Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 22.41 Russian generals and special services are embellishing evidence about the situation at the front for the Russian dictator Volodymyr Putin, so that they believe that Russia will “inevitably win.” The Financial Times reports this, relying on recent officials.
22.26 The press secretary of the Russian dictator Volodymyr Putin, Dmitry Peskov, does not know what US Vice President J.D. Vance holds in mind, apparently about a “breakthrough” in the negotiations with Ukraine. The Russian propaganda information agency Interfax reported this, quoting a statement from a Russian planter.
21.52 Ukrainian defense forces defeated a recent assault by Russian troops near the Dobropil area, near the Donetsk region. The National Guard of Ukraine reports this on Telegram.
21.35 Ukraine and the United States are discussing time limits to guarantee security. Language, zokrema, about the main guarantees. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated this in a meeting with diplomats.
20.47 Minister of Defense of Germany Boris Pistorius does not believe in the scenario of a full-scale war between Russia and NATO, but does not reject the need to strive and increase the growth of the war. The German publication Die Zeit informs about this, quoting the government’s statement.
20.47 President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the Ukrainian military controls the situation at the front, strengthens positions, stimulates the offensive of Russian forces and achieves tactical successes on other fronts, locally in the region Pokrovska.
17.41 Russia will not stop the immediate fire in the war against Ukraine, but will be “steadfast to the world”, which will determine the “persistent causes” of the conflict. This was stated by the intercessor of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Ryabkov.
In his words, it is possible to guarantee the constitutional structure of the Russian Federation and to “insure” the decisions of the population in the occupied territories of the remaining rocks.
Ryabkov also noted that Russia would be deprived of “serious food” until the United States prior to the war in Ukraine, and now also noting that the Donald Trump administration had cut its teeth “in the right direction, having learned the role of NATO from the beginning conflict."
In addition, the defender of the head of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation stated that Moscow does not plan to attack the borders of the EU and NATO and is ready to legally record the existence of conquest plans.
“We do not pursue conquest goals and do not intend to carry out military actions against NATO allies and the EU,” he emphasized, adding that Moscow is ready to legally confirm this name.
17.18 Belarus can withdraw from Russia “maximum ten” Oreshnik missile systems. President of Belarus Oleksandr Lukashenko declared this self-proclaimed statement.
After an informal meeting of the heads of the SND member states, the journalist asked Lukashenka whether Belarus was given “a dozen” Oreshnik complexes, as they had previously discussed with the head of the Kremlin, Volodymyr Putin.
“Ten will be the maximum,” Lukashenko said.
16.23 Lithuania responded to the abduction of over 50 Ukrainians from the village of Grabovske in Sumshchyna by Russian troops, calling on the Russian Federation to urgently release them. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Territory, Kestutis Budris, reported this on platform X.
15.19 Ukrainian Defense Forces attacked the Tamanneftegaz naphtha terminal near the Krasnodar region of the Russian Federation, as well as an ammunition warehouse, a base point for Russian ships and a place for preserving, preparing and launching strike missiles drones. The press service informs the General Staff about this .
13.20 In two areas of the time-occupied Mariupol, moons began to appear. About this 22nd breast, having informed the kerivnik to the Center for Vivchenia Occupation Petro Andryushchenko.
"Mariupol. A series of vibukhs. Central and Primorsky district. In the sky there are traces of PPO robots. Details are clear," he said.
12.59 The Cabinet of Ministers praised the resolution that regulates the creation and operation of the updated Register of Farmers - an electronic database of manufacturers and suppliers of goods, work and defense services. The press service of the Ministry of Defense reports this .
12.30 Russia is dismantling a new anti-satellite barrier, directed against the Starlink system. This is based on data from two NATO intelligence services, as reported by the Associated Press. The reconnaissance data is based on the so-called “zonal action”, which transmits hundreds of thousands of small high-altitude projectiles placed in orbit. They can immediately bring down a few Starlink satellites, but create the risk of large-scale satellite harm for other space systems.
