Posts
December 16 2024
The
United States donated 10 autonomous welding machines to Ukraine
through the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) that will help in the rapid repair of Ukraine's energy
infrastructure following Russian drone and missile attacks.
President Zelenskyy
instructed the Ukrainian government to provide food aid to the new
Syrian government to help Syria prevent a food crisis, following the
end of the Assad regime. Food deliveries will be organized and
delivered in cooperation with international partners willing to help,
said Zelenskyy. “Ukraine can assist Syria with Ukrainian grain,
flour, and oil. We discussed this with officials today,” he added.
Pope Francis called
Ukrainians and Russians brothers today during a speech in Corsica,
France. Since the start of the war, Pope Francis has made several comments in
line with Russian propaganda.
Zelenskyy revealed that just
this week alone, Russia launched 630 glide bombs, nearly 550 strike
drones, and 100 missiles of various types against Ukraine. According to Forbes, Russia
uses about 100 guided aircraft bombs against Ukraine daily, whereas
Ukraine launches 10-12 against Russia daily.
Norway will provide $242
million to strengthen Ukraine's navy and counter Russian forces in
the Black Sea. Most of the funding will be directed through the
Maritime Capability Coalition, to make Ukraine’s navy more
compatible with allied navies. The rest of the money will go towards
mine clearance operations and the training of Ukrainian soldiers to
enhance the ability of Ukrainian forces to detect and defuse mines
along their coastline.
Starting January 2025, the
EU will provide Ukraine with €1.5 billion per month in aid,
announced Kaja Kallas, EU Foreign Policy Chief. The money comes from
profits made on frozen Russian assets and can be used by Ukraine to
purchase weapons.
The Italian government has
approved its 10th military aid package for Ukraine. On December 18,
its details will be presented at the meeting of the parliamentary
oversight body COPASIR, which oversees the activities of Italian
intelligence, however, the specifics will remain classified.
During President Zelenskyy’s
evening address, he revealed that the $20 billion loan, provided by
the United States, is now in Ukraine’s account with the World Bank.
The loan will be paid off with profits from frozen Russian assets.
The funds were transferred just a week ago to the Financial
Intermediary Fund for Resource Mobilization to Support Ukraine's
Strengthening at the World Bank (F.O.R.T.I.S. Ukraine FIF).
The Supreme Court of the
Netherlands has rejected an appeal against a ruling requiring Russia
to pay Ukraine's Naftogaz Group $5 billion in damages for the illegal
confiscation of its assets in Crimea. These assets include oil and
gas platforms out in the Black Sea.
On the morning of Sunday,
December 15th, a Ukrainian A-22 Aeroprakt aircraft converted into
drones struck a base belonging to Chechnya’s OMON riot police.
There is a report that a second one of these drones successfully
struck a military base, also in Grozny. There is footage of the drone
striking the OMON base. Chechnya’s dictator Ramzan Kadyrov claims
that, in retaliation, Chechnya’s reconnaissance unit shared
Ukrainian troop locations with Russia which were then struck with
Iskander missiles, killing 200 Ukrainian soldiers. This did not
happen.
On December 14, Ukraine’s
Security Service of Ukraine, the Tavria Group, Military Intelligence,
and Special Operations Forces successfully carried out a joint
operation to destroy a Russian train carrying 40 fuel tanks in
Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Railroad tracks near Oleksiivka were sabotaged
causing the train to stop. The train was then targeted with HIMARS
rockets, causing the fuel tanks to catch fire and detonate. The
locomotive and cars at the rear of the train were targeted, preventing any of the train cars from being pulled away from the fire. The train
was also attacked by drones.
The GUR also published a
video showing the destruction of a Railroad bridge in Russia near
Ulyanovsk.
Colonel Vadym Sukharevsky,
the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine said that
Ukraine now has a laser weapon, making it the fifth country in the
world to field a laser weapon. They call the laser Tryzub and say it
is able to shoot down aircraft at altitudes over 2 km. Most of the
specifics of the Tryzub laser have not yet been revealed.
