I wonder if they noticed that it’s on fire.
A Russian military truck is attacked in Krasnodar Krai on the Russian Black Sea coast.
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Ukraine’s HUR reports an explosion at the entrance to Russia’s 47th Missile Brigade base in Korenevsk, Krasnodar Krai on the morning of 26 December. A military KAMAZ carrying personnel caught fire and the brigade, involved in missile attacks on Ukraine, suffered casualties.
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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) January 4, 2026 at 5:26 AM
The drones will find you.
An update from the Huliaipole area.
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Russian troops are already pushing into the next village after capturing Huliaipole—and Ukrainian commanders are blaming the outnumbered defenders.
The territorial brigades held their positions for months under heavy losses without rotation, until holding became impossible.
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— Euromaidan Press (@euromaidanpress.bsky.social) January 3, 2026 at 5:38 PM
Now assault units have rushed in to counterattack, but they're not meant to stay—Gen. Syrskyi calls them "firefighters" who "extinguish fires where the situation becomes critical."The real problem isn't the territorials: it's a desperate shortage of trained troops that no one wants to admit.
Syrskyi announced criminal investigations and reforms that actually shrink territorial brigades—while his favored assault units get more recruits and Western weapons. It's like hiring more firefighters while cutting fire inspectors.
Video is now available of Finnish soldiers boarding and seizing the Fitburg cargo ship.
The shadow fleet tanker Qendil has run aground on the coast of Turkey. This is the ship that was struck by drones in the Mediterranean Sea near Crete. It then wandered around the Aegean Sea for a while before finally running aground.
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🛳️ Tanker QENDIL ran aground off the coast of Turkey, - Istrebin
The tanker QENDIL belongs to the shadow fleet of Russia. On December 19, he was attacked in the Mediterranean Sea.
He hung out in the sea for 2 weeks and decided to run aground to rest on the shores of Turkey.
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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) January 4, 2026 at 8:05 AM
This would make a great Sea Baby target.
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Russia has sent another bulk carrier of stolen Ukrainian grain out of occupied Crimea. Bulk carrier Siberia under the Russian flag loaded grain in Feodosia after disabling AIS near Kerch on 21 December and is now transiting the Bosphorus toward Lebanon or Syria, SeaKrime reports.
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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) January 4, 2026 at 8:52 AM
The death toll from the Russian Iskander attack on a five-story apartment building in central Kharkiv is up to four.
The death toll from Mariupol will likely never be known.
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New mass graves of unidentified people are appearing in Mariupol. A new wave of exhumations is linked to russia's ongoing housing construction — meant to accommodate illegal settlers brought into the city. Also, the mortality rate in Mariupol is high too.
Photos Petro Andriushchenko
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— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) January 4, 2026 at 8:18 AM
An update from Kupiansk. This is Russia’s strategy — send small groups of infiltrators into a blasted city, have them hunker down in basements and threaten to kill them if they try to withdraw or surrender. When they get killed, who cares. Just send more meat into the grinder.
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Fewer than 100 Russian troops remain in Kupyansk, Kharkiv region, according to Joint Forces spokesperson Viktor Tregubov. The clearing operation is nearing completion, with remaining Russians mostly hiding in basements in the city’s central and northwestern areas.
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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) January 4, 2026 at 3:31 AM
Russians are not taking the Venezuela operation well.
Bloggers are envious of the American operation to grab Maduro.
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1/ Russian warbloggers are furious and chagrined that the US has done to Maduro and Venezuela what their country has failed to do over four years to Zelenskyy and Ukraine. They say it shows Russia's weakness and condemn the Venezuelans for failing to fight. ⬇️
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— ChrisO_wiki (@chriso-wiki.bsky.social) January 4, 2026 at 5:02 AM
2/ 'Donetsk Infantry' is frankly envious: "Shoigu and Gerasimov, along with generals from the FSB, SVR, and GRU, are watching and asking, 'Was that even possible?' Some can do it, while others are left with sclerosis, constipation, and comic-book reports. Who studied what?"
3/ 'Shakespeare' laments that "they simply exterminated the political leadership of an independent and sovereign country. And this is against the backdrop of "our harsh response to Ukraine," which we're all expecting in the fourth year of the war,
4/ …and it's not a given that we'll get it. I have only one emotion now: shame. I'm ashamed, guys. Not for Venezuela. And certainly not for the USA. That's all. It's the holidays now. I went to see an old Soviet movie. I wish the same for you."
5/ Many warbloggers express grudging admiration for the skill and professionalism of the American operation, perhaps none more grudgingly than 'Southern Front': "Even though the Yankees are faggots, I take my hat off to them, they carried out a brilliant operation. Faggots!"
6/ 'DSHRG Rusych' asks sarcastically: "Maybe it's time we started hiring American generals and planners to serve Russia?"
I suggest a trade — Maduro and his wife can go live in Moscow and Russia returns all the Ukrainian children it kidnapped.
Another 900 Russians plus two tanks.
