Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 23:15 EU leaders said that the European Union is determined to continue expanding sanctions against Russia and fight their circumvention, and also intend to continue political, financial and military support for Ukraine “so as long as necessary." They also intend to supply Ukraine with more air defense systems and speed up the delivery of 1 million ammunition. In addition, the EU wants to agree on an internal reform roadmap for further expansion of the union by the summer of 2024.
In turn, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna said that Ukraine will begin negotiations on the next steps to join the EU on Monday, December 18. And advisor to the Prime Minister of Hungary, Balazs Orbán, said that about 70 more unanimous votes of the European Council will be needed before Ukraine joins the EU.
22:42 Scholz suggested that Orban leave the room during the voting for the decision on Ukraine, writes Politico. According to two officials, Scholz told Orban in the presence of other leaders that if he really did not want to agree, he could leave the room so that EU leaders could make a unanimous decision in his absence. At the same time, one of the European officials clarified that this proposal was not spontaneous, but was agreed upon during preliminary discussions.
22:28 The Russians fired artillery at the center of Kherson - one person was killed, one was wounded, the prosecutor's office reported.
22:23 The US Senate postponed its recess in order to vote again on the bill with assistance to Ukraine. The vote will take place next week, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said. Republican representative John Thune announced progress in negotiations.
22:19 The UK is introducing an embargo on the export of a number of dual-use goods to Russia, including machine parts and electronics, the government said. In addition, London prohibits the import of certain Russian metals, including a law banning the import of Russian diamonds.
22:06 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with his Moldovan colleague Maia Sandu against the backdrop of the European Council’s decision to approve the start of negotiations on accession to the EU for Kyiv and Chisinau: “We congratulated each other with today's decision of the European Council. This is our common victory. Let's move into the EU together."
21:58 The European Council decided to begin negotiations on accession to the EU with Ukraine and Moldova. The opening of negotiations requires the consent of all EU leaders, including Hungary, which opposed it until the very end. About how we managed to achieve a historic decision, see the materialVictory in Brussels.
21:24 The Air Force clarified that today Russia fired three Kh-47M2 Dagger air-launched air-launched missiles at Ukraine from three MiG-31K aircraft from the airspace of the Tula region in the direction Kyiv and Starokonstantinov, Khmelnitsky region. One missile was destroyed in the Kyiv region.
“Of course, we do not comment on the consequences of hits/non-hits by enemy missiles in the Khmelnitsky region,” the Air Force command added. They also noted that only ten minutes passed from the moment the air raid was announced to the strikes in central Ukraine. Several more enemy targets are likely imitated by enemy electronic warfare. The Air Force explained that it is impossible to immediately determine whether it is a real Dagger or a so-called false target.
20:31 On Thursday, December 14, the alarm was declared four times in Ukraine due to the takeoff of the Russian MiG-31K fighter. During the second and third alerts, the Air Force reported missile launches. Read more in the materialFour alarms in a day.
20:05 Orban left the hall when EU leaders voted to begin negotiations on Ukraine's membership, The Guardian writes. Orban himself later said that Hungary was not involved in the decision to start negotiations with Ukraine on EU membership and still considers it a “bad decision.”
19:56 Zelensky called “a victory for Ukraine” decision of the European Council to begin negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU.
19:42 Zelensky said that he held a meeting with the command of the US Army in Europe and Africa in Wiesbaden, Germany. We discussed the work of the Security Assistance Group of Ukraine, ensuring logistics for the supply of ammunition and military equipment, its repair and maintenance.
19:38 The EU Council decided to begin negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the European Union, said the President of the European Council Charles Michel. The EU executive will now begin technical work to prepare for the accession process, which includes drawing up plans and checking the level of European legislation in parallel with the completion of future reforms.
19:34 A Kinzhal aeroballistic missile was shot down over Kiev today, said Air Force Speaker Yuriy Ignat.
19:12 The House of Representatives supported the draft US defense budget with a total volume of 886 billion dollars, which provides 300 million to help Ukraine counter Russian aggression. Now the document will be sent to Biden for signature .
