Sunday, December 3

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian servicemen check their Sweden-made CV90 armored infantry combat vehicle on a position pointing in the Bakhmut axis in Donetsk Oblast on Nov. 27, 2023. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)

US Defense Secretary Austin: ‘We will not let Hamas or Putin win.’ U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin criticized those endorsing “an American retreat from responsibility” at the Reagan National Defense Forum, emphasizing the necessity for consistent U.S. leadership to contribute to a world that remains as safe, free, and prosperous as possible.

Armed forces check video of Russians reportedly killing Ukrainian POWs. The video, published by the DeepState Telegram channel, appears to show a group of soldiers killing two other soldiers emerging from a dugout. One of the two had his hands behind his head.

Media: 2nd group of Ukrainian soldiers complete Patriot air defense training in Germany. Bundeswehr Lieutenant General Andreas Marlow, who oversaw the training, said that the Ukrainian soldiers will now be able to operate the systems independently.

Klitschko says Ukraine is turning authoritarian as conflict with Zelensky persists. “At some point we will no longer be any different from Russia, where everything depends on the whim of one man,” the former heavyweight boxing champion said in a Dec. 1 interview.

SBU requested Poroshenko’s travel permission be canceled over planned meeting with Orban. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on Dec. 2 that it had requested Ukraine’s parliament cancel the permission of lawmaker and ex-President Petro Poroshenko to exit the country due to a planned meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Poroshenko claimed that the cancellation was for political reasons and hinted that the decision came from high up.

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Military: More than 5,000 explosive devices removed over past week. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian military has removed more than 150,000 explosive devices across Ukraine, including territories liberated from Russian occupation.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia seeking to suppress domestic anti-mobilization sentiment. Russian authorities have sought to discredit the rare public display of dissent as well as offering increased cash payments for the families of mobilized soldiers if they agree to not protest.

ISW: Shoigu refers to offensives as ‘active defense’ to lower expectations. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu falsely characterizes Russian offensive operations in Ukraine as “active defense” in order to “temper expectations” about his military’s ability to meet objectives, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its latest report on Dec. 1.

Military intelligence: Resistance blow up Russian refueling station in Melitopol. Ukrainian resistance forces blew up a gas station used by Russian occupation forces to refuel military equipment in Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on Dec. 1, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) reported on Dec. 2.

Overnight blackout reported at Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant. The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was forced to rely on diesel generators overnight during a blackout, threatening the safety of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company Energoatom reported on Dec. 2.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine’s fight to heal millions of children scarred by Russia’s war

At the Gen.Camp tucked away in western Ukraine, children spend much of their day throwing frisbees across the playground, waiting for turns on the swing, and dancing to American pop music. Their daily rhythm is punctuated by therapy. Every camper here has lost a parent in Russia’s war.

Photo: Gen.Ukrainian

As sanctions bite, Russia eyes Ukraine’s mineral resources to fund its invasion

Russia’s 2024 federal budget brought little in the way of surprises, the country is gearing up for a long war.

Signed by President Vladimir Putin earlier this week, it ushered record levels of military spending — a sign of Moscow’s commitment to its war against Ukraine.

Photo: Getty Images

Human cost of war

General Staff: Russia has lost 331,110 troops in Ukraine. This number includes 1,070 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response

Reuters: Western allies raise pressure on countries helping Russia sell oil above cap. This cap, introduced in 2022, only began to be enforced recently. It forbids Western companies from providing maritime services like transportation, insurance and finance to any craft that help Russia get around the price cap.

Rheinmetall aims to start production of armored vehicles in Ukraine in 2024. German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall plans to build the first armored vehicles on-site in Ukraine from the summer of 2024, CEO Armin Papperger said in an interview with German business magazine WirtschaftsWoche on Dec. 2.

Germany hands over new military aid package, includes vehicles, drone-detection systems. The package included four HX81 tractors and their semi-trailers (used for the transportation of tanks and other heavy equipment), eight Zetros off-road trucks, four other vehicles, 15 HLR 338 precision rifles and 60,000 rounds of ammunition, five drone-detection systems, laser range finders, and more than 4,000 155mm shells.

Poland tightens controls on border with Ukraine amid truckers’ protests. Polish truckers started blocking three border crossing points on Nov. 6 in protest of the liberalization of EU transport rules for Ukrainian trucks, causing huge lines on both sides of the border.

UEFA leaves Russian football team out of Nations League for 2024/2025 season. The national team of Belarus was included in the schedule, although there was a stipulation that it would not play in any matches against the Ukrainian national team.

In other news

Lawmaker Dubinsky claims he was beaten, injured in jail. Oleksandr Dubinsky, a lawmaker charged with treason, claimed on Dec. 2 that “unknown individuals” had beaten and injured him at a pre-trial detention facility. Police are looking into the matter.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Toma Istomina, Elsa Court, Oleksiy Sorokin, Nate Ostiller, Oleg Sukhov, Igor Kossov, and Olena Goncharova.

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