Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:38 Ukraine is eager to join the EU. The European Commission in its report recommended opening negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on accession to the EU if certain conditions are met, and granting candidate status to Georgia. This decision will be made at the December Leaders' Summit on December 14-15. The key obstacle is Budapest's position. Read more in the material Fight for the EU .
21:56 Russian troops fired at one of the Toretskugol mines, one worker was wounded, the Ministry of Energy reported. The equipment was significantly damaged and the mine's operations were stopped.
21:49 The latest request from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense for weapons includes the latest THAAD air defense systems, F-18 fighters and Apache helicopters. Read more in the article What Ukraine requested from the United States .
21:14 Zelensky said in an evening video message that he held a long meeting with the head of government Denis Shmyhal. We discussed cooperation with partners and donors, energy issues, and the government’s work on energy sustainability in Ukraine. “Thanks to the connection of our energy system with Europe, we have appropriate support from our neighbors,” the president noted.
The Ukrainian president also had a telephone conversation with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez - they discussed security issues and Ukraine's progress in completing the implementation of the recommendations of the European Commission on the eve of the European Council meeting. Meanwhile, Sanchez said that he also spoke with Orban today about progress towards Ukraine’s accession to the EU. The Hungarian Prime Minister, in turn, again emphasized that EU leaders “should refrain from discussing the issue of Ukraine’s accession to the EU during the December meeting of the European Council,” since there is supposedly no unity among member countries on this issue.
18:57 Ukraine will produce 155-mm caliber shells, but their production will begin no earlier than in two years, said Minister of Strategic Industry Alexander Kamyshin. According to him, there are already agreements with two leading American companies on joint production of 155-mm ammunition in Ukraine. “The implementation of these projects will take years,” the minister emphasized.
18:08 Due to Russian shelling, two power units of thermal power plants in the front-line zone stopped working, the Ministry of Energy reports. This afternoon, the enemy struck one of the thermal power plants in the front-line zone; equipment was seriously damaged as a result of artillery shelling.
17:39 Zelensky accepted the invitation of the newly elected President of Argentina Javier Miley and will attend his inauguration ceremony, local publication NT reports, citing sources. The President of Ukraine will arrive in Buenos Aires early in the morning on Sunday, December 10.
17:04 Representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Andrei Yusov believes that Russia this winter will not be able to attack the Ukrainian energy sector on a larger scale than last year, since its missile reserves are depleted. However, the threat of such attacks remains, he added: “We understand that the peak of the winter period, including the peak load on our energy system, is ahead. This is a serious challenge for the security and defense forces, our air and missile defense systems and means. Therefore, preparations continue.” .
16:25 This month Ukraine will receive all Vampire anti-drone systems ordered from the United States - we are talking about 14 units, the US Navy command reported. Along with this batch of Vampires will arrive the first APKWS missiles equipped with a proximity detonator.
16:07 The Pentagon plans to increase the production of 155-mm ammunition by 500% in the next two years, the cost of this is estimated at $1.5 billion, writes Bloomberg.
15:26 There are 28 thousand Ukrainian civilians in Russian captivity, said Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets. Of these, about 2,000 are citizens over 65 years of age. There are even cases when Ukrainians over 80-85 years old are captured for their pro-Ukrainian position. According to the Ombudsman, the Ukrainian authorities can neither check their condition nor give them medicine.
Lubinets also said that data on the deportation of more than 19,540 Ukrainian children has been officially confirmed. “If we return one child every day, then we need 55 years. And this is against the backdrop of the fact that the Russian Federation continues to deport more and more new groups of Ukrainian children every day,” he added.
15:14 Zelensky put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council on new sanctions against Russian citizens and companies. The list includes more than 180 individuals and the same number of legal entities.
15:10 The United States transferred technology for the production of FrankenSAM hybrid air defense systems to Ukraine, the White House said. This system makes it possible to combine modern surface-to-air missiles with Soviet-era launchers and radars that the Ukrainian Armed Forces already have. Parallel production of these systems in both Ukraine and the United States should speed up their deployment.
14:29 According to the Ukrainian Helsinki Union for Human Rights, up to 800 thousand Russian citizens have illegally arrived in Crimea since 2014, and about 100 thousand Ukrainians have left the peninsula.
13:58 Director of the Department of Europe and Central Asia of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Gui Tsunyu said that Putin makes decisions on Ukraine “based on the national interests” of Russia. “Sometimes European politicians tell us that we should talk to Russia, talk to President Putin about the withdrawal of troops. But this is a very independent nation,” the Chinese diplomat noted.
13:12 The Russian army attacked Tyaginka, Kherson region, four people were injured, the OVA reported.
13:05 A branch of the Russian “public organization” Another Ukraine , which was created by Medvedchuk after the exchange in the Russian Federation, was registered in Serbia, Radio Liberty reports. The head of the organization’s division was Dragan Stanojevic, a candidate for deputy of the Serbian parliament, who publicly supports Russian aggression.
12:44 Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed to strengthen cooperation in defense, according to a joint statement following Putin’s visit. Regarding the war in Ukraine, Russia expressed gratitude for the efforts of the Saudi Crown Prince, including "the release of a number of prisoners of different nationalities."
