Kyiv suffers largest ever drone attack by Russia leaving five wounded
Russia has made gains in northeast Kupyansk, an area north of Bakhmut and southwest of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, a think thank has said.
The Institute for the Study of War added that Kremlin troops continued meeting engagement battles along “the entire line of contact.”
Earlier, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky aid that the military has asked for an additional 450,000-500,000 people to be mobilized into the army as he remains confident in European support.
Mr Zelensky told a press conference that top military and government officials were due to discuss “this very sensitive issue of mobilisation” and that parliament would then consider it.
“Their view was… they proposed mobilising an additional 450,000-500,000 people. This is a very serious number,” Zelensky said on Tuesday.
“I said that I would need more arguments to support this move. Because first of all, its a question of people, secondly, it’s a question of fairness, it’s a question of defence capability, and its a question of finances.”
He added that conducting a mobilisation at such a scale would require additional an additional 500 billion hryvnias ($13.5 billion) in financing.
Russia makes gains in area near Bakhmut
Russia has made gains in northeast Kupyansk, an area north of Bakhmut and southwest of Avdiivka, a think thank has said.
The Institute for the Study of War added that Kremlin troops continued meeting engagement battles along “the entire line of contact.”
Read the full report here:
Matt Mathers20 December 2023 10:58
Ukraine to produce more than a million attack, reconnaissance drones – minister
Kyiv plans to produce a million reconnaissance and attack FPV drones and more than 11,000 medium- and long-range attack drones next year, Ukraine’s minister for strategic industries said on Wednesday.
“All production facilities are ready, and contracting for 2024 begins,” Oleksandr Kamyshin said on Telegram messenger.
The figure includes at least 1,000 drones with a range of more than 1,000 km (620 miles), he said.
Matt Mathers20 December 2023 10:28
Kremlin says there is no basis for negotiations with Ukraine
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that there is no current basis for talks between Russia and Ukraine as none of the prerequisites are in place.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine withdrew from the negotiation process in 2022 “at Britain’s insistence” and “forbade” negotiations with Russia.
Ukraine says peace can only based on a full Russian withdrawal from all the territory it has seized since the war began in February 2022.
Matt Mathers20 December 2023 10:10
EU top court upholds sanctions against Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich
The European Union’s top court on Wednesday upheld sanctions against Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich that had been placed upon him after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
After President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine in February 2022, the EU sanctioned Russian officials and a host of Russian businessmen, such as Abramovich, while freezing hundreds of billions of dollars of Russian assets.
Abramovich had launched a legal challenge against this.
“The general court dismisses the action brought by Mr Abramovich, thereby upholding the restrictive measures taken against him,” said the EU’s top court in a ruling.
Abramovich, who also holds Israeli citizenship and is a former owner of Chelsea soccer club, became one of the world’s most powerful businessmen after the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union. Forbes estimates his net worth at $9.2 billion.
Matt Mathers20 December 2023 09:50
ICYMI: A man claiming to be a former Russian officer wants to give evidence to the ICC about Ukraine crimes
A Russian claiming to be a former officer with the Wagner Group has arrived in the Netherlands and says he wants to provide evidence to the International Criminal Court, which is investigating atrocities in the war in Ukraine.
Dutch news program EenVandaag reported Monday that Igor Salikov had flown into the Netherlands. The news show spoke to him via a videolink. He is believed to have applied for asylum and could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Matt Mathers20 December 2023 09:30
Zelensky says Ukraine could mobilise another 500,000 soldiers against Putin’s war
Matt Mathers20 December 2023 09:05
Zelensky claims ‘working relationship’ with Ukraine’s top commander but rift rumours persist
“I have a working relationship with Zaluzhnyi. He should be responsible for the results on the battlefield as the commander-in-chief, and together with the General Staff [of the Armed Forces of Ukraine]. There are many questions there,” Mr Zelensky said in a year-end press conference in Kyiv where he opened the floor to questions from the crowd.
Matt Mathers20 December 2023 08:50
Putin hoping for a Trump win in US presidential election – Czech president
Vladimir Putin wants Donald Trump to win the US election because he believes it will turn the tide of the war in his favour, the Czech president has said.
Petr Pavel told Czech newspaper Seznam Zpravy the outcome of Russia’s war in Ukraine could hinge on the outcome of the US presidential election in November.
“We will have elections in Russia, where Vladimir Putin will probably win without much surprise, we will have elections in the United States, where the outcome is far from certain,” he said.
“And it can be assumed that the anticipation of elections will bring certain changes on the battlefield as well.”
He added: “At least on Vladimir Putin’s side, there is an expectation that in the event of Donald Trump’s success, he would be able to negotiate with him regardless of what Ukraine or the rest of Europe thinks about it.”
Matt Mathers20 December 2023 08:29
ICYMI: Turkey links Sweden’s NATO bid to US approving F-16 jet sales and Canada lifting arms embargo
Ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership by Turkey’s parliament hinges on the US
Congress’ approval of Turkey’s request to purchase F-16 fighter jets, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, calling on the two legislatures to act “simultaneously.”
In comments reported on Tuesday, Erdogan also said Canada and other NATO allies must lift arms embargoes imposed on Turkey.
Matt Mathers20 December 2023 08:05
The tiny EU country with just 10 million people that’s become Putin’s trojan horse
The eastern European state that accounts for just 2 per cent of the entire EU population has derailed a vital aid package to Ukraine – and now threatens to derail Kyiv’s future as a member. With Putin’s fortunes rising, it is time to suspend Hungary from the bloc’s foreign policy decision-making, writes Bill Browder.
Read the full piece here:
Matt Mathers20 December 2023 07:43