Russian shelling struck residential areas and injured 16 people, including one child, in Kherson Oblast over the past day, regional authorities reported on Dec. 7.
Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported that several locations in the oblast and the city of Kherson had come under enemy fire and airstrikes.
He said the enemy also launched three missile attacks on the Beryslavskyi district of the oblast.
According to Prokudin, Russian forces attacked residential areas in the settlements of the oblast and damaged 16 private houses.
The attack also damaged a gas pipeline, a grain warehouse, a gas station, and private cars.
The Kherson Military Administration reported separately on its Telegram channel that a 57-year-old man was hit by a Russian drone in Vesely and taken to hospital with leg injuries.
Kherson Oblast is the frequent target of attacks.
On Dec. 1, Russian attacks killed three people and injured eight. A few days after, on Dec. 4, another attack killed two people and injured five.
These attacks follow recent developments at the Ukrainian front line, where military forces are locked in a battle over small islands in the Dnipro River.
Control of the islands would allow Moscow to intensify attacks on the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine.
On Dec. 4, Prokudin suggested that Russia was preparing for another offensive toward Kherson, hinting that that front may be about to heat up.
European diplomats are preparing for a scenario where the United States, under the leadership of Trump, may stop helping Ukraine. Borrel recommends that Ukraine develop its own weapons production as the most effective way to continue the fight.
European diplomats fear that European military aid to Ukraine will have to double if US President-elect Donald Trump stops funding the United States, writes UNN with reference to the Guardian.
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Former EU foreign minister Josep Borrel recommended radically changing Ukrainian arms production during 2025, as this is the cheapest and most effective way for Ukraine to continue fighting.
However, European officials are confident that Ukraine will receive a поз 50 billion loan, which will be repaid at the expense of interest received from frozen Russian assets in the amount of 2 280 billion, this was announced by the G7 countries back in October.
The U.S. is expected to cover a кредиту 20 billion loan in the first U.S. tranche to be paid before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. However, it is not clear whether he will later be able to legally withdraw from the agreement, trying to force Ukraine to sit down at the negotiating table. Therefore, the EU said that they can agree to compensate for most of the deficit.
Now, since the Russian invasion, Europe has provided Ukraine with assistance in the amount of 46 billion euros, while the United States has provided about 65 billion euros. This is without taking into account assistance to finance Ukraine's debt.
Before the inauguration of Donald Trump, which will take place in January 2025, The Joe Biden administration is promoting military aid packages. However, European diplomats fear that if the war continues in 2025, European aid will have to double.
Josep Borrel believes that the West can still help strengthen Ukraine's position by increasing domestic arms production.
"If you want to support Ukraine's military efforts, give them money to develop their own military-industrial potential," the official said. "This is much more effective than buying weapons here in Europe and sending them. Ukrainian engineers have shown an incredible ability to quickly produce what they need.
Borrell also warned that Russia's electronic warfare means that 80% of 155-mm guided artillery shells, which are mainly supplied by the United States, are clogged. Therefore, Ukraine should return to using cheaper and less accurate ammunition, which cannot be blocked.
Recall
The Pentagon allocates військової 725 million in military assistance to Ukraine, including three types of remote mining systems ADAM, MOPMS and Volcano. The aid package also includes drones, MANPADS, and anti-tank missiles.
Russia has lost 751,910 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Dec. 7.
This number includes 1,300 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 9,514 tanks, 19,535 armored fighting vehicles, 30,948 vehicles and fuel tanks, 21,055 artillery systems, 1,253 multiple launch rocket systems, 1022 air defense systems, 369 airplanes, 329 helicopters, 20,042 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
Ukrainian military naval drones attacked Russian targets near the occupied Crimea. Enemy surveillance systems on captured gas platforms were destroyed.
The Ukrainian military attacked Russian targets near the occupied Crimea with naval drones – enemy surveillance systems were destroyed. This was announced by the commander of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vice Admiral Alexey Neizhpapa, reports UNN.