Sukharevsky also mentioned
that Ukraine is also operating mothership drones that can carry and
deploy FPV drones at ranges of over 70 km. These drones operate as
repeaters, helping make the FPVs more resistant to electronic warfare
and jamming. The mother ships also extend the range of the FPVs by
carrying them closer to potential targets.
Yurii Boiko, an adviser to
Ukraine’s Prime Minister, said that Russia’s attack on December
13 focused on energy infrastructure related to transmitting energy
across the border, attempting to limit the amount of power Ukraine is
capable of importing. The attack also targeted energy generation in
Ukraine. Boiko said that such targets are incredibly difficult to
protect and that it can cost as much as $1 million to protect 100
square meters of facilities like this. He added that complete
protection of substations is more or less impossible. Ukraine’s
reliance on energy imports increased significantly after the attack
on the 13th. On December 12, Ukraine’s energy imports were 12,400
MWh of electricity, and on the 16th of December, energy exports were
up to 12,400 MWh.
The European Union adopted
the 15th sanctions package targeting Russia. 54 individuals and 32
entities were sanctioned in this package. Individuals sanctioned
include government officials involved in the abduction of children,
the creation of propaganda, those who work on finding sanctions
loopholes, 2 North Korean officials, and managers of major Russian
energy companies.
Entities targeted include the military unit
responsible for the attack on the Okmhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in
July, Chinese organizations providing drone and electronic components
to Russia, a chemical plant, Russian defense companies, shipping
companies that transport petroleum products via the sea, a Russian
civilian airline that provides logistical support to the Russian
military, and various ships are now banned from entering EU ports and are
banned from a “wide range of maritime services” as well. These
ships include those transporting petroleum products in violation of
previous sanctions, ships transporting Russian military equipment,
and ships transporting stolen Ukrainian grain. 52 vessels/shops were
added to the sanctions list, bringing the total under EU sanctions to
79. Some of the 32 entities newly added to the sanctions list are in
third-party countries, including China, India, Iran, Serbia, and the
UAE.
The United States Department
of the Treasury announced new sanctions on Russia and North Korea,
which the Treasury Department said targeted North Korea’s financial
activities and military support for Russia, including banks, Russian
oil shipping companies, generals, and other officials. The North
Korean banks targeted include Golden Triangle Bank and Korea Mandal
Credit Bank. Additionally, the Treasury Department adopted sanctions
on Russia-based foreign trade companies that it says were doing oil
and gas to North Korea. The companies include Vostok Trading, DV Ink,
and Novosibirskoblgaz. These companies began shipping oil to North Korea back in 2022, and it is known they were continuing to ship oil in April 2024. The US also targeted 3 individuals related to North Korea’s ballistic missile program. South Korea imposed sanctions on 11 individuals and 15 entities related to the military ties between North Korea and Russia.
A group of European countries
known as the Nordic-Baltic 8+ have agreed on measures to increase
surveillance of Russian ships suspected of being part of Russia’s
“shadow fleet” that transports petroleum products in violation of
Western sanctions. The 12 countries involved are the Baltic States,
the United Kingdom, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, Germany,
Norway, Poland, Finland, and Sweden. They will now require suspicious
ships to provide proof of insurance before entering/passing through
the English Channel, the Danish Straits, the strait between Denmark
and Sweden, and the Gulf of Finland. Russia’s shadow fleet consists
of roughly 600 ships that are usually in poor condition and
uninsured.
The Baltic countries, Denmark,
Ireland, Romania, Sweden, Czechia, and Finland have called for
tighter restrictions on the importation of Russian metals. They point
out that metals are Russia’s second most important export. The
United Kingdom and the US have restricted imports of Russian metals
and imports from Rusal, but the majority of Europe has largely not.
