Ukraine Latest. Weekly Digest for December 9-15, 2024

Russia launched a mixed drone and missile attack targeting Ukraine’s energy grid, one of most massive since war broke out in February 2022. US President-elect Donald Trump has branded as “foolish” President Joe Biden’s decision to permit Ukrainian forces to use American long-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory, and suggested that he may reverse the policy when he takes office next month. When asked whether he would cut support for Ukraine, “abandon it”, Trump said he instead seeks to leverage the U.S. aid to push the Kremlin to the negotiating table. “I want to reach an agreement, and the only way you’re going to reach an agreement is not to abandon.”

MAIN EVENTS OF THE WEEK

December 9: Ukraine will soon receive close to €4.1 billion in funds after the EU Council on Monday greenlighted the second regular payment of grants and loans under the EU’s Ukraine Facility, to support Ukraine’s macro-financial stability and the functioning of its public administration.

December 10: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that reduction in the age of eligibility for war conscription is not a priority. He suggested that focus should be on providing existing brigades with equipment and on training personnel to use this equipment. We should not compensate for the lack of equipment and training with the youth of soldiers. The goal should be to save as many lives as possible, not to keep weapons in warehouses.

December 10: The State Department has cleared Ukraine’s request to purchase F-16 Fighting Falcon sustainment services for $266.4 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Tuesday the proposed foreign military sale is aimed at strengthening the country’s capability to meet current and future threats.

December 11: Ukraine has enough financial resources and weaponry to continue its defense against Russia’s war aggression through at least the first half of 2025 even without US aid, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais Wednesday.

December 12: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said solving the Ukraine crisis would be his top priority once he assumes office next month, describing the Middle East as a “less difficult situation.” “And the Middle East is of course a big priority. But I think that the Middle East is a less difficult situation than Ukraine with Russia,” Trump said. Responding to questions related to the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump said he “very vehemently” disagrees with “sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that?”, Trump told Time as the magazine named him Person of the Year for 2024.  “We’re just escalating this war and making it worse.” Trump promised that he would not “abandon” Ukraine amid its nearly three-year-long war. “I want to reach an agreement, and the only way you’re going to reach an agreement is not to abandon.”

December 12:  The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK, along with the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, have reiterated their commitment to enhancing military, economic, and financial support for Ukraine, “including through the mobilization of additional European funding”. The enhanced assistance from the six countries and the EU is outlined in the Berlin Declaration, following the recent ministerial talks. In Berlin, top European diplomats met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha “at a crucial moment in Russia’s war aggression against Ukraine.” The diplomats stressed that the swift and collective provision of a $50 billion loan from the G7 countries, with European countries playing a key role, will help Ukraine meet urgent needs, including military requirements. “We remain committed to supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery in coordination with international partners,” the declaration says. The ministers and the EU High Representative also reiterated that the objectives of achieving an inclusive, just, and sustainable peace for Ukraine and ensuring long-term security for Europe are intertwined, saying that “Ukraine must win”. Furthermore, the diplomats pledged to continue supporting Ukraine’s irreversible path toward full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership and its aspirations to join the European Union. “We will persist in limiting Russia’s military capabilities and increasing pressure on the Kremlin’s revenue sources, particularly from energy exports,” the declaration said. They also reaffirmed their commitment to the peace formula proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, viewing it as a reliable route to a just and sustainable peace. The diplomats emphasized that any peace negotiations in Ukraine must involve the participation of Ukrainians, with Europeans standing firmly by their side.

December 12: The United States will provide Ukraine with over $440 million in aid for key sectors of its economy, Richard Verma, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery, announced Thursady. The announcement comes as outgoing US President Joe Biden aims to ramp up support for Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump takes over in January. The economic aid package is comprised of four key parts, including $223 million to rebuild transportation, infrastructure, and logistics. Another $105 million will be used to train Ukrainians for “tomorrow’s jobs” in reconstruction and industry, while $74.7 million will support Ukraine’s agriculture sector. A further $35 million is allocated for the “Project Preparation Facility,” which aims to increase and accelerate upcoming construction projects. Ukraine relies heavily on economic aid from Western partners to keep the country running amid Russia’s full-scale invasion. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted in April 2024 that Ukraine would need over $40 billion in external financing this year.

December 12: The U.S. House of Representatives has approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a $883.7 billion defense policy bill, with a bipartisan vote of 281-140. However, the budget does not include funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which was allocated $300 million in last year’s law. Additionally, the approved version of the NDAA does not extend the law on lend-lease for Ukraine, despite initial expectations. The Senate version of the NDAA did include a provision to extend the term of the Ukraine Democracy Assistance Act, but it was not included in the bill approved by the House of Representatives. According to Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, the Embassy is actively working to preserve this mechanism, as outlined in the bipartisan and bicameral “Stand with Ukraine Act.”

President Zelensky, during his first face-to-face encounter with Donald Trump since the latter won US presidential election last month, highlighted the need for Ukraine to have robust security assurances before entering any negotiation process to end the war with Russia. At a December 7 meeting in Paris hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, the three leaders did not discuss specific detail, but the US president-elect reiterated that “there should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin” to end the war sooner.

COMMENT: Volodymyr Fesenko, Chairman of the Board, Penta Center for Applied Political Studies: “Ukraine is ready for negotiations,https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-ato/3936702-diplomatia-zelenskij-visloviv-gotovnist-do-miru-putin-skrutiv-ultimativnu-dulu.html but there should be no talk of a unilateral ceasefire. And as President Zelensky rightly noted, there must be robust security guarantees provided for Ukraine in the event a ceasefire deal is reached. There is nothing new from the Kremlin. Putin continues with his ultimatums.”

December 12: The UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, in response to a request from the Ukrainian authorities, has granted temporary enhanced protection to Babyn Yar, the site of one of the largest massacres of the ‘Holocaust by bullets’, along with the Odesa Literature Museum. This brings the number of cultural properties benefiting from this status in Ukraine to 27.

December 13: The Supreme Court of the Netherlands has rejected Russia’s appeal against the Hague Arbitration Court’s ruling requiring Moscow to pay $5 billion in damages to Naftogaz. Russia was ordered to pay the money as compensation for misappropriated assets in occupied Crimea. The tribunal ruled in February 2019 that Russia had expropriated Naftogaz’s assets in Crimea in violation of the bilateral investment agreement between Ukraine and Russia.This marks the second definitive ruling by Dutch courts confirming the validity of the Hague arbitration tribunal’s partial award. Following the 2019 ruling, the tribunal determined the damages in April 2023, ordering Russia to pay $5 billion. Despite the ruling, Russia continued to dispute the decision. The assets in question were seized following Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea in March 2014.

