UKRAINE WAR BRIEF DAILY DRAFT
For: 2023-12-27
Slava Ukraini! For the past six months I have provided a daily draft for the Ukraine War Brief Podcast collecting news from over 40 sources daily much of which ends up in the Ukraine War Written Brief. While this is going through a period of transition I will make this Draft available here for those who wish to keep up with events on a daily basis.
INSIDE UKRAINE
ALONG THE CONTACT LINE
Highlights from the Commander-in-Chief’s Briefing
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, held a briefing for journalists in Kyiv, addressing matters concerning a number of military matters.
Demobilization and rotation
Zaluzhnyi said that the General Staff agreed with the Ministry of Defense on demobilizing military personnel after 36 months of service. However, as the Commander-in-Chief has added, the possibility of demobilization will depend on several factors. No one can predict what exigencies will arise.
Zaluzhnyi also comments on the possibility of rotations on the front every six months, as envisaged in the bill amending mobilization, which the Cabinet introduced to parliament yesterday.
"We would like this norm to be in place. But the situation depends on the actions of the enemy. We cannot predict whether it will be five or six months. What if the enemy attacks previously calm areas?"
— Valerii Zaluzhnyi, CIC Armed Forces of Ukraine
Maryinka and Avdiivka
Zaluzhnyi has discussed the situation in Avdiivka and Maryinka, currently the hottest points on the front line. He has informed that Ukrainian servicemen retreated to the northern outskirts of Maryinka since the Russians completely destroyed the Ukrainian city.
“The lives of our soldiers are more important to us. Therefore, in Maryinka, which held on for almost two years, our forces are still located in its northern part, but they have prepared a defensive line beyond this settlement,"
— — Valerii Zaluzhnyi, CIC Armed Forces of Ukraine
Commenting on the situation in Avdiivka, which occupiers are attempting to surround, similar to what happened in Bakhmut, Zaluzhnyi urges not to "fixate or create any "show or sorrow" around a specific settlement. However, he has added that the Russians can gather their forces in a certain direction and repeat the fate of Bakhmut in two to three months.
"Our actions are governed by their own laws, unaffected by whether it pleases deputies or journalists...Every piece of land is valuable to us; we'll defend as much as we can. If we lack strength, we preserve our people, and then we'll regain,"
— — Valerii Zaluzhnyi, CIC Armed Forces of Ukraine
War in 2024 should differ from 2023
Zaluzhnyi said the war in 2024 should differ from the one in 2023.
"The year 2024 should differ from 2023 because otherwise, what I wrote about in the article (The Economist article - Ed.) awaits us. We have identified problems and found 90% of the solutions to act more effectively and preserve lives. Our partners have agreed with us. My main mistake was - that I thought that the level of losses we inflicted would deter anyone. But not Russia," he noted.
Preparation of brigades in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Zaluzhnyi states that Ukraine currently has the capacity to simultaneously train up to 10 brigades. He also has agreed that only well-prepared individuals should go to the front lines.
"I agree with any initiatives that increase the responsibility for sending unprepared people to the front. This cannot happen. We have an excellent opportunity to use both our capabilities and those of our partners - and they pay great attention to the training of our troops,"
— — Valerii Zaluzhnyi, CIC Armed Forces of Ukraine
The Khortytsia operational-strategic group is responsible for the Kup’yans’k, Lyman, and Bakhmut axes, in the northeastern part of Ukraine.
Nothing to Report.
The Tavria operational-strategic group is responsible for the Avdiivka, Mar’inka, Shaktars’ke, and Zaporizhzhia axes, in the central-eastern and southeastern part of Ukraine.
Frontline dynamics shift as Russians intensify efforts across all fronts
Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Commander of the Tavriia Operational Strategic Group, in an interview with BBC Ukraine said he believes that the situation at the front has not yet reached a stalemate, but admits that the situation is difficult. Russian troops have become more active along the entire front, they want to capture at least Avdiivka by the end of the year, and Marinka has been destroyed.
"The situation on our front is tense and complex. The enemy has intensified its actions along almost the entire contact line. We understand their strategic goal is the elimination of Ukrainian statehood.
