Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:27 A number of Western and Asian companies continue to supply components for Russian tanks, according to an investigation by The Insider. These are companies from the USA, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, Finland, Austria, Serbia, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, which continue to supply despite the sanctions. The publication claims that they sell components for the production of Proryv and Armata tanks.
22:00 It was decided to involve the chairmen of associations of co-owners of apartment buildings in the process of serving subpoenas. In particular, in Poltava, the managers of condominium associations were obliged to provide access to the entrances of TCC employees to the entrances, and in the Ternopil and Kyiv regions - to provide lists of men of military age living in the house. Read more in the material Mobilization in Ukraine .
21:49 The foreign ministries of Ukraine, Great Britain, Denmark, Estonia, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, the USA, France and Sweden have created the Tallinn Cybersecurity Mechanism, which will help protect Ukrainian cyberspace, Kuleba said. The group will also work closely with the EU and NATO, and new members may join.
21:32 Zelensky promised in an evening video message that logistics will be accelerated regarding the supply of drones to the front. “We are also working to ensure that the effectiveness of the use of drones, in particular FPV, becomes higher in all areas. This is an obvious priority of the state and a very specific way to protect the lives of our soldiers,” the president emphasized.
21:26 The United States has a clear plan for the future development of Ukraine, which does not imply the need to allocate funds at the current level, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
21:08 The White House expects Congress to approve additional funding for Ukraine in January, National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby said. He also recalled that Washington could announce another aid package before the end of December: “It takes several days, sometimes weeks, for some of these materials to get to Ukraine. So it is very important that in January we have progress with additional funding, because "The fighting is not going to stop. If the ground freezes before the end of January, it will make it easier for the Russians to move."
20:51 The United States has tightened sanctions against Russian oil revenues. As part of efforts to ensure compliance with the price ceiling, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, together with partner countries, has updated rules for complying with sanctions against Russian oil. We are talking about strengthening certification and accounting processes for certain oil transportation service providers.
The United States also imposed sanctions on the shipowner SUN Ship Management, registered in the UAE and owned by the sanctioned Russian state fleet operator Sovcomflot. In addition, three underground traders of Russian oil were subject to restrictions, which allowed the Russian Federation to bypass the price ceiling from Hong Kong and the UAE.
19:04 During the day, the Russian army fired 11 kamikaze drones into the Nikopol district of the Dnepropetrovsk region, and also fired at it five times from artillery, said the head of the OVA Sergei Lysak. In Nikopol, two people were injured, 11 private houses, outbuildings, cars, and power lines were damaged.
18:59 Since the beginning of October, Russian troops have advanced up to 2 km in some areas of the Avdeevsky direction, said Alexander Shtupun, spokesman for the Tauride Defense Forces: “Since October 10, when the enemy became more active, he has advanced in some places by 1.5-2 km But it cost him a lot." Shtupun clarified that during this period only in the Donetsk region in the zone of responsibility of the Tavria OSUV, the enemy lost about 25 thousand people killed and wounded.
18:40 Russian actor Ivan Okhlobystin came under fire in the occupied territory of the Donetsk region. His daughter reported that the actor came under fire while traveling with “humanitarian aid”; a bullet hit his bulletproof vest.
17:53 On the beach in Sevastopol, a local resident, while walking with her dog, found a crashed Ukrainian kamikaze drone, Russian public pages write and show photos. A preliminary inspection showed that this is a Beaver - one of those drones that are periodically shot down on approach to Moscow. According to one version, the UAV could have fallen due to being overloaded with explosives - in addition to the warhead of 20 kg, another 10 kg was loaded there.
17:46 In the Dniprovsky district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, air defense forces destroyed an X-59 guided aircraft missile, the Air Command reported.
17:42 Ukraine received 150 million euros in financial assistance from the EU as part of the rapid recovery program, the Ministry of Finance reported. The funds will be used to restore critically important facilities damaged as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation: transport infrastructure, utility facilities, social infrastructure and residential premises.
17:35 Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that he will not allow Ukraine to join NATO: “We will not agree with Ukraine’s membership in NATO, because this will be the beginning of the Third World War... I believe that this will never happen. As long as I have opportunity to influence the Slovak political scene, I will use the right to veto such a decision."
16:59 During the day, about 6,000 men of military age leave Ukraine along the entire section of the western border, the State Border Guard Service reported. Of these, 150-200 men travel as volunteers through the Shlyakh system, and in total, about 45% are freight drivers. Men who have married mothers with many children and accompany people with disabilities also travel.
