Finally, but possibly ages too late.

Biden allows Ukraine to use long-range US-supplied ATACMS missiles on targets in Russia.

President Joe Biden has permitted Ukraine to use long-range missiles supplied by the US to strike targets inside Russia, in a major foreign-policy about-face being reported by multiple American media outlets.

Previously, the US had insisted the weapons it supplied Kyiv could only be used to attack Russian military assets occupying Ukrainian territory, with one exception that came earlier this year designed to protect the border city of Kharkiv.

It's understood the policy change will pave the way for Ukraine to use the Army Tactical Missile Systems, known colloquially as ATACMS on targets inside Russia......

It may help to thwart Russia's strategy of destroying the power supply throughout Ukraine before winter. If Ukraine were to try this in Russia, there would be a global outcry.

On the other hand, it remains unclear which restrictions in detail Biden has lifted. There are different statements.

• targets in Russia in general
  
• targets in Russia's Kursk oblast which Ukraine has partially occupied; where North Korean troops are attacking...
  

Hopefully the decision will have an impact on policy making in Europe (e.g. FR, UK, ... impossible in Germany).

Many here see Russia's aggression as an unalterable fate, where it is better not to interfere. The false assumption is that as soon as Putin has swallowed the whole of Ukraine, the angry Russian bear will turn back into the cuddly teddy bear of the 1990s. The West (which excludes us) hopefully has learned from the inter war period that led to WW2. We learned to recognize imperialism and fascism as a purely German original sin... which was necessary. But now we can't identify these threats anywhere else.

PooTin has a new plan to recruit more orcs.

PooTin signs law to write off bad debts up to $100k for new Army recruits who fight in Ukraine.

Then there's the orcs that well overfed Kim sent him.

North Korean Troops Deployed to New Russian Frontline Region.

There's also the Yi Peng 3 and those undersea cables.

China-flagged vessel with Russian captain suspected of sabotaging fibre-optic cables in Baltic Sea.

Meanwhile, was PooTin's hands glued together and then to the table to coverup the shakes?

PooTin's Near Motionless Hands Reignite Health Rumors—What To Know.

It's a shame that we couldn't see his legs in the clip.

There's also the Yi Peng 3 and those undersea cables.

"Yi Peng 3" has not moved in days. It seems the ship is still detained by Danish authorities; it's closely shadowed (less than a mile away) by at least one Danish warship 24/7... today "HDMS Hvidbjørnen" (F360), an ocean patrol frigate, accompanied by the German Coast Guard cutter "Bad Düben" (BP 83).

Another 1 bites the dust.

Igor Kirillov, a Russian general who had been accused of using chemical weapons, has been killed by an explosion in Moscow - as Ukraine claims responsibility for the blast.

A senior Russian military official has been killed after an explosive device hidden in a scooter went off outside a building in Moscow.

Igor Kirillov, the commander of Russian armed forces’ chemical, biological and radiation defence troops, was killed along with his deputy when “an explosive device planted in a scooter parked near the entrance of a residential building was activated on the morning of December 17 on Ryazansky Avenue in Moscow”, the Russian Investigative Committee (RIC) said in a statement. Russian authorities said they were probing the attack as “terrorism”

A source in Ukraine’s SBU security service claimed it was behind the early morning explosion in what it called a “special operation”, according to AFP, Reuters and the BBC.

Ukraine’s SBU alleged Kirillov was “a legitimate target” because he was a “war criminal” who gave orders to use banned chemical weapons against the Ukrainian military on the battlefield......

Meanwhile.

‘Real and operational’: Ukraine unveils new laser weapon.

Ukraine is now officially in the laser weapons game.

Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, revealed that the country’s military has developed its own laser weapon which can target and down aircraft at altitudes exceeding 2 kilometres.

Speaking at the European Defense Industry: Prospects for Cooperation with the Ukrainian Defense Industry conference, Sukharevskyi proudly declared Tryzub (trident) “laser is real and operational”, adding that efforts are already underway to scale up its capabilities against Russia.

The announcement marks a significant leap in Ukraine’s military innovation, according to Ukrainian publication the Kyiv Independent.

But it’s not just lasers that are powering Ukraine’s defence advances......

Russia threatened to freeze Central Europe by stopping gas exports if the 'West' interferes in Russia's "Special Military Operation" in Ukraine. In the end they are freezing 'their own' fellow Russians which they claim to protect from 'Ukrainian Nazis' or from the evil 'Greater Romania nationalists'. Unfortunately, it is the poorest who are hit the most severly again.

Russian Gas Halt Leaves Transnistria Without Heating Amid Winter Freeze

Residents of the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria were left without centralized heating and hot water on Wednesday after Russian gas shipments via Ukraine were halted, the local energy company Tirasteploenergo said.

The shutdown followed Ukraine’s decision not to renew a five-year gas transit agreement with Russia starting on Jan. 1. Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko called the cutoff a “historic event” and said that “Russia is losing its markets and will suffer financial losses.”

Among a list of recommendations to customers, the company suggested sealing gaps in windows and balcony doors to retain heat, as well as “gathering all family members in a single room while temporarily closing off unused spaces."

The temperature in Transnistria’s capital city of Tiraspol is set to plunge to minus 1 degree Celcius [edit: 30F] on Wednesday night.

