🇷🇺❌🇺🇦 — ⚡️ MoD of Russia:

"The Russian Ministry of Defense on the progress of repelling the attempted invasion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine into the territory of the Russian Federation in the Kursk region as of April 17, 2025

🪖 The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to defeat the formations of the AFU in the Kursk region.

💥 During offensive operations, units of the North group of forces inflicted losses on formations of the mechanized, airborne assault brigades and five territorial defense brigades of the AFU in the areas of the settlements of Gornal, as well as Velyka Rybitsa, Zapselye, Miropolye, Sadki, Yunakovka and Yablonovka in the Sumy region.
 
✈️ Strikes by operational-tactical, army aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles and artillery fire damaged enemy manpower and equipment in the areas of the settlements of Belovody, Vladimirovka, Novaya Sich, Osoyevka, Sadki, Yunakovka and Yablonovka in the Sumy region.
 
▪️ Over the past 24 hours, the AFU lost up to 165 servicemen, two tanks, an infantry fighting vehicle, five armored combat vehicles, twelve cars, and three artillery pieces were destroyed."

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🇺🇦❌🇷🇺 — ⚡️ MoD of Russia:

"📊 In total, during the fighting in the Kursk direction, the enemy lost:

▫️ up to 74,780 military personnel,
▫️ 410 tanks,
▫️ 334 infantry fighting vehicles,
▫️ 305 armored personnel carriers,
▫️ 2,277 armored combat vehicles,
▫️ 2,734 cars,
▫️ 618 artillery pieces,
▫️ 57 multiple launch rocket system launchers, including 15 HIMARS and seven MLRS made in the USA,
▫️ 28 launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems, a self-propelled anti-aircraft mount, ten transport and loading vehicles,
▫️ 125 electronic warfare stations,
▫️ 18 counter-battery radars, 12 air defense radars,
▫️ 57 units of engineering and other equipment, including 23 engineering vehicles for clearing obstacles, one UR-77 mine clearing unit, five bridge layers, an engineering reconnaissance vehicle, as well as 15 armored repair and recovery vehicles and a command and staff vehicle.

The operation to destroy the Ukrainian Armed Forces formations continues."

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🇷🇺❌🇺🇦 — 🕶🕶 ✙DeepState✙🇺🇦:

"🟡 Activity on the Yampolivka-Torskoe section is increasing

⚔️ The intensity of fighting in the Liman area is quite high every day, where the enemy is trying to expand the zone of control, in particular around the Zherebets River. After the Katsap advances in the northern part of Yampolivka, attempts to completely seize the settlement continue.

🏹 But the enemy found another weak spot between Yampolivka and Torske, trying to gain a foothold on the northern outskirts of the latter. Strange processes are taking place with the brigade that holds this area of ​​responsibility, because they are causing a lot of trouble for the adjacent units on both sides and something needs to be done about it. Gaining a foothold in Torske will create the most unfavorable conditions for Yampolivka.

ℹ️ Here I would also like to mention the Siversk district, which is located south of the Lyman, in particular, the events around Bilogorivka. Recently, the work of fighters of the 81st brigade was recorded west of Bilogorivka, which caused the expansion of the gray zone on the map. Information is being clarified about the complete control of Bilogorivka itself by the enemy and whether there is anyone there at all, but today this entire area is in an active phase of hostilities with a dynamic transition of positions from hand to hand."

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🇺🇦⚠️⚠️❌🇷🇺 — ⭐️ Rybar:

"A blow to the rear: about another attack by Ukrainian UAVs on military facilities in the rear

Last night, Ukrainian formations again attempted to attack objects on the territory of the Russian Federation. A total of 76 aircraft-type UAVs were destroyed in the skies over the Kursk, Oryol, Ryazan, Bryansk, Vladimir, Ivanovo and Tula regions. Most of the drones were destroyed over the Kursk region, their number amounted to 49 pieces.

🖍 In addition to the usual strikes on civilian and energy infrastructure, the Armed Forces of Ukraine also attacked military facilities. Moreover, at an impressive distance of more than 700 km from the state border.

🚩 The location of the 112th Guards Missile Brigade in came under repeated attack. in the city of Shuya, Ivanovo Region. The targets of yesterday's daytime attack were administrative buildings, but at night the enemy concentrated on attacks on the brigade's warehouse and technical infrastructure.

📌 As Two Majors rightly point out, the protection of such objects should be of primary importance. Of course, a lot of anti-aircraft missile systems will be needed to cover such a large territory as Russia has in the conditions of the ongoing war. And it is simply unrealistic to do this in a short period of time.

