[Tee tiong huat]

Update from Ukraine Thursday, 26/12/2024.
https://youtu.be/KVn-1cKgKLI?si=QNNPXVTqv3kguqoz

From Pilot report....
https://youtu.be/xQEghJ8UVWk?si=on2eExxKDlzb1jHd

[Tee tiong huat]

https://youtube.com/shorts/pMM1o7Xn7Bg?s..._otg2nybhw

[Tee tiong huat]

Update Thursday 26/12/2024 from Ukraine.
https://youtu.be/KjjzgGaqlE0?si=iX0_za65eJYcQia6

[Tee tiong huat]

Ukraine airforce is getting newer air jet fighter planes for French.

[Tee tiong huat]

Ukraine airforce is getting newer air jet fighter planes for French.

Exclusive: French Mirage 2000-5F Fighter Jets Set to Join Ukrainian Air Force in the Coming Weeks. 26 Dec, 2024. 6 Mirage 2000-5F fighter jets Ukraine by mid-2025, boosting its air defense capabilities

After months of rigorous preparation, Ukraine is set to deploy French Mirage 2000-5F fighter jets in its ongoing defense against Russia. As reported on the X Acct French Aid to Ukraine on December 26, 2024, six-month training program for Ukrainian pilots & mechanics has successfully concluded, paving way for the delivery of these advanced multi-role aircraft. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, in an interview with Dimanche publique, confirmed Mirages would take to Ukrainian skies within weeks, fulfilling the commitment made by French President Emmanuel Macron to President Volodymyr Zelensky in June 2024. This marks a significant milestone in Western military support for Ukraine, as these aircraft are expected to enhance its air combat & precision strike capabilities.

Among key features of Mirage 2000-5F are integration with state-of-the-art weapons, critical in Ukraine’s battle against Russian forces. The SCALP-EG missile, example, provides Ukraine with l ability to strike high-value, strategic targets deep within Russian-controlled territory. With a range of over 250 kilometers, the SCALP-EG missile will allow Ukrainian forces to target Russian infrastructure, air defenses, and military installations with unprecedented precision. Similarly, the MICA missiles, an advanced air-to-air weapon give Mirage 2000-5F ability to engage enemy aircraft at medium to long ranges. This capability will significantly improve Ukraine’s air dominance & help defend Ukrainian airspace from Russian aerial incursions.
https://armyrecognition.com/news/army-ne...ming-weeks

[Tee tiong huat]

Ukraine captures injured North Korean soldier, says Seoul. Ukrainian forces have captured an injured North Korean soldier who was sent to support Russia's war, South Korea's spy agency confirmed on Friday. The soldier is believed to be the first North Korean prisoner of war captured since December, when Pyongyang deployed forces to support Russia's war in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy battlefield losses..
The confirmation comes after a photo purporting to show the wounded soldier circulated on Telegram. North Korea has sent more than 10,000 soldiers to help Russia, according to Kyiv and Seoul - though Moscow and Pyongyang have neither confirmed nor denied their presence.
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrain...32f3dbe49c

[Tee tiong huat]

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrain...32f3dbe49c

[Tee tiong huat]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...g-in-kursk

[Tee tiong huat]

Geolocated footage: The show huge columns of North Korean troops advancing to battle. Despite tensions emerged as Russian forces started looking for a way to claim credit for victory, initial reports suggested Russian units only entered Plekhovo after North Koreans. For for Russians, Ukrainian Special Op Forces thwarted attempt with precision strikes from drones & ambush tactics, units decided this was not enough. They pursued & went past the border & eliminated both them & remaining enemy forces, dealing a quick blow to Russian aspirations of further gains & spoiling the desired propaganda effect.

