Kiev’s counter-offensive targets Wagner’s bloodthirsty mercenaries, Putin’s loyalists accused of the most heinous crimes in Ukraine. In Melitopol bombs fell on a Russian barracks, according to the Guardian base of the Prigozhin paramilitary. Over 200 “invaders” have been eliminated, announced the Ukrainian mayor of the city occupied by Moscow’s troops, who instead minimized speaking of two victims and a dozen wounded. And also in Lugansk, a Wagner headquarters in a hotel exploded in the town of Kadiivka, causing “many casualties among the occupants,” according to the head of the regional military administration, Sergei Gaidai. Results, those against the Russians, which boost the morale of the Ukrainians as they prepare for a Christmas of war, frost and blackouts.
Indeed, all of Ukraine’s thermal and hydroelectric plants were damaged by Russian missiles and 40% of the high-voltage grid sustained various types of damage. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said this on Facebook yesterday, underlining that priority criteria will be set for the supply of electricity, favoring hospitals and critical infrastructures. “Each of us – he said – must understand that we will go through this winter with significant restrictions on electricity consumption”. The government, he explained, has instructed the Energy Ministry to prioritize the electricity supply, which will concern critical infrastructure and hospitals, then companies in the military industrial complex, then factories producing critically important goods and finally the houses.
Meanwhile, a mediated solution to the conflict remains a mirage. In a phone call with Putin, Turkish President Erdogan expressed the hope that the Ukrainian crisis will be resolved as soon as possible. Shortly, the Ankara leader called Zelensky, to whom he promised humanitarian assistance to face the harsh winter, after speaking of a possible expansion of the wheat agreement. Turkey thus confirms its role of mediation. But in their immovable positions, Moscow and Kiev are far from the negotiating table.
Updates
00.15 – Zelensky: “Fruitful conversation with Biden”
“A fruitful conversation with Biden. I expressed gratitude for another safety package. We discussed further cooperation on defence, protection and maintenance of our energy sector. Coordinated positions on the eve of the G7 online summit. The American leadership remains firm!». Ukrainian President Volymyr Zelensky wrote on Twitter.
00.05 – 7 representatives of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine sanctioned
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree providing for sanctions against seven representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church affiliated to the Moscow Patriarchate. This was reported by The Kyiv Independent.
Here’s what happened on Sunday 12 December