Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 12-13-2024

The Ukrainian military has shared the official tally of chemical weapons casualties from the last three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion, including victims of internationally banned substances.

More than 2,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been hospitalized due to chemical weapons poisoning caused by substances deployed by Russian forces Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At least three people have died. 

Artem Vlasiuk, Chief of the Environmental Safety and Civil Protection Division within the Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defense Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, announced the tallies during a briefing on Friday, as reported by Ukrinform.

German officials have repeatedly voiced alarm about the threat of Russian spying

German authorities said Friday that unidentified drones had been spotted flying over sensitive military and industrial sites including the US Ramstein airbase.

The reports come after German officials have repeatedly voiced alarm about the threat of Russian spying as the Ukraine war heightens tensions between Moscow and NATO.

Ukrainian survivors of war-time sexual violence demand justice through an open letter to the UN, pushing for Russia’s inclusion on the ‘list of shame’ for war crimes related to CRSV.

Hundreds if not thousands of Ukrainians have suffered conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) as a result of Russia’s invasion – and are now seeking justice.

Ukrainian survivors of CRSV, a war crime that leaves deep scars on both individuals and society, have written an open letter to the United Nations seeking accountability for the crimes perpetrated against them by Russians throughout the war. 

Kyiv Post obtained footage of Russia’s evacuation from Syria’s Khmeimim base, showing locals mocking departing troops –highlighting shifting dynamics after Assad’s fall.

In video obtained by Kyiv Post, one man waves a removed shoe, a gesture symbolizing disrespect in Arab culture, while also showing a middle finger to an evacuating Russian convoy—another clear sign of disdain.

Since the fall of the Assad regime in Damascus, the Russian military has been rapidly evacuating Syria.

Authorities in several EU countries – including Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – have reported uncovering plots masterminded by the Kremlin in recent months.

European Union foreign ministers meeting Monday will impose sanctions on Russian intelligence agents over “hybrid” attacks against the bloc, diplomats said Friday.

The EU and NATO have accused Moscow of being behind a spate of incidents aimed at destabilizing the West, as the two sides are at loggerheads over the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.

The US Secretary of State has initiated an unscheduled visit to Jordan and Turkey, where the discussions have focused on how to shape Syria’s future now that Assad is gone.

The US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken traveled to Aqaba in Jordan and Ankara in Turkey on Thursday and Friday in an effort to ensure a unified approach from Middle East leaders to support a peaceful political transition in Syria. This was his 12th trip to the region since Israel’s war against Hamas began last year but the first since Syrian President Bashar Assad was deposed.

On Dec. 12 he met in Jordan with King Abdullah and senior government officials, where he focused on continuing the strategic partnership with the kingdom. Blinken underlined the US intention to provide support to safeguard the stability of Syria’s neighbors as Syria hopefully transitions to an accountable and representative government after the fall of Assad.

The North Koreans have posed as remote IT workers and sent their wages – sometimes alongside gains from blackmailing companies – to fund Pyongyang’s arms programs, US officials said.

US authorities have identified and indicted 14 North Koreans posing as remote IT workers for US firms, who funneled their wages – sometimes with extortions from blackmailing firms – to Pyongyang.

Ashley T. Johnson, an FBI official involved in the investigation, said at a news conference that the scheme involved thousands of IT workers and amounted to $88 million of funding for Pyongyang’s arms programs over multiple years.

Former Navy SEAL Chuck Pfarrer analyzes Ukraine’s precision strike on Russia’s Khalino Air Base

The warehouse reportedly belonged to a Russian company that provided essential support to many key Russian industries through the supply of energy infrastructure and explosion-proof equipment.

A large-scale fire broke out in a warehouse in Novosibirsk, Russia, as a result of which an important Russian strategic facility burned down, as reported by Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Defense Council of Ukraine.

He published a video on Telegram, that reportedly showed that the Russian warehouse, which was a military facility, had burned down.

Russia claimed its massive Dec. 13 attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure was retaliation for a Ukrainian ATACMS strike on a military airfield near Taganrog.

The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that the massive attack on Ukraine in the early hours of Friday, Dec 13, was a response to Ukraine’s ATACMS strike on a military airfield in Taganrog, some 100 kilometers east of Mariupol, in Russia’s Rostov region.

“On Dec 11, 2024, six ATACMS operational-tactical missiles, manufactured in the United States, were launched from Ukrainian territory at a military airfield near the city of Taganrog,” the Russian Defense Ministry stated in its report.

