Picture of 40th week of war: Ukraine prepares for another attacks and possible blackouts
Also, about the battles in the east and south, the "ceiling of prices" for Russian oil, floating power plants in Odesa and the collection of a thousand generators for Ukrainian hospitals - in our chronicle. We will tell you how the situation changed during the week from November 28 to December 2.
Southern area
A positional war continues in the south of Ukraine. The enemy continues to strengthen the positions occupied on the left bank of the Dnieper and does not stop shelling the settlements located on the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region, in particular Kherson itself. The occupiers are trying to sow fear and panic among the civilian population. Shelling leads to numerous civilian casualties. Such actions do not go unanswered by the Armed Forces of Ukraine – Ukrainian troops attack Russian positions with the help of artillery and aviation.
A military operation is underway on the Kinburn spit – the last Russian-occupied territory of the Mykolaiv region. The work of the Ukrainian forces is very complicated due to weather conditions (storms, wind) and the geographical location of the spit itself. However, the situation remains under control, hostilities are in an active phase.
Near Zaporizhzhia, the russians are holding occupied positions, shelling Ukrainian settlements. So, on the night of December 2, the Russians attacked the city of Zaporizhzhia, as a result of which the building of an infrastructure facility caught fire.
At the same time, according to Ukrainian intelligence, in the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region, the Russians are withdrawing their troops from some settlements and offering the local residents to "evacuate". This may indicate that Russian troops cannot hold critical areas against the background of increased Ukrainian strikes on Russian forces' concentration points and their logistics.
Eastern area
Donetsk region remains the main theater of hostilities. Russian troops are on the offensive and continue to try to take the cities of Avdiyivka and Bakhmut. Ukrainian forces confidently hold the defense. At the same time, as noted by ISW experts, the enemy's efforts around Bakhmut indicate that Russian forces have not learned from previous high-casualty campaigns focused on targets of limited operational or strategic importance.
Occupied lands
With the onset of cold weather, the living conditions of the civilian population in the occupied territories of Ukraine significantly worsened. In many settlements, there is no normal supply of light, heat, gas, etc. In particular, there is no centralized heating in Mariupol. Queues for electric heaters are observed in the city, in which, according to the reports of the legitimate Mariupol City Council, there are even fights.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, reported that the Russian invaders have begun to remove the houses they are demolishing in the occupied Mariupol on the Russian Yandex digital maps. It is known that the Russians plan to demolish another thousand houses that were not completely destroyed during the siege.
The occupiers are also compiling lists of immovable property left behind by forced migrants in order to "nationalize" it in the future.
In the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region, the strengthening of the administrative and police regime by the Russians was recorded, in connection with which it is planned to replace some military units with units of the Russian Guard. The Russians are also deporting active collaborators from settlements near the Dnipro, in particular from Novaya Kakhovka. This shows that they do not believe that they will be able to hold these territories for a long time.
In the occupied Crimea, military commissariat employees are preparing for the next wave of mobilization. Fighting with the hands of enslaved peoples is a classic feature of empires.
Critical infrastructure
The situation with electricity supply remains very difficult in Kyiv, as well as in Vinnytsia, Lviv, Odesa, Khmelnytskyi and Cherkasy regions. In the capital, accidents in electrical networks began to occur more often due to the fact that residents turn on many devices at the same time when electricity appears, and also use electric heaters in buildings.
State trader "Energy Company of Ukraine" carried out a test import of electricity from Romania. As the company emphasizes, this can become an additional tool for stabilizing the energy system of Ukraine.
The Turkish shipbuilding company Karpowership, which is a manufacturer, operator and owner of a fleet of energy ships, says that it is negotiating to send three of its energy ships with a total capacity of 300 megawatts to Ukraine. Powerships are special-purpose vessels on which power plants are installed, acting as a source of electricity.
The power of Turkish vessels will provide electricity to 1 million homes at full load.
The situation at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant remains tense. On November 28, the Russian military barred entry to the territory of the power plant to Ukrainian workers who did not sign contracts with Rosatom, the company appointed by the occupiers to "manage" the ZNPP. This week, it appointed a new "director" for the power plant. It is also reported that the Russians are misappropriating money that was intended to pay for the work of the station's staff.