In addition, Ukrainian drones were again maneuvering; according to Archangel Spetsnaz, the UAVs were approaching Shuya from the rear, from the Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod regions, which makes it difficult to intercept them.

❗️ But, at a minimum, we can think about increasing the number of mobile air defense groups, which in the south of Russia have shown high efficiency in repelling UAV attacks, saturating important objects with electronic warfare. All this is much better than simply turning a blind eye and pretending that nothing happened.

High resolution map"

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🇷🇺❌🇺🇦 — ⭐️ Rybar:

"Battles for Valentinovka: situation in the Dzerzhinsky direction as of 15:00 on April 17, 2025

At the junction of the Dzerzhinsky and Pokrovsk-Mirnograd directions, Russian troops are advancing. While in Dzerzhinsk itself, fighting continues on the northern outskirts of the city near the Saint Matrona of Moscow mine, to the southwest, Russian Armed Forces fighters have raised a flag in Valentinovka.

🔻 More about the battles:

▪️ Units of the 68th Tank Regiment continue to advance in the vicinity of Panteleimonovka and have already liberated most of Valentinovka, advancing along the reservoir.

▪️ The dominant heights to the east, which have long been under the stable control of the Russian Armed Forces, play into the hands of Russian troops here. The location of the heights allows them to keep the positions of Ukrainian formations located in the lowlands under fire control.

▪️ In addition, there are successes in the forest belts to the west, between Valentinovka and the N-20 highway. There, several more strongholds of the Kalinovo-Novgorod fortified region have come under the control of Russian troops.

📌 It is too early to talk about complete control over Valentinovka. The enemy is trying to counterattack, including with special forces and with the support of armored vehicles, thereby preventing the advancing units from gaining a foothold.

High resolution map"

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⚡️‼️🇧🇾🇷🇺😎🪖 — 🇬🇧 The Times | Belarus and Russia ‘ready to target Nato’, says Kremlin spy chief | The head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service accused Britain, France and Germany of escalating the war in Ukraine | April 15 2025:

"The Belarusian and Russian security services are preparing to take “preemptive” measures against Nato member states, the Kremlin’s spy chief has said.

Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, accused Nato of an increase in military activity near the borders of the two countries. Belarus is Russia’s strongest ally in Europe and the Kremlin has used its territory for attacks on Ukraine. Moscow also says it has transferred tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.

“We feel and see that European countries, especially France, Britain and Germany, are increasing the level of escalation around the Ukrainian conflict, so we need to act preemptively. We are ready for this,” Naryshkin said during talks with Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian dictator, in Minsk."

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💻⚡️🧠🏭📍🇺🇸 — 📰 Reuters | AMD set to produce its CPU chip at TSMC plant in Arizona:

"TAIPEI, April 15 (Reuters) - Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O), opens new tab said on Tuesday its key processor chips would soon be made at TSMC's (2330.TW), opens new tab new production site in Arizona, marking the first time that its products will be manufactured in the United States.

Though AMD's plans predate U.S. President Donald Trump's return to office, tech companies' efforts to diversify their supply chains have taken on added significance given Trump's escalating tariff war.

His administration is currently investigating whether imports of semiconductors threaten national security, which could be a precursor to slapping tariffs on those products.

"Our new fifth-generation EPYC is doing very well, so we're ready to start production," AMD Chief Executive Lisa Su told reporters in Taipei, referring to the company's central processing unit (CPU) for data centres.

Until now, the U.S. company's products have been made at contract chip manufacturer TSMC's facilities in Taiwan."

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🇨🇳🗯🇺🇸 — 📰 Bloomberg | China Open to Talks If US Shows Respect, Names Point Person | April 16, 2025:

"China wants to see a number of steps from President Donald Trump’s administration before it will agree to trade talks, including showing more respect by reining in disparaging remarks by members of his cabinet, according to a person familiar with the Chinese government’s thinking.

Other conditions include a more consistent US position and a willingness to address China’s concerns around American sanctions and Taiwan, said the person, who asked not to be identified to discuss internal thinking.

Beijing also wants the US to appoint a point person for talks who has the president’s support and can help prepare a deal that Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping can sign when they meet, the person said."

#WWT

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🇺🇸💲❌🇨🇳 — 📰 ZeroHedge | Bessent's Grand Strategy: Use Tariff Negotiations To Isolate China From The Rest Of The World | April 16, 2025:

"(...) Trump laid out the stakes in the ever-escalating trading war between the US and China, in typical laconic fashion: "We may want countries to choose between us and China" (a topic discussed further here), with the White House adding that "The ball is in China’s court. China needs to make a deal with us."

This strategy, of forcing the world into "us (or US) vs them" camps first emerged last week when Trump reduced reciprocal tariffs for all countries except China, something we highlighted at the time.

