Malazan Empire: Werthead - Viewing Profile - Malazan Empire

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Ukraine hit the Lukoil facility in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod (Russia's fifth-largest) with over 50 drones, causing some huge explosions and damaging the rectification column (again). The Sterlitamak Petrochemical Plant in Bashkortostan was also hit.

Ukraine has deployed STING, an interceptor drone. During field trials it already took down over 1,000 Shaheds.

Russia is to switch to year-around conscriptions. From January 1st, conscripts can be called up at any time, for any reason.

Ukraine has retaken the island of Velyki Kuchuhury in the Dnipro, near Styepnohirsk.

Russia's elite Rubikon drone unit had a regional headquarters in Avdiivka destroyed, killing officers and several drone operators.

Extremely heavy fighting in Pokrovsk continues. Ukraine's 79th Air Assault Brigade destroyed a building using a mine to collapse it on top off Russian occupiers. Several were eliminated, several more captured. 

Another Russian S-400 disabled in Crimea.

A Duma defence official has said that Russia should supply Kalibrs and even Oreshniks to Venezuela, so the USA will have some "surprises." Another Duma member has suggested destroying the orbital Starlink satellite network.

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Ukraine has blown up a large drone launch facility at Donetsk Airport. Over 1,000 Geran drones were there. Fuel storage facilities, ammunition stores and the communication centre were destroyed in a combined missile and drone strike.

Russian partisans have widened their attacks on Russian railways to include entire locomotives, with some reports that over a dozen have been destroyed in the last few months.

Lavrov has apparently been rebuked for being too harsh in shutting down negotiations with the United States.

NATO has assessed that that alliance and allied nations are now out-producing Russia in terms of artillery ammunition, even before some production lines come on-stream.

Ukrainian interceptor rocket drones are making a strong impression on attacking Shaheds, hitting them at very high speed.

The more reliable OSINT sources are being cautious, some of the more excitable ones are saying that Ukraine has regained control of the hospital district in Kupyansk and pushed Russian forces further north. Some isolated Russian units are stuck behind the lines. But even they note the situation remains precarious with Russia trying to push in from the north.

It remains a difficult situation but it looks a little more certain that Ukraine counter-attacks around Pokrovsk have been effective in at least halting the immediate offensive (for how long remains unclear). At least 300 Russian soldiers are still in the city and are under heavy attack (though some sources say it may be more like 1,000). The crucial stage will be Russia succeeding in linking up contiguous ground supply routes to them, which does not appear to have happened yet. Counter-attacks on the flanks are continuing. The Lyman front has stabilised, the Kupyansk front is active with little detail of what's going on. The Dobropillia front is very active, with both Russia and Ukraine trying to draw enemy reinforcements away from Pokrovsk. The Myrnohrad front remains contested, but some signs of the Russian effort slackening.

Russia might be trying to do too much here with not enough men. If it had gone all-in on Pokrovsk, Dobropillia, Kupyansk, Vovchansk or Sumy it might have succeeded with one or two of those offensives, but it spread itself thin again, with far less active reserves available.

The UK has delivered new Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine.

The Saratov refinery has taken a heavy hit overnight.

The reporting now is that Ukraine has received two Patriot batteries from Germany.

Serbia has agreed to sell ammunition supplies to Europe, who can then do whatever they want with it.

Russia has had to start importing sulfur after internal production collapsed.

The Russian railway system has slipped into deficit for the first time since the pandemic, due to a collapse in freight movement.

Unconfirmed report of a Ukrainian counter-offensive beginning on the Kupyansk front.

It's possible the bloodiest battle for the war is taking place. The fighting in Pokrovsk is immense, with an absolute blizzard of drones, artillery, HIMARS, glide bombs and everything including the kitchen sink being fired either at or by the defenders. One suggestion is that Russia has sustained 35,000 casualties so far in the Pokrovsk offensive alone (whether that includes the failed northern offensive and successful Ukrainian counter-offensive is unclear), with well north of 100,000 casualties on this front in total over the last year or so. Figuring out what is going on has become very difficult.

Ukraine has reportedly received a new Patriot battery from Germany.

Ukraine has hit the Tuapse oil refinery hard, damaging not only the refinery but two tankers at dock.

The town of Zhukovskiy, Moscow Oblast, lost all power after a Ukrainian drone strike, the first time that's happened. Ukraine appears to now plunge the Russian capital into darkness in retaliation for attacks on Kyiv, but they still need to take out more electricity substations.