WAR AS IT IS

December 9/ Bratchuk: Russia attempting to intimidate our Western partners with terrorist attacks

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December 9/ Victory Commanders series interview: Hero of Ukraine Dmytro “Fin” Finashyn on the battlefield situation, the Ukrainian Frontline, amputation and post-war crisis

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December 10/ Interview with naval infantryman Volodymyr Ivanov: Survived in Mariupol, but wanted to die in captivity

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December 10/ Nation of the Invincible series interview: Irma Vitovska on her acting job amid war, genocidal war, the need for satisfaction and the Kyiv Perepichka (Kyiv specific hotdog)

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December 11/ Defenders are got back on their feet literally. How The Invincible rehabilitation center works

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December 11/ Interview. Kramatorsk Station: Your mommy won’t come anymore! Why did you come to my land? – Buffalo from Azov about the fighting in Mariupol

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December 10/ The aftermath of Russian missile strike on Zaporizhzhia city

December 11/ Soldiers building fortifications at Kharkiv frontline

December 12/ Dress rehearsal of the ballet “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in a bomb shelter at the Kharkiv Opera

December 14/ Kordon Race obstacle race was held in Lviv

UKRAINIAN BATTLEFIELDS

Armed Forces Supreme Commander Volodymyr Zelensky:

December 12: heard a report from the AFU Chief Commander Oleksandr Syrsky regarding the outcome of Ukrainian attacks on military targets inside Russia and on the situation on Ukrainian battlefields;

December 12: As part of his tour of the Zaporizhzhia region, chaired a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff addressing, among other things, measures deemed necessary to bolster Ukrainian air defenses and stabilize the frontline situation;

December 12: heard a report from Tavria Operational Force Grouping commander Henadii Shapovalov regarding the results of operations carried out, particularly involving the use of long-range weapons, the specifics of HIMARS system deployments, and the pace of HIMARS ammunition deliveries;

December 12: While on a tour of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, visited the country’s first underground forward surgical team

Ukrainian attacks on the Russian Federation and Russia occupied Ukraine:

December 14: Defense Ministry’s intelligence branch, the HUR, in a coordinated effort with the SBU Security Service and other components of the Defense Forces, staged a complex, multi-phase special operation to destroy a Russian fuel train. The operation aimed to disrupt fuel supplies from Crimea to Russian occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The operation involved a preparatory sabotage attack aimed to cripple a railway running near Bilmak District’s  Oleksiivka village. SBU’s Military Counterintelligence service  blew up tracks as the fuel train was passing by Oleksiivka. The explosion and resulting fire left the train derailed and several of the tanks ablaze. In a follow-up attack, HIMARS rockets targeted the engine and the outermost cars, igniting more tanks and ensuring the invaders couldn’t salvage any fuel from the wreckage. Finally, HUR completed the job using one-way attack drones. As a result of the operation, the engine and 40 fuel tanks were destroyed, and a critical railway line supplying Russian forces was disabled for a significantly long time.

December 14: In the Russian city of Ulyanovsk, a railway track was blown up, in an operation purportedly undertaken by Ukraine’s HUR defense intelligence agency Saturday. The explosion damaged railway tracks near the Sviaga River, a few kilometers from the local locomotive depot and the Ulyanovsk Motor Plant. While this sabotage will not stop the railway traffic operation completely, it will affect smooth work of the local railway depot. The city of Ulyanovsk is home to several major enterprises of  Russia’s defense industrial complex.

December 11: Russian Bryansk and Rostov regions faced overnight attacks involving drones and missiles, leading to fires and significant damage to key industrial sites. In Bryansk, a fire broke out at a Transneft-owned oil refinery following a series of drone attacks. The regional governor claimed that 10 fixed-wing drones were shot down, while the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that a total of 14 drones were intercepted. The AFU claimed responsibility for the strike on an oil depot outside of the provincial capital of Bryansk. “Units of the AFU’s Unmanned Systems Force and the defense intelligence service targeted an oil storage site in Russia’s Bryansk oblast,” AFU said in a press statement. Bryansk oil depot is a filling station serving the Druzhba oil pipeline, whose main function is to receive, store, distribute, and transfer diesel fuel to tanker trucks and railroad transport. The facility is actively involved in supplying the Russian military. Oil tanks were hit and a massive fire broke out at the facility in the aftermath of the attack, according to preliminary reports. Residents identified the fire as occurring near the Transneft-operated refinery. In Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, a missile strike reportedly targeted an industrial facility and destroyed 14 vehicles parked on-site. Eyewitnesses suggested the attack damaged the Taganrog Beriev Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex (TANTK). The company manufactures airplanes and equipment, including A-50/100 AWACS planes for the needs of Russia’s Ministry of Defense.

December 12: A Russian weapons expert who was involved in the design and development of cruise missiles used in the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine was assassinated near his home outside Moscow. Mikhail Shatsky, deputy chief  designer and head of design at the Mars Design & Development Bureau — which develops missiles for use by the Russian military — was shot dead Thursday in Kuzminsky forest, about 13 kilometres from the Kremlin. Exiled Russian journalist Alexandr Nevzorov posted a photograph on Telegram of a man resembling Shatsky lying dead on blood-stained snow. Similar photographs were published on several pro-Ukraine channels on the messaging app. Independent Russian outlet Important Stories said it had geolocated the site where the body was found as a 10-minute walk from Shatsky’s home near the forest. In his role at the Moscow-based Mars Desig & Development Bureau, Shatsky was in charge of overseeing upgrade projects for the Kh-59 and Kh-69 cruise missiles, which Russia has fired at Ukrainian cities since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022. The engineer had also reportedly been working on AI technology for Russian drones.

December 12: “The country Russia does not exist.” The HUR’s hacker team congratulated Russians on the Russian Constitution Day. They carried out a successful operation, gaining full control over the web servers of key Russian government portals. The “greeting” from Ukraine’s HUR targeted the official website of the State Duma of Russia, the Constitutional Court of Russia, and the web page of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court. A banner with the words “The country Russia does not exist” was posted on the State Duma website, and the Constitutional Court website was completely disabled, displaying an “error” to users attempting to access it. The DDoS attack on these web resources of the Russian Federation completely paralyzed their operation and disabled the servers.

