Saturday, December 16

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Dec. 13 took photos at the site of a missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Danylo Antoniuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Russia continues to strike Kyiv with drones. Loud explosions were recorded in the Podil district of Kyiv overnight on Dec. 16, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Military officials on Dec. 16 said that 31 drones had been used in the attack and that 30 were downed by air defense.

World Bank to provide Ukraine with additional $1.3 billion in financial support. The World Bank will provide Ukraine with an additional $1.34 billion in financial aid through a combination of grants and loans, according to a press release published on Dec. 14.

Ukraine to start talks next week on readiness for EU. Ukraine will open discussions with the European Commission next week on the readiness of the Ukrainian state for EU membership, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna said on Dec. 15.

EU to find ‘operational solution’ for Ukraine funding by next Council meeting. As Hungary opposed the EU’s multi-annual financial framework that included 50 billion euros ($55 billion) for Ukraine, the European Commission will ensure an “operational solution” to the issue by the next meeting, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during a press briefing on Dec. 15.

Ambassador Brink urges US lawmakers to approve Ukraine aid package. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink on Dec. 15 urged Congress to reach a deal on additional support for Ukraine “as soon as possible,” describing the situation as “urgent.”

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Putin exaggerates number of Russian troops in Ukraine, intelligence says.

There are around 450,000 Russian troops deployed in Ukraine, rather than 617,000 as Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed, the spokesperson of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR), Andrii Yusov, said on Dec. 15.

Local official detonates grenades in government building, 1 dead, at least 26 wounded. A village council member detonated at least two grenades inside a crowded room in a local government building in the western Zakarpattia Oblast on Dec. 15, Ukraine’s National Police said.

Ukraine to focus on domestic arms production in 2024. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry aims to localize arms production in Ukraine next year, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said during a Ukrainian-British defense industry conference, the ministry reported on Dec. 15.

Ukraine launched large drone attack on Crimea, Russia claims. Multiple explosions were reported in Crimea on Dec. 15 as air defense downed six Ukrainian drones over the peninsula, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said.

As Ukrainian officials begin filing asset declarations, controversies surface. Some of the electronic asset declarations recently filed by top officials have revealed huge earnings, valuable assets, and links to Russia. One of the most controversial officials who filed a declaration is Oleh Tatarov, a deputy chief of staff for Zelensky.

Polish court overrules ban on Yahodyn-Dorohusk crossing protests. The Lublin district court overruled a Polish mayor’s ban on Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing protests, which means that the blockade at the checkpoint with Ukraine may soon resume, the RMF24 reported on Dec. 15.

Official: 3 Ukrainian drivers hit by Polish car at border. Three Ukrainian drivers at the Polish border were hit by a car registered in Poland on Dec. 14 and received minor injuries, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Dec. 15, citing comments from Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko.

Belarus launches sudden readiness check of air defenses. The Belarusian military started a sudden readiness check of its air defense forces, involving anti-aircraft missile units and radio engineering troops, the country’s defense ministry announced on Dec. 15.

Prosecutor’s Office opens investigation into Russia’s use of Ukrainian POWs as human shields. The Prosecutor General’s Office opened an investigation on Dec. 14 into Russia’s alleged use of Ukrainian prisoners of war as human shields.

Read our exclusives

Are Zelensky and his top general really in discord?

After successfully taking Ukraine through the initial stages of the all-out war, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi found themselves the country’s two most popular – and arguably, most important – people.

Photo: President’s Office

Ukraine finally moves to fortify front line, but could it be too little too late?

As Ukraine wrestled with internal political tensions, the threat of Western military aid drying up, and the slow realization that the summer counteroffensive had ended in a strategic failure, questions began to be raised about Ukraine’s preparation for a long defensive fight.

Photo: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Putin exaggerates number of Russian troops in Ukraine, intelligence says

There are around 450,000 Russian troops deployed in Ukraine, rather than 617,000 as Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed, the spokesperson of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, Andrii Yusov, said on Dec. 15.

Photo: Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian shelling of Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast injures 2. Russian artillery attacks against Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on Dec. 15 injured an 83-year-old woman and her 16-year-old granddaughter, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.

Russian shelling of Kherson injures 2. A Russian artillery attack against the Dniprovsky municipal district of Kherson on Dec. 15 injured two women in their homes, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 38 – Is Ukraine ready for long war?

International response

US Senate to vote on Ukraine aid package next week. The U.S. Senate will reconvene next week to vote on a proposed Ukraine-Israel aid package, delaying the Senate’s scheduled holiday recess, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Dec. 14.

UK sanctions Russia’s Novikombank. The U.K. extended its sanctions list to include Russia’s Novikombank, a bank owned by the Russian state conglomerate Rostec, the U.K. government announced on Dec. 15.

Macron confident EU can fund Ukraine even without Orban. The EU should be able to financially support Ukraine even if Hungary continues obstructing the assistance, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Dec. 15, The Guardian reported.

First Leopard 2 tanks repaired in Lithuania to return to Ukraine. The first Leopard 2 tanks had been repaired in Lithuania and would be sent back to the front lines in Ukraine, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry announced on Dec. 15.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Nate Ostiller, Francis Farrell, Oleksiy Sorokin, Martin Fornusek, Elsa Court, Anastasiia Malenko, Dmytro Basmat, Lance Luo, and Olena Goncharova.

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