[Korrespondent] 22:30 On Monday, December 19, Putin flew to Minsk for the first time since 2019. The talks of the two delegations in an expanded format lasted more than two and a half hours. The main thing that was expected of them in Ukraine was the inclination of Belarus to join the war. Details about the visit - in the material Why Putin went to Minsk .
21:58 The situation in the energy system of Ukraine as of the evening remains difficult: in the central region, including in Kiev, due to significant damage to the energy infrastructure, more significant restrictions have been applied than usual, Ukrenergo reported. At the same time, the company expressed hope that by the end of the next day it will be possible to increase the level of connection of consumers in the region by 20-30%.
21:26 The Government of Canada intends to confiscate the assets of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich for $26 million and use the funds to help restore Ukraine, the country's Foreign Ministry said. The sanctioned assets belong to Granite Capital Holdings, owned by Abramovich.
21:18 Putin announced following the talks in Minsk that the Russian Federation would train the crews of Belarusian aircraft converted for the possible use of air munitions with a nuclear warhead. Lukashenka, in turn, noted that Russia and Belarus are jointly training the crews of aircraft "carrying specific ammunition."
21:14 The "authorities" of Crimea are forming a fund of several thousand land plots "for their gratuitous transfer to the participants of the special military operation from Crimea and the families of the victims who were awarded state awards," Vladimir Konstantinov, "Speaker of the State Council" of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, said.
21:03 Reznikov said that he met with Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov in Ukraine: "I am grateful for Bulgaria's decision to provide assistance in the field of Ukraine's security. We look forward to the further development of Ukrainian-Bulgarian defense cooperation."
20:55 YASNO General Director Sergey Kovalenko announced a difficult situation in Kiev: today all three groups are almost completely turned off at the same time, the schedules do not work. In addition to all the damaged facilities, where repairs are ongoing, an infrastructure facility has been added, due to which there is no light on a significant part of the right bank of the city and in some places in the region. All critical infrastructure is connected, about 20% of the population has electricity.
According to Kovalenko, ten hours without electricity in the capital is a reality today. How quickly it will be possible to return to stabilization shutdowns is difficult to predict.
20:51 Lukashenka said that Belarus has put on duty the Iskander and S-400 complexes transferred by the Russian Federation.
20:27 Zaluzhny acknowledged the problem of desertion in the Ukrainian army and supported the adoption by the Parliament of a bill on strengthening responsibility for the unauthorized abandonment of a military unit or place of service, desertion, unauthorized abandonment of the battlefield or refusal to use weapons, disobedience and non-compliance with military orders. "My opinion clearly reflects the position of the commanders of groups and military units, who demanded a systemic solution to this set of issues," the commander-in-chief emphasized.
At the same time, he acknowledged the existence of problems that lead to spontaneous withdrawal from positions, and assured that he was working to eliminate them. Zaluzhny also assured that commanders also bear full legal responsibility for their actions or inaction, and he fully trusts his subordinates.
"The army rests on discipline. And if gaps in the legislation do not ensure its observance, and "refuseniks" can pay a fine, the amount of which is up to 10% of combat payments, or receive a punishment with a trial, this is unfair. Moreover, and this is key, naked sectors of the front are forced to cover other military personnel, which leads to an increase in the loss of personnel, territories and civilians on them.Often, lost positions have to be restored by assault operations at a very high price.It should not be like this.Is it possible to solve this problem in a milder way?Explain, to convince... Yes, if we are talking about peacetime. In a war, we need quick effective solutions," the commander-in-chief emphasized.
20:12 Putin said that Russia and Belarus agreed to continue the practice of joint military exercises, as well as to develop new military equipment. In addition, he assured that he did not intend to "absorb" Belarus. And Lukashenka said that during the negotiations with Putin, "the basis for the future breakthrough of the Russian Federation and Belarus forward" was actually created.
19:24 Putin said that the Russian-Belarusian talks were "effective". Lukashenka, in turn, expressed his conviction that "people will appreciate the decisions that we have made today and on the strategy."
19:20 The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of shelling a hospital in Donetsk from Swedish howitzers.
18:56 Lavrov said that "SVO" was "absolutely necessary to thwart plans to turn Ukraine into anti-Russia."
18:27 The United States does not yet use lend-lease and transfers military assistance to Ukraine under other programs, Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko told Hromadsky: "The advantage of this tool is the speed of the US administration making decisions on a simplified procedure without unnecessary bureaucracy and the need to vote on each package of assistance to Ukraine in Congress United States. The disadvantage is that the volume of supplies of American weapons under lend-lease directly depends on the financial capabilities of Ukraine."
Therefore, according to him, at this stage of the war, Washington is providing military assistance to Kyiv at the expense of its own federal budget on a gratuitous basis.
