WAR BULLETIN
December 30, 4.30 pm EST
During the day, Russia carried out 16 airstrikes, 15 of which hit civilian infrastructure. In particular, the enemy used 8 Shahed-136 UAVs, all of them were shot down. In addition, the enemy launched 17 attacks from rocket salvo systems.
Russia continues to conduct offensive actions in the Lyman and Bakhmut directions and tries to improve the tactical position in the Kupyansk and Avdiivka directions.
In the new year Ukrainian air defense will become stronger, more effective – address of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak discussed with Ukrainian defenders released from Russian captivity the work of the Coordination Headquarters on the treatment of prisoners of war.
WAR ROOM
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The total combat losses of the Russian forces from 24.02 to 30.12:
personnel ‒ about 105250 (+690) killed,
tanks ‒ 3026 (+8),
APV ‒ 6059 (+12),
artillery systems – 2010 (+6),
MLRS – 423,
Anti-aircraft warfare systems ‒ 212,
aircraft – 283,
helicopters – 268,
UAV operational-tactical level – 1740 (+23),
cruise missiles ‒ 711 (+58),
warships / boats ‒ 16,
vehicles and fuel tankers – 4683 (+8),
special equipment ‒ 180 (+1).
The three hundred and tenth day of the russian large-scale invasion.
The enemy continues to conduct offensive actions in the Lyman and Bakhmut directions and tries to improve the tactical position in the Kupyansk and Avdiivka directions.
The situation is stable in the Volyn, Polisiya, Siversk and Slobozhansk directions. No signs of formation of enemy offensive groups were detected. The areas of Semenivka and Zaliznyi Myst settlements of Chernihiv region were shelled in the last two directions; Zapsillia and Velyka Rybytsia - Sumy, as well as Morokhovets, Ternova, Staritsa, Vovchansk, Bochkove, Chugunivka and Zarubinka in Kharkiv Oblast.
In the Kupyansk direction, the impact of fire was recorded near the settlements of Kamianka, Dvorichna, Vilshana, Kupyansk, Kotlyarivka and Tabaivka in the Kharkiv region and Novoselivske and Stelmakhivka in the Luhansk region.
In the Lyman direction, the enemy fired at Nevsky and Dibrova in the Luhansk region, as well as Chervonopivka and Torske in the Donetsk region.
In the Bakhmut direction, the areas of the settlements of Spirne, Berestov, Soledar, Bakhmutske, Pidgorodne, Bakhmut, Kostyantynivka, Bila Gora, Kurdyumivka, Druzhba, Mayorsk and New York of the Donetsk region were affected by the fire of the occupiers.
Vesele, Avdiivka, Nevelske, Maryinka and Novomykhailivka in Donetsk region came under enemy fire in the Avdiivsk direction.
In the direction of Novopavlivsk, the enemy fired at Vugledar, Prechistivka, and Vremivka in the Donetsk region.
In the Zaporizhia direction, Temyrivka, Gulyaipole, Dorozhnyanka, Novoandriivka, Stepove, Kamianske and Stepnohirsk in the Zaporizhia region and Nikopol and Prymiske in the Dnipropetrovsk region were affected by enemy fire.
In the Kherson direction, in particular, the civilian infrastructure of Kachkarivka and Kherson was damaged by shelling from MLRS systems.
As of December 29 of this year, the hospital in Bilovodsk, Luhansk region, is full of wounded russian servicemen.
Up to 10 armed occupiers were wounded and destroyed in the Donetsk region. In addition, 2 units of military equipment were destroyed, and another 3 were damaged.
Our aircraft made 5 strikes on areas where the occupiers were concentrated. Also, during this day, an enemy reconnaissance UAV of the "Orlan-10" type was shot down.
At the same time, units of missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces of Ukraine hit 6 areas of concentration of enemy manpower and military equipment, 5 ammunition warehouses and a radar station.
POLICY
President of Ukraine
Dear Ukrainians, I wish you health!
I held another meeting of the Staff – already the 45th this year.
