Ukraine Daily

Saturday, December 17

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A rescuer walks amid the rubble of a destroyed building following Russian strikes in the northeastern city of Kharkiv on Dec. 16, 2022. (Photo by Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia launches 7th mass missile attack on Ukraine’s energy system. Russia unleashed the seventh large-scale missile barrage on Ukraine on the morning of Dec. 16, targeting energy infrastructure across the country. Explosions were reported in Kyiv, and multiple other Ukrainian cities after the air raid alert went off in all regions but occupied Crimea and Luhansk Oblast.

Air Force: 60 out 76 Russian missiles launched at Ukraine shot down. The list of destroyed missiles included air-launched Kh-101 and Kh-555 and sea-based Kalibr missiles were shot down in Russia’s 7th mass missile attack on Ukraine on Dec. 16, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.

Rescuers retrieve body of one-and-a-half-year-old from under rubble in Kryvyi Rih. Four people were killed, including a 64-year-old woman and a young family with a small son, in Russia’s Dec. 16 missile attack on the industrial city of Kryvyi Rih, according to Reznichenko. Thirteen were also wounded, including four children.

Governor: 4 injured by Russian missile strike on Kyiv Oblast. The power supply is being restored in Kyiv Oblast as several towns and municipalities are experiencing blackouts, Kuleba said.

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Ukrenergo: Energy deficit in Ukraine worsens ‘significantly’ due to Dec. 16 missile attacks. Russia’s latest missile attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure specifically targeted railway networks and power generation facilities, state grid operator Ukrenergo reported on Dec. 16.

Zelensky: Russia has enough missiles for several more massive strikes. “No matter what the missile worshipers from Moscow are hoping for, it still won’t change the balance of power in this war. They still have enough missiles for several such heavy strikes. We have enough determination and confidence to return our own after these blows,” Zelensky said in an evening address.

Two Russian Oniks missiles shot down over Odesa. Ukraine’s Air Force shot down two Russian Oniks missiles early in the morning on Dec. 17, Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command reported. According to the command, the missiles were fired from a coastal defense missile system in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Governor: Russia strikes Sumy Oblast 79 times on Dec. 16. Zhyvytskyi said Russian forces used heavy artillery, grenade launchers, and drones to hit the communities of Bilopolska, Esmanska, Mykolaivska, Seredino-Budska, and Khotynska, all situated in the northern part of the oblast.

General Staff: Russia fortifies Crimea, Kherson Oblast amid concerns about Ukrainian offensive. Russian forces continue strengthening their defense lines on the border between Kherson Oblast and Crimea, Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Dec. 16.

Zelensky, people of Ukraine to receive Charlemagne Prize. “The Ukrainian people deserve the greatest recognition for the way they are defending freedom, democracy, and self-determination,” they tweeted. “We underscore the fact that Ukraine is part of Europe and that its population and its government representatives support and defend European values.”

Watch: This museum in Kherson is the recent victim of Russian robbery

The human cost of Russia’s war

Governor: Russian shelling of Kherson kills 1, injures 3. Russian forces shelled a residential building in the southern city of Kherson overnight, killing one and injuring three civilians, Kherson Oblast Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych reported on Dec. 16.

General Staff: Russia has lost 97,270 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Dec. 16 that Russia had also lost 2,980 tanks, 5,952 armored fighting vehicles, 4,563 vehicles and fuel tanks,1,946 artillery systems, 410 multiple launch rocket systems, 211 air defense systems, 281 airplanes, 264 helicopters, 1,648 drones, and 16 boats.

International response

White House: Ukraine to receive more air defense in next US military aid package. “As you have seen in previous packages, I think you can expect to see additional air defense capabilities in this one,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told Reuters.

EU adopts 9th sanctions package against Russia. The package includes restrictions in export, the banking sector, broadcasting, consulting services, energy and mining sectors, and individual sanctions. Restrictions will be placed on the export of goods and technologies that can contribute to the technological improvement of the Russian military sector, sanctioning 168 additional entities related to it.

Borrell: Russian attacks against Ukraine intensify EU support. Following Russia’s latest mass missile strike on Ukraine on Dec. 16, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the EU and its partners are intensifying their efforts to provide the emergency support that Ukraine needs to restore and maintain power and heating this winter.

US responds to Russia’s threats over Patriot missile systems. The U.S. State Department said Russia is single-handedly responsible for provocations in Ukraine after the Russian Embassy said of “unpredictable consequences” if the U.S. sends Patriot missiles to Ukraine.

CIA director: ‘Russians not serious about a real negotiation.’ CIA director Bill Burns told PBS’s Judy Woodruff in an interview on Dec. 16 that the agency does not currently see the seriousness on the part of the Russians required to end the war.

CNN: FIFA rejects Zelensky’s request to offer ‘message of peace’ at World Cup final. The International Association of Football Federations (FIFA) has rejected President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request to deliver a “message of peace” during the World Cup final in Qatar, CNN reported on Dec. 16, citing an unnamed source.

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