Senior Russian general, his aide killed in Moscow blast Chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops Lieutenant General Igor #Kirillov and his aide were killed in a blast in southeastern Moscow on Tuesday morning. The #blast was caused by an explosive device that had been planted in an electric scooter, Spokeswoman for the Russian Investigative Committee Svetlana Petrenko said. "On the morning of December 17, an explosive device planted in a scooter went off near a residential building entrance on Ryazansky Avenue in Moscow, the investigation showed. Chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his aide were killed in the explosion," she said. According to Petrenko, the Committee’s Moscow department has launched a criminal probe into the attack. Circumstances behind the crime are currently being investigated.

Ukraine to lose third of territory, get no invitation to #NATO, says Slovak PM Ukraine will lose 30% of its territory due to the conflict with Russia, but will never receive an invitation to NATO from the United States and its allies, #Slovak Prime Minister Robert #Fico said. "I think #Ukraine will lose a third of its territory, but it will be offered security guarantees, such as the presence of foreign troops. If this is considered the happiness for Ukraine that everyone talks about, I believe that Ukrainians will be betrayed," he said in an interview with Brazil's Folha de S.Paulo newspaper. According to Fico, the solution to the Ukraine conflict lies in achieving a ceasefire and initiating negotiations. "Ukraine <...> has allowed itself to be drawn into a situation that cannot end well for the country. It will lose territory and will not be invited to join NATO," he remarked. The prime minister also emphasized that the conflict's repercussions would significantly impact Ukraine's internal stability. On December 8, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Moscow was open to talks on Ukraine, while in order to get on the peace track, it would be enough for Ukraine’s Zelensky to cancel his decree banning any talks with Russia and give instructions to resume dialogue based on the Istanbul agreements, while taking into account the actual situation on the ground. Meanwhile, Zelensky has rejected the #Christmas truce and prisoner exchange proposed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Nevertheless, he continues to express hope that Donald Trump could establish a fair and lasting peace in Ukraine.

#IDF troops on Mount #Hermon! Here is the first picture of the troops that took command of the highest part of largest mountain in the area. You can see in the background way below, the Israeli part of the mountain and understand just how strategic it is for Israel to be on the top!

Bundeswehr prepares plan for Operation Germany in case of war with Russia The #Bundeswehr (Germany’s armed forces) prepared a secret plan in case of a military conflict with #Russia, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported. According to it, the 1,000-page "Operation Germany" plan lists all infrastructure facilities that deserve special protection, and also contains a procedure for defense or "measures to deter Russia on NATO’s eastern flank." The plan says that in such a case, Germany would become "the center of concentration for tens of thousands and possibly hundreds of thousands of troops" that would be transferred to the east, as well as military equipment, food and medical supplies. Throughout the year, German military officials have repeatedly stated the need to prepare for a military conflict with Russia, which they say could take place in five years. In particular, Defense Minister Boris #Pistorius has stated this on several occasions. In July, the Bild newspaper reported that the Bundeswehr had drawn up a secret plan outlining the order of military and civilian action in the event that NATO troops needed to be moved to the alliance’s eastern flank. Commenting on German Foreign Minister Annalena #Baerbock's remarks in July that Russia allegedly posed the greatest threat to security in Europe, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova said that this was nothing but "monstrous nonsense." The diplomat expressed hope that politicians in Germany would finally realize the deadlock and counterproductivity of their anti-Russian line and its danger for their own country.

Training Ukrainian troops makes France direct participant in combat, says Russian FM Lavrov The fact that #Paris is training #Ukrainian soldiers at a military base in France means it is directly involved in the conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference after taking part in the #G20 summit. "[French President Emmanuel] Macron has been one of the most vocal and biggest material supporters of the war, advocating for victory over Russia, for Russia’s strategic defeat. Ukrainian servicemen are currently completing their training in France, an entire assault shock brigade is being prepared. In essence, they are directly participating in the combat," the top Russian diplomat pointed out. "The same goes for talk about using French-made SCALP missiles [in Ukraine] which are identical to the UK’s Storm Shadow," Lavrov added.