16:17 In the Czech Republic, with the support of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, the Group D association was created, which is launching a public fundraiser called Nemesis for $4.5 million with the aim of purchasing drones for Ukraine. The Czech military and reservists intend to purchase 10 thousand FPV drones for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
15:38 The prime ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia signed a joint declaration on the uniform regional application of EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus in order to reduce the risks of circumvention of restrictions. In particular, the three states committed to ensure unified customs controls and exchange of information, and the relevant authorities of the Baltic countries must approve a regional approach no later than January 31, 2024.
14:49 The United States has imposed sanctions against ten entities and four individuals supporting the Iranian production of Shahed drones. These are companies and individuals based in Iran, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia. The network facilitated the purchase of hundreds of thousands of dollars of U.S. and foreign components for the jihadist aerospace organization the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its UAV program. Then all this was transferred to Russia.
The Office of the President reported that Ukraine worked closely with the United States on this issue. Ukrainian experts studied the components of the downed suicide bombers, after which this data was transferred to partners.
14:16 The Long-Range Space Communications Center of the Russian Aerospace Forces and military unit 28735 were attacked in Crimea, the Russian opposition publication Astra reports, citing sources. According to them, early in the morning at least three drone strikes were recorded on the territory of military unit 28735 of the FSB Border Directorate in the village of Solnechnogorskoye in Alushta. One employee of the FSB control center was wounded, and the satellite communications antenna was damaged.
The second attack was carried out, preliminary, by Storm Shadow missiles against the Center for Long-Range Space Communications in the village of Vitino, Saki region. At least two strikes were recorded, one piece of military equipment was damaged, but there were no casualties.
14:03 On the night of December 20, the Russians attacked a humanitarian aid warehouse in Kherson, the Ukrainian Red Cross reported. The direct hit and the resulting fire completely destroyed the supplies of humanitarian aid stored in the warehouse for the residents of the Kherson region. Employees and volunteers of the Kherson regional organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross were not injured. Work to eliminate the consequences continues.
13:52 Parliament supported, immediately as a basis and as a whole, bill No. 10341 on exemption from VAT and duties on the import of electronic warfare systems and radar systems for the army into Ukraine, said People's Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
13:06 Zelensky’s promise that Ukraine will produce a million drones next year applies only to FPV drones. Already in December, more than 50 thousand such UAVs will be produced in Ukraine, said Minister of Strategic Industry Alexander Kamyshin. “In addition to FPV drones, we are already capable of producing more than 10 thousand medium-range attack drones (hundreds of km) and 1000+ drones with a range of 1000 km next year. All production facilities are ready, contracting for 2024 begins,” the minister added.
12:53 British intelligence reports that Ukraine has mobilized efforts to improve fortifications in recent weeks as it goes on the defensive along much of its front line. At the same time, Russia continues local offensive operations in several sectors, but individual attacks rarely exceed the size of a platoon. Analysts consider a major Russian breakthrough unlikely, and overall they believe the front is static.
12:28 France, Germany and Italy are “extremely cautious” about the US idea of confiscating Russian assets to help Ukraine, writes the Financial Times. According to the newspaper, European officials "fear possible retaliation if state immunity is undermined." Instead, the EU insists on using only profits from frozen Russian assets, but some countries are wary of even such a step.
11:51 Russian troops are increasing the use of drones in the Bakhmut direction, said Vladimir Fityo, spokesman for the Ground Forces Command. According to him, on average the enemy uses from 30 to 50 drones per day in this direction.
11:43 The Kherson region experienced one of the largest attacks this night, the State Emergency Service said. In Kherson and its suburbs, Russian troops attacked a critical infrastructure facility, an educational institution, a post office, a warehouse and a residential building. Rescuers had to take cover while working to wait out repeated attacks. 16 people were injured - nine in the city, another seven in the region.
11:27 In the morning, the Russians again fired at the Esman community of the Sumy region, one person was wounded, the prosecutor’s office reported.
10:50 The German Prosecutor General's Office wants to confiscate more than 720 million euros of frozen Russian funds to the budget, Der Spiegel reports. This is an asset of an unnamed Russian company that came under sanctions and tried to withdraw frozen funds. In this regard, federal prosecutors decided that the money should be confiscated. If such a decision is made, it will become a precedent.
10:31 Japan is expected to allow the export of several dozen missiles for the Patriot air defense system to the United States in the coming days, which will allow Washington to send more modern air defense systems to Ukraine, The Washington Post writes. Japan produces Patriot missiles under license from Raytheon.
