Russian State Budget
The Russian state economy is not doing well and this year is worse than ever. Not a single month with a positive result. 2023 started as badly as 2025 but then improved slightly (very strange how similar the first five months were in the two years, could the beginning of 2025 have been copy-pasted from 2023?).
Still, December remains, which is usually (but not always) the worst month. This apparently is partly due to large pension payments made in December.
At the same time, it should be noted that these are official figures. The reality can certainly look much worse.
It will be interesting to see the corresponding figures once we have passed December and if they choose to manipulate them.
Russian Losses
The losses of other “soft” vehicles have decreased slightly since April. Currently, we have a seven-day average ranging around 65-90, so it’s nice to see days like today when we exceed 100.
- 1010 KWIA
- 1 Tank
- 1 AFV
- 25 Artillery systems
- 177 UAVs
- 107 Vehicles & fuel tanks
SLAVA UKRAINI
Don't forget to donate, Ukraine's cause is ours! Support Ukraine!
AFU’s morning report. Russian attacks increased. Ukrainian attacks increased even more: the distribution (38/139=0.273) about one third as many, which is a record high, at least since May 2025, but not a record.
N Slobozhansky-Kursk 1
S Slobozhansky 2↘️
Kupyansk 2↗️
Lyman 16💥↗️
Slovyansk 12💥↗️
Kramatorsk 2↗️
Kostjantynivka 22💥↗️
Pokrovsk 48💥💥💥↗️
Oleksandrivskij 17💥
Huliaypillia 14💥
Orikhivsk 0
Prydniprovskij/Dnipro 3
Sum sectors 139↗️🇷🇺
Unlocalized 38↗️🇺🇦
Total 177↗️
👍
177 combat clashes
As I have already mentioned:
“Ukraine’s Defense Forces made Russia’s advance slower than a snail.”
https://x.com/United24media/status/1998487882709746057
The Russian “Ural Oil” is now down to around 53 (yesterday’s figures). Second lowest since the war started.
Moreover, it is said that both India and China are getting significant discounts. The Russian economy (and not just the state budget) is probably starting to feel really bad.
No wonder Trump is so desperately trying to pressure Ukraine to give up.
It’s rarely so gratifying that it’s cheap to destroy the planet!
Is 53 some kind of semi-official price that China and India then demand a discount on? Or is it rather an estimated real average price?
I’m wondering a bit as I have come to believe that there is actually no commodity exchange with official/traded prices.
“Ukraine is losing many soldiers, and that pain is personal, but Russia is losing far more, says Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi in an interview with ZDF. He called reports of Ukrainian encirclement near Pokrovsk false, and dismissed repeated Russian claims of taking Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad as lies.”
https://bsky.app/profile/noelreports.com/post/3m7mjqodo5s2i
“Russia launched 80 drones overnight, including around 50 Shaheds, from Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Millerovo, and occupied Crimea. Ukrainian air defense shot down or jammed 50 drones over the south and east. Strikes hit 7 locations.”
https://bsky.app/profile/noelreports.com/post/3m7mjl6seas2i
Well written by Peter Kadhammar.
” ”The threat assessment must be put into proportion”, writes Tännsjö, Feiler, and Greider in DN.
Tell that to the Ukrainians who are bombed daily by Russia! Tell that to all the parents whose children have been abducted to Russia! Inform the widows, widowers, and parentless children that the threat assessment must be put into proportion!
Tell that to the survivors in Bucha.”
https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/kolumnister/a/JO1vyR/lena-andersson-frida-stranne-talar-som-putin-och-trump
Djävligt bra skrivet!!
If Trump openly supports the idea of withdrawing from NATO, it will probably happen. Most Republicans dare not oppose him even if they think differently. They know that it would risk their continued careers if Trump portrays them as traitors.
Surveys show that a majority, even among Republicans, support continuing to help Ukraine (and not just selling weapons) and imposing tougher sanctions on Russia, but nothing happens because Trump thinks otherwise.
