Ukraine – 12/3 Sitrep
Compiled by: Robert Homans
December 3, 2022
My Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Interview (link below)
https://www.sir.advancedleadership.harvard.edu/articles/tag/The+Impact+of+the+War+in+Ukraine+Series
Although I posted my interview with the on-line magazine “Social Impact Review,” published by the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative a few days ago, some recipients didn’t see it and they have asked me to send it around again. The latest issue covers Ukraine; my interview is entitled “Leadership Lessons from Ukraine.” To read the interview, click on the picture of Ukrainian troops on parade. When reading, please keep in mind that the interview was done last July, but only published 4 days ago.
Correction
In yesterday’s email I said, incorrectly, that former U.S. Secretary of State John Hay married into the Whitney Family. John Hay himself married Clara Stone, from a very prominent family from Cleveland, Ohio. I meant his daughter, Helen Hay Whitney, Mother of Joan Whitney Payson, first owner of the New York Mets baseball team, and John Hay “Jock” Whitney, former U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James. I apologize for any confusion.
Challenge to Tucker Carlson by a Member of Ukraine’s Parliament
Oleksay Goncharenko, a Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, has issued a challenge to Tucker Carlson, to discuss the value of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine and its continuation. I hope that Tucker Carlson accepts the challenge, and proposes a formal debate, to be held at the secondary school where Tucker and I both attended, and where Tucker was a member of the School’s debate team. A debate such as this would benefit the students, and if admission was charged to the Public the proceeds would go to Ukraine relief. Tucker would, of course, be expected to waive any appearance fee.
News From the Battlefield
“Reporting From Ukraine” covers a Russian attempt to encircle the Ukrainian held city of Avdiivka. According to the report, the Russian attempt hasn’t gone well for the Russians.
As can be seen from the topographical map, the City of Avdiivka is very close to the City of Donetsk. It is the site of a large coking plant that had continued to operate until the start of Russia’s latest invasion. As “Reporting From Ukraine” mentions, Ukrainian artillery in Avdiivka can interdict Russian rail lines that supply Russian troops operating in front of Donetsk.
As mentioned previously, over the past 8+ years Ukraine has built up 3 defense rings in front of Donetsk. Since the start of Russia’s latest invasion, Russia has managed to take only the Town of Pisky, at the end of the Donetsk Airport runway. The only objective I can see is to try to tie down Ukrainian forces, to prevent them from being moved to Kharkiv/Luhansk or to a possible offensive in the south, toward Melitopol.
In 2015 there was a fierce battle between Ukrainian forces and Russian and separatist forces for control of the Donetsk Airport. Ukrainian defenders became known as the “Cyborgs.” The fighting in terminal consisted of Ukrainians holding one floor, while Russian and separatist troops holding another. Ukrainian defenders were largely being supplied by civilian volunteers from Pisky, who braved hostile fire while delivering supplies in the backs of pickup trucks. The Cyborgs eventually withdrew on their own.
In the Latest Denys he predicts a new Ukrainian winter offensive. If Ukraine is waiting for the ground to freeze it is likely that the offensive will come in the Kharkiv/Donetsk area, around Kremina and Svatove, and area further north where the ground will freeze. Howerer, I don’t believe that the ground nearer the Black Sea, around Melitopol, will freeze. Therefore, I think all the talk of waiting for ground to freeze, before starting an offensive, is a kind of ruse.
Ukrainian War Memes
These are priceless. Memes show how Ukrainian humor can serve as a powerful weapon and motivator.
I have collected T-shirts depicting “St. Javelin” and “Snake Island” (the one showing the Ukrainian soldier flipping off the cruiser “Moskva,” later sunk by a Ukrainian missile. I am hoping that the picture of the babushka holding the cat while flipping off Russian soldiers, and “Sgt. Raccoon,” the raccoon that the Russian stole from Kherson Zoo, will both soon make it onto another T-shirt. I hope further that the all the people involved will receive royalties from the sales of the T-shirts, not to mention the Kherson Zoo as agent for the raccoon.