Therefore, the Russian leadership aims to realise all these intentions by the end of this year. At a minimum, this includes the capture of the town of Avdiivka. A more ambitious goal is to reach the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and seize territories lost by the Russians during our offensive operations on the Zaporizhzhia front."
— Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Brigadier General AFU
Tarnavskyi confirms that the Russians consistently send reinforcements to Avdiivka, while Ukrainian forces are manoeuvring with their units and divisions.
Tarnavskyi said that the Russians in Avdiivka could have achieved better results with their forces and resources, but Ukrainian soldiers are actively engaged in defensive operations: "We not only defend the territory, but we also immediately react to regain the lost terrain."
Regarding Marinka, the Ukrainian commander stated that Ukrainians defend their land, not "through stubbornness or the killing of our personnel, but through skilful actions – manoeuvring, firepower, movement, and deceiving the enemy". Tarnavskyi emphasised that the most important thing is to preserve personnel, not to stand "at any cost".
Tarnavskyi noted that the Russians have practically wiped Marinka off the map because the battles for the town had been ongoing for two years. On the other hand, in Avdiivka, the Russians are not so eager to enter; they want to bypass it to avoid city battles, as it would further complicate their problems, similar to what happened in Bakhmut. In Robotyne, the Russians are attempting to regain positions.
So, regarding Avdiivka – it is the front of their main strike. Marinka is a different front. Novomykhailivka, for example, serves as a diversionary front. The Novopavlivka front also has its purpose.
What about Robotyne? It is the area where the enemy had losses in territory. Today, they are exerting pressure and conducting active assault operations. However, during the enemy's advance on any front, believe me, there are both positive and negative consequences for them. They are trying to achieve success, and for us, it is crucial to hold our ground and provide a clear resistance."
The Odesa operational-strategic group is responsible for Kherson, Qırım, (also known as Crimea) and the Black Sea
Another Russian ship sunk in occupied Qirim
On the night of December 26, in the occupied Feodosia, Qirim (Crimea), a large Russian landing ship, the Novocherkassk, was destroyed. The Commander of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykola Oleshchuk, confirmed the impact of the cruise missiles, and footage of a powerful explosion on board was captured and circulated on social media.
The explosion resulting from the attack on the ship was so powerful that unofficial versions began to circulate, suggesting that Novocherkassk could have been transporting Shahed drones.
According to information from local Telegram channels, five hours after the start of the fire in Feodosia, it is still ongoing, visible from the embankment.
This is the 23rd vessel of the Black Sea Fleet that Ukraine has sunk since the start of the full scale invasion of Feb. 2022.
The Novocherkassk is a Project 775 vessel built in Poland during the Soviet era and commissioned in 1987. Moreover, from 1990 to 2007, the was in storage and only reactivated as part of the Black Sea Fleet following the full scale.
It is worth noting that Russia did not react to the event throughout the night. Only in the morning did the Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledge that the landing ship Novocherkassk was affected. However, they claimed it only "suffered damage," which is not evident from the images circulating on the network.
To downplay the loss of the ship, the Russian military invented that Ukrainian planes, specifically two Su-24 fighters, were "shot down."
The ship was previously attacked on Mar. 24 of last year. At that time, the missile forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck Russian ships in the waters near Berdyansk.
— — —
On Dec. 27 Russian Telegram channel Astra claimed that 77 sailors were on board the vessel at the time of the attack on the night of 25-26 December.
At least 19 Russian sailors are injured and 33 are missing after the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the Novocherkassk large landing ship in the port of temporarily occupied Feodosiia, Qirim.
TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Nothing to report.
THE HOME FRONT
Russians attack the railway station in Kherson.
The mayor of Kherson, Roman Mrochko, reported that the Russian army has been attacking Kherson in southern Ukraine for several hours. The railway station was hit resulting in casualties.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, about 140 civilians were waiting for an evacuation train at the station. After the shelling began, police began evacuating people.
A police lieutenant was killed during the evacuation. Two other police officers and several civilians received shrapnel wounds and were taken to hospital.
The railway station building and the rolling stock of the railway company Ukrainian Railways were damaged. Passengers are in a shelter. There are company employees among the injured.
"The situation is under control. The railway workers are ready to continue working," the company added.