A few days later, this now appears to be the official strategy in the global trade war."

#WWT

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🇺🇸💲❌🇨🇳 — 📰 The Wall Street Journal | U.S. Plans to Use Tariff Negotiations to Isolate China | Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wants trading partners to limit China’s involvement in their economies in exchange for concessions on reciprocal tariffs | April 15, 2025:

"The Trump administration plans to use ongoing tariff negotiations to pressure U.S. trading partners to limit their dealings with China, according to people with knowledge of the conversations.

The idea is to extract commitments from U.S. trading partners to isolate China’s economy in exchange for reductions in trade and tariff barriers imposed by the White House. U.S. officials plan to use negotiations with more than 70 nations to ask them to disallow China to ship goods through their countries, prevent Chinese firms from locating in their territories to avoid U.S. tariffs, and not absorb China’s cheap industrial goods into their economies.

Those measures are meant to put a dent in China’s already rickety economy and force Beijing to the negotiating table with less leverage ahead of potential talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The exact demands could vary widely by nation, given their degree of involvement with the Chinese economy."

#Geoeconomics #WWT

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🇺🇸🏭❌🏭🇨🇳 — 📰 ZeroHedge | Made In China Vs Made In America | April 16, 2025:

"While China’s status as the world’s largest manufacturing hub seems to be a law of nature these days - one only challenged by President Trump - that hasn’t always been the case. 

In fact, as Statista's Felix Richter shows in the chart below, as recently as 2009, the U.S. trumped China in manufacturing output as measured by total value added in the sector."

#Geoeconomics #WWT

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🇮🇱💬🇺🇸➡️🇸🇾 — 🌟 Ynet | US tells Israel it will begin withdrawing troops from Syria within 2 months | First report: After Trump expressed empathy for Erdogan during his meeting with Netanyahu, Ynet has learned that Washington announced US forces in Syria will begin a phased withdrawal within two months; Israel is warning of the consequences and trying to prevent the move - amid fears that Turkey will take over more strategic assets in the new Syria | April 15, 2025:

"U.S. defense officials have informed their Israeli counterparts that the United States plans to begin a phased withdrawal of its troops from Syria within two months, according to information obtained by Ynet.

Despite previous Israeli efforts to prevent such a move, Washington has made it clear those efforts were unsuccessful. Still, Israeli defense officials are not giving up and continue to press the Biden administration to reconsider.

The planned withdrawal comes as no surprise. Former President Donald Trump, now back in office, had long promised to pull U.S. troops out of the region under his administration’s isolationist doctrine, influenced in part by Vice President J.D. Vance."

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🇮🇷📞🇸🇦 — Chief of Staff of Iranian Armed Forces General Bagheri receives the Saudi Minister of Defense Khalid bin Salman and his accompanying delegation in Tehran.

🇸🇦📞🇮🇷 — Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman delivered a message from the King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to Iranian Regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

🇺🇸🌏❌🇾🇪❗️ — United States Central Command announces the Total destruction of Ras Issa Fuel Port in Al-Hodeidah Province, held by Houthi terrorists, in a major warning to "Houthi terrorists and their Iranian masters"

Destruction of Houthi Controlled Ras Isa Fuel Port

The Houthis have continued to benefit economically and militarily from countries and companies that provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The Iran-backed Houthis use fuel to sustain their military operations, as a weapon of control, and to benefit economically from embezzling the profits from the import. This fuel should be legitimately supplied to the people of Yemen. Despite the Foreign Terrorist Designation that went into effect on 05 April, ships have continued to supply fuel via the port of Ras Isa. Profits from these illegal sales are directly funding and sustaining Houthi terrorist efforts.

Today, US forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorize the entire region for over 10 years. The objective of these strikes was to degrade the economic source of power of the Houthis, who continue to exploit and bring great pain upon their fellow countrymen. This strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen, who rightly want to throw off the yoke of Houthi subjugation and live peacefully.

The Houthis, their Iranian masters, and those who knowingly aid and abet their terrorist actions should be put on notice that the world will not accept illicit smuggling of fuel and war material to a terrorist organization.

https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/1912937032059330962

🇮🇱❌🇮🇷❗️ — Israeli preparations for an independent strike in Iran is underway, Israeli N12 News says, citing unspecified foreign reports!

Israel can launch effective assault on Iran's nuclear program even without US support, report says.

🇷🇺❌🇺🇦 — 🇷🇺 SouthFront's high resolution map regarding Ukrainian frontlines

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🇺🇦⚠️⚠️❌🇷🇺 — 🇷🇺 SouthFront's high resolution map regarding Ukrainian strikes on Russian regions.

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