12/3 Sitrep
Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon December 2 to 12:00 noon December 3, 2022
02.12.22. Video summary from Yesterday:
· 00:00 – ban of UOC-MP
· 00:56 – a blow to Zaporizhyni
· 01:29 – mining in Ternopil
· 01:47 – Kherson with light
· 02:04 – Scholz's conversation with Putin
· 02:43 – threats to Ukraine
· 03:51 – scandal with the TV channel "Dozhd"
· 04:24 – flood in Brazil
· 04:47 – lawsuit against Russia
Abbreviations:
RMA = Regional Military Administration SBU = Security Service of Ukraine
INTERNATIONAL
December 3
09:55 U.S. State Department: The U.S. admits the possibility that China could launch hostilities against Taiwan and intends to prevent such a development.
10:55 British intelligence: Russian troops continue to exert much of their joint military efforts and firepower along the fortified front line around the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.
· They believe that the Russian plan, apparently, involves encircling the city through tactical offensives to the north and south.
· Since the beginning of August 2022, Russia has made Bakhmut a priority in its main offensive operation, according to British intelligence.
· In London, it is believed that the campaign was disproportionately expensive, compared to the possible benefits.
· "There is a real possibility that the capture of Bakhmut was primarily a symbolic political task for Russia," British intelligence reports.
10:13: Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak commented on the G7's decision to introduce a ceiling on Russian oil prices at $ 60 per barrel.
· "All that the McFaul-Yermak group offered, although it would be necessary to reduce it to $30 in order to quickly destroy the enemy's economy," he wrote in his Telegram channel.
10:03 Kharkiv RMA: During the day, the Russians struck the settlements of the Chuguev, Kharkiv, Kupyansk, Izyum districts.
· In Vovchansk, a 55-year-old man was wounded in the shelling, and the condition of the victim was average.
10:21: SSU identifies initiators of pseudo-law on "accession" of Luhansk region to Russia
· While in "positions", they contributed to the strengthening of the Kremlin regime in the region and supported the activities of illegal armed groups that took part in hostilities against Ukrainian troops.
· The perpetrators are hiding in the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk region.
10:26 Donetsk RMA: In Volnovakha direction, 1 person is wounded in Vuhledar , the city and the surrounding area are subjected to periodic shelling.
· In Donetsk sector, Kurakhove suffered the most, 1 person was wounded. Shelling of Marinka and the surrounding area was also recorded at night , and shelling of Avdiivka in the morning. No casualties.
· In the Horlivka direction, 2 people were wounded in Bakhmut. Also at night, shelling of the outskirts of the Toretsk and Soledar communities took place.
· In the Lysychansk direction, shelling of Torsky and Zarechny in the Liman community does not stop — without casualties.
11:02 Social Networks: Locals report explosions in Nikopol.
10:45 Kherson RMA: In Kherson, from December 3 to December 5, the ban on crossing the Dnieper River on the River Station section during daylight hours was lifted to evacuate people who are on the left bank and did not have time to leave the temporarily occupied territory.
· "Evacuation is necessary due to the possible intensification of hostilities in this territory," the administration added.
00:54 Social Networks: The façade of the Dior boutique in Kyiv was covered with inscriptions condemning ties with Russia.
09:30 US Treasury Department: Australia and the G7 countries have agreed to limit the price of Russian oil at $60 per barrel.
· The parties also plan to abandon Russian oil and oil pipelines from Russia in domestic markets. The decision will take effect on December 5 or "shortly after that date," the statement said.
· The US Treasury considers the limit on the price of oil from Russia to be $60 sufficient for Russia to continue selling oil on the world market, said US Treasury Minister Janet Yellen.
· "The adopted price cap will ensure the flow of cheaper oil from Russia to global markets and prevent interruptions in global supplies," Yellen said.
09:20 Luxembourg Ministry of Defence: Luxembourg has spent 16% of its defence budget to help Ukraine.
