Category: War in Ukraine

With a deal to transport Russian gas through Ukraine set to expire at the end of the year, Ukraine’s gas transit network could soon come under Russian attacks, warned Dmytro Lyppa, CEO of the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine, though the probability that gas transport is halted is “very low,” he said.

“We believe the risks of attacks on our facilities are significantly increasing with the suspension of transit,” said Lyppa on Dec. 4, speaking at the Energy Security Dialogue 2024 in Kyiv organised by the DiXi Group think tank. “We are taking all measures to ensure the security of our facilities.”

However, it is unlikely that the crisis Ukraine is experiencing in its energy sector due to large-scale attacks by Russia will be replicated in the gas sector, he added.

“We believe that the system is able to withstand quite significant loads in case of of certain events,” said Lyppa. “Let me remind you that a system was built for almost 150 billion cubic meters per year for transportation. We are currently still transporting 14-15, let's say,” said Lyppa.

“Let's put it this way: In order to stop this (flow), it would be a really apocalyptic scenario, but its probability is very low.”

Russia has continued to sell gas to Europe by transporting it via Ukraine’s network of gas pipelines under a 2019 agreement. The deal is set to expire at the end of the year, and Ukraine has repeatedly said it will not extend the deal.

The full-scale Russian invasion marked a turning point, forcing an unprecedented shift in Europe’s energy policy to reduce their dependence on Russia.

With European countries taking steps to diversify their energy sources, the Russia’s share of gas among EU natural gas imports dropped from 45% in 2021 to 15% last year.

Ukraine’s top energy company to receive $112 million from EU, US to restore facilitiesThe U.S. government is providing $46.1 million to purchase control systems and dozens of new transfers, while the European Commission pledged 62.8 million euros ($66 million) to restore 1.8GW of generating capacity and to protect power plant equipment from elements during the winter.The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

Donetsk occupation authorities are forcing students of a technical university to participate in Kremlin propaganda events. Students are threatened with problems in exams and forced to donate blood for terrorists.

The Russian "authorities" in the temporarily occupied Donetsk are forcing students of Donetsk National Technical University to participate in Kremlin propaganda events. This was reported by the Center for National Resistance, UNN reports.

Collaborators are actively pressuring students, threatening them with problems in exams. In addition to propaganda, students are forced to donate blood for terrorists, which violates the basic rights of civilians,

– the statement said.

The CNS reminded that in 2014 the university was relocated to the territories controlled by Ukraine, but some of the staff and students remained in Donetsk.

Recall

Russian "inspectors" visit schools in the occupied Kherson region to identify pro-Ukrainian students. The occupiers conduct "lessons" about "responsibility" and force children to inform on their peers.

Ukraine has "hard decisions" to make about further mobilization to fight Russia's full-scale war, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a press conference in Brussels on Dec. 4.

"These are necessary decisions," Blinken said.

His remarks are among the latest from top U.S. officials amid reports that Western partners are pressuring Ukraine to lower its minimum mobilization age from 25 to 18 in an effort to replenish military ranks.

Blinken described mobilization as "critical" for Ukraine, adding that despite having funds and ammunition, people are needed to repel Russian aggression.

"For every person, every soldier that Ukraine mobilizes, we are committed to making sure that they have the training and the equipment they need to effectively defend the country," the U.S. Secretary of State said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has refuted Washington's appeals. According to the president, partners have only provided enough aid to fully equip 2.5 out of the 10 Ukrainian brigades that Ukraine had requested support for.

"How do you want me just to mobilize young guys, (as) they don't know where to go – in which brigade, with which weapon they will fight?" the president said in early December.

Kyiv said that Ukraine’s mobilization strategy is regularly discussed with allies but dismissed suggestions of tension over the issue.

Although Ukraine adopted a major bill reforming the draft in April, the mobilization draft slowed down in autumn, leaving many front-line units undermanned in the face of more numerous Russian troops.

Ukraine’s fight against Russian invasion undermined by draft-dodging graftHeavy fighting on the front lines of Russia’s full-scale invasion, dragging out for almost three years, has left thousands of Ukrainian soldiers seriously injured or killed in action. Many still fighting for years along more than 600 miles of the front line in Ukraine’s east and south areThe Kyiv IndependentNatalia Yermak

The delegation led by Yermak met with future Trump advisers Volz and Kellogg. The purpose of the visit was to establish cooperation to gain support in the war against Russia.