12.19 Russia attacked energy facilities in the Odessa, Zaporizkaya, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Zhytomyr regions. The wound is partially healed. All emergency robots are in trouble.
The situation in the front-line regions is especially difficult, where devastating shelling continues and energy is lost, one of the goals of the Russians.
As a result of Russian attacks on generation facilities, transmission systems and distribution of electricity in the public energy system, shortages are still being feared. In this case, the system is balanced by obtaining all available generation, importing electricity and maintaining schedules for the exchange of residents in all regions of Ukraine.
11.35 Military forces of the Russian Federation on the night of the 22nd attacked the port and energy infrastructure of Odessa region. Having informed the Vice-Prime Minister of the Renewal of Ukraine about this, the Minister of Development of Communities and Territories Oleksiy Kuleba. According to him, at the port of Pivdenny, as a result of the fire, about 30 containers of beans and algae caught fire. The port police officers and all specialized services work on site to eliminate the legacy. Kuleba adding that due to the breakdown of the energy infrastructure, over 120 thousand subscribers in the Odessa region will be deprived of electricity.
11.30 Counterintelligence and investigations The security services completed the investigation and sent to court an indictment against the FSB agent who was allegedly preparing a terrorist attack in Lvov . The command of the Russian special service has ended the 41-year recidivism from the Pustomity place in the Lviv region, which previously received punishment for murder, drug trafficking and swindling.
10.54 The Russian military adapted the Molniya FPV drone for airborne reconnaissance, installing a Starlink complex and a camera with tri-vessel stabilization on it.
10.45 Occupiers are trying to expand their bridgehead across the settlements of Serebryanka and Dronivka. The situation at the public gathering near Siverska is complicated. The 7th building of the DShV informs about this. It is indicated that the 81st Airborne Brigade of the 7th Airborne Forces Corps of the Airborne Forces will continue to maintain positions and manage the Russian military's losses in manpower and equipment. Russians will also try to transport a special warehouse across the Siversky Donets River on the side of Serebryansky Forest. In just 2 remaining days, the BPS 81st depleted 2 towns at once with manpower.
10.27 In the Zhytomyr region, as a result of a Russian drone attack on energy and transport infrastructure facilities in the region, four Ukrainian Railways workers were injured.
“There was an accident on the railway tracks. The guards evacuated the victims from the damaged locomotives and handed them over to Swedish doctors,” according to the DSNS report.
The sappers surveyed the areas for the presence of dangerous objects. All the interesting things have been liquidated, the new loving robots are in trouble. Supervisors work at the site.
9.49 At the beginning of the 22nd century, the Russian army attacked Krivyi Rih, as a result of which the center for the provision of administrative services I-Veteran and Visa was built. You can’t ignore the stench today. Administrative services are available in branches throughout the region.
9.31 At the Russian military airfield near Lipetsk, two aircraft Su-30 and Su-27 were burning between 20 and 21 . The Head Intelligence Directorate informed about this. It is clear that as a result of the operation of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Moscow Region, which was promptly implemented by the representative of the Rukh, the Russians’ resentment against the military forces was put out of harmony.
The estimated total value of the two strongmen, who Russia fought in the war against Ukraine, can add up to 100 million dollars. As it turns out, the Su-27 and Su-30 with tail numbers 12 and 82 were burned down during the final preparation. The planning of the special operation at the airfield near Lipetsk took two years.
9.27 Moscow has 22 breasts with a bulging bulge, which is why the head of the operational training department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, died.
Vibukh stood at around 07:00 in the courtyard of a residential building on Yaseneva Street, near the Domodedovska metro station. Under the seats of the white Kia Sorento, a self-propelled vibration device was installed, which was used at the moment when Sarvarov was in the salon.
The criminal law was destroyed for the fact of “killing, carried out in an illegally negligent manner.” It’s troubling to look around the place. Different versions of typing are used. One of them “is connected with the organization of crime by the Ukrainian special services,” the Russian Federation State Security Committee said.