"The hunt for the enemy in the Black Sea continues. Naval drones of the Navy Unit launched targeted strikes on Russian targets. Enemy surveillance systems placed on captured gas platforms off the coast of the temporarily occupied Crimea were destroyed. The invaders will not stay on our territory – we will get them everywhere," Neizhpapa said.
Ukrainian intelligence officers destroyed three more expensive radar systems in the occupied CrimeaNov 30 2024, 07:54 AM • 23228 views
He also showed the results of the "work" of naval drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On July 17, 2014, the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-17, a commercial plane flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, shocked the world. The crash claimed the lives of all 298 passengers and crew, including 80 children. It marked a significant escalation in Russia’s war against Ukraine that had been unfolding since early 2014.
However, this tragic incident was just one of many in a turbulent year that also saw Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its covert invasion of Ukraine's Donbas region. What followed was a hybrid war that would span nearly a decade, culminating in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Understanding the events of 2014 and the West’s delayed and inadequate response offers critical lessons for interpreting the current war.
"Understanding the events of 2014 and the West’s delayed and inadequate response offers critical lessons for interpreting the current war."
The initial spark for the war can be traced to Ukraine's ambition to align itself with Europe through an Association Agreement with the European Union, which included a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. Though primarily an economic treaty, Moscow saw it as a direct challenge to its geopolitical influence in the post-Soviet space. Ukraine’s decision to sign the agreement was viewed by Russia as a threat to its efforts to keep Ukraine within its sphere of control. Moscow feared that other former Soviet states might follow suit, prompting a decisive and aggressive response.
In February 2014, Russia began its military intervention by occupying Crimea, and by March, it had formally annexed the peninsula. In April, Russian proxy troops infiltrated Ukraine’s Donbas region, sparking violent confrontations. The war in Ukraine escalated, resulting in further tragedy, including the downing of a Ukrainian Il-76 transport plane in June and MH-17 in July. The latter prompted the European Union to impose sectoral sanctions on Russia later that month.
The West’s response to the initial stages of the war was, at best, tepid. Though sectoral sanctions were introduced after the downing of MH-17, these measures came when the Ukrainian army was temporarily making gains in the Donbas. The EU’s introduction of sanctions in immediate response to the killing of EU rather than Ukrainian citizens sent an ambivalent signal. It suggested that not Russia’s aggression per se, but its collateral damages are the problem. Accordingly, in August 2014, Russia escalated its involvement in eastern Ukraine, now deploying regular troops on a large scale.
The West’s continuing reluctance to take decisive action in 2014 can be attributed to a widely spread fundamental misreading of the situation. Many in the international community, particularly in Europe, viewed the conflict as an internal Ukrainian issue that could be resolved through diplomacy. This failure to recognize the broader strategic ambitions of Russia allowed the war to drag on for over a decade.
A key reason for the West’s failure to grasp the true nature of the conflict was a lack of expertise on Ukraine and Russia’s hybrid warfare tactics. Western journalists, many of whom had spent years covering Russia, often interpreted events through a Russian lens. Russian narratives, depicting the conflict in the Donbas as a regional uprising or civil war, were widely accepted, and Western media often failed to see the larger picture of Russian interference and subversion.
Pro-Russian demonstrations and local sentiments in eastern Ukraine were taken at face value by foreign correspondents, who struggled to distinguish between genuine local movements and orchestrated Russian interventions. Moscow deployed agents from Russia and other controlled regions, such as Transnistria, to create the illusion of local support for its collaborators. Meanwhile, pro-Ukrainian voices in the Donbas were silenced through threats, violence, and abductions, often orchestrated by Russian-backed forces. Western reporters, unfamiliar with the complexities of the region, largely missed this dynamic, resulting in a skewed portrayal of the conflict in international media.