Residents were also advised to use electric heaters and limit energy use to stay warm. Energy authorities urged caution to prevent fires and electrical system overloads.

Transnistria declared a 30-day economic emergency last month in anticipation of the energy shortage. Moldova also implemented its own state of emergency in the energy sector as fears mounted over the potential humanitarian impact of reduced gas supplies during the winter months.

Transnistria had been supplied with gas by Gazprom for decades without paying for it, simply accumulating debts. It was in Russia's strategic interest to support this grotesque Stalinist secessionist regime to uphold another frozen conflict. Now Ukraine finally terminated the gas transit contract with Russia as announced long time ago. And Russia has no 'Plan B' how to supply their Transnistrian brothers. They could simply buy gas from Moldova via Romania; that is from the EU. But somebody would have to pay for it. Now it is up to the humanity of the Moldovans to help their freezing neighbors in Transnistria.

They caught a couple of live 1's.

Zelenskyy claims Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers in Kursk region of Russia.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has claimed that two North Korean soldiers have been taken prisoner for the first time by Ukraine's military in Russia's Kursk region.

"Two soldiers, though wounded, survived and were transported to Kyiv, where they are now communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine," the Ukrainian president wrote on X.

"This was not an easy task: Russian forces and other North Korean military personnel usually execute their wounded to erase any evidence of North Korea's involvement in the war against Ukraine."

Mr Zelensky had said in late December that Ukraine had captured several seriously wounded North Korean soldiers who later died.

North Korean soldiers were first deployed to Russia in October to support Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, with around 11,000 troops present, according to Ukrainian and Western analysts.

The Ukrainian president said the prisoners were receiving medical care in lines with the rules of warfare governed by the Geneva Conventions.

He added that journalists would be given access to the prisoners by Ukraine's security forces......

Well the ball is in PooTin's court now as Ukraine accepts U.S. deal.

Ukraine ready to accept ceasefire with Russia as US restores intelligence sharing.

Ukraine has expressed a willingness to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia, after meetings with the US in Saudi Arabia.

In exchange, the US has agreed to immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance with Ukraine.

Ukrainian and US officials have been meeting in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, discussing the future of the three-year-long conflict.

In a joint statement by the Ukrainian and US delegations, the officials said the offer would now be taken to the Russians for approval.

The statement said Ukraine "expressed readiness" to accept a US proposal to enact a 30-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.

The ceasefire "is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation". .....

First it was North Koreans and now it's Chinese.

Ukraine releases striking footage of alleged captured Chinese soldiers who claim Russia dropped poison gas after they surrendered.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky claims at least 155 Chinese nationals are fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, releasing new footage of two men, who themselves claimed to be Chinese, captured in Donetsk Oblast on Thursday.

The revealing video shows the men being interrogated in a room with a Ukrainian flag as a backdrop. The first man, Zhang Renbo, revealed he was an inexperienced soldier who was on his first deployment.

“I am a Chinese citizen from Jiangxi Province. I am currently being held by Ukraine as a prisoner of war,” he said.

When asked if he participated in direct combat against the Ukrainian armed forces, Mr Renbo deflected but revealed he had never held a gun before arriving in Ukraine.

“It was my first deployment, my first combat mission, prior to that I had never participated in combat operations. Before I got there, I had never held a weapon.”

The second prisoner, 34-year-old Wang Guangjun from Zhengzhou City, said he “surrendered in a group of three” including his deputy commander and another Russian soldier.......

You just can't trust PooTin's words. When he opens his mouth he lies and Donny is no better.

Ukraine says Russia has ramped up attacks despite 'Easter truce'.

Ukraine says Russia has stepped up its attacks despite the "Easter truce" it declared, while the Kremlin claims Kyiv has broken the ceasefire more than a thousand times.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said either "Putin does not have full control over his army" or Russia has no intention of trying to end the war, in a social media post on X.

His comments came after Russia's defence ministry claimed Ukraine had broken President Vladimir Putin's ceasefire more than a thousand times, Russian news agencies reported.

Mr Putin announced a surprise one-day ceasefire in Ukraine on Saturday for Easter.

The US State Department said it would support the ceasefire's extension beyond Sunday.

But Russia's TASS news agency later said Mr Putin had not given any further order to extend the ceasefire beyond 9pm on Sunday, local time........

Mr Putin announced a surprise one-day ceasefire in Ukraine on Saturday for Easter.

So, Putin admits that Ukraine has changed its approach to Christian holidays from the previously used Orthodox calendar (which is the Julian calendar) to the Western Gregorian one (to break with Russian traditions and adapt to European/Western Christian holiday dates)?

That's surprising.

[EDIT to add:] ...just a rare coincidence:

https://www.catholicregister.org/item/2021-a-unified-easter-in-2025

Because this year, churches both East and West will celebrate Easter, the Day of Resurrection, on the same date: Sunday, April 20, 2025.

It’s notable because Western churches — Catholics of the Latin Church and most Protestants — follow the Gregorian calendar. So do most Eastern Catholic churches. The Eastern Orthodox churches — along with some Eastern Catholic churches — use the older or revised Julian calendar.

That divergence currently results in a 13-day disparity between the Gregorian and Julian calendars [...]