The US Congress is no longer able to represent the US population.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
“❗️Republican Thomas Massie Introduces Bill to the House of Representatives for the US Withdrawal from NATO”
https://bsky.app/profile/militarynewsua.bsky.social/post/3m7mjzbtwbk26
The “normal” Republicans must see that things are going to hell for their party and the USA.
If they weren’t such cowards, they would join forces with the Democrats and declare Trump and his supporters as a threat to the country’s security.
That the USA is now mentioned as a threat in the Danish security service’s threat analysis is a blow to the entire worldview that has prevailed since the Cold War. This is according to Berlingske’s security policy analyst Kristian Mouritzen to the newspaper itself. – It hurts deep in the soul to read the report, he says. He points out that the USA is not identified as a threat on the level of Russia but as “a country that does not wish us well.” According to Mouritzen, the report shows that Europe is facing completely new security challenges when the USA can no longer be trusted. – It is not easy for Europe as it continues to be heavily dependent on the USA and will be for at least ten years, he says.
😯🙄
👍
Therefore, it is completely out of the question for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. If Trump threatens Denmark/Greenland (and Canada), he will have to accept being without that prize regardless of what happens in Ukraine.
FIFA should also consider firing Infantino.
On Tuesday 16/12, Sweden will show its support for Denmark by flying over Zealand together with Denmark with the popular “Christmas tree”. Premiered last year and it was very well-liked in, among other places, Copenhagen.
Unfortunately, the way Trump behaves probably isn’t that strange, I guess Canada agrees too.
He makes enemies with all democracies and friends with all dictatorships, I wonder how long he can keep going.
The Russian army is holding deserters captive in a basement on an abandoned construction site in the village of Melekine, a popular seaside resort outside the occupied Mariupol in Ukraine. Several soldiers report this to the independent Astra. The dark, stuffy, damp basement is furnished with cardboard boxes and pallets, according to a soldier who has been imprisoned there. – I spoke to people who had been there for eight months, in some cases a year, he says. Another soldier tells that at one point there were 98 people in the basement. The men, who mainly come from poor regions like Yakutia and Buryatia, were only taken out to be washed once a month. Some of the soldiers who were imprisoned were registered as missing, and it happened that the army lied to their relatives that they were at the front. The basement is only a few hundred meters from a facility where Russian tourists vacation by the sea.
Tourists can surely both see and hear these captives, but are likely completely indifferent.
A bit worrisome that they don’t shoot them right away, but they probably force them out towards the front to locate Ukrainian soldiers, they’re not likely to come home alive anyway.
Ukrainian assault units are conducting clearing operations in Kupiansk after cutting the Russian supply line into the town. The Ukrainian General Staff reports approximately 60 enemy soldiers remain inside.
With reinforcements unable to reach them and evacuation impossible, some Russian soldiers have begun surrendering. Footage shows captured troops explaining they signaled to a Ukrainian drone, which directed them to ground forces.
The Russians still inside are dispersed through ruins and basements, some wearing civilian clothes to avoid detection. Their only resupply option is by drone. Ukrainian forces control the key hill-ridge west of the town, giving drone operators and artillery observers clear sightlines over any approach.
Putin had already proclaimed the complete capture of Kupiansk. The ongoing Ukrainian operations tell a different story – one where Russia’s remaining presence in the town depends entirely on whether reinforcements can break through Ukrainian fire control.
🔗Read more in our Frontline report: euromaidanpress.com/2025/12/09/fro…
Yup, the city cleared 💥💥💥
Sounds really good! Now just wait for confirmation via DeepStateMap!
Zelensky, Merz, and Macron have said things no one says about Trump and “survives”.
We will probably see a couple of exciting months from the USA, especially when Europe starts doing as they please in Ukraine.
Well, say what you want about Trump, but it’s not boring, it’s just a shame he has the job he has.
I think we will hear more negative comments about Trump in the future, as Europe’s largest countries are starting to speak out. Trump is a bully, so he mostly picks on those who are small, so it might happen that he tones it down a bit when it comes to Germany and France. What I think will happen is that he will use Vance to bark, like Putin uses Medvedev.
