We know what’s coming and we are prepared.
Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation (21 December 2023)
▫️ In Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces jointly with helicopters, artillery, and heavy flamethrowers repelled nine attacks launched by assault groups of the 95th Air Assault, 14th and 43rd Mechanised brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Sinkovka (Kharkov region) and Yampolovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The Zapad Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on clusters of AFU manpower and hardware close to Petropavlovka (Kharkov region) and Terny (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy's losses amounted to up to 55 servicemen, two motor vehicles, as well as two D-30 howitzers.
▫️ In Krasny Liman direction, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces repelled one attack launched by the AFU 12th Special Forces Brigade near Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic).
In addition, air strikes and artillery fire struck the personnel and hardware of the 63rd and 67th mechanised brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine close to Torskoye (Donestk People's Republic) and Serebryansky forestry.
The enemy lost up to 190 servicemen, three armoured fighting vehicles, and one D-20 howitzer.
▫️ In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery repelled 17 attacks, and inflicted fire damage on AFU manpower and hardware close to Bogdanovka, Belaya Gora, Artyomovo, and Georgiyevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses in this direction amounted to up to 210 servicemen, and three pick-up trucks.
In counter-battery warfare, one UK-made AS-90 self-propelled artillery system, three Akatsia self-propelled artillery systems, two Gvozdika self-popelled artillery systems, one D-20 howitzer, as well as one U.S.-made AN/TPQ-37 counterbattery warfare radar were neutralised.
▫️ In South Donetsk direction, units of the Vostok Group of Forces, helicopters, and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU 72nd Mechanised, 79th Air Assault brigades near Katerinovka and Novomikhailovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy's losses amounted to up to 65 servicemen, one tank, two motor vehicles, one Giatsint-S self-propelled gun, as well as one D-20 howitzer.
▫️ In Zaporozhye direction, units of the Russian Group of Forces repelled one attack launched an assault group of the AFU 65th Mechanised Brigade close to Rabotino (Zaporozhye region).
In addition, air strikes and artillery fire hit AFU personnel and hardware close to Novodanilovka and Malaya Tokmachka (Zaporozhye region).
The enemy lost up to 75 servicemen and four motor vehicles.
▫️ In Kherson direction, as a result of the Russian Group of Forces actions, artillery fire, and air strikes, the AFU losses amounted to over 70 servicemen, three motor vehicles, one Msta-B howitzer, and one Giatsint-B gun.
▫️ Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have engaged AFU manpower and hardware in 129 areas during the day.
▫️ Air defence units shot down 29 unmanned aerial vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Svatovo, Belogorovka (Lugansk People's Republic), Mayorsk, Gorlovka (Donetsk People's Republic), Peremozhnoye (Zaporozhye region), Tavriysk, Novaya Kakhovka (Kherson region), as well as four HIMARS MLRS projectiles.
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🇺🇸 #Oklahoma high school principal (Kirk Moore) seen charging at and disarming a school shooter.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Victor Hawkins, was a former student who said he wanted to shoot up the school “like the Columbine shooters did.” While taking down the shooter, Moore was shot in the leg. He is expected to recover.
When the Principal woke up that day, he never thought he would be tackling a gunman.
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🇨🇳🛢 How much strategic oil does the world actually have in reserve?
Global strategic crude oil inventories stood at ~2.5 BILLION barrels as of December 2025, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
China holds by far the largest stockpile at 1,397 million barrels, more than 3 times the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve of 413 million barrels, which itself sits at only 58% of its full storage capacity of 714 million barrels.
China added an average of 1.1 million barrels per day to its strategic inventories throughout 2025, with preliminary data suggesting it continued building stockpiles in early 2026 ahead of the Iran War.
Japan holds the 3rd-largest reserve at 263 million barrels, followed by OECD European countries at 179 million barrels.
Meanwhile, the US is releasing 172 million barrels from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve to suppress oil prices, part of a broader 400 million barrel coordinated release agreed by 32 IEA member nations in March.
🔗 ...
🛢 JP Morgan Warns Oil Market Out of Balance, Prices Must Rise
🔸The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil flows, has removed 13.7 million barrels per day from global supply in April alone. A JP Morgan research note warns the market has no good way to replace it.
🔸Normally, spare production capacity in Saudi Arabia and the UAE acts as the market’s shock absorber. But that buffer has effectively been removed, eliminating the system’s first line of defense.
🔸With spare capacity unavailable, markets turned to inventories
➤ Global stockpiles are now being drained at ~7.1 mbd in April, an extraordinary pace, according to the note.
🔸Meanwhile, demand is collapsing because supply simply isn’t reaching users — “forced demand destruction.”The hardest hit sectors include:
▪️ Petrochemical plants across Asia are shutting down or slashing output as LPG, ethane, and naphtha flows from the Gulf collapse
▪️ Airline jet fuel ...
🛢⛽️ Global oil inventories are heading toward RECORD LOWS:
Global visible oil inventories have fallen -255 million barrels since the start of the conflict on February 27, to 7,864 million barrels.
Total estimated oil draws, including non-OECD refined products storage, have accelerated to 10.9 million barrels per day in April, the largest monthly draws on record since 2017.
Cumulative estimated draws since the start of the war now stand at 474 million barrels, with Hormuz flows holding at ~10% of normal, or 2.0 million barrels per day.
Meanwhile, even in an optimistic scenario where Strait of Hormuz flows begin recovering by late April, it is unlikely to prevent global visible inventories from reaching all-time lows, according to Goldman Sachs.
As inventories keep falling, physical oil markets are likely to require sharply higher prices for immediate delivery, since buyers cannot wait months for cheaper futures delivery when stocks are running critically low.
Goldman also warns...