In addition, South Korea this year promised to send hundreds of thousands of artillery ammunition to Ukraine - more than all European countries combined. According to WP, a significant portion of these deliveries have already been made.
09:48 According to the General Staff, Russian troops, due to a lack of ammunition of their own production, are forced to use low-quality artillery and mortar charges supplied from North Korea. Due to the unsatisfactory condition of such ammunition, there are frequent cases of their rupture right in the barrels of guns and mortars, which leads to losses of weapons and personnel of the Russian troops. In particular, such cases were recorded in the Dnepr group of troops, where General Teplinsky is the commander.
09:09 American officials suggest that the G7 countries consider the option of transferring blocked Russian assets to Kiev in tranches through the World Bank or the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, writes the Financial Times.
09:02 On the evening of December 19, the Russians attacked the civilian infrastructure of Kherson with drones. Currently, nine people are known to be injured, including four young children, the prosecutor's office said. Civilian objects and residential buildings were damaged. According to the OVA, in just the past 24 hours, 16 people were wounded as a result of Russian shelling, including four children.
08:47 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of December 20:
- personnel - about 349,190 (+890) people,
- tanks - 5814 (+16),
- armored combat vehicles - 10,794 (+23),
- artillery systems - 8206 (+16),
- MLRS - 928 (+2),
- air defense systems - 611 (+0),
- aircraft - 324 (+0),
- helicopters - 324 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 6316 (+17),
- cruise missiles - 1612 (+1),
- ships/boats - 22 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 10,871 (+29),
- special equipment - 1203 (+3).
08:34 At night, the Russians launched two attacks on Kharkov with S-300 missiles - on a residential building and on the territory of a civilian transport enterprise. Property was damaged, but no people were injured, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA.
08:30 Over the past 24 hours, 87 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report . In the Kherson direction, the Defense Forces continue to expand the bridgehead. The enemy is trying to dislodge Ukrainian units from their positions, made eight assault attempts, but retreated with losses.
In the Avdeevsky direction, the Defense Forces repelled 26 enemy attacks east of Novobakhmutovka, Stepnoy, Avdeevka and nine more attacks south of Severny, Pervomaisky and Nevelsky Donetsk region. In the Maryinsky direction, 13 enemy attacks were repelled (in the areas of Krasnogorovka, Maryinka and Novomikhailovka, Donetsk region), in the Bakhmutsky direction - 12 attacks (near Bogdanovka, Kleshcheevka and Andreevka, Donetsk region).
In the Kupyansk direction, Ukrainian forces repelled enemy attacks near Sinkovka, Kharkov region; on Limansky - in the areas of Serebryansky forestry, Lugansk region and east of Ternov, Donetsk region; on Zaporozhye - west of Novopokrovka and Rabotino, Zaporozhye region.
08:16 Democrats and Republicans in the Senate released a joint statement saying that the issue of assistance to Ukraine is being postponed until next year. The document was signed by the head of the Democratic majority, Chuck Schumer, and the Republican minority, Mitch McConnell. Negotiators in the Senate and White House will continue to work on an agreement until the end of this year.
"We are committed to meeting the needs on the southern border and helping allies and partners confront serious threats in Israel, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific region," the senators said.
07:11 At night, air defense destroyed 18 of the 19 Shahed attack UAVs that Russia attacked from Crimea (launch areas - Chauda, Balaklava), the Air Force command reported. The drones were destroyed within the Odessa, Kherson, Dnepropetrovsk, Vinnitsa, Khmelnytsky, Kyiv, Chernigov and Kirovograd regions. In addition, the enemy launched a strike with two anti-aircraft guided missiles from the S-300 air defense system from the Belgorod region in the Kharkov region. Preliminary - no casualties.
01:04 The Russians attacked Kiev with Shahed-type attack drones, which entered the capital from the south, from the Black Sea, flying through the Odessa, Kirovograd and Cherkasy regions. All enemy targets were hit while approaching Kyiv. According to preliminary data, there were no casualties or destruction in the capital, said the head of the KGVA, Sergei Popko.
00:52 The UN General Assembly adopted an updated resolution condemning Russia's serious violations of human rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. As Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said, the document, in particular, requires the Russian Federation to stop forced deportation and ensure the safe return of all Ukrainian children and civilian hostages. “These are some of the most terrible crimes, and they must be stopped,” the Ukrainian minister emphasized.
|