At the same time, there are surely many, even within the Republicans, who stand on Europe’s side, and if Trump lets the idiot speak against the whole of Europe, the resistance within the party will surely increase.
Now we have started sketching out a vision 👍
Ukraine regains part of Pokrovsk as ‘defense continues,’ Syrskyi says. Ukraine has recaptured 13 square kilometers (5 square miles) of territory in Pokrovsk after previously having no troops left in the city, CIC Syrskyi, Dec. 9 press briefing.
https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-regains-part-of-pokrovsk-syrskyi-says/
Perfect, on them only 🙂
Flag at the top of the page👍 Didn’t know I was missing.
09.12.2025 German far-right protesters demonstrated against the renaming of Lenin’s streets.
Activists within the “Yellow Ribbon” movement report that the occupation authorities are forcibly involving school children in weaving camouflage nets in Kakhovka. This is happening during school hours, replacing them with “work activities”.
🎥 https://x.com/yellowribbonua/status/1998689685111984590?s=46
🌍 🥵
Russia’s invasion has left lasting traces on the climate. According to the Initiative on Greenhouse Gas Accounting for War (IGGAW), the war has generated 236.8 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, causing climate damages worth 43.8 billion dollars.
Forests have burned, infrastructure has been destroyed, and energy resources have been wasted – all of this contributes to a global climate impact that will be felt far beyond Ukraine’s borders.
Ukraine is transforming meticulous documentation of war-related emissions into a legal basis for accountability and compensation for climate damages – a decision announced at the UN climate conference (COP30) in Brazil in November. International law allows states to be held accountable for greenhouse gas emissions caused by war.
It’s not just about reconstruction – it’s about building a green future and ensuring that Russia’s crimes, including those against the environment, have real consequences for the attacking state.
https://x.com/MFA_Ukraine/status/1998666304845213997?s=20
I have emailed Greta so she is aware of this 👍👍👍
I felt sympathy for little Greta when she sat alone outside her school with a sign with a message about saving our planet. But then it got out of hand, unfortunately.
Yes, she really got lost and both ruined for herself and the environmental movement.
I don’t mean that it’s wrong to want to help Palestinians in itself (as long as it’s done peacefully and distances itself from HAMAS etc.) but she embarrassed herself and also lost all credibility as a climate advocate. If you suddenly change direction like she did, how serious did she really see the climate issue?
Climate activists complain that not everyone focuses on saving the climate, because growth and economy etc. come first. But if they themselves can’t stay focused then…
”
We, the people of Europe and our governments, fully recognize the stakes. We know what war is. But if we reward Putin for his aggression now, we will have to pay again later – in the Baltics, in the Balkans, in Moldova, perhaps even further west, perhaps even in Poland.
It is not warmongering to refuse to reward an aggressor. It is loyalty to the very principles that have kept Europe safe and at peace since 1945.”
fd ledare av brittiskt part, Bolton.
❗️The United States proposes creating a demilitarized zone as part of the settlement in Ukraine under the “Korean model,” – WP.
What is being discussed in the current “peace plan”:
▪️Along the entire line of contact, from Donetsk Oblast to Kherson, a demilitarized zone is proposed, similar to the Korean one. Behind it will be a deeper zone where heavy weapons will be prohibited;
▪️In this way, the Americans are trying to convince Zelenskyy to withdraw troops from Donbas. For context: both South and North Korea still claim their legitimate right to the entire peninsula;
▪️”Land exchange” is an integral part of the agreement, but Ukraine and the US are still bargaining over how the borders will be drawn;
▪️The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant will not be under Russian occupation. It is being discussed that the US may take over management of the facility. This appeals to some Ukrainian officials;
▪️Ukraine will join the EU by 2027. Membership will facilitate trade and investments;
▪️The US will provide security guarantees analogous to NATO’s Article 5. Ukraine wants the US to sign such an agreement and have it ratified by Congress;
▪️European countries will sign separate security guarantees. The Trump team states readiness to continue providing intelligence support;
▪️Ukraine’s sovereignty will be protected from any Russian veto. However, negotiators seem to still have issues with delicate questions regarding limits on the size of the Ukrainian army.
x@front_ukrainian
My risk analysis leads to a well-thought-out answer= NO!