Sarvarov surrounded the strategic position of the head of the operational preparation department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. He is a veteran of the Kremlin’s many military campaigns, having most recently taken part in military operations in Chechnya, Ossetia, Syria, as well as in the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
9.05 The anti-aircraft defense eliminated 58 drones, with which the Russian troops attacked Ukraine last evening. About 22 thousand were reported to the Ukrainian forces of the ZSU. The sighting of 26 attack UAVs at 12 locations was recorded, as well as the fall of downed UAVs at one location.
8.50 At the front, over the past year, 223 combat engagements with the occupiers were achieved, most of them on Pokrovsky direct, and 57 enemy attacks were defeated. I informed the General Staff of the ZSU about this 22nd breast. Over the past few years, missiles and artillery from the defense forces hit the area near the special warehouse, another important site of the Russian burial grounds.
8.10 The Russians shelled several areas of the Dnipropetrovsk region at night - the fire was destroyed and there was ruin. About the 22nd breast, having informed the v.o. Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Administration Vladislav Gayvanenko.
7.45 Over the past year, the defense forces have lost another 1,120 Russian occupiers, 3 tanks and 64 units of motor vehicles and tank trucks. I informed the General Staff of the ZSU about this 22nd breast. The enemy's military losses from 02/24/22 to 12/22/25 were approximately accumulated in a special warehouse - approximately 1,197,860 (+1,120) individuals.
7.23 As a result of two Russian attacks in Odessa, the critical infrastructure of the place has deteriorated. The head of the Odessa MBA, Serhiy Lisak, told us about this. After a few hours without power, part of one of the districts lost power. It appears that 30 people were injured and were taken to the hospital with shrapnel wounds at a station of medium importance. Poshkodzhen recognized the window in the living room.
05.02 In Ukraine, it is possible to expand the importance of territorial acquisition centers (TCCs) in the military sector and mobilization. The Cabinet of Ministers submitted to the Verkhovna Rada bill No. 14320, which introduces new mechanisms for their work. One of the innovations is a change in the status of rural TCCs, whose functions should be equal to those of district and municipal centers.
04.05 US Vice President J.D. Vance criticized the assistance given to Ukraine for the failure of the Americans. He noted that the United States would rather encourage young Americans rather than “send their money to Ukraine.” This position was voiced by 21 breasts at an hour in the city of Phoenix, Arizona.
03.32 Special Representative of the US President Stiv Vitkoff, after the fight in Miami, stated that Russia is not seeking peaceful regulation of the situation in Ukraine.
02/03 Pisno in the evening On 21 June, drones attacked the seaport of Taman near the Krasnodar region of the Russian Federation. The impact damaged the pipeline at one of the terminals, and the fire broke out.
02.02 Russian troops occupied Zvanivka in the Donetsk region and the penetration of nearby Svyato-Pokrovsky, Pazeno, Orikhovo-Vasilivka and Fedorivtsa was recorded.
00.27 US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Stiv Vitkoff, summed up the results of his briefings with representatives of Ukraine and Europe, describing in detail the discussions and achieved homeownership. He voiced the fact that Ukraine, as before, is being deprived of its allegiance to the world.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] Among the civilians whom the war's enemies took from Grabowski were children. The Ukrainian military services were also completely destroyed.
As we write in the village, at that time the village was deprived of its inhabitants who were being evacuated. The remaining data covers hundreds of people, including children. The enemy deported all of them to Russian territory.
How Grabovsky’s ideas developed and what the situation is now is beyond understanding.
VILLAGE ON THE BORDER
As the local view of Kordon.Media has said, Grabovske has expanded 200 meters from the border with Russia. Before the large-scale invasion, over 700 people lived there. In 2022, tanks of the Russian Army came through the whole village. As a result, most of the locals were evacuated from the First River of a large-scale invasion.
