Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 12-09-2024

The sudden collapse of Assad’s regime in Syria reveals the limits of Russia’s military capabilities as Moscow struggles to maintain its offensives in the war in Ukraine.

In a stunning turn of events, the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad, a key ally of Moscow, has fallen to rebel forces, dealing a severe blow to Russia's image as a global powerbroker. This unexpected development has exposed the limitations of Russia's military reach, particularly as its offensive in Ukraine continues to drain resources and manpower.

The lightning-fast rebel offensive, which took less than two weeks to topple the Assad regime, caught the Kremlin off guard. Russian news agencies report that Assad has been granted asylum in Moscow, fleeing a capital now under rebel control. This rapid collapse has left Russia scrambling to secure its strategic interests in the region, including its naval base in Tartus and airbase in Hmeimim.

In Donetsk, former Olenivka prison boss Sergey Yevsyukov, notorious for terrorism against Ukrainian POWs, was killed by a car bomb; some Russian media claim it was an act of Ukrainian special forces.

In the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk, a Toyota SUV was blown up, reportedly carrying Sergey Yevsyukov, the former head of the Olenivka prison known for the 2022 terrorist attack on Ukrainian prisoners of war, and his wife, Russian media reported on Monday, Dec 9.

Russian media showed a video from the explosion site, where the damaged vehicle is visible. The driver’s seat was the most affected. The video also shows several people trying to assist the driver. The Russian Investigative Committee reported two people were injured in the car blast.

US President-elect Trump stated, following a meeting with Zelensky in Paris that Kyiv is open to “make a deal.” Zelensky emphasized that Moscow is not open to negotiating, however.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want to end the war, and Putin “must be forced” through military means.

Zelensky said he relayed this message to French President Emmanuel Macron and US President-elect Donald Trump during their meeting in Paris.

Russian strikes have damaged around 90% of the generating capacities of Ukrainian energy provider DTEK

Dmytro knew his team had to quickly repair their power station, damaged by a Russian strike, to restore heating to nearby communities relying on the plant to stay warm.

Russian forces have escalated their strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent weeks, with the most recent attack last month plunging hundreds of thousands into temporary blackouts as temperatures hit zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit).

Meeting Zourabichvili, Zelensky voiced his country’s support for Georgia’s people, who are in opposition to the government’s decision to delay European Union accession negotiations until 2028.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili in Paris on Dec. 7 where they discussed the escalating political crisis in Georgia, which has been beset by protests and allegations of election fraud, according to Zelensky's press service.

Zelensky voiced Ukraine’s support for the Georgian people, who have been incensed by its government’s decision to delay European Union accession negotiations until 2028.

The new flag was raised amidst reports that the country’s deposed president fled to Moscow.

A group of men raised the Syrian opposition flag atop the country’s embassy in Moscow on Monday.

Former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, whose regime was backed by the Kremlin, was ousted on Sunday and reportedly sought refuge in Moscow alongside his family.

Earlier reports said the problem wasn’t too few pilots, but too few American training slots. The bottom line is that after 34 months of war Kyiv has all of 10-15 US-made warplanes in service.

Jake Sullivan, outgoing US National Security Advisor, in comments made public on Sunday claimed the main reason the Ukrainian Air Force has so few US-made F-16 fighter in combat operations, is that the Ukrainian military doesn’t have enough pilots for training on the fighter aircraft.

Sullivan’s statement made during an interview with the Reagan National Defense Forum sharply contrasted with comment by Ukrainian officials, among them President Volodymyr Zelensky, that Ukraine had dozens of seasoned combat pilots ready to receive cross-training in the American fighter, but only a few of them are able to be trained at a time, because almost all US Air Force F-16 fighter transition training slots are filled.

Consensus forecasts from investment banks and thinktanks foresee Ukraine’s 2025 GDP rising to $200 Billion and inflation tapering off slightly at about 7 percent.