· "Diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Luxembourg are 30 years old.
· This year, Luxembourg has taken an unprecedented step by supporting the Ukraine with military equipment worth 75 million euros," the ministry said in a statement.
08:26 Reuters: A UN investigative mission determines whether Russia's attacks on critical infrastructure in Ukraine can be considered war crimes, mission chief Eric Mese said.
· "These events have devastating consequences for a large number of people. The Commission is gathering additional evidence that it is to provide to the Geneva Human Rights Council in March 2023," Meset said.
08:01: Canada imposes sanctions on Iranian officials and companies involved in human rights violations and in facilitating Russian aggression against Ukraine. This was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Canada.
08:01: Australia released a gin in honor of the liberation of Kherson. This is reported by the Australian manufacturer of the drink Sunshine & Sons.
· The funds raised from each bottle of this series will be used to purchase metal detectors, which will be used to demine Ukrainian territories.
00:15: Latvian special services will conduct an investigation in connection with the statements of Alexei Korostelev on the air of "Dozhdya".
· Earlier, Defense Minister Artis Pabrix said that the process of revoking the permission to stay of channel employees had begun in the country.
· Korostelev himself said that his words were taken out of context.
December 2
23:04: Unknown persons invaded the house of the Ambassador of Ukraine to the Vatican and smeared the front door, stairs and walls with excrement.
· "We don't know who physically vandalized it, but we can imagine who ordered it all," says Ambassador Andriy Yurash.
· According to him, what happened is a coordinated campaign, there are already about ten similar episodes in Europe.
22:20: Alla Pugacheva allowed excursions in her castle.
· The cost of tickets is more than 10 thousand rubles
· Alla Pugacheva promises to transfer all the proceeds to the Olena Zelenska charitable foundation.
22:02: "Give warmth to Ukrainians": British singer Sting calls for donations to Ukraine to cope with a difficult winter.
· The musician says that all the funds that will be raised on his initiative "The Renew Democracy" will be directed to the purchase of instant food and sleeping bags for Ukrainians.
· "The fate of millions of Ukrainians is now hanging in the balance and depends on your help. Keeping warm in winter will be the most important battle of this war," Sting says in his video message.
20:59: Germany supports the return of Crimea militarily.
· This was announced by the chairman of the Munich Security Conference Christoph Hoisgen in an interview with Deutsche Welle.
· "Crimea, of course, is part of Ukraine, and Ukraine has every right to win back and return its territory. Therefore, the decision must be made by Ukraine," said Christoph Hoisgen.
18:58 Reuters: Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić says no one can circumvent EU sanctions against Russia over his country.
· "We have responded to cases of re-export of certain goods, and our state authorities have detained people from companies that were involved in circumventing sanctions against the Russian Federation."
18:42 EU Diplomacy Chief: The European Union's new training mission for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) has reached full operational readiness.
· "The mission is already working, it will train 15 thousand Ukrainian servicemen. It will cost the EU budget 100 million euros," Borrell said.
· According to him, at the moment 1100 Ukrainian servicemen are already undergoing training within the framework of the mission in various camps.
17:09 BGNES: Bulgarian Minister of Economy and Industry Nikola Stoyanov announced that Ukraine will receive military assistance from Bulgaria.
· "Based on the decision of the parliament, which was adopted, we will provide assistance to Ukraine. But tanks are not, I think it was about small arms and some ammunition.
· We are helping with exactly what we can afford to help at the moment so that Bulgarian citizens do not worry," Stoyanov said.
16:59 Prime Minister of the country: Hungary will continue to block €18 billion in aid to Ukraine
· "We do not support taking a common EU loan for this purpose because we do not want the EU to become a community of states that have common debts," Orban said.
16:49: Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabrikis reacted to a statement by the host of the Dozhd TV channel about "helping the Russian military."
· "I believe that Dozhd should move to Russia, the employees of the TV channel need to cancel their residence permit. The cup of our patience is overflowing," Pabrikis wrote on Twitter.
