A Ukrainian resident and their dog shelter in a metro station during Russian missile and drone strikes, December 13, 2024`(Ian Dobronosov/Euromaidan)

Thursday’s Coverage: “Exceptionally Tough” Battles in East

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1145 GMT:

The Kremlin has cheered Donald Trump’s criticism of Ukraine’s missile strikes inside Russia.

Trump blustered in a magazine interview about the Biden Administration’s lifting of a ban on the use of US-supplied ATACMS inside Russia: “I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia.”(see 0743 GMT).

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “The statement itself completely coincides with our position….It appeals to us. It is obvious that Trump understands exactly what is escalating the situation.”

UPDATE 1101 GMT:

Air defenses downed 81 of 94 missiles fired this morning by Russia, say the Ukraine Air Force.

Of 193 drones, 80 were downed and 105 were lost to electronic counter-measures.

The energy firm DTEK said equipment at its thermal power plants was “seriously damaged,” with employees already carrying out repairs.

Ukrainians seek shelter in a metro station:

UPDATE 1044 GMT:

Indian private refiner Reliance has agreed to purchase almost 500,000 barrels per day of crude oil from Russia’s state firm Rosneft, the largest-ever energy deal between the two countries, say “three sources familiar with the deal”.

The 10-year agreement amounts to 0.5% of global supply and is worth around $13 billion a year at today’s prices.

The deal comes ahead of a planned visit by Vladimir Putin to India.

India became the largest importer of Russian crude after the European Union imposed sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Russian oil now accounts for more than a third of the energy imports of India, which has not implemented sanctions.

Reliance previously had a deal with Rosneft to purchase 3 million barrels of crude a month. Rosneft has been also selling crude to Reliance via intermediaries on a regular basis.

UPDATE 1021 GMT:

Volodymyr Zelensky has commented on this morning’s Russian strikes across Ukraine:

UPDATE 0811 GMT:

Amid Russia’s 14-month offensive in the Donetsk region, Ukraine’s largest steel producer has suspended operations at its Pischane coal plant near the threatened town of Pokrovsk.

Metinvest said it is closing the site, which includes a mine and an administrative building, because of intensified shelling and the approaching frontline.

Core personnel have been evacuated along with their families.

Pischane is the largest coking coal producer in Ukraine, and one of the largest in Eastern Europe. The site provided half of Metinvest’s coal.

The closure of the plant could reduce Ukrainian steel production to only 2-3 million metric tons, down from a projected 7.5 million, by the end of 2024, according to Oleksandr Kalenkov, the head of Ukraine’s steelmakers’ association.

Steel production is Ukraine’s second-largest source of foreign currency after agriculture.

Metinvest lost its Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol in southeast Ukraine in May 2022. The complex was the last defense against Russia’s 12-week bombing, ground assaults, and siege of the city.

UPDATE 0802 GMT:

The US has announced almost $1 billion in military and economic assistance for Ukraine.

The $500 million military package, the 72nd during Russia’s 33 1/2-month invasion, includes ammunition for HIMARS rocket systems; 155 mm and 105 mm artillery ammunition; air defenses; drones; armored vehicles; Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems; anti-tank weapons; and other equipment.

The $440 million in economic aid includes $223 million to rebuild transportation, infrastructure, and logistics; $105 million to train Ukrainians for “tomorrow’s jobs” in reconstruction and industry; $74.7 million to support agriculture; and $35 million to increase and accelerate construction projects.

UPDATE 0743 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Zaporizhzhia region, near the frontline in the south, on Thursday.

Zelensky held a meeting with military staff, visited a brigade using the US-supplied HIMARS rocket system, and toured an underground school.

Our children deserve a childhood without the threat of Russian bombs. And any long-term security strategy must take into account the safe future of these kids.

With an eye on military aid from partners and another on Donald Trump’s threat to cut it, Zelensky posted:

If we had not had these and other powerful long-range weapons, the Russians would have captured and destroyed many more Ukrainian cities and villages. Long-range capabilities prevent loss of life.

In an interview with Time magazine, Trump blustered about the Biden Administration’s lifting of a ban on the use of US-supplied missiles inside Russia:

I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that? We’re just escalating this war and making it worse. That should not have been allowed to be done.

Russian attacks against Ukraine with guided aerial bombs have fallen more than 50% since the US and UK lifted the missile bans last month, reports the independent Russian outlet Agentstvo.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Russia has launched another intense wave of missile and drone strikes at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and other civilian sites.

Ukraine Energy Minister German Galushchenko announced, “The enemy continues its terror. Once again, the energy sector across Ukraine is under massive attack.”

Russian forces fired cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and the Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles, said the Ukraine Air Force.

Explosions are reported in the Odesa, Vinnytsia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Cherkasy, and Kharkiv regions. Air defenses are active in and near the capital Kyiv.

The first reported injuries were of four people, including two employees of a civilian enterprise, in the village of Myrne in the Kharkiv region.