Two #China 
mercenaries captured by #Ukraine 
attended a press conference in #Kyiv
advanced in #Grigorivka on #Siversk direction and in #Toretsk
managed to return total 1269 children out of ~19k deported by 
since 2022
captured #Guevo in #Kursk oblast' and continues attacks on #Gorlan on border
advanced by 0.5 km in #Yampolivka on #Kupyansk direction
Massive UAV attack on #Kursk
Interesting idea of the World Press Photo contest to combine a photo of a 6 years old girl in #Kupyansk #Ukraine traumatised after another of series of #Russia bombings with a photo of poor, wounded Russian soldier being treated in a field hospital.
These photos are being presented on par, as if they were at the same level of moral judgement. But they are not - the girl is being bombed exclusively because Russia wants to occupy Ukrainian town of Kupyansk, and the soldier is wounded because he’s a fucker who voluntarily came to occupy Ukraine and earn plenty of money. The author of the latter photo is an equal fucker who also illegally came to Ukraine to make money on photos of “poor Russians soldiers” and justify the war for the rest of Russians.
What World Press Photo does here is as if you combined a photo of beheaded Tutsi with a photo of poor, tired Hutu who strained his wrists from beheading the former using a machete; or a Cambodian villager killed by a poor, tired Khmer Rouge; or one of millions of random people executed in USSR by NKVD by their sad, tired executioner…
#Russia narratives on #Ukraine territories is quite consistent as it comes to #Donbas, #Zaporizhzhia and #Kherson regions - even if they are nonsense, they are kind of consistent. But they don’t even make any pretenses of consistency as it comes to #Kharkiv region.
Russia captured 1/3 of Kharkiv oblast in 2022 but then was kicked out by successful ZSU counteroffensive by end of 2022. Then, in 2024, Russia once again attacked on the #Vovchansk direction (north of Kharkiv) and continued pushing from the east #Kupyansk.
As a reminder, Putin and Zakharova clearly stated in 2022 that the objective of “special military operation is not occupation of territories”. In case of all occupied regions they claim it’s not occupation but “referendums” (even though it was never conducted in Zaporizhzhia for example).
But no such narrative was even built for Kharkiv oblast’ - they just describe it as “liberation” without any pretext or legal basis. Since 2022 there’s a Russian “Kharkov military administration on exile” which periodically announces “Kharkov oblast’ will be liberated”… but once again, they don’t even pretend.
It’s not like Russia needs any pretext to invade, but it does usually maintain an alternative pseud-legal narrative for the Western audience. In case of Kharkiv oblast it’s simply absent, which is one reason they don’t talk much about this region too often. Of course, for the internal military audience they speak about it openly in a mix of likely valid goals (military factories) and propaganda (“biolabs”):
Russia is pursuing strategic goals and objectives of the “SMO”, which include elimination of direct military threat from Kharkiv and Sumy located 40 km from the ‘Belovezhskaya’ border (the range of Hymars and MLRS minimum missiles), as well as elimination of bacteriological threat from Kharkiv, removal from the enemy’s control and return to Russia of the famous Kharkiv tank and machine-building factories or the only Izium factory of optical devices in the former Ukraine.
This is taken from a Russian-only article extensively discussing the perspectives for “liberation” (capture) of Kharkiv oblast published in 2023. This is the narrative for “educated” audience, which is likely as close to the true intentions of Kremlin as you can get. But the less they talk about it in public, the more we should be challenging them and Trump administration about it.
#Russia drone exploded on the #Chernobyl confinement causing damage to the roof
#Ukraine drones hit Slavyansk-on-Kuban oil depot in Krasnodar krai
Fierce fighting continues on #Pokrovsk direction with dynamic situation in #Vodyanoe2 #Peschanoe #Kotlino #Zaporozhe and #Andreevka
advanced 2 km near #Dvurechnaya on #Kupyansk direction
Uncertainty following 
#Trump statements regarding ceasefire negotiations highlighting expectation of larger 
engagement in future security guarantees
First batch of 
Mirage-2000 fighter jet have arrived to #Ukraine along with batch of 
F-16
advanced in #Kursk oblast' in a surprise attack on #CherkasskayaKonopelka
#Russia may have attempted another launch of RS-26 "Oreshnik" missile from #Astrakhan oblast' which failed shortly after launch
conducted successful counterattack near #Oleksandropil on #Toretsk direction
Heavy fighting continues in #ChasivYar #Toretsk and #Kupyansk directions with no significant front line changes
#Russia attempted attack on #Zapadnoe on #Kupyansk direction was stopped by #Ukraine
made small advances in #ChasivYar
pushed back on #Bakhmut direction
attempted attack past #VelykaNovoselka was stopped
95'900 losses confirmed by name
advanced in Toretsk, near Andriivka and Novoyelizavetivka
partially withdraws from Velyka Novosilka
attempt to break through near #Kupyansk failed and resulted in heavy losses
downed 97 out of 104 #Shahed drones overnight, damaging infrastructure in Ivano-Frankivsk and Dnipro
lost another 1,430 soldiers
continues reinforcing border with
blocks joint #EU members' statement on non-recognition of 
presidential elections
#PACE approves urgent debates on peace negotiations
On January 26, the Russians carried out a massive attack on the residential sector of the city of Kupyansk.