16:29: Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov supported the Czechs' initiative to cut off electricity to buildings belonging to the Embassy of the Russian Federation.
· "It's time for a terrorist state to taste their own medicines, to taste what they do to civilians. A great initiative to turn off the electricity and water supply to the Russian Embassy in Prague," Reznikov wrote on Twitter.
15:58: Spanish police again surrounded the Embassy of Ukraine in Madrid, — RTVE TV channel.
· The Embassy of Ukraine in Madrid, which was surrounded, received a "bloody" package like that received by other diplomatic missions.
· This was stated by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, Reuters reports.
15:37: Dozhd TV channel was also fined €10 thousand at the behest of the Latvian National Council for Electronic Media, council chairman Ivars Abolins said on Twitter.
· The opposition Russian TV channel received a fine for publishing a map of Russia with the occupied Crimea as part of, as well as mentioning the Russian army as "our army".
15:06: Russian opposition TV channel Dozhd, which operates in Latvia, has fired host Alexei Korostelev after his statements on behalf of the channel live about helping the Russian military.
· This was announced on the air of the TV channel by the head of the information service Kateryna Kotrikadze, calling it a "difficult decision."
14:56: The German government's website has its own version of today's conversation between German Chancellor Scholz and Putin.
· "The hour-long conversation was devoted to Russia's ongoing aggressive war against Ukraine and its consequences," the report says.
· Scholz also condemned Russian airstrikes on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and stressed Germany's determination to support Ukraine in ensuring its defense capability against Russian aggression.
14:36 Spiegel: Germany will hand over 7 ACS Gepard to Ukraine in the spring of 2023.
· According to the publication, the company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann is engaged in the repair of equipment, after which it will be delivered to Ukraine.
14:16 Delfi - Lithuanian Defense Minister: The Ukrainian military is much more likely to develop an offensive this winter than the Russian army.
· According to him, next year the Armed Forces of Ukraine will receive even more powerful weapons that NATO countries have. He also said that Lithuania plans to supply drones and other assistance.
13:39: The European Commission has adopted a proposal to make violating EU sanctions a criminal offense throughout the EU.
· Circumvention of EU sanctions will be punishable by imprisonment for a term of at least 5 years. For companies, the fine can be 5% of the world turnover.
13:31: The Polish Sejm failed to pass a resolution recognizing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism due to an amendment introduced by the ruling party, the adoption of which was blocked by the opposition.
· The amendment stated that Russia was responsible for the crash of a Polish Air Force plane in Smolensk, in which 96 people were killed, including Polish President Lech Kaczynski.
13:11: Russian President Putin spoke by phone with German Chancellor Scholz.
· According to the Kremlin, discussing the Ukraine, Putin "drew attention to the destructive line of Western states, including Germany, which is pumping up the Kiev regime with weapons." He called on Germany to reconsider its approaches in the context of Ukrainian events.
· It is reported that a special emphasis in the Kremlin was placed on the fact that the conversation took place at the initiative of Berlin.
12:49 Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine: Earlier, diplomatic missions in Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Croatia, Italy, received bloody packages. They had animal eyes.
· According to him, the packages themselves were saturated with a liquid of a characteristic color and had a corresponding smell.
· Nikolenko also said that the entrance to the ambassador's apartment in the Vatican was vandalized, the embassy in Kazakhstan received a report of mining, which was later not confirmed.
· In addition, the embassy in the United States received a letter with a photocopy of a critical article about Ukraine, but, like most other envelopes, this letter came synchronously with others from the territory of one European country.
12:38: The Ukrainian consulate in the Czech city of Brno was surrounded by police. The building was evacuated due to a suspicious parcel.
· "This morning, a suspicious parcel arrived at the Ukrainian consulate in Brno, which corresponds to those intercepted in Spain. We check the parcel with X-rays," the Czech police said.
· The suspicious parcel, which came to the Ukrainian consulate of the Czech city of Brno, contained "animal tissue".
