Category: War in Ukraine

Kyiv is ready to bring back all Ukrainians from Russian captivity, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Dec. 2, denying the claims of his Russian counterpart Tatyana Moskalkova.

Lubinets's response came after Moskalkova published alleged lists of 600 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) held in Russia, whom Kyiv allegedly "did not agree to take back."

"Ukraine is not delaying and did not delay the exchanges, but on the contrary, declared its readiness to repatriate seriously injured and seriously ill prisoners by creating a mixed medical commission," the Ukrainian ombudsman said.

"And the party that is not really interested in returning and implementing the exchanges is still ignoring the creation of such a commission."

Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War echoed Lubinets' remarks.

Dmytro Usov, the secretary of the organization, said that Russian lists include seven Ukrainian soldiers who have already been exchanged, 14 civilians, and pointed out mistakes in the names and dates of birth of captured ones.

According to Usov, Russia offered Ukraine to swap only those Russian soldiers captured in embattled Kursk Oblast.

"The Russian authorities are not interested in captured Russians from other regions," he added.

"This Russians' game is only for the public, and it is especially cynical. They are manipulating the fate of people and the vulnerable situation of their relatives."

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the two sides have frequently exchanged prisoners. The most recent swap occurred in mid-October, with each side bringing back 95 prisoners.

According to Lubinets, 3,767 Ukrainian prisoners of war have returned home since the start of the all-out war. Kyiv aims to conduct an all-for-all prisoner exchange.

Ukraine calls on Moscow to provide list of POWs ready for swapUkrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said on Nov. 3 that Ukraine remains willing to receive its citizens and blamed Russia for slowing down the exchanges.The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova

The Verkhovna Rada supported the bill on automatic registration for military service when reaching the age of 17. Registration will take place through the "Reserve+" app without visiting the shopping center.

In Ukraine, citizens who reach the age of 17 will automatically register for military service. The parliament supported the relevant bill in the first reading. This is reported by the Ministry of defense of Ukraine, writes UNN.

Today, the parliament supported in the first reading an important bill, thanks to which Ukrainian citizens will automatically register for military service when they reach the age of 17.,

– – said the head of the Ministry of Defense Rustem Umerov.

According to him, young men no longer need to apply to the shopping center or undergo a medical examination. They will only need to pass identification in the "Reserve+", after which the application itself will generate a military accounting document.

The minister believes that this is another step in transferring military registration to a convenient digital format.

We make public services as accessible and transparent as possible for Ukrainians. Thank you to the people's deputies for supporting this important initiative,

– he stressed.

recall

From December 1 booking of those liable for military service is possible only through the portal "Diya" according to the new criteria. Enterprises must meet the salary requirements starting from 20 thousand UAH and confirm their criticality by February 28, 2025.

Booking of employees under the new rules: the first 7 companies have updated their critical statusDec 3 2024, 10:46 AM • 23109 views

Ukraine and the U.S. signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in ensuring the resilience of Ukraine's energy system in Brussels on Dec. 3, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said.

The document, signed by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting, includes U.S. aid totaling up to $825 million.

Ukraine’s energy system has been repeatedly targeted since the start of Russia’s full-scale war. Earlier strikes devastated coal, oil, and hydroelectric power plants, making the remaining nuclear facilities critical to the country’s electricity supply.

According to the ministry, the memorandum aims to restore Ukraine's critical infrastructure, introduce distributed generation, reform the energy sector, and facilitate the post-war transition to a low-carbon, competitive, and European-integrated economy.

The news came as Kyiv is calling on its partners to provide additional air defense assets as Russia intensifies its strikes against cities ahead of winter.

Russia launched nearly 100 drones and 90 missiles against Ukraine overnight on Nov. 28, targeting energy infrastructure. Ukraine introduced emergency blackouts across the country following the recent attack.

Latest strikes on Ukraine’s electricity substations threaten ‘power failure,’ Greenpeace warnsGreenpeace has warned that Ukraine’s power grid faces a “heightened risk of catastrophic failure” after a mass missile and drone attack on Nov. 17 targeted electrical substations essential for nuclear power plants, the Guardian reported on Nov. 20.The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

The president stated the need to strengthen the Donetsk direction, especially in the supply of weapons from partners. Ukraine is also working to increase its own defense production and range.

Currently, the directions in the Donetsk region require significant strengthening, including in the supply of weapons from partner countries. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in an evening address, reports UNN.

At the beginning of the day-the commander-in-chief, a report on the situation, the main tasks that need to be implemented now, and difficulties on the front line. Donetsk directions require significant strengthening. And this applies, in particular, to the supply of weapons from partners – this is a direct dependence: the greater the firepower of our army, the more technological capabilities we have, the more we will be able to destroy the Russian offensive potential and protect the lives of our soldiers. And we talk about this in detail with our partners. And we are working on our own-we are increasing our production, our Ukrainian defense industry. There will be more of our range

Zelensky said.