There are limits on the importation of Russian aluminum products such
as wires, pipes, and foil, but they make up a small percentage of
Europe’s overall aluminum imports.
Denys Shmyhal, the Prime
Minister of Ukraine, had a phone call with Robert Fico, the Prime
Minister of Slovakia. Shmyhal told him that Ukraine was ready to
resume using its gas transit infrastructure to bring natural gas to
Slovakia, as long as it does not originate in Russia. Shmyhal said
that last week, 30% of Ukraine’s energy imports came from Slovakia.
Pentagon spokesperson Major
General Pat Ryder said that North Korea has begun taking losses in
Kursk. This includes those who were killed and wounded. Zelenskyy
stated that Russia is trying to hide the losses North Korea is
suffering in Kursk. Footage has begun emerging of North Korean
soldiers entering combat and being attacked by artillery and drones.
Footage of dead North Koreans has also surfaced. There is a video
purporting to show a Russian soldier burning the face of a dead North
Korean to make identification difficult/impossible. This is
unconfirmed so far. Ukraine’s GUR reports that at least 30 NK
casualties have been sustained so far. Footage implies this number is a low estimate. North Korean soldiers were reported to have killed 8
Chechnyan Akhmat soldiers during ethnic tensions between the two
groups.
Oleh Syniehubov, head of the
Kharkiv Regional Military Administration reported that Kharkiv was
struck with an Iskander-M ballistic missile on December 15, injuring
one person. A 48-year-old woman was hospitalized for treatment. The
windows of residential buildings were damaged.
Ukraine’s
GUR reported that Russia is struggling to supply its men in Syria
with food and water.
South Africa Announced it will
not invite Putin to the G20 summit in Johannesburg next November
because of the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal
Court.
Two Russian tankers, the
Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, were severely damaged by stormy
weather near the Kerch Strait, leading to an oil spill. Video footage
showed one ship breaking in two. One crew member died, and 14 others
were rescued. The tankers were carrying over 9,000 tons of oil. TASS
reported that the Volgoneft 212 had its bow torn off and that
Volgoneft 239 managed to run aground near Taman, Krasnodar.
Greenpeace Ukraine reports that more than 3,700 tons of oil spilled
into the Black Sea. In addition to these ships, a Russian cargo crane
also suffered “distress” in the weekend storms. Photos and videos
show the ship continuing to float, but the crane collapsed.
Ukraine has begun the domestic
manufacturing of Bren 2 assault rifles. The rifles meet NATO standards
and were designed in the Czech Republic.
Russian Lt. General Igor Kirilov was killed by a scooter.
Battlefield Reports.
This
is mostly Ukrainian soldiers, Ukrainian Journalist Butusov, and
mapper ISH_Petrenko.
Kursk Region
Broad-front attacks by Russian troops continue. Local sources report clashes in the area of Plekhovo, Cherkasskaya Konopelka, in the area of tracts east of Kremyanoye, in the area of Novoivanovka and in the direction of Sverdlikovo. -Petrenko
The situation in the Kursk
region:
Since December 14, North Korean soldiers have
participated in at least 7 assault operations. North Korean attacks
are infantry raids without artillery, armored vehicles, or aviation
support, which are accompanied by heavy losses, as can be seen in the
video from the enemy's resource.
On the southern flank of the Sudzhan direction, North Korean soldiers attacked the southeastern outskirts of the Raduga tract, which adjoins the northwestern outskirts of Plekhovo. Red and gray zones have been added.
West of the settlement of Pogrebki, North Korean soldiers attacked in the direction of the forest belt on the northern outskirts of the Krucheny Forest. Gray zone has been added.
On the western outskirts of the aforementioned forest, the North Koreans stormed the extreme position. Gray zone has been added.
