Police officers examine remains of an Iran-made drone following a Russian attack on Kyiv, Ukraine, December 14, 2022 (Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty)

Tuesday’s Coverage: Ukrainians Strike Bridge In Russian-Occupied Melitopol — Reports

Source: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1737 GMT:

At a charity event in Russia, MP Oleg Nilov has “joked” that a Ukrainian child “dreams of rockets”:

UPDATE 1729 GMT:

Despite increased production, Russian oil revenues fell in November to levels before Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia earned about $15.8 billion from oil sales last month. The total is the second-lowest this year after $14.7 billion in September.

At the same time, Russia’s exports of crude oil and products rose to 8.1 million barrels a day, the highest level since April.

UPDATE 1720 GMT:

Ukraine’s head of human rights Dmytro Lubinets says investigators have found a “torture chamber“ where children were detained and abused by Russian invaders.

Citing the testimonies of residents, Lubinets said Russian security services in Kherson city set up “the children’s cell” where juveniles were given little water and almost no food. They were told their parents had abandoned them and they would never return home.

UPDATE 1229 GMT:

Ukraine Presidential Chief of Stafff Andriy Yermak says 64 Ukrainian troops and a US citizen, Suedi Murekezi, have been released in the latest prisoner swap with Russia.

The Ukrainian soldiers were on the frontline in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, including the months-long defense of the city of Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine.

Murekezi was seized by Russian proxy forces in Kherson city in June as he was changing the oil in his car.

UPDATE 1223 GMT:

In their latest shelling of Kherson city in southern Ukraine after it was liberated in November, Russian forces have hit the regional administration building.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the Ukraine Presidential office, said two floors of the building were damaged by fire from multiple rocket launchers. No one was injured.

UPDATE 0936 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has praised Ukraine’s air defense forces for downing 13 out of 13 Iran-made attack drones in this morning’s Russian attack on Kyiv.

“The terrorists launched 13 Shahed [drones]….All 13 were shot down by our air defense forces. Well done guys. I’m proud!” he said.

Officials said five buildings were damaged by fragments from the falling drones, but no energy facilities were hit.

UPDATE 0827 GMT:

In his nightly address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed a series of international commitments of support.

He cited the “very good news from France”, where a conference on Ukraine’s resilience (see Tuesday’s entry) brought in €1 billion ($1.07 billion) in pledges.

He noted announcements of support packages from France, the Czech Republic, Spain, Norway and Switzerland and a commitment to military aid from the Italian Senate.

Zelenskiy also spoke with European Council President Charles Michel about the European Union’s authorization of €18 billion ($19.15 billion) in financial aid for Ukraine in 2023 and further assistance for Ukrainian defense through the European Peace Facility.

UPDATE 0739 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed the New Zealand Parliament on Wednesday, saying, “This year has shown the whole world how much can be done, with enough determination and knowledge of what needs to be done.”

Zelenskiy asked for New Zealand’s support for his 10-point plan, presented last month to the G20 summit, for a resolution of the Russian invasion.

He cited the environment damage from Moscow’s assault: “There’s no true peace where ecocide has taken place and its consequences have not been neutralized.”

After the speech, New Zealand’s Ardern Government announced a further NZ$3 million ($1.93 million) of humanitarian aid and new sanctions on Iranian individuals and an entity involved in the supply of attack drones to Russia.

UPDATE 0735 GMT:

Holcim, the world’s largest cement maker, is leaving Russia.

The company said Wednesday that it has sold its Russian unit to the local management team. The cement maker added that the unit provided less than 1% of its net sales in 2021.

Holcim said in March that it would leave the country, but maintained operations to supply essential building materials.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Using Iran-supplied drones, Russia has launched another attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said there were strikes on the central Shevchenkivskyi district early Wednesday: “Emergency services dispatched. Details later.”

Isobel Koshiw of The Guardian, reporting from Kyiv, said air raid sirens sounded at 5:57 a.m. with the first explosion 11 minutes later: “Recently there’s been at least a 30 min gap between a warning and an explosion.”

The alert ended just after 9 a.m. Ukrainian officials said all 13
drones were downed by air defenses and there were no casualties, as Kyiv Governor Oleksiy Kuleba denounced the continuation of Russia’s “energy terror”.

The Shevchenkivskyi district hosts Government buildings and foreign embassies. UK Ambassador Melinda Simmons tweeted, “Staying away from windows and hearing explosions outside. It’s an early start today for attacks on Kyiv.”

The Iranian Shahed-136 attack drones have been significant, alongside hundreds of Russian missiles, in Moscow’s strikes on civilian sites and energy infrastructure. The assault, escalating from October 10, has damaged half of Ukraine’s power grid.

Russia used hundreds of drones — Ukrainian official said up to 2,500 Shahed-136s and Mohajer-6 surveillance UAVs were delivered — but exhausted the stock of “kamikaze” munitions by November. After more talks between Russian and Iranian officials in Tehran, further Shahed-136s were supplied, and arrangements reportedly made for their manufacture inside Russia.

See also Ukraine War, Day 270: Iran to Make Drones in Russia — Western Officials

US to Supply Patriot Air Defenses<

US officials say they are completing plans to provide advanced Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, with a decision as soon as Thursday. The systems will first be sent to a US base in Germany, where Ukrainian troops will be trained in how to use them.

The Kremlin has already been unsettled by the prospect of facing the Patriots, with former President Dmitry Medvedev, now Deputy Secretary of the State Security Council, warning NATO against the step.

Alexander Vindman, formerly the US National Security Council’s official for Russia and Ukraine, said Patriot air defense capability will be “very, very significant”: “These are going to be quite capable of dealing with a lot of different challenges the Ukrainians have, especially if the Russians bring in short-range ballistic missiles [from Iran].”