Russo-Ukraine War - 03 December 2022 - Day 283

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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 Russian forces continue to invest a large element of their overall military effort and firepower along an approximately 15km long sector of entrenched front line around the Donetsk Oblast town of Bakhmut.

Russia's plan is likely to encircle the town with tactical advances to the north and south. In recent days, Russia has highly likely made small advances on the southern axis of this assault, where it is seeking to consolidate limited bridgeheads to the west of the boggy ground around the minor Bakhmutka River.

Russia has prioritised Bakhmut as its main offensive effort since early August 2022. The capture of the town would have limited operational value although it would potentially allow Russia to threaten the larger urban areas of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. However, the campaign has been disproportionately costly relative to these possible gains. There is a realistic possibility that Bakhmut's capture has become primarily a symbolic, political objective for Russia.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Russia concentrates its efforts on restraining the actions of units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, carries out engineering equipment of defensive lines and positions. On the Avdiyivka and Bakhmut directions, the offensive continues and actively uses aviation to support ground groups.

During the day, the Russian occupiers launched 2 rocket and 10 air strikes, as well as fired 3 MLRS attacks at the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements along the contact line. In particular, a civil infrastructure object in the city of Kramatorsk was hit by a missile. There is still a threat of 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. Certain units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus continue to perform tasks in the areas bordering Ukraine.
In the Slobozhanskyi direction, Russia continues to hold his troops in the border areas of the Belgorod region. Areas of settlements of Odnorobivka, Strilecha, Neskuchne, Ternova, Starytsa, Ohirtseve, Chernyakiv and Chuhunivka of the Kharkiv oblast were shelled by artillery of various calibers.
Russia is defending in the Kupyansk and Lyman directions. It carried out shelling from tanks, mortars, barrel and jet artillery in the areas of Sinkivka, Tabaivka, Berestove and Vyshneve settlements in the Kharkiv oblast and Makiivka and Ploshanka in the Luhansk oblast.
In the Bakhmut and Avdiivka areas, Russian forces are concentrating their main efforts on conducting offensive actions, trying to improve its tactical position. Areas of the settlements of Serebryanka, Bilohorivka, Yakovlivka, Soledar, Bakhmut, Bila Hora, Kurdyumivka, Opytne, Avdiivka, Vodyane, Nevelske, Krasnohorivka, Maryinka, and Novomykhailivka in Donetsk oblast were shelled by tanks, mortars, barrel and jet artillery.
Russia is defending in the Novopavlivsk direction. The areas of Velyka Novosilka, Vuhledar, Prechystivka and Zolota Nyva of the Donetsk oblast were shelled with artillery.
Russia is also conducting defensive operations in the Zaporizhzhia direction. It carried out artillery shelling of the districts of more than ten settlements, which are close to the contact line, in particular, Orikhiv of the Zaporizhzhia oblast.
In the Kherson direction, Russia is defending previously captured lines. Fires from mortars, barrel and rocket artillery positions of our troops and liberated settlements of the Kherson oblast. The shelling of the suburbs and the city of Kherson does not stop.

Russian forces continue to suffer losses. Thus, on December 2, as a result of fire damage to the Russian concentration area in the city of Starobilsk, Luhansk oblast, Russian forces lost about 30 servicemen wounded and 14 killed.

During December 2, in the Melitopol and Vasyliv districts of the Zaporizhzhia oblast, the Russian occupiers lost more than 270 people wounded. Information about the dead is being clarified.

During the current day, the aviation of the Ukrainian Defense Forces made 13 strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment, as well as a strike on the position of the anti-aircraft missile complex of the Russian occupiers.

Also, a Russian plane was shot down near the settlement of Pidhorodne, Donetsk oblast. Information about its type is being clarified.

Units of missile forces and artillery of the Defense Forces of Ukraine hit 2 control points, an ammunition depot, and 2 areas of concentration of Russian personnel and armament and military technics.