In the spring of 2025, the fate of the border villages of the Krasnopilska community was announced by Primus evacuation. Then some of the people moved out, and others haven given up their language and lost their homes. Almost hundreds of them were lost.
HAVING BROKEN THROUGH THE BORDER
Citing sources, the publication notes that the Russians entered Grabovo on December 20.
At the same time, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, wrote that the enemy was in the village as early as December 18.
At that time, according to him, the Russian military detained about 50 civilians. People were held without access to communication facilities and proper conditions, and on December 20 they were forcibly taken to the territory of the Russian Federation.
Sumy District Council deputy Volodymyr Bitsak, citing unconfirmed data, reported that the Russians could have killed several people who refused to be transported to Russian territory.
"They entered at night and began to force people out of their homes into one place. Those who refused were driven away by force. Then the people were loaded and taken in the direction of Belgorod," Bitsak said on the Kyiv 24 TV channel
DEPORTED
About those civilians from Grabovsky were effectively transported to Russia, 21 December, became officially known.
According to Bitsak, there was no desired contact with the deported civilians, and the place of this influx of darkness is lost to the unknown. At the same time, he assumes that people were transported to the Russian city of Belgorod.
Riverman of the United Forces Viktor Tregubov reported that the deportation was carried out by the military 36th Russian brigade, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sibiga equated this attack with a terrorist act Hamas or ISIS.
Today, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that among the civilian people who were taken from Grabovsky by the military, there were children.
“Grabovsky had 52 people - all civilians, citizens of Ukraine. They lived there for a long time and did not want to evacuate for various reasons... 17-18 people were conscripts, women and children,” the head of state said an hour Cooperation with journalists at the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine at the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
Zelensky also added that they captured 13 Ukrainian military forces. In his words, our troops could have found the gates on the outskirts there, but they did not bother anyone, so as not to expose the insecurity of civilians.
EVACUATION
It is significant that over the years, the number of merchants who are willing to evacuate from unsafe border settlements near the Sumy region has increased sharply.
In total, 40 residents were evacuated from the Krasnopil community over the weekend, and today, December 22, seven more people were evacuated, reports Kordon.Media with reference to the Sumy OVA.
"When they told us that the Russians had come, we didn't believe it at first," Nataliya Mykhalko, a resident of the village of Ryasne, told reporters.
Even at the beginning of a full-scale invasion, the woman was forced to evacuate and lived under shelling for the entire hour. Moreover, after the 18th century of the Russian Federation entered the neighboring village of Grabovske, Natalia left the house.
“Before that, when there was heavy shelling, we hung out at the huts and cellars. Our headman called and said that the situation was difficult, Grabovsky had Russian troops. evacuate,” says Mrs. Natalia.
FIGHTS AT GRABOVSKY
Through the enemy's offensive, the defense forces withdrew from several positions near the Grabovsky area. About this in the commentary of the Ukrainskaya Pravda of the Republic of Uzbekistan, officer of the Main Directorate of Communications of the ZSU Dmytro Likhovy. There, stabilization actions are in progress, specifying wine.
Over the year, the United Joint Forces reported that fighting was taking place in the area of the village of Grabovske. The army of the wizard is trying to break through the cordon deep into the depths, but they cannot resist.
In Ryasne, our defenders did not detect any enemy infantry, but there were clashes near Vysokoye and Pokrovka in the Krasnopil community.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 21:37 In the Konstantinovsky direction recorded an advance of the Russian Armed Forces to Stepanovka. 21:23 Assault units have taken up new positions in the private sector of Gulyaipole, map.
21:08 Drone operators of unmanned systems troops leave no chance for the enemy, –video.
20:29 State awards for the liberation of Vovchansk received by fighters of the separate assault detachment "Wind".
The personnel were awarded the medals "For Courage" and "For Bravery", and some servicemen were awarded extraordinary military ranks.
20:13 Mobile anti-aircraft units of the Dnepr force group control the airspace, covering units and destroying enemy UAVs,video.