Blah, blah, blah. Trump will give Putin another two weeks.
One hundred fifteen communities in the Kursk area were “de-electrified.”
I’m sure Russia had nothing to do with this, because they just want peace.
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🇩🇪 Berlin plunged into darkness as a mysterious fire left 45,000 homes without power, - FAZ.
Power restoration for many residents may take until January 8. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but German police are investigating possible arson.
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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) January 4, 2026 at 5:35 AM
European governments need to start treating these Russian operations — like these two in Norway and Finland — as military issues instead of legal matters.
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🇫🇮 Incident in the Gulf of Finland: The Case of the Vessel Fitburg
Finland is proceeding cautiously, focusing on legal procedures. Estonia is recording large-scale cable damage, which heightens the general level of concern in the region.
Read more 👀
theukrainianreview.info/incident-in-...
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— The Ukrainian Review (@theukrainianreview.bsky.social) January 4, 2026 at 8:10 AM
The evolution of drone warfare continues.
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RUSSIAN GERAN DRONES GET A NEW ROLE…
The latest iteration of the strategic Geran drone is to operate as a hunter killer against mobile defences - especially those such as Gepard and the British supplied short range missile carriers that have been so successful in recent months.
Equipped with IR
— The Analyst (@militaryanalyst.bsky.social) January 4, 2026 at 1:33 AM
Equipped with IR and cameras they can ID vehicle types at a distance, using themselves as bait, they then target the defence platform directly.It’s just another innovation in a relentless drone war. The Russians are fed up with the high attrition rate and cost of sending so many drones and losing 80%+ to defences.
Ukraine will now have to find a way of isolating the Gerans earlier and equipping defence platforms with countermeasures. This is just another example of how the war speeds along the development of novel solutions and countermeasures. It’s why in peacetime you simply can’t keep up.
Girkin sees gloom and doom ahead for Russia.
I don’t share his predictions of a new tougher Trump.
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1/ It wouldn't be a real Christmas without a gloomy forecast from Igor 'Strelkov' Girkin, Russia's answer to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. He sees Trump turning against Russia in 2026, anticipates the loss of Transnistria, and predicts a naval blockade by the EU. ⬇️
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— ChrisO_wiki (@chriso-wiki.bsky.social) January 4, 2026 at 11:12 AM
2/ Writing from his jail cell, Girkin predicts a deteriorating outlook for Russia and its war effort in Ukraine during 2026:
"Naturally, no compromise will be reached this year, because it can't be. I hope this has finally sunk in on everyone on the Planet of the Pink Ponies."
3/ "The situation will continue to escalate. I believe that after some time, Trump will demand that we accept the plan agreed upon with the US and Ukraine.
4/ "After we refuse, they will roll out new sanctions, and they will unleash new members of the "coalition of the willing" against us. It's quite possible that this year, Russian troops will have to contend with units and formations of this coalition on the front lines.
5/ "It's highly likely that Turkey will finally join the ranks of our open enemies. It's entirely possible that Romania will also find itself among our direct and immediate enemies after it, together with Ukraine, clears out Transnistria.
6/ "And we can predict with almost 100% certainty that sanctions and a naval blockade will be tightened by the European Union and elsewhere, which will further worsen our foreign trade and further reduce state revenues from hydrocarbon exports.
Russia looks to expand its influence in Africa.
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Russia's GRU assassination unit chief personally delivered weapons to Madagascar's junta on 20 December.
The island controls routes carrying half of Europe-Asia trade when Suez is blocked. The West suspended cooperation weeks ago.
euromaidanpress.com/2026/01/04/f...
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— Euromaidan Press (@euromaidanpress.bsky.social) January 4, 2026 at 6:08 AM
He was just doing his part to help solve Russia’s demographic problem.
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Under Orthodox Church canon law, a patriarch cannot be married and must be celibate. But according to a new Proekt investigation, Russian Orthodox Church head Patriarch Kirill has had a “secret common-law wife” for more than 50 years.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
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— Meduza in English (@meduza.io) January 2, 2026 at 1:11 PM
Rest in peace.
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Polish volunteer fighter Kacper Bass, 28, call sign “Frantsuz,” has died after sustaining severe injuries in late December while fighting for Ukraine in the Kharkiv region.
He was awarded Ukraine’s Order “For Courage” in 2022 and the Cross “For Courage” in 2023.
Eternal Memory!
Photo: Bukvy
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— Euromaidan Press (@euromaidanpress.bsky.social) January 4, 2026 at 5:08 AM
If a country has enough people like Sofiia, it is unbeatable.
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"I don't sleep at night,I knit [socks].I knit as best I can so their feet are warm in them."
95-year-old Mrs Sofiia Dukhovych from the village of Krylos,Ivano-Frankivsk region,has been knitting socks for Ukrainian Defenders for three years.During this time,she has knitted over 270 pairs
📹Reporter
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— Anton Gerashchenko (@antongerashchenko.bsky.social) January 2, 2026 at 3:48 PM
