Russo-Ukraine War - 09 December 2022 - Day 289

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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 for the first time in three weeks, there have been reports of attacks by Iranian-provided one-way attack (OWA) uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). These events remain to be verified, but it is likely that Russia exhausted its previous stock of several hundred Shahed-131s and 136s and has now received a resupply.

On 06 December 2022, the Ukrainian General Staff reported shooting down 17 UAVs, including 14 Shahed-136s. On 07 December 2022, Ukrainian officials reported the use of Iranian-provided OWA UAVs targeting Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro oblasts.

The last previously reported shooting down of Iranian Shahed-136s in Ukraine was on 17 November 2022. If verified, it is likely that Russia has recommenced attacks with newly delivered OWA UAV systems.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Russia continues to focus its efforts on conducting an offensive in the Bakhmut direction. It is trying to improve its tactical position in the Lyman and Avdiivka directions. In other directions, Russia is concentrating its efforts on restraining the actions of units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, shelling the positions of Ukrainian troops and civilian objects. It equips defensive lines and positions.

During the day, the Russian occupiers launched 4 missile and 9 air strikes and 25 MLRS attacks were also recorded. The peaceful settlements of Komyshuvakha, Hryhorivske and Yulyivka of the Zaporizhzhia oblast were hit by rockets.

The threat of Russian Forces launching missile strikes on the objects of the energy system and critical infrastructure throughout the territory of Ukraine remains in the future.

In the Volyn and Polissya directions, the situation has not changed significantly, and no signs of the formation of enemy offensive groups have been detected. In the cities of Mozyr, Gomel and Mogilev, an increase in the number of Russian mobilized servicemen was noted. Measures to check the credentials of conscripts are ongoing in the military headquarters of the Gomel region.
In the Siversky direction, separate units of the Russian Forces are located in the border areas of the Bryansk and Kursk regions. The village of Khodyne, Sumy oblast, was hit by mortar fire.
In the Slobozhanskyi direction, Russian Forces fired mortars and barrel artillery at the areas of the settlements of Strilecha, Zelene, Ternova, Starytsa, Chuhunivka, and Kamianka of the Kharkiv oblast.
In the Kupyansk direction, Russian Forces fired tanks and artillery of various types in the areas of Dvorichna, Kupyansk, Krokhmalne, and Pershotravneve settlements of the Kharkiv oblast; Novoselivske and Stelmakhivka, Luhansk oblast.
In the Lyman direction, Russian Forces inflicted fire damage on the areas of the settlements of Hrekivka, Nevske and Chervonpopivka in the Luhansk oblast and Torske and Hryhorivka in the Donetsk oblast.
In the direction of Bakhmut, more than twenty settlements were hit by tanks, mortars, barrel and rocket artillery. Among them are Verkhnyokamianske, Bilohorivka, Vesele, Soledar, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Opytne, Andriivka, Bila Hora, Kurdyumivka, Ozaryanivka, Diliivka and Zalizne of the Donetsk oblast.
In the Avdiivka direction, the enemy shelled the Avdiivka, Berdychiv, Maryinka, and Novomykhailivka districts in Donetsk oblast.
In the Novopavlivka direction, artillery and mortar shelling of the areas of Vuhledar, Novoukrayinka, Zolota Nyva, Velyka Novosilka and Novopil settlements of the Donetsk oblast were recorded.
In the Zaporizhia region, the Russian occupiers fired at the settlements of Chervone, Dorozhnyanka, Zaliznychne, Orihiv, Novodanylivka, Novoandriivka, Stepove, Chervonodniprovka in the Zaporizhia oblast and Vyshchetarasivka in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast.
In the Kherson direction, Russian Forces carried out artillery shelling of the settlements of the Kherson oblast, which are close to the contact line. The city of Kherson and its surroundings were again subjected to artillery shelling, and civilians were injured.

Russia continues to lose manpower. Over the past day, up to 50 wounded mercenaries from a private military company were brought to the central city hospital of Kadiivka, Luhansk oblast.

At the same time, mobilization measures are ongoing in some regions of the Russian Federation. So, in particular, summonses continue to be served to conscripts in the Samara region.

Units of missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces of Ukraine during the current day hit 2 areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment.

According to the report of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the past day of special operations were quite productive. In several settlements of the Kharkiv region, Russian aircraft launched a series of strikes on concentrations of enemy infantry and equipment, as a result of which about 40 Ukrainian servicemen, one infantry fighting vehicle and two vehicles were destroyed. Also, aviation, artillery and missile troops of the RF Armed Forces hit 86 artillery units and about 183 enemy concentration areas.

The counter-battery fight showed good results. In the vicinity of Shevchenkovsky, Zaporozhye region, the firing positions of six launchers of western multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) MLRS were discovered and hit. And near Zolochev, Kharkiv region, the launcher of the Tochka-U tactical missile system was destroyed.

The situation in the LDNR

On the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), the Armed Forces of Ukraine also suffered significant losses. In particular, here the Russian army managed to eliminate the US-made AN / TPQ-50 counter-battery radar, one Uragan MLRS and three Grad MLRS. In addition, an ammunition depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was destroyed in the settlement of Krivaya Luka.

During the day, the enemy made several attempts to attack and counterattack the positions of the RF Armed Forces in the Limansky, Donetsk and South-Donetsk directions. As a result of the actions of the Russian military personnel, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost over 160 people, about five armored vehicles of various types and six vehicles.

In addition, according to unconfirmed information, the Armed Forces of Ukraine withdrew a number of their units from Soledar to strengthen the defense at the next line against the backdrop of heavy losses near Bakhmut.

Ukrainian troops did not stop shelling the settlements of the republics of Donbass. In the afternoon, Donetsk, Makeevka, Khartsyzsk, Yasinovataya, Zaitsevo and Golmovsky became targets of the militants. Also, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, over the past day, Russian air defense managed to shoot down three HIMARS MLRS shells over Pervomaisk and Alchevsk of the Luhansk People's Republic.

RIA Novosti reports that as a result of today's massive shelling, two floors of the building of the Donetsk National University of Economics and Trade were seriously damaged. Associate Professor of the Department of Marketing Management was injured.