19:46 Three civilians received injuries as a result of attacks by Ukrainian drones in the Belgorod region
19:12 In the Odessa region, during the work of the Geranium at the port of Yuzhny, Allseeds Black Sea facilities came under attack again, including about 30 cargo trucks,video.
18:24 In the city of Energodar, as a result of an attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, people received injuries, including a civilian born in 1948.
The man was quickly taken to a medical unit, where he received all necessary assistance. His condition is considered stable.
17:32 Geranium Shockwave attacked a key logistics hub in the Zhytomyr region. As a result of the accident, a freight train and a passenger train's locomotive derailed, and virtually all rail services in the region have been delayed indefinitely, according to UkrZhD.
16:36 Lenta.ru correspondent died in the SVO zone as a result of a drone attack
Nikolai Chigasov, a former correspondent for Lenta.ru, died in a special military operation. He was fatally wounded in an attack on an enemy drone near Seversk (DPR) in mid-September while on a combat mission, but news of this only surfaced on December 22, 2025.
16:20 Specialists from the Rubicon Center are destroying enemy manpower, equipment, elements of communication systems, and temporary deployment points for enemy personnel in the SVO zone,video.
15:27 Energodar under hybrid attack militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are shelling the main city of Zaporizhzhia, the power industry's capital, with cannon artillery. The city is also under attack from enemy drones.
14:51 Crew of the 152mm 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled artillery unit of the West group of forces destroyed camouflaged enemy electronic warfare systems in the Krasnolimansk direction.
Artillerymen from the Southern group of forces destroyed an enemy field depot of materiel near the village of Konstantinovka using fire from a 122mm D-30 howitzer.
A crew of the 152mm 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled howitzer from the Vostok group of forces destroyed strongholds of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the urban development of Gulyai-Polye.
13:27 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the Special Military Operation as of December 22, 2025. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct the special military operation:
Units of the North military group have taken active control of the village of Vilcha in the Khar'kov region.
The formations of the mechanized brigade, the Jaeger brigade, the assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Andreevka, Grabovskoye, Pisarevka, Boyaro-Lezhachi, Ryzhevka and Alekseevka in the Sumy region.
In the Khar'kov direction, units of a mechanized and two motorized infantry brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Ternovaya, Izbitskoye and Rubizhne in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 90 servicemen, a tank, an armored combat vehicle, seven vehicles, and an artillery piece.
Units of the "West" force grouping have improved their position along the forward edge. They have inflicted losses on the personnel and equipment of two mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade, and an assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as a National Guard brigade, near the settlements of Podoli, Berezovka, and Kupyansk-Uzlovaya in the Khar'kov region, and Dibrova, Drobyshevo, Illichovka, and Krasny Liman in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 215 service members, a US-made HMMWV armored vehicle, an Italian-made Iveco armored fighting vehicle, 16 vehicles, and a self-propelled artillery unit. Six ammunition depots were destroyed.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces have occupied more advantageous positions and lines. Formations of two mechanized brigades and a mountain assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been defeated near the settlements of Kramatorsk, Nikolaevka, Kirovo, Zakotnoye, Konstantinovka, and Minkovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost up to 235 troops, six armored combat vehicles, including a Canadian-made Senator armored personnel carrier, a HMMWV armored car, and a US-made MaxxPro armored combat vehicle, nine vehicles, and three artillery pieces, including a US-made M-777 155mm howitzer. Three electronic warfare stations were destroyed.
Units of the Center group of forces continued to destroy the encircled enemy in the city of Dimitrov in the Donetsk People's Republic and clear the settlements of Grishino and Rodinskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic of scattered Ukrainian Armed Forces formations.
The manpower and equipment of two mechanized, two airborne assault, infantry, ranger, airmobile brigades, and two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were damaged in the areas of the settlements of Udachnoye, Volnoye, Novy Donbas, Artemovka, Toretskoye, Kucherov Yar, Novoaleksandrovka, Belitskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic and Novopavlovka in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The enemy's losses amounted to more than 450 military personnel, three armored combat vehicles, four pickup trucks and two field artillery pieces.