Undeterred, Russian commanders decided to once again rely on North Korean troops, this time deploying them in a high-risk river crossing assault on Kurilovka. Lacking the tactical advantages present at Plekhovo, & forced to storm without cover, North Korean forces were decimated by Ukrainian drone operators while still trying to cross river. The aftermath of the failed assault left the water littered with the bodies of North Korean soldiers, marking another devastating failure for them in the region. After heavy losses, as Russia’s efforts to conceal their presence, paint a grim picture of the exploitation of North Korean fighters in the war. Water is littered with bodies of North Korean soldiers, marking overall, Russia’s continuing reliance on North Korean troops. This highlights a pattern of attritional questionable tactics. North Koreans has to suffered huge losses, Ukrainian intelligence estimating over 220 a few days of combat. 
https://youtu.be/rBd6vgquf4U?si=z0ujt7-8dYZ-dZKY

[Tee tiong huat]

Geolocated footage: The show huge columns of North Korean troops advancing to battle. Despite tensions emerged as Russian forces started looking for a way to claim credit for victory, initial reports suggested Russian units only entered Plekhovo after North Koreans. For for Russians, Ukrainian Special Op Forces thwarted attempt with precision strikes from drones & ambush tactics, units decided this was not enough. They pursued & went past the border & eliminated both them & remaining enemy forces, dealing a quick blow to Russian aspirations of further gains & spoiling the desired propaganda effect.

Undeterred, Russian commanders decided to once again rely on North Korean troops, this time deploying them in a high-risk river crossing assault on Kurilovka. Lacking the tactical advantages present at Plekhovo, & forced to storm without cover, North Korean forces were decimated by Ukrainian drone operators while still trying to cross river. The aftermath of the failed assault left the water littered with the bodies of North Korean soldiers, marking another devastating failure for them in the region. After heavy losses, as Russia’s efforts to conceal their presence, paint a grim picture of the exploitation of North Korean fighters in the war. Water is littered with bodies of North Korean soldiers, marking overall, Russia’s continuing reliance on North Korean troops. This highlights a pattern of attritional questionable tactics. North Koreans has to suffered huge losses, Ukrainian intelligence estimating over 220 a few days of combat. 
https://youtu.be/rBd6vgquf4U?si=z0ujt7-8dYZ-dZKY

https://youtu.be/rBd6vgquf4U?si=a9MqUMnoJ-6Y1GZi

[Tee tiong huat]

Putin is happy to name Ukraine as main sources of extremism" & enshrines the concept of "Russophobia" for first time.

Russia's previous anti-extremism strategy, approved by Putin in 2020, did not include the term or single out Ukraine as a threat.

The latest version of the document warns of "serious threats" from Ukraine and repeats Russian propaganda claims about the rise of neo-Nazi activity among Ukrainians. It alleges that radical armed groups receive support from "external forces that encourage the commission of criminal acts on the territory of Russia."
https://kyivindependent.com/putin-names-...ew-decree/

[Tee tiong huat]

Russia has used claims of "extremism" to crack down on range of organizations, including news outlets, social media platforms, & what it calls "international LGBT movement." Russia's communications regulator announced on Dec. 13 had blocked access to Viber messaging app due to alleged violations of regulations combating terrorism & extremism. Kremlin also considering blocking WhatsApp, an app owned by Meta also labeled as "extremist organization" in Russia.

Russian designated a record 65 organizations as "undesirable" in 2024, exposing members employees to criminal prosecution. Putin has intensified state repressions of dissent since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, arresting thousands of citizens accused of hate crimes and supporting "extremist" groups. Historian Marci Shore: Putin’s obsession w/denazification is ‘Freudian projection’.
1.

North Korean troops open fire on Russian unit, Ukraine's military intelligence claims
2.

Intercepted Russian phone call suggests North Korean troops suffering trainloads of wounded
3.

Cargo vessel sent to transport Russian military equipment from Syria breaks down in open sea, Ukraine's intel claims
4.

For first time, Ukraine attacks Russian positions using solely ground, FPV drones
5.

Russian general charged with chemical weapons crimes reported dead in Moscow explosion

Fall of Aleppo deals blow to Russia's Middle East clout, may indirectly strengthen Ukraine's hand

‘Destroying us little by little:’ Ukrainian troops worried about fate of Kursk operation

Once liberated Kupiansk braces for worst as Russian troops approach, and future Western support looks uncertain

[Tee tiong huat]

North Korean soldier captured in Ukraine dies, reports say injured North Korean soldier captured by Ukrainian forces has died, Yonhap News Agency has reported, citing a statement from South Korea's spy agency. The soldier is believed to be the first North Korean prisoner of war captured since Pyongyang deployed forces to support Russia's war in Ukraine.
Separately, White House said North Korean forces were experiencing mass casualties, as 8,000 of their troops has been send to replaced those killed or wounded over past week in Kursk region.

