December 23 2024

Poland delivered 2 Mi-8 helicopters and 1 Bell 412-HP to Ukraine. Kharkiv University of Internal Affairs received them, which will be used for pilot training.


The European Union is preparing its 16th sanctions package against Russia. EU diplomats say the sanctions will include “measures against specific sectors of the Russian economy that have not yet been covered or have been covered insufficiently." This will expand sanctions on individuals and entities considered to be propagandists for the Russian regime. The sanctions package will likely be adopted on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, on February 24, 2025. Additionally, the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) are working to finalize entry bans and asset freezes for individuals accused of spying for Russia and spreading disinformation, including in Germany. However, they recognized that it would be challenging to track down people associated with Russia’s hybrid warfare tactics and to prove it in a court of law.


Ukraine’s GUR reported that a fire destroyed a warehouse full of components for Shahed drones in Russia's Alabuga Special Economic Zone. The warehouse held 65 drone fuselages, and engines, navigation systems, and thermal imaging cameras, all of which were burned. The estimated value of this loss is $16 million.


According to The Insider, several Russian oligarchs close to President Vladimir Putin have managed to evade sanctions and continue to trade with Western countries. The oligarchs named include Gennady Timchenko, Alisher Usmanov, Oleg Deripaska, Viktor Vekselberg, Andrey Guryev, Vladimir Litvinenko, Andrey Melnichenko, Roman Abramovich, Leonid Mikhelson, Andrey Skoch, and Vladimir Potanin. These men exploit a loophole in the sanctions that allows them to retain significant ownership of companies while preventing sanctions from applying to those companies. The loophole is simple: just have an ownership stake in the company less than 50%. Many of these men have sold or transferred shares to other individuals to prevent sanctions from applying to certain companies, allowing them to continue to trade with the West. At least some of the profits generated by continuing to operate in the West are being used to help perpetrate the war.

For instance, as of August 2023, the Sokol Battalion was 100% owned by Rusal, one of Deripaska’s companies. In a report from April of 2024, Rusal stated that Western sanctions on aluminum and metal were not affecting them. Gennady Timchenko and Leonid Mikhelson are the main owners of Novatek, Russia’s second-largest natural gas producer. Novatek recruits soldiers to fight in Ukraine through its mercenary group Saturn-1 PSC. Novatek continues to supply natural gas to Europe. As of June 2024, it was exporting Liquefied Natural Gas to Europe at a rate of 17 million tons per year. Timchenko has earned the nickname of “Putin’s Wallet.”


Germany updated the list of aid provided to Ukraine. This was delivered over the past 5 weeks.

— 1 IRIS-T SLM (already known)
— 2 IRIS-T SLS launchers
— 12 Kinetic Defence Vehicles
— 2 MIM-104 Patriot launchers
— 2 Cheetah SPAAGs
— 14 Hornet XR UAVs
— 24 RQ-35 Heidrun UAVs
— 30 Vector UAVs
— 1 PzH 2000
— 15 Leopard 1A5 MBTs
— 30 FFG MRAPs
— 12 Mercedes-Benz Zetros
— 8 Mercedes-Benz Zetros tankers (water/fuel)
— 1 border protection vehicle
— 7 Caracal air assault vehicles
— 4,580 DM22 anti-tank mines
— 2 TRML-4D air surveillance radars
— material for explosive ordnance disposal
— 5 mobile, remote controlled, and protected demining devices
— 100 CR 308 rifles
— 120 HK GMG
— 80 HLR 338 precision rifles
— 200 MG4
— 420 MK 556 assault rifles
— ammunition for IRIS-T SLM
— AIM-9L/I-1 Sidewinder missiles
— 50,042 35mm APDS-T for Gepard & Cheetah
— 14,958 35mm HEI-T for Gepard & Cheetah
— 52,000 155mm shells
— 15,000 120mm mortar shells
— ammunition for Leopard 2 MBTs
— ammunition for Leopard 1A5 MBTs
— 20,000 40mm ammunition for automatic grenade launchers
— at least 4.3 million rounds of firearm ammunition
— 1,000,000 trauma bandages
— 43,000 tourniquets
— 5 AMPS self-protection systems for helicopters
— emergency power generators
— 50 tents
— 45 underwater scooters

These items are newly pledged

— 4 Kinetic Defence Vehicles
— 2 MIM-104 Patriot launchers
— 20 Marder 1A3 IFVs (already known)

The “Kinetic Defence Vehicle” is a modular drone defense system developed by Diehl Defence, with a radar from Echodyne and an optical detection system from Diehl. The optical system uses multiple cameras to passively detect drones within a 120 to 360-degree sfield of view. Once detected, the radar calculates the airspeed of the aerial threat. The system can defend against small drones within a range of up to 1,000 meters. For Ukraine, the system is likely to include a stabilized R400 RWS equipped with a 7.62-caliber minigun from Australian manufacturer Electro Optic Systems.


