Wednesday, December 27

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Aftermath of the attack on a Russian ship in Russian-occupied Feodosia in eastern Crimea in the early hours of Dec. 26, 2023. (Ukrainska Pravda / Crimean Telegram channels)

Russia confirms its landing ship hit by Ukrainian missile strike in occupied Crimea. Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk announced that the ship had been struck earlier on Dec. 26, but implied it was destroyed, not damaged, which appears to be backed by the videos from the scene.

Media: 2 Russian vessels left Feodosia in occupied Crimea after Ukraine’s strike. Earlier in the day, Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed that the Russian landing ship Novocherkassk, docked at Feodosia, had been “damaged” by a Ukrainian missile strike.

UK minister: Destruction of Russian ship proves there’s no stalemate in war. “This latest destruction of (Russian dictator Vladimir) Putin’s navy demonstrates that those who believe there’s a stalemate in the Ukraine war are wrong,” U.K. Defense Minister Grant Shapps wrote on X.

Zaluzhnyi denies requesting mobilization of 500,000 conscripts. Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief  Valerii Zaluzhnyi said on Dec. 26 that the military had not submitted a formal request for the mobilization of 500,000 people.

Zaluzhnyi says Ukrainian troops remain in northern Marinka. Ukraine’s Commander in Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said on Dec. 26 that Ukrainian troops remain in the northern part of the town of Marinka, Donetsk Oblast.

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EU proposes debt-based solution to fund Ukraine. The European Union is creating a debt-based plan worth up to 20 billion euro to fund Ukraine, the FT reported on Dec. 26. EU lenders early in December failed to reach a deal on Ukraine worth 50 billion euro. As wartime expenditures continue to ballon, Kyiv needs more and more aid to stave off a fiscal crisis.

Media: Russian fighters use Western-made rifle scopes in Ukraine. Russian arms companies are purchasing the sights from Western companies including U.S.-based Leupold, U.S.-Japanese firm Nightforce, U.S.-Chinese company Holosun, and Austria’s Swarovski Optik, according to the investigation.

Lukashenko claims transfer of Russian nuclear weapons to Belarus completed months ago. Putin threatened to deliver the weapons in March 2023, the first deployment of Russian nuclear weapons abroad since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Shoigu reportedly said that Russia would remain in control of the weapons.

Finance Ministry raises $532 million via military bond issuance. The Finance Ministry on Dec. 26 successfully issued new debt instruments worth about 21 billion hryvnia, or $532 million, it said. Uncertainty around funding from Western donors has proven to be a critical long-term challenge for Ukraine as it endures Russian strikes on its energy and industrial infrastructure.

Activist Sternenko says court closed case against him for death of a 2018 attacker. Well-known Ukrainian activist Serhii Sternenko said on Dec. 26 that an Odesa court closed a case against him for the death of a man who attacked him in 2018. The decision means his guilt was not proven, according to Sternenko.

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Ukraine war latest: Russian landing ship hit by Ukrainian missile strike in occupied Crimea

Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed that the Russian landing ship Novocherkassk, docked at Feodosia in occupied Crimea, had been “damaged” by a Ukrainian missile strike in the early hours of Dec. 26, in a statement reported by the Russian state-run media outlet TASS.

Photo: Ukrainska Pravda / Crimean Telegram channels

Ukraine’s effort to isolate Russia’s economy through ‘International Sponsors of War’ list

While some multinational corporations left Russia following the full-scale invasion in 2022, many stayed behind. Household names such as Unilever, Nestlé, and Mondelez offered a range of excuses for their continued presence in Russia.

Photo: Konstantin Zavrazhin/Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attack on Kherson railway station kills 1, injures 4. Russian attacks against Kherson and Donetsk oblasts over the past 24 hours killed one person and wounded another five, regional authorities reported on Dec. 25.

Russian attacks in Kharkiv Oblast kill 1, injure 1. Russian forces attacked 15 different locations over the past day in Kharkiv Oblast, killing one person and injuring at least one, as well as causing damage to houses and other buildings, the regional police said on Dec. 26.

General Staff: Russia has lost 354,960 troops in Ukraine since start of full-scale invasion. This number includes 1,010 casualties Russian forces reportedly suffered over the past day.

International response

France delivers second ship to help Ukraine with grain export. France had delivered its second ship to Ukraine to help the war-torn country with grain export, French Transport Minister Clement Beaune said on Dec. 26.

Taiwan expands sanctions against Russia, Belarus. The expanded sanctions list includes 45 additional goods, such as semiconductors and certain chemicals, that could be used for military purposes in Russia’s war.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Nate Ostiller, Olga Rudenko, Oleg Sukhov, Dominic Culverwell, Francis Farrell, Asami Terajima, Toma Istomina, Lance Luo, and Abbey Fenbert.

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