The United States has a “clear plan” for the future development of Ukraine, which does not imply the need to allocate funds at the current level, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a press conference.
As for the fate of the previously allocated money, according to Blinken it did not go only to Ukraine: “Our support not only helped the Ukrainians, but 90% of the security assistance we provided to Ukraine was spending here in the United States, strengthening our defense industry.”
“I agree with Putin on one thing: “American assistance is crucial for Ukraine. According to Blinken, the Ukrainians did the impossible: “they opposed one of the largest armies in the world”, he added.
The Ukraine-NATO Council will hold its first meeting in January with the participation of the Chiefs of Staff. NATO’s highest military body and the Military Committee will hold one-on-one meetings in Brussels on 17 and 18 January. The meeting will be chaired by the head of the military committee, Admiral Rob Bauer. The meeting will be attended by the Chiefs of Staff of the North Atlantic Alliance and their Swedish counterpart.
They will also be joined by Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Christopher Cavoli, and Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Philippe Lavigne.
From Ukrainian sources it is learned that Kiev intends to recruit Ukrainian citizens who are abroad for military service next year. This was confirmed by Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in an interview with the German newspaper Bild. The Minister forgot to report that his three children and his wife will have American citizenship from 2021-2022. In 2019 they were all Ukrainian citizens.
In the interview with Bild we talk about men aged between 25 and 60 who left for Germany and other countries. To begin with, the authorities will ask them to report to the conscription centers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.” Umerov promised that in the future it is planned to inform recruits in advance about what training they will receive, how they will be armed, where and when they will serve.
“We want justice for everyone, because we are talking about our country. We will send them invitations [to recruitment centers],” Umerov said. “It is not a punishment to defend your country and serve it. It is an honor,” the Minister said.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that since September 2022, Russia has launched 3,700 Geran-1/2, of which about 2,900 have been intercepted, the same source reports that since the inception of the Northern Military District, Russia has launched 7,400 missiles, intercepting only 1,600.
The head of the SBU Vasily Malyuk said that his organization is preparing large-scale terrorist attacks on Russian territory in 2024. The priority targets are Russian warships, logistical corridors for arms supplies, military bases, etc. . All to bring the war as close as possible to the Kremlin.
In Russia, the annual press conference of the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General Valery Gerasimov, was held on December 21. Following are the main statements: “The crisis in Ukraine is a hybrid proxy war of the United States and its allies against the Russian Federation”.
“This war is waged by the hands of the Ukrainian people. The countries of the collective West ignored Russia’s request to conclude an agreement on mutual security and demonstratively supported the neo-Nazi Kiev regime, which unleashed the destruction of the Russian-speaking population of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. For eight years, the West has been actively developing the military potential of the Ukrainian armed forces, pushing Kiev to forcibly resolve the conflict in Donbass and invade the Crimean peninsula. Under these conditions, Russia was forced to launch a special military operation.”
“During the counteroffensive, Kiev planned to block Melitopol in 15 days and then successfully advance to the Sea of Azov, Mariupol and the Crimean border. The main task of Russian troops this year in the special operational zone was to repel the counteroffensive of the strike force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which intended to deprive the Russian Federation of a land corridor to Crimea”
“For the offensive, the enemy increased the striking force in the direction of Zaporozhzhie from 50 to 80 battalions. The Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a counteroffensive on June 4 and, with huge losses in the direction of Zaporozhzhie, could not even overcome the tactical defense zone of the Russian Federation”.
“The enemy’s advertised offensive has failed. Cumulative losses amount to 160,000 men, 766 tanks, more than 3,000 armored fighting vehicles, 121 aircraft and 23 helicopters.” “In total, since the inception of the Northern Military District, Ukraine has received more than 5,200 tanks and armored fighting vehicles, 1,300 artillery pieces (cannons, mortars, self-propelled guns, MLRS), more than 100 aircraft and helicopters, 23,000 UAVs, more than 200 cruise and tactical missiles. Over 100,000 soldiers have been trained abroad in NATO countries.”
“The Russian Armed Forces are now actively defending and successfully improving their positions throughout the LBS. Over 1,500 military-industrial facilities were damaged. The level of military production in Ukraine has decreased. The general confrontation with the United States continues, which has made Ukraine and Europe, as well as Palestine, a zone of wars and conflicts.”
“The hegemony of the United States and its satellites is becoming a thing of the past. A new multipolar world order is forming. NATO’s actions negatively affect the situation in Europe, there are risks of increased confrontation.”
And now a look at the front line updated at 2.30pm on December 21st.
Uragan-1 arrived at the Russian troops. This is the missile system: Uragan-1 9K57-1 on BAZ-69092. The first known appearance of this 9K57 variant occurred in 2020, when the project began to be developed as part of the rejection of products of Belarusian enterprises represented by MZKT and MAZ. The main advantage of the Russian platform is the absence of dependence on foreign suppliers. Moreover, the BAZ-69092 is simply more modern than the standard Hurricane chassis – ZIL-135LM, which is already more than 60 years old. It is assumed that the new Uragan-1 will be equipped with automation equipment that will increase the speed of preparation and shooting accuracy.
According to social channels relating to the Russian social sphere, the situation on the left bank of the Dnieper is as follows: “Due to frequent losses of boats with landing forces, in the last 24 hours the Ukrainians have moved away from Frolov Island. Several Ukrainian groups were destroyed in the Big and Little Forest. Aerospace Forces and artillery continue to hit targets on the right bank of the Dnieper. There is still no evacuation on the Ukrainian side; no more than one boatload of wounded can be evacuated per day.” According to the same sources, “Ukrainian losses amounted to up to 35 people, 3 boats, 6 vehicles, 9 UAVs (7 attack and 2 reconnaissance), 2 self-propelled guns, a supply warehouse (on the right bank), 1 vehicle armored combat vehicle, 2 mortars, electronic warfare systems”.
Bachmut Directorate (Artemovsk). The Russian army gradually advances in the direction of Bogdanovka and Bachmut. At Kleshchiivka, the Russians successfully attacked in the high ground area and also counterattacked at Kurdyumovka.
Donetsk direction. In the Avdiivski sector, the assault on the positions of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Stepnoe area and the clashes near the metallurgical industry continue. Furthermore, Russian fighters attacked in the area of the industrial zone. In the Maryinsky sector battles take place near Pobeda and Novomykhailivka. Since the morning of December 21, Russian armed forces have stormed Novomykhailivka.
Zaporozhzhie Directorate. Russian fighters attacked west of Rabotino and captured new positions near Verbove. On the Vremevsky ledge the Russian army is prevailing over the Ukrainian armed forces in the areas of Staromikhailovka and Urozhayne. The work of the 503rd regiment, is dismantling the machine gunner position of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In a general sense, due to the persistence of bad weather, activity on the fronts remains low. At night, the Russian Aerospace Forces fired on the rear targets of the Ukrainian Armed Forces using kamikaze missiles and drones. In Kharkov, a warehouse in the Saltovsky district was hit, and in Kherson, the logistics infrastructure and warehouses of Nova Poshta were hit. Furthermore, explosions were reported in Kirovograd, presumably against the local airport. On December 21st, renewed bombings on the Odessa airport area.
Graziella Giangiulio