Ukraine’s GDP should reach $189 billion by the end of 2024, nearing $200 billion in 2025, according to consensus forecasts from Ukraine’s leading economic think tanks and investment banks published by Centre of Economic Strategy (CES). 

CES asked seven leaders of Ukrainian and foreign analytical teams to provide their forecasts: Ukraine’s investment banks ICU, Dragon Capital and Concorde Capital, Ukraine’s central bank (The National Bank of Ukraine) and Ministry of Economy, as well as leading thinktanks: Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), Institute of Economic Research (IER), Oxford Economics, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw). 

Ukrainian engineers have developed a drone tethered to a fiber-optic cable that makes it virtually undetectable and impervious to EW attack on the battlefield.

Ukrainian engineers have developed a groundbreaking drone that operates via a fiber-optic cable, making it impervious to enemy electronic warfare (EW) and radio reconnaissance systems. According to a Kyiv Post video report this innovation has the potential to revitalize the use of drones on the battlefield where for months jamming and other forms of EW attack were reducing their effectiveness.

“This drone is completely invisible in the radio spectrum. No EW system can locate its launch site or operator,” Anton Mogolivets, the chief engineer of the manufacturing enterprise said. The technology, having passed military tests, is set to be deployed by Ukrainian forces in 2025.

Kyiv Post was the first to exclusively showcase the new Ukrainian drone, which operates on a fiber-optic conductor, making it invisible to radio detection and impervious to electronic warfare.

On December 13, Kyiv will host the largest conference fintech UAFIN.TECH. The key topic of the event will be artificial intelligence and the impact of its implementation in financial processes.

The conference is organized by the Ukrainian Association of Fintech and Innovative Companies (UAFIC). According to Rostyslav Dyuk, Chairman of the Association, artificial intelligence is currently driving transformations in the banking industry and is the basis for financial stability in times of war.

This year we offer a deep dive into the future of technologies that are already changing the financial sector. It is obvious that artificial intelligence will become a booster of the evolution of finance. We need to anticipate these changes and prepare in advance to mitigate potential risks. At the conference, we will focus on the intricacies of regulatory policy, the impact of technology on the availability of capital and inclusiveness of services, and talk about the next step in the development of banks - neobanks

The largest absolute increases in the number of temporary protection beneficiaries from Ukraine were observed in Germany, Poland and Spain.

On 31 October 2024, nearly 4.2 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine as a consequence of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine had temporary protection status in the EU. 

The EU countries hosting the highest number of beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine were Germany (1 140 705 people; 27.2% of the EU total), Poland (983 880; 23.4%) and Czechia (379 370; 9.0%).

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

Fighters with HTS, the main opposition group now controlling Damascus, say they are preparing to push into the regime’s final strongholds in Latakia and Tartous. Buses of Syrian refugees are heading into the country from Jordan “now that the fear of al-Assad’s regime is gone”, reports Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh from the border. Israeli forces have continued to seize more parts of a buffer zone in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights on the orders of Defense Minister Israel Katz, reports Israel’s Ynet News site. The United Nations Security Council is set to meet later today, at Russia’s request, to discuss the developments in Syria - Al Jazeera

Syria's ousted president Bashar al-Assad and his family are in Moscow, Russian news agencies announced Sunday evening citing a Kremlin source, hours after he fled the country as Islamist-led rebels entered Damascus. The announcement comes as Russia, a key Assad ally, called for an emergency meeting of the UN security council on the fast-changing situation on the ground in the war-torn country. “Assad and members of his family have arrived in Moscow," the source told the TASS and Ria Novosti news agencies. "Russia granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds," he added. Asked whether Assad was confirmed to be in Moscow, a Western official said they believed that was likely the case and had no reason to doubt Moscow's claim. The Kremlin source also said the rebels who ousted Assad in a lightning offensive "guaranteed the security of Russian army bases and diplomatic institutions on Syria's territory" - AFP

Russia has handed over the remains of Ukrainian “prisoners of war” allegedly killed when an Il-76 crashed in January, but Ukraine will carry out further investigation to positively identify them.

Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova stated that Moscow has handed over the bodies of the “prisoners of war,” allegedly killed during the crash of an Il-76 plane in Belgorod in January this year, to Ukraine. She made the assertion in an interview with Moscow’s state news agency RIA Novosti on Monday although she did not confirm when the transfer was made.

“They have been handed over. This has already happened, and I was present at the time,” Moskalkova said.

Ukraine’s President urged German opposition leader Friedrich Merz to advocate for more robust support for Ukraine to defend itself against the continuing Russian onslaught.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged German opposition leader Friedrich Merz to advocate for more robust support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia, as reported by AFP.

The meeting took place as Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), visited Kyiv on Monday, Dec. 9, ahead of Germany’s February elections, where he currently leads in the opinion polls.

To date, only Russian state media has reported that the former Syrian president and his family have sought refuge in Moscow, with the man himself nowhere to be seen.

Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family have reportedly been granted asylum in Moscow following his ousting, according to Russian state media TASS on Sunday evening.

TASS, citing “a source in the Kremlin,” said Russia had granted asylum for the Assad family out of “humanitarian considerations.”

What European media are saying about the defeat of the Assad regime in Syria.

The regime of Bashar Assad, whose family ruled Syria for more than four decades, has been toppled in a matter of just a few days. Armed opposition groups took power in Damascus on Sunday and opened the regime's prisons. According to information from Moscow, Assad has fled to Russia. Commentators assess Syria's prospects in the new constellation.

Glimmer of hope

Merkel was a disaster and not only for Germany.

For 16 years, from 2005 to 2021, Angela Merkel was Chancellor or Prime Minister of Germany. She was the most powerful politician in Europe, widely popular and respected. Her boring 700-page memoirs have just been published in 30 languages and, after reading them, we are all struggling to figure out what she was really all about. The answer is as revealing as it is depressing.

Her book has received many reviews, most of which are negative for good reasons. One of them has the fitting title: “Has Angela Merkel No Shame?” Obviously not. Apart from admitting minor protocol errors, she tries to tell us that she was pretty much perfect, even though we can now see the result of her policies.

Pro-European, anti-Russian, protests continue in Georgia.

Thousands of pro-Europe protesters rallied Sunday in Georgia against the government's decision to shelve European Union accession talks, marking the 11th consecutive day of demonstrations amid a post-election crisis.

The country's pro-Western opposition and the president rejected the ruling Georgian Dream party's claimed victory in Oct. 26 parliamentary polls and tens of thousands had taken to the streets against alleged electoral fraud.

Is Zelensky Winning Trump Over?

As the leader of a country embattled now for almost three years in an intensive war with Russia, and for over ten years in a simmering military struggle with its rapacious neighbor, President Volodymyr Zelensky has shown considerable ingenuity and courage in an increasingly difficult situation.

Not only is the situation on the front lines in the east increasingly worrisome and Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s cities and vital infrastructure intensifying, but the scope and continuity of support from Ukraine’s Western supporters hard to predict.

Merz has previously advocated for Berlin to provide Ukraine with more advanced weaponry, including urging Scholz to approve the delivery of the long-range Taurus missile system.

Germany's conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz on Monday visited war-torn Ukraine, where he was expected to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Merz, who is leading in opinion polls ahead of Germann elections in February, visited Kyiv one week after centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz went there.

According to the SBU, the engagements resulted in casualties and significant damage to Russian helicopters, which now require major repairs.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out a special operation in Kerch Bay early on Dec. 6, during which Sea Baby naval unmanned surface vessels (USVs) engaged Russian airplanes and helicopters in combat.

The SBU shared video footage of the operation via Telegram. Kyiv Post has not independently verified the time or location of the video.