December 10: Ukrainian forces struck an ammunition storage facility in the Russian occupied city of Yenakiieve, Donetsk Oblast, the hometown of exiled former President Viktor Yanukovych. The local Russian-installed “administration” announced the evacuation of residents due to the threat posed by the debris of detonating ammunition. Residents in the surrounding neighbourhoods were asked to stay away from the windows. According to local Telegram channels, the affected facility served as Russian occupying army’s ammo storage located in a residential neighborhood near a military training site. According to eyewitnesses, the facility may contain a large quantity of diversified munitions. Yenakiieve is a major city in Donetsk Oblast, which has been held by Russian forces since 2014. The Russians use the city as one of their logistics centres, locating equipment and personnel and training them in the surrounding areas.

December 11: Dozens of Russian servicemen were wounded and one was killed in the aftermath of an overnight air strike on a military airbase in Taganrog, Russia’s Rostov Oblast Wednesday, where the 5th Wing of the 6955th Aviation Brigade is stationed. The attack claimed lives of 41 personnel and left one dead, according to Telegram channel Astra.

December 15: Grozny experienced a series of explosions, reportedly the result of drone strikes.  In one such attack, a long-range drone, possibly modified from Ukraine’s Aeroprakt A-22 sports aircraft, was likely used in a strike Sunday on a building housing a riot policy regiment in the Chechen capital city of Grozny. This was another instance of the Aeroprakt A-22 being repurposed into a one-way attack drone by Ukrainian intelligence since the beginning of the year. The modified drone can travel up to 1,300 kilometers, equipped with an additional fuel tank, remote guidance systems, and explosive payloads. Earlier this year, similar drones were used to target a drone factory, a missile research center, and a naval base housing military ships in Russia. The strike caused a fiery explosion but lacked the shrapnel wave typical of purpose-built long-range munitions, such as Britain’s Storm Shadow cruise missile.  Just days earlier, on December 12, Kremlin-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov reported a drone attack over barracks belonging to the Akhmat Kadyrov special police regiment, resulting in minor injuries to four guards.

December 14: The AFU General Staff confirmed an overnight drone attack targeting the “Stalnoi Kon” (Steel Horse) line production dispatch station in Russia’s Oryol region. The facility, part of Russia’s defense-industrial complex and one of the largest of this kind in Oryol Oblast, is involved in supplies of petroleum  products to the Russian army. The operation was caried out by the Special Operations Force within the AFU, in a concerted effort with other elements of Ukraine’s Defense Forces, according to the General Staff’s report. An intense fire broke out at the facility in the aftermath of the attack.

December 14: A Su-30 fighter jet was destroyed in a sabotage operation in the city of Krymsk, Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, Ukraine’s HUR reported Saturday via Telegram. One day earlier, on Friday, three railway engines were disabled in the regional capital of Krasnodar, HUR reported, adding that these military assets were being used by Russia in its war against Ukraine. “For each war crime committed against the Ukrainian people, there will be just retribution,” the report says.

December 15: One of Ukraine’s far-flying sports plane drones attacked Chechen capital Grozny, around 600 miles from the front line in Ukraine, in the early hours of Sunday. Telegram channels, citing local residents, reported that the drones had targeted a base housing the Special Purpose Mobile Unit (OMON) riot police and the 2nd Regiment of Special Forces Police. Social media reports also suggest that, in addition to targeting the OMON and 2nd Regiment bases, a drone struck a military facility commonly used to send personnel to Ukraine.

December 9: The former head of a notorious prison in Russia occupied Ukraine was assasinated in a car blast in Donetsk. Ukrainian media say that Sergei Yevsyukov, 49, died in a blast from an explosive device planted under his car, with one outlet reporting that the bomb was equivalent to about 100g of TNT. Yevsyukov was chief of the Olenivka Prison at the time when dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war died in a missile attack in July 2022. Russia blamed Ukraine for that attack but Ukraine said Russia had targeted the prison to destroy evidence of torture and other war crimes committed there. Russian authorities said on Monday they had launched a criminal investigation into the incident which took place near the city’s center. Ukrainian bloggers reported Yevsyukov’s wife had also been injured in the attack, losing a leg, and was rushed to a hospital while on a critical condition. “[We] are conducting a detailed examination of the scene of the incident and a set of operational and investigative measures are being undertaken,” the Russian Investigations Committee said. Footage of the scene shows the burnt-out white utility vehicle parked on a main street in Donestsk. Yevsyukov’s assassination is being seen as the latest in a string of targeted attacks by Ukraine on Russian officers, Russian-installed military officials and pro-Kremlin public figures in occupied Ukrainian territory and in Russia.

December 11: On December 5, 2024, A fire at a railway depot in Bryansk, Russia, destroyed two mainline locomotives that were crucial for the logistics operations of the Russian military, HUR, the defense intelligence branch of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense reported in a Wednesday post on Telegram. “On Dec. 5, 2024, a fire broke out at the railway depot of Bryansk, burning out two mainline locomotives used to support the logistics needs of the occupying Russian army,” the post reads.

HOSTILITIES

December 14:  President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that evidence had emerged suggesting that Russia had begun using North Korean troops in assaults against Ukrainian forces in Ukraine occupied  Kursk Oblast of Russia. Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence sevice, the HUR, reported that Russia began engaging North Korean soldiers in assault operations in Kursk Oblast, particularly as part of combined marine and airborne units. Following massive assaults on Saturday, Ukrainian forces released images and videos featuring Russian and North Korean soldiers killed on a battlefield in Kursk Oblast. The Madiar channel reported this to be the result of a collaborative effort by FPV-drone pilots from the 414th Unmanned Strike Aviation Systems Regiment, the Mahura Brigade, the 95th Air Assault Brigade, the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, the 1st Tank Brigade and the 17th Tank Brigade.

December 12: AUF Command-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky visited the headquarters of the 38th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade that is fighting on Pokrovsk frontline. Pokrovsk has for several recent months remained the hottest section of the frontline as Russian troops continue their offensive south of Pokrovsk, particularly the settlements of Novyi Trud and Dachenske. Analysts say that such manoeuvres will allow Russian troops to reach as close as six kilometres toward Pokrovsk. In the coming days, the Russians may try to encircle Ukrainian forces between Novyi Trud and Dachenske in preparation for an offensive on Shevchenko. “We are exploring all potential scenarios and getting prepared for the actions the adversary may undertake,” Syrsky said.

