Ukraine/Russland/NATO – der Sammler am 24. Dezember 2022

Nachgetragen fürs Archiv; zehn Monate nach Beginn des andauernden russischen Angriffskriegs gegen die Ukraine: Der Sammler am 24. Dezember 2022:

• Bei russischen Luftangriffen auf die südukrainische Stadt Kherson sind zahlreiche Zivilisten ums Leben gekommen. Aus der Zusammenfassung der New York Times:

Shelling in the recently recaptured Ukrainian city of Kherson killed at least 10 people on Saturday morning, hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine warned that another wave of Russian strikes could mar the Christmas holidays. (…)
The streets of Kherson were busy on Saturday morning when Russian forces shelled the city center, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president’s office.
A shopping area and residential buildings — “places where the most people are” — were hit, Yaroslav Yanushevych, the head of Kherson’s military administration, said in a statement. In addition to the 10 people killed, 55 people were wounded in the attack — of whom 18 were in serious condition, he later told Ukrainian television, according to the Ukrainska Pravda news outlet.

• Die Angriffe trafen eine Bevölkerung, die sich bei der Feier des christlichen Weihnachtsfestes zunehmend an der weltweit überwiegenden Datierung auf den 24./25. Dezember ausrichtet und nicht mehr am 13 Tage später stattfindenden Weihnachtsfest der orthodoxen christlichen Kirchen, vor allem in Russland. Da gibt es auch in der Ausübung des Glaubens eine Verschiebung, die mit der Abgrenzung der Ukraine von Russland zu tun hat, wie AP berichtet:

Ukrainians usually celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, as do the Russians. But not this year, or at least not all of them.
Some Orthodox Ukrainians have decided to observe Christmas on Dec. 25, like many Christians around the world. Yes, this has to do with the war, and yes, they have the blessing of their local church.
The idea of commemorating the birth of Jesus in December was considered radical in Ukraine until recently, but Russia’s invasion changed many hearts and minds. (…)
The choice of dates has clear political and religious overtones in a nation with rival Orthodox churches and where slight revisions to rituals can carry potent meaning in a culture war that runs parallel to the shooting war.

Dazu gehört auch die Videobotschaft des ukrainischen Präsidenten Wolodymyr Selenskyj an die orthodoxen Christen, die nach westlichem Ritus feiern. Eine sehr religiös geprägte Ansprache.
(Das ist aus verschiedenen Gründen ein Dokument der Zeitgeschichte; deshalb hier auch eine Sicherungskopie:
20221224_Ukraine_Selenskyj_Weihnachtsansprache)

• Das britische Intel Update:

Russia has augmented its force in Ukraine with tens of thousands of reservists since October. Despite the easing of its immediate personnel shortages, a shortage of munitions highly likely remains the key limiting factor on Russian offensive operations.
Russia has likely limited its long-range missile strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure to around once a week due to the limited availability of cruise missiles.
Similarly, Russia is unlikely to have increased its stockpile of artillery munitions enough to enable large-scale offensive operations.
A vulnerability of Russia’s current operational design is that even just sustaining defensive operations along its lengthy front line requires a significant daily expenditure of shells and rockets.

• Das Morgenbriefing des ukrainischen Generalstabs:

