Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 665

As we enter the 665th day of the war, these are the most important developments.

Here is the situation as of Wednesday, December 20, 2023.

Battle

According to the Ukrainian military, Russia launched its fifth airstrike on the capital this month, destroying all weapons on its air defense systems as they approached Kiev. “According to preliminary information, there were no casualties or destruction in the capital,” Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on the messaging app Telegram.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down a Ukrainian drone near the capital, prompting flight restrictions at Moscow’s main airports. No casualties were reported.
Ukraine said its military was holding the line in the eastern Kharkiv region, although it outnumbered Russian forces trying to take control of the city of Kupiansk. “The situation is complicated. We have to fight in conditions of superiority of the enemy in both weapons and personnel,” said Oleksandr Syrsky, the head of the Ukrainian ground forces. The Russian Defense Ministry said it repelled eight Ukrainian attacks around Kupiansk with artillery.

Firefighters work in an apartment block in the Russian-occupied part of Donetsk, Ukraine, after the building was hit by shells [AFP]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the military had asked for this Mobilization of 500,000 He called for more people to fight for the withdrawal of Russian forces from his territory and urged the United States and Kiev’s other Western allies to continue supporting their country. He said he also hoped that the prisoner exchange, which he said had been delayed for unspecified “reasons” on the Russian side, would resume soon. The last exchange took place at the beginning of August.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced this to the defense and military chiefs Moscow had the momentum in its war in Ukraine and was well positioned to achieve its objectives, claiming that attempts to defeat it had failed. Putin also said Moscow was upgrading its nuclear arsenal and keeping the military at the highest level of readiness.
The Italian cabinet has approved a decree allowing it to supply “means, materials and equipment” to Ukraine in the fight against Russia until the end of 2024. The supplies include not only weapons, but also power generators and “everything necessary to support military defense operations.” unarmed civilians,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Volker Turk, the United Nations human rights chief, said there was evidence that Russia had committed war crimes in Ukraine, including 142 cases of “summary executionsWe also enforced disappearances, torture and ill-treatment, such as sexual violence against prisoners, on civilians.
A court in Poland convicted 14 citizens from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine for their involvement in a spy ring that prepared acts of sabotage on behalf of Moscow. They were given prison sentences ranging from 13 months to six years.

A former Russian soldier has applied for asylum in the Netherlands, saying he wants to testify before the International Criminal Court (ICC) about Russian war crimes he witnessed during fighting in Ukraine. A Dutch legal source told Reuters the man had been a member of Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine since 2014 and also worked as an instructor for the Wagner mercenary group there.
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the upper house is aiming to pass an agreement to provide additional aid to Ukraine and strengthen US border security once it returns to Washington DC in January after the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defense minister, said that since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the country has increased production of tanks by 5.6 times, drones by 16.8 times and artillery shells by 17, increased 5-fold. During Putin’s meeting with military chiefs, Shoigu said that Russian forces in Ukraine had also created 7,000 square kilometers of minefields – some up to 600 meters (1,969 feet) wide – as well as 1.5 million anti-tank barriers and 2,000 km (1,243 miles) of anti-tank ditches.
Zelensky said Ukraine plans to produce about a million drones for use on the battlefield next year. Ukraine and Russia use drones to scout enemy positions, drop explosives and launch attacks on the enemy.

The US has accused Hossein Hatefi Ardakani, an Iranian, and Gary Lam, a Chinese citizen, of supplying US-made dual-use microelectronics to Iran’s drone program. “These exact components have been used by Iran’s allies in current conflicts, including in Ukraine,” said Special Agent Michael Krol. Both men remain at large.
The US Treasury Department, meanwhile, announced that this was impressive Sanctions against a network of ten Ardakani-affiliated companies and four individuals based in Iran, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia for circumventing export bans to procure US components for Iranian-made attack drones.