Friday, December 29
Russia’s war against Ukraine
A child walks through light installations at a park in Kyiv on Dec. 28, 2023, as the second year of Russia’s full-scale invasion comes to a close. (Anatolii Stepanov / AFP via Getty Images)
Military: Civilian vessel hits Russian mine in Black Sea, 2 sailors injured. The news comes days after the Ukrainian military warned about an increased risk for civilians posed by drifting naval mines in the Black Sea due to lengthy storms.
AP: Russian occupation authorities deliberately undercounted victims of Kakhovka dam disaster. Moscow-installed illegal administration in the Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast “vastly and deliberately” undercounted the victims of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant’s destruction in June, an investigation by the Associated Press (AP) revealed.
UK Defense Ministry confirms Ukrainian strike ‘completely destroyed’ Russian landing ship. Ukraine’s missile strike on the Russian landing ship Novocherkassk on Dec. 26 “completely destroyed” the vessel, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its intelligence update on Dec. 28.
Bloomberg: Shmyhal asks for meeting with foreign donors amid budget uncertainty. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has requested an emergency meeting with international donors amid uncertainty over Ukraine’s budget for the upcoming year, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 28.
Drone debris causes fire at Odesa high-rise. Falling debris from an intercepted Russian drone caused a fire to break out at a high-rise building in Odesa on Dec. 28, Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper reported.
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Zelensky appoints new governors of Donetsk, Rivne oblasts. Vadym Filashkin, who was deputy head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, has been appointed Donetsk Oblast governor. Oleksandr Koval has been appointed Rivne Oblast governor.
Zelensky holds call with Pope Francis, discusses peace formula. President Volodymyr Zelensky held a call with Pope Francis and discussed Ukraine’s peace formula, Zelensky said during his evening address on Dec. 28.
Hryvnia drops to historic low against the dollar. The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) set a new official exchange rate of Hr 37.98 to the dollar for Dec. 29, up 36 kopecks from the previous rate of Hr 37.62.
Prosecutors: Russia’s 76th Airborne Division likely linked to execution of Ukrainian POWs in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. “This division is already known for war crimes committed in Ukraine, particularly in Kyiv Oblast,” Yurii Bielousov, an official within the Prosecutor General’s Office, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Dec. 28.
Russia imprisons two poets for anti-war poetry reading. A Moscow court sentenced two men to prison for participating in a reading of poems against the Russian invasion of Ukraine in public, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty reported on Dec. 28.
Read our exclusives
Ukraine war latest: Russia to fight for ‘at least 5 years’ in Ukraine
Russian leader Vladimir Putin allegedly told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a meeting in March that Russia planned to continue its war against Ukraine for “at least five years,” Nikkei Asia reported on Dec. 28, citing its anonymous sources.
Photo: Grigory Sysoyev/Pool/AFP
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What made Ukrainians feel hopeful in 2023
Ukraine had high hopes for 2023. Many dreamed the war would end with Ukraine’s victory and that they would finally be able to visit liberated Crimea after nine years of Russian occupation. But Russia’s brutal attacks against civilian infrastructure continued.
Photo: Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images
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Kyrgyzstan’s trade is booming as Russia masters sanctions circumvention
Sanctions evasion is Russia’s open secret. The system itself — known as “parallel importing” — is simple. Between May and December 2022, Moscow reported importing some 2.4 million tons of goods worth $20 billion via the parallel imports scheme.
Photo: Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP via Getty Images
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Human cost of war
Governor: Russian attack in Kharkiv Oblast kills 1, injures 1. Russian forces struck Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast on the morning of Dec. 28, killing a 66-year-old woman and wounding another resident, reported Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor.
Russian attack on village in Zaporizhzhia Oblast kills 2, injures 5. A Russian artillery attack on the village of Bilenke in Zaporizhzhia Oblast killed two civilians and injured five others, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported on Dec. 28.
Russian attacks kill 1, injure 8 in Kherson, Donetsk oblasts. Russian attacks against Kherson and Donetsk oblasts killed one civilian and wounded another eight, regional authorities reported on Dec. 28.
General Staff: Russia has lost 356,670 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. Russia has also reportedly lost 5,940 tanks, 11,015 armored fighting vehicles, 10,127 vehicles and fuel tanks, 8,391 artillery systems, 935 multiple launch rocket systems, 617 air defense systems, 329 airplanes, 324 helicopters, 6,503 drones, and 23 boats.
Opinions and insights
How we’re reforming Ukraine’s defense ministry
“The Defense Ministry is one of Ukraine’s oldest bureaucratic structures. As such, it has long-established customs and procedures, some of which no longer meet the challenges of today. My mission as the deputy minister for institutional development is to help develop an institution that incorporates the best practices of an advanced democratic society,” writes Stanislav Haider, deputy defense minister for institutional development.
Photo: Courtesy Stanislav Haider
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International response
Bloomberg: Germany expects EU aid package to be supported ‘in any case.’ Germany expects the European Union to finalize a deal on a major aid package for Ukraine even without Hungary’s support, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 28.
German party leader says Europe can’t compensate for potential loss of US aid to Ukraine. In a comment for the German Press Agency, Omid Nouripour, a co-leader of Germany’s Green Party, has emphasized the central role the U.S. is playing in Western support for Ukraine, adding that Germany and the European Union, in general, won’t be able to compensate for a potential loss of the U.S. aid to Ukraine.
Dutch Army commander warns country must be better prepared for war with Russia. The Netherlands must become better prepared for a future war with Russia, for example by encouraging voluntary military service, outgoing Dutch Army Commander Martin Wijnen said in an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf on Dec. 28.
Ukraine, France strengthen air defense cooperation. Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havryliuk said that he expects the coalition’s work to result in additional air defense supplies to help Ukraine modernize its current capacities.
IMF rep on mobilization costs: ‘We expect Ukraine to generate domestic revenues.’ Alfred Kammer, the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) European Department director, said that international donors are focused on supporting Ukraine’s government and social programs, not the military.
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