The number of Russian troops fighting in Ukraine has remained relatively constant recently. However, a downward trend has become visible beginning in late November as Ukrainian forces eliminate more Russian soldiers than Moscow recruits through contracts and forced conscription. In November, it was able to recruit an estimated 25,000 – 40,000 personnel, but lost more than 45,000 soldiers dead and severely wounded. The Russian group of forces currently deployed in Ukraine numbered about 574,000-575,000 personnel as of early November. Moscow wanted it to have grown to 690,000 men by the end of this year, but will hardly be able to achieve this target, due primarily to heavy losses. According to UK intelligence, infantry attacks made November 2024 the most expensive month of the war for Russia, with the daily loss rate averaged at 1,523 men. Russia’s casualty rate is likely to continue to average more than 1,000 people per day in December 2024, despite the onset of winter, as infantry attacks will continue on several fronts, UK intelligence predicts.

The invading Russian forces, which used to surpass the AFU in terms of artillery ammunition by a factor of 5 to 1, are now losing this superiority, which fell to 1.5 to 1 on particular sections of the frontline, and even reversed at 3 to 1 on some others.

Russia is considering another strike on Ukraine using the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile as soon as this weekend, according to the U.S. intelligence report. “As Putin has said publicly, Russia intends to launch another experimental Oreshnik missile at Ukraine, and it is possible that Russia could do so in the coming days,” the report says quoting an anonymous source at the U.S. National Security Council. Russia aims to use “this weapon to intimidate” Ukraine and its supporters, but the Oreshnik is “not a game-changer on the battlefield,” the source said, and continued, “The reality is that Russia likely possesses only a handful of these experimental missiles, and this weapon carries a smaller warhead than other missiles that Russia has regularly launched at Ukraine.”

COMMENT: Taras Zhovtenko, international security expert at the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation: “The next stage of Russian nuclear blackmail, in particular the mentioning of the Oreshnik at gatherings of all levels, arises from the Kremlin’s intention to get a stronger position by the time the U.S. president-elect begins implementing his vision of a negotiated end to the Russo-Ukrainian war. The Kremlin understands perfectly well that it should buy time raising all the stakes as high as possible to prevent Trump forcibly bringing Putin to the negotiating table, but instead ensure that the Russian dictator has to be asked to negotiate peace, meaning he will demand concessions.”

December 10: The State Border Guard Service dismissed as untrue the news reports suggesting that Russian troops had allegedly broke through the border into the Sumy region, branding news to this effect as part of hostile misinformation campaign aimed to degrade the morale of Ukrainian soldiers and population.

December 9: Soldiers from the “Pentagon” strike UAV company took out a Russian mechanized assault group that attempted to win a bridgehead on the bank of the Snagost River in Kursk Oblast that is currently under control of Ukrainian forces.

December 10: About 150,000 Russian troops are currently deployed for offensive operations on key fronts of Pokrovsk, Kurakhove and Vremivka.

December 10: On Pokrovsk front, the adversary is seeking to break through Ukrainian defenses on the outskirts of Kurakhove town, aiming to take over dominant heights so as to set up fire control over highways and logistics routes to the town.

December 10: The adversary goes on persistently assaulting on Zaporizhzhia and Vremivka fronts whatever the cost or means, endeavoring to take over control over the major settlement of Velyka Novosilka as part of its plan to reach the administrative boundaries of the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Ukrainian Defense Forces continue on active defense and action along the present line, striking the enemy, wiping out its armored equipment and personnel.

December 11: Invading Russian forces are assaulting towards Kurakhove in an attempt to take control of dominant heights and routes to the town. For now, Kurakhove remains under AFU’s control. The enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups attempting to break through our defense lines are promptly taken out by Ukrainian defenders.

December 11: Ukrainian warfighters successfully fended off a Russian mechanized attack on the surroundings of Kruhlyakivka neighborhood outside of Kupyansk on Kharkiv front. They deployed FPV drone attacks to incapacitate all of the eight armored combat vehicles and destroy to scrap metal six others, including 1 tank, 3 infantry mobility vehicles, and 2 MT-LB [amphibious tracked armored combat] vehicles.

December 11: The enemy delivered an assault on Ukrainian fortifications on Pokrovsk front, having destroyed two of them and captured another one. Measures are currently being undertaken to retake the lost positions. Fighting continues on the southwestern outskirts of Shevchenko neighborhood. Ukrainian soldiers are firmly holding back the enemy’s onslaught, inflicting them heavy losses in manpower and equipment.

December 11: During Kursk offensive, soldiers from the 36th Rear Admiral Mikhail Bilinsky Separate Naval Infantry Brigade, assisted by friendly forces, wiped out four Russian amphibious assault vehicles and 17 personnel.

December 12: A Mykolaiv naval infantry unit fighting in Russia’s Kursk region successfully fought off a new Russian assault, inflicting significant losses on the enemy. In a battle outside Zelenyi Shliakh neighborhood, the enemy lost 3 BMD armored vehicles and an engineer demining vehicle blown up, plus 14 airborne troops dead and 25 others wounded.

During almost a full year, the outskirts of Chasiv Yar and the town proper have been persistently assaulted by Russia’s 98th Airborne Assault Division, which had been smashed twice by Ukrainian forces previously, but got recovered with new personnel and equipment. The Russian paratroopers employ the same old tactics, Lieutenant Colonel Voloshyn said in a comment to Ukrinform. They are attempting to cross over the Siverskii Donets-Donbas canal, amass in ruined buildings and basements, then assault.

December 13: National Guard soldiers blew up a building full of Russian troops in Toretsk town, Donetsk front, having disposed of 114 Russian infantrymen.

December 13: In Kharkiv Oblast, border guards repelled an attempt by an adversary reckon and subversion group to cross over the border into the region.

December 14: The Russian invaders have made significant tactical gains in the surroundings of ​​Pushkine and Pishchane neighborhoods, as well as west and east of the settlement of Shevchenko in Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainian troops are undertaking action to retake the lost positions.

December 12-14: The invading Russian forces were attempting to bolster their tactical positions around the neighborhood of Blahodatne, west of Dalnye and in the Yelizavetivka area, but failed to reach this target and had to withdraw after suffering heavy losses.

December 12-15: The 10th “Edelweiss” Mountain Assault Brigade fended off a massive Russian assault on Siversk axis, having taken out four infantry mobility vehicles, 13 motorcycles and an MTLB amphibious armored combat vehicle. The clash left 52 invaders dead and 37 others wounded. Ukrainian defenders additionally destroyed four infantry mobility vehicles, 13 motorcycles, 4 buggies, an MTLB, 28 FPV drones, a 120 mm mortar and a Privet 82 self-explosive drone.