Important events that affected Ukraine
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on November 30 that Brussels, together with its partners, will develop a plan to confiscate frozen Russian assets, in order to transfer them to the reconstruction of Ukraine then and to compensate for the damage caused by the russian war. "Damage caused to Ukraine is estimated at 600 billion euros. Russia and its oligarchs should compensate Ukraine for its losses and cover the costs of restoring the country. And we have the means to make Russia pay," Von der Leyen emphasized.
On December 1, EU member states preliminarily agreed to limit the price of Russian marine oil at the level of $60 per barrel with an adjustment mechanism. This will allow keeping the limit for it at the level of 5% below the market price. If oil is purchased at a higher price than the set price, its sea transportation service will be prohibited. This will reduce the flow of currency to the russian federation, which will affect its ability to finance the war.
We are supported
The American company Raytheon Technologies received a contract from the American government in the amount of 1.2 billion dollars. for the purchase of six NASAMS anti-missile systems for Ukraine. It is calculated until 2025. Also, the United States, together with its allies, is negotiating with the countries of the Middle East in order to move several of its NASAMS systems from there to Ukraine.
The Pentagon is also considering Boeing's proposal to supply Ukraine with cheap, small, high-precision GLSDB bombs that would allow Kyiv to strike at a distance of up to 150 km. They can be delivered already in the spring of 2023.
The Government of Canada has completed the issuance of 5-year Ukraine Sovereignty Bonds, with the help of which Canadians will be able to help finance Ukraine for $500 million.
France transferred the LRU rocket launcher system to Ukraine.
Germany provided three BIBER bridge-laying tanks, eight surface drones and 12 border vehicles. Norway handed over five military ambulance buses to Ukraine.
The assistance of international partners to support Ukraine's energy sector is also expanding. The USA will provide 53 million dollars. for the urgent purchase of equipment necessary for the restoration of the power system. Germany has provided financial assistance for the repair of the energy infrastructure in the amount of about 56 million euros and provides more than 350 generators.
Lithuania sent trucks with more than a hundred transformers to Ukraine and plans to send a total of 252 units. The EU will provide Ukraine with 40 more generators in addition to 550. Also, the European Union will allocate up to 25 million euros to the association of co-owners of multi-apartment buildings (OSBB) for the repair of war-damaged housing.
An important act of historical justice was carried out by the German Bundestag. On November 30, he voted for the resolution recognizing the Holodomor as genocide of the Ukrainian people.
Economic tendencies
У дOn the day of commemoration of the victims of the Holodomors, periods in the history of Ukraine when food was used as a means of destruction, the Grain from Ukraine initiative was launched. According to this, up to 60 ships with Ukrainian grain can be sent to the poorest countries in Africa. The program envisages providing grain to at least 5 million people by the end of spring 2023. 22 countries have already joined it and more than 180 million dollars have been accumulated.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine advocates the urgent legalization of virtual assets in Ukraine. As noted in the ministry, according to the data of leading blockchain analytical companies, Ukraine is among the world leaders in the use of cryptocurrencies. But for the crypto industry in the legal field, everything necessary for its legalization needs to be done. If the decision is adopted, Ukraine can get a new sector of the economy and additional tax revenues.
Solutions
Six ambassadors of UNITED24 Platform – astronaut Scott Kelly, coach Andriy Shevchenko, boxer Oleksandr Usyk, tennis player Elina Svitolina, historian Timothy Snyder and actor and director Liev Schreiber – announced a joint charity campaign to raise funds for the purchase of a thousand electric generators for Ukrainian hospitals. This will ensure the life and health of people receiving medical assistance during probable blackouts.
Recommendations
Advice from the Ministry of healthcare how to prepare for the blackout:
- Buy a supply of medicines for several months;
- Stock up on batteries and accumulators for gadgets, including medical ones;
- Find out the address of the nearest medical facility and write it down on a piece of paper. Download offline maps to your smartphone or walk to the hospital to learn the route;
- If the medical facility is not within walking distance, and the family does not have a car, you should talk to neighbors or friends so that in a crisis, someone will help you get to the hospital;
- Write down the addresses of "Points of Invincibility" (at least 5 nearest ones) so you know where you can come to recharge your gadgets and warm up.