North of Novoivanovka, Ukrainian Armed Forces drone operators attacked a Russian assault unit in the area of the Novoivanovskaya ravine. The ravine has moved into the gray zone. -Petrenko
The fighting on the Kursk direction is very intense right now. The supply of free manpower that the enemy received from North Korea is being fully used. Despite the enemy having a different ideology and motivation, their objectives and orders are the same as those of the Russians in Ukraine. When you are surrounded by the enemy, you choose the front where there’s a chance to survive. The enemy does not believe in safe Ukrainian captivity; brainwashing there is at a very high level. - Stanislav Osman
Kursk direction - the first Koreans were moving mixed with the Rashists, now that the reserves are here it is clear that the Koreans are moving because they are moving in an endless stream, sometimes in groups. Their equipment is not being used at all now, only logistics. We are trying to knock them out as much as possible until they understand at what range we are working. But they can't see the end or the edge. -Bakhmutskyy
Torske
In the Torsk direction, the guys sent 30 bastards, a "Turtle," and 2 BMPs to Kabzon. [They were eliminated] Unfortunately, during this assault, the bastards managed to capture one position. - Stanislav Osman
Chasiv Yar
East of the Chasovoyarsky Refractory Plant, the enemy has occupied an area up to 900 meters wide. - Petrenko
According to Chasik: The fighting for the refractory plant is still ongoing, and now the fighting is taking place for the northern and western hangars. -Muchnoy Jugend
Toretsk
The intensity of hostilities
in the central part of the city remains high. The situation has not
changed significantly. -Petrenko
Toretsk. In the central part
of the city, Ukrainian Armed Forces drone operators inflicted fire
damage on enemy positions near the T-shaped intersection of Izyumsky
Lane. According to drone footage, Russian troops are shifting their
attack and attempting to advance in the direction of the Toretskaya
mine in the northern part of the city.
Toretsk direction: After the
enemy clears the western outskirts of Toretsk, they will try to storm
the last defense node - the Toretsk mine. Literally every day it is
being processed by artillery and aircraft dropping KAB-500.
Therefore, I wish the Cossacks to hold out, the enemy will not wait,
by the new year they plan to completely occupy the city! -Muchnoy
Jugend
In the Toretsk
direction, near New York, it was hot yesterday. The vehicles with the
airborne troops decided to test their luck in the worst possible
weather. They weren't lucky, they breathed in snow and mud, and the
assaults were successfully repelled. - Officer Alex
Pokrovsk Direction
South of Dachenskoye, the
enemy has advanced to a depth of 700 meters and occupied the
territory of a farm. East of Ukrainka, the enemy is attempting to
advance along the ravine in the direction of the settlement. -
Petrenko
Pokrovsky direction: Enemy
reserves are now accumulating, where ours was taking place, the
upcoming attack on Shevchenko failed a little. The enemy was able to
hold key positions, from which the Russak attack will take place in
the coming days. The Russak also had success further south, taking
control of the southern part of the Dachenske village and were able
to push us further north. This Sunday will be a turning point... -Muchnoy Jugend
Pokrovsky direction evening: Now the enemy is advancing south of the Lysivka farm. Now they have entrenched themselves in the landing, they are running like hell there! Our FPV units are trying to smoke them out but it is not so easy, let's hope that all the bastards will be destroyed. Additionally, fighting continues in Dachenske! The enemy is reaching the central part of the village, while there is no full control, their armor is constantly moving out, driving up and rolling back, hail [Bm-21 Grads] and mortars are also working. Also, the boars are breaking through the landings to Zelenye, while we are holding them back here, it already seems that there is no end to it all. Our Cossacks will cope, faith should not fade, remember this! -Muchnoy Jugend
Kurakhovo Direction
Heavy fighting continues in Konstantinopolskoye. In the western part of the settlement, Sukhi Yaly and further west along forest belts, the enemy advanced to a depth of 450 m. On the western outskirts of Zelenovka and to the southwest, the Russian assault group advanced along the forest belt to a depth of 3.6 km. -Petrenko
Kurakhiv direction: The enemy was able to advance north of the Vovcha River in the Petropavlivka area and took the heights east of the village. Attacks also continue in the direction of Dachny. The enemy's artillery and aviation are working around the clock, and FPV drones are also flying on fiber optics. Now the Zelenivka village plays an important role, where the enemy is constantly trying to gain a foothold! Thus, the boars are already approaching the Kurakhiv-Zaporizhzhia highway, to which there is still 4 km to go. Now the question arises whether to continue to defend Kurakhiv or to leave the city. If we continue to stay there and maintain some control, this could turn into a very bad result for our garrison.