December 12-15: The AFU mopped up the Kolesnykivsky Forest in the Kharkiv region from Russian soldiers, according to a report from Yuriy Fedorenko, commander of the Achilles UAVS company within the 92nd Kosh Ataman Ivan Sirko Independent Mechanized Brigade.

December 15: Ukrainian troops, in a major force-to-force battle outside of the village of Pishchane in the Donetsk region, forced the enemy to flee to a forest belt outside Shevchenko. The crowdsourced monitoring website DeepState Map, for the first time in days, didn’t record even minor tactical gains made by the invading forces on Pokrovsk axis.

THE WEEK IN NUMBERS AND PICTURES

Russian drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv left 5 people dead and 65 others wounded over the week reviewed.

WAR AFTERMATH

Human losses & War crimes

December 9: Russia has transferred the bodies of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) allegedly killed in a plane crash over Russia’s Belgorod Oblast in January, Russian Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova claimed in an interview with state-run RIA Novosti published Monday. A Russian Il-76 military cargo plane crashed in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast on Jan. 24, with the cause of the incident unclear. Moscow alleged that 65 Ukrainian POWs were on board the plane during the fatal crash. Ukraine has not confirmed this claim and called for an international investigation, a proposal that Russia refused. A spokesperson for Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of POWssaid Russia had handed over several bodies during the latest exchange, but the efforts to identify them are still underway. “During the latest repatriation activities, the remains of the deceased were transferred to Ukraine from (Russia), but they require additional identification,” spokesperson Petro Yatsenko said. Ukraine repatriated the bodies of 502 fallen soldiers in late November. “As of now, specialized institutions are trying to establish whether the remains of these individuals really belong to Ukrainian service members within the framework of criminal proceedings,” Yatsenko added. Undisclosed U.S. officials suggested in an interview with the New York Times in February that the U.S.-made Patriot missile system was likely responsible for the plane’s downing. The officials suggested that the plane likely had at least some Ukrainian prisoners onboard. Ukraine has not commented on the cause of the crash, but its military intelligence agency suggested the Il-76 may have been carrying arms and ammunition along with Ukrainian POWs as human shields.

More than 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers have suffered poisoning from chemical agents used by Russia in its war against Ukraine since February 2022.

December 14: A Ukraine Air Force Sukhoi Su-25 fighter jet from the 299th Tactical Aviation Brigade was shot down by Russian forces, killing the pilot. The plane was reportedly downed by an S-400 SAM system while on a mission over Kherson Oblast.

December 10: Oleh Sarelo, an AFU soldier and editing director of the Real Story TV project, died in action at the frontline.

During November, at least 165 civilians were killed, among them eight minors, and 887 others suffered injuries, among them 57 children, in the aftermath of air raids by Russian military.

A Belarusian volunteer soldier known by his call sign “Gaz” has died in Ukraine. The International Legion fighter was 25 years old.

As of December 2024, 301 civilian Ukrainian women are being kept captive in Russia. Of these, at least 25 were captured before the full-scale invasion, and 276 others after it broke out in February 2022.

In currently Russian occupied Crimea, 24 people have been considered missing since 2014, among them 18 Crimean Tatars, the ethnicity indigenous to the Crimea peninsula.

Economy

About 23,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian land has been critically affected by Russia’s war, with a potential of being degraded to a high extent.  

The damage caused on Ukraine by Russia’s invasion has surpassed USD 600 billion, according to a recently updated assessment.

Recovery and reconstruction

Ternopil city residents whose apartments suffered damage in the aftermath of December 2 drone attack by Russia will be reimbursed to the tune of UAH 15,000 per family member.

UKRAINIAN HOME FRONT

President Volodymyr Zelensky:

December 9: endorsed the emblem and flag of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SZR) of Ukraine with unique elements, including a QR code and the motto “Truth wins everything”. The symbols signify belonging to the service and will be used at official events;

December 10: urged allies for 10-12 Patriot systems more to fully secure Ukrainian skies and render Putin’s war meaningless;

December 11: In an interview with CBN News, said that an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO should be for  all of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, but the protection of the alliance could for a while cover the areas under Ukrainian government control: “We know that during the war we will not be accepted into NATO. But if we really want to end the war, NATO must be offered to Ukraine. The invitation must be addressed to all of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. There is nothing more to discuss here.”

December 11: Enacted amendments to the Law “On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges” regarding the specifics of the qualification exam for judges;

December 13: Chaired the inaugural meeting the Technological Headquarters. “The key issues are about what currently limits Ukraine’s capabilities and how they can be resolved. We plan to involve civil society in the work on the internal Victory Plan. I ordered to create a technological headquarters (HQ) format. The biggest priority is drones, of course, including the drones that will be efficacious against Shaheds and other classes of attack drones,” Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel Friday.

December 9: Germany’s conservative opposition leader, Friedrich Merz has called for a unified European strategy to establish a “common vision” for peace in Ukraine. During his visit to Kyiv on Monday, Merz emphasized the need for European allies to collaborate independently of the United States, particularly in light of potential geopolitical shifts. Merz, the frontrunner for Germany’s chancellorship in the upcoming federal elections due on February 23, highlighted the importance of preparing for changes in global leadership following Donald Trump’s presidential victory. If elected chancellor, Merz could position himself as a stronger ally to Ukraine than current Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Merz has pledged to increase security support for Kyiv, including providing long-range Taurus cruise missiles, a move Scholz has consistently opposed due to concerns about escalation risks.

December 9: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Estonia’s Prime Minister Kristen Michal, who was on his first official visit to Ukraine as head of the Estonian government. “We are very grateful to your people, your government, and your parliamentarians. From the very beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, you have supported Ukraine and provided substantial assistance exceeding €700 million in military and financial aid. Thank you so much,” the President said. The key topic of the meeting was the continuation of military assistance. In the face of ongoing Russian attacks on our people and critical infrastructure, the country urgently needs strengthened air defenses during the winter months. The discussions also addressed the current needs of Ukrainian soldiers, equipping brigades, and the possibility of Estonia participating in defense procurements from Ukrainian manufacturers. “We deeply appreciate your country for being very straightforward and clear about Ukraine’s future in both the EU and NATO,” Zaid. The meeting also addressed Ukraine’s progress on its path to joining the EU and the importance of achieving allied consensus on extending a NATO membership invitation. Another focus was on the invitation for Ukraine to participate in the upcoming Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit, set to take place in Tallinn later this month. Estonia has been among Kyiv’s staunchest supporters since the start of the full-scale invasion, offering humanitarian, developmental, and military assistance. “Ukraine’s victory is a win for Europe, the U.S., and all of the democratic world,” Michal said.