Units of the "East" group of forces continued to advance deep into the enemy's defenses. They inflicted losses on the personnel and equipment of an assault brigade, three assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a territorial defense brigade near the settlements of Kosivtsevo, Dorozhnianka, and Gulyai-Pole in the Zaporizhzhia region and Andriyivka in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 250 service members, two armored combat vehicles, and seven cars. Two electronic warfare stations were destroyed.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' mechanized brigade and the territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Novodanilovka, Orekhov, and Primorskoye in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen, a tank, five vehicles, an artillery piece, an electronic warfare station, and four warehouses of supplies and fuel were destroyed.
12:32 Rubicon Center publishes frames of destruction of the M1A1 Abrams tank of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Pokrovsk area.
11:30 A crew of the 122mm BM-21 Grad MLRS of the 30th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Center Group of Forces intercepted rotation of Ukrainian Armed Forces formations in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
Artillerymen from the Tula Guards Airborne Forces unit of the "North" group of forces destroyed a concentration of enemy infantry at a stronghold in the Sumy region.
10:23 Intensive training for servicemen of the newly formed Baltic Fleet Naval Infantry Division passes at the Khmelevka training ground.
The personnel practice capturing enemy strongholds, storming trenches, and clearing simulated urban areas using standard small arms.
9:53 Over the past week in the Oleshkinsky district of the Kherson region, six civilians were hit, two of them died.
According to local authorities, a total of 1,072 munitions were fired across the district, half of which were strikes from Ukrainian Armed Forces artillery, and the other half were massive raids by Ukrainian drones.
Between December 13 and December 19, 2025, the enemy continued to target civilians. Four men were wounded and two were killed.
9:01 Su-34 crew inflicted an air strike with bombs equipped with a universal planning and correction module against a concentration of armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of responsibility of the Southern group of forces
8:30 In the period from 23:30 Moscow time on 21.12 to 07:00 Moscow time on 22.12 by air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed six Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
Three – over the territory of Krasnodar Krai,
Two – over the Black Sea,
One – over the territory of Bryansk Oblast.
In total, during the night from 20:00 Moscow time on December 21 to 07:00 Moscow time on December 22, air defense alert systems intercepted and destroyed 41 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.
8:01 Calculation of the 122mm BM-21 Grad MLRS of the Vostok group destroyed unmanned aerial vehicle control points and enemy drone operator locations in Gulyai-Pole.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Igor Ivanenko
[REGNUM] Russia has effectively isolated the region of Southern Bessarabia from the rest of Ukraine with missile, drone, and glide bomb strikes.
This new strategy of the Central Military District in the Odessa region, in addition to purely military and logistical consequences, may also have political consequences.
TERMINATION OF CARGO FLOW
Southern Bessarabia, which includes three municipal districts of the Odessa region (Izmail, Bolgrad and Belgorod-Dnistrovsky), is a de facto exclave of Ukraine.
Its western part adjoins Romania, and the north borders Moldova, while in the south it is washed by the Black Sea (Snake Island, which became widely known in 2022, belongs to the Izmail region).
The South Bessarabian region is separated from mainland Ukraine by the Dniester estuary, which is crossed by two overpasses.
The railway and road bridge near the village of Zatoka spans a 600-meter-long arm of the estuary where it meets the sea. Missile and drone strikes have been carried out against it since the beginning of the Second World War, but it was only the use of glide bombs that successfully disabled it for any length of time.
The bridge experienced its last powerful FAB strike in mid-December. Severe damage to the bridge disrupted rail service between Odessa and Izmail, where the Danube Shipping Company's main base has been located since Soviet times.
This has negatively impacted cargo flows from Europe. After all, the Danube-Rhine transport corridor, connecting the Black and North Seas, is where the lion's share of cargo (including military goods) is shipped to Ukraine. Ukrainian exports (primarily grain) travel in the opposite direction.
