porn site. So that a person would get in there, open a porn site and say: I’ve already seen this, I want to see something else.”
His comments came amid broader discussions on family values and youth policies.
The demographic issue is one of Russia’s key problems
Putin listed Russia’s declining population as a strategic challenge, blaming economic instability and societal shifts.
“Demographics are a crucial issue for Russia – and for much of the world,” he said. “We need to create conditions where people want to have children.”
He promised more state support for families, particularly in rural areas, but acknowledged progress has been slow.
READ MORE: Putin challenges West to ‘technological duel’ with Oreshnik
Migration is an issue acute for Russia
Russia’s labor market is grappling with severe labor shortages, which Putin attributed to a dwindling native workforce and reliance on migrant labor.
“The migration issue is acute,” he admitted, adding that illegal immigration must be controlled while skilled foreign workers are welcomed.
He noted that regional instability in Central Asia has further complicated migration patterns.
Relations with China at all-time high
Putin hailed Russia’s partnership with China as unprecedentedly strong, underscoring its geopolitical importance.
“Our relations with China are at an all-time high – both economically and strategically,” he stated, highlighting joint energy projects and military cooperation.
He dismissed claims that Russia is overly dependent on China, calling the partnership mutually beneficial.
Israel is the big winner in Syria, Russia did not lose
Turning to the Middle East, Putin acknowledged that Israel emerged as a key player in Syria but rejected any notion that Russia had suffered a setback.
“Israel has gained influence in Syria... but we achieved our objectives,” he argued.
“Russia’s presence there has always been about fighting terrorism and stabilizing the region, and keeping down the Islamic State,” he explained.
READ MORE: Putin names Modi among ‘friends’ to have tea with
Putin reveals no contact with Trump for four years
Putin disclosed that he has not spoken to incoming US President Donald Trump since he left office in January 2021.
“I haven’t spoken to Trump for four years,” he said, adding that Russia-US relations remain strained regardless of who occupies the White House.
Putin also criticized what he called the US’s “hostile policy” toward Moscow under the administration of current President Joe Biden.
Black Sea oil spill an “ecological disaster”
Putin described a recent oil spill in the Black Sea as an environmental catastrophe.
“This is an ecological disaster,” he lamented, calling for urgent cleanup efforts and pledging federal support for affected regions.
He blamed negligence by oil companies and promised that those responsible would face consequences.
Russian Forces Liberate Annovka, Open Path to Kurakhovo’s Southern Flank.
Russian troops have taken control of the village of Annovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the Defense Ministry reported.
"As a result of decisive actions by units of the Yug Battlegroup, the settlement of Annovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic has been liberated," the ministry’s operational update said.
The capture of Annovka, eight kilometers south of Kurakhovo, opens a pathway for advancing towards the city from the southern flank.
Enemy losses in the battlegroup's combat zone amounted to up to 330 personnel, two armored personnel carriers(APCs), four Kozak armored cars, three motor vehicles and D-30, M119 and L-119 howitzers. An electronic warfare station and an ammunition depot were also destroyed.
Russian Troops Take Control Over Makarovka and Leninskoe Settlements in DPR - MoD
Other Developments
The Tsentr battlegroup repelled 11 Ukrainian counterattacks and occupied better positions near Dzherzhinsk, Shcherbinovka, Novoolenovka, Krasnoarmeysk, Shevchenko, Novopustynka, Novoukrainka and Krasnoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Ukrainian losses were up to 425 personnel, an infantry fighting vehicle, two APCs — including a US-made M113 — an HMMWV armored vehicle and a US-made 155-mm M777 howitzer. Additional losses included five motor vehicles, two 152-mm Msta-B howitzers, two 152-mm D-20 guns and a 122-mm D-30 howitzer.
The Zapad battlegroup inflicted losses on seven Ukrainian brigades in areas across Kharkov Region, the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics and repelled a counterattack. Ukrainian losses exceeded 520 personnel, along with a tank, three pickup trucks, a 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery unit, four D-30 howitzers and an ammunition depot.
The Sever battlegroup struck Ukrainian mechanized and territorial defense brigades and border guard detachments near Alexandrovka, Sinelnikovo and Volchansk in the Kharkov Region. Ukrainian forces lost up to 70 personnel, two armored fighting vehicles, five motor vehicles and a 122-mm D-30 howitzer.