Recall

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he had heard the report of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky on the situation at the front, indicating that the Ukrainian army has good defensive results in the Zaporozhye direction.

Also today, at the Headquarters meeting, they discussed contracts for the production of weapons in Ukraine, in particular drones and missiles. They also considered the issue of protecting energy facilities and strengthening air defense.

Ukraine is accelerating the country's missile production, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 3 following a meeting with top officials.

Zelensky was briefed on contracts for the production of Ukrainian-made weapons. There is a "significant volume" of new and long-term orders for first-person-view (FPV) drones, reconnaissance drones, long-range drones, and missile-drones, he added.

The officials also discussed the missile program and testing of new types of missiles.

"We can thank our Ukrainian missile developers. We are accelerating production," Zelensky said.

Ukraine began actively developing its missile program after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. As of early November, Kyiv has produced its first 100 missiles, according to Zelensky.

Previously, the president revealed that Ukraine had tested a domestically-produced ballistic missile and missile-drone, Palianytsia.

Domestic artillery production contracts were also a subject of the recent meeting, as Ukraine finds itself in an increasingly difficult situation on the battlefield.

The European Union has delivered 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine, fulfilling the pledge it initially promised to deliver by the spring of 2024, the EU’s new top diplomat Kaja Kallas told the Kyiv Independent on Dec. 1.

To become more independent from Western partners, Kyiv tries to ramp up its own domestic ammunition production.

Ukraine asking NATO for 20 air defense systems to prevent blackoutsThe provision of HAWK, NASAMS, and IRIS-T batteries will help avert blackouts, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said as Ukraine braces for fresh attacks in the third winter of the full-scale war.The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

Russian troops are concentrating personnel and equipment near Chasovyi Yar in the Donetsk region. Heavy urban battles continue in the Turkish direction, and the enemy is looking for weak points in the Ukrainian Defense.

Near Chasovyi Yar in the Donetsk region, Russian invaders are accumulating their resources, personnel and equipment. This was announced by the anniversary of the operational and tactical group "Lugansk" Anastasia Bobovnikova on the air of the telethon, reports UNN.

"Heavy city battles are taking place in the Toretsk direction. Near Chas Yar, the enemy accumulates its resources, personnel, and equipment. They do not conduct active assaults, but they are already trying to Storm, try different tactics and try to find weak points in the Ukrainian defense, which they do not succeed in," Bobovnikova said.

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On December 2, Bobovnikova reported that the Russians occupied one street in Toretsk in a month, before that they completely wiped it off the face of the Earth.

Addition

Andrey Otchenash, crew commander of the Kara heavenly UAV of the 4th Rubezh brigade of NSU, reported on December 3 that the Storming of the Russian occupiers of Chasovyi Yar in the Donetsk region has been taking place for more than six months. The situation is quite tense.

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

An overnight Russian drone attack on Ternopil on Dec. 3 damaged energy infrastructure in the city, Mayor Serhii Nadal said.

Nadal added that part of Ternopil remains without power after a Russian drone struck an unspecified energy facility within the city. Emergency response workers are currently on-scene, and no casualties were immediately reported in the attack.

Ternopil, a city in western Ukraine with a population of roughly 225,000 residents, lies hundreds of kilometers from the front line and is not a common target of Russian attacks.

Despite its geographic positioning, in recent days the city has experienced multiple attack drone swarms as Russia continues to deploy thousands of drone each month on various region of the country.

On Dec. 2, a Russian drone struck a high-rise building in the city, killing at least one person and injured three.

The most recent attack comes as Russia continues to target energy infrastructure across the country with drone and missile attacks as it seeks to plunge Ukrainians into another harsh winter without adequate power and energy resources.

In the most recent mass aerial attack on the country on Nov. 28, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said that Russia struck a "massive blow" to the nation's power grid.

In November, Russia launched a total of 347 missiles as well as over 2,500 Shahed-type attack drones at Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Updated: 1 killed, 3 injured in Russia’s attack on TernopilA Russian drone attack on Ternopil, during the night of Dec. 2, caused a fire in a residential building and resulted in casualties, local officials reported.The Kyiv IndependentSonya Bandouil

The SBU has collected evidence against Andrei Popov, who directs the preparation of Crimean schoolchildren for the war with Ukraine. He teaches children Military Affairs and spreads anti-Ukrainian propaganda in Crimea and occupied Zaporizhia region.

The Security Service has collected evidence against war criminal Andrey Popov, the 54-year-old head of the Russian aviation and Navy Assistance Society in the temporarily occupied Crimea, reports UNN with reference to the SBU.

