Biden’s administration has reportedly authorized US contractors to work in Ukraine. This marks a major policy change. Washington has rallied over 50 nations in order to counter North Korea’s military presence near a war zone.
Exclusives
Military Personnel
Leopards stomp trenches as Ukrainian drones shoot down rare Russian Terminator near Kurakhove. Russian forces focus a five-pronged attack around the N15 highway as Ukrainian 33rd Brigade and 79th Brigade race to prevent an encirclement.
After a Russian drone strike, a fire breaks out in a residential complex in Odesa. Odesa authorities reported one death and thirteen injuries, as well as damage to residential buildings, warehouses and administrative buildings, after the third consecutive Russian strike on the city.
Russian drone strikes NATO state ambassador’s home in Kyiv. Anneli Kolk, Estonia’s ambassador to Ukraine, escaped without injury.
The death toll from the Russian attack in Zaporizhzhia has risen to nine. A one-year old boy was among the eight people killed during a Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia that targeted an oncological center and residential areas.
Russian airstrike on Kharkiv residents injures 3-month-old and 24 others. Overnight, Russian forces launched guided missiles and drones against multiple Ukrainian cities, injuring 38 people in Kharkiv and Odesa.
Source: Ukrainian drones are targeting the Saratov oil refinery, a Rosneft plant in Russia. Sources claim that drones belonging to Ukrainian intelligence targeted the Saratov oil refining plant, a Rosneft facility in Russia. This led to explosions and damages at the facility.
The logic behind Ukraine’s first attack on Russia’s Caspian Sea Flotilla. A Ukrainian strike against Russian naval assets shows the country’s increasing capability to develop long-range attack abilities despite Western restrictions.
The approximate loss of military equipment and weapons of the Russian Armed Forces since the beginning of the invasion until the present is:
* Personnel: 705880 (+1580)
* Tanks: 9233 (+9)
* APV: 18612 (+20)
* Artillery systems 20226 (+32).
* MLRS: 1245
* Anti-aircraft systems: 996
* Aircraft: 369
* Helicopters: 329
* UAV: 18408 (+42)
* Cruise missiles: 2631
* Warships/boats: 28
* Submarines: 1
* Vehicles and fuel tank: 28495 (+84).
* Special equipment: 3602 (+6)
Intelligence and Technology
Ukraine has caught up with Russia’s innovation by developing an unjammable fiber-optic FPV drone. In August, Russians began using a similar tech.
Ukraine finds US, German and Swiss parts in Russian new stealth Drone Okhotnik despite sanctions. A rare Russian drone worth $15 million was destroyed in Donetsk Oblast. This shows that Moscow continues to have access to restricted Western technology.
Ukraine will test anti-drone rockets made in Estonia. The missiles made by the Estonian company Frankenburg Technologies are designed to target and shoot drones, and other low-flying threats at heights up to two kilometers.
Russia begins using North Korean machine gun in Ukraine. The Type 73, which was phased out by the North Korean military has been spotted in Ukraine.
International
Biden Administration approves the deployment of US military contractors to Ukraine. The Biden administration has lifted the restrictions on American defense contractors who work in Ukraine. This allows for faster repairs of US-supplied equipment.
Reuters: Pentagon allows US contractors to finally repair F-16s and Patriots in Ukraine, amid major policy change. After relying for months on video calls and trans-border repairs, Ukraine now hosts US defense contractors in order to service its growing arsenal.
Axios reports that Elon Musk joined Trump’s first call after the election with Zelenskyy. The conversation left the Ukrainian president cautiously hopeful.
El Pais: Zelenskyy launches a diplomatic push to maintain Trump’s support for Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader will focus on strengthening his relationship with Trump over the next few weeks to ensure continued aid during the Russo Ukrainian war.
US coordinates multilateral response against North Korean military presence in Ukraine. Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the State Department, said that the United States is coordinating a response with more than 50 partner nations in response to North Korea’s military presence near Ukraine.
Pentagon promises to use the entire available funding for Ukraine support before 20 January. Sabrina Singh, Deputy Press Secretary at the Pentagon, announced Thursday that the Pentagon plans to use approximately $6 billion of remaining Ukraine support funds by 20 January.
Political and Legal Developments
Telegraph: Ukraine defense support at risk as German government dissolves. The collapse of Germany’s ruling coalition highlights the need for wider European support as Russian forces progress.
Panama cancels registration for four tankers in Russia’s shadow fleet. Panama’s Maritime Authority initiated flag cancellation procedures following US sanctions targeting the LNG carriers’ Singapore based operators for their connections to Russian gas producer Novatek, and sanctions evasion.
Questions are being raised about the exchange. Media pro-Kremlin claim that Russia returned the remains 62 Ukrainian POWs who were allegedly aboard the Il-76 transport plane which crashed in Belgorod, Russia in January.
Scholz caused German government crisis, says fired minister, by denying Ukraine Taurus rockets. FDP leader Lindner demands an immediate new election because Scholz’s obstruction to effective military aid for Ukraine caused the collapse of the coalition.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine has suffered losses of $ 800 billion due to Russian aggression. Zelenskyy revealed that Ukraine needs $300 billion in frozen Russian assets now to buy weapons and rebuild homes damaged by the war.
ISW: Russian President wants to reset relationship with Trump administration according to Moscow’s terms. ISW analysis says that Putin’s recent speech is a calculated effort to influence the foreign policy of the incoming Trump Administration.
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