Operational update regarding the russian invasion on 06.00, on December 24, 2022
The three hundred fourth (304) day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a russian military large-scale invasion continues.
Over the past 24 hours, the russian occupiers have launched 3 missile and 10 air strikes, in particular, on civilian infrastructure in the Donetsk oblast. In addition, the enemy launched 62 MLRS attacks, as a result of which civilian objects in the city of Kherson were damaged, and there were victims among the civilian population.
Units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine repelled the attacks of the occupiers in the areas of the settlements of Andriivka in Luhansk oblast and Yampolivka, Rozdolivka, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Pivnichne, New York, Krasnohorivka, Vodyane and Maryinka in Donetsk oblast.
No signs of the formation of offensive groups of the enemy were detected in the Volyn and Polissya directions.
In the Siverskyi direction, the enemy shelled the area of the village of Hirka, Sumy oblast, with mortars.
In the Slobozhanskyi direction, areas of the settlements of Huryiv, Veterynarne, Kudiivka, Hoptivka, Starytsa, Ohirtseve, Vovchansk, Ambarne, Novomlynsk and Dvorichna in Kharkiv oblast were hit by mortar and artillery fire.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy fired tanks, mortars and artillery in the areas of Kislivka, Kotlyarivka, Tabaivka, Krokhmalne of Kharkiv oblast and Novoselivka, Stelmakhivka and Myasozharivka of Luhansk oblast.
On the Lyman direction, Makiivka, Ploschanka, Chervonopopivka, Terny and Dibrova in the Luhansk oblast came under fire.
In the Bakhmut direction, the enemy shelled the areas of twenty-five settlements with tanks, mortars, barrel and rocket artillery. Among them are Spirne, Berestove, Soledar, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, Chasiv Yar, Stupochky, Bila Hora, Diliivka and Opytne of the Donetsk oblast.
In the Avdiivka direction, shelling was recorded near Kamianka, Avdiivka, Vesele, Vodyane, Pervomaiske, Nevelske, Krasnohorivka, Heorgiivka, Maryinka, and Novomykhailivka in the Donetsk oblast. The enemy also carried out an airstrike near Avdiivka.
In the direction of Novopavlivsk, Vuhledar, Prechystivka and Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk oblast came under artillery fire.
In the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson direction, more than fifty settlements were shelled by rocket and barrel artillery. Among them are Vremivka, Malynivka, Dorozhnyanka, Mala Tokmachka in the Zaporizhzhia oblast and Kherson, Havrylivka, Novodmytrivka, Burhunka, Inzhenerne and Chornobiivka in the Kherson oblast.
Due to significant losses of russian troops, the occupation authorities continue to repurpose Luhansk oblast hospitals into military hospitals. This is what happened to local medical facilities in Bilovodsk and Markivka.
On December 19, in the city of Starobilsk, about 100 wounded enemy servicemen were brought to the surgical department of the district hospital, which is equipped as a military hospital.
The enemy continues to suffer losses. On December 22, in the Zaporizhzhia oblast, the Defense Forces destroyed 2 artillery systems with ammunition. More than 70 enemy servicemen were wounded. Information on eliminated occupiers is being clarified.
During the day, the Ukrainian aviation carried out 13 strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel and anti-aircraft missiles and struck the positions of the enemy’s anti-aircraft missile complex.
The downing of 9 enemy UAVs of various types was confirmed.
Units of missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces of Ukraine hit 2 control points, 2 ammunition depots and 11 areas of concentration of the invaders‘ manpower.

• Das Briefing des russischen Verteidigungsministeriums:

Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine (24 December 2022)
The Russian Federation Armed Forces continue the special military operation.
In Kupyansk direction, artillery strikes hit the manpower and military equipment of units of the 14th AFU Mechanised Brigade near Petropavlovka and the 92nd AFU Mechanised Brigade near Krakhmalnoye in Kharkov region. Up to 50 Ukrainian personnel, four armoured fighting vehicles, and two pickups were eliminated.
In Krasny Liman direction, Russian air strikes and artillery fire on positions of units of the 111th Territorial Defence Brigade close to Torskoye and the 25th AFU Airborne Brigade close to Terny (Donetsk People’s Republic) destroyed over 40 Ukrainian servicemen, three armoured fighting vehicles, and four motor vehicles.
In Donetsk direction, the Russian troops destroyed a combined tactical group of foreign mercenaries and defeated units of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Razdolovka (Donetsk People’s Republic). The enemy lost up to 60 Ukrainian military and mercenaries, four armoured personnel carriers, and three pickups.
In the South Donetsk direction, more than 40 Ukrainian personnel, four armoured fighting vehicles, and six motor vehicles were annihilated as a result of air and artillery strikes against a concentration of units of the 92nd AFU Mechanised Brigade close to Vodyanoye (Donetsk People’s Republic).
Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian force grouping hit: the command post of the 65th AFU Mechanised Brigade near Lezhino and a depot of rocket and artillery weapons close to Novoselovka (Zaporozhye region), as well as 53 artillery units, manpower and military hardware in 92 areas.
Fighter aviation of Russian Aerospace Forces has shot down 1 Su-27 airplane of Ukrainian Air Force near Kamyshevka (Donetsk People’s Republic). In addition, Ukrainian Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters were shot down near the settlements of Selidovo and Gruzskoye (Donetsk People’s Republic).
Air defence facilities have shot down 1 Mi-8 helicopter of Ukrainian Air Force near Kirovo (Donetsk People’s Republic).
Fifteen Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been also intercepted during the day in the areas of Yegorovka, Yelenovka, Kirillovka, Volodino, Artemovsk, and Olginka (Donetsk People’s Republic), Kolomyichikha (Lugansk People’s Republic), Novaya Zburyevka (Kherson region), and Pologi (Zaporozhye region).
In total, 352 airplanes and 192 helicopters, 2,719 unmanned aerial vehicles, 399 air defence missile systems, 7,222 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 936 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 3,704 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 7,737 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