Portraits and uniforms of Ukrainian prosecutors burn outside the Prosecutor's Office as Russia-backed militants attempt to capture the city and other parts of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on May 1, 2014. (Alexander Khudoteply / AFP via Getty Images)Russian proxies rip apart a Ukrainian flag outside of a regional state building in Donetsk, Ukraine, on May 29. 2014. (Viktor Drachev /AFP via Getty Images)
Russia’s manipulation of the conflict-resolution framework was another significant factor in the West’s delayed response. Moscow alternated between periods of overt aggression and gestures of conciliation, such as withdrawing parliamentary approval for troop deployment in Ukraine in mid-2014. This tactic, known as "escalation control," allowed Russia to exert pressure on Ukraine while maintaining plausible deniability and avoiding large-scale retaliation from the West.
By participating in peace negotiations, such as the Minsk agreements, while simultaneously violating ceasefires and continuing covert operations in Ukraine, Russia deceived many Western diplomats into believing a diplomatic resolution was still possible. The Minsk agreements, brokered in 2014 and 2015, were seen by many in the West as a step toward peace. In reality, they served Moscow’s strategy of consolidating control over the Donbas while avoiding direct confrontation with NATO.
The events of 2014 offer important lessons for understanding Russia’s broader strategy and the nature of the current war in Ukraine. One key takeaway is that the West’s piecemeal approach to Russia’s aggression — characterized by limited sanctions and delayed military support for Ukraine—only emboldened Moscow. The belief that Russia would cease its aggression if given economic incentives or diplomatic concessions has been proven wrong time and again.
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was the culmination of eight years of Russian aggression and Western inaction. While the West has since stepped up its support for Ukraine, providing military aid and imposing harsher sanctions on Russia, the initial misreading of the conflict in 2014 and slow reaction to Russia’s enormous aggression since 2022 allowed the war to last far longer than it might have.
Moving forward, the international community must learn from past mistakes and adopt a more assertive and strategic approach to dealing with Russian aggression. Addressing the root causes of the conflict and providing Ukraine with the necessary support are essential to achieving a lasting and secure peace. Based on the lessons of the 2014-2022 war in the Donbas, four key policy recommendations emerge:
First, recognizing the "Russia Problem": The West must recognize that the current war is not a “Ukraine crisis” but a manifestation of Russia’s imperialist ambitions. The root cause lies in Moscow’s revisionist policies, not any internal Ukrainian issues.
Second, military support for Ukraine: As meaningful negotiations with Russia are currently impossible, the West must increase its military support to Ukraine. This will empower Kyiv to negotiate from a position of strength, ensuring that any future peace talks lead to a lasting resolution rather than a partial de-escalation followed by later re-escalation.
Third, countering Russian disinformation and hybrid warfare: Western governments must allocate more resources to countering Russia’s disinformation campaigns and hybrid warfare tactics. This includes developing whole-of-society counterstrategies to defend against Russia’s subversive activities and propaganda.
Strengthening deterrence: Any future peace agreement must include serious security guarantees and strong military deterrents to prevent Russia from using a temporary truce to prepare for another attack. NATO and the European Union must lead a united, robust response to any further Russian aggression.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. This article is based on the more extensive September 2024 SCEEUS report.
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Russian troops carried out 276 strikes on 11 settlements of the Zaporozhye region using aircraft, drones and artillery. As a result of the shelling, 10 residents were killed and 20 infrastructure facilities were damaged.
During the last 24 hours, enemy troops carried out 276 strikes on 11 settlements of the Zaporozhye region, using aircraft, drones and artillery. A day of mourning has been declared in the region. This is reported by the chairman of the Zaporozhye RMA Ivan Fedorov, reports UNN.
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Today, a day of mourning has been declared in the Zaporizhia region for the victims of yesterday's Russian shelling. Zaporozhye lost 10 of its residents due to the cynical blow of the country-a terrorist who claimed their lives.
The cities of Zaporizhia, Novoandreevka, Novopavlovka and Malaya Tokmachka were most affected, where the aggressors carried out 19 air strikes. In addition, 161 drones of various modifications attacked Belenke, Kamenskoye, Gulyai-pole, Shcherbaki, Novoandrievka, Novodanilovka, Malaya Tokmachka, Belogorye and Novodarovka.