18:01 Germany handed over to Ukraine the second Patriot air defense system and missiles for it, the country’s government reported. Also in the new package are nine Bandvagn 206 tracked all-terrain vehicles, almost 7,400 ammunition for 155 mm artillery, three unmanned mine clearance vehicles, 14 drone detection systems, eight trucks, etc.
17:53 The Romanian Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to protest him over the fall of drone debris. “We condemn these continuous Russian airstrikes against the Ukrainian civilian population and civilian infrastructure, which are war crimes and must be stopped immediately,” the Romanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
17:35 A Bundeswehr colonel, who headed the German security department, is being tried in Berlin for selling secret intelligence information about Ukraine to Russia for 800 thousand euros, writes Reuters. He is accused of treason and disclosing state secrets, key intelligence about the war in Ukraine. The intelligence officer faces life imprisonment.
17:28 Zelensky arrived in Germany on an unannounced visit, Bild writes, citing local police. The Ukrainian president flew to Frankfurt am Main and immediately upon arrival went to Wiesbaden, where the American headquarters of military assistance to Ukraine is located.
Meanwhile, Politico writes, citing sources, that Zelensky wanted to personally attend the EU summit, but EU leaders at the last moment decided not to invite him, fearing Orban’s reaction.
17:07 Putin on today’s “direct line” ignored real questions from the population, but unwittingly confirmed the losses of the Russian army. More details in the materialArmy losses and double.
17:00 Today Russia attacked the Khmelnytsky region twice: one explosion occurred in the Starokonstaninovsky community, the second in the Mirolubnensky community of the Khmelnytsky district. According to preliminary information, no injuries or destruction were recorded in either case, said Sergei Tyurin, deputy head of the OVA.
The head of the Kyiv Air Force, Ruslan Kravchenko, also reported that as a result of the missile attack, there were no casualties in the area, no hits to civilian infrastructure, and no falling debris from downed targets was recorded.
16:49 Air Force Speaker Yuri Ignat said that they would not inform about the results of the air defense work on Daggers: “Let the enemy draw his own conclusions.” Let's not feed them information."
16:20 Russia struck Starokonstantinov, Khmelnitsky region, with an aeroballistic missile Kinzhal, said Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat. Information about the consequences and victims is being clarified.
15:58 In Voronezh, Russia, on December 12, an explosion occurred on the territory of the Rosneft oil depot, after which a fire started there. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the fuel tank was blown up by “unknown opponents of the Putin regime.” To hide the fact of sabotage and their own inability to ensure security at critical facilities, local authorities announced alleged “exercises of the Ministry of Emergency Situations” units. right next to the fuel tank.
15:21 The Russian army fired at an apartment building in Antonovka, Kherson region, one person was wounded, the OVA reported. In addition, one person was injured as a result of the morning shelling of Kherson.
15:16 Five more Ukrainian children were returned from the occupied territories, said the head of the Kherson OVA, Alexander Prokudin. According to him, two children were taken out with their families, three more were children “from the category of those who found themselves in difficult life circumstances.”
15:07 During a night Russian drone attack on port infrastructure on the Danube in the Odessa region, one of the downed UAVs fell on the territory of Romania, the country’s Ministry of Defense said. According to the agency, the drone left a crater 1.5 meters deep near the village of Grinda, located about 8 km from the Ukrainian port of Reni. F-16 fighters and Eurfighter military aircraft were flown into Romanian airspace. An investigation has been launched into the incident.
14:59 Estonia announced another package of military assistance to Ukraine worth 80 million euros. It will include Javelin anti-tank systems, ammunition, machine guns, land and water (boats) transport, diving equipment, etc.
14:06 The prosecutor's office began an investigation into the video material published by Radio Liberty journalists. According to preliminary data, Russian military personnel in the Zaporozhye direction used Ukrainian prisoners of war as human shields. Journalists received a video from a drone, which shows how a group of Russian army soldiers leads three prisoners forward, and fires behind them.