Statements of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

The Russian Ministry of Defense in a daily briefing reported that attempts by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to attack in the direction of the settlements of Kuzemovka, Kolomyychikha, Zhitlovka (Luhansk People's Republic, LPR) were repulsed during the day. The fire of the RF Armed Forces destroyed about 90 Ukrainian militants, 2 tanks, 3 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), 3 armored personnel carriers, 3 armored vehicles and 4 pickup trucks.

In the Donetsk direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to restore the position of their troops in the areas of Andreevka, Kurdyumovka, Avdeevka and Maryinka (Donetsk People's Republic, DPR). Up to 60 Ukrainian servicemen, 2 tanks, 5 combat armored vehicles were destroyed. In addition, attempts by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to counterattack in the areas of Sladkoye, Shevchenko and Novomayorsky were repulsed, the enemy's losses amounted to more than 40 people, 2 infantry fighting vehicles and 5 vehicles were destroyed.

3 command posts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were hit in the areas of Kupyansk (Kharkiv region), Svyatogorsk and Konstantinovka (DPR), as well as 74 artillery units, manpower and military equipment in 195 districts. In the area of ​​Kramatorsk (DPR) 2 points of temporary deployment of foreign mercenaries were destroyed, near Kalenikov (DPR) the AN / TPQ-37 counter-battery radar was liquidated. In the districts of Tabaevka (Kharkiv region) and Primorsky (Zaporozhye region), 2 depots of weapons and ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed.

Fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the Selidovo region (DPR) shot down a Mi-8 helicopter of the Ukrainian Air Force.

Air defense systems shot down 10 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, intercepted 8 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) HIMARS and Alder in the LPR and DPR.

Kherson region

Specialists have completely restored the supply of electricity in the settlements of the Novokakhovka District, which was interrupted after shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was reported in the administration of New Kakhovka.

Ukrainian troops on Saturday delivered a new blow to the territory of Nova Kakhovka. As a result of the attack, one of the quarters was de-energized, a direct hit on a private house was recorded, and a gas pipeline was damaged. There were no reports of casualties.

Zaporozhye region

The allied forces attacked the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine located on the territory of the Zaporizhtransformator plant in the city of Zaporozhye. According to Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the regional administration, Ukrainian troops continue to transfer forces from the Zaporizhzhya direction to Bakhmut in the DPR, while increasing their grouping in the Orekhov region. Transportation of equipment is carried out at night.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said that Kyiv demands the withdrawal of the Russian Armed Forces from the territory of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and this item should become part of the general agreement. He expressed hope that a solution to ensure the plant's safety would be found before the end of the year.

Acting Governor of the Zaporozhye region Yevhen Balitsky denied rumors of mobilization in the region. According to him, the reports that have appeared about the alleged issuance of subpoenas are stuffed by Kyiv propaganda.

Donbass

In the DPR, from the beginning of the day on December 3, Ukrainian armed formations opened fire on Donetsk, as well as on the settlements of Kashtanovoye, Shirokaya Balka, Gorlovka, Yakovlevka, Mayorsk, Yasinovataya, Golmovsky.

In Donetsk, a civilian was injured, numerous damages to residential buildings were recorded. Another person was injured in Gorlovka. In Aleksandrovka, 20 transformer substations were de-energized, a garage and a car were damaged.

Acting head of the DPR Denis Pushilin held a meeting with heads of local administrations. During the event, the efficiency of the work of officials was discussed, as well as the issue of the lack of emergency teams, problems with the issuance of building materials to the population and low rates of payments for lost housing and property. Pushilin demanded to correct the shortcomings and noted that he would personally control the implementation of the task.

In the LPR, since the beginning of the day, the village of Novochervonoye has been shelled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on which the Ukrainian military fired 2 rockets from the MLRS HIMARS. As a result of the shelling, 2 employees of the State Budgetary Institution "Dorinvest" were injured and the residential modules of the enterprise were damaged.

The All-Russian Popular Front (ONF) as part of the project "Everything for Victory!" and boxer Denis Lebedev delivered humanitarian aid from the Russians to the soldiers of the Second Army Corps of the LPR. The cargo included sleeping bags, quadrocopters, chainsaws, shovels, and warm clothes.