The main thing is Donetsk region, Luhansk region – our Donbas, where the fiercest battles are going on. Bakhmut, Soledar, Kreminna... In general, we hold our positions. There are also areas of the front where we are slowly advancing. And I thank all our soldiers who ensure this. You are real heroes!
We discussed the situation in the south, on our border, the supply of weapons, and the further strengthening of air defense.
This year, we not only maintained our air defenses, but we made them stronger than ever. But in the new year Ukrainian air defense will become even stronger, even more effective.
Ukrainian air defense can become the most powerful in Europe, and this will be a guarantee of security not only for our country, but also for the entire continent.
After the meeting of the Staff, at a separate meeting we discussed the situation in the energy industry, what we are preparing for.
We have a clear strategy for ensuring the generation and supply of electricity. It takes time to implement it. It takes a lot of effort. But it will be. It will be mandatory. It is one of the most important tasks for the next year, and I have no doubt that we will accomplish it.
Today I spoke with the Prime Minister of Greece. We summarized the year, and I thanked Greece for supporting our country. We agreed for next year how we can make cooperation even more meaningful.
I held a meeting with our diplomats. There are many questions, but the main thing is the measures we are preparing to strengthen Ukraine already in January and February.
Ukraine will retain the achieved leadership in foreign policy and will be even more active, that's for sure.
And one more.
Today, for the first time, the ceremony of awarding our volunteers with the Golden Heart took place.
It is fair and honest – at the end of the year, to recognize those who help our defense, help people and our entire state all year long.
Thank you to everyone who fights for our country. Who helps Ukrainians. Who works for Ukraine and our future.
Glory to all our people!
Glory to Ukraine!
Andriy Yermak discussed with Ukrainian defenders released from Russian captivity the work of the Coordination Headquarters on the treatment of prisoners of war
30.12.2022 12:25 CET
Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak visited the Coordination Headquarters on the treatment of prisoners of war and held a meeting with Ukrainian defenders who were released from Russian captivity.
During the meeting, Andriy Yermak reminded that the Headquarters was established on the instructions of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in March this year. The need for the establishment of such a structure was due to the fact that with the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the number of prisoners in the aggressor country from among Ukrainian servicemen of various units and law enforcement agencies was growing. Many specialists from law enforcement agencies and ministries were involved to organize the quality work of the Headquarters.
At the same time, the Head of the Office of the President emphasized the importance of involving servicemen who had been captured in the work of the Headquarters. According to him, their life experience will contribute to the establishment of proper and efficient work of the Headquarters, improvement of communication with relatives and friends of the persons still in captivity in Russia or on the temporarily occupied territories.
"Your expertise is very important for us - how well it is done. Because you went through this hell, you were directly aware of all the details, every part of the exchange process, you know best what was right, what was wrong," he said.
According to the Head of the President's Office, it is necessary to improve the work of the Headquarters in such a way that both the Ukrainian society and every warrior who defends Ukraine today understand that they are under the protection of the Ukrainian state.
"And if a warrior is in captivity, the state is engaged in his return 24/7 and informs his family about it," he also noted.
In addition, Andriy Yermak stressed the importance of providing everything necessary for Ukrainians who returned home from captivity, their rehabilitation, family support, etc. After all, being in captivity is difficult both physically and psychologically, so they need help in recovery and adaptation.
The Head of the President's Office said that more than a month ago, while communicating with the liberated soldiers and their families, he heard about the bureaucratic difficulties with the restoration of documents that sometimes arise for the liberated warriors. Therefore, Andriy Yermak appealed to Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, and after discussing this problem, it was decided to add special functionality for former prisoners of war to Diia.
According to Mykhailo Fedorov, the "Personal Manager" solution was developed, thanks to which the released from captivity will be able to receive assistance in restoring passports, marriage certificates, driver's licenses, etc. A personal card will be created for each prisoner of war in Diia and a support manager will be assigned to him/her.
Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and Head of the Coordination Headquarters Kyrylo Budanov, in his turn, noted that all servicemen who remained in service in various military and law enforcement agencies after the captivity can be involved in the work of the Headquarters on a voluntary basis.