Houthis say they attacked US aircraft carrier in Arabian Sea The #Houthis from #Yemen's rebel Ansar Allah movement have attacked the US Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian sea and two US destroyers in the Red Sea, the movement’s military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said. According to the spokesman, the Houthi air forces conducted two military operations. "In the course of one of the operations, they attacked the American USS Abraham#Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea with the use of cruise missiles and drones when the American enemy was preparing for hostile operations against our country," he said, adding that the Houthis also attacked "two American destroyers in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles and drones." The operations, in his words, lasted for eight hours. He also said that the Houthis place responsibility for "turning the Red Sea into a zone of military tension" and the impact on navigation in the area on Washington and London. The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV channel reported earlier on Tuesday that American troops had attacked a civilian car in the As Sawma’ah District. The Dubai-based Al Arabiya television channel said, citing a source, that an American drone had attacked a car carrying Houthi leaders. Apart from that, the US delivered a strike on Houthi military targets in the Al Bayda governorate.

Russia may achieve all its goals in Ukraine in 2025 Russia may achieve all its goals in Ukraine next year, if the situation remains that "grim" for Ukrainian servicemen, The Washington Post said. According to the newspaper, the Ukrainian troops "are desperately trying to hold the line in the country’s east but are losing ground." - "Visions of an absolute victory are fading. Western support is also sagging," the Washington Post emphasized. In this regard, "the prospect of Ukraine settling for a compromise with Russia <…> is getting easier to envision," the newspaper pointed out. On June 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the Foreign Ministry set out the country’s conditions for settling the situation in Ukraine. Among them are the withdrawal of the Ukrainian armed forces from Donbass and Novorossiya and Kiev’s refusal to join NATO. In addition, Russia wants all Western sanctions against it lifted and demands that Ukraine commit to a non-aligned and nuclear-free status.

American deployment in the Middle East: 🔶 Dozens of additional U.S. troops deployed to Cyprus (+700 from the UK) to assist with possible Lebanon evac 🔶 7 fewer U.S. warships than 2 weeks ago (from ~30% to 25% of the deployed fleet) 🔶 Navy’s only oiler in the region ran aground & towed to Oman 🔶 In August, the U.S. surged military assets into the region to deter Iran from attacking Israel. At its peak, this represented approximately 30% of the deployed U.S. Navy fleet. With the departure of the Roosevelt CSG, plus a few destroyers & logistics ships, it’s now around 25%.

NATO invades Russia in Kursk Region, ex-US intel officer says #NATO has invaded #Russia, Scott #Ritter, a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector, said, commenting on the situation in the borderline Kursk Region. "What happened in Kursk is that NATO invaded Russia," he told the Danny Haiphong YouTube channel. "This isn’t ‘Russia invaded Ukraine so that the Ukrainians get to attack Russia.’ No, Russia didn’t invade Ukraine. Russia responded to the Ukrainian war crimes that were put in place after the 2014 Maidan coup," Ritter pointed out. "The force that’s going in is the force that’s handbuilt by NATO," he emphasized. Ritter added that the Russian army was learning from the situation in the Kursk Region and would use that experience in the future. On August 6, Russia’s borderline Kursk Region came under a massive attack from Ukraine. According to the latest reports, 12 civilians have been killed, while 121 people, including ten children, have suffered injuries. Over 120,000 people have either left or been evacuated from the Kursk Region. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Kiev has lost up to 2,030 troops, 35 tanks and 31 armored personnel carriers since fighting began in the Kursk area.

Von der Leyen vows to turn EU into defense union Ursula von der #Leyen who hopes to be re-elected as European Commission (EC) President, has vowed to transform the #EU into a #defense bloc in her political program published by the #EC. "Our work in the next five years will be focused on building a true European Defense Union," the document said. Von der Leyen added that EU countries "will always retain responsibility for their own troops, from doctrine to deployment, but there is a lot Europe can do to support and coordinate efforts to strengthen the defense industrial base, innovation and the Single Market."