Prepared by Anna Dovha, Sofia Oliynyk, Maryana Zaviyska
Cities under attack.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi reported that 62% of the missiles fired by the Russian army since February 24 were aimed at civilian facilities. Dnipropetrovsk region. At night on December 9, the 3 communities of the region were attacked by the Russian military. As a result of the attack on Chervonohryhorivska community, several private houses and garages, and the power line were damaged. At night on December 10, the city of Nikopol was heavily shelled by the Russian invaders. As a result, 4 people were injured, 11 private and apartment buildings, a kindergarten, an administrative building and an office building, car wash, parking lot, several cars, gas line and power lines were damaged. At night on December 11, shelled 3 communities of the region. In Chervonohryhorivska comunity, 15 private houses, 50 solar panels, several household building and cars, gas pipelines and power lines were damaged. Kherson region. During December 9, the Russian occupiers shelled the territory of Kherson region 51 times. As a result of the shelling by the Russian military, territory of a factory, medical facility, shops, cafes, warehouses, private and apartment buildings were damaged in Kherson. 2 people were killed in the region and 8 people were injured. The next day, on December 10, the Russian occupiers shelled the territory of the Kherson region 45 times. In Kherson, a hospital maternity ward, a cafe, an infrastructure facility, private and apartment buildings were damaged. 2 people were killed and 5 people were injured as a result of the attacks. Also, at night, the Russian invaders fired at the critical infrastructure facility in the region. As a result of the enemy strike, a fire with an area of 30 square meters started. Due to the shelling, 3 service vehicles were destroyed, the hangar and 5 other pieces of equipment were damaged. Donetsk region. At night on December 9, the Russian military shelled the central and northern parts of Donetsk region. In Kostiantynivka, 6 private houses were damaged. During the day, 2 people were killed in Bakhmut, 1 was killed in Avdiivka and 1 was killed in Kostiantynivka. The next day on December 10, the Russian invaders damaged 3 private houses in Vuhledar; 17 houses were damaged in Kurakhnivska community; 2 people were injured, a house and a shop were damaged in Bakhmut.
Human rights.
Deportations from the Donbas region were prepared by Russia in advance under the guise of “evacuation”, and a full-scale invasion took place after a powerful information campaign related to the deportation of the first children from orphanages in the occupied territories, according to the analytical report prepared by the Eastern Human Rights Group and the Institute for Strategic Studies.
Demining.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, pyrotechnics have neutralized more than 300000 explosive objects on the territory of Ukraine and almost three thousand kilograms of explosives. Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Mary Hakobyan said that currently about 174 thousand square kilometers, which is 30% of the territory of Ukraine, are contaminated with explosive objects. She emphasized that the territory of the contaminated part of Ukraine today is the size of four Switzerlands. Also, Mary Hakobyan reported that the goal is to clean all these areas within 10 years.
War crimes prosecution.
The National Police of Ukraine reported that as of the beginning of December, Ukrainian law enforcement officers recorded 47000 war crimes committed by Russian servicemen during the invasion of the territory of Ukraine. Among them are torture, rape and murder of civilians.
Foreign policy.
The Institute for the Study of War published a report where it was stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to discuss negotiations with Ukraine as a means of separating Ukraine from its Western supporters by portraying Kyiv as unwilling to compromise or even to engage in serious talks.
On December 11, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, had a telephone conversation with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. The leaders discussed the implementation of the Ukrainian peace formula and the situation in the energy sector of Ukraine. ‘We synchronized positions on the eve of the G7 online summit and the conference on supporting Ukraine in Paris. We discussed the implementation of our ten-step peace formula, cooperation on defense and energy stability of Ukraine,’ the President of Ukraine noted. On the same day, Volodymyr Zelenskyi held a telephone conversation with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which, in particular, the possibility of expanding the grain corridor was discussed.
Late on December 11, the President of US Joe Biden and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi held a phone call ahead of the upcoming G7 summit. The two discussed further defense cooperation and Ukraine’s energy security, as well as Ukraine’s ‘ten-step peace formula.’
Disinformation.