In addition to aviation and UAVs, the invaders conducted 7 MLRS attacks on the territories of Novodanilovka, Novoandrievka and Novodarovka. And the artillery strikes were the most intense, in particular, 89 attacks hit Kamenskoye, Gulyai-pole, Shcherbak, Novoandrievka, Novodanilovka, Malaya Tokmachka, Belogorye and Novodarovka.
As a result of the shelling, there were 20 confirmed cases of destruction of residential buildings and critical infrastructure facilities. Local residents continue to experience serious difficulties in the face of constant attacks, and the authorities are working to minimize the consequences of strikes.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Dec. 6 announced that the first batch of a new missile-drone hybrid called Peklo (Hell) had been delivered to Ukraine's Armed Forces.
In a post on social media, Zelensky did not reveal the number of the supplied weapons but said the aim now was to "scale up production and deployment," adding they already have "proven combat effectiveness."
Long-range domestic weapons are seen as critical to Ukraine’s defense strategy, providing the country's military with an alternative to Western arms whose use is often under restrictions.
While some details of Peklo's capabilities remain undisclosed for security reasons, Zelensky highlighted the weapon as a "fundamentally new type."
The Peklo has a range of 700 kilometers (430 miles) and a speed of 700 km/h (430 mph). During the unveiling, officials reportedly said that the system has already been successfully deployed five times.
The "Peklo" (Hell) drone-missile — our Ukrainian weapon with proven combat effectiveness. Today, the first batch was delivered to our Defense Forces. The mission now is to scale up production and deployment. I am grateful to everyone involved in our defense production, whose… pic.twitter.com/MjIcWHgouZ
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 6, 2024
The officials also noted that the missiles are cost-effective and rival some Russian cruise missiles in performance.
Ukraine's missile development program has gained momentum since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced on Dec. 4 that the Palianytsia, a lightweight missile-drone hybrid, has also entered serial production.
These advancements come as Western partners have only recently permitted strikes on Russia’s Kursk Oblast using foreign-made missiles, while attacks deeper into Russian territory remain restricted.
Enemy troops advanced near Novotroitsk, Shevchenko, Dalny, Novoolenovka and Toretsk.
The enemy advanced in several sectors of the front line on the front line. This is reported by DeepState, reports UNN.
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The situation at the front remains tense. The terrorists made an advance in several areas near the settlements of Novotroitskoe, Shevchenko, Dalneye, Novoolenovka, as well as in Toretsk, Donetsk region.
Recall
According to the General Staff, there were 163 military clashes at the front. The invaders launched 2 missile and 7 air strikes, using 13 guided aerial bombs (kab). There were also 512 attacks by kamikaze drones and 3,270 attacks on Ukrainian positions.
Ukrainian defenders drive enemy out of Novyi Komar in Donetsk region – DeepStateDec 4 2024, 11:14 PM • 16668 views
Russian troops operated a torture chamber on Belarusian state-owned property in 2022, journalistic investigation reveals.
Over 150 Russian drones flew into Belarusian airspace in November — three times the previous monthly record of incursions.
The European Parliament urges stronger sanctions on Belarus, Iran, and North Korea for aiding Russia’s war effort.
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Sanctioned Belarusian potash producer Belaruskali files 1 billion euro arbitration claim against Lithuania over terminated transit.
Nineteen foreign nationals jailed in Belarus for alleged "undercover activities," Viasna human rights group reports.
Russian troops operated torture chamber for Ukrainians in Belarus in 2022, media reports
Russian troops operated a torture chamber on government-owned property in Belarus in the spring of 2022, the Belarusian Investigative Center (BIC) reported on Nov. 28.
Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians abducted from Ukraine’s Kyiv Oblast were held in the town of Naroulia, some 50 kilometers from the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, according to BIC.
The torture chamber was reportedly operated between March and May 2022, in the early days of the full-scale invasion.
