On December 16, the Ukrainian army announced that Russia had launched 49 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to attack overnight, according to Reuters. The Ukrainian side shot down 27 aircraft and lost track of 19 aircraft, possibly due to electronic warfare. The remaining three aircraft were still flying in Ukrainian airspace as of the morning of the same day. Russian attacks injured at least 6 people within 24 hours.
According to the announcement, Russia has lost 763,510 soldiers since launching the campaign in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, including 1,070 in the previous 24 hours. In addition, Russia also lost 9,563 tanks, 19,736 armored fighting vehicles, 31,480 other vehicles and tank trucks, 21,151 artillery pieces, 1,256 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,025 air defense systems, 369 aircraft, 329 helicopters. helicopters, 20,372 UAVs, 28 boats and one submarine. This figure cannot be verified.
Russia does not comment on the above numbers.
Conflict point: Facing difficulties in Donbass, Mr. Zelensky bet big on the Kursk region
Ukraine destroyed Russian ammunition warehouses
Page The Kyiv Independent On December 16, citing sources, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) a few days earlier had successfully used UAVs to attack a Russian ammunition depot near the village of Markine currently controlled by Moscow in Donetsk province. The arsenal contains thousands of artillery shells, anti-tank guided missiles, mines, grenades and millions of rounds of ammunition for guns of different calibers. A nearby fuel and lubricant depot was also destroyed.
Russia has not commented on the incident. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on the same day that it had gained more control over the village of Yelyzavetivka in Donetsk province, about 10 km from the resource-rich town of Kurakhove.
Pro-Russian forces in Donetsk in July 2022
Previously, Russia-appointed Donetsk leader Denis Pushilin announced that Russian soldiers had captured the village of Shevchenko, also in Donetsk province. Mr. Pushilin also said Russian forces repelled many Ukrainian counterattacks near Shevchenko, a village located near the strategic city of Pokrovsk that Russia has long targeted. Victory at Shevchenko creates favorable conditions for Russian troops to improve the situation and head to Pokrovsk, according to the official.
Mr. Putin said Russia is fully proactive
Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 16 had a meeting at the Russian Ministry of Defense about the Ukraine conflict. According to Sputnik news agency, the leader announced that the Russian army is firmly in control of the strategic initiative on the entire front line in Ukraine and is advancing rapidly.
President Putin said the Russian army controlled 189 settlements this year and described 2024 as a “hinge” year for the military campaign.
Ukraine dismissed the commander of the Donetsk region when the logistics center was in danger
He accused the US of fueling the fire by continuing to provide weapons, finance and advisors to Ukraine. The leader accused the US of fabricating a “threat from Russia” to frighten the people, applying tactics to push Russia beyond the red line. Mr. Putin also reaffirmed Russia’s nuclear deterrence policy and denied that it was just an empty threat.
At the event, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov announced that the Russian army had controlled nearly 4,500 km2 territory this year and is gaining about 30 km2 everyday. He said Ukraine only holds less than 1% of the eastern Luhansk province and 25-30% of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Russia announced that it would annex all four regions by 2022 even though it does not control them all.
Ukraine has not commented on the statements of Russian leaders.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at an expanded meeting of the Russian Ministry of Defense on December 16
North Korean soldiers killed at Kursk?
Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Agency said on December 16 that North Korean units fighting for Russia lost 30 soldiers in Kursk province (Russia) over the weekend. Ukraine launched an attack in Kursk in August and first announced the presence of North Korean soldiers in Kursk in October.
Russia neither confirmed nor denied the appearance of North Korean soldiers. Pyongyang initially denied it but later said that if there was such a deployment, it would be completely legal.
According to the Ukrainian agency, due to damage, attack groups are being supplemented with personnel, especially from North Korea’s 94th independent brigade, to continue combat operations in Kursk.
6 NATO countries issued a joint statement on Ukraine, the US provided more weapons to Kyiv
This is believed to be the first time Ukraine has recorded North Korean losses at such a scale and detail. These damages were reported near the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba and Martynovka.
The Kremlin yesterday refused to comment on the above information, according to Reuters.
Previously, on December 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia was using North Korean soldiers for the first time in an attack in Kursk. In an interview with CBS News a day later, Ukraine’s ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova said that hundreds of North Korean soldiers were fighting alongside Russia in Kursk.
On December 16, the US, UK, Canada, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand and the European Union issued a joint statement saying that North Korea’s direct support for Russia against Ukraine marked a “dangerous expansion”. danger” of conflict, posing serious consequences for European and Indo-Pacific security.
The US and EU embargo Russia
The European Union (EU) has approved the 15th sanctions package on Russia because of the conflict in Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing the European Commission’s announcement on December 16. The EU added 52 ships to the list accused of helping Russia circumvent the ban on trading in oil, arms and grain, bringing the total number of banned ships to 79.
An additional 84 individuals and entities were placed on the embargo list, including 7 Chinese individuals and entities. Embargoed parties will face travel bans and asset freezes.
On the same day, the US Treasury Department announced a new embargo against North Korean banks, military generals and officials for providing financial and military support to Russia. Some Russian maritime companies are also embargoed.
Mr. Trump said he would not ‘abandon’ Ukraine and opposed firing ATACMS missiles deep into Russian soil
Mr. Trump plans to end the long-term conflict
US Congressman Mike Waltz, who was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be National Security Advisor, told CBS News on December 15 that the incoming administration’s team is discussing a permanent end to the Russia conflict. – Ukraine instead of just a temporary ceasefire.
Previously, there was an opinion that Mr. Trump could propose a freeze in hostilities and shelve the plan to admit Ukraine to NATO.
According to Mr. Waltz, since his re-election, Mr. Trump and his team of advisers have been in contact with European and Ukrainian partners about how to end the conflict “in a way that restores stability, prevents carnage, and hopefully brings a lasting end, not just a pause.”
Mr. Trump met President Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on December 7 to discuss the war situation. According to Reuters, Mr. Trump called for an immediate ceasefire while Mr. Zelensky asked for security guarantees for Ukraine. The US President-elect also called on Europe to play a larger role in ensuring security after reaching a ceasefire agreement.
When asked about the meeting between Mr. Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on December 9, Mr. Waltz said that the Hungarian leader regularly interacts with Russia and has a good relationship with Mr. Trump. Mr. Waltz said the team at the White House will next carefully consider Mr. Orban’s Christmas ceasefire proposal as “the first step to ending the fighting.”
According to The Kyiv IndependentHungary said that Ukraine had rejected the proposal for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange with Russia, while a Ukrainian official said Budapest had never discussed this with Kyiv.
