Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21:51 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that over the past two hours, air defense systems allegedly destroyed 26 “Ukrainian drones” over Crimea.
21:19 US "has a much higher rate" in Russia's war against Ukraine than most people think, ISW believes. Read more about analysts' forecasts in the materialThe fate of the United States in the event of a Russian victory.
20:48 "Governor" of the occupied Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo said that the Genichesk "okrug" Now under heavy rocket fire. According to him, at the moment at least 15 targets have allegedly been shot down. Meanwhile, the public reports about explosions in Dzhankoy, and the “governor” Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev reported on the work of air defense - one UAV was allegedly shot down. In addition, they report an attack on an oil depot in the Budennovsky district of Donetsk.
19:27 Lithuania transferred a new batch of military aid to Ukraine, including several million rounds of ammunition and several thousand ammunition for short-range man-portable anti-tank grenade launchers, the country's Ministry of Defense reported. Also, Lithuania has already drawn up a long-term plan to support Ukraine for 2024-2026 in the amount of 200 million euros.
19:08 During the day, the Russians shelled Nikopol, Dnepropetrovsk region, four times with heavy artillery. Two people were injured, including a 16-year-old girl. In the city, a store, 14 private houses, outbuildings, garages and cars, several power lines and a gas pipeline were damaged, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Lysak.
18:54 The Finnish Prosecutor General's Office has initiated a preliminary investigation into possible war crimes committed in Ukraine by the former commander of the neo-Nazi group Rusich, Jan Petrovsky. The preliminary investigation will take place in Finland, since the country's court has banned the extradition of the suspect to Ukraine. Finnish authorities can investigate crimes committed in Ukraine based on the principle of universal jurisdiction.
18:26 Air defense is operating over the Russian Kursk, four drones have already been shot down, said Governor Roman Starovoit.
17:31 British intelligence believes that despite the gradual advance of the Russian army in the Marinka area, a significant breakthrough in the direction of Kurakhovo is extremely unlikely. According to intelligence data, one of the operational goals of the Russian Federation in the area is control over highways 00510 and H15 precisely with the aim of further advancement in the direction of Kurakhovo.
17:15 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU will look for a working solution on financing Ukraine on the eve of a new summit: “A new meeting has been scheduled for early next year. And the commission will use the remaining time to make sure that whatever happens at the next summit, we will have a workable solution." She added that it is necessary to work on alternative solutions in case unanimity is not reached.
In turn, French President Emmanuel Macron said following the summit that the next few months will be decisive for both Hungary and the European Union. He stressed that Orbán should not be allowed to treat the EU “as a hostage.”
16:23 The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that a “principled decision” was reached at the EU summit. on the creation of the Ukrainian Fund Ukraine Facility in the amount of 50 billion euros for 2024-2027. “This is a clear signal that financial support for Ukraine from the European Union will continue. We expect the completion of all necessary legal procedures in January 2024, which will allow us to receive appropriate funding as soon as possible,” the statement said.
The Foreign Ministry noted that these 50 billion euros will be used, in particular, to maintain macroeconomic stability, restore and modernize the state, as well as accelerate integration into the EU.
16:20 Russian artillery struck the Dnieper district of Kherson. As a result of a shell hitting a residential building, two people were injured, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin.
16:14 Russian public pages write that as a result of a missile attack on the Russian military in the area of the Port City shopping center in Mariupol, 52 people were killed, more than 20 were injured, about ten units were lost technology. According to them, new soldiers, including special forces, arrived at the location where the attack was carried out a few days ago. Some of them were supposed to be sent to Ugledar, some to the Avdeevskoe direction.
15:39 In the Transcarpathian region, in the building of the Keretskiv village council, one of the deputies blew up grenades during a session. As a result of the explosion, 26 people were initially injured, six are in serious condition. Read more in the materialTragedy in Transcarpathia.