 December 9: Estonia’s defense support for Ukraine has reached almost EUR 542 million, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said. “We held constructive talks on a wide range of issues and outlined our joint positions… I am grateful for the large-scale security support from Estonia, which has already reached almost EUR 542 million or 1.4% of the country’s GDP. Estonia’s decision to annually allocate no less than 0.25% of its GDP for Ukraine’s defense was significant,” Shmyhal told a joint press briefing alongside his Estonian counterpart Kristen Michal in Kyiv Monday. Michal, for his part, said the decision to provide 0.25% of GDP for Ukraine’s defense is the country’s commitment. “This will mean that Ukraine will receive EUR 100 million from us annually. We are trying to encourage our partners and allies to follow suit. Denys Shmyhal, in turn, noted that Estonia is also actively involved in the restoration of Ukraine, in particular, it was the first to declare patronage over Zhytomyr oblast. In addition, he said Ukraine appreciates Estonia’s contribution to Ukraine’s energy resilience.At the end of their meeting, Denys Shmyhal and Kristen Michal signed a Joint Statement  calling for enhanced sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation and the imposition of an absolute trade embargo, as well as the timely and unhindered provision of military assistance to Ukraine.

December 10: Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov held a meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Mihal in Kyiv Tuesday. The parties discussed key areas of bilateral defense cooperation, particularly cybersecurity, the training of the Ukrainian military, and the advancement of arms production. Special emphasis was placed on the importance of training and equipping one of AFU brigades with the support of Estonian partners. “Russia’s war aggression poses a threat to all of Europe.  Only through joint efforts can we overcome this threat and restore peace. Thank you, Estonia, for your straightforward stance and solidarity with Ukraine,” Rustem Umerov said. 

***

December 14: Head of the President’s Office of Ukraine Andrii Yermak held a meeting with the European Union Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius. At the beginning of the conversation, Yermak thanked the EU for the ongoing support provided to Ukraine. “We know you well and we are thankful for everything you have done and continue doing for Ukraine. I am sure that in this position you will keep supporting our country until the end of this war and, also, on our way to becoming a full-fledged member of the EU.” The meeting discussed the situation on Ukrainian battlefields, the priority needs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces and beefing up Ukrainian air defense capabilities. “I believe that we have every chance to end this war with a just peace,” the head of the President’s Office said. During the meeting, Yermak and Kubilius discussed ways to confront Russian propaganda. The European Commissioner noted that Ukraine is defending not just itself, but all of the European continent. “We all want peace to come as soon as possible. But, of course, we are looking for ways to achieve peace through strength,” Kubilius said.

December 15: Ukraine has criticized FIFA for an “unacceptable error” after a map displayed during the 2026 World Cup draw appeared to exclude Crimea from the country’s territory. The map, used to show nations that cannot be drawn to play against each other for geopolitical reasons, highlighted Ukraine but excluded Crimea, which is internationally recognized as part of its territory. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi demanded a public apology from FIFA, calling the oversight a violation of international law. “FIFA has not only acted against international law but has also supported Russian propaganda, war crimes, and the crime of aggression against Ukraine,” he wrote on X, adding a corrected version of the map with Crimea included as part of Ukraine.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced negotiations with EU member countries regarding the provision of training for AFU’s strategic reserve brigades.

December 13: The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has transferred to the country’s Defense Forces over 1.2 million unmanned aerial vehicles of diversified classes, including reconnaissance, one-way attack and FPV drones during January-November 2024.

December 13: The Ministry of Defense is allocating an additional UAH 1.1 billion to be sent directly to the brigades for the purchase of drones, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced at a Cabinet meeting Friday.

Ukraine has been able to restore back to operation 935 health care facilities that suffered damage in the aftermath of Russia’s all-out invasion beginning in February 2022.

The Cabinet of Ministers:

Endorsed an intergovernmental agreement on the construction of a bridge across the Tisza River on the Ukrainian-Romanian border;

Endorsed a debt restructuring for the heat, electricity and water suppliers who suffered damage in pounding attacks by Russian military;

Earmarked UAH 64.8 million from the government’s contingency fund to sustain reliable water supply to the towns of Nikopol, Marganets and Pokrov, the Dnipropetrovsk region;

Has spent UAH 455 billion this year so far on procurements of weaponry, equipment and other supplies for the needs of the country’s military;

dismissed Anton Drobovych as head of the Institute of National Remembrance due to the expiration of his term in office;

Two tenders for design documentation on the restoration of the main building of the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital have been announced through the e-procurement platform Prozorro;

December 11: Defense Minister Umerov held a working meeting with representatives of the Armed Forces, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Security, and the Ministry of Defense, with the focus placed on UAV deliveries to the Defense Forces;

Thanks to a new service available in the Army+ application, military personnel can now submit an electronic report to claim rewards for destroyed enemy equipment and receive the reward within 72 hours after the report is endorsed.

December 10: The Cabinet of Ministers approved a new composition of the supervisory board of the national energy company Ukrenergo before it was finally  endorsed by the Ministry of Enegery. Ukrenergo’s supervisory board consists of four independent members and three state representatives. Patrick Graichen, Luigi De Francisci, Jeppe Kofod, and Jan Montell have been endorsed as independent members, while Yuriy Boyko, Anatoliy Hulei, and Oleksiy Nikitin have been endorsed to represent the government.

December 12: Serhii Boyev, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine for European Integration, met with a delegation of the French Ministry of Armed Forces’ Task Force to Support Ukraine, led by Major General Cédric du Gardin, to discuss future cooperation plans. Mr Boyev expressed gratitude to France for its leadership in the Artillery Capability Coalition, its provision of Caesar artillery systems that have proven highly effective on the battlefield, and its efforts in training and equipping an AUF brigade. Furthermore, he outlined the priority areas for defense cooperation with France in the upcoming year: (1) organizing and equipping new brigades; (2) supplying critical weaponry, including air defense systems and long-range missiles; (3) Advancing collaborative projects in the defense industrial sector. “Ukrainian defense industries will be able to produce up to $25 billion worth of defense-related products next year. We hope that this production will be made possible, in part, through our partnership with France,” he said. The parties also discussed the priorities for funding defense technology projects in 2025, including the creation of joint ventures.