The Vostok battlegroup continued advancing into Ukrainian defensive positions, hitting two mechanized brigades, an assault battalion and two territorial defense brigades near Temirovka, Velikaya Novoselka, Gulyaipole and Novy Komar in the Donetsk People’s Republic. They repelled four counterattacks. Ukrainian losses amounted to up to 205 personnel, a tank, five motor vehicles, a 152-mm Akatsiya self-propelled gun, a 122-mm D-30 howitzer, an American HMMWV armored vehicle, two MaxxPro armored vehicles and a 155-mm Paladin self-propelled artillery system.
The Dnepr battlegroup struck Ukrainian positions in the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions near Novoandreyevka, Lobkovo, Sadovoye and Ingulets. Ukrainian forces lost up to 75 personnel, five motor vehicles, an electronic warfare station and an ammunition depot.
THE DURAN: Destruction of Syria & Cold Peace in Ukraine - John Mearsheimer, Alexander Mercouris & Glenn Diesen.
DANNY HAIPHONG - SCOTT RITTER - PEPE ESCOBAR: PEPE ESCOBAR & SCOTT RITTER: PUTIN READIES WAR WITH NATO AS RUSSIA STRIKES KIEV, LEAVES SYRIA.
DANNY HAIPHONG - BRIAN BERLETIC: Russia OBLITERATES Ukraine's Army, Putin's Ballistic Missile Threat STUNS NATO.
PROFESSOR JOHN J. MEARSHEIMER: US Taunts Russia.
COLONEL LAWRENCE WILKERSON: Who Owns the Drones?
DANIEL DAVIS: Putin: "Ukraine CANNOT STOP Our Army."
ANDREI MARTYANOV: Russia's Crushing Response Coming.
LEVAN GUDADZE: Russian MOD confirms ATACMS and Storm Shadow missile strikes. Explosions in Kiev. More US bases...
SEBASTIAN SAS: RUSSIA's Deadly Weapon Against The West: SOVEREIGNTY.
RACHEL BLEVINS: Putin: Russia Not 'Defeated' in Syria + Israel Benefits the Most from the Fall of Assad.
GEOPOLITICAL TRENDS: Russia's GENERAL Assassinated| Who's Behind the Deadly Scooter Bomb?
BORZZIKMAN: Their CRUEL DEATH: French & British Officers Took OFF In The AIR Along With The Command Post in SUMY.
Zelensky May Be Ousted If He Tries to Negotiate Peace With Russia: Here's Why.
At his year-end press conference Thursday, Russia's president reiterated Moscow's readiness to negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine, on the condition that it is reached with "legitimate" Ukrainian representatives. That may prove a tall order for Ukraine's authorities, says veteran international affairs observer Paulo Raffone.
President Putin has indicated that Russia remains ready to discuss an end to hostilities in Ukraine, but only if it leads to a lasting peace - and not merely a ceasefire, and if Kiev is genuinely ready to make compromises.
Russia "can sign an agreement only with someone who is legitimate," Putin emphasized, recalling Volodymyr Zelensky's loss of legitimacy in Moscow's eyes after the cancellation of elections in spring 2024.
Otherwise, Russia has no preconditions for negotiations, and is ready for talks grounded in the Istanbul peace deal, sabotaged by the West in 2022, and current conditions on the battlefield, according to Putin.
"We essentially reached an agreement in Istanbul in 2022. Then for some reason Ukraine refused. Well, it's clear why - because your ally, Mr. [Boris] Johnson came [to Kiev] and said Ukraine needs to fight to the last Ukrainian. That's what they're doing now. They're running out of Ukrainians who would like to fight. I don't think there are any left. We are prepared. But the other side must be prepared as well to negotiate and to compromise," Putin said.
Zelensky 'Carrying Out Boris Johnson's Instruction to Fight to Last Ukrainian,' Former PM Says
Time for Talks?
"The fact that Zelensky has officially stated that 'Donbass and Crimea cannot be reconquered' is a precise indication that Trump’s message that 'you must negotiate achievable results' passed through to Ukraine," Paulo Raffone, director of the CIPI Foundation, a Brussels-based geopolitical affairs think tank, told Sputnik.
