Newsletter 09/12/2024

A daily news digest covering important war, political, economic, and cultural topics in Ukraine

Dec 09, 2024

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Zelensky plans to call Biden to discuss Ukraine's NATO invitation

"As for the NATO invitation, it's still difficult to discuss it with President Trump at this point, because he is not yet in the White House and does not have the legal authority to make decisions. By the way, I am planning to call President Biden soon, if he is available, and raise the issue of the invitation to NATO, as his position is crucial given that he is the current U.S. president. There is no point in discussing matters with President Trump that are beyond his control while he is not yet in the White House," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky, Merz back creation of Contact Group to formulate European stance on ending war

The German politician noted that in the coming "weeks and months," there should be no separate peace initiatives from individual European countries, but rather a unified, pan-European approach.

"It's not just about the European Union. I propose creating a Contact Group consisting of Germany, France, Poland, and the United Kingdom -- four major European and NATO countries -- so that they could exchange views on ending the war against Ukraine and work to develop a common vision in cooperation with the United States. I believe we should discuss how you perceive such an idea," Merz said.

Zelensky: Ukraine will ask France to man another brigade

“It is very important to discuss with the Estonian and British sides, as well as with our other friends, the training and assistance to Ukrainian brigades in manning. We received positive feedback from the French side. Now we will talk to France about manning the new brigade. We have received positive feedback from the German side, although I will be frank that the Americans are training our brigade on German soil,” Zelensky said.

He added that Ukraine has already turned to partners “and together, for example, with Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, we really want to be helped to staff another brigade.”

The President emphasized that these brigades are important because Ukraine is not going to give up.

Ex-chief of notorious penal colony in occupied Olenivka blown up in car in Donetsk - journalist

Former head of the Olenivka penitentiary, Serhiy Yevsyukov, was killed in a car explosion in temporarily occupied Donetsk.

In 2022, a mass killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war occurred in the said penal colony. “Yevsyukov was among the organizers of that murder. Fifty-three Ukrainian POWs were killed.” said Ukrainian blogger and journalist Denys Kazansky.

Ukraine’s sea drones engage Russian helicopters, hit barge/Video

Naval drones operated by Ukraine’s Security Service in the Black Sea delivered a surprise attack on Russian helicopters deployed in the area to hunt them down.

Details of a new unique raid by the Security Service have been reported by the agency’s press service.

“On the night of December 6, a group of SBU’s Sea Baby naval drones got into battle with Russian helicopters, warplanes and Raptor patrol boats, which were trying to intercept them,” the SBU wrote.

Oreshnik missiles in Belarus yet another “boogeyman story” - disinfo watchdog

Head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Andriy Kovalenko, commented on the recent reports of the alleged deployment of Russia’s Oreshnik ballistic missiles in Belarus, calling it a spectacle and yet another horror story.

“The spectacle involving the Oreshnik in Belarus is yet another boogeyman story, of whose effectiveness Putin was convinced by Kirienko and Patrushev. For now, it is a PR thing. However, even the potential deployment of the Oreshnik there does not pose more threats to Ukraine or NATO, at least because there is no difference whether it will be launched from Kapustin Yar (a launch site in Russia – ed.) or from Belarus. All this talk about shorter approach times is a boogeyman story for civilians in the West and Ukraine,” Kovalenko said.

War

“We hold our positions": Halician paratroopers tell about 4 months of Kursk operation

“We have already had exactly four months of the Kursk operation. Since August 6, the 80th Halician Air Assault Brigade together with other units of the Defense Forces have broken through the enemy's defense line in Kursk region, we managed to advance to a large territory and take control of a significant number of settlements. In four months, we managed to kill about three thousand enemy personnel and take more than one and a half hundred prisoners, replenishing our exchange fund, and these numbers are increasing. Now we are holding our positions, the enemy is trying to regain them, trying to storm the positions of our paratroopers to no avail, using artillery, armored vehicles, drones and almost all of its powerful military units that it has pulled from other parts of the front to storm our positions in the Kursk region,” said Petro Haydashchuk, senior officer of the communication department of the 80th Halician separate air assault brigade., adding that Ukrainian defenders are managing to hold the positions they occupied earlier.

In suburbs of Kherson, invaders dropped explosives on cyclist
Russian drone attacks volunteer vehicle in Orikhiv
One dead, two injured as Russia shells TPP in Donetsk region
In Crimea, guerillas spot Russian military stationed at recreation base/Photos

In past week, Russia attacks Ukraine with 500 bombs, over 400 drones, almost 20 missiles - Zelensky

DIU unit uses drones to destroy Russian hideouts, communications equipment

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine has shown how operators of FPV drones of the Firebird special forces destroy shelters, camouflaged military equipment and communications equipment of the Russians.

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Politics

Ukraine, Estonia prime ministers call for imposing sanctions against Rosatom, Gazprom

Prime Ministers of Ukraine and Estonia Denys Shmyhal and Kristen Michal signed a joint statement calling for increased sanctions pressure on Russia and a full trade embargo.

“Following a meeting with Prime Minister of Estonia Kristen Michal, we signed a Joint Statement. In particular, we declared the strengthening of bilateral partnership cooperation, reaffirmed the determination to confront the Russian aggressor, emphasized Estonia's unconditional political support for Ukraine on all important issues; called on the EU to increase sanctions pressure on Russia, establish a full trade embargo, and impose sanctions against Gazprom, Russian oil companies and Rosatom,” Shmyhal noted.

The document includes an agreement to strengthen sanctions against Russia’s shadow fleet and support for the Victory Plan presented by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as an invitation to Ukraine to join NATO.

Trump says “formulating concept” to end Russia's war against Ukraine
Assad's regime fell because Russia moved all its troops to Ukraine – Zelensky
Assad's regime fell because Russia moved all its troops to Ukraine – Zelensky

Economy

Ukraine to receive EUR 4.2B under Ukraine Facility in Dec – Shmyhal
German expert: It will be challenging for Merz to oppose Scholz's stance on Ukraine
Estonia sends over 140 transformers, 300 units of energy equipment to Ukraine - Shmyhal

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