Wednesday, December 13

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and American President Joe Biden during a press conference in Washington on Dec. 12, 2023. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

Reuters: US intelligence reports Russia has lost 90% of original pre-invasion force in Ukraine. Russia has lost 315,000 troops in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, representing nearly 90% of the military personnel it had in February 2022, Reuters reported on Dec. 12, citing a declassified U.S. intelligence report.

Hack on phone operator causes issues with air raid alert in Ukrainian regions.

Air raid alert systems in some parts of Ukraine, including Kyiv Oblast, Sumy, and Dnipro, face technical issues due to the hack on telecommunications company Kyivstar, regional authorities reported on Dec. 12.

Massive cyberattack reported on Ukrainian bank, phone operator. Massive cyberattacks hit the largest Ukrainian telecommunications company, Kyivstar, and one of the country’s largest banks, Monobank, on Dec. 12.

Air Force: Ukraine downs 10 drones, 10 missiles launched by Russia overnight. Ukrainian forces downed 10 Shahed “kamikaze” drones and 10 ballistic missiles launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported in the morning of Dec. 13. The drones were launched from the occupied Crimea, almost all of them have been downed over Odesa Oblast.

Danilov: Counteroffensive hopes did not come true. Ukraine’s counteroffensive hopes did not come true, but that does not mean Kyiv will not eventually achieve victory, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksii Danilov said in a comment for the BBC on Dec. 12.

Military intelligence hacks Russian tax authorities. Ukrainian cyber units hacked into thousands of servers of Russia’s tax system, extracting sensitive information before destroying the tax database, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) said on Dec. 12.

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Report: Russia has laundered $2.5 billion of African gold since February 2022

The Kremlin has laundered $2.5 billion of African gold since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to a report by an international group of researchers published on Dec. 12.

Updated: Ukraine’s leading phone operator Kyivstar targeted by hacker attack.

The Ukrainian telecommunications company Kyivstar said on Dec. 12 that it came under a powerful hacker attack after subscribers complained about network and internet outages.

Russian court reaffirms decision to keep jailed US journalist in pre-trial detention. The Supreme Court of the Russian region of Tatarstan ruled on Dec. 12 to confirm the decision of a lower court to keep Alsu Kurmasheva, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalist with dual U.S. and Russian citizenship in pre-trial detention.

Russia claims it shot down ballistic missile over Belgorod Oblast. Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod Oblast, said that air defense had shot down a “target” near the village of Bessonovka, about 30 kilometers from the city of Belgorod and close to 50 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Kyiv did not comment on the claim, and it cannot be independently verified.

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Ukraine war latest: Biden announces $200 million in aid for Ukraine during Zelensky visit

The White House has allocated $200 million in drawdown funds for Ukraine.

Ukrainian cyber units hacked into thousands of servers of Russia’s tax system, extracting sensitive information before destroying the tax database.

Photo: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Here’s where to shop for Christmas gifts by Ukrainian brands

Even amid the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukrainian entrepreneurs remain resilient. October set a new record for the number of new small and medium-sized businesses being registered, while hundreds of enterprises have relocated away from front-line regions so that they can continue their operations.

Photo: Ozge Elif Kizil/Anadolu via Getty Images

Human cost of war

53 injured in Russian attack on Kyiv. A Russian missile attack against Kyiv during the early hours of Dec. 13 injured 53 people, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said via his official Telegram channel. At least 20 people were taken to the hospital, including two children.

Russia attacks Odesa, injuring 2. Russian forces launched a drone attack in Odesa during the evening on Dec. 12, injuring 2 civilians, the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine reported on Telegram.

General Staff: Russia has lost 340,650 troops in Ukraine. This number includes 800 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response

Slovak FM: Slovakia ready to support launch of Ukraine EU accession talks.

Having assessed the progress of Ukraine’s reforms, Slovakia is “ready to support the opening of accession negotiations,” Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said in Brussels on Dec. 12.

Bloomberg: Orban may unblock Ukraine aid package in exchange for release of EU funds for Hungary. Hungary is open to unblocking a huge EU funding package for Ukraine in exchange for the release of EU funding for Budapest, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s political advisor told Bloomberg on Dec. 12.

Biden allocates $200 million aid package to Ukraine. The White House has allocated $200 million in drawdown funds for Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden told President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Washington D.C. on Dec. 12.

Zelensky stresses US aid importance in address to Senate. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered his address to the U.S. Senate on Dec. 12, emphasizing the crucial role of Washington’s support.

US targets over 250 individuals, entities in major new Russia sanctions package.

The U.S. Treasury and State departments announced fresh sanctions on Dec. 12 against over 250 individuals and entities in response to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

EU ambassador: Moldova can join EU without Transnistria. “We wouldn’t see it (as) fair if (Moldova) is taken hostage by the solution to this quite complex problem,“ said the EU’s ambassador to Moldova, Janis Mazeiks.

US House passes bill banning import of uranium from Russia. The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Dec. 11 to pass a bill banning the import of Russian uranium. A majority of uranium used by the U.S. is purchased from abroad. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said that in 2022, 12% of the total amount of uranium used by nuclear power plants in the U.S. was purchased from Russia, making it the third largest supplier.

Tusk: Poland will ‘demand full mobilization’ of West to help Ukraine. Newly elected Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Dec. 12 that Poland will “loudly and decisively demand the full mobilization of the free world, the Western world, to help Ukraine in this war.”

FT: EU to propose plan to redirect 15 billion euros in projected profits from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine. The Group of Seven (G7) nations said on Oct. 12 that it would hold frozen Russian assets in their jurisdictions, estimated to be around $280 billion, until Russia pays for the reparations and reconstruction of Ukraine.

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