Two Russian Kh-59 shot down over Dnipropetrovsk
The Air Force reported it destroyed 13 enemy Shaheds, two Kh-59 missiles and a large landing ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Novocherkassk near Feodosia overnight on Dec. 25 – 26.
"In the Dnipro district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, a unit of the East Air Command destroyed two Kh-59 guided missiles,"
— East Air Command on Facebook
Russia launches massive Drone attack
On the evening of Dec. 26 Russia launched a suicide drone attack that lasted until the early hours of the next day, Ukrainian Air Force says. The attack targeted primarily southern and central regions of Ukraine.
According to the Air Force, the Russians launched 46 Shahed-136/131 drones from the south and southeast, namely Balaklava in occupied Crimea and Russia’s Primorsko-Akhtarsk.
The Air Force says Ukrainian air defenders managed to shoot down 32 Shaheds, as the country’s tactical aircraft, surface-to-air missile units, and mobile fire groups were involved in repelling the Russian air attack.
“Most of the drones that failed to be shot down attacked the frontline areas, in particular Kherson Oblast. Several other UAVs crashed without causing any damage,” the Air Force wrote.
Odesa Oblast regional chief Oleh Kiper said (https://t.me/odeskaODA/3637) air defense units downed 11 Shaheds in his region, although the wreckage of the downed drones caused casualties among civilians. One of the downed drones crashed into the dacha summer cottages in Odesa City’s suburbs.
“Four victims were discovered in the suburbs of Odesa, including a 17-year-old teenager. One person died on the spot, and another man, who was taken to hospital in serious condition, died. The teenager remains in hospital, the woman and the man are being treated on an outpatient basis,”
— Oleh Kiper, Odesa Oblast regional chief
THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION / OCCUPIED BELARUS
Russia to deploy newest howitzers against Ukrainian forces
A new article published by Reuters on Dec.27 stated that Russia will soon deploy its newest howitzers against Ukrainian forces as part of what Moscow calls its "special military operation," the head of the Rostec state defence conglomerate said in remarks published on Wednesday.
The testing of the new Coalition-SV self-propelled artillery units has been completed and their mass production has already started, Sergei Chemezov, the head of Rostec told the state RIA news agency in an interview.
The howitzers, with a claimed range of up to 70 kilometres (44 miles), are equipped with a modern 2A88 cannon of 152 mm caliber with a firing rate of more than 10 rounds per minute, as well as a modern system for automating the processes of gun pointing, target selection and navigation, according to TASS.
A little reality here: This SPG “entered service” in 2016. If this weapon system is not already in use in Ukraine it's because it doesn’t exist as a practical weapon system (Does anyone remember the T-14 Armata?) This is another nonsense Russian “wunderwaffen” This entire article is a Russian propaganda piece. Why Reuters published it is beyond me.
The reason why NATO systems are so good is because they build actual working weapons systems to counter the LIES Russia releases about the supposed capabilities of their weapons systems.
NEWS WORLDWIDE
Turkish Parliamentary Panel Approves Sweden’s NATO Bid
The New York Times reports that the foreign affairs committee of Turkey’s Parliament on Tuesday approved Sweden’s bid to join NATO, placing the Nordic country one step closer to joining the military alliance.
The measure must now be approved by the full Parliament, but no date has been set for the vote, and the head of the foreign affairs committee told reporters not to expect it to happen quickly.
Since Sweden applied to join NATO after the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year, Turkey has repeatedly delayed the process, saying that Sweden, the United States and Canada all needed to meet Turkish demands.
Both Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO, a process that requires unanimous support from the alliance’s 31 member states. Turkey initially blocked them both, and although it has since relented on Finland, paving the way for that country to join NATO in March, Turkey has continued to hold out on Sweden.
MILITARY & TECH
Ukrainian forces destroy rare Russian ‘Terminator tank’
A video has been released showing soldiers of the Ukrainian 110th Brigade destroying a rare Russian BMPT “Terminator” The vehicles are reputed to cost about 2 million USD each.
The BMPT is based on the T-90 chassis but features a remote control turret armed with two 30mm automatic guns 2A42, two AGD-17 automatic grenade launchers, four 9M120-1 “Ataka” anti-tank missiles, and, in specific cases, a remotely controlled 7.62mm machine gun, this vehicle is equipped for formidable combat situations.
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