North Korea has sent more than 10,000, but now is send more soldiers to help Russia, according to Kyiv and Seoul - though Moscow/Pyongyang have neither confirmed nor denied their presence.

White House spokesperson John Kirby suggested Russian/North Korean military leaders were treating their troops as "expendable". They were being ordered to carry out "hopeless assaults against Ukrainian defences" were being used in "massed dismounted assaults", he said.

[Tee tiong huat]

Ukraine is losing the battle on the ground. Many of its soldiers are tired and exhausted after three years of fighting. 

The question – can the country endure another year of war?. Their forces are still resisting Russian advances in the east. But they're almost surrounded near the town of Kurakhove – scene to some of the most intense fighting in recent weeks. The Black Pack, a mortar unit, is trying to prevent their encirclement around Kurakhove. The Russian are closing in on three sides.

We meet the team at a safe house, getting a rest from the fighting. They're not your average soldiers. They include a vegan chef, a mechanic, a web developer and an artist. A group of friends with non-conformist views. Some call themselves anarchists. They all volunteered to fight. Surt, their 31-year-old commander, joined army soon after Russia's full scale invasion. He tells me at start he thought war would last 3-years. Now, he says, he's mentally preparing himself for another ten years of fighting.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c047x7gwdvzo

[Tee tiong huat]

Ukraine airforce is getting newer air jet fighter planes for French.

As Russian Troops Head For Kursk, Ukraine’s HIMARS Rockets Meet Them Halfway. It’s terrible,’ a bunker full of soldiers burned in Lgov struck a group of Russian troops in Lgov, a town of 21,000 in western Russia’s Kursk Sunday or Monday. “It’s terrible,” guys all in bunker burned.  As Ukraine’s HIMARS Rockets Meet Them HalfwayI, fire was the result of a Ukrainian raid, Lgov lies 30 miles north of town of Sudzha, the anchor of 250-sq-mile salient carved out of Kursk August. It’s key road & rail node for troops & supplies supporting two-mth-old Russian counteroffensive in Kursk.

Ukrainians targeted Lgov be4 most notably on Christmas Day, Ukrainian munitions—possibly from US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems launchers—blew up a headquarters belonging to the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade, one lead units for Russian counteroffensive, that attack—a “fiery impression,” says Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications—just days be4 the Kremlin pulled battered 810th Naval Infantry Brigade off front line in order to replenish losses. Ukrainian strikes on Lgov help to explain why 50,000 or more Russians along with 12,000 North Korean reinforcements haven’t yet been able to eject 20,000 Ukrainians from Kursk, despite relentlessly attacking the Ukrainian salient from all sides for two months. Russia “is still battling on its own territory has been unable to drive Ukraine out of Kursk Oblast,” “It's quite pathetic!”

But Russians’ failures in Kursk aren’t result of their own incompetence failures are consequence of successful campaign of deep strikes Ukrainian forces. Ukrainians are hitting Russian assault groups with mines, drones & artillery as Russians bear down on Ukrainian positions, they’re disrupting Russian logistics, reinforcements & command by hitting them with rockets from tens of miles away.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/20...m-halfway/

[Tee tiong huat]

Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners of war. Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Russian defence ministry said it had swapped 150 Ukrainian soldiers held captive for an equal number of Russian troops.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy said 189 Ukrainians had returned home. He added that those released included "defenders of Azovstal and Mariupol", the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and Snake Island.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c938x3v148yo

[Tee tiong huat]

Russian forces storm Ukrainian defences in Kursk Oblast 46 times over past 24 hours: almost 190 combat clashes throughout war zone

[Tee tiong huat]

Russian forces storm Ukrainian defences in Kursk Oblast 46 times, past 24 hours: almost 190 combat clashes throughout war zone

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/12/30/7491287/

[Tee tiong huat]

Russian gas has stopped flowing to Europe via Ukraine, ending a major energy route that goes back to Soviet times and had even survived three years of full-scale war between the two states.
Ukraine cut off transit route after an agreement signed in 2019 expired in the early hours of New Year’s Day, marking a new milestone in Europe weaning itself off Russian gas supplies over the past few years, prompting immediate power cuts for hundreds of thousand of people in a breakaway region of Moldova.

