Russo-Ukraine War - 01 December 2022 - Day 281

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A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

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The UK Ministry of Defence reported that since October 2022, Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine's electricity distribution grid, primarily with cruise missiles. This is likely the first example of Russia attempting to implement the concept of a Strategic Operation for the Destruction of Critically Important Targets (SODCIT), a key component of the military doctrine it has adopted in recent years.

Russia envisioned SODCIT as using long-range missiles to strike an enemy state's critical national infrastructure, rather than its military forces, to demoralise the population and ultimately force the state's leaders to capitulate.

Russia's strikes continue to cause power shortages resulting in indiscriminate, widespread humanitarian suffering across Ukraine. However, its effectiveness as a strategy has likely been blunted because Russia has already expended a large proportion of its suitable missiles against tactical targets. Also, with Ukraine having successfully mobilised for nine months, material and psychological effect of the SODCIT is likely less than if it was deployed in the initial period of a war.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day, Russian forces launched a missile attack on the positions of Ukrainian troops on the territory of the Kharkiv oblast. It carried out 16 airstrikes, in particular on the settlement of Bilohirya in the Zaporizhzhia oblast, and shelled the city of Kherson with MLRS. There is still a threat of Russian forces launching missile strikes on the objects of the energy system and critical infrastructure throughout the territory of Ukraine.

In the Volyn and Polissya directions, the situation has not changed significantly, and no signs of the formation of Russian offensive groups have been detected.
In the Siverskyi direction, Russian forces carried out mortar and artillery attacks on the settlements of Kostobobriv and Hremyach in the Chernihiv oblast and Havrylova Sloboda, Seredyna Buda, Pustohorod, Bachivsk, Vilna Sloboda, Budky, Bilopillya and Krasnopillya in the Sumy oblast.
In the Slobozhanskyi direction, Russia continues to maintain its troops in the border areas of the Belgorod region. Areas of the settlements of Huryiv Kozachok, Krasne, Zelene, Slobozhanske, Ohirtseve, Bochkove, Mala Vovcha, Budarky, Dvorichna and Zapadne of Kharkiv oblast were shelled by Russian artillery of various types.
Russia is defending in the Kupyansk and Lyman directions. Shelled the areas of Tabaivka, Krokhmalne and Berestove settlements of Kharkiv oblast with tanks, mortars, barrel and jet artillery; Stelmakhivka, Myasozharivka, Makiivka and Ploschanka in the Luhansk oblast and Torske in the Donetsk oblast.
In the Bakhmut direction, Russian forces will continue to focus their main efforts on conducting offensive operations. Objects in the Serebryanka, Verkhnyokamyanske, Spirne, Rozdolivka, Bilohorivka, Yakovlivka, Soledar, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Zalizne and New York districts of the Donetsk oblast were hit by fire from tanks and artillery.
In the Avdiivka direction, Russia continues to try to improve the tactical position. Objects in Avdiyivka, Pervomaiskyi, Vodyane, Vesele, Krasnohorivka and Maryinka areas in Donetsk oblast were hit by Russian fire from tanks and artillery of various types.

Russia is conducting defensive operations in the Novopavlivsk direction. Shelling by the occupiers of Vremivka, Velyka Novosilka, Bohoyavlenka, Paraskoviivka, Zolota Nyva, Prechystivka, Vuhledar and Pavlivka areas of the Donetsk oblast was recorded.

Russia is also on the defensive in the Zaporizhzhia direction. It carried out artillery shelling in the areas of Nikopol, Kamianske, Novoandriyivka, Zaliznychne, Hulyaipole, Dorozhnyanka and Bilohirya in the Zaporizhia oblast and Ilyinka in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast.

In the Kherson direction, Russia is defending previously occupied lines. In particular, Kachkarivka, Respublikanets, Matrosivka, Tokarivka and Antonivka of the Kherson region came under fire. Russia does not stop terrorizing the inhabitants of the city of Kherson with artillery.

According to the available information, the Russian occupation forces are withdrawing separate units and preparing for evacuation the personnel of the occupation administrations of the settlements of the temporarily occupied territory of the Zaporizhia region. Thus, units based in the local police station and one of the educational institutions left Mykhailivka settlement. In the settlements of Polohy and Inzhenerne, the Russian occupiers leave the houses where they were quartered and take away the stolen property. In the village of Burchak, the occupation authorities are conducting a census for the so-called voluntary evacuation of the population.

It has been confirmed that units of the Defense Forces hit Russian manpower concentrations in the previous days. In the settlements of Myrne, Tokmak, Inzhenerne, Polohy, Yasne and Kinsky Rozdory of the Zaporizhzhia oblast, Russian forces lost more than 230 people wounded, more than 15 units of military equipment of various types and ammunition depots were destroyed. Information on eliminated Russian occupiers is being clarified.

During the current day, the aviation of the Ukrainian Defense Forces made 14 strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment, as well as 3 strikes on Russian positions of anti-aircraft missile systems.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reports that during the fighting and strikes on the line of contact over the past day, the confirmed losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) amounted to more than 110 people, seven tanks and 20 units of other military equipment. Three locations of foreign mercenaries in the Slavyansk region were also hit.

Artillery and aviation attacked 85 artillery subunits and 162 areas of accumulation of enemy manpower and equipment, and destroyed three ammunition depots. The HIMARS installation and two AN / TPQ-37 counter-battery radars were hit.

At the same time, air defense systems intercepted three drones and eight rockets.

The village of Murom, Belgorod Region, came under artillery fire for the second day in a row. Ukrainian batteries carrying out strikes are located in Sereda and Volchansk, Kharkiv region.

The situation in Donbass

Special services uncovered gunners in the LPR who were passing valuable military information to Ukraine. SWAT detained the suspects at night.

Meanwhile, in the DPR, Donetsk was under attack throughout the day. In the morning, hits were recorded in residential buildings, a hotel and a kindergarten. Fires broke out in the Kiev region.

Today, a gumconvoy of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation delivered 75 tons of food to the residents of Lisichansk and Rubizhne. The cargo was placed in four trucks and represents groceries.