· According to the Czech police, these tissues will now be sent for examination.
NATIONAL
December 3
08:45 DTEK: Emergency blackouts continue to operate in Kyiv, Odesa and Dnipro today.
· According to the company, the power engineers are doing everything possible to restore the system and return to stabilization outages.
08:35 Institute for the Study of War: putin is not interested in serious negotiations with Ukraine.
· The Kremlin probably intends to create a dynamic in which Western officials will offer Russia proactive concessions in the hope of persuading it to enter negotiations, instead of demanding significant preliminary concessions from Russia.
· Russia sets conditions for negotiations on the demilitarization of the Zaporizhzhia NPP in exchange for Ukrainian guarantees to continue gas supplies to Europe through the Druzhba pipeline
· Nevertheless, according to experts, most likely the Russian Federation will violate any agreement and accuse Ukraine of its non-fulfillment.
07:23 Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 06:00 on December 3:
· "In the Avdiivka and Bakhmut directions, it continues to conduct offensive operations. The movement of personnel and military equipment of the occupiers to complete the units that suffered losses continues.
· Over the past day, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine repulsed attacks by Russian invaders in the areas of the settlements of Chervonopopivka in the Luhansk region and Soledar, Opytne, Nevelske, Krasnohorivka and Marinka in the Donetsk region."
· "At the same time, the enemy launched 5 missile, 27 air strikes and carried out 44 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems on civilian infrastructure and positions of our troops along the contact line.
· The threat of enemy missile strikes on objects of the energy system and critical infrastructure throughout Ukraine remains."
· "The positions of our troops in the areas of the settlements of Dudchany, Tyahynka, Ivanovka and Dniprovske, Kherson region suffered fire damage from artillery of various types. The occupiers do not stop shelling the suburbs and the city of Kherson.
· The enemy continues to suffer losses. Thus, in the city of Tokmak, Zaporizhia region, more than ten cars with wounded servicemen and bodies of the dead occupiers were recorded arriving at hospitals."
· "During the current day, the Aviation of the Defense Forces has inflicted 17 strikes on areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment and 3 strikes on the positions of enemy anti-aircraft missile systems."
· "Over the past day, our soldiers shot down an enemy helicopter and 6 Orlan-10 UAVs.
· At the same time, Ukrainian rocket scientists and artillerymen hit 5 control points, 2 ammunition depots, 11 areas of concentration of personnel and weapons and military equipment and 4 other important objects of the Russian occupiers."
07:13 Operational Command South: In the Black Sea, the Russians are holding 24 cruise missiles at the ready.
· "All Ukrainians need to be prepared and respond correctly to air alarms.
00:46 NSDC Secretary: Russia may launch 3-4 more powerful missile strikes on Ukraine
· At the same time, he stressed that Ukrainian air defense forces shoot down 75-90% of missiles.
· According to Danilov, the number of missile weapons on the territory of Russia is rapidly decreasing and the Russians are forced to look for additional supplies around the world.
December 2
23:27: The Royal Romance superyacht owned by Viktor Medvedchuk will be sold at auction in favor of Ukraine after her arrest in Croatia.
· The Guardian reported that the superyacht is worth $200 million.
23:16: The Government has merged two ministries — infrastructure and regional development — into one large Ministry for Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine.
· The new department was headed by Alexander Kubrakov. Previously, he headed the Ministry of Infrastructure.
21:44: Ukraine is negotiating with Germany and the United States on the supply of the Patriot air defense system. This was stated by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in an interview with Polish media.
· "We support the Polish idea of deploying Patriot in Ukraine, because it is the best way to protect not only Ukraine, but also Poland and other European and NATO countries."
22:51: NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov denied the transfer of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to the use of the OCU.
· "Laurel is the property of all people. I did not see that the state allowed the use of the premises. Anyone can register a public organization at any address, but there must be the consent of the owner. Neither the Cabinet of Ministers nor anyone else accepted such documents."