December 20: Ukraine is ramping up the production of a diverse range of weapons types, which constitute a significant share of the country’s international cooperation.

Since the start of the campaign to declare the possession of firearms, Ukrainians have declared a total of 709 firearms possessed as of December 11, 2024.

December 13: U.S. Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace Nathaniel Fick and Director of the Defense Innovation Unit Doug Beck arrived in Kyiv to meet with representatives of the defense technology sector of Ukraine, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine reported. “Great to welcome Ambassador Nate Fick and Doug Beck, Director of DIU, to Kyiv – even during an air alert,” said U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, quoted by the embassy’s press service on Telegram on Friday. “They will meet Ukraine’s defense-tech sector to discuss lessons learned from the battlefield and explore opportunities for future U.S. collaboration,” the ambassador added.

December 19:  reports came confirming that the Česká zbrojovka Bren 2 will be assembled in Ukraine. This marks the first partnership since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, which  will see foreign-designed small arms assembled in Ukraine. The Bren 2 is a 5.56x45mm select-fire gas-operated rifle which was first introduced as the CZ 805 BREN in 2011. While CZ Bren 805s have appeared in Ukraine the BREN 2 is much more common and favoured by troops on the ground.

WAR ECONOMY

December 12: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and leading professional services firm Aon are launching a tailor-made, highly innovative facility to help revitalise the war risk insurance market in Ukraine. A new Bank guarantee, designed to boost the provision of reinsurance capacity to private-sector insurers, will help to address the ongoing challenges posed by the war. Under the new €110 million Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction Guarantee Facility, the EBRD will support global reinsurance companies with a guarantee covering losses on certain war-related risks underwritten by local Ukrainian insurers. It aims to leverage existing market infrastructure, as well as tried and tested risk transfer mechanisms from the insurance industry, to provide the protection that private-sector investors require.  

December 12: Ukraine’s central bank raised its key rate by half a point to 13.5% on Thursday, saying it sought to tame inflation which has accelerated more than projected, and maintain stability on the foreign exchange market as the war with Russia rages on. Inflation rose to 11.2% year-on-year in November from 9.7% in October, driven by rising food prices and increasing power costs faced by Ukrainian businesses due to Russian airstrikes on the electricity grid. “In recent months, inflation has been rising faster than forecast by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU),” it said in a statement. “The NBU sees a need to tighten its interest rate policy to reverse the inflation trend and bring back inflation to its 5% target on the policy horizon,” it said. The central bank would be ready to continue tightening monetary policy if inflationary pressure persists, it added. The central bank has revised its inflation forecast upwards several times this year as consumer price inflation has quickened.

Ukraine’s central bank, the NBU has signed a memorandum “On Ensuring Transparency of the Banking Payment Services Market” with Ukraine’s largest banks, which introduces new restrictions on card transfers. They are aimed at increasing the transparency of financial transactions and minimizing the risks of illegal money trafficking. These changes have already sparked lively discussions among Ukrainians. The document was signed by the country’s leading banks, among them Oschadbank, PrivatBank, Raiffeisen Bank, Universal Bank, as well as banking associations, such as the Independent Association of Ukrainian Banks and the Association of Ukrainian Banks. The Memorandum remains open for other financial institutions to join.

In January-November 2024, Ukraine’s gross domestic product grew by 4 percentage points year-on-year, while the economy grew by 0.9 year-on-year in November.

Ukrainian seaports have processed 91.1 million tons of shipments in 2024 so far, which represents a 70% growth year-on-year.

In January-November 2024, Ukraine’s trade turnover amounted to USD 101.9 billion.

In January-October 2024, Ukraine exported UAH 5.31 billion worth of IT services, which represents a year-on-year decline of UAH 4.4 million.

Annual inflation in Ukraine accelerated to 11.2%, while consumer prices grew by 1.9% month-on-month in November.

In January-November 2024, Naftogaz Group companies produced 13.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas.

SkyUp Airlines has announced the launch of its direct regular flight program from Chisinau to some of the most popular European destinations among Ukrainians. The selected routes include Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, and Cyprus. The first flights will commence in April 2025, with tickets available from December 11, 2024. 

During 2024, Ukraine has achieved record high figures in some sectors of the agriculture industry; in particular, 2024 sugar exports are projected to reach 700,000 tons.

ALLIED AND PARTNERS’ AID

December 12: The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced a new Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs as part of the surge of security assistance the President directed to put Ukraine in the best possible position. This announcement is the Biden Administration’s seventy-second tranche of equipment to be provided from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021. This  PDA package, which has an estimated value of $500 million, will provide Ukraine additional capabilities to meet its most urgent needs, including: air defense capabilities; munitions for rocket systems and artillery; and anti-tank weapons.

The United States and Great Britain on Monday announced a new wave of sanctions targeting what it said was the illicit gold trade, which the United Kingdom said was financing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war efforts in Ukraine and fuelling corruption. The UK government froze the assets of four individuals it said were involved in smuggling gold and one other it said had bought more than $300 million worth of Russian gold and, by doing so, provided revenue to the Russian government.

December 13: Norway will continue training Ukrainian F-16 pilots as part of its support for Ukraine’s defense and will relocate its training base from Denmark to Portugal in 2025, Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram announced in a Dec. 13 press release. Since 2023, Norway has provided aircraft, instructors, and technical support for the training program in Denmark. In 2025, Portugal will take over as the host nation for the initiative. The operation is part of a broader Air Defense Capability Coalition aimed at strengthening the Ukrainian Air Force. In addition to military instructors, Norway’s Kongsberg Aviation Maintenance Services (KAMS) will contribute personnel to support technical training for Ukrainian pilots. Gram added that future training locations will be decided by the coalition.

December 11: EU has adopted 15th sanctions package against Russia for its continued illegal war against Ukraine. The focus of this package is to keep cracking down on Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers, as well as combating sanctions’ circumvention. It also includes substantial individual and entity listings related to the Russian military-industrial complex. With this package, the EU has, for the first time, imposed ‘fully-fledged’ sanctions (travel ban, asset freeze and prohibition to make economic resources available) on various Chinese actors.

