Russo-Ukraine War - 21 December 2022 - Day 301

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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 over the last week, Russian military and Wagner proxy forces have made small advances on the eastern edge of the Donetsk Oblast town of Bakhmut. Russian infantry likely now has a foothold in the eastern industrial areas of the town, and at times has advanced into the residential district of the city. Street fighting is ongoing.

Intense combat has occurred in the Bakhmut sector since June 2022, but the front lines have primarily been in open country around the eastern approaches to the town.

The war has seen little protracted, large-scale fighting in built up areas (FIBUA) since the Russian advances into Lysychansk and Siverodonetsk in July 2022. With FIBUA demanding highly trained infantry with excellent junior level leadership, this type of combat is unlikely to favour poorly trained Wagner fighters and the Russian army's mobilised reservists.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that During the day, Russian forces launched 3 missile strikes and an airstrike on civilian objects in the Zaporizhzhia oblast. In the city of Hulyaipole, Russian aviation cynically struck the city hospital. In addition, Russian forces launched more than 20 MLRS attacks.

Russia continues to focus its efforts on conducting offensive actions in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions and tries to improve the tactical position in the Kupyansk and Lyman areas.

In the Volyn, Polissya, Siverskyi, and Slobozhanskyi 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 and the Russian Federation continue to be located in the border areas with Ukraine.
At the same time, in the Slobozhanskyi direction, areas of Chervona Zorya, Kozacha Lopan, Vesele, Varvarivka, Starytsa, Vovchansk, Vilcha, Chernyakiv, Chuhunivka and Ambarne settlements of the Kharkiv oblast were subjected to tank, mortar and artillery shelling.
In the Kupyansk direction, fire damage was recorded in the areas of the settlements of Novomlynsk, Kupyansk, Kislivka, Kotlyarivka, Krokhmalne and Berestove in the Kharkiv oblast and Novoselivske and Stelmakhivka in the Luhansk oblast.
In the Lyman direction, Russia does not stop shelling the areas of Makiivka, Ploshanka, Chervonopivka, and Dibrova in the Luhansk oblast.
In the direction of Bakhmut, the areas of Verkhnokamianske, Spirne, Bilohorivka, Yakovlivka, Soledar, Pidhorodne, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, Andriivka, Oleksandro-Shultine, Kurdyumivka, Diliivka, Ozaryanivka, Druzhba, Severnye, Zalizne and New York of the Donetsk oblast were affected by fire.
In the Avdiyiv direction, Russian forces shelled Vodyan, Pervomaiske, Nevelske, Maryinka and Novomykhailivka in Donetsk oblast.
In the direction of Novopavlivsk, Russian forces fired tanks and artillery at the areas of Vuhledar, Prechystivka, Novoukrainka, and Velyka Novosilka of the Donetsk oblast.
On the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, the settlement of Chervonohryhorivka of the Dnipropetrovsk oblast, the suburbs and the city of Kherson, and the city of Ochakiv of the Mykolaiv oblast were shelled by rocket and barrel artillery. There are casualties among civilians in these settlements.

On December 15 and 16 of this year, Russian ammunition depots in the Kadiivka settlement of Luhansk oblast were damaged by fire. The detonation at these warehouses lasted more than 20 hours.

On December 20 of this year, the Russian occupiers gathered at the field airfield in the Kakhovka district of the Kherson oblast suffered fire damage. There were about 30 units of artillery systems of various types, self-propelled guns and anti-aircraft guns, as well as ammunition and fuel and lubricants. Detailed information on the loss of equipment and personnel is being clarified.

The Russian occupiers organized a field hospital in the village of Novobohdanivka, Zaporizhzhia oblast. In Novotroitske, in the Kherson oblast, the Russian invaders rebuilt the local hospital for the treatment of their wounded. Sick local residents were forcibly "discharged". In this settlement, the Russian occupiers intensified counter-intelligence measures. All this indicates significant Russian losses.

During the day, the Ukrainian aviation carried out 9 strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment. Also, Ukrainian defenders shot down a Russian UAV of the "Forpost" type, which costs about 6 million US dollars.

Units of missile forces and artillery of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, at the same time, hit the command post and two areas of concentration of the Russian forces' manpower.

In accordance with the statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense, over the past day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) lost about 220 servicemen killed and wounded on the line of contact, as well as six soldiers captured. Two tanks, 16 vehicles and seven armored vehicles were destroyed. In addition, an oil storage facility, two ammunition depots, 63 artillery units and 87 enemy troop concentration areas were hit.

At the same time, a P-18 radar station (radar), a Buk-M1 installation, a radar station from the S-300 complex, three M777 howitzers, two hangars with foreign weapons, and a Grad rocket system were discovered and destroyed. Aviation and air defense systems shot down Su-25 and Mi-8 of the Ukrainian Air Force, two drones and two shells.

Today, during the collegium of the Ministry of Defense, it was stated that the special operation in Ukraine will continue in the coming year, until all the goals set are achieved. It is also expected to increase the supply of military units with the necessary equipment and weapons, in particular, an increase in the production of hypersonic missiles and drones has been announced. It is recognized that the past ten months of hostilities have revealed a number of problems that exist in the organization of the army, and due attention will be paid to their solution.

It is emphasized that in 2023 more human, financial and material resources will be sent to the troops as part of the overall transformation, but the economy will not be completely transferred to the war footing.

The situation in Donbass

Footage of the work of the artillery of the 3rd guards brigade of the DPR, which struck at the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which was then driven by a tank, opened fire with direct fire, was published. Ukrainian soldiers fled, leaving their dead and wounded behind.

Also, active artillery skirmishes continue on the line of contact in the LPR. Attacks on Ukrainian positions in the Lisichansk direction were recorded.

In addition, more than 50 T-90M tanks have been deployed to the Svatovo region to strengthen the Russian defenses.