· However, he added that if it is proved that this organization cooperates with the Russian Federation, they will be closed and banned on the territory of Ukraine.
22:29: Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Ukrainians released from captivity with state honors.
· "I'm happy to see you – free. 1331 – this is how many Ukrainians have already been released from Russian captivity since February 24 this year. 1331 – military and civilian. Soldiers of our army, navy, national guardsmen, police, border guards, territorial defense workers, doctors, rescuers, and volunteers," Zelenskyy said.
21:53 DTEK Director: Ukraine will need weeks to switch the power system to planned power outages - this is in the absence of new damage due to Russian shelling.
· "The main condition is the absence of new shelling and destruction," Dmytro Sakharuk said.
20:50: SBU discovers propaganda "manuals" of the Kremlin, "teachings about Satanism" and Nazi symbols in the dioceses of the UOC (MP)
· The Security Service has completed counterintelligence (security) activities at the UOC (MP) facilities located in Zakarpattia, Rivne and Zhytomyr regions.
· Currently, all seized materials have been sent for examination to take further procedural actions and bring the perpetrators to justice.
19:56 Ministry of Finance of Ukraine : Ukraine received $1.5 billion from the U.S., the first installment of a $4.5 billion grant recently announced by the United States.
· The money will be used to pay pensions, social assistance, in particular to internally displaced persons, payment for medical services, etc.
19:45 Head of NJSC Naftogaz: Naftogaz lacks $ 4 billion for Ukraine to go through the winter heating season.
· "Given the military risks, an additional UAH 3 billion is needed to generate electricity during the heating season. cubic meters of gas, worth more than $4 billion. We need the help of our foreign partners," Chernyshov said at a meeting with the G7 ambassadors and the head of the EU delegation to Ukraine.
19:34: The Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was registered as a monastery within the OCU, said Archbishop of Chernihiv Eustratius Zorya.
· Information about this legal entity as part of the Ukrainian Church was entered into the Unified State Register on December 2, the message says.
18:15 Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00 on December 2:
· "During the current day, the Russian occupiers have launched 13 air strikes on the positions of our troops along the line of contact; 4 missile strikes on civilian objects in the cities of Dnipro and Zaporizhia, the settlement of Zarechnoye, Zaporozhye region and the city of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk region.
· The enemy also carried out more than 10 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems on the civilian infrastructure of Kherson, Antonovka and the positions of our troops along the contact line."
· "In the settlement of Mykhailivka, which is on the temporarily occupied territory of the Zaporizhia region, the enemy, in order to accuse the Defense Forces of Ukraine of destroying civilian infrastructure, set fire to the building of the educational institution "Mykhailivske Higher Vocational School".
· "On December 1 of this year, the fire damage was confirmed in the area of concentration of enemy manpower in the temporarily occupied territory of the Zaporizhia region, near the settlement of Kamianske.
· The losses of the occupiers amounted to 100 people wounded. In addition, on the same day, an enemy helicopter was shot down in the Kupyansk district of the Kharkiv region."
· "In the city of Horlivka, Donetsk region, as a result of hostilities in the Bakhmut direction, in the period from November 30 to December 1, up to 70 bodies of the dead occupiers were delivered.
· During the current day, Ukrainian aviation has inflicted 8 strikes on areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment, 2 strikes on the positions of enemy anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as a strike on its platoon stronghold.
· "Units of the missile forces and artillery of the Defense Forces hit 5 control points, the position of the enemy's air defense systems, 2 ammunition depots, 9 areas of concentration of personnel and weapons and military equipment and 4 other important enemy objects."
18:07 Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs: Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion within Ukraine and abroad, more than 11.5 million Ukrainians have moved abroad.
· "Today we face new challenges - this is a humanitarian crisis, it is the movement of millions of Ukrainians abroad in search of a calmer, safer place.
· There is also such a problem as forced displacement, deportation of Ukrainians, in particular children, to Russia, to Belarus and to the temporarily occupied territories," Pavlichenko stressed.