Ukraine reported that three North Korean soldiers killed in Kursk Oblast were carrying forged documents, including passports. The military IDs lacked the required stamps and photographs and listed a Russian region as their birthplace, but the signatures, however, were in Korean. The true identities of the soldiers were revealed as Ban Guk Jin, Lee Dae Hyuk, and Cho Chul Ho, though their Russian documents listed them with fake Russian names. Russia continues to try to obscure North Korea’s involvement in the war.

Zelenskyy stated that the number of killed and wounded North Koreans has already reached over 3,000.



Over a thousand applications have been submitted for the Ukrainian Legion. These are Ukrainian men living in Poland who have volunteered to join the Ukrainian military. The men will be trained and equipped in Poland before being sent to Ukraine. The first contracts were signed in November. Recruitment for the next batch begins on January 10.


Badri Kvaratskhelia, the commander of Free Georgia, was killed in action while fighting on behalf of Ukraine in Kursk Oblast. Over 60 Georgian military volunteers have been killed in Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.


Yet another video has been published of Russian troops executing Ukrainian POWs. The video was shared by the 110th Mechanized Brigade and shows Russian soldiers shooting surrendered Ukrainian troops from behind. Ivan Sekach, a press officer with the brigade said that four Ukrainian soldiers were shot dead, while two others had already been killed by shelling. The incident reportedly took place near Velyka Novosilka in the Donetsk region.


The IMF expects the war in Ukraine to end by late 2025 or by mid-2026, in the worst-case scenario. The IMF now predicts Ukraine's economy will grow by 4% in 2024 and that the impact of electricity shortages will be less severe than originally expected, due to new investments in energy infrastructure and repairs, but inflation is expected to rise to 10%, driven by higher food prices, currency depreciation, and energy costs.

GDP growth is forecast to be between 2.5% and 3.5% in 2025; with the GDP benefiting from energy infrastructure repairs and investment, but being limited by labor shortages. Inflation is now expected to average 10.3%. Ukraine is expected to face a $148-$177.2 billion financing gap. If the war lasts into 2026 Ukraine risks dealing with higher inflation, a slower recovery, a decline in GDP, and a deficit above 20%. On December 21, the IMF also approved a new $1.1 billion aid package for Ukraine, demonstrating their belief that Ukraine is operating reasonably efficiently and is heading in a positive direction.


Eurenco's new gunpowder production line in Bergerac, France, will begin operating in January 2025. This production line will double the annual production of artillery shell gunpowder charges. Construction began in 2024 and it will produce shells for Ukraine and the EU. It aims to produce 1,200 tons of gunpowder per year, which is enough for 500,000 charges. Ukraine will begin receiving gunpowder from this factory starting in mid-2025, and there is an existing contract that runs through 2032.


On the night of December 21-22, 2024, drones attacked an oil depot in Oryol, Russia, causing a fire. The depot is located 110 km from Ukraine's border. It had been targeted in previous attacks on December 14 and November 16, 2024. Satellite imagery after the December 14 attack showed at least one tank was destroyed and another possibly heavily damaged.


On the night of December 22-23 Ukrainian drones targeted an ammo depot in Novocherkassk in Rostov. A video published on telegram shows a massive explosion with a mushroom cloud. Russian officials claim multiple missiles and 42 drones were shot down across several regions that night. They reported no casualties.


On the night of December 23-24, Ukraine launched a drone attack on Millerovo airfield in Rostov. Numerous videos showing tracer fire and the sounds of explosions have been published. A video was published showing a sizeable fire burning at the airfield. Russian milblogger Fighterbomber reported that the airfield was attacked with “a dozen and a half” drones.


Battlefield reports. These are drawn from Stanislav Osman, Bakhmutskyy, Muchnoy Jugend, Bakhmut Demon, and Officer Alex.