Andriy Yermak emphasized the importance of the work of the Headquarters in the context of the fact that today there is virtually no international organization that can visit places of detention of Ukrainian prisoners, monitor their health, control the conditions of stay.
"We do not accept what we hear from the ICRC. It is impossible that in the XXI century there are concentration camps in the center of Europe, and they are waiting for months for approval to get there and check the conditions," he stated.
The Head of the Presidential Office also emphasized the importance of involving mass media representatives and the information center of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in the work of the Headquarters in order to enhance communication with the public, spread information on the activities and contacts for citizens' appeals.
During the visit to the Coordination Headquarters on the treatment of prisoners of war Andriy Yermak got acquainted with the work of the public reception, where people can get professional advice from representatives of ministries and agencies. Also, psychologists and lawyers work here on a permanent basis to help families of prisoners of war and persons who went missing in special circumstances.
In addition, the Coordination Center has a counseling telephone line designed to provide legal, social and psychological support to families of Ukrainian defenders who were captured or went missing. Branches of the Coordination Center already operate in Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Vinnytsia.
According to Kyrylo Budanov, as a result of the work of the Coordination Headquarters, 1456 Ukrainian defenders have already been released from the captivity of the aggressor state.
Prime Minister of Ukraine
As a result of 2022, amid the war, Ukraine has been granted five "visa-free regimes" with the EU: Denys Shmyhal
Integration into the EU is not about some vast future that will give results someday. Integration into the EU is the transformation of our country right now. It means business opportunities, state stability, strengthening of our institutions, fair rules, opportunities and freedoms for all Ukrainians. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal emphasized during a Gov’t session on December 30.
“The milestone in our history was obtaining the EU candidate status in June this year. In record time for all countries, we have completed the questionnaire for obtaining this status. We have already managed to implement the Association Agreement with the EU by more than 70%. Next year we expect to start negotiations on accession to the European Union,” accentuated the Head of Government.
According to the Prime Minister, this year, amid the war, Ukraine has been granted five so-called "visa-free regimes" with the EU. What was planned to be done for years, we have done in 10 months.
“Energy visa-free regime was granted in March, when we joined the European energy grid. Transport visa-free regime - in June, thanks to which Ukrainian business no longer needs permits for road freight transportation. Economic visa-free regime abolished for a year all duties and quotas on Ukrainian goods exported to the EU. Customs visa-free regime started to function in October and allows us to integrate our customs into the European one. Digital visa-free regime, thanks to which Ukraine is now a member of the Digital Europe Programme,” explained Denys Shmyhal.
The Prime Minister added this was only the tip of the whole work. Hundreds of regulations have already been adopted to make Ukrainian legislation fully compliant with the European one. Hundreds more are being prepared for adoption next year: “Our strategic goal is to meet the accession criteria by the end of 2024”.
During the full-scale war, the Government has allocated more than UAH 1.2 trillion for the security and defense sector: Denys Shmyhal
Next year, as well as this year, building a strong army will be the main task of the Government, announced Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in his opening statement during a regular session of the Government on December 30.
“The resources we spent in 2022 and budgeted for 2023 clearly demonstrate this. During the full-scale war, the Government has allocated more than UAH 1.2 trillion for the security and defense sector. We have significantly increased payments to all military personnel. More than UAH 250 billion were allocated for the purchase and modernization of weapons and equipment that effectively destroys the occupiers,” stressed Denys Shmyhal.
According to the Prime Minister, there have been created new mechanisms of security support for Ukraine, among which the key place was occupied by the Ramstein format that united 50 countries.
Moreover, a number of long-term contracts for the production of weapons for Ukraine have been concluded, to be financed by the governments of the United States, Germany, Denmark, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Norway and other our partner countries over the next 2-3 years. Denys Shmyhal emphasized Ukraine continued to actively produce its own weapons.
“We have applied for NATO membership. We are introducing the best standards of the Alliance in logistics, planning, and accountability. The Ukrainian army, without exaggeration, is now one of the strongest in Europe and the world. And our army will bring us victory. And we will work to ensure that it is provided in the best possible way,” noted the Head of Government.