[Tee tiong huat]

Moscow has transported gas to Europe through Ukraine since 1991, immediate effects are light, the strategic and symbolic impact for the whole of Europe is enormous.Russia has lost an important market, but its president, Vladimir Putin, says EU has significantly reduced imports of gas from Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but a number of eastern member states still depend largely on supplies, making Russia about €5bn ($5.2bn; £4.2bn) a year.

Russian gas was less than 10% of the EU's gas imports in 2023, according to the bloc. That figure was 40% in 2021. Several EU members, including Slovakia Austria, continued to import significant amounts of gas from Russia. Austria's energy regulator said that it did not forecast any disruption as it had diversified sources and built up reserves. But the end of the transit deal has already caused serious tensions with Slovakia, which is now the main entry point of Russian gas into the EU and earned transit fees from piping the gas on to Austria, Hungary and Italy.

Slovakia has said it will pay more for alternative routes. Its energy regulator announced in early December that Gas prices for consumers would rise in 2025.

[Tee tiong huat]

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday (Jan 2) he was preparing to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria, less than a month after the overthrow of the Russia-backed government in Damascus.

Zelenskyy spoke after a visit to Syria by his Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, & by Agriculture Minister Vitaliy Koval who said earlier Ukraine had already sent a shipment of food aid. We are preparing to resume diplomatic relations with Syria cooperation in int'l organisations," Zelenskiy said. Ukraine cut diplomatic ties with Syria in June 2022 after govt in Damascus recognised "independence" of Russia-occupied territories in Ukraine's Donetsk & Luhansk regions. Since rebels overthrew Bashar al-Assad last month, Ukraine has been moving to build ties with the new rulers there. Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, was a staunch ally of Assad and has given him political asylum.

Kyiv also planned to increase trade with Lebanon and at least double its agriculture exports from US$400 million, Zelenskyy added. The delivery would provide resources for around 167,000 Syrians for a month, Koval said in a televised interview. He added that the shipment will not be the last and that Syria was also interested in oil, sugar and meat deliveries.

"Today, at the level of govt dialogue, we clearly understand that support should be sustainable and not a one-off, but rather long-lasting and predictable," Koval said. Moscow has also said it is in contact with the new administration in Damascus, including over the fate of Russian military facilities in Syria.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/ze...ia-4835251

[Tee tiong huat]

Zelenskiy spoke after a visit to Syria by his Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, and by Agriculture Minister Vitaliy Koval who said earlier Ukraine had already sent a shipment of food aid. Kyiv planned to increase trade w/Lebanon at least double its agriculture exports from $400 mil, he added previously said to send 500 metric tons of wheat flour to Syria under Kyiv's humanitarian "Grain from Ukraine" initiative in cooperation with U.N. World Food Programme.

The delivery would provide resources for around 167,000 Syrians for a month, Koval said in a televised interview. He added that shipment will not be the last and that Syria was also interested in oil, sugar and meat deliveries." Today, at the level of govt to govt dialogue, we understand that support should be sustainable, not a one-off, but rather long-lasting & predictable," Koval said.

Moscow has also said it is in contact with new admin in Damascus, including over the fate of Russian military facilities in Syria. Meanwhile Russian is moving their weapon, & newer items away for Syria Russia airforce base & port.

[Tee tiong huat]

Zelenskiy spoke after a visit to Syria by his Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, and by Agriculture Minister Vitaliy Koval who said earlier Ukraine had already sent a shipment of food aid. Kyiv planned to increase trade w/Lebanon at least double its agriculture exports from $400 mil, he added previously said to send 500 metric tons of wheat flour to Syria under Kyiv's humanitarian "Grain from Ukraine" initiative in cooperation with U.N. World Food Programme.