The severing of this overpass left the Odessa region and its Bessarabian part suspended on a single transport link: the M-15 highway, which connects Odessa with the Danube port city of Reni.
Three decades ago, it was the largest river port in the Soviet Union. Since then, cargo traffic has declined dramatically.
ATTACKS ON ODESSA BRIDGES
But the fact that Reni retains its strategic importance is evidenced by the fact that, according to some estimates, Ukraine imports approximately 60% of its motor fuel through the M-15.
In fact, this highway was severed by Russian strikes carried out on December 19–20 on the road bridge near the village of Mayaki, which is not far from the northern end of the Dniester estuary.
Shortly after this occurred, Ukrainian authorities attempted to establish a pontoon bridge across the Dniester. However, this was no easy task, as the river's width in its lower reaches is approximately 180 meters. Furthermore, the temporary bridge also became a target for Russian drones.
A decision was also made to redirect cargo from Danube ports to mainland Ukraine via Moldova.
However, the difficulty of the bypass route is determined by the fact that the nearest bridges to the damaged crossing in Mayaki are not controlled by Moldovan authorities, as they are located in the territory of the Transnistrian Republic. To bypass the pro-Russian self-declared region through northern Moldova, trucks would have to make a detour of 350 kilometers.
This bypass option, approved by Ukrainian and Moldovan officials, incidentally, indirectly indicates the large volume of military cargo transported along the M-15, since it is unlikely that official Tiraspol would object to the transportation of fuel and lubricants or food products through its territory.
However, unlike the Ukrainian and Moldovan governments, the leaders of the North Atlantic Alliance are not making a big secret of the fact that a significant portion of military aid is being delivered to Ukraine via the Danube.
Recently, according to Mike Keller, Deputy Commander of the NATO Support Mission to Ukraine (NSATU), it became known that a logistics hub similar to the one created in Rzeszow, Poland, is being prepared to open in Romania.
The Romanian unit of the NSATU mission will specialize in artillery, air defense systems and electronic warfare.
Although Ukrainian authorities announced on December 21 that traffic across the bridge at the head of the Dniester Estuary had been restored, the isolation of the Bessarabian part of the Odessa region from the rest of Ukraine will obviously continue to grow.
After all, the vulnerability of transport communications on the Lower Dniester is the weakest point of the Danube-Odessa logistics of military supplies.
AWAKENING REGION
Southern Bessarabia is a very specific region, a significant portion of whose residents have very ambivalent attitudes toward the policies of the Kyiv regime.
The total population here is estimated at 400,000–450,000. These are predominantly Russian-speaking citizens, with a particularly high percentage in Izmail, the city of Russian military glory.
According to the 2001 All-Ukrainian Population Census, more than 74% of Izmail residents indicated Russian as their native language.
December 22nd, incidentally, is celebrated as the day the Turkish fortress of the same name was captured by Alexander Suvorov's troops. The city community reacted with a painful silence to the removal of the monument to the Russian generalissimo three years ago.
Another center of Russian-speaking is Bolgrad, which is predominantly Bulgarian in ethnic composition.
The city council of this administrative center used Russian as the official language longer than other municipalities in the Odessa region. Residents were extremely passive in their contributions to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and refused to create a territorial defense unit.
In Kiev, this was perceived as political disloyalty, and during the reign of Petro Poroshenko, attempts were made to liquidate the Bolgrad district.
However, high-level intercession at the Bulgarian leadership level allowed Bolgrad to retain its status as a provincial center.
In 1991, Bessarabian Bulgarians attempted to establish their own autonomous territorial entity, following the example of the Gagauz people living nearby across the Moldovan border. However, the rapid collapse of the Soviet Union prevented this process from being completed. In December 1991, a referendum on the creation of an autonomous entity was held in the Bolgrad district.