Kursk Region:

• On the right flank of the Kursk salient, the pidars have advanced normally over the past few days in the direction of Suja, on a stretch of up to 2 km wide and +- the same amount in depth. - Officer Alex

• Drones on the Kursk front are really making a difference against the Koreans. The majority of the destroyed North Koreans are thanks to drone operators of various types: from drops with Mavics to heavy bombers like the Vampire. For the most part, the Koreans are unprepared for the modern battlefield of our war, so UAV operators in the Defense Forces on the Kursk front have a new hobby – eliminating Koreans. You should see how the young guys rejoice when they confirm their presence, and after the battle, they compare who killed more. But no one is relaxing, and the enemy is taken seriously – that's the key. - Officer Alex

At night, the Koreans are massing towards our positions in the Kursk People’s Republic, and sometimes it feels like you don't know where to aim the shell to hit more of them in one spot. The "Vampire" drones and Mavics are really saving us, the guys are starting to destroy the enemy in their rear, every night is productive work; the more you eliminate at night, the less they can reach our positions during the day. The hottest action is happening on the flanks, the enemy is living in wet dreams of breaking through to the Kursk People’s Republic’s border and advancing into the Sumy region. -Stanislav Osman

Pokrovsk Region:

• The situation is very tense, there are heavy battles on the outskirts of the city, some lost positions were recaptured by assault operations, the podaras were significantly reduced.....all this is your donations and help to buy drones. Thank you all!!!! But when the podaras get stuck somewhere and get a blow, they immediately change course and look for weak spots where they can leak. This is what they are doing now, trying to bypass the city from the Vovkove side, where they unfortunately have some success, bad weather conditions help them with this. We work with drones in the rain, fog, drones are lost every day, but we work.... Yesterday in a few hours we destroyed about 30 podaras, with dumps and FPV, a couple of hours later even more climbed there...where do they get so much "meat"???? We stand.....there is no other choice. - Bakhmutskyy

• Pokrovske direction: Lysivka was attacked by hogs, moving in two buggies, one was able to roll away, the other was destroyed, in addition, about a dozen piggies went to fertilize the land! Fighting continues near Dachenske-Zelene-Pishchane. There is also a fight for Novovasylivka, the enemy cannot fully control it yet, but is actively pressing on the village of Solone. Novooleynivka and Ukrainka are completely in the gray zone, and now the [Russians] are establishing themselves in the towns. Also, a little further south, the line of defense is being cut: Slovianka-Petropavlivka-Shevchenko. - Muchnoy Jugend

• Pokrovske direction: The enemy, relying on the occupied positions south of Vovkove, was able to resume offensive actions and is already storming Solone and Vovkove. Thus, they continue to expand their bridgehead towards Udachne and Kotlyne. The bastards also have tactical successes north of Dachenske and are slowly creeping towards the Chunyshyno railway station. The front line can only hold if combat brigades are transferred here, otherwise the front will not last long! Similarly, to the south, there are heavy battles for the remains of Novooleonivka and Ukrainka. The Cossacks are holding the defense here, and if we roll back, the enemy will continue to move towards Dnipropetrovska oblast. - Muchnoy Jugend

• Pokrovske direction: The situation is so-so, 3 tanks landed on Makarivka, [Russian] infantry, ours seem to have destroyed them all + they killed one beha and 4 protsyonkas, and now the attacks continue, 2-3 boars are hiding in the bushes. To the south of the village, the enemy captured Storozheve. Now their task is to bypass Neskuchne from both sides and reach Velyka Novosilka from the south and southwest! - Muchnoy Jugend

• The situation at the front in the evening: In the Pokrovsk sector, near Dachanske, the enemy advanced one and a half kilometers in the western part of the village and entrenched on the western outskirts. There are also reports that the enemy has advanced in the Kreminna sector near Terny! Now they are expanding their control in the central part of the village. Our Cossacks are making progress in the Zaporizhzhia sector, expanding their control south of Kamianske. Now the [Russians] are working with mortars and drones, our troops are slowly consolidating and taking cover until it becomes quiet, then they will continue! -Muchnoy Jugend

Terny Region:

• The situation in Terny is difficult. As in the spring of 2024, I say now that the Terny district is very important for us, because its control decides the fate of the entire Siverskyi direction, without exaggeration. Over the past week, the situation there has deteriorated significantly. The village, which was already destroyed, has now been completely dismantled by the KABs. There is practically nowhere to hold on, the KABs are trying to cram infantry into all the cracks, both literally and figuratively. Honestly, the prognosis is not very encouraging, they will keep the guy as long as they can, we'll see. - Officer Alex