Details

According to the case file, the defendant uses an enemy cell for combat and ideological preparation of local schoolchildren for the war against Ukraine.

Within the walls of the occupation institution, children, mostly 14 years old, are taught how to act as part of assault groups of the occupiers, as well as how to operate strike and reconnaissance drones of the aggressor country.

Also at the "courses", students master the technique of shooting from various types of weapons and learn how to overcome mined areas.

For training, Russian instructors use training grounds and training centers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation near Simferopol.

Another component of the educational process is the propaganda "processing" of schoolchildren in the context of hatred of Ukrainian statehood.

Now Popov, according to the directive of the minister of defense of the Russian Federation, is organizing another branch of the occupation institution in the temporarily occupied part of the territory of the Zaporozhye region.

The defendant regularly "reports" on the implementation of Moscow's instructions on the airwaves of the Kremlin TV channels "Crimea 24" and "news of Crimea and Sevastopol".

According to the investigation, the person involved, living on the territory of the Ukrainian peninsula, supported the aggressor back in 2014, and later received a "position" in the occupation administration of the Russian Federation.

Add

Based on the collected evidence, Security Service investigators informed Popov in absentia of suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.:

▪️ Part 1 of Article 438 (war crimes);

▪️ Part 3 of Article 436-2 (justification, recognition as legitimate, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine).

Comprehensive measures are continuing to bring him to justice for crimes against our state.

SBU detains UOC (MP) cleric who passed data on Ukrainian Armed Forces to Russia in KharkivNov 25 2024, 10:25 AM • 15009 views

Editor's note: The article was updated with a statement by the Air Force

Russian attacks against Ukraine killed at least one person and injured at least eight over the past day, regional authorities reported on Dec. 3.

Moscow's forces targeted energy infrastructure facilities in several regions as Ukraine enters its third winter of the full-scale war.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 22 of the 28 Russian drones launched against Ukraine overnight, the Air Force reported. One drone was lost in Ukraine, and two flew toward Belarus and Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, according to the statement.

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a 21-year-old man was injured during Russian attacks against the Nikopol district, Governor Serhii Lysak reported. Eight houses, a high school building, a shop, a gas station, and other buildings were damaged.

Russian attacks against the town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast killed one person and injured another, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. Two more people were reportedly wounded during strikes against the village of Shevchenko.

In Kharkiv Oblast, an 80-year-old woman was injured during a Russian attack with a multiple-launch rocket system against the Prystyn village near Kupiansk, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.

Three people were injured during Russian attacks against Kherson Oblast, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. A multi-story building, 12 houses, and other buildings were damaged.

A Russian attack against Rivne Oblast damaged an emergency facility infrastructure, Governor Oleksandr Koval said. No casualties were reported.

An energy infrastructure site was also damaged during a drone attack against the city of Ternopil, resulting in a fire. No casualties were reported, but some residents were left without electricity as a result, Mayor Serhii Nadal said.

Khmelnytskyi, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts also came under attack, but no casualties were reported.

‘Destroying us little by little:’ Ukrainian troops worried about fate of Kursk operationEditor’s note: Ukrainian soldiers featured in this story are identified by first name only since they spoke without authorization from their command. Nearly four months after Kyiv launched a surprise cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast, some Ukrainian soldiers are increasingly pessimi…The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima

During a visit to NATO headquarters, Minister Sybiga called for the provision of 20 additional air defense systems to protect against blackouts. At the Ukraine-NATO Council meeting, he also reminded about the 30th anniversary of the Budapest Memorandum.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiga, called on NATO countries to provide an additional 20 air defense systems to protect the energy infrastructure during the winter. This is reported by UNN with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

Details

On December 3, Sybiga visited the NATO headquarters and took part in a ministerial meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council. The Minister stressed that Europe has found itself in a new reality of Russian aggression and called on allies to make decisive decisions, in particular to provide Ukraine with the necessary amount of weapons.

Ukraine urgently needs the supply of at least 20 additional air defense systems of the Hawk, NASAMS or IRIS-T type. This will help us avoid blackouts

– Sybiga emphasized.

The Minister demonstrated the original Budapest Memorandum and noted that it is evidence that any long-term security decisions at the expense of Ukraine's security are unacceptable.

"This day marks the 30th anniversary of this document. This document, this paper could not ensure Ukrainian and transatlantic security. We must avoid repeating such mistakes. In this context, we discussed with partners the concept of "peace through strength", – he summed up.

Supplement

By the end of the year, Germany will transfer a new package of military aid to Ukraine worth 650 million euros, which will include IRIS-T air defense systems, Leopard 1A5 and M84 tanks, as well as M-80 IFVs.