Ukraine Daily

Friday, December 16

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A Ukrainian military vehicle passes a destroyed Russian tank by the side of the road on December 15, 2022 in Kupiansk, Ukraine. Kupiansk was occupied by Russian forces mere days after their February 24th invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian forces liberated the town in September. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Zelensky: The sooner Putin ends the war, the longer he will live. President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Economist that he is against freezing the Russia-Ukraine war. According to him, Ukraine shouldn’t stop until it liberates all of its territories occupied by Russia.

Zaluzhnyi: Ukraine preparing new major military operation. The upcoming operation “is not visible yet,” Chief Commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi said in an interview with the Economist. The commander-in-chief also added that the Russians are preparing some 200,000 fresh troops. “I have no doubt they will have another go at Kyiv,” he said during the interview.

Ukraine’s Intelligence: Russia fortifies coastline in occupied Crimea. According to Ukraine’s Intelligence Directorate, Russia is “fearing the landing of Ukrainian troops” there.

Reader contributions are our main source of revenue. Support our work.

SBU: 15 Russian-led militants sentenced to 15 years in prison for state treason. According to Ukraine’s Security Service, 15 residents of Russian-occupied parts of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts “voluntarily joined” Russian troops after Feb. 24 as snipers and grenade launchers.

DTEK energy company says its facility damaged by Russian shelling. Ukraine’s private energy company DTEK said on Dec. 15 that one of its facilities had been disconnected from the system due to the Russian shelling. There were no casualties, DTEK said, adding that “the equipment was seriously damaged,” and its “shutdown led to heat supply restrictions in the region.”

Support the Kyiv Independent for as little as $5 a month.

Media: Alleged grenade launcher from Ukraine caused an explosion in Polish police headquarters. According to media reports, the cause of the explosion was the gift Polish General Jaroslaw Szymczyk received during his recent visit to Ukraine.

Read our exclusives here

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine says Russia plans new major offensive in early 2023

Russia appears to be training as many as 200,000 conscripts to launch a new major offensive in early 2023, which could include another attempt at capturing Kyiv.

Photo: Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images

Learn More

Ukrainian teacher risked prison in Siberia to expose collaborators in occupied Snihurivka

When Russian forces seized her town, chemistry teacher Natalia Vorobiova had a choice: collaborate and be left alone or defy them and risk everything. She chose defiance.

Photo: Alexander Khrebet

Learn More

The human cost of Russia’s war

Governor: Russian shelling of Kherson Oblast kills 2, injures 7. Kherson Oblast Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych reported that Russian attacks on Kherson on the morning of Dec. 15 killed two people and wounded six. In the Beryslav district of Kherson Oblast, the governor added that Russian shelling injured one person on Dec. 15.

Russia’s attacks on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast kill 1, injure 5 people on Dec. 15. Mykola Lukashuk, the head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Council, said five people were injured in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Among them was a 16-year-old girl.

Russian attacks kill 5 people, injure 18 in Ukraine over past day. Over the past day, Russian attacks targeted Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Luhansk, and Donetsk oblasts, killing at least five people and injuring 13.

General Staff: Russia has lost 96,590 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Dec. 15 that Russia had also lost 2,975 tanks, 5,946 armored fighting vehicles, 4,563 vehicles and fuel tanks,1,943 artillery systems, 406 multiple launch rocket systems, 211 air defense systems, 281 airplanes, 264 helicopters, 1,644 drones, and 16 boats.

International response

CNN: US Senate passes defense bill with $800 million in aid to Ukraine. The U.S. Senate passed the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDDA), which authorizes a record $858 billion in military spending, including an additional $800 million in security assistance for Ukraine.

EU leaders agree on 18 billion euros aid package to Ukraine for next year. The European Council said on Dec. 15 that it agreed on the allocation of 18 billion euros of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine in 2023.

EU agrees on new sanctions package against Russia. The European Union ambassadors backed the ninth sanctions package against Russia on Dec. 15, the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union wrote. The new package is expected to be approved on Dec. 16.

Germany provides Ukraine with additional IRIS-T missiles. Over the past week, Germany also provided Ukraine with 34 ambulances, 18 trucks “with swap body system,” 12 armored recovery vehicles, as well as 78,500 rounds of ammunition for grenade launchers and artillery, according to the German government.

NYT: US to expand its training program for Ukrainian military in Germany. U.S. instructors will be able to train a battalion of Ukrainian soldiers (600-800 people) every month starting early next year, the New York Times reported, citing two unnamed American officials.

Washington Post: US plans to send Ukraine smart-bomb kits. U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is considering providing Ukraine with advanced electronic equipment that turns unguided aerial munitions into “smart bombs” capable of hitting Russian military positions “with a high degree of accuracy,” WP reported, citing senior U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

European Parliament recognizes Holodomor as genocide against Ukrainian people. The European Parliament members “strongly condemn these acts, which resulted in the deaths of millions of Ukrainians, and call on all countries and organizations that have not yet done so to follow suit and recognize it as genocide,” reads the resolution.

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Teah Pelechaty, Dinara Khalilova, Toma Istomina, Oleksiy Sorokin, Daria Shulzhenko, Anastasiya Gordiychuk, Olena Goncharova, and Brad LaFoy.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider becoming our patron on Patreon or donating via GoFundMe. Start supporting independent journalism today.