Lawyer Yulia Polekhina, working with the Sich human rights group, said that prisoners were tortured there. Polekhina’s claims echo those of former prisoners who went through Naroulia.
“They beat civilians there really hard – you could hear constant screaming there,” Bohdan Lysenko, a soldier with the Ukrainian Armed Forces who was captured by the Russian military and brought to the camp in March 2022, said in a comment to BIC.
According to the investigation, the camp in Naroulia was located in a compound on Kamsamolskaya Street — premises owned by the state-owned catering and food procurement company Pripyatski Alyans.
The company did not comment on the allegations and said local authorities should be contacted with requests for information.
151 Russian drone crossed into Belarus in November, record-high number
One hundred and fifty-one Russian drones crossed into Belarusian airspace in November, which was a nearly three-fold increase on the previous month, the Belarusian Hajun military monitoring group has reported.
Russian drone incursions into Belarus began in July, and have since grown from infrequent, isolated instances to record high numbers.
In November, Belarusian Hajun spotted 148 Kamikaze-type drones and three reconnaissance drones of unknown type. Amid almost daily incursions, Belarusian aviation downed three UAVs; while another 82 drones returned to Ukraine or Russia, and the locations of a further 66 were lost, the monitoring group says.
Fragments of a Russian UAV Shahed-136 (Geran-2) lie on the ground at the site where rescue workers extinguish the fire at warehouse and trade buildings damaged by Russian attack on Nov. 7, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Roman Petushkov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Russia’s overnight attack on Ukraine on Nov. 24-25 with 145 UAVs saw a record 38 Shakhed-type drones veer off course and head into Belarus.
The spike of incursions has occurred in tandem with intensified Russian drone attacks on Ukraine, to which Ukraine says it has responded with improved electronic warfare measures. The Institute for the Study of War wrote, citing Ukrainian military expert Petro Chernyk, that Ukrainian forces can either “ground” the Shaheds, render them “locationally lost,” or misdirect them to fly into Russian or Belarusian airspace.
Belarusian authorities have so far confirmed downing only two Russian drones over Belarus: over the southern city of Homel and its surrounding oblast on Sept. 5 and on Oct. 20. One UAV crashed over Kalinkavichy on Oct. 4. Although no casualties were reported, authorities subsequently detained the owner of the house from which a video of the crash was recorded.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has previously said that the Belarusian Air Force downs “a lot of drones,” claiming on Oct. 4 that both Russian and Ukrainian drones had breached Belarus’s airspace.
No proof of Ukrainian drones entering Belarusian airspace has ever been presented by the Belarusian authorities, however.
Minsk never publicly raised objections about the reported drone incursions with Moscow — a key ally.
European Parliament calls for strengthened sanctions against Belarus, Iran, North Korea
The European Parliament has urged its member states to “further broaden and strengthen sanctions” against Belarus, Iran, and North Korea for aiding Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, according to a resolution published on Nov. 28.
Sanctions have already been imposed on Belarus for its role as a co-belligerent in Russia’s war. However, not having faced such a strict Western embargo as Moscow, Minsk has been helping Russia to side-step sanctions on military and dual-use goods.
According to the resolution, as well as providing its territory for Russia to stage attacks on Ukraine, Belarus has supplied Russia with “substantial deliveries” of arms and ammunition.
In addition to broadening sanctions against Belarus, Iran, and North Korea, the MEPs called to add Chinese entities and individuals supportive of Russia’s aggression to the EU sanctions list.
The parliamentarians denounced Belarus, Iran, and North Korea and warned of the implications of authoritarian states forming alliances.
Commenting on the new resolution, Pavel Latushka, a member of Belarusian exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s shadow cabinet, emphasized the need for the harmonization of sanctions.
“It is a big mistake to help Ukraine while allowing Russia to bypass sanctions through Lukashenko,” Latushka said.