"In this framework, Putin’s openness to negotiate without preconditions signals that the dialogue is ongoing," Raffone said.
"It will be difficult for Zelensky to remain in power while negotiating under such circumstances," however, the observer noted, pointing, perhaps, to the outsized political influence and power held by ultra-right radicals in Kiev - who tried to oust Zelensky in 2019 after he proposed moving forward with the Minsk Agreements on Donbass peace.
"It is very possible that in the first quarter 2025 a 'truce' may be reached with Russia so that Zelensky can call for elections. The real negotiations Russia-Ukraine can start only with the new elected president of Ukraine," Raffone emphasized, highlighting Putin's comments Thursday on the central importance of the political legitimacy of the government in Kiev for Moscow.
Beyond Ukraine
Ultimately, Raffone expects the Ukraine crisis to be just one factor weighing in "in the global negotiations that will necessarily take place as of 2025."
"Russia's cornerstone is the UN system centered on the existing Security Council, where the coordination with China will continue. It is in this framework that one can read Putin's readiness to meet with the new US president, [Donald] Trump," the observer believes.
And there are other areas which could play into Russia-US cooperation in the coming years, if the two countries play their cards right, according to Raffone, among them the issue of terrorism in the form of political assassinations - highlighted most recently by the murder of Russian Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops chief General Igor Kirillov this week.
'Killing Generals in Their Hometowns Not a Smart Thing to Do' - Trump Envoy on Kirillov's Murder
"The issue of assassinations of civilian and military leaders has affected several countries for some time. Russia’s point is that such assassinations are terrorist acts that should be addressed also by other countries. Also Trump has been the target of such an attempted assassination. The issue of such assassinations should be a concern to address together with all other countries affected. It’s a new possible channel for the direct dialogue Russia-US," Raffone summed up.
COLLECTIVE WEST | GLOBAL MAJORITY
Russia Owes Growing Economic Strength to West’s ‘Sanctions on Steroids’ Foolishness: Analyst.
President Putin commented on the state of the Russian economy at his traditional year-end press conference Thursday, projecting GDP growth of 2-2.5% in 2025, and attributing the economy's growing strength to "sovereignty." Sputnik asked a leading financial observer to list off the measures Russia has taken to survive the West's sanctions onslaught.
"To a large extent," Russia's economic stability "is the result of the strengthening of sovereignty, including projected onto the economy," Putin said at Thursday's annual Q&A session.
"Sovereignty comes in different forms, including defense, technological, scientific, educational, cultural. This is especially important for our country, because when we lose our sovereignty, we lose statehood. That's the most important thing," Putin added.
Russia's path toward economic sovereignty goes back over a decade, owing its success largely to the unprecedented sanctions war the West launched against Moscow in 2014, at the start of the Ukrainian crisis, veteran financial analyst Paul Goncharoff says.
"Back in 2014 the 'sanctions on steroids' era began against Russia. With each following year the dose only increased," with Russia eventually becoming "the most sanctioned country in history," Goncharoff, general director of consulting firm Goncharoff LLC, recalled in an interview with Sputnik.
Russia was able to overcome the sanctions pressure through baby steps, starting with timely investments in agricultural self-sufficiency to reduce dependence on imports, as well as "stimulating essential import replacements for machinery and technological items," the observer explained.
Farewell, Boeing and Airbus: Russian Aircraft Industry Goes Fully Domestic
Gradually, Moscow "realized that there were economically beneficial alliances to be made with countries that were to one or another degree impacted by restrictions from the West," Goncharoff added, highlighting the priority eventually given to developing good economic relations with BRICS countries, the bloc's expansion "and the use of sovereign currencies outside of the US dollar and Euro," illuminating "the need and desire by many sovereign governments to get out of the 'influence sphere' of the G7, and their payments systems."
Russia's strategy, particularly after its exclusion from the SWIFT banking system in 2022, proved correct, according to the analyst.
"Government fiscal income revenues from Russian imports have dropped in the West and increased in the East by tens of billions of dollars. Russia’s exports increased by US$31 billion after the West imposed the nastiest post 2022 trade sanctions. This has been a boon to the neighboring countries of Central Asia, Southeast Asia, India, MENA, Africa, and the Mercosur countries who now derive benefit from the Western-forced disengagement of Russia," Goncharoff emphasized.