Time is not in our favor here, and unfortunately, stalling is not an option! -Muchnoy Jugend
"From Kurakhovo, from one cauldron to another. They didn’t manage to properly finish withdrawing the units from the Uspenivka area. By the way, I’ll talk more about the withdrawal later, as the bastards are starting to attempt to encircle Kurakhovo. Yesterday, they pushed through in the area of Sukhi Yaly and Zelenevka, and established themselves in the settlements. Now they will try to advance towards the settlement of Ulakly. If they succeed, the military grouping near Kurakhovo will have no normal communication routes, only field roads, which will complicate the situation." - Officer Alex
Fortunately, the guys were pulled out of the "Uspenivka pocket." It has already been said many times that, unfortunately, this was done far too late. The guys had to exit through the enemy’s battle formations, to make it clearer – it was essentially through the red zone in some places. Surprisingly and fortunately, the losses during the withdrawal were lower than expected, but there shouldn’t have been any losses at all. Most of the losses occurred due to drone drops. - Officer Alex
The Soviet narrative: “They will stand to the end” showed itself in the Kurakhiv direction. No one will say this publicly, but the matter is not only in the high command of this direction, if the brigade commanders constantly reported real information on the state of affairs, and not desired information, with the hope of restoring positions, then they would not have driven people to such a point.
And this applies to almost all directions… - Stanislav Osman
Velika Novoselka
North of Makarovka, the enemy advanced west of the Mokrye Yaly River along the forest belt to a depth of 750 m. West of Neskuchny, Russian assault units advanced along a number of forest belts in the direction of the settlement to a depth of 1.25 km. A difficult situation is developing for Makarovka and Storozhyevoye. - Petrenko
Direction of Velika Novoselka: To the southwest, the enemy is storming our positions and trying to advance to Neskuchny. In this way, they are blocking our main forces and cutting them off from Storozhevo. In the area itself, the fighting has shifted to the village. To the northeast, the enemy continues to consolidate and knock our units out of Novy Komar. The enemy was able to reach the southern part of the village, and fighting is currently ongoing there. The road to Velika Novoselka remains through Vremivka to Gulyai Pole, which the enemy physically controls, and the road north of the village is controlled by enemy drones and artillery. All roads to the village will be cut very soon, the boars just have to make one more hard run and this may happen. -Muchnoy Jugend
Ukrainian Journalist Butusov reported that on December 14, Russian forces launched a large attack on Siversk, involving over 400 soldiers, 30 armored vehicles, 13 buggies, and 60 motorcycles, backed by artillery and drones. Their goal was to break through Ukrainian defenses and push 2-3 km into Ukrainian territory. Ukrainian forces, including units from the 54th, 10th, 81st, and 4th Brigades, repelled the attack.
The Ukrainian forces spotted the Russian assault early and inflicted heavy losses. The K-2 Battalion of the 54th Brigade played a key role, destroying 32 Russian soldiers, wounding 25, and disabling several Russian vehicles. Despite breaking through some Ukrainian positions, Russia was eventually pushed back.
Russia Lost:
32 killed
25 wounded
2 BM-21 "Grad" MLRS disabled
1 BM-27 "Hurricane" disabled
2 MTLBs destroyed
4 buggies destroyed
6 motorcycles destroyed
3 additional armored vehicles damaged
Quote of the Day:
"In ancient times hedgehogs were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this."