15:35 Two Leopard 2 tanks were repaired in Lithuania for Ukraine. They will soon return to the front. Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said that he personally checked the vehicles.
14:56 The resistance movement in Melitopol carried out a successful sabotage and blew up a railway train that carried ammunition and fuel daily from Crimea to Melitopol and Dneprorudnoye. According to the Center for National Resistance under the Special Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, this train was transporting ore, grain and damaged equipment back from the temporarily occupied territories. As a result of the explosion, the railway and the diesel locomotive with cars were damaged. The occupation administration is trying to hide the fact of sabotage while the Russians are unsuccessfully searching for the partisans. FSB officers, “policemen,” dog handlers with dogs, and even crime laboratory experts were involved. This is the 11th successful sabotage on the railway in 2023.
14:32 Germany sends Ukraine a batch of “winter” humanitarian aid for 6.1 million euros. The country's Foreign Ministry reported that the "winter protective umbrella" for Ukraine includes not only air defense systems, but also generators, blankets, tents and batteries.
13:54 Member countries of the Danube Commission at their 100th anniversary meeting chaired by Ukraine excluded Russia because of its attacks on the Lower Danube, Kuleba said. Russia was obliged to leave the organization by February 29, 2024. If it does not do this, the commission members will not recognize their obligations to the Russian Federation under the Belgrade Convention on the Regime of Navigation on the Danube.
13:30 The Russians fired an S-300 missile at the Kyiv district of Kharkov, the prosecutor’s office reported. The store, garages, outbuildings, car were damaged.
13:08 Lavrov said that the longer the war in Ukraine goes on, the more difficult the conditions under which peace negotiations can begin will be.
12:19 After the night attacks on Mariupol, the Russians who settled in a camp in the Port City area are packing up their things en masse, breaking contracts and going home, said adviser to the city mayor Pyotr Andryushchenko . According to him, all the builders of the Russian Ministry of Defense live here, who, in particular, build fortifications around Mariupol.
12:01 Ukrainian military intelligence has refuted Putin’s statement that 617 thousand Russians are fighting in Ukraine. As the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate Andrei Chernyak said in a commentary to Liga, the number of Russian army in Ukraine today is 443 thousand people. In addition, there are about 30 thousand employees of the Russian Guard at the front and in the occupied territories.
11:57 Germany ordered another 68 thousand shells for Ukraine worth 278 million euros, the country’s Ministry of Defense reported. This is the first batch of assistance that Germany plans to provide by concluding a framework deal with the French ammunition manufacturer. As part of this agreement, it is planned to produce 350 thousand shells for Ukraine.
11:39 The Russians shelled Kherson - one person was killed in the Central region, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. In addition, the enemy hit an apartment building in the Dnieper district, as well as a market. Over the past 24 hours in the region, one person was killed and two were injured as a result of enemy shelling.
11:03 According to the UA War Infographics project, the Kinzhal missile has 77 American parts. Analysts also calculated how long it takes for such a missile to fly to different Ukrainian cities:
10:36 Hungary will not support a 50 billion euro aid package for Ukraine until the EU pays all 30 billion euros frozen for Budapest, Orban said. “This is an excellent opportunity for Hungary to make it clear that it must get everything that belongs to it,” the prime minister said.
09:53 The World Bank is allocating an additional $1.34 billion to Ukraine, Shmyhal said. The funds will be used to pay pensions, teachers’ salaries, support for IDPs and other priority state budget expenses. The bulk of this funding package - 1.086 billion - comes from the Japanese government. The rest are grants from the USA, Switzerland and the Fund for Support, Reconstruction and Reform of Ukraine (URTF).
09:17 Former Deputy Minister of Defense Anna Malyar reported that at night on the eastern outskirts of Mariupol the Defense Forces destroyed an army-level rear command post. Warehouses with fuel and lubricants and parking for military and transport equipment were hit by one targeted strike, the enemy’s air defense did not work.