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

After days of relative calm, a massive Russian missile and drone attack hit Ukraine in the nighttime and early morning hours of Friday. In total, almost 100 missiles and about 200 drones were launched. President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was one of the largest-ever attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector. (One estimate pegged the Kremlin’s cost of the attack at $1-billion). Power installations far as Lviv and Ternopil in western Ukraine were hit - just as a brutal cold snap hits. Ukrainian officials claimed about 160 missiles and drones were intercepted but the damage is clearly widespread. At around noon, the UN’s International Atomic and Energy Agency said that five out of Ukraine’s nine nuclear power plants have “reduced power output” due to the morning Russian missiles and drone attacks‬. Because of the attacks, power outages of at least ten hours are planned for various regions of Ukraine. Maxim Timchenko, the head of the major private power provider DTEK said: “Right now, multiple DTEK teams are urgently assessing damage to our power stations and deploying all possible resources to restoring power for the people of Ukraine.” The overnight temperature in Kyiv is forecast to drop to -8 to -10C and a high of just -3C tomorrow. Elsewhere, the mercury is expected to plunge to as low as -15C. The Russian strikes were clearly timed to maximize the pain for civilians ‬

The outlines of President-elect Donald Trump’s initial efforts to end the war in Ukraine are starting to emerge for the first time. The main takeaway: Europe would have to shoulder most of the burden of supporting Kyiv with troops to oversee a cease-fire and weapons to deter Russia. At a meeting in Paris on Dec. 7, Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron that he doesn’t support Ukrainian membership in NATO, but that he wanted to see a strong, well-armed Ukraine emerge from any cessation of hostilities. - WSJ

The city, which has been the scene of months of intense fighting, remains one of Ukraine’s few remaining strongholds against Russian offensives in the Donetsk region.

Russia has advanced within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub for Kyiv’s troops in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to open-source satellite imagery.

A battlefield map compiled by the DeepState social media site from satellite imagery and battlefield footage, shows Moscow’s troops making marginal but steady gains south of Pokrovsk, having taken over Shevcheko, a rural settlement roughly 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the city, over the last week.

In Crimea, Russians detained and beat two railway workers, accusing them of collaborating with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Ukrainian partisan movement reports.

On the temporarily occupied Crimean Peninsula, Russia is oppressing railway workers, the Ukrainian partisan movement Atesh reported on Friday, Dec 13.

In Simferopol, Russian security forces detained two residents, beat them, and accused them of collaborating with the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

Trump said in an interview published Thursday that he disagreed "very vehemently" with Ukraine’s use of American-supplied missiles to strike Russian territory.

The Kremlin said Friday that US President-elect Donald Trump's opposition to Ukraine firing US-supplied weapons deep into Russia "fully aligned" with Moscow's position.

Trump said in an interview published Thursday that he disagreed "very vehemently" with Ukraine's use of American-supplied missiles to strike Russian territory.

Ukrainian steel production could plummet from a projected 7.5 million tons to as low as 2-3 million tons annually if control over the mine is permanently lost.

The Russian military’s offensive near Pokrovsk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region has forced the suspension of coal operations at a critical mine run by Metinvest, Ukraine’s largest private company.

The mine, located in the village of Pishchane, has ceased work due to escalating shelling and safety concerns, prompting the evacuation of staff and their families, the company announced.

"Not just yet today," Andriy Yermak said when asked whether Ukraine was ready to embark on talks.

Ukraine is not yet ready to start peace talks with Russia as it lacks the wagering power given by weapons, international status and security guarantees, said the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff on Thursday.

Andriy Yermak's comments come as President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly considers the possibility of a negotiated settlement to the war with Russia, launched by Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

According to Zelensky, Russian forces also used nearly 200 drones in this attack.

[Updated at 12:27]: The Ukrainian Air Force clarified that 81 missiles were shot down out of the 94 launched.

“From 14:00 on Dec. 12 to 10:00 on Dec. 13, 2024, the enemy carried out a combined air attack on Ukraine using various types of missiles and strike drones,” the message said.

The emergency measure was proposed by Prime Minister Dorin Recean in response to Ukraine’s announcement of plans to halt the transit of Russian gas starting Jan. 1, 2025.

Moldova’s Parliament has voted to impose a state of emergency in the energy sector for 60 days, starting on Monday, Dec. 16. The decision, made early on Friday, Dec. 13, was supported by 56 out of 101 deputies, according to ProTV.

The emergency measure was proposed by Prime Minister Dorin Recean in response to Ukraine's announcement of plans to halt the transit of Russian gas starting Jan. 1, 2025.

What European media are saying about two more EU countries being given accession to the Schengen zone.

Romania and Bulgaria are set to become full members of the Schengen Area as of 1 Jan. 1, 2025. Austria has given up its opposition and the EU interior ministers gave the green light for the accession of both countries today, Thursday. Currently, for Romanians and Bulgarians freedom of travel only applies for air travel. Commentators debate the significance of this step.

An important signal to Russia

Austria’s Kleine Zeitung welcomes the enlargement:

The package includes ammunition for precision HIMARS rocket launchers, artillery ammunition, drones, armored vehicles, and equipment to protect against chemical and nuclear attacks.

The United States on Thursday announced a new $500 million package of military aid for Ukraine, as Washington races to bolster Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

"The United States is providing another significant package of urgently needed weapons and equipment to our Ukrainian partners as they defend against Russia's ongoing attacks," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, with the aid to be drawn from US military stockpiles.

Energy Minister says, “Energy sector across Ukraine under massive attack,” while Ukrenergo extends scheduled power outages.

Russian forces launched a massive missile attack on Ukraine, targeting its energy infrastructure, with Poland responding by scrambling military jets amid the ongoing assault on Friday, Dec.13.

The missile attack