According to the Center for Strategic Communications, Russia is trying to demoralize Ukrainians through anonymous Telegram channels, spreading misinformation and trying to cause panic in Ukraine. The campaign is based on gloomy descriptions of apocalyptic pictures of the future of Ukrainian cities, which, as a result of missile attacks. An important component is the regular repetition of simple messages that are woven into supposedly neutral informational reasons. Some of the messages include that russian missile attacks will continue indefinitely, and it is impossible to defend against them, Ukrainian critical infrastructure will soon be out of order, and energy companies will not be able to maintain its operational efficiency, prolonged blackouts will lead to a humanitarian disaster and a significant increase in the level of crime in cities, etc.
Energy security.
As of December 10, about 50% of the energy infrastructure was seriously damaged, some of it was completely destroyed as a result of Russian shelling in Ukraine. The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, reported that after eight waves of missile attacks by the Russian Federation, all thermal and hydropower plants in Ukraine were damaged. In addition, 40% of the high-voltage network facilities were damaged to varying degrees. Therefore, there remains a significant capacity deficit in the energy system of Ukraine.
The German Federal Agency for Technical Assistance (THW) provides Ukraine with 470 power generators of various power classes with a total cost of 19.5 million euros. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan provides Ukraine with humanitarian aid consisting of 45 power transformers and 50 generators.
Bloomberg reported that the clash over a proposal to cap natural gas prices in the European Union intensified as a group of 12 member states urged a significantly lower intervention ceiling to limit the impact of an unprecedented energy crisis on the bloc’s consumers and businesses.
Economic security.
On December 10, the European Council reached agreement on a legislative package which will enable the EU to help Ukraine financially throughout 2023 with €18 billion. The aim of the package is to provide short-term financial relief, financing Ukraine’s immediate needs, rehabilitation of critical infrastructure and initial support towards sustainable post-war reconstruction, with a view to supporting Ukraine on its path towards European integration.
The Government of Norway signed an agreement with the World Bank on the allocation of one billion Norwegian kroner for the restoration of infrastructure damaged by Russian missile strikes in Ukraine.
Sanctions.
Canada has imposed sanctions against Russia, Iran and Myanmar due to alleged human rights violations by the governments of these countries. Among the representatives of the Russian Federation, 33 current or former high-ranking Russian officials and six organizations involved in alleged systematic violations of the rights of Russians who protested against the invasion of Ukraine were sanctioned. In total, since February 24, Canada has already imposed sanctions against more than 1,500 individuals and legal entities from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
Language.
The online language learning platform Duolingo reported that the biggest trend in 2022 was Ukrainian language. According to the platform, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, more than 1.3 million people around the world started learning the Ukrainian language.
Awards.
‘You don’t have to be Ukrainians to support Ukraine. It is enough just to be human.’ On Saturday, Oleksandra Matviychuk, head of Centre of Civilian Liberties, received the Nobel Peace Prize along with human rights organization Memorial imprisoned Belarusian human rights lawyer Ales Bialiatski. Matviychuk underlined that in political decision-making, human rights must be as important as economic benefits or security and this should be applied in foreign policy too.
Center for Civil Liberties – Nobel Prize lecture
The Austrian media Profil announced President Volodymyr Zelenskyi as the person of the year for his opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and his role in unifying the countries of the West.
Reading corner.
Statistics.
- General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the total estimated losses of the Russian military as of 10 a.m., December 12, 2022: personnel – around 94 760, tanks ‒ 2966, APV ‒ 5928, artillery systems – 1929, MLRS – 397, anti-aircraft warfare systems – 211, fixed-wing aircraft – 281, helicopters – 264, operational-tactical level UAV – 1617, cruise missiles – 592, boats and light speed boats – 16, soft-skinned vehicles and fuel tankers – 4544, special equipment – 169.
Christmas in the air.
Thinking of Christmas shopping? Check some of the Ukraine supporting brands delivering worldwide:
- Made with Bravery the official Ukrainian marketplace of different goods and gifts produced in Ukraine.
- Here and Now sustainable eco pottery by Yuliya Makliuk. Part of the profit goes for reconstruction needs of Irpin and support of armed forces.
- Saint Javelin former journalist project that distributes profits to support rebuilding Ukraine and its humanitarian needs.
- OLIZ silk scarves and clothes. 50% of income goes to the Ukrainian army and volunteers.
Every action counts, no contribution is too small!
- Support Hurkit Foundation established and supported by Kyiv activists, previously standing for urban development, now supporting the military in the hotspots.
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