Photo : Russian armed forces in an operation in Ukraine. Photo: cepa.org
Photo : Russian armed forces in an operation in Ukraine. Photo: cepa.org
By Samruddhi Pathak
WAR ON GROUND
On 27 December, Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, announced that Ukraine had sent 500 tons of wheat to Syria under its humanitarian aid program. According to him, the aid program aims to deal with the food crisis arising after an alliance of various forces in Syria toppled the Russia-backed regime. The program is a part of its “Grain from Ukraine” initiative. The shipment is expected to feed 33,250 families, approximately 167,000 people, over the coming weeks. Each bag of flour can sustain a family of five for a month. Zelensky also informed that the initiative launched in 2022, had saved 20 million people from hunger.
On 27 December, CNN reported on the increased drone attacks by Russia in Ukraine. In May 2024, 400 drone attacks carried out by Russia, while by November 2024, they increased to 2,400. However, the numbers are according to Ukrainian media reports. According to Ukraine, a total of 1,700 drones have been reported so far in December by the Ukrainian media. CNN has also reported about increased production of Iranian-designed attack and surveillance drones, usage of a range of Chinese components and recruitment of a very young, low-skilled workforce of Russian teenagers and African women in Russia’s southern Tatarstan region. In 2023, Russia and Iran signed a deal to produce drones domestically in Russia. Alabuga drone factory is built to produce the Shahed-136 drones. Under the agreement, 6,000 drones will be manufactured until September 2025. The factory produced 2,738 Shahed drones in 2023. Russia also has an indigenously developed Gerbera drone. According to CNN, Russia aims to produce around 10,000 Gerbera drones by the end of 2024.
On 27 December, Yonhap News reported that a North Korean soldier died in Ukrainian custody, citing South Korea’s spy agency. The US government had also stated before that thousands of North Korean soldiers have died fighting the war for Russia in Ukraine. According to media reports in Ukraine and South Korea, more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers have deployed to fight the Russia-Ukraine war. Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, said that North Korean soldiers are being provided with fake Russian IDs. Storm Corps, North Korea’s best military contingent, has been deployed in Ukraine. The unit is trained in infiltration, infrastructure sabotage and assassinations.
THE MOSCOW VIEW
Claims by Russia
On 27 December, TASS reported that Russian armed forces had launched 37 group strikes of high-precision weapons and one massive strike in the past week. Russian weapons aimed at energy facilities that maintained the operation of enterprises of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex, the infrastructure of military airfields, ammunition depots, fuel storages, strike drones production workshops, storage sites, places of storage, and launch preparations, as well as drone operator training centres. The settlements are Zagryzovo in the Kharkiv Region and Ivanovka, Gigant, Ostrovskoye, Krasnoye, Novy Trud and Storozhevoy in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The Russian military claims that Ukraine has lost 11 tanks, 13 infantry fighting vehicles, 13 armoured personnel carriers and 44 armoured combat vehicles and has suffered 2,450 casualties in the past week. In the Battlegroup West, Russia claims to have pushed 3,080 Ukrainian soldiers back and destroyed a Leopard tank, which is manufactured by Germany, two US-made M113, 38 vehicles and 53 field artillery guns. According to Russia’s claims, its Battlegroup South destroyed 22 Ukrainian artillery guns, 13 motor vehicles, three armoured combat vehicles, and Ukraine suffered 1,970 casualties. Meanwhile, the Battlegroup Centre of Russia claims that Ukraine lost six infantry fighting vehicles seven armoured personnel carriers, including four US-made M113 and 11 other armoured combat vehicles.
On 27 December, TASS reported that Russia’s government claims to have been attacked by Ukraine in six districts of Russia’s borderline Belgorod Region, which resulted in casualties of several civilians. TASS claims that 17 munitions were fired in four bombardments and 16 UAVs were launched against the settlements of Dubovoy and Razumnoye, the villages of Krasnoye, Krasny Khutor, Nikolskoye, Petrovka, Repnoye, Tavrovo, Cheremoshnoye, Shchetinovka and the farmstead Ugrim. Settlements in the Shebekinsky municipal district were attacked by 52 Ukrainian munitions in six bombardments and five drones. Four of the five drones were shot down by the Russian armed forces, it claims.
On 27 December, TASS reported on the claims made by the Russian army on advancing in the Kharkiv region in Volchansk. Andrey Marochko, a military expert, was interviewed by TASS, and he said that the army has advanced in the town and forced the Volchya River as well.
References
“Russia says it carried out 38 strikes with high-precision weapons over past week,” TASS, 27 December 2024
Tim Zadorozhyy, “Ukraine sends 500 tons of wheat flour to Syria under humanitarian program, Zelensky says,” The Kyiv Independent, 27 December 2024
Koh Ewe, “North Korean soldier captured in Ukraine dies, reports say,” BBC, 27 December 2024
Jerry Bambi, “Putin open to accepting NATO member Slovakia as 'neutral site' for Ukraine peace talks,” Euronews, 27 December 2024
Clare Sebastian, Vasco Cotovio and Allegra Goodwin, “Russia is intensifying its air war in Ukraine. A secretive factory is ramping up drone production to fuel the offensive,” CNN, 27 December 2024
“Russian fighters advance in Volchansk in Kharkov Region, force Volchya River — expert,” TASS, 27 December 2024