12/4-12/6/23 Ukrainian General Update LanguageLearner

12/5-12/6/23 Update, day 650-651 of Russian invasion.


Belarus/Western Border:

Per Reuters, the blockade at the polish border has hindered UA and foreign volunteers, with the cost of transportation rising from approx $2000/container to approx $5000 per container. Additionally, dual use cargo like drones vehicles are stuck at the border for several weeks.

Overnight, there was a Shahed attack on Western Ukraine, with 41/48 drones being shot down. They were launched from Crimea and Kursk.

French president Macron invited Hungarian president Orban to meet and discuss the start of EU membership negotiations with Ukraine.

Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have announced a meeting with the Polish ministry of infrastructure over the ongoing border blockades.


Kyiv/ West Ukraine:

Ukraine celebrated Armed Forces day today, and Zelensky + Zaluzhny expressed that the government would support meritorious soldiers who received the "Hero of Ukraine" medal, broadly equivalent to the Medal of Honor, with housing.

UA soldiers will now have access to over-capacity tickets on 17 routes via the UA rail service, rather then having to purchase tickets online like everyone else. International train tickets (to poland) will have a marked increase in price.

In 2023, almost 190,000 hectares of farmland have been demined.

Zelensky met with leaders of the G7 today, expressing thanks for their support. The UA presidents' office rebuffed rumors about possible removal of UA CIC Zaluzhny.

GUR, the UA intelligence department, stated that RU is preparing to launch a disinformation campaign targeting english media, to discredit UA leadership.

Despite colder weather and RU attack, the UA energy grid continues to be stable without planned outages.


Sumy/Chernihiv/Kharkiv city:

RU targeted firefighters multiple times with artillery in Sumy oblast, as they attempted to put out a prior russian strike.

RU airstrikes continue along the border, as do sporadic mortar shelling.

There has been an increase in RU shellings N of Kharkiv.

Per french media, UA has deployed leopard and other western tanks in the Kharkiv and Donetsk region for defensive purposes.


Kupyansk/Kreminna/Svatove

There has been no observed territorial changes from Kupyansk to Svatove, as RU forces continue attempts to push out from Kreminna into the snowy forests to the SW.

RU prisoners who signed contracts in october are being found killed in the kupyansk fighting, showing more issues with RU force generation.


Kramatorsk/Bakhmut:

UA drone strikes continue to target RU ammo depots and tanks around Bakhmut, as RU forces continue attempts to remove UA troops from their positions around Kliischivka to the SW.

UA forces continue to hold the high ground in the region, and are dealing with substantial RU airstrikes.

RU has also heavily shelled Chasiv Yar, just W of Bakhmut with MLRS.


Avdiivka:

UA forces continue to target RU troops NW of Avdiivka with drones along the major supply route, causing damage. RU continues to launch airstrikes on downtown Avdiivka and the industrial district.

RU forces have continued minor assaults from SE of avdiivka, as UA troops have continued to permeate the RU lines NW of the city with snipers.

RU S-300 missiles targeted and damaged a number of government buildings in Selydove, about 30 km W of Avdiivka, one of the larger towns on the supply route to Avdiivka.

Per UA, evacuations from Avdiivka has slowed down, with approximately 1280 people remaining in the city.

RU milbloggers stated that RU is having considerable issues with retrieving corpses from the Avdiivka front, and that the problem is significant enough to interfere with follow-on infantry assaults. The act of having to physically crawl over fallen RU soldier's corpses has allegedly had a marked psychological effect, and lends credence to the reports of stunning RU losses in the area.



Donetsk/Luhansk occupied regions:

An LPR occupation representative was targeted and killed by an SBU car bomb in Luhansk. Oleg Popov was responsible for the LPR occupation law enforcement.

The DPR occupation judicial system sentenced 3 Azov POW's to 25 years in prison.

Speaking with regards to UA forces leaving Marinka, the 79th brigade stated "there is no city in ukraine comparable in its destruction", explaining the city now looks more like a field littered with construction material then an urban area.

RU continues attempts to push out further to the W of the destroyed city, supported by airstrikes.


Zaporizhia/Southern Axis:

Per soldiers on the ground, muddy weather along the southern front has reduced combat operations.

RU MLRS and drone strikes continue unabated across the southern front over the past 2 days, targeting supply routes and towns.

In Dnipro, a themed christmas stamp raising funds for the military has been launched.

There was an explosion targeting RU troops in Berdyansk.

The IAEA has completed its 14th rotation of staff at the Zaporizhia NPP.


Kherson:

RU continues to shell the center of Kherson, killing a pair of civilians in the street.

RU airstrikes continue to pound Krynky, with no observable change over the last 48 hours, despite using over 100 glide bombs on the small village in the past day.

RU forces have been observed operating in the river delta between the Kinburn peninsula and Kherson city.


Odessa/Black Sea/Crimea:

UA apparently shot down an SU-24 jet near Snake island, and UA has stated they are strengthening air defense in Odesa.

SBU drone strikes damaged a number of RU equipment in Crimea, including a number of radar and anti-air systems. Drones also damaged a sizable oil terminal in Crimea.

Approximately 7 billion metric tons of good have been transported via the humanitarian corridor in the Black sea, of which 70% is food products.



Russia:

The UA Security Service claimed responsibility for the assassination of Illia Kyva, a former UA parliamentarian who defected to Moscow after expressing support for Russia's invasion in spring of 2022. He was shot dead in the Moscow suburb of Suponevo, some 430 km away from the Ukrainian border.

Per Bloomberg, RU income from oil exports is now greater then before the 2022 invasion. RU oil sales accounted for 31% of RU's revenue for October at 11.3 Billion USD. The RU "shadow fleet" of less-legal oil transporters covered over 70% of the transport.

Russia convicted two air defense officers for failing to prevent

Per the UK, RU is attempting to improve their versions of the Shahed suicide drones,


General:

UA forces conducted 15 air strikes, and RU forces conducted 104 air strikes.

Yesterday Ukrainian forces eliminated:

1270x soldiers (Total 335,110)
40x APC
13x Tank
0x Air defense
43x Artillery (6xMLRS)
49x vehicles
51x UAV

Overseas:

The US announced a new package of military aid for Ukraine worth $175 million, including air defense and artillery munitions. Currently, there has not been passage of a defense spending bill including aid to Ukraine, with a vote of 49 for and 51 against. Contact your representatives. Per the Pentagon, the US currently has about $5.9 billion USD remaining in military aid for Ukraine.

The US and Ukraine signed an agreement on the joint production of unspecified weaponry in the future.

USAID will supply some 20,000 tons of metal for constructing defense structures around energy facilities.

Putin traveled to the UAE and Saudi Arabia to meet with leaders there, discussing statements on energy imports and the Israel-Gaza war. Putin is due to meet with Iranian President Raisi tomorrow.

8 UA children were returned from RU territory to UA.