• Das Abendbriefing des ukrainischen Generalstabs:

Operational update regarding the russian invasion as of 18.00, on December 24, 2022
The three hundred fourth (304) day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a russian military large-scale invasion continues.
russian occupiers continue to violate the norms of international humanitarian law, laws and customs of warfare. Thus, during the day, the enemy launched 3 missile strikes on civilian objects in the Zaporizhzhia region. It also carried out more than 10 MLRS attacks.
The enemy is concentrating its efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Lyman, Bakhmut, and Avdiivka directions and is trying to improve the tactical position in the Kupiansk direction.
The situation has not changed significantly in the Volyn, Polissya and Siversky directions. The enemy maintains a military presence, however, no signs of the formation of offensive groups have been detected.
In the Slobozhanskyi direction, areas of the settlements of Huryiv Kozachok, Kozacha Lopan, Kudiivka, Strilecha, Ternova, Starytsa, Vovchansk, Nesterne, Zemlianka, Khatne and Ambarne of the Kharkiv oblast were hit by mortar and artillery fire.
 In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy shelled the areas of the settlements of Novomlynsk, Kupyansk, Kislivka, Tabaivka, and Krokhmalne of the Kharkiv oblast, and Stelmakhivka and Myasozharivka of the Luhansk oblast.
In the Lyman direction, the invaders inflicted fire damage on Makiivka, Chervonopopivka, and Dibrova in Luhansk oblast, as well as Terny in Donetsk oblast.
In the direction of Bakhmut, the enemy fired tanks, mortars, barrel and jet artillery in the areas of the settlements of Spirne, Berestove, Vesele, Yakovlivka, Soledar, Paraskoviivka, Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar, Opytne, Stupochky, Klishchiivka, Bila Hora, Diliivka, Kleban-Byk , Ozaryanivka, Pivnichne and New York of Donetsk oblast.
Kamianka, Avdiivka, Vodyane, Nevelske, Maryinka and Novomykhailivka in Donetsk oblast were shelled in the Avdiivka direction.
On the Novopavlivka direction, Vuhledar, Novoukrainka, Velyka Novosilka and Vremivka of the Donetsk oblast came under the fire of the occupiers.
In the Zaporizhzhia direction, the enemy shelled the areas of the settlements of Malynivka, Chervone, Charivne, Bilohirya, Novodanylivka, Mali Shcherbaky and Stepove in the Zaporizhzhia oblast and Marganets and Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast.
In the Kherson direction, the enemy continues to terrorize the civilian population. The civil infrastructure of Chervonohrihorivka, Dnipropetrovsk oblast, and Burhunka, Antonivka, and Kherson were affected by shelling. There are dead and wounded among peaceful Ukrainian citizens.
In Hornostaevka, Kherson oblast, the russian occupiers imposed a 24-hour curfew in the period from December 25, 2022 to January 3, 2023. For almost 10 days, local residents are prohibited from leaving their homes and moving around the settlement.
During the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces of Ukraine carried out 3 strikes on areas where the enemy’s personnel, weapons and military equipment were concentrated. And our rocket launchers and gunners struck two areas of concentration of manpower and the S-300 anti-aircraft missile complex of the occupiers.