Residents remove debris from backyard of a house damaged during a Russian drone strike in the Odesa region of southern Ukraine, December 17, 2023 (Nina Liashonok/Reuters)

Wednesday’s Coverage: Zelenskiy — Strategy of Liberation From Russia’s Invasion Unchanged

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1832 GMT:

Three civilians have been killed and at least five injured by Russian strikes on two coal mines near Toretsk in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

The first mine was hit with two bombs, killing one person and wounding two. Another 32 miners were rescued from underground.

The other two fatalities and three injuries were from two bombs on the second mine. Administrative buildings and equipment were damaged.

UPDATE 1244 GMT:

Two women, aged 46 and 60, have been killed and an 86-year-old man injured by Russian artillery attacks on Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region in south-central Ukraine.

Several homes and other civilian buildings were damaged.

The Russians shelled a medical facility, piercing a wall and severely damaging one of the departments, in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine.

UPDATE 1138 GMT:

Ukraine President Denys Shmyhal has posted:

Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, an ally of Vladimir Putin, is holding up a further €50 billion fund for Ukraine through 2027.

See also Ukraine War, Day 660: EU To Begin Accession Talks with Kyiv But Hungary Blocks €50 Billion Fund

Shmyhal also announced $950 million from Japan, as part of a
World Bank, for reconstruction of infrastructure and for restoration of housing.

UPDATE 1128 GMT:

Germany is committing another €88.5 million ($97 million) to strengthen the resilience of Ukraine’s energy system.

The Economy Ministry is contributing €54.3m via the State-owned bank KfW and the Foreign Ministry €34.2 million to the Ukraine energy support fund.

UPDATE 0728 GMT:

The Kremlin has ruled out any negotiations to end Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday, “Currently there are no prerequisites for peace negotiations with Ukraine.”

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy set out the 10-point Ukraine Peace Formula in November 2022. However, Moscow has balked at the precondition for talks of a withdrawal of its invading troopos, including from four regions “annexed” by Vladimir Putin in September 2022.

UPDATE 0714 GMT:

US officials say North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia.

The US Ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, said the US had satellite images of the material being moved by cargo ship.

“In return for support, we assess that Pyongyang is seeking military assistance from Russia including fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment, or other materials and other advanced technologies,” Smith said.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine’s air defenses have downed 34 of 35 Iran-made Shahed drones in Russia’s latest attacks.

The Ukraine Air Force said the drones were launched from Russian-occupied Crimea and from the Krasnodar Krai district and Kursk region inside Russia. They were intercepted over 12 regions, including the capital Kyiv.

Russia is carrying out daily strikes on infrastructure and other civilian sites. The assaults are far diminished from Vladimir Putin’s unsuccessful “energy war” last winter, in which more than 100 missiles as well as dozens of UAVs were launched on some days.

Still, Ukrainian officials are warning of a second attempt by Russian forces to knock out the power grid and heating.

Almost all drones have been downed in this month’s assaults. On Wednesday, 18 of 19 Iran-made attack drones were downed. In Kherson city, nine people, including four children, were injured, either by the UAV which evaded defenses or by debris.

Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said Ukraine has now downed 2,900 of the 3,700 Shahed attack drones which Russia has launched since September 2022.