“USA will provide security guarantees analogous to NATO’s Article 5. Ukraine wants the USA to sign such an agreement and have it ratified by Congress.
I wouldn’t bet much money on this being trustworthy!!”
Zelensky has already demanded that Congress should then vote on it because he does not trust Trump 🤣🤣🤣
I wouldn’t dare to trust it either.
“Ukraine will join the EU no later than 2027. Membership will facilitate trade and investments; Of course, I want Ukraine in the EU as soon as possible, but being ready by 2027 does not feel realistic.”
Trump trusts that Orbán will remain in power and that he will put a stop to it.
I don’t think a demilitarized zone would work with Russia, if we had a normal USA maybe security guarantees would deter Russia like it has deterred North Korea since the 1950s, but with Trump at the helm who we know favors dictatorships, it’s not reliable. Allowing Congress to vote on it is smart, then it becomes anchored in a different way.
Good to see how Russia is bleeding. Give me the freedom to appreciate the total?
Total accumulated losses ≈ -16,800 billion rubles (≈ -16.8 trillion rubles)
Sounds like bleeding heavily…
Budanov on involving Ukraine in security architecture (fb):
“❗️Ukraine has unique military experience and must become an integral part of the new global security system,” says Kirill Budanov.
The democratic world must build a new defense architecture with Ukraine’s participation.
This was stated by Major General Kirill Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense Intelligence Service, during his speech at the central discussion panel at the XIV Civil Society Forum “(we)STAND!”. The forum brought together representatives of business, civil society, and innovators to discuss the future of Ukraine’s and the world’s security.
💬”Today, Russia is already interfering in electoral systems, undermining the foundations of democracy, and creating cyber threats – its missiles, drones, and ships are ruthlessly penetrating the sovereign airspace of European countries,” described Kirill Budanov the extent of Moscow’s hybrid attacks against the democratic world.
The head of the GUR emphasized: Ukraine’s experience in modern warfare – from the use of drones to cyber defense – is being studied today by military theorists, inventors, and engineers from the world’s leading countries. And this will be the basis for collective defense.
💬”Civil society is the most important support for defense – let us develop democracy, support domestic manufacturers, and strengthen the Ukrainian army,” added Kirill Budanov.
Unity between the front and the rear, society and power, Ukraine and our partners – that is what makes us invincible.
Glory to Ukraine!”
Anders Puck Nielsen:
“New U.S. security strategy calls for regime change in Europe”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAh-xEteBz4
We live in wonderful times 🤣🤣
Yes, they go out hard and want to change the direction in an entire continent. Nothing wrong with the self-confidence there.
Over the next six months, the USA/Trump will probably focus more on putting pressure on Europe than on Russia.
They have already realized that Ukraine will not throw in the towel as long as Europe stands behind them.
But we have 2 trillion USD in national debt as a hostage 🧐
Those who stubbornly argued that the USA just wanted to end the war in Ukraine so they could focus on China seem to have been completely off base.
The USA appears to be more concerned about MAGA-fying Europe so we may need to use those state debts as a countermeasure.
But we need to hurry, now that we have both American and Russian interests wanting to interfere in our politics and our values and push their propaganda to the max, it is not impossible that they can succeed in dividing us.
There will probably be epic whining from Trump-Vance before this is over. I think many bonds to the west will be broken. Just hope that Trump doesn’t start with Lend-Lease to Russia again.
“Five drones heading to Moscow were shot down today, according to the city’s mayor. One airport in the capital was closed, while Kaluga airport has been shut for over 12 hours. One downed UAV fell in Kaluga and left part of the city centre in the dark.”
Trump claims that Europe limits the freedom of its residents and has many other shortcomings. He also believes that Zelenskyy must resign because he has listened to Putin, who argues that he is an illegitimate leader because elections have not been held.
