North Korean Commanders Were In Bunker Hit By Ukrainian Storm Shadow Missiles

The mystery surrounding yesterday's Ukrainian Storm Shadow missile strike on a Russian command center is clearing. The site was a senior command post for the northern region, which includes Kursk. 

Evidence suggests that the Russian command center also hosted high ranking North Korean officers, making this a devastating attack on Kremlin forces charged with managing the so far vain Russian attempts to retake Kursk oblast. JL

Maya Mehara reports in Newsweek:

A Ukrainian missile strike targeted an underground command post in a Russian presidential compound occupied by Russian commanders and North Korean high-ranking military personnel. The strike in Russia's Kursk region was conducted with Anglo-French Storm Shadow missiles, precision-guided weapons designed for use against hardened targets. The command post in Marino, Kursk is located ~40km from Ukraine. The command post was stuck by a dozen UK Storm Shadow cruise missiles. The missiles  hit at least 3 buildings. The Russian air defense failed so that the missiles got through and even the surveillance drone could operate unimpededly

Ukrainian Convict 'Shkval' Battalion Routs Russians At Toretsk

 

A battalion of Ukrainian convicts assaulted and took Russian positions near Toretsk, routing the Kremlin troops in a sector where the Russians have continued to attack in force. 

These convict volunteer soldiers have continued to perform well for their Ukrainian units across the front. JL

Militarnyi reports:

The Shkval Battalion of the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade drove Russians out of their positions near Toretsk. The Shkval Battalion consists of ex-convicts who voluntarily joined the country’s defense. The assault targeted trenches and dugouts in one of the areas where the Russians were trying to hold the line.  Their successful assault operation in which Russian positions were captured, helped stabilize the situation on the front lines near Toretsk.

Nvidia Stock Sinks, Despite Record Profit, On Trump Tariff Fears

AI chip making mainstay Nvidia saw its stock drop despite record earnings because it is dependent on Taiwan manufacturing which could be severely impacted negatively if tariffs being contemplated by the incoming US administration are imposed. JL

Shannon Najmabadi reports in the Washington Post:

Nvidia’s shares sank 2% in after-hours trading Wednesday after the AI chip maker posted quarterly earnings that beat estimates but failed to convince investors it could maintain the huge recent growth. Nvidia is the top supplier of chips that power generative AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and stock energy-hungry data centers. Nvidia’s business, which draws significant revenue from China and depends on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing to build its GPU chips, faces uncertainty under President-elect Donald Trump’s future trade policies. He has proposed blanket tariffs on all imported goods and said Taiwan “stole our chip business.” 

2025 Ukraine War Forecasts Show Increasingly Slowing Russian Advances

An assessment of likely scenarios for 2025 in the Ukraine-Russian war assume no significant Russian breakthroughs despite the continually ominous - but largely inaccurate - articles from western media. 

The Russian army is too inept to prevail while the Ukrainians, better led and more strategic, will continue to fight devastating defensive battles with occasional opportunistic counteroffensive attacks. Their long range missile and drone strikes on Russian logistics and other war-fighting capabilities will continue to cause attrition and limit Russian options. The most interesting question is whether Trump, who seeks to be seen as the dominant global power broker, will become frustrated with Putin, who sees himself in the same light and is likely to reject Trump's ceasefire terms. JL

New Voice of Ukraine reports:

The most likely scenario assumes that the Russians will advance in the east more slowly than they are now. Ukrainian Defense Forces will enter the new year fighting for Pokrovsk and gradually depleting the Russian "North" troop grouping in Kharkiv Oblast. Within six months, this grouping will lose its combat capability and eventually retreat to Russian territory. At Kupyansk and Lyman, the battle will continue without either side gaining a significant advantage. Trump will gradually become disillusioned with his peace initiatives due to Putin's intransigence and will start leaning towards a "forceful solution"—providing substantial aid to the Ukrainian army.

Ukrainian Tanks Are Kurakhove Devastate Russian Attacks In "Epic" Battles

Despite the threat of drone attacks, Ukrainian units defending Kurakhove are deploying tanks to outmaneuver and destroy Russian assaults. 

The tanks are using smoke and coordination with their own drone units to mitigate the effect of Russian drones and in so doing, have disrupted the Russian offensive. JL

David Axe reports in Forbes:

In Kurakhove, Ukrainian tanks from at least two Ukrainian brigades are battling Russian assault groups at point-blank range—and popping smoke to escape drone attacks.  Ukrainian tank battalions equipped with ex-German Leopard 1A5s and Leopard 2A4s as well as ex-Soviet models—T-64s and T-80s, are confronting the Russians at every approach. A Leopard 2 from the 33rd Mechanized Brigade devastated a Russian assault group on Nov. 12. T-80s or T-64s from the 46th Air Mobile Brigade, are outmaneuvering Russian troops on Kurkahove’s outskirts. The defenders of Pokrovsk are counting on the defenders of Kurakhove to halt a Russian offensive

Russian Tank Assault Fails So Badly Kremlin Arrests Its Commanders

Russian commanders are under terrible pressure to deliver gains before the country runs out of weapons and troops - and before Putin is forced by Trump to negotiate a ceasefire. 

But the Russian military remains corrupt and inefficient, resulting in desperate, poorly planned attacks on heavily defended Ukrainian positions, resulting in disastrous losses which so infuriate the Kremlin that it is increasingly having senior officers arrested. JL

Euromaidan Press reports:

Under mounting pressure to achieve results, Russian commanders launched a desperate wave of armored vehicles to breach the Ukrainian stronghold around Ivano-Darivka. This ended in such a disaster that the Russian generals were arrested and the Russian Sers offensive was cancelled. A Ukrainian FPV drone disabled the lead turtle tank and a third tank. The second tank veered sideways and was destroyed by a mine. The heavy losses have increased tension within the Russian command, already suspecting local officers of falsifying reports. With the latest assaults coupled with the arrest of commanders from the Third Combined Arms Army, Russian forces and their command are in disarray. 

Ukraine Missiles Strike Russian Belgorod Command Post 168km From the Border

Ukraine struck the headquarters of Russia's northern command, which is 168 kilometers from the border. 

This may have been the second hit by US and British supplied missiles inside Russia in as many days. The targeting was reportedly followed by explosions and fires. JL

Reuters reports:

Ukraine successfully targeted a Russian command post in the town of Gubkin in Russia’s Belgorod region, around 168 km from the border with Ukraine a day after Ukraine used the U.S.-made ATACMS missiles to strike a Russian ammunition depot. Explosions and a fire breaking out were reported with electricity temporarily cut to some districts and emergency crews were on site repairing damage.