The Kyiv Independent

2022-12-24 16:50:08 Court sentences 4 Russian soldiers to 11 years' jail for torturing Ukrainian veterans.

The men, two Russian soldiers and two mercenaries, were found to have brutally tortured three war veterans in the village of Borova in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast. Open / Comment

2022-12-24 11:15:53 Governor: Russian forces kill 2 civilians, injure 5 in Donetsk Oblast over past day.

Russian attacks killed two people and wounded two in the community of Kurakhove, Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported on Dec. 24.

Three people were injured in Yelyzavetivka, Lyman, and Bakhmut. Open / Comment

2022-12-24 10:58:21 Governor: Russia attacks Zaporizhzhia Oblast overnight on Dec. 24.

Russian missiles struck an educational facility in the community of Stepne, Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Oleksandr Starukh reported on Dec. 24.

Starukh said nearby homes were also damaged. No casualties were reported. Open / Comment

2022-12-24 09:10:39 General Staff: Ukrainian forces repel Russia's attacks near 10 settlements in Donetsk, Luhansk oblasts.

Over the past day, Ukrainian forces have repelled Russian attacks near Andriivka in Luhansk Oblast, as well as Yampolivka, Rozdolivka, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Pivnichne, New York, Kranshorivka, Vodiane and Mariinka in Donetsk Oblast.

In their Dec. 24 update, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces also reported that the Russian army launched three missiles, 10 airstrikes, and over 60 MLRS attacks against Ukraine, causing civilian casualties and hitting infrastructure in Kherson Oblast over the same period. Open / Comment

2022-12-24 08:04:04 ISW: Kremlin continues to deflect criticism about Russia’s military failures in Ukraine.

The Kremlin has been rhetorically narrowing the definitions of its initial war objectives without formally changing them, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest update. When asked about the Russian invasion’s progress, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian forces achieved “significant progress” in its war objective of “demilitarization” of Ukraine on Dec. 23. Open / Comment

2022-12-24 07:21:23 WSJ: Putin relies on hand-picked information feeding into his miscalculations on Ukraine war.

The Wall Street Journal interviewed several current and former Russian officials and people close to the Kremlin who broadly described Vladimir Putin as an isolated leader who was "unable, or unwilling, to believe that Ukraine would successfully resist."

Putin starts his day with a written briefing on the war with information "carefully calibrated to emphasize successes and play down setbacks," according to the Wall Street Journal's sources. Open / Comment

2022-12-24 06:05:42 NYT: Intelligence chief Budanov says no intelligence points to imminent threat from Belarus.

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Intelligence Directorate, said in an interview with the New York Times that Russia has tried to raise alarms in the Ukrainian army by loading its soldiers on trains that bring them toward Belarus’s border with Ukraine.

"The Soviet Union employed similar tactics during World War II, sending soldiers on useless train rides to imitate attacks or retreats," Budanov added. Open / Comment

2022-12-24 04:26:02 Explosions reported near oil depot in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Late on Dec. 23, explosions were heard in Crimea near the oil depot in the village of Rozlyvy, 95 kilometers northeast of Simferopol. A number of local social media channels published videos of explosions alleging that the accident took place after a drone flew by, the Ukrainian media reported. Occupation authorities have not commented on the accident. Open / Comment

2022-12-24 02:40:17 Governor: Russian forces shell Sumy Oblast with artillery.

Russian forces struck the Kransopillia and Esman communities 45 times on Dec. 22, Sumy Oblast Governor Dmytro Zhyvytskyi reported on Telegram. According to Zhyvytskyi, the villages of the Esman community were shelled with artillery. A rural paramedic and obstetric station was damaged by shell explosions. No casualties have been reported. Open / Comment

2022-12-24 02:00:53 Ukraine war latest: Putin wants to increase arms production for his war in Ukraine

In an op-ed for the Financial Times, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg accused he Kremlin of using “invitations to negotiations” as a mere pretext to buy time for Russia to ready itself for a new offensive against Ukraine. 

“Russia hopes to freeze the war to allow its forces to regroup, rearm and try to launch a renewed offensive,” he wrote in an op-ed.

The NATO chief described 2022 as “a year of dismal failure for (Russian) President Vladimir Putin,” saying the Russian leader has underestimated both Ukraine and the unity of NATO.

Photo: Getty Images Open / Comment