Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21:44 Military experts compare conditions on the front line to the First World War and warn that dirt, damp, cold and rodents that prevent sleep can greatly affect the morale and performance of soldiers in battle. Read more in the article How the Armed Forces of Ukraine suffer from rats and dirt.
21:31 The EU announced new sanctions against Iran. The restrictions included Shakad Sanat Asmari and three other Iranian companies involved in the production of components for drones, as well as their managers and key employees.
21:27 According to Eurostat, there are currently 4.24 million Ukrainian refugees in the EU.
21:15 Leaders of the Hungarian communities of Transcarpathia appealed to the Chairman of the European Council Charles Michel and the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban with a request to support the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. “The new bill adopted by the Ukrainian parliament significantly reflects the interests of national minorities and enjoys our full support,” they said.
20:36 Zelensky said that he began his visit to the United States with a meeting with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown at the US National Defense University. We discussed challenges to global security, developments at the front and further Ukrainian-American cooperation in the field of defense.
19:20 Borrell, following a meeting of the EU foreign ministers, said that funding for military assistance to Ukraine remains blocked. According to him, the foreign ministers did not agree on a new tranche for Kyiv from the European Peace Fund, but agreed on the need to continue supporting Ukraine.
18:58 Kuleba said that the meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó lasted an hour and was very sincere: “Of course, the main topic was the decision of the European Council to open negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in the EU. I understand that everyone is waiting for an answer: yes or no "Give me some time... Meanwhile, I want to give one signal. I clearly told Peter: we have a common future in Europe. We must get there as soon as possible. Together."
In turn, Szijjártó said that in a conversation with Kuleba he called the proposal to begin negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU “undeveloped.”
18:35 The United States will announce new military assistance to Ukraine by the end of the month, the White House said.
18:04 Zelensky said in an interview with Latin American media that negotiations and compromise with Putin are impossible because he does not want to end the war: “First of all, he does not need peace. When we want to solve a problem, we must understand that it is necessary to all sides. We want to end the war."
The Ukrainian president also recalled that in 2014, after the Russian occupation of Crimea and part of Donbass, Putin stated that he was not going to go to a full-scale war against Ukraine. "Everything he says is not true. He is not interested in an independent Ukraine. He needs Ukraine as a part, an enclave of Russia... So what should he compromise on? Who is he? I cannot trade people. And with whom? With a person ", whose word is worth nothing. These are not guarantees," Zelensky concluded.
17:26 The “court” in the “DPR” sentenced Ruslan Shmidt, a technician of the 2nd company of the 503rd separate battalion of the 36th separate marine brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to 25 years in a maximum security colony, allegedly “for the murder of a man in Mariupol.” Advisor to the mayor of Mariupol Pyotr Andryushchenko emphasized that in the last 16 days alone, 19 such “sentences” of varying terms of imprisonment were passed on trumped-up cases against the defenders of Mariupol.
16:38 Air defense forces destroyed a Russian X-59 guided missile in the Krivoy Rog region of the Dnepropetrovsk region, the Air Command reported.
16:00 Sweden has allocated 120 million euros to Ukraine for the purchase of equipment for heating and increasing the capacity of the electrical network, as well as for other measures that will help Ukrainians survive the winter (for example, the construction of shelters), the country's Foreign Ministry reported.
15:32 Kuleba said that EU member states have not yet decided to start accession negotiations with Ukraine. According to him, “the fight will continue” at the summit of EU leaders on December 14-15 and “until the last minute” at the meeting of the European Council. First of all, we will have to overcome the resistance of Hungary.
14:41 The commander of the Eastern Group of Forces, Alexander Syrsky, claims that in the East the losses of Russians in killed are approximately eight times higher than the losses of Ukrainian forces. According to him, Russian troops rely specifically on human resources, while Ukrainian troops “try to achieve success through successful tactical actions, accurate artillery fire, mortars, attack drones and small arms.”
14:27 The decision on the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU may be postponed to March due to Hungary’s position, Reuters writes, citing sources. Ahead of the EU summit on December 14-15, Budapest again said it would block the decision to start negotiations with Kiev.
14:02 The Russians shelled the Kherson territorial community for several hours, the regional prosecutor’s office reported. In one of the suburban villages, a shell hit a summer kitchen - one person was killed, one was wounded. Two more people were injured as a result of the shelling of Kherson.
13:56 Russian troops intensified their offensive in the Avdeevka direction. Over the past 24 hours, a significant escalation of the situation has been recorded, with a record number of military clashes, said Alexander Shtupun, spokesman for the Tauride Defense Forces. “Yesterday the enemy began massive offensive operations with the support of armored vehicles in the Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions. He is actively using aviation and guided bombs. He carried out 15 airstrikes during the day,” he noted.
13:17 British intelligence reports that the Ukrainian Armed Forces carried out successful local counterattacks during the battles near Avdievka and could have driven the Russians out of Stepnoye. According to analysts, this is where the Russians are trying to carry out one of their pincer attacks to cordon off Avdeevka and its well-defended industrial zone. Intelligence notes that Avdeevka remains the scene of the most intense fighting at the front - on some days, about 40% of all military clashes probably took place in this small sector.
12:39 The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation officially decided to conduct “voting” in the presidential elections in the occupied territories of Ukraine, where martial law has been introduced.