18:23 UN Secretary General António Guterres does not yet see an opportunity for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, but he hopes that the war can be ended as early as next year: "I am not optimistic about the possibility of effective peace talks in the near future. I think that the military confrontation will continue, and I think that we will still have to wait until serious peace negotiations become possible ... When I say that I do not see opportunities for peace negotiations in the short term, I do not mean the whole of 2023 . I really hope that in 2023 we will be able to achieve peace."
18:12 In Melitopol, the Russians are acting according to the same scenario according to which they retreated from Kherson, Natalia Gumenyuk, speaker of the OK Pivden, said: "They first accumulated around Kherson, built fortifications, then reported that they were leaving some settlements, then prepared for street fighting , then they told that everything was still not lost, then they took out what they considered valuable from banks and other institutions. In principle, everything repeats itself, they like to step on the same rake, and let them work according to the same scenario, we at least know how it all ends."
Gumenyuk added that the occupiers are now trying to equip the line of defense at positions inland on the left bank of the Dnieper and at least somehow report to their leadership about something.
17:50 EU countries have agreed on a gas price ceiling of 180 euros / megawatt-hour (about 1900 euros per thousand cubic meters), Reuters writes. The gas price cap will initially not apply to OTC transactions.
17:24 In Kharkiv this year, a Christmas tree was installed at the Universitet metro station. All festive events will also be held with the support of business.
17:19 In Kiev, lights were lit on the country's main Christmas tree on Sophia Square. This year it was named the Tree of Invincibility. It is smaller than usual, decorated with economical garlands. It was installed at the expense of patrons.
17:03 A bill has been submitted to the State Duma of the Russian Federation, according to which "Russians with Ukrainian passports" will cease to be considered Ukrainian citizens in Russia as soon as they submit a corresponding application to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
16:51 British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called on world leaders to ignore any proposals from Moscow for a truce until it withdraws its troops from Ukraine. He also called on Western countries to increase the supply of military assistance to Ukraine, including air defense systems, artillery and armored vehicles.
16:39 Deliveries of wheat from Crimea to Syria have increased this year by 17 times - up to 500 thousand tons. This is about a third of the country's total grain imports, Reuters reports, citing data from the Refinitiv trade information platform. So, by the end of November, Syria imported about 501.8 thousand tons of wheat from Sevastopol, while for the whole of 2021 - about 28.2 thousand tons.
The sanctions make it more difficult to transport goods between Syria and Russia by conventional sea transport and marine insurance, so these countries are increasingly relying on their own ships to transport grain, including three Syrian ships under US sanctions.
16:15 In December, payments to the Ukrainian military will increase by 37% due to a number of additional charges, said Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar. According to her, formally 60% of the total amount of monthly financial support has already been paid. It includes official salary, payments for title, length of service, etc.
In general, this is the smallest position in the structure of the monetary allowance of military personnel, and at the end of the year there are a number of additional charges, Malyar explained: “All payments are made under the article - monthly monetary allowance. Therefore, in December, almost 37% more will be paid to soldiers for this position. than it was in November.
As of December 14, the Ministry of Defense has already financed 100% of the additional payment for direct participation in hostilities (UAH 100,000) and 100% of the additional payment for service during martial law (UAH 30,000).
15:41 Danilov, in an interview with the UP, did not rule out that the Russians would try to strengthen their positions at the front and even announce a general mobilization, "so that as many of their citizens as possible would be destroyed": "For what? So that they do not have any trouble in their territory because the people they send here come back in a completely different physical condition."
Commenting on the possible plans of the Russian Federation to seize Kyiv, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council noted: “I want us all to understand: they have not given up on the idea of ​​destroying our nation. If they don’t have Kyiv in their hands, they don’t have anything in their hands. But will we give them Kyiv, will we give them such an opportunity? No."
Answering a question about the timing of the end of the war, Danilov said that he had a positive attitude towards the forecast of Budanov, who believes that the war will end before the beginning of next summer: “I would like it to happen earlier. But given that I am a realist, I understand that before spring - summer we are unlikely to have such a holiday. But it will definitely be on our street. " He added that Lugansk, and Donetsk, and Simferopol "should definitely be returned to us, this will be our territory, our power will be there."
15:27 Putin "recommended" the Moscow region, the Crimea and Sevastopol to provide for the free transfer of land plots to those who distinguished themselves in the "special operation".
15:09 Zelensky, in his address to the leaders of the United Kingdom's Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), said that on the night of December 19, the Russians fired 34 Iranian Shahed drones from a new batch across Ukraine. In total, in this batch, Russia received 250 UAVs from Iran.
14:52 Berlin fears that after the meeting between Putin and Lukashenko, Belarus will expand its participation in the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, said the official representative of the German Chancellor, Steffen Hebestreit.