Toretsk Region:

• Toretsk direction: The enemy is slowly advancing towards the Toretska mine and preparing for assault operations. To this end, the Russian-backed militants have already started warming up this area with air and artillery. In our turn, we are accumulating our forces in this area and will give the [Russians] a fight they will remember forever! The decisive battle for the northern outskirts will be soon, we believe in our army! - Muchnoy Jugend

Chasiv Yar Region:

• Chasiv Yar direction: The situation here is quite dynamic, with intense fighting on both sides, our Cossacks counterattacked and managed to take control of the main shop of the refractory plant. The enemy is also counter-attacking in the Northern neighborhood, most of which is already behind the enemy and puts us in a difficult position, especially for those who are now at the plant! - Muchnoy Jugend

• In the Chasiv Yar area, they have recaptured another position, the scoundrels are trying to knock us out of it - without success. As always, your birds took part in this, and the cars that took out the wounded guys. - Bakhmutskyy

Kherson Region:

• Some enemy troops tried to land in the Kherson region in recent days, but the boats were easily sunk. - Bakhmut Demon

• A sabotage group was floating in a boat near the Antonivskyi Railway Bridge. But they were quickly destroyed. According to intercepts of the enemy, the saboteurs were afraid to sail and drank vodka before getting into the boat. - Bakhmut Demon

• This morning, under the cover of rain and fog, the podars landed on an island on the Konka River (VT), as soon as the fog cleared, the podars were destroyed.
Now the Russians are diligently disposing of their equipment, their mission objectives are unrealistic, as is evacuation, the only chance is bad weather. -Stanislav Osman

Kurakhove Region:

• Kurakhove direction: The fighting is still going on in the high-rises, our Cossacks are there! We are also preventing groups from advancing around these skyscrapers, there is heavy artillery from the [Russians] and there are people wandering around the city endangering their lives, but probably indifference will kill them. To the north of Kostiantynopilske, the enemy is trying to cross the river and break into Yantarne with vehicles. So the Cossacks who remain in the semi-sack need to hurry up, because the enemy is cutting the exit to Dachne on both sides, plus the boars have taken a T-shaped landing south of Zelenivka towers. Fighting continues in the direction of Konstantinople and Ulaka, aviation and artillery, along with drones, are attacking these settlements in order to restore the movement of Russians! - Muchnoy Jugend

• Kurakhove direction: It's painful to say how our airborne brigades are fighting in this sack: The 79th and the 46th. We have not received any orders from the top to withdraw, so now it is no longer strategically advantageous to hold this sack. Now the enemy is beginning to be active here, making our units bleed and trying to finally break through the defense in the city itself. Between Zelenivka and Ulakly, the enemy is trying to physically cut the last road out of Zaporizhzhia, and is doing the same from the north in the area of Dachne! There are also battles for Shevchenko and Petropavlivka. If one of these villages falls, the [Russians] will immediately start moving towards Andriivka and it will be a mess! - Muchnoy Jugend

• On the Kurakhiv direction, the enemy infantry doesn't understand where they are going. The enemy's motivation is low, but not in all units.

• A neighboring battalion of my comrades captured an enemy soldier near Zelenevka, and from his testimony, it became clear that assault groups are being sent without understanding the tactical situation. According to him, they aren’t even told that they are being sent on an assault mission (though I don’t fully believe this, because I understand that everyone roughly knows where the front line is and what lies beyond it).

Another incident occurred near Uspenivka, when a damaged enemy BTR was found with bound bodies of soldiers. They might have been deserters or possibly conscripts, but the mechanic, who was supposed to deal with them, immediately fled after the vehicle was hit.

It's clear that not all units are like this, but there is a noticeable tendency that after being dropped or after a vehicle is hit, they flee and hide to survive. Therefore, it’s essential to always approach these situations with determination. -Officer Alex

Quote of the Day:
“Hedgehogs are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Hedgehogs are marvellous. They cause marvels.
Hedgehogs are fantastic. They create fantasies.
Hedgehogs are glamorous. They project glamour.
Hedgehogs are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Hedgehogs are terrific. They beget terror.”
-Terry Pratchett