12:13 The maritime coalition of Britain and Norway, in addition to the minesweepers Chernigov (M310) and Cherkassy (M311), will transfer 20 Viking amphibians and 23 high-speed boats to Ukraine, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported. The ceremony at which the creation of the coalition will be officially announced will take place today in London.
12:10 Representatives of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and regional authorities came to the conclusion that holding presidential “elections” in the occupied territories of Ukraine is possible.
11:54 Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba will today for the first time during a full-scale war personally meet with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjártó. “I think this fact speaks for itself: we continue to talk with Hungary. Ukraine has changed its legislation on the education and use of languages of national minorities the way Hungary wanted it. And this fact must be respected,” the Ukrainian minister noted.
EU foreign ministers today will discuss, in particular, Ukraine's fulfillment of accession requirements.
11:48 Military exercises will be held in the Darnitsky district of Kiev from December 11 to 14 - troops will practice the defense of the city. The KGVA reminded that filming and publishing the movement of military personnel and equipment is strictly prohibited.
11:36 The Russian army fired eight ballistic missiles at the Ukrainian capital. This is the second incident in a month. What is known about the consequences and what is the danger from these missiles - in the material Secrets of Ballistics .
11:02 Ukrainian media, citing sources in the SBU, publish photos and videos from the scene of the liquidation of ex-People's Deputy Ilya Kiva in the Moscow region. One of the photos shows the body of the ex-people's deputy, and the video shows the observation post near which Kiva filmed anti-Ukrainian videos. The intelligence service reported that Kiva was one of the priority targets - they had been watching him for a long time.
10:52 Crimean publics will report a strong fire in Feodosia on the territory of an industrial zone. According to some reports, an explosion occurred first.
10:27 The alarm in Kiev during the night attack was announced after the first explosions, because Russia used ballistic missiles, said Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat. Around four in the morning, Kiev residents began to write online that they heard explosions, but no alarm was declared. “This is not the first time this has happened, because ballistics flies very quickly. It literally takes a few minutes for the air defense to respond and destroy them,” explained Ignat.
09:38 Zelensky in the United States, in addition to meeting with Biden, will also speak to senators on December 12, The Washington Post writes. The President of Ukraine was invited by the leaders of the Senate factions Charles Schumer (Democrats) and Mitch McConnell (Republicans). He is also scheduled to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson.
09:20 Great Britain and Norway have created a naval coalition to support Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defense reported. The new association of countries will supply ships and other equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces to strengthen the capabilities of conducting combat operations at sea. In the near future, London will transfer two mine clearance ships to Kyiv - Sandown class minesweepers.
08:39 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of December 11:
- personnel - about 339,850 (+1030) people,
- tanks - 5655 (+19),
- armored combat vehicles - 10,560 (+31),
- artillery systems - 8070 (+6),
- MLRS - 919 (+0),
- air defense systems - 605 (+0),
- aircraft - 324 (+0),
- helicopters - 324 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 6154 (+18),
- cruise missiles - 1586 (+0),
- ships/boats - 22 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 10,636 (+13),
- special equipment - 1168 (+6).
08:26 Over the past 24 hours, 98 military clashes took place at the front, the Gestab reported in its morning report . In particular, the Defense Forces repelled 49 enemy attacks in the Avdeevsky direction (in the areas of Novobakhmutovka, Stepnoy, Avdeevka, south of Severny and Tonenky, Pervomaisky, Donetsk region), 18 attacks - in Maryinsky (in the areas of Maryinka and Novomikhailovka, Donetsk region), 13 attacks - on Bakhmutsky (in the districts of Grigoryevka, Bogdanovka, Ivanovsky, Kleshcheevka and Andreevka of the Donetsk region).
In addition, in the Kupyansk direction, Ukrainian forces repelled enemy attacks in the Sinkovka and Petropavlovka areas of the Kharkov region; on Limansky - in the districts of Ternov, Vesely, Donetsk region and Makeevka, Lugansk region; on Shakhtarsky - in the area southeast of Ugledar, Donetsk region; in Zaporozhye - in the Rabotino district of the Zaporozhye region. At the same time, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue assault operations south of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, and in the Kherson direction they hold their positions on the left bank of the Dnieper.
08:09 In the Nikolaev region, 13 Shahed-131/136 attack UAVs were destroyed during a night attack, OVA reported. Debris from downed drones damaged a residential building in the city of Ochakov, a warehouse with agricultural equipment in the Kutsurubskaya community, and an empty warehouse on the territory of an agricultural enterprise in the town of Snigirevka. No people were hurt.
07:11 During a night attack, fragments of downed missiles fell in the Darnitsky district of Kiev, four residents of Bortnichi were injured, KGVA reported.
06:56 Air defense at night destroyed all 18 attack UAVs and eight of eight ballistic missiles , the Air Force command reported. Russia attacked Ukraine with Shahed-type drones from the occupied Crimea (Chauda, Belbek), and with missiles from the Bryansk region. Most of the drones were shot down in the Nikolaev region, and all the missiles were shot down in the Kyiv region.
01:35 Zelensky said that on the sidelines of the inauguration of the President of Argentina he spoke with Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban: “As frankly as possible - and it is clear that about our European affairs.”