14:26 Zelensky addressed the leaders of the United Kingdom Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF): "I ask you to support our country right now with a clear decision - to provide everything that can not only maintain momentum on the battlefield in Ukraine, but also accelerate the movement of our Defense Forces towards victory. Because our victory will be the victory of each of you, this is the victory of Europe, which we are all equally waiting for."
14:19 The training of those mobilized in Ukraine can take 2-3 months or even more, Roman Gorbach, head of the personnel department of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said: "Citizens who have not previously completed military service are sent to training centers without fail. This is at least a month if it's a more difficult specialty, then we add at least two weeks, or even a month, or even two and a half months. This is individual training."
In addition, according to him, collective training is underway - when a serviceman gets into a unit, and this unit is preparing to be recruited into the combat zone. With this unit, classes are also conducted at training grounds and other areas of the terrain. In total, individual and collective training can take "two or three months or even more."
14:03 On the night of December 19, an Iranian kamikaze drone was recorded flying over the site of the South Ukrainian nuclear power plant near the nuclear installation. Energoatom said that this is an absolutely unacceptable violation of nuclear and radiation safety.
13:47 There will be no "new wave" of mobilization in Ukraine, Roman Gorbach, head of the Ground Forces personnel department, said. He explained that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are recruiting conscripts according to plans. At the same time, the plans also take into account the conduct of mobilization in Russia. "All the factors that influence have long been taken into account - and the same factor that mobilization took place in Russia, where, according to applications, from 200,000 to 300,000 citizens were called up," Gorbach added.
13:42 Peskov said that today at the talks between Putin and Lukashenko there will be an opportunity "to talk about military issues, given the turbulence." At the same time, he called reports that Putin is going to Minsk to force Belarus to take part in the war against Ukraine "stupid and unfounded fabrications".
12:51 After night attacks on Kiev and damage to infrastructure facilities, public utilities have already managed to resume the work of most boiler houses: about 3% of consumers remain without heating, Klitschko said. The water supply system of the capital is operating normally. Obolonsky, Podolsky and Desnyansky districts suffer most from the shortage of electricity in the capital.
12:46 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced that four supposedly American HARM anti-radar missiles were shot down in the airspace of the Belgorod region.
12:27 As a result of a night attack by enemy drones, three people were injured, nine houses were damaged, said the head of the National Police of the Kiev region Andriy Nebytov.
12:20 Klitschko said that on Tuesday, December 20, the metro stations Maidan Nezalezhnosti and Khreshchatyk and the transition between them will be opened. These stations have been closed since the beginning of the large-scale Russian invasion.
11:46 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has already arrived in Belarus, Putin and Shoigu are expected to arrive soon, media write from the scene.
11:17 BBC News editor Steve Rosenberg noted that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Putin and Lukashenko have held 12 personal meetings, and all of them took place on Russian territory. And only today, the 13th meeting will be held in Belarus. "The scheme is broken. I wonder why," wrote a British journalist.
11:12 As of 11:00 on December 19, a difficult situation has developed in the energy system of Ukraine, as a result of a night attack there were several hits on infrastructure facilities, Ukrenergo reported. Also in the southern and eastern regions, the enemy shelled the de-occupied areas with artillery, there is damage.
The most difficult situation has developed in the central, eastern and Dnieper regions. Schedules of emergency shutdowns have been introduced in Sumy, Kharkiv, Poltava, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Kirovograd, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kyiv regions and the city of Kyiv. Critical infrastructure facilities are connected in priority, the restoration of power supply to residential consumers may take a long time.
10:58 British intelligence writes that PMC Wagner continues to play an important role in the battles of attrition around Bakhmut. In recent months, the group has developed offensive tactics to exploit the large numbers of poorly trained convicts it has recruited.
Individual fighters are likely to be issued smartphones or tablets showing their assigned axis of attack and attack target superimposed on commercial satellite imagery. At the platoon level and above, commanders are likely to stay in cover and give orders by radio, receiving information from small UAVs. Individuals and detachments are ordered to move along a predetermined route, often with fire support, but less often with armored vehicles. Wagner operatives who arbitrarily deviate from their attack routes are likely to be threatened with the death penalty.
Analysts say this brutal tactic is intended to keep Wagner's rare assets of experienced commanders and armored vehicles at the expense of more readily available recruit prisoners, whom the PMC considers expendable.
10:39 The Russians have left stocks of missiles for a maximum of 3-4 attacks, said NSDC Secretary Alexei Danilov in an interview with the UP: "If we count on the big attacks that we have already experienced, then they have a maximum of two or three, maybe four But then they will be completely left without missiles, which is unacceptable, because they may have completely different challenges, and they must leave at least some reserve."
According to him, "the limit that, according to the standards, they had to keep, they have already passed it and passed it quite a long time ago." At the same time, Russians have more or less enough S-300 missiles in their arsenal, Danilov added.