Belarusian companies supplied Russia with $125 million worth of microchips, $400,000 of which Russia obtained in circumvention of sanctions imposed on both countries, according to a recent investigation by the Belarusian Investigative Center (BIC). About 10,000 microchips, including ones from the United States, Germany, and Finland, used in producing Su-34 and Su-35S fighter jets and Kalibr cruise missiles, were reportedly delivered between September 2022 and June 2024.
Norwegian risk consultancy firm Corisk estimates that 10 billion euros ($10.8 billion) worth of goods reached Russia via Belarus in 2022-2023.
Sanctioned Belarus’s potash fertilizer producer files 1 billion euro arbitration claim against Lithuania
Belarusian potash fertilizer producer Belaruskali has filed a statement of claim against Lithuania in the arbitration process worth 1 billion euros (over $1.05 billion), Belarusian state-owned news agency Belta reported on Dec. 3.
The world’s second-largest producer of crop fertilizers and Belarus’s top exporter, Belaruskali, faced European sanctions in 2021 over its key role in funding the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, and the repressions against workers on strike, following the fraudulent 2020 presidential elections.
In February 2022, Lithuania terminated the transit agreement of its state-owned railway company with Belaruskali, forcing the company to reroute from the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda to Russian ports.
In March 2022, the European Commission banned the import and transit of Belarusian potash due to the Lukashenko regime’s support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Belaruskali and its then-director Ivan Halavaty and exporting company BKK tried to argue against the ban in the Court of Justice of the European Union.
However, the court refused to lift the sanctions on Sept. 18, 2024, confirming the role of Belaruskali in funding the Lukashenko regime and involvement in the suppression of civil society.
19 foreigners jailed in Belarus for ‘undercover activities,’ Viasna reports
At least 19 foreign citizens have been tried and sentenced in Belarus for alleged “undercover activities,” the Viasna Human Rights Center reported on Nov. 29.
Persecution of foreign nationals intensified following the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the Belarusian human rights organization.
Political prisoners from Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Japan, and Germany have been charged under vaguely defined cases of “cooperation” with an unspecified wide range of foreign or international entities.
The crime does not imply the handling of classified information, but still comes with a stiff three to seven-year prison sentence for those convicted.
Among the accused was Japanese citizen Nakanishi Masatoshi, who was arrested in July 2024 for alleged gathering of military intelligence. In another case, Ukrainian citizen Artem Makovey, who has been living in Belarus since 2009, was charged with six years of imprisonment. As with most “undercover activities” cases, the trials were held behind closed doors, so the exact nature of the accusations remains unknown to human rights groups.
According to Ukraine’s ambassador at large, Ihor Kyzym, at least 12 Ukrainians are being held in Belarus in politically motivated cases.
As part of the historic East-West prisoner swap in August, Belarus released a German citizen, Rico Krieger, who had been sentenced to capital punishment. His charges also included “undercover activities.“
After crushing public protests following fraudulent presidential elections in 2020, Lukashenko’s regime resorted to politically motivated trials to silence its opponents. Since the onset of the all-out Russian invasion of Ukraine, Belarusian law enforcers have also been cracking down on any form of support of Ukraine.
Currently, Belarus has 1,289 political prisoners. As of February 2024, at least 94 Belarusians were sentenced to prison terms, and 1,671 underwent detention for expressing pro-Ukrainian views.
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In the capital of Adygea, strong explosions were heard at night near the local airfield. After the explosions, a fire broke out, the causes of the incident are still unknown.
On Saturday night, a series of strong explosions occurred in Maikop, the capital of the Republic of Adygea (russia). This is reported by rossmi, reports UNN.
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According to preliminary data, the epicenter of the incident was the area of the local airfield. Eyewitnesses report a fire that broke out shortly after the explosions.
The network is actively spreading suggestions that air defense was working on the site, but there is no official information about the causes of the explosions yet.
Explosions in Crimea: Russian Defense Ministry claims to have destroyed ten missilesJan 4 2024, 02:58 PM • 25469 views
The Kyiv IndependentKhrystyna Zhevlakova
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