Russo-Ukraine War - 04 December 2022 - Day 284

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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 recent polling suggests that Russian public support for the 'special military operation' is falling significantly.

An independent Russian media outlet has claimed access to data collected by Russia's Federal Protective Service for internal use. The data indicated 55 percent of Russians favour peace talks with Ukraine, with only 25 percent claiming to support continuing the conflict. These results are consistent with a separate October 2022 survey where 57 percent of respondents reported being in favour of talks. In April 2022, around 80 percent of Russians claimed to support the operation.

Despite the Russian authorities' efforts to enforce pervasive control of the information environment, the conflict has become increasingly tangible for many Russians since the September 2022 'partial mobilisation'. With Russia unlikely to achieve major battlefield successes in the next several months, maintaining even tacit approval of the war amongst the population is likely to be increasingly difficult for the Kremlin.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Russia is concentrating its efforts on restraining the actions of the units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. On the Avdiivka and Bakhmut directions, the offensive continues, and aviation is actively used to support ground groups. During the day, the Russian forces launched 2 rocket strikes, and also launched more than 10 MLRS attacks on the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements along the contact line. In particular, once again, the objects of the civil infrastructure of the cities of Nikopol and Kherson were hit.

There is still a threat of Russian 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 Siverskskyi direction, Russian forces shelled the settlements of Sopych, Svarkove, and Zarutske of the Sumy oblast with mortars.
In the Slobozhanskyi direction, Russia continues to maintain its troops in the border areas of the Belgorod region. In particular, the Shevchenko, Strileche, Krasne, Ohirtseve, Vovchansk, Bochkove, Mala Vovcha, Dvorichna, and Bohdanivske districts in the Kharkiv oblast were shelled by artillery of various calibers.
Russia is defending in the Kupyansk and Lyman directions. The areas of the settlements of Kislivka, Kotlyarivka, Tabaivka, Krokhmalne, Berestove and Vyshneve of the Kharkiv oblast came under fire from tanks and artillery; Makiivka and Ploschanka in the Luhansk oblast nd Yampolivka in the Donetsk oblast.
In the Bakhmut and Avdiivka areas, Russia is concentrating its main efforts on conducting offensive operations and is trying to improve its tactical position. The populated areas of Soledar, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Opytne, Kurdyumivka, Avdiyivka, Vodyane, Krasnohorivka, Maryinka and Novomykhailivka of the Donetsk oblast were shelled by tanks and the entire varitety of artillery.

Russia is defending in the Novopavlivsk direction. Fired mortars, barrel and jet artillery in the areas of Neskuchne, Zolota Nyva and Prechystivka in Donetsk oblast.

Russia is conducting defensive operations in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions. Its artillery shelling was recorded in the areas of more than twenty-five settlements near the contact line. These are, in particular, the cities of Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk oblast, and Kherson.

The Russian occupiers restrict the rights and freedoms of civilians in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region. Thus, under the guise of measures to combat subversive intelligence groups, the occupiers set up a roadblock on the Chaika River and prohibited the passage of private boats.

In the temporarily occupied Skadovsky district, postal workers stopped delivering payments to pensioners. In order to receive pensions, Russia forces elderly people to write applications and receive passports and citizenship of the Russian Federation in post offices.

Russia continues to suffer losses in the Donetsk and Luhansk directions. It is known that medical facilities in the city of Donetsk are full of wounded Russian servicemen. Planned operations for civilian patients have been postponed indefinitely, new wounded are not accepted. Up to 300 wounded Russian occupiers have been brought to Novopskov Territorial Medical Association of the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk oblast in recent days.

Statements of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

The Russian Ministry of Defense in a daily briefing reported that during the day attempts were repelled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donetsk, South-Donetsk, Kupyansk and Liman directions. In the area of ​​​​the village of Chervonaya Dibrova (Luhansk People's Republic, LPR), 3 sabotage and reconnaissance groups of Ukrainian troops were destroyed. The total losses of the enemy amounted to about 230 personnel, a large amount of military equipment was destroyed.

Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile forces and artillery hit 69 artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in firing positions, manpower and military equipment in 187 districts. In the area of ​​​​the village of Dibrova (Donetsk People's Republic, DPR), a point of temporary deployment of a Ukrainian nationalist formation was hit, in the areas of Grigorovka and Markovo, 2 anti-radar stations of counter-battery warfare manufactured by the United States AN / TPQ-37 were hit.

In the Zaporizhzhia region, a warehouse of weapons and ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was destroyed. In the Kharkiv region, an oil depot was hit, from which the Ukrainian group in the Kupyansk direction was supplied with fuel.

Fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down a Su-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force in the DPR. Air defense systems destroyed 9 unmanned aerial vehicles in the DPR, LPR and Kharkiv region. 5 shells of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) HIMARS and "Uragan" were intercepted in the LPR and Zaporozhye region. In the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, 2 HARM anti-radar missiles were shot down in the air.

Zaporozhye region

Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the administration of the Zaporizhzhya region, said that on the night of December 4, Ukrainian troops fired on the village of Mikhailovka. He suggested that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to force residents to leave their homes.

Kherson region

Saboteurs who planned subversive activities in the region were detained in the Kherson region. Dozens of weapons were confiscated from the detainees.

DNR

From the beginning of the day, Ukrainian armed formations opened fire on Donetsk, as well as the settlements of Makeevka, Kashtanovye, Yakovlevka, Gorlovka, Zaitsevo, Troitskoye, Mayorsk, Novoluganskoye.

In Donetsk, as a result of shelling, at least 6 people were injured, including a child. Numerous damages were recorded to residential buildings, as well as to the school and shop buildings. In addition, Ukrainian shells exploded near the Donbass Arena football stadium and a hotel located nearby. In Novolugansk, a civilian was wounded, damage was done to the buildings of the school and the boiler house.

Information appeared in the media about the encirclement of the militants of the so-called "Georgian Legion" near Bakhmut. The reports were subsequently confirmed by Andriy Yermak, head of the office of the President of Ukraine. According to him, Kyiv is aware of at least 5 liquidated Georgian militants, as well as the wounding of their commander.

LC

From the beginning of the day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine opened fire on Alchevsk and Kremennaya, using artillery and HIMARS MLRS. In Alchevsk, during the attack, the Industrial College of the DonGTI, as well as the hostel, were damaged.

Andrey Marochko, an officer of the People's Militia of the LPR, said that specialists from the Center for Information and Psychological Operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are preparing staged materials designed to discredit the military personnel of the RF Armed Forces. According to him, in the border towns of the LPR controlled by Ukrainian troops, the facts of the work of an armed group of people with photo and video equipment and satellite communications were recorded. They ask local residents about the "atrocities" of the Russian troops and the places of spontaneous burials of the civilian population.

The ex-ambassador of the LPR in Moscow, Rodion Miroshnik, spoke about the situation in the border village of Kremennaya. According to him, there is enough food in local stores, but there is a shortage of medicines, many pharmacies are closed. In addition, due to the unstable operation of banks, many residents of Kremennaya have problems receiving social benefits. As a result of constant shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, more than half of the citizens were evacuated from the city.