When Trump is supposed to highlight a European country that he still thinks is doing well, he points to Hungary as a role model.
“Hungary is passing a new law that makes it harder to remove the country’s president, reports AFP. The current president is Tamas Sulyok, who is an ally of the country’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Until today, a simple majority in parliament has been required to remove the president. Now, the country’s Constitutional Court, which is controlled by Orbán supporter Péter Polt, has the opportunity to block all decisions to remove the president.
The president of Hungary has the right to veto new laws, which makes it possible for him to hinder the government’s work. Orbán’s opponents in the opposition party Tisza say that the decision is evidence that the current government is concerned about the upcoming election in April.”
https://omni.se/ungern-gor-det-svarare-att-avsatta-presidenten/a/zOLQJv
🛳️Ukraine attacked another Russian oil tanker in the Black Sea with naval drones, — Russian media
📍The attack took place a few hours ago. Three drones hit the Gambian-flagged tanker Dashan.
📍The vessel is under sanctions as part of the Russian shadow fleet
📍A group of naval drones moved out from the Odesa region at night and headed towards the eastern part of the Black Sea, bypassing the Crimean peninsula.
📍During the attack on the tanker, a British RC-135W reconnaissance aircraft was operating in the air in the western Black Sea.
Film:
“💥🚢A few hours ago, naval kamikaze drones attacked a Russian shadow fleet tanker “DASHAN” IMO 9299666 in the Black Sea that was heading for Novorossiysk.”
https://bsky.app/profile/specialkhersoncat.bsky.social/post/3m7nmeafsw22j
The tanker Dashan was passing through Ukraine’s economic zone on its way to the Russian port of Novorossiysk when it was attacked and sustained serious damage, according to the source.
“Belgorod and Voronezh under attack 👀🔥”
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3m7nmq26ayk2r
Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement that he is ready to hold Ukrainian elections within two to three months may be a deliberate strategy, according to Charlotte Flindt Pedersen of the Danish think tank Det Udenrigspolitiske Selskab.
She tells TV2 that the Ukrainian president has learned to say what Donald Trump wants to hear.
“Therefore, Zelensky says ‘of course I am ready to hold elections,’ but that does not mean it will happen,” she says.
There are many indications that it will be difficult to hold secure Ukrainian elections while the country is at war. Moreover, there is little indication that the war will end soon. For Russian President Vladimir Putin, peace is dangerous, according to Flindt Pedersen.
“Because then all the questions will come from Russian society. Why did we go to war? Where is my son? Therefore, Putin will do everything to keep the Russians in a state of permanent war,” she says.
Of course, there are some who get excited about the USA planning to interfere in European politics.
“The German far-right party AFD welcomes the new national security strategy presented by the USA, where Europe is identified as a continent in decline. The party’s foreign policy spokesperson Markus Frohnmaier says that AFD is fighting for “a conservative renaissance in North America and Europe,” writes AFP. Trump’s new strategy praises, among other things, “the growing influence of patriotic European parties.” AFD has spoken very positively about Trump’s “Make America great again” movement. AFD leader Tino Chrupalla participated when Trump was sworn in in January, and several of the American president’s allies have clearly expressed support for the German far-right party.”
https://omni.se/a/vrmz0V
Kenneth Gregg 10.12.2025 front update
Ukraine, December 9 and 10, 2025: The front holds – but at the cost of extreme attrition
Despite intensified Russian attack attempts on December 9 and 10, the Ukrainian defense lines largely hold along the entire front. The fighting is now less characterized by major mechanized breakthroughs and more by a brutal war of attrition where drones, artillery, and small infantry groups determine the outcome – often inch by inch.
The operational picture is clear: Russia is depleting manpower at a faster rate than gaining ground.
Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad-Dobropillia: main axis under heavy pressure
On the strategically decisive axis Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad-Dobropillia, Russian forces continue to push west and northwest of Myrnohrad. Attacks occur repeatedly across open fields – leading to exceptionally high Russian losses in the Ukrainian drone belts.
