Russo-Ukraine War - 17 December 2022 - Day 297

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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 in recent days, there has been an uptick in Russia's campaign of long-range strikes against Ukraine's critical national infrastructure.

The waves of strikes have largely consisted of air and maritime launched cruise missiles, but have almost certainly also included Iranian-provided uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) being launched from Russia's Krasnodar region.

Previously these UAVs had been primarily launched from locations within occupied Crimea. The change of launch site is likely due to Russian concerns about the vulnerability of Crimea, while it is also convenient for resupply from the weapons' likely arrival point in Russia, at Astrakhan.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Russia continues to focus its efforts on conducting offensive actions in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions. On the Lyman direction, Russia is trying to regain his lost position. In other areas, Russia is concentrating its efforts on restraining the actions of units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

During the current day, Russian forces launched 5 missile strikes. In particular, the civil infrastructure of the cities of Druzhkivka and Kramatorsk in the Donetsk oblast came under fire. Two Onyx-type missiles launched from the temporarily occupied Crimea in the Odesa region were successfully destroyed by air defense forces. In addition, the Russian occupiers fired more than 10 rounds of anti-aircraft fire at the positions of Ukrainian troops in various directions and at the civilian infrastructure of Kherson.

There is still a threat of Russian air and missile strikes on the entire 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.
On the Siverskyi and Slobozhanskyi directions, Russian forces carried out mortar and artillery attacks on the positions of Ukrainian troops in the areas of the settlements of Hai, Zernove, Yastrubyne, and Kindrativka in the Sumy oblast, and Strilecha, Krasne, Starytsa, Zakharivka, Mylove, Figolivka, Novomlynsk, and Zapadne in the Kharkiv oblast.
On the Kupyansk direction, the districts of Kislivka, Kotlyarivka and Tabaivka of the Kharkiv oblast and Stelmakhivka and Nevske in the Luhansk oblast were shelled by tanks and the entire spectrum of artillery.
On the Lyman direction, Russian forces fired at the positions of our troops with tanks, mortars, barrel and rocket artillery in the areas of the settlements of Makiivka, Ploshchanka, Chervonopopivka, and Dibrova of the Luhansk oblast.
On the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions, Russian forces unsuccessfully continues his attempts to break through the defenses of Ukrainian troops. The areas of more than twenty settlements were shelled. Among them are Andriivka, Berestove, Blahodatne, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, Chasiv Yar, Avdiivka, Vodyane, Karlivka, Maryinka and Pervomaiske of the Donetsk oblast.
In the direction of Novopavlivka, Russian forces tried to attack the positions of our troops near Prechystivka, Vuhledar, and Shakhtarske, Donetsk oblast.
In the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, Russia continues to shell our positions and the civilian infrastructure of the settlements along the right bank of the Dnipro River. 32 settlements were affected by fire. In particular, Vremivka and Novopil of the Donetsk oblast; Bilohirya, Mala Tokmachka, Novodanylivka and Kamianske in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, Respublikanets, Novokayry, Charivne and Olhivka in the Kherson oblast.

On December 15, Russian forces lost more than 100 people wounded and a warehouse of ammunition in the areas of Tokmak and Polohy settlements. Information on eliminated Russian occupiers is being clarified.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported on the results of massive missile strikes on Ukrainian territory on December 16. All designated energy infrastructure targets are reported to have been hit. Also, the transfer of weapons, ammunition and reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) to the front line was disrupted, the work of military enterprises was disrupted.

At the same time, the location of enemy radar stations of S-300 anti-aircraft systems was revealed, four of which were destroyed. Ukrainian crews, in turn, by unprofessional actions allowed unnecessary damage to civilian infrastructure.

In the Kupyansk direction, as a result of artillery fire on Timkovka and Petropavlovka, up to 40 Ukrainian soldiers, 4 cars, and an armored vehicle were destroyed. At the same time, 89 areas of accumulation of enemy troops, 53 artillery batteries were hit; in Kupyansk, a blow was struck at the place of deployment of the 14th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Air defense systems shot down two enemy drones, as well as seven rockets.

The authorities of the Zaporozhye region have published photos of the work on the construction of a protective cover over the storage of nuclear waste at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in Energodar. Ukraine has been shelling this object since the summer, threatening a major man-made disaster. As a result, Russia is taking unilateral measures to prevent such a development of events.

The situation in Donbass

In the Limansky direction, strikes were made on the reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kolodezy, as a result of which 30 people were killed or wounded. Two pickup trucks and two armored vehicles were also damaged or destroyed.

Meanwhile, west of Donetsk, Ukrainian units tried to attack in the areas of the settlements of Opytnoye and Bakhmutskoe. The advancing formations were dispersed by artillery strikes, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost more than 30 people and 7 vehicles.

Two sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the enemy were eliminated near Novomayorsky and Shevchenko, and the total losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in this direction per day amounted to 35 people and 2 armored personnel carriers.

Also, Russian artillery hit the point of temporary deployment of foreign mercenaries in Liman.