08:41 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of December 15:
- personnel - about 343,890 (+1090) people,
- tanks - 5706 (+14),
- armored combat vehicles - 10,654 (+38),
- artillery systems - 8099 (+11),
- MLRS - 920 (+0),
- air defense systems - 605 (+0),
- aircraft - 324 (+0),
- helicopters - 324 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 6226 (+20),
- cruise missiles - 1608 (+2),
- ships/boats - 22 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 10,699 (+24),
- special equipment - 1189 (+4).
08:22 Over the past 24 hours, 110 military clashes took place at the front,the General Staff reported in the morning report . In particular, in the Avdeevsky direction, the Defense Forces repelled 23 enemy attacks east of Novobakhmutovka, Stepnoy, Avdeevka and another 22 attacks south of Severny, Pervomaisky and Nevelsky Donetsk region. Another 17 attacks were repulsed in the Maryinsky direction (in the Novomikhailovka area, Donetsk region) and 15 attacks in Kupyansky (in the Sinkovka area, Kharkov region).
In addition, in the Liman direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled an enemy attack east of Ternov, Donetsk region; on Bakhmutsky - 11 attacks near Ivanovsky, Kleshcheevka and Andreevka, Donetsk region; on Zaporozhye - 9 attacks north of Priyutnoye, west and north-west of Verbovoy, Zaporozhye region.
07:45 Two powerful explosions occurred in Mariupol at night: at a "concrete plant" and in the area outside Port City, where the Russians stationed military equipment and parts of air defense systems, said adviser to the city mayor Pyotr Andryushchenko. According to him, this is the second Ukrainian strike on the territory of Port City - the first was on September 7. The place is still cordoned off; the wounded were being taken out at midnight.
In the "DPR" stated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired three long-range missiles towards Mariupol at 00:25.
07:14 Air defense at night destroyed all 14 Shahed-type attack drones that Russia attacked from the Primorsko-Akhtarsk region of the Krasnodar Territory, the Air Force command reported. The drones were shot down within the Nikolaev, Kherson, Khmelnytsky and Poltava regions.
06:08 Argentina is considering the possibility of transferring to Ukraine two Mi-171E multi-purpose helicopters, which were purchased from Russia, writes Pucara Defensa. According to the publication, the relevant agreements were reached during Zelensky’s visit to Buenos Aires. Negotiations are currently underway on the terms of compensation to the Argentine side for the transfer of helicopters to Ukraine.
05:20 Orban blocked the EU budget decision, which would have included a medium-term assistance program for Ukraine, said European Council President Charles Michel. He clarified that the topic of discussion was not only funding for Ukraine: EU leaders were asked to accept a package that included funding to support Ukraine, expenses for migration programs, and funding for the EU Solidarity and Defense Fund. According to Michel, of the 27 states, only Hungary opposed it. Consideration of this issue has been postponed to early 2024.
04:37 Japan introduced a new package of sanctions against 57 companies from Russia, 27 from Belarus, as well as from the UAE, Armenia, Syria and Uzbekistan. The country is also introducing a ban on the import of non-industrial diamonds from the Russian Federation from January 1, 2024. In addition, sanctions were imposed against the Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia Tatyana Moskalkova, Ombudsman of the Moscow Region Ksenia Mishonova, and Colonel General Alexander Lapin.
02:52 Zelensky said that he returned to Ukraine and is now in Lviv - “with a decision on the European Union and other things that will strengthen air defense. There will also be more support packages."
00:51 After lengthy negotiations, the leaders of the European Union countries came to an agreement on the 12th package of sanctions against Russia, writes The Guardian. Previously, the decision was blocked by Austria. The details of the new package of restrictions have not been disclosed, but it is known that the package of sanctions previously recommended by the European Commission included proposals to block commercial income received from trading in Russian diamonds, as well as sanctions against a number of Russian officials and businessmen, including the son of Dmitry Medvedev. The final decision should be made in the coming days.