10:21 During the war in Ukraine, the protagonist of the Russian film Vanka Yevgeny Kolesnikov was liquidated. He joined the troops of the Russian Federation voluntarily, fought with a group of invaders Ahmad-West. Kolesnikov was destroyed in the Donetsk region, said the speaker of the Odesa OVA Serhiy Bratchuk.
10:17 Ukraine experienced several waves of Russian drone attacks this night. Everything that is known at the moment is in the material Night attack of drones: what is damaged in Ukraine .
10:06 On the night of December 19, 23 enemy UAVs were recorded in the sky over the capital, the defense forces destroyed 18 drones. People were not injured, but the debris damaged the roadway in the Solomensky district, as well as the windows of a high-rise building in the Shevchenkovsky district. There is a hit in a critical infrastructure facility, emergency services are eliminating the consequences, said Sergey Popko, head of the KGVA.
09:59 Russians over the past day fired at the territory of the Kherson region 69 times - six people were injured, the head of the OVA, Yaroslav Yanushevich, said.
09:43 In the direction of Svatovo-Kremennaya, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have an advantage, said the head of the Luhansk OVA Serhiy Gaidai. He expects good news from this area by the end of the year. In Belogorivka, according to him, Ukrainian forces are fighting off attacks, the enemy is not advancing. Gaidai noted that the occupiers know that they cannot hold out in the Luhansk region, so they began a massive robbery of the region: they take out both the personal property of civilians and enterprises to the Russian Federation. At the same time, the occupied cities are freezing - high-rise buildings are heated from the inside with firewood and furniture.
09:11 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, three civilians were killed - two in Bakhmut and one in Torskoy. Four more people were injured in the region, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.
09:04 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the enemy on the morning of December 19th.
- personnel - about 98,800 (+520) people liquidated,
- tanks - 2988 (+1),
- armored combat vehicles - 5969 (+6),
- artillery systems - 1953 (+5),
- MLRS - 410 (+0),
- air defense systems - 212 (+1),
- aircraft - 281 (+0),
- helicopters - 264 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 1657 (+8),
- cruise missiles - 653 (+0),
- ships/boats - 16 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 4592 (+13),
- special equipment - 175 (+1).
08:43 Over the past day, units of the Defense Forces repelled attacks by occupiers in the areas of the settlements of Stelmakhivka, Makeevka, Chervonopopovka and Belogorovka in the Lugansk region and Verkhnekamenskoye, Bakhmutskoye, Podgorodnoye, Bakhmut, Kleschievka, Andreevka, Krasnogorovka, Aleksandropol, Maryinka, Pobeda and Novomikhailovka in the Donetsk region , said the General Staff in the morning summary .
The number of invaders in the settlements of the Melitopol district of the Zaporozhye region has increased. The Russians are considering the possibility of recruiting former policemen who have defected to the enemy to participate in the hostilities.
08:18 At night, the Russians released about 35 Shahed-136/131 Iranian kamikaze drones across the territory of Ukraine, 30 of them were shot down, the command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported. Like last time, strike UAVs were launched from the eastern coast of the Sea of ​​Azov.
07:54 In Kiev at night, several explosions thundered in the Solomensky and Shevchenkovsky districts. People were not injured, but there is damage to critical infrastructure, Klitschko said. Power engineers and heat workers are working to quickly stabilize the situation with energy and heat supply.
07:27 Emergency blackouts are introduced in Kiev due to drone attacks, DTEK reported.
06:35 As a result of a night attack by drones in the Kiev region, infrastructure facilities and private houses were damaged. According to preliminary information, two people were injured, said OVA head Aleksey Kuleba.
06:31 Kiev survived several waves of attacks by Iranian Shahed drones at night. More than 20 enemy UAVs were recorded over the capital, air defense forces destroyed about 15. There is a hit in a critical infrastructure object, said the head of the KGVA Sergey Popko.
04:59 Russians are attacking the capital with Iranian drones, air defense is working. To date, nine enemy UAVs have already been shot down over Kyiv, and the air raid continues, the Kyiv city military administration said.
04:33 The head of the Kiev OVA, Oleksiy Kuleba, announced a drone attack on the region. According to him, air defense works. Explosions were also heard in Kyiv.
02:26 Britain intends to transfer hundreds of thousands of artillery ammunition worth 250 million pounds to Ukraine in 2023, writes The Guardian. According to the publication, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce this.
00:12 The Netherlands has already provided almost 1 billion euros in military assistance to Ukraine, Defense Minister Kaisa Ollongren said. According to her, only in August the cost of equipment supplied by the Netherlands was estimated at 526 million euros, and by the end of the year this amount had already reached 987 million euros. In addition, the Netherlands is contributing 25 million euros to the NATO fund for military support to Ukraine. This money is intended for fuel, clothes and medicines.