The administration of US President Joe Biden is discussing the possibility of introducing additional sanctions against the Russian energy sector, the Washington Post (WP) reports. According to WP sources, this step would give the future administration of President-elect Donald Trump “more leverage in negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.”
According to the publication’s interlocutors, the United States may impose sanctions against the so-called “shadow fleet” transporting Russian oil, as well as against oil exporters from the Russian Federation that have not previously been subject to sanctions. “The options being considered by the administration also include revoking licenses that allow banks to engage in Russian energy transactions,” WP sources note.
The United Kingdom may station troops in western Ukraine to train soldiers, The Times writes. According to the publication, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has hinted at the possible deployment of British troops to western Ukraine to train Ukrainian soldiers. In a telephone conversation with Zelensky, he “stressed the importance of clarifying” these plans. According to the Times, this could streamline the training process, which currently requires extensive travel to the UK, and increase confidence that Ukrainians are being trained and equipped before going to the front line. Three million people in London have signed a petition calling for early elections.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: “More than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed and wounded during the war. Ukraine is ready to help Syria ensure food security; it is necessary to push Russia out of Syria for the sake of the region’s security.” Among other news from the social sphere, it is learned that Ukrainian OSINT teams are mobilizing to participate in hostilities against Russia. The news was reported by the People’s Deputy of Ukraine Maryana Bezuglaya, who called this “a measure aimed at controlling information”.
The social sphere is in dispute after Sergei Lunich’s statements about raising the age of conscription in Ukraine from 25 to 18, for which a draft law is already ready.
In response, a post reads: “The information about reducing the age of conscription does not correspond to reality,” – the 17th NSU brigade responded to Sergei Lunich’s statement. Sergei Lunich is not a member of the brigade command (neither commander nor deputy) and is not a person authorized to comment on laws or their amendments. His job responsibilities do not provide access to information about legislative initiatives or their status, much less their adoption,” the statement says.
The Kremlin has received several proposals from countries ready to organize a platform for negotiations between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, Russian presidential assistant Ushakov reported. The Kremlin spokesman cooled the mood by saying: “there is no progress towards opening negotiations by Ukraine, Russia is moving forward in the North-Eastern Military District”. The Chairwoman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko intervened on the subject and said: “Negotiations to resolve the conflict with Ukraine will definitely begin next year, she said”. “I once again express my point of view. Of course, the negotiation process will begin next year, but the negotiation process, in my opinion, will be very difficult,” Matvienko said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Russian ship Ursa Major sank on Monday in international waters between Spain and Algeria, 14 crew members were rescued, two are missing, the Spanish publication Español reports. An explosion occurred in the engine room of the ship, which left St. Petersburg 12 days ago and was headed to Vladivostok. It is indicated that the cargo ship was built in 2009. This is the second sinking in a few days. The scale of the environmental disaster caused by the sinking of a Russian ship in the Black Sea is very large, additional resources will be needed to eliminate its consequences, said the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.
And now a look at the front line updated at 15:30 on December 24.
In the Rostov region, since the evening in the Millerovsky and Tarasovsky districts, at least 12 Ukrainian UAVs have been destroyed and suppressed. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have attempted to attack the Millerovo military airfield. A Ukrainian drone was also destroyed in the morning on the outskirts of Voronezh. Three Ukrainian drones were shot down over Crimea during the day.
Heavy fighting continues in the Kursk region. Russian forces are advancing in the forest belts of the Sudzhansky district and up to 1,200 meters in the vicinity of Nikolaevo-Daryino, Leonidovo, Russkaya Porechnaya and Kurilovka. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are carrying out countermeasures: in the Sudzhansky district, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched five unsuccessful counterattacks using the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and the M-113 armored personnel carrier.
In the Kupyansk direction, Russian troops, with the support of armored vehicles, are fighting near Zahryzove. In the northern part of the settlement, Russian infantry has taken up positions in a forest plantation and a number of structures.
In Toretsk, in the central part of the city, Russian forces continue to attack along the streets Fabrichnaya, Rynochnaya, Svetlaya, Lesi Ukrainka and in the direction of the Toretskaya mine.
In the Pokrovs’k direction, Russian forces are developing success from the southwest, attacking from Dachens’ke. Fighting also continues near Novotroits’ke and further south: Russian forces are advancing on a wide front southwest of Pokrovs’k.
Fighting continues in Kurachove, to the southwest Russian forces are advancing on Kostyantynopil’: to the southwest the control zone near the village. Zelenivka is expanding. Russian soldiers are evacuating civilians from captured villages. In the central part of the city, fighting continues for the remaining multi-story buildings.
North of the Vremivka direction of the Russian forces, the bridge over the Mokri Yaly River was destroyed near the village Velyka Novosilka. Against the backdrop of the capture of the settlement of Storozheve (south of Vremivka) and the consolidation of Russian forces in the settlement of Novy Komar. In the north, the disruption of the logistics of the Ukrainian garrison is aimed at depriving the Ukrainian military of the possibility of transportation along the only remaining “major” road from the west.
In the DPR, a civilian was injured as a result of a NATO artillery strike on the city hospital No. 2 in Gorlovka.
Graziella Giangiulio
Follow our updates on Geopolitical Gleanings - Spigolature geopolitiche: https://t.me/agc_NW and on our blog The Gleanings of AGCNEWS - Le Spigolature di AGCNEWS: https://spigolatureagcnews.blogspot.com/