The delivery would provide resources for around 167,000 Syrians for a month, Koval said in a televised interview. He added that shipment will not be the last and that Syria was also interested in oil, sugar and meat deliveries." Today, at the level of govt to govt dialogue, we understand that support should be sustainable, not a one-off, but rather long-lasting & predictable," Koval said.

Moscow has also said it is in contact with new admin in Damascus, including over the fate of Russian military facilities in Syria. Meanwhile Russian is moving their weapon, & newer items away for Syria Russia airforce base & port.

See Syria map. (Color in red), is the only area left for the Russian to move out soon, with a change for Ukraine and others international nations to make use, just like S'pore Sembawang port once-upon-a-time is used by the British.

[Tee tiong huat]

Can Europe and Syria do business and what does each want?.

German and French foreign ministers have met Syria’s de facto leader in Damascus. The European officials conveyed a message that the lifting of sanctions on Syria would depend on how the country’s political future develops.
So what do both sides want from each other – and what divides them?

[Tee tiong huat]

Russia promises retaliation after saying Ukraine fired US-supplied missiles.

Outgoing US President Joe Biden has authorised Kyiv to use the long-range weapons against Russia.

[Tee tiong huat]

Russia pledged to retaliate after it claimed to have shot down 8-US-supplied ATACMS missiles fired by Ukraine at its border region of Belgorod.

“On January 3, an attempt was made from Ukrainian territory to launch a missile attack against the Belgorod region using US-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles,” the Russian Ministry of Defence said on Saturday.
“These actions by the Kyiv regime, which is supported by Western curators, will be met with retaliation,” it added, saying all the missiles were shot down.

[Tee tiong huat]

Russia pledged to retaliate after it claimed to have shot down 8-US-supplied ATACMS missiles fired by Ukraine at its border region of Belgorod.

“On January 3, an attempt was made from Ukrainian territory to launch a missile attack against the Belgorod region using US-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles,” the Russian Ministry of Defence said on Saturday.
“These actions by the Kyiv regime, which is supported by Western curators, will be met with retaliation,” it added, saying all the missiles were shot down.

Officials in Ukraine have not yet responded to the accusation.

The Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) has a range of 300km (190 miles). Donald Trump said in an interview last month he was “very vehemently” opposed to Ukraine using the arms, which he said were “escalating” the conflict.
Besides military support from US, Kyiv will also reportedly receive its first French Mirage 2000-5F multirole fighters this month, according to French magazine Avions Legendaires.

Both Kyiv & Moscow have accused each other of fatal attacks on civilians since this year began.

[Tee tiong huat]

Ukraine airforce is getting newer air jet fighter planes for French.

Next 6-mths will witness a great deal of human tragedy. Russia/Ukraine will face harsh battlefield conditions, & Ukrainian civilians will continue to endure daily Russian attacks. While, Russia’s under equipped poorly led troops will suffer thousands of casualties, destroying country’s remaining fighting capability. Already, Russian has suffered “significantly more than 500,000” deaths & injuries, according to chairman of U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley. And thks to neglect & cruel indifference of President Vladimir Putin’s regime, thousands more link would be kill include North Korea troops, will perish this winter b'cos of Putin land grabbing war.

[Tee tiong huat]

Putin Miscalculated to many times, not only a self-inflicted, it also to try to make used of Trump as Joe Biden is going to pass the U.S. president post to him.very soon. That make Ukraine very unknown about Trump plane on Ukraine.

[Tee tiong huat]

France sends first batch of Mirage jets to Ukraine
The first batch of French Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets is set to arrive in Ukraine by January 20, 2025, according to reports from Avions Legendaires, initial batch is expected to include three to six aircraft, which will likely replace Ukraine’s aging fleet of Su-24 bombers. These Mirage 2000-5 jets, originally part of the French Air & Space Force inventory, have been retrofitted with advanced capabilities by France’s Directorate General of Armaments (DGA). Designed primarily as interceptors, modified jets are now equipped to carry & deploy SCALP-EG & Storm Shadow cruise missiles, both of which are currently in Ukraine’s arsenal...

https://defence-blog.com/france-sends-fi...o-ukraine/