The Ukrainian delegation met with high-ranking members of US President-elect Donald Trump's team. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.

Details

It is noted that the purpose of the visit was to establish cooperation with the future US administration to obtain support in the war against Russia.

The delegation was led by the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak. According to the source, in Washington, the Ukrainian side met with White House National Security Advisor-elect Mike Volz and Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg. Details of the meeting have not yet been disclosed.

The publication notes that the Trump transition team did not comment on the meeting.

Recall

Mike Johnson saidthat the issue of additional aid to Ukraine will not be considered until after Trump's inauguration. The speaker believes that Trump's election is already changing the dynamics of the war.

The U.S. State Department has imposed visa restrictions on five Russian officials for their role in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children.

"Many of these children have had their identities changed and origins obscured, have been subjected to pro-Russia indoctrination and militarization, or have been adopted by Russian families," U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Dec. 4.

"We will continue to promote accountability for perpetrators and support efforts to return Ukraine’s children," he added.

Since February 2022, at least 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted from Russian-occupied territories and sent to other Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine or to Russia itself, according to a Ukrainian national database "Children of War." Less than 400 have been returned to Ukraine.

A Yale School of Public Health study published on Dec. 3 details Russia's systematic program of deporting and forcibly assimilating Ukrainian children.

Under orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin, children were transported via military aircraft in 2022, reclassified in Russian databases as native-born, and subjected to pro-Russian re-education before being adopted into Russian families. Ukrainian children had been transported to at least 21 regions throughout Russia.

The report identifies 314 children taken from occupied Luhansk and Donetsk regions, with over 60 granted Russian citizenship. Psychologists have been used to legitimize the program, falsely framing adoptions as medically necessary.

These findings, linking Putin and Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova directly to the program, will be submitted to the International Criminal Court as evidence of war crimes.

Ukraine names pro-Russian collaborators suspected of forcibly deporting Ukrainian childrenOne suspect was identified by the Kyiv Independent’s War Crimes Investigations Unit in the documentary “Uprooted.”The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

The Russians postponed the introduction of compulsory insurance in the occupied territories to 2026 due to low passportization. The rate of Russian passports barely exceeds 50% of the TOT population, despite pressure.

In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the Russian occupiers face massive disregard for their initiatives by the local population. This forces the invaders to reconsider and postpone the implementation of their plans to “integrate” these regions into the Russian legal field. This is reported by the Center of National Resistance, according to UNN.

Thus, the enemy is forced to postpone the implementation of compulsory insurance for the population in the TOT by a year, namely to January 1, 2026. The reason for this is the low level of passportization, as red waste paper is not required for insurance,

– the statement said.

Details

However, the local population continues to avoid obtaining passports. Despite pressure and coercion, and constant raids, the passportization rate is only slightly higher than 50% of the population remaining in the TOT.

Inhumane conditions in "boarding houses" for the elderly in the occupied territories-resistanceDec 4 2024, 12:17 AM • 40869 views

Ukraine is set to receive $50 billion in frozen Russian assets held by the United States and the European Union, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Dec. 4.

Blinken confirmed during a briefing that the transfer is part of a coordinated effort between the U.S. and EU to support Ukraine.

"Making sure that (Ukraine) has the money, the resources it needs to sustain its economy and to sustain its defense – we’ve now managed on the basis of the frozen sovereign assets, the Russian assets that are frozen, to get $50 billion to Ukraine that will be going out the door in the next – in the coming weeks, both from the United States and Europe," Blinken said.

The funds, frozen in response to Russia's invasion, will provide crucial economic and defense assistance to Ukraine in the coming months. Blinken noted that the U.S. has provided $102 billion in assistance to Ukraine since 2022, while the allies and partners contributed $158 billion.

On Dec. 2, Blinken announced that the U.S. will deliver a $725 million weapons package to Ukraine. The move comes as President Joe Biden's administration, nearing the end of its term, works to strengthen Kyiv's defenses against Russian forces before the January transition of power.

