Monday, December 30

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Destruction of Russian telecommunications equipment in the occupied territory of Donetsk Oblast, reported on Dec. 29. (Ukraine’s military intelligence / Telegram)

Ukraine to appoint first Military Ombudsman, Zelensky says. “Together with the new commissioner, the human rights community, and the Ministry of Defense, we will draft a corresponding bill on the Military Ombudsman and establish the institutional framework for its operation,” Zelensky said on Dec. 29.

Russia rejects Trump team’s reported peace deal proposals on Ukraine, FM Lavrov says. Earlier reports from the Wall Street Journal indicated that Trump’s team is considering a plan to delay Ukraine’s NATO membership by at least 20 years in exchange for continued Western arms supplies and the deployment of European peacekeepers to monitor a ceasefire.

Russian telecom equipment destroyed in occupied Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine’s intel says. Four facilities housing telecommunication equipment for the illegal operator Phoenix, used by Russian forces, were destroyed in the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) reported on Dec. 29.

Russia may escalate hybrid warfare near NATO borders, Yermak warns. “The appearance of North Korean troops dressed in Russian uniforms or Iranian proxies on the borders of NATO countries is quite realistic if Russia is not stopped now. The North Korean military is already fighting in Europe. Who could have thought of this before?” Andriy Yermak said.

Russia could inflict ‘substantial’ casualties by unconventional attack against NATO, allied official says. “What really worries me is that one of these attacks, as I say, will break through in a big way,” Deputy Assistant Secretary General James Appathurai told Sky News.

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Russia attacked Ukraine with over 280 bombs, 370 drones, 80 missiles this week, Zelensky says. Russia has escalated its aerial assault on Ukraine, launching more than 280 KAB guided bombs, nearly 370 attack drones, and over 80 missiles in the past week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 29.

Russia claims Ukrainian pilot surrendered in Kursk Oblast, Ukraine denies. Ukraine’s Air Force on Dec. 29 denied claims spread by Russian media about a Ukrainian pilot surrendering to Russian forces in Kursk Oblast.

Ukraine secures over $156 million for defense industry from European allies, defense minister says. The funds will support the production of long-range drones, missiles, and artillery, which are critical to Ukraine’s defense strategy.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine prioritizing security guarantees over immediate NATO membership, senior diplomat says

Ukraine’s accession to NATO remains on the agenda but diplomatic efforts currently focus on obtaining strong security guarantees, Andrii Melnyk, Ukraine’s newly-appointed envoy to the U.N., told Berliner Morgenpost on Dec. 27.

Photo: Olha Kharchenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Child casualties in Ukraine within 9 months of 2024 surpass 2023 figures, UN reports. Child casualties in Ukraine during the first nine months of 2024 have exceeded the total for 2023, highlighting the devastating impact of the war on children, the U.N. Humanitarian Aid Organization for Children (UNICEF) said on Dec. 27.

Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 2, injure 14 over past day. Overnight, Russia launched 10 drones from Crimea and six S-300/S-400 missiles from Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, targeting the Kursk and Sumy oblasts, Ukraine’s Air Force reported.

General Staff: Russia has lost 785,930 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 1,730 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

Opinions and insights

Why is my life considered more important than a Ukrainian life?

“When I speak to people back in the U.K., they tell me they’ve seen the news over the past couple of weeks and urge me to leave. They seem shocked when I say that, no matter what happens, I won’t just run away but will stay by those I care about here,” author Ben Fletcher writes.

Photo: Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty Images

Fragmented financial oversight undermines Ukraine’s economic future

“Ukraine faces two distinct losses: the ongoing conflict and the active disenfranchisement of investors,” Deputy Chair of Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation, and Customs Policy Olha Vasylevska-Smahliuk writes.

Photo: Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images

International response

German peacekeeping role in Ukraine hinges on Russia’s consent, Merz says. “If a peace agreement is reached and Ukraine needs security guarantees, we can only discuss this if there is a clear mandate under international law. I don’t see it at the moment. I would like such a mandate to be given in consensus with Russia, not in conflict,” Friedrich Merz said.

Poland prepared to increase energy exports to Ukraine in place of Slovakia, Bloomberg reports. Poland is ready to increase domestic electricity production if Slovakia halts the delivery of backup power supplies to Ukraine, an unnamed Polish official told Bloomberg on Dec. 29.

Latvia to provide over 1,000 drones to Ukraine. Latvia will transfer over 1,000 “combat drones of various types” to Ukraine through the international drone coalition, the country’s Defense Minister Andris Spruds announced on social media on Dec. 28.

Slovak Defense Minister urges Ukraine to consider territorial concessions for “war to stop immediately.” Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak said that Ukraine may need to cede some territory due to the realities on the ground, Slovak news agency TASR reported on Dec. 29.

Ukraine This Year: the top moments that shaped 2024

In other news

Black box from Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash sent to Brazil for investigation. The black box from the Azerbaijan Airlines crash in Kazakhstan, believed to have been caused by Russian air defense, is being sent to Brazil for investigation, Kazakh authorities reported on Dec. 29.

Anti-Western Kavelashvili sworn in as Georgia’s president, pro-EU Zourabichvili disputes legitimacy. Georgian anti-Western politician Mikheil Kavelashvili, an ally of the ruling Georgian Dream party, was inaugurated as the country’s sixth president on Dec. 29 in a move seen as illegitimate by the opposition.

Nordic, Baltic countries voice concerns about elections in Georgia, call for investigations. The Nordic Baltic Eight countries have urged Georgia to hold new elections following disputed parliamentary elections in October and the inauguration of the new president, according to their statement published on Dec. 29.

16-year-old arrested in Russia over anti-government school poster. The child, who the Kyiv Independent has chosen not to identify, allegedly put up posters titled “Heroes of Russia” with photos of Denis Kapustin and Aleksiy Levkin on Dec. 26. Kapustin and Levkin are fighters in the Russian Volunteer Corps, a militant group established by Kapustin who has fought alongside Ukraine and opposes the rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia must admit guilt over downing Azerbaijani airliner, pay compensation, Azerbaijan’s president says. An Azerbaijan Airlines plane was rendered “uncontrollable” by electronic warfare, and its tail section was damaged by fire from the ground while flying over Russia before crashing, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told the media, the Trend News Agency reported on Dec. 29.

Poland aims to fully fortify border with Belarus by mid-2025, senior official says. Poland plans to complete its fortified border wall and close the border with Belarus by next summer, aiming to curb what it sees as Russia’s and Belarus’s “hybrid war” through illegal migration, Polish Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Duszczyk told the Financial Times on Dec. 29.

Zelensky extends condolences over deadly South Korean plane crash. President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed condolences on Dec. 29 to the families of victims and the people of South Korea following a tragic Jeju Air plane crash that killed at least 176 people, marking the worst disaster involving a South Korean airline in decades.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Dmytro Basmat, Martin Fornusek, Sonya Bandouil, Volodymyr Ivanyshyn, and Tim Zadorozhnyy.

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