Global Finance Game-Changer: Find Out What BRICS Bridge, Clear, and Pay Systems Have to Offer
Ultimately, Russia was able to find new partners outside the Western bloc by hitching its economic wagon to developing nations enjoying strong economic growth.
"All essential goods and services have been successfully replaced by Russian manufacture, or from what are now known as ‘friendly’ nations. The US Dollar is no longer used in settling international trade commitments, and with an understandably volatile transition, is gradually becoming systematized," the observer said.
"To sum it up: Import substitution, trade in local sovereign currencies, infrastructure changes toward the Global South and East, redirecting oil and gas to the Global South and East, and participating in the enhancement and expansion of BRICS as the new economic frontier all come together to have formed a successful series of strategic decisions which are ongoing and gathering strength," Goncharoff concluded.
THE DURAN: Destruction of Syria & Cold Peace in Ukraine - John Mearsheimer, Alexander Mercouris & Glenn Diesen.
DANIEL DAVIS: Did the U.S. Orchestrate the Assad Coup in Syria?
DANNY HAIPHONG - SCOTT RITTER - PEPE ESCOBAR: PUTIN READIES WAR WITH NATO AS RUSSIA STRIKES KIEV, LEAVES SYRIA.
DOUBLE DOWN NEWS: Syria: Western Hypocrisy, Israeli Expansion & The Fall of Assad.
KIM IVERSEN: GAZA HORROR IDF Soldiers Reveal Atrocities—'Everyone Is a Terrorist'.
Former French PM SNAPPED on Live TV Over the Silence of West and Israel’s War on Gaza.
MINTPRESS NEWS: Palestinian Resistance Post-Syria w/ John Elmer of Electronic Intifada.
CARL ZHA: Uyghur Fighters in Syria.
RACHEL BLEVINS: Putin: Russia Not 'Defeated' in Syria + Israel Benefits the Most from the Fall of Assad.
DUE DISSIDENCE: CNN ADMITS Syria Prisoner Segment Was FAKE.
EUROPE | BRITAIN
LENA PETROVA: 🔴 GAME OVER: Germany's Shocking Collapse Signals More Trouble Ahead for the EU.
NON-ENGLISH NEWS
LIU SIVAYA: "QUE SE ATREVAN": RUSIA LANZA A OCCIDENTE EL RETO DEFINITIVO QUE NO SUPERARÁ (ni querrá intentarlo).
Angriff auf Entscheidungszentren: Eskalationsspirale im Ukraine-Konflikt. Frontbericht 20.12.2024
Ruski Raketni Odgovor⚔️Kijev u Plamenu⚔️HIMARS Udari po Rilsku⚔️Kurahovski Kotao Zatvoren.20.12.2024
Kruglenkoe Ataqué par Russes🔥Ouest de Pokrovsk Efondré⚡️Zelenovka Tombé📰Raport Militaire 19.12.2024
एक दिलचस्प और प्रेरणादायक कहानी | रूस यूक्रेन युद्ध
MAPPING CHANNEL UPDATES
Cold War II, Missile Strike On The Center Of Kiev, Zelensky Is Furious. Military Summary 2024.12.20
MASSIVE Encirclements Underway On Several Fronts | AFU Facing Disastrous Month Ahead.
Russians Are Very Close To Encircling Huge Number Of Ukrainian Forces In Kursk Oblast.
Fatal Insult, Russia Delivered A Retaliatory Strike, Kurakhove - It's Over. Military Summary 2024.12.20
Multiple Areas Fall To Russian Forces | N.Korean Reality | Zelensky vs Putin - Ukraine Map Update.
Russia’s New Push Towards Andriivka. Russia Raised Flags In Multiple Villages. Front Update.
Russian Forces Are Just 2 Kilometers Away From Cutting Off Ukraine's Supply Line To Kurakhove.
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.
PUTIN REMAINS SUPERCOOL AS THE WESTERN DOGS OF WAR DESPERATELY SEEK EVERY POSSIBLE WAY TO CREATE BARRIERS TO TRUMP’S PEACE PLAN IN UKRAINE.