11:47 Aid to Ukraine has reached its minimum for the entire period of the war, reports the Kiel Institute of World Economics. Thus, from August to October 2023, the total cost of new packages is estimated at 2.11 billion euros - this is the lowest amount since January 2022. The newly allocated aid is almost 90% less than the same period in 2022. Of the 42 donors surveyed, only 20 have pledged new aid packages in the past three months, the lowest since the war began.
11:25 Following the results of the virtual summit, the G7 states announced their intentions to introduce restrictions on Russian diamonds by January 1, 2024. Restrictions are introduced on the import of non-industrial diamonds mined, processed or produced in Russia until January 1, 2024, and then further gradual restrictions on the import of Russian diamonds processed in third countries. The approximate start date of these restrictions is March 1, 2024.
By September 1, 2024, the G7 countries, which are the main importers of rough diamonds, will create a mechanism for the verification and certification of rough diamonds and will consult on this issue with producing countries and partners.
10:48 US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held a closed-door meeting at the Pentagon with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov. According to the Pentagon press service, the negotiations concerned Ukraine's strategic goals for the next year and the long-term vision of the future armed forces.
10:34 Ukraine has requested from the United States new types of weapons to repel Russian attacks, including, in particular, the modern THAAD air defense system, F-18 Hornet fighter jets, MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones, Apache and Black Hawk helicopters, Reuters reports citing documentation.
10:09 Republicans in the Senate blocked $66 billion in aid to Ukraine due to contradictions with immigration. Read more in the article Blocking aid to Ukraine in the United States: what's next .
09:27 The “DPR” continues to pass “sentences” on the captured defenders of Mariupol. The “Supreme Court of the DPR” sentenced three more Azov residents - Vladislav Chuzh, Bogdan Beznosko and Svyatoslav Zdorovenko. They were found “guilty” of allegedly “cruel treatment of the civilian population.”
09:02 Japan will allocate $4.5 billion for the restoration of Ukraine, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.
08:51 At night, the Russians attacked the port infrastructure of the Danube region in the Izmail district of the Odessa region with attack drones, said Oleg Kiper, head of the OBA. As a result of the hit, a warehouse, an elevator and a truck were damaged, and the driver of one of the trucks was killed. A fire broke out on the spot, which was promptly extinguished by State Emergency Service employees.
08:36 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of December 7:
- personnel - about 336,230 (+1120) people,
- tanks - 5618 (+18),
- armored combat vehicles - 10,482 (+26),
- artillery systems - 8045 (+21),
- MLRS - 919 (+0),
- air defense systems - 605 (+0),
- aircraft - 324 (+0),
- helicopters - 324 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 6116 (+33),
- cruise missiles - 1571 (+1),
- ships/boats - 22 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 10,561 (+29),
- special equipment - 1156 (+3).
08:19 Over the past 24 hours, 91 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report . In particular, the Defense Forces repelled 34 enemy attacks in the Avdeevsky direction (in areas east of Novobakhmutovka, Stepnoy, Avdeevka, Severny, Tonenky, Pervomaisky, Donetsk region) and 17 attacks in Maryinsky (in the Krasnohorivka, Maryinka and Novomikhailovka areas of the Donetsk region).
In addition, in the Kupyansk direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled attacks in the Sinkovka area of the Kharkov region; on Limansky - in the Ternov, Vesely, Razdolovka districts of the Donetsk region; on Bakhmutsky - in the Bogdanovka, Kleshcheevka and Andreevka districts of the Donetsk region; on Shakhtarsky - north of Novodonetsk, Donetsk region; on Zaporozhye - west of Verbovoy, Novoprokopovka and Rabotino, Zaporozhye region. At the same time, the 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.
08:04 At night, air defense destroyed 15 of the 18 Shahed-type UAVs that Russia attacked from Cape Chauda (Crimea), the Air Force command reports. The main directions of attack are Khmelnitsky and Odessa regions.
07:48 Biden called the actions of Republicans in Congress, who threaten to stop supporting Ukraine if they do not achieve changes in border security policy with Mexico, blackmail. "This is political blackmail in its purest form. The stakes are too high and the consequences are too significant for political brinksmanship," the US president said.
07:21 The US State Department, together with Congress, plans to send an adviser to the Ministry of Strategic Industries to Ukraine. According to the White House press service, the adviser will be sent "to support and accelerate Ukraine's transition to interoperable military forces, combat corruption and attract foreign investment in critical sectors."
In addition, the United States has created an interdepartmental Ukraine Deal Team, which consists of representatives of the State Department, the ministries of defense and trade. The group will support partners seeking advice on potential agreements and export requirements for the Ukrainian defense industry.
05:57 The White House, following the results of the first day of the Ukrainian-American conference of defense industries, stated that the announced joint production of weapons for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will concern the sphere of air defense systems, repair and technical support and the production of critical ammunition.
04:25 In the US Senate, a bill on additional funding for military assistance to Ukraine was blocked from being put to a vote. The bill to help Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan did not receive enough votes to advance. The legislative initiative provided for the allocation of an aid package in the amount of $106 billion, of which $61 billion was intended for Ukraine.
The Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova said that the bill could soon be reintroduced to the US Senate, since the senators did not support ending the debate on the document. “What does this mean for Ukraine? At all meetings, senators assured us that today’s vote is not a vote against Ukraine,” Markarova noted.
According to the ambassador, diplomats continue to work actively and hope that even before Christmas, Congress will support an agreed package that will include defense, budgetary, humanitarian and energy assistance for Ukraine for 2024.