UAVs attack both sides
On December 22, the Ukrainian army announced that the country’s air defense forces had shot down 52 out of 103 Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched overnight. In addition, 44 Russian UAVs disappeared from Kyiv’s radar system. Ukrainian officials said additional buildings in Kherson, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr and Kyiv provinces suffered damage after Russian attacks, Reuters reported.
Severely lacking troops, Ukraine sent air defense soldiers as infantry
In the opposite direction, the Russian Ministry of Defense said on December 22 that it shot down 42 UAVs in 5 Russian provinces overnight. In addition, an attack caused a fire at a fuel facility in Stalnoi Kon town, Oryol province. “Thanks to the quick response, the fire was completely extinguished and there were no casualties or significant damage,” Oryol Governor Andrei Klychkov said on Telegram channel on December 22.
Also on December 22, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced control of two settlements, including Sontsivka in Donetsk province and Lozova in Kharkiv province. Moscow said that it repelled 11 Ukrainian counterattacks in Donetsk, causing more than 480 casualties among Ukrainian soldiers, in addition to destroying 10 artillery pieces of various types that Ukraine possessed. Ukraine and Russia did not comment on their opponents’ statements
Officers from Ukraine’s Khyzhak Brigade deployed a UAV in the town of Toretsk, Donetsk province on December 19.
President Putin warned Ukraine
Regarding Ukraine’s attack on a high-rise apartment building in the Russian city of Kazan on December 21, TASS Agency quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 22 as emphasizing that Kyiv will have to “regret” and face more attacks. after the raid on Kazan.
“Whoever tries to destroy something in our country, they will face much greater destruction in their own country and they will regret their actions,” Mr. Putin speak. Kyiv has not responded to the Russian President’s statement.
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Lacking troops, Ukraine had to send air defense soldiers to the infantry
Sheet The Guardian On December 21, citing officials in Ukraine’s air defense unit, the shortage of manpower had become serious and the General Staff of Ukraine ordered air defense unit soldiers to join the infantry ranks in front line.
A source said this causes the already limited air defense manpower to continue to decline and pose a risk to Ukraine’s security. In addition, soldiers who had participated in training in the West and were qualified in air defense operations were now sent to the front lines as infantry without relevant combat experience. There is still concern in the Ukrainian military that if some air defense soldiers are sent to the front line and are captured, they could reveal important information about Kyiv’s defense system.
Newspaper Ukrainska Pravda said that Ukrainian parliamentarian Mariana Bezuhla mentioned this situation in November and former Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat confirmed that air defense soldiers were sent to the front line to take on positions in the ranks that were not their strengths. infantry.
Ukrainian soldiers operate the AN/TWQ-1 Avenger mobile air defense missile system on the outskirts of Kyiv
A Ukrainian air defense officer revealed to the media that his unit’s current strength is less than half. In recent days, he was ordered to dispatch dozens more soldiers. “I only stay with people over 50 years old and wounded soldiers. It is impossible to operate anything in this condition,” the officer said.
According to The Guardianthe personnel shortage also caused a rift in relations between the US and Ukraine. US President Joe Biden’s administration officials are said to be unhappy that Kyiv regularly requests more weapons aid, but does not recruit enough troops for the units. Ukrainska Pravda reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that Ukraine’s 14 reserve brigades were not armed.
Britain and France discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine
IMF predicts when the war in Ukraine will end
Page Euromaidan Press On December 22, it was reported that in the 6th assessment of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), this agency forecasts that if based on the base scenario, the war in Ukraine will end by the end of 2025. Ukraine’s GDP growth in in 2024 will reach 4%, an increase of 1 percentage point compared to the previous forecast. The IMF also noted that the economic impact in winter due to power shortages in Ukraine will be less severe than initially forecast, considering the possibility of increased electricity imports from Europe and efforts to repair grid infrastructure. domestic electricity.
Meanwhile, the IMF’s negative scenario is that the war will last until mid-2026. This could also create a more serious shock than the baseline scenario when considering economic activities, financial needs and economic growth. balance of payments. The negative scenario also predicts reduced GDP growth, a slow recovery rate, and higher and longer lasting inflation.
In addition to economic forecasts, on December 21, the IMF completed the 6th review of the expansion fund for Ukraine and approved a new disbursement package worth 1.1 billion USD.