13:58 Zelensky spoke at a meeting of the European Council this morning, a European Pravda correspondent reports from Brussels. The publication notes that this body includes only the leaders of EU states, but the President of the European Council has the authority to individually invite guests to the meeting. According to the EP, the possibility of a personal visit by Zelensky was previously considered, but the EU did not confirm this possibility.
13:52 Shoigu has appointed a new commander of the missile cruiser Moscow destroyed by Ukraine, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reports, citing an order from the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation marked “for official use.” According to the document dated September 10, 2022, Andrei Savateev became the new commander of the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Ukrainian forces destroyed the cruiser Moscow in April 2022.
13:07 The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has put the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, on the wanted list. In April, a Moscow court arrested Budanov in absentia for “creating a terrorist community.” and "storage of weapons and explosives". Russian media assumed that this was an explosion on the Kerch Bridge.
12:36 617 thousand Russian troops are currently at war in Ukraine, Putin said.
12:03 While Putin is talking on the direct line about “successes in the Northern Military District,” “inconvenient questions” appear on the screen, which the Russian president ignores. Public pages also write about a hacker attack on the Kremlin website.
11:48 Putin said on a direct line that the goals and objectives of the war in Ukraine have not changed: “There will be peace when we achieve our goals, they do not change - this denazification, demilitarization, neutral status of Ukraine." He also stated that “at the core, Russians and Ukrainians are one people.” The head of Krem claims that Russia allegedly “has been trying for decades to build normal relations with Ukraine,” and that what is now happening in relations with Ukraine “looks like a civil war.” At the same time, he called Odessa a “Russian city.”
According to Putin, in the “special operation zone” There are currently 244 thousand mobilized, but there will be no second wave of mobilization, since there is no such need. He claims that 1.5 thousand people sign up to volunteer every day, and since the beginning of the year 486 thousand people have been recruited in this way.
11:29 Russia, on the eve of the presidential elections, has intensified repression against Ukrainians in the occupied territories, reports the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. In particular, those who do not want to receive Russian passports are denied medical and social assistance, and are deprived of access to electricity and water supply.
Punitive and repressive groups conduct systematic searches of the private premises of Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied territories of Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. In addition, the Russians are trying to block all possible communication channels and access to information. Thus, in order to obtain permission and the opportunity to use the mobile Internet, Ukrainians under occupation must turn to providers controlled by the Russians. These companies inject unknown codes into people's phones, which may indicate a hidden installation of spyware.
11:14 Russian publics report that at night drones attacked military bases in Alabino and Podolsk in the Moscow region, as well as the Volodarsk oil depot. All drones were allegedly shot down. Ukrainian media write, citing sources, that this was a special operation by the GUR.
11:10 Orban, before the EU summit, which will take place on December 14-15, again opposed the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union: “We established seven conditions that accompanied candidate status Ukraine. And according to the European Commission, three out of seven have not been implemented. There is no reason to discuss anything, it makes sense to return to this when Ukraine has completed everything.”
10:58 In "LPR" so-called "elections" President of Russia will last three weeks, said the head of the Lugansk OVA Artem Lysogor. So, early “voting” will last from February 25 to March 14, and during March 15-17 it will be possible to “vote” remotely by taking part in an electronic “expression of will.”
“In the cities and villages of the occupied Luhansk region, where there has been no Internet for a year and a half, this will be difficult to do, but people will cope if they are ordered. Otherwise, they will come to their home, because a form of door-to-door voting is allowed,” added Lysogor. In addition, according to him, the list of documents for participation in elections has been expanded. In particular, you can cast a vote without having a Russian passport, but by presenting a document replacing it. For example, the recommended list of documents for voting posted on the website of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation includes a passport of a citizen of the USSR, model 1974.
10:39 European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will meet for a working breakfast with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to again try to convince him to change his mind about decisions on Ukraine, Politico writes, citing sources.
10:00 Zelensky’s third visit to Washington during the war was intended to get Congress to allocate a new package of military assistance. After meeting with the Ukrainian president, Biden said his administration would continue to help Kyiv, but warned that options were running out due to a lack of additional funding approved by Congress. And it looks like Congress won’t approve anything this year. Read more in the materialUnited States still without money.