The attack destroyed several private homes. Rescuers recovered the bodies of two deceased women from the rubble.
Source: synegubov
The governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, reported that the Russians carried out intense attacks on Kupyansk.
"The enemy used rocket launchers, damaging at least four private houses and power lines.
So far, we have not received any reports of fatalities."
Source: synegubov
#Ukraine conducted a series of UAV strikes on #Russia , among targets oil refinery and power plant in #Ryazan, weapons plant in #Bryansk
UAVs also reported in #Tula #Kursk #Belgorod #Lipetsk #Crimea #Moscow with unknown results
made small advances near #Baranovka on #Pokrovsk direction, near #Tabaivka #Zapadnoe on #Kupyansk direction and #VelykaNovoselka
#Ukraine forces pushed back #Russia near #Golubivka on #Kupyansk direction
Video emerged of execution of six soldiers
Intense assaults on #Toretsk were repelled, also near #Viktorovka and #MalaLokna in #Kursk oblast'
continues attempts to encircle #Pokrovsk from west flank and close encirclement around #VelykaNovoselka
will allocate €35b to in 2025
In an assault on #Storozhevoe near #VelykaNovoselka #Russia lost a number of armoured vehicles
assault on #Zagryzovo on #Kupyansk direction was stopped by #Ukraine defenders
Explosions at military airport following rocket/drone attack
ship "Ursa Major" evacuating military from #Syria 
sunk in Mediterranean
police collaborationist in occupied #Horlivka was liquidated
Explosions in occupied #Melitopol
Massive explosion in #Russia occupied #Tokmak following #Ukraine strike
advanced near #StaryTerni north of #Kurakhove, fighting in the town continues
On #Kupyansk direction removed recon group from #Novomlinsk on the right bank of #Oskil river
Intense fighting continues in #Toretsk which is still held by
#Syria anti-Assad forces continue advances.
2022 anti-Russian protests in Kupyansk
https://video.echelon.pl/videos/watch/c52bc28f-f730-4a2b-a17f-ed24b90724c6
Explosions in #Russia Krasnodar krai after reported #Ukraine UAV attacked military base
made small advance near #Rivnopil (Velyka Novoselka direction), #Ilinka and #Novoselidovka (#Pokrovsk direction)
Intense fighting continues in #Kurakhove, #Kursk oblast' and #Kupyansk direction
13/11/2024 - 22:56
#DeepStateMap
The enemy occupied #Illinka and advanced in #Dalne, near #Novodonetske, #Trudove and #Kupyansk.
#Russia recon group broke through into #Kupyansk but was promptly destroyed by #Ukraine forces
advanced in #Ilyinka on #Pokrovsk direction, near #Trudove on #Kurakhove direction and in #Toretsk - the Trudove advance was later canceled by counterattack
continue intensive attacks in #Kursk oblast' and on new #VelikaNovoselka direction but suffer heavy losses and do not advance
#Ukraine rocket artillery hits on seven concentration areas of #Russia forces
made small advances near #Elizavitovka (#Kurakhove direction), Kreminna Balka (#Pokrovsk direction).
Intense fighting continues on #Kupyansk direction and #Kursk oblast
President #Zelensky congratulated Donald #Trump with electoral victory and held a call with the president elect.
#Ukraine special forces unit "Spartan" continue operations in #Zhuravlevka in #Russia to disrupt supplies into their group in #Kharkiv oblast'
Drone attack on a fuel depot in #Stavropol resulted in a fire
Intense fighting continues in #Kursk oblast' of and #Kupyansk #Pokrovsk #Kurakhove directions in but without significant changes