It was made possible thanks to the support of the 98th Soviet Airborne Division, then based in the city. Two years later, it was withdrawn to the Russian Federation, and now this division is advancing on Ukrainian Armed Forces positions in the area of Chasov Yar and Konstantinovka. Among Bolgrad residents, there is still a prominent community of retired paratroopers who remained in Bessarabia after their retirement.
Another characteristic of Southern Bessarabia is economic depression. The agricultural sector, the economic backbone of the local hinterland, is in deep crisis.
Even before the start of the Second World War, the transport infrastructure had deteriorated. What is still in use today is the shipping and railway infrastructure created during the Soviet period.
Finally, the cities within the exclave are experiencing industrial decline and population outflow. Fortunately, many local residents are eligible for citizenship in these EU countries under Romanian and Bulgarian law.
The political elites of Southern Bessarabia are weak and fragmented. In the current situation, they are unlikely to dare raise the question of reviving the Izmail region that existed before 1954, with the corresponding status of regional capital, its own budget, and a representative body.
But if the blockade of the southern districts of the Odessa region drags on, it is possible that other countries with interests in the region will help them remember.
Romania itself is very dissatisfied with the work to establish navigation in the Ukrainian part of the Danube mouth.
Ukraine's appeal to Moldova for help could change the status quo in this geopolitical nexus.
Currently, Chisinau acts as a junior partner. This is evident in Kyiv's ignoring, for example, Moldovan interests in managing the hydrological regime on the Dniester.
Due to the rapid deforestation of the Carpathian Mountains, the river's flow is steadily decreasing, and it is steadily becoming shallower. Environmentalists and Moldovan authorities are sounding the alarm about the threat of the Dniester turning into a chain of lakes.
However, until now, Ukrainian officials have simply ignored this problem. Perhaps the greater interest in unblocking southern Bessarabia will make Kyiv officials more attentive to Moldovans' requests.
Thus, attacks on the Dniester bridges could bring the situation in Southern Bessarabia to the forefront.
For a long time, the region lay dormant and on the periphery of international politics. But the weakening of its territorial connection with Ukraine will force many politicians to once again turn their attention to this part of the Lower Danube region.
Just like at the end of 1790, when the confrontation between Russia and the Ottoman Empire and its European allies was resolved at Izmail.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Video footage from the scene of the murder of Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, Chief of the Operational Training Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, in a car bombing in southern Moscow was released on Monday, December 22, by the press service of the Investigative Committee of Russia.
These images show the deceased soldier's blown-up car, as well as several other damaged vehicles in a parking lot near a residential building. The Russian Investigative Committee is currently working at the scene of the tragic incident.
Early in the morning of December 22, a car exploded in the courtyard of a residential building on Yasenevaya Street in Moscow. Eyewitnesses said the explosion occurred after the driver entered the vehicle.
Investigators later opened a criminal case into the car bombing in a parking lot in southern Moscow. Russian Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko clarified that Lieutenant General Sarvarov was killed in the car bombing.
She reported that the main theory behind the soldier's murder is linked to Ukrainian intelligence agencies. According to Petrenko, at the direction of the Chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, experienced forensic investigators from the agency's central office were dispatched to the scene of the car bombing.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rohin
[ColonelCassad] Russian troops are advancing in Hulyaipole. It has been reported that the Nestor Makhno Museum has been established.
The museum was seriously damaged during the initial fighting for the city. And this is today. Part of the building is destroyed. The building itself and adjacent buildings have been cleared by our attack aircraft. The city administration building is less than 100 meters away.
Over the past 24 hours, the enemy has attempted several counterattacks in the city to stabilize the situation, but these have resulted in heavy losses. The highly effective use of Su-34s against enemy troop concentrations in the city is particularly noteworthy.
The enemy is losing several dozen people killed in the city every day. The situation for the Ukrainian Armed Forces north of Hulyaipole is no better. Overall, the "Vostok" group is methodically pushing the enemy out of the city and continues to create the conditions for a further offensive to the west. And Russia will soon have another city.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