09:33 Commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Sergei Naev visited the border areas of the Chernihiv region and showed how the lines and positions of the first and second defense lines are set up in the most dangerous directions. “If the threat grows, additional forces will arrive at the prepared lines and we will be ready to adequately respond to any development of the situation,” Naev added. In the video, in particular, you can see how “dragon teeth” are installed.
08:56 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of December 14:
- personnel - about 342,800 (+1300) people,
- tanks - 5692 (+10),
- armored combat vehicles - 10,616 (+22),
- artillery systems - 8088 (+12),
- MLRS - 920 (+1),
- air defense systems - 605 (+0),
- aircraft - 324 (+0),
- helicopters - 324 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 6206 (+33),
- cruise missiles - 1606 (+10),
- ships/boats - 22 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 10,675 (+13),
- special equipment - 1185 (+9).
08:37 Late in the evening of December 13, the Russians fired an S-300 missile at the village of Mirolyubovka, Kherson region - one person was killed, information about other victims is being clarified, the prosecutor's office reported. Private houses and an educational institution were damaged, and the building of a local outpatient clinic was partially destroyed. According to OVA, over the previous 24 hours in the region one person was killed and another was injured from Russian shelling.
08:23 Over the past 24 hours, 120 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 29 attacks east of Novobakhmutovka, Stepnoy, Avdeevka and another 28 attacks south of Severny, Pervomaisky and Nevelskoye, Donetsk region. In the Kupyansky direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled 21 enemy attacks in the Sinkovka area and two more attacks east of Petropavlovka, Kharkov region; in Maryinsky - 19 attacks in the Novomikhailovka and Krasnohorivka areas of the Donetsk region.
In addition, in the Liman direction, Ukrainian forces repelled enemy attacks in the Serebryansky forestry area of the Lugansk region and east of Ternov, Donetsk region; on Bakhmutsky - near Ivanovsky, Andreevka and Kleshcheevka, Donetsk region; in Zaporozhye - near Rabotino and west of Verbovoy, Zaporozhye region.
08:12 In Odessa, as a result of falling debris from downed drones, a dormitory was damaged, 11 people were injured, including three children, said Oleg Kiper, head of the OVA. In addition to the hostel, 11 more buildings were damaged. After the attack in Odessa, the Russians launched more than 20 attack drones against port infrastructure in the Izmail region. The storage facilities were damaged, but no people were injured.
07:24 Air defense in the evening and at night destroyed 41 of 42 attack UAVs Shahed-136/131, which Russia attacked from three directions: Balaklava, Chauda in Crimea and Primorsko-Akhtarsk . The main direction of attack is the Odessa region. In addition, at night the enemy fired six S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles from the occupied territories of the Kherson region in the direction of the Nikolaev and Kherson regions.
06:10 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that at night air defense systems allegedly destroyed and intercepted nine “Ukrainian drones” over the territories of Kaluga and Moscow regions.
05:56 NATO increased its civilian and military budgets for 2024 by 18.2% and 12% - to 438.1 million euros and 2.03 billion euros, respectively.
The US Senate also adopted the country's defense budget for the 2024 fiscal year for a record amount of $886 billion, Reuters reports. The bill passed with significant support from both Democrats and Republicans. The document, among other things, talks about the creation of the Office of the Special Inspector General for Assistance to Ukraine. The legislation would also expand through 2024 the U.S. president's authority to provide or lease defense items to Ukraine and other Eastern European countries affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, refused to support the Senate Democratic leader's call to extend both chambers by a week to pass additional funding, particularly for Ukraine. The White House called this a rejection of steps vital to US national security.
“As you heard from the President yesterday, the American people will not turn their backs on Ukraine and its fight for freedom against tyranny. But Speaker Johnson said that the House of Representatives will end its work tomorrow without agreeing on border issues, without funding for Israel, without funding for urgent needs for Ukraine... The world is watching the actions of Republicans in Congress. Moscow, Beijing and Tehran are all watching. House Republicans should not go home for the holidays when they need to take vital steps to keep the United States and the world safe,” White House Speaker Karine Jean-Pierre said.