Russo-Ukraine War - 30 December 2022 - Day 310

Su	M	Tu	W	Th	F	Sa
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	30

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]

---

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that Lieutenant General Yevgeniy Nikiforov is likely in the process of taking over command of Russia's Western Group of Forces (WGF) in Ukraine. He would be at least the fourth commander of the formation since the invasion, and replaces Colonel General Sergei Kuzovlev, who was appointed just three months ago.

As the Chief of Staff of Russia's Eastern Group of Forces (EGF) during the early weeks of the invasion, Nikiforov would have been heavily involved in planning the disastrous attempt by EGF and airborne forces to advance on Kyiv from the north-west, via the Chernobyl area.

WGF is almost certainly currently tasked with holding Russia's right flank, the area of Luhansk Oblast around Kremina and Svatove. As either side could plausibly attempt an offensive in this sector, Nikiforov assumes an important operational role in the conflict. The continued churn of senior Russian officers probably reflects internal divisions regarding the Russian Ministry of Defence's future conduct of the war.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day, the Russian invaders carried out 16 airstrikes, 15 of which hit civilian infrastructure. In particular, Russian forces used 8 Shahed-136 UAVs, all of them were shot down. In addition, Russian forces launched 17 attacks from MLRS. Civilians died from artillery fire by the Russian occupiers of peaceful settlements.

Russia continues to conduct offensive actions in the Lymansk and Bakhmutsky directions and tries to improve the tactical position in the Kupyansk and Avdiivka directions.

The situation is stable in the Volyn, Polissya, Siverskyi and Slobozhanskyi directions. No signs of formation of Russian offensive groups were detected. The areas of Semenivka and Zaliznyi Mist settlements of Chernihiv oblast were shelled in the last two directions; Zapsillia and Velyka Rybytsia - Sumy oblast, as well as Morokhovets, Ternova, Starytsa, Vovchansk, Bochkove, Chuhunivka and Zarubinka in Kharkiv oblast.

In the Kupyansk direction, the impact of fire was recorded near the settlements of Kamianka, Dvorichna, Vilshana, Kupyansk, Kotlyarivka and Tabaivka in the Kharkiv oblast and Novoselivske and Stelmakhivka in the Luhansk oblast.
In the Lyman direction, Russian forces fired at Nevsky and Dibrova in the Luhansk oblast as well as Chervonopivka and Torske in the Donetsk oblast.
In the Bakhmut direction, the areas of the settlements of Spirne, Berestove, Soledar, Bakhmutske, Pidhorodne, Bakhmut, Kostyantynivka, Bila Hora, Kurdyumivka, Druzhba, Mayorsk and New York of the Donetsk region were affected by Russian fire.
Vesele, Avdiivka, Nevelske, Maryinka and Novomykhailivka in Donetsk oblast came under Russian fire in the Avdiivka direction.
In the direction of Novopavlivk, Russian forces fired at Vuhledar, Prechystivka, and Vremivka in the Donetsk region.
In the Zaporizhzhia direction, Temyrivka, Hulyaipole, Dorozhnyanka, Novoandriivka, Stepove, Kamianske and Stepnohirsk in the Zaporizhia oblast and Nikopol and Prymiske in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast were affected by Russian fire.
In the Kherson direction, in particular, the civilian infrastructure of Kachkarivka and Kherson was damaged by shelling from MLRS.

As of December 29 of this year, the hospital in Bilovodsk, Luhansk region, is full of wounded Russian servicemen.

Up to 10 armed occupiers were wounded and destroyed in the Donetsk oblast. In addition, 2 units of military equipment were destroyed, and another 3 were damaged.

Ukrainian aircraft made 5 strikes on areas where the Russian occupiers were concentrated. Also, during this day, a Russian reconnaissance UAV of the "Orlan-10" type was shot down.

At the same time, units of missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces of Ukraine hit 6 areas of concentration of Russian manpower and military equipment, 5 ammunition warehouses and a radar station.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reports that as a result of strikes with high-precision weapons on December 29, energy facilities, military administration, and defense enterprises of Ukraine were hit. The production and repair of equipment was stopped, the transfer of enemy reserves and foreign weapons by rail was disrupted.

At the same time, 73 artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), 86 areas of concentration of troops, a radar station of the S-300 complex, and a Grad rocket launcher were hit during the day. Also shot down were 14 drones, eight shells and a HARM anti-radar missile.

Today, Secretary General of the Security Council of Belarus Alexander Volfovich said that the republic is ready to create with Russia a joint military group of any composition and any size, adequate to the situation.

The governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, meanwhile said that as a result of Ukrainian shelling in 2022, 22 civilians were killed in the region, and another 100 were injured. 1,600 residential buildings and apartments were damaged or destroyed, light, gas and water supplies were disrupted in border settlements, and about 7,000 people were evacuated in total.

The IAEA also reports that the reserve power line of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant was cut off as a result of Ukrainian shelling.

The situation in Donbass

During the day, reconnaissance in combat took place from both sides in the Kupyansky and Limansky directions, while Russian units continued their offensive west of Donetsk and near Bakhmut.

The concentrated work of artillery of the Russian Federation was observed west of Kremennaya and southeast of Yampolovka. The Ukrainian Armed Forces periodically attack north of Lysichansk, but they do not achieve success.

On behalf of Vladimir Putin, a rehabilitation center will be created in the DPR for people who have received disabilities, including as a result of hostilities. The possibilities of an electronic certificate are being expanded for the purchase by persons with disabilities of certain types of goods (for example, prostheses), works and services.

The authorities of the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics also stepped up work on further integration into the Russian Federation, which was preceded by today's adoption of new constitutions.