Despite the intense pressure, there are no confirmed breakthroughs towards Pokrovsk. Ukrainian forces consistently work with:
• deep FPV drone zones,
• mobile infantry groups,
• swift counterattacks when Russian assault groups get stuck in the terrain.
The Russian tactics are increasingly characterized by desperation rather than operational planning.
Assessment: The front holds. Russia is losing personnel faster than gaining ground.
Avdiivka-Toretsk-Horlivka: risk of a new meat grinder
Following the bloody losses at Avdiivka, Russia has expanded its pressure south towards Toretsk and Horlivka. Here, large quantities of glide bombs, FAB bombs, and attack drones are used to grind down Ukrainian positions.
Ukrainian units have conducted limited tactical withdrawals from some outposts, but the main defense line is still intact.
Military risk: Toretsk is now evolving into the next potential Avdiivka scenario – where Russia sacrifices massive forces for marginal gains.
Kupjansk-Svatove-Kreminna: stable attrition front
In the Luhansk region, low-intensity Russian infantry attacks continue through forest belts and fortified zones. Ukraine responds with:
• deep mining,
• drone suppression,
• artillery fire against mobile groups.
No operational breakthroughs have been reported. The front here is now evolving into a classic war of attrition that benefits Ukraine in the long run.
Zaporizhzhia-Robots-Verbove: operational deadlock
The southern front in Zaporizhzhia remains frozen. Both sides are mainly engaged in artillery duels, drone hunts, and reconnaissance raids. Russia currently lacks the resources to resume major offensive operations in the area.
Southern front – Kherson and Dnipro
The Dnipro River continues to act as a stable geographic barrier. Ukraine regularly carries out raids, sabotage, and drone attacks behind Russian lines, creating constant pressure – without Russia being able to conduct major maneuvers across the river.
Operational overall assessment
• Russian offensive capability: clearly decreasing
• Ukrainian drone dominance: very high
• Front mobility: low
• Russian personnel losses: very high
• Ukrainian terrain control: stable
The front is moving in meters today – not kilometers.
Strategic conclusion: Russia in a phase of depletion
Russia is now clearly in the depletion phase of its winter offensive. Ukraine is not responding with broad counterattacks but with systematic breakdown of:
• Russian logistics,
• communications,
• assault groups and reserve units.
This is no longer a war where the map changes rapidly – but an industrial war of attrition where the ability to replace losses will determine 2026.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17j8TPE1JN/?mibextid=wwXIfr
The Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk are currently defending themselves against an “unusually large” Russian attack in the strategically important city, reports Reuters.
“A source within the Ukrainian military tells the news agency that Russia has deployed around 30 vehicles, making the attack the largest so far inside the city. Previously, smaller units have attempted to capture the city with the help of one or two vehicles, according to the reports.
The Kremlin claims that Russia has full control of Pokrovsk, while Ukraine asserts that they still hold the northern part of the city.
Advances in Pokrovsk have increased pressure on Ukraine, which is simultaneously trying to negotiate a peace agreement with the USA and Russia.”
The 22nd report confirms Russian attacks with the deployment of armored vehicles (and other types of vehicles):
In the direction of Pokrovsk, the enemy has attacked 36 times since the morning in the areas around the villages of Nikanorivka, Razine, Novoekonomichne, Zvirove, Kotlyne, Udachne, Novomykolaivka and towards Sofiivka, Kuchero Yar, Nove Shakove, Novyi Donbas, Ivanivka, Rodynske, Sukhetske, Chervonyi Lyman, Myrne, Pokrovsk, Hryshyne, Molodetske, Novopavlivka, Filia.
According to preliminary information, 186 occupiers have been neutralized in the area today, of which 124 have been killed. In addition, Ukrainian soldiers destroyed two cars, three armored vehicles, two motorcycles, four ATVs, eleven drones, a special machine, two personnel shelters, and damaged three cars, two special vehicles, a cannon, and 17 enemy personnel shelters.