The package will include Stinger missiles, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, drones, and landmines, among other equipment.

51% of Americans oppose military aid for Ukraine, poll showsU.S. citizens remain split on whether to continue sending military support to Ukraine, with a razor-thin majority voicing opposition, according to a CBS/YouGov poll published on Nov. 25.The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

Over the past day, the occupiers fired 79 times at the border areas of Sumy region, and 155 explosions were recorded. The attacks included the use of mortars, artillery, drones and aircraft in seven communities in the region.

During the day, the Russians fired 79 times at the border areas and settlements of Sumy region. 155 explosions were recorded. This was reported by the Sumy RMA, according to UNN.

The Khotyn, Bilopil, Krasnopil, Velykopysarivska, Esmanska, Sveska, Znob-Novgorodska communities were shelled,

– the statement said.

Velykopysarivska community: 3 mines were dropped by Russians on the territory of the community. There were also explosive device drops from UAVs (8 explosions), MLRS shelling (30 explosions), a kamikaze drone strike (1 explosion), and artillery shelling (5 explosions).

Bilopilska community: the enemy attacked with mortars (6 explosions), FPV drones (3 explosions).

Krasnopilska community: FPV drone strikes (5 explosions), UAV explosive device drops (17 explosions), helicopter gunship strike (5 explosions), mortar attacks (19 explosions), artillery shelling (11 explosions), and UAS launches (3 explosions) were carried out from the territory of the Russian Federation.

Khotyn community: FPV drone strikes (22 explosions) and shelling from cannon artillery (11 explosions) were recorded.

Znob-Novgorod community: 2 mines were dropped by Russians on the territory of the community.

Sveska community: the enemy used mortars (1 explosion).

Esman community: FPV drone attack (3 explosions).

The fall of an enemy drone caused a fire in a house in the Vinnytsia regionDec 4 2024, 08:14 AM • 15325 views

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Dec. 4 that he will not put to a vote a request for an additional $24 billion in aid to Ukraine following reports that President Joe Biden was quietly asking Congress to green light further assistance to Kyiv before he leaves office.

Roughly $16 billion of the sum could be used to restock U.S. arsenals, while the remaining $8 billion would go to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), Politico reported.

When asked if he would add aid for Ukraine to a continuing resolution to fund the government, Johnson rejected such a move.

"I’m not planning to do that," he said during a press briefing.

According to Johnson, Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election will "change the dynamics" of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

"It is not the place of Joe Biden to make that decision now, we have a newly elected president, and we are going to wait and take the new commander in chief’s direction on all that, so I don’t expect any Ukraine funding to come up now," he added.

Johnson, a Republican and staunch Trump supporter, contributed to a delay in aid to Kyiv last fall by refusing to hold a vote on various iterations of a $61 billion foreign assistance bill, but eventually reached a deal to pass the bill.

The Biden administration is trying to ship in as much aid to Ukraine as possible before Trump, who has criticized military support for Kyiv, takes office in January.

Trump has consistently said he would seek to get the U.S. "out" of the war and bring Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table. While the details of his plan remain unclear, some reports indicate it might entail Ukraine ceding territory and at least temporarily foregoing its NATO aspirations.

US announces $725 million military aid package for UkraineThe package will include Stinger missiles, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, drones, and landmines, among other equipment.The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova

The President of Ukraine discussed strategic issues of international security with the head of the GUR. Zelenskyy announces sanctions against the Georgian government for its pro-russian stance.

"I held an important meeting with the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, where we discussed strategic issues related not only to Ukraine but also to international security." This was reported by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, UNN reports.

Details

According to the president, Budanov reported on russia's intentions for the near future, as well as on the changing balance of power in Syria, which could affect the global situation. The situation in Georgia was discussed separately, where the current government is deliberately making the country dependent on a terrorist country.

It is simply shameful what they are doing against their own people. And when Moscow praises this government in Georgia, it clearly shows who they are working for in Tbilisi and for whom they are dispersing the protests. Definitely not for Georgia

– Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would not stand aside.

We are preparing our legal response and working with the Europeans and other partners on specific actions. Instructed to prepare appropriate sanctions decisions

– Volodymyr Zelenskyy added .