December 11: Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, accompanied by a Cabinet of Ministers delegation, arrived in Berlin Wednesday for a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Shmyhal said on his Telegram channel. He mentioned, in particular, “Meetings are planned with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, as well as participation in the Ukrainian-German Business Forum.” According to Shmyhal, he plans to discuss Ukraine-Berlin cooperation in various economic sectors, defense industrial collaboration, energy support, reconstruction efforts, reforms, and soliciting investment with the German leadership. At a meeting with German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the parties discussed avenues for potential cooperation advancement, including particularly through defense industrial partnerships. While in Berlin, Shmyhal attended the 7th edition of the German-Ukrainian Business Forum, where he said that Germany has provided Ukraine EUR 37 billion worth of security support so far, which has made it the largest investor in Ukrainian security among all of EU countries. He highlighted the key strategic benefits, particularly in the energy and defense industrial sectors, the EU countries can have from cooperation with Ukraine.

December 10: The United States Department of the Treasury announced the disbursement of $20 billion for the benefit of Ukraine, as part of the $50 billion G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) Loans initiative backed by windfall proceeds from frozen Russian sovereign assets.

December 11: The House of Commons of the Canadian Parliament approved the allocation of 764 million Canadian dollars (about 587 million US dollars) for military assistance to Ukraine. With a record $5.4 billion in assistance since 2022, Canada reinforces its per capita support for Ukraine through this new aid package. Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said that the aid will be used for “ammunition, training, and other means absolutely necessary for Ukrainians to win.”The financial package extends beyond military support, which includes 400 million Canadian dollars ($282 mn USD) in financial assistance from a special IMF account and 45 million Canadian dollars ($32 mn USD) dedicated to humanitarian demining and strengthening Ukraine’s cybersecurity resilience.

December 19: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and other European leaders on Wednesday to bolster Kyiv’s war effort and discuss longer-term security guarantees. Uncertainty hangs over future US support for Ukraine’s effort against Russia as President-elect Donald Trump pushes for a quick end to the war.

COMMENT: Volodymyr Ohryzko, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister, head of the Center for Russian Studies: “If countries like France, Britain, Germany, Poland, Denmark unite, maybe someone else will join, and they will start thinking about how to confront Russia’s aggression, with the understanding that we are getting really working security assurances, not just a freeze to the war, then this makes sense. If this is just a form of coercion for Ukraine to give up territories, then there is no point for us to agree to this proposal.”

December 11: US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Kimberly Guilfoyle, the longtime fiancée of his son Donald Trump Jr., to become US ambassador to Greece. This is Trump’s latest pick for the new administration who has close ties to members of his family. Trump announced his intention to nominate Guilfoyle, a former Fox News anchor, on Tuesday night amid picks for other diplomatic and economic roles, including Tom Barrack, the chairman of his 2016 inauguration committee, to be ambassador to Turkey.

Friedrich Merz, leader of the German opposition bloc CDU/CSU and the frontrunner for Germany’s chancellorship in the upcoming federal elections set for February 233, said he would only provide Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles after consulting the United States. He explained that the decision to deliver long-range weapons to Ukraine would not be made “unilaterally”, but only in close coordination with the United States and European allies.

December 12: Billions of Russian central bank assets immobilized in the European Union should be used to aid Ukraine, the EU’s top diplomat has said. Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security, told the Guardian and four other European media outlets that Ukraine had a legitimate claim for compensation and that Russian assets held in the EU were “a tool to pressure Russia”.

December 17: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has no leverage over Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukraine does not need his mediation in potential peace talks, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday. “Ukraine is a strong country and has proven it on the battlefield throughout Putin’s aggression. Does anyone else in Europe have this experience now? No. Does Orban have such an army? No. How will he put pressure on Putin? With a joke, a smile? Let him keep it,” Zelensky said. Hungary has maintained close ties with Moscow despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, frequently criticizing EU sanctions on Russia and blocking military aid to Kyiv. Zelensky said that Ukraine needs direct relations with the United States, rejecting Orban’s role as an intermediary. “Prime Minister Orban… will not succeed. I won’t let him or people like him in,” he said, clarifying that his remarks were directed at Orban, not the Hungarian people, who he argued overwhelmingly support Ukraine. Zelensky’s comments followed escalating tensions after Orban’s recent phone call with Putin and his criticism of Zelensky for allegedly rejecting a Christmas ceasefire proposal.

December 12: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he is ready to talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin again. “I will do it again. But we must not have any illusions about it,” Scholz said,  despite expressing frustration earlier over Putin “repeating all his formulas” during their phone call on November 15. During that conversation, Scholz condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine, calling on Putin to end the invasion and withdraw Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. He also urged Russia to negotiate with Ukraine to achieve a “just and lasting peace.” This drew criticism from Western allies and President Volodymyr Zelensky, who called the chancellor’s conversation with the Russian leader the opening of a “Pandora’s box.”

December 12: The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has upheld Ukraine’s ban on the public display of St George’s ribbons, deeming it lawful in its 2017 judgment in the case of Borzykh v. Ukraine. The case concerned the ban on the public wearing of St George’s ribbons in Ukraine, which came into force in 2016.

WAR&LIFE

December 10/ “Celestial Eye” sees pain and carries a revenge. A story of a drone operator

QUOTE: “The training was held for three weeks. We went out with instructors and flew, were taught in different aspects, what and how it can be. It only seems at first glance that you just hold a remote control and somehow control the drone. But there are many nuances, especially where hostilities are taking place.”

December 10/ Mysterious Bandura: How Kobzars’ Traditions are Defending Ukraine across the World

QUOTE: “For you and me, this is a recognition of our values, culture, originality and identity. This achievement will become part of our Great Victory. The war, unprovoked by Ukraine, is claiming the lives of Ukrainian art workers: 133 of them have died, among them six kobza players who stood up for defense of Ukraine… But despite all attempts to deprive Ukrainians of their roots, our culture demonstrates indomitability.”

December 11/ Diplomacy: Zelensky expressed readiness for peace, Putin responded with a new ultimatum

QUOTE: “If Putin decides to resort to new provocations, it is important that Ukraine and European partners immediately recognize these actions to be a challenge not just to Ukraine, but also to the United States. After all, Putin is demonstrating in this way that he seeks to undermine the authority of the United States and its ability to lead the international order. This is an attempt to declare that instead of “Make America Great Again,” the world should see “Russia above all.”

December 11/ Information boom from Ukrinform: More awards – beautiful and honest!

QUOTE: “The Ukrainian people have already shown the world many miracles: they have gone through two revolutions, they did not break when the enemy intended to take “Kyiv in three days’ time,” and now they are courageously defending their land. And one of such miracles is represented by filmmakers who show for all of the world to see that Ukrainian cinematography is alive and growing, despite budgetary constraints, despite the all-out bloody war going on in the country.”

Compiled by Maryna Dmytriv, Kyiv