The lightning speed at which the rebels, dominated by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, took Aleppo and then the country stunned the whole world.

It took just 11 days for Syrian rebels to force Bashar al-Assad to flee the country and impose a new revision of the strategic map in the Middle East.

The Syrian strongman had for nearly 14 years held off an uprising that many believed had been exhausted. But his downfall followed a series of battlefield convulsions for other allies of Iran.

Assad’s ouster has sparked reactions worldwide, with Zelensky and his cabinet framing the fall as a cautionary tale for authoritarian leaders relying on Russian support.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Sunday that the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria demonstrates that Russia and its allies are not invincible, drawing parallels to Ukraine’s ongoing war against Moscow’s forces.

“The events in Syria have made the world realize once again, or at least they should, that even the most cruel regime may fall and that Russia and its allies can be defeated,” Tusk wrote on social media platform X.

According to Kyiv Post intel sources, Israel is ramping up forces on its Syrian border, readying for a ground operation as Assad’s regime collapses, with air and missile strikes already underway.

Israel has deployed troops along its border with Syria and is preparing for a ground operation, according to sources within the Kyiv Post’s intelligence community, who wished to remain anonymous.

Following news of the fall of Assad’s regime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the country’s withdrawal from the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria. He said that the overthrow of Assad is a historic event and that Israel will not allow “any hostile force to establish itself on our border.”

Trump, in an interview aired Sunday but recorded before the Saturday meeting with Zelensky, said his incoming administration would reduce aid to Ukraine.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said Kyiv needed an "enduring" peace to protect it from Russia, after talks in Paris with US President-elect Donald Trump, who warned he would "probably" reduce aid to Ukraine.

Trump had earlier said Zelensky was keen for a "deal" and called for negotiations to start.

Tehran insists that increased Western sanctions against Iran because it had allegedly transferred ballistic missiles to Russia are without foundation – despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Two weeks ago, Tehran condemned the imposition of Western sanctions on a number of its state-owned shipping entities, citing allegations by the UK and EU member states that it had transferred ballistic missiles to Russia in support of its war in Ukraine as “baseless and fake.”

The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken first made the allegation on Sept. 9, after which the EU and the UK widened its financial sanctions against Iran, targeting its ports and vessels involved in the transfer of Iranian technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), tactical short-range missiles, long-range projectiles, and their components.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• The rapid collapse of the Assad regime in Syria – a regime that the Kremlin helped prop up since 2015 – is a strategic political defeat for Moscow and has thrown the Kremlin into a crisis as it seeks to retain its strategic military basing in Syria.
• The Kremlin reportedly secured an agreement on December 8 with unspecified Syrian opposition leaders to ensure the security of Russian military bases in Syria, but the contours of this arrangement and its longevity remain unclear given the volatile and rapidly evolving political situation on the ground in Syria.
• ISW has collected strong indicators that Russia has been setting conditions to evacuate its military assets from Syria and that Russian military basing is not secure. Even if Russia maintains some or all of its bases in Syria, it is a major geopolitical loss for Moscow, as Russia’s continued basing in Syria will be at the mercy of Syrian opposition groups that the Kremlin previously used to call terrorists.
• The loss of Russian bases in Syria will have major implications for Russia’s global military footprint and ability to operate in Africa.
• Russian ultranationalist milbloggers – many of whom fought in or covered the Syrian war – are upset about the fall of the Assad regime, criticizing it as yet another failure of Russian foreign policy to exert and maintain influence in areas of strategic importance.
• The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced on December 7 an additional military aid package for Ukraine worth $988 million.
• Russian authorities detained alleged terrorists in the Republic of Dagestan on December 7 amid growing Russian milblogger claims that the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al Assad's regime in Syria will foster terrorism in Russia.
• Russian forces recently advanced in Kursk Oblast and the Pokrovsk and Vuhledar directions.
• One of Russia's largest microchip manufacturers has reportedly begun bankruptcy proceedings.