17:56: Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles arrived in Odesa and visited wounded Ukrainian servicemen, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.
· Reznikov also clarified that Spain has already transferred the first Hawk anti-aircraft missile system to Ukraine.
17:25 press service of the Ministry of Energy: Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko held a meeting on the uniform order of distribution of electricity between consumers.
· "In the event of a power outage, the Distribution System Operator (DSO) should be guided by a fair approach so that all consumers are on equal terms.
· If the facts of abuse are established, company executives will bear personal responsibility," the minister stressed.
16:18 British intelligence: There is an increase in the shortage of ammunition in the Russian army
· With the retreat to the left bank of the Dnieper, Russian troops lost the opportunity to promptly supply ammunition to the forward positions, which gave the Armed Forces of Ukraine the opportunity to strike at additional Russian logistics hubs and communications, the intelligence said.
14:47: Since the beginning of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, 1331 people have returned home.
· It is noted that both military and civilians were released from captivity.
14:06 Minister of Digital Transformation: Google provides $ 2 million for digital education for Ukrainians and 50 thousand Workspace licenses for the Government
· The new $ 2 million grant will be directed to educating Ukrainians in digital literacy, bridging the digital divide and scaling up the Diia.Digital Education platform.
13:49 Minister of Energy: Heads of regional power distribution companies will be personally responsible for non-compliance with power outage schedules.
· He stressed that last week the number of complaints from consumers about non-compliance with schedules and injustice in the order of outages doubled.
13:01: The SBU reported the suspicion to the Metropolitan of the Kirovohrad Eparchy of the UOC (MP), who justified the seizure of Crimea.
· The bishop was part of the inner circle of the Moscow Patriarch Kirill, with whom he coordinated the spread of pro-Kremlin views in the region.
12:30 La Repubblica - IAEA Director General: IAEA announced a decision on the safety of Zaporizhzhia NPP by the end of the year.
MORDOR (rUSSIA)
December 3
December 2
23:57 Social Networks: Belgorod region was shelled. Previously, it was lighting flares.
22:39: A Russian soldier talks to his wife about his visit to the hospital and learns the latest news from Russia.
· "After the new year, there will be a general mobilization, probably until the last Russian," the Russian soldier suggests in the conversation.
22:12: Elle in Russia will finally close.
· Shkulev Media Holding announced that due to the termination of the license agreement, the production of the Elle, Ellgerl, Elledecoration sites was suspended.
19:26 The Washinghton Post: Russia faces a shortage of domestic reconnaissance drones "Orlan".
· The publication notes that the Ukrainian military has shot down many such drones since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Yurii Solovey, head of the air defense of the Land Forces of Ukraine, said that the military had already managed to shoot down more than 580 such drones.
12:20: Tomorrow, Russian troops plan to begin "evacuating" low-mobility residents of Kakhovka to one of the boarding houses in the Henichesk district.
· This was reported by the occupation "Kakhovka military-civil administration".
12:11: The SBU detained a Russian agent in Kherson who was correcting shelling of the Armed Forces positions on the southern front.
· According to the press service of the SBU, he collected intelligence about the locations and movements of units of the Defense Forces in the region.
· The russians needed the information obtained to plan and prepare targeted missile and artillery shelling on the positions of Ukrainian troops.
KHARKIV
December 3
December 2
15:48: Law enforcement officers found a cache of important documents in the liberated Kupyansk that the Russians did not have time to destroy before fleeing, the State Bureau of Investigation said.
· The Russians left personal files of employees of the so-called occupation police department, written consents to the cooperation of traitors-law enforcement officers, orders of the occupation leadership, time sheets, orders for appointment to positions, questionnaires, photographs and much more, the GBI said.
DONETSK
December 3
00:23 Social Networks: In Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, the sounds of explosions are heard.
December 2
18:49 Social Networks: In the temporarily occupied Shakhtarsk, Donetsk region, previously, an oil depot broke out.
ZAPORIZHIA
December 3
07:52 Zaporizhia RMA: Russians shelled civilian areas of the Zaporizhia region at night.
· "As a result of the explosion of two missiles in one of the settlements of the Zaporozhye district, roofs were destroyed and window panes were knocked out near the located buildings. According to preliminary information, all people are whole," Starukh wrote.
December 2
22:54 Social Networks: The sounds of explosions are heard in Zaporizhia.
15:26 Mayor of Melitopol: Near the village of Patience, Melitopol district, the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck at the positions of the Russians.
· "Not far from Patience, the occupiers received such an ardent greeting from the Armed Forces of Ukraine that now dozens of "two hundredths" and "three hundredths" are being taken to the city hospital," Fedorov wrote.
DNIPRO
December 3
December 2
23:35 Social Networks: Repeated explosions in Nikopol are reported.
15:15: The smoke seen in the city after the explosion is not related to the explosion, but to the work of metallurgists - cooling coke, said the mayor of Dnipro Boris Filatov.
14:27 Social Networks: A column of smoke after the explosion in Dnipro. Photos from local social networks.
14:17 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Dnipro.
KHERSON
December 3
09:03 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kherson.
00:35 local journalist: Air alarm sirens were brought to Kherson because most of the sirens that were stolen before the war.
· They will soon be connected, and will be tested.
· When there is testing, there will be 1 siren beep. When there is a real alarm there will be about 7 beeps.
00:05 Kherson RMA: Russians shelled Kherson again - damaged power grids. The city was left without electricity, repair crews are already working on site.
December 2
16:39 Kherson RMA: 75% of Kherson is provided with light.
· "Power supply has been restored for 100 thousand consumers," Yanushevich said.
13:36 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kherson.
ODESA
December 3
December 2
20:03: In Odessa, during an inspection of one of the cars on Prokhorovskaya, explosive objects were found in the trunk, police said.
· An investigative task force was called, upon the arrival of which an explosion occurred.
· Two civilians and five police officers were wounded, all hospitalized.
17:15 Social Networks: In the center of Odessa, previously, an unknown person detonated a grenade during detention. Casualties have been reported.
KYIV
December 3
December 2
9:30: A mural depicting a blue and yellow phoenix appeared on a restored building in Kiev, which was hit by a rocket on March 15.
19:12 Mayor of Kyiv: We all hope that there will be no worst-case scenario. But we must be prepared for different options, since the enemy is insidious and ruthless.
· In case of new strikes on the power system of Ukraine and the complete lack of power supply in the capital, buses will operate on all routes of land transport. Travel will be free.
· The movement of subway trains, in case of an emergency and lack of power supply.
· 45 underground metro stations will operate as temporary accommodation points for people and as shelters during an alarm. Admission to the station will be free, but you need to have an identity document with you.
17:47: In Gostomel, police detained intruders who cut out Banksy's graffiti, a Kyiv region police spokeswoman said.
· "They removed the plaster from the house, the drawing itself was transferred to a wooden specially prepared sheet," police said.
· The vandals explained their act by the desire to sell graffiti and send money to the military. They are now being questioned by the police.
SUMY
December 3
December 2
21:37 Sumy RMA: During the day, the Russians launched 76 strikes on the border of Sumy region from various types of weapons.
· The Seredno-Budska, Znob-Novgorodska, Krasnopilska and Belopolska communities were under fire. No casualties.
Comparing Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to Russian invasion of Ukraine using Wikipedia and Ukraine Ministry of Defense Daily Bulletins. Soviet and Russian military losses not including captured equipment.
SOURCES
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/
https://euromaidanpress.com/
https://cutt.ly/Blyskavka
Tucker Carlson's understanding of the Ukraine differs considerably from mine. I think him wrong.
Unclear how one caps the price of oil. It's completely fungible. A barrel goes to the highest offer in a world market. I don't think deliveries to N. Korea were ever stopped by sanctions. Only issue has been the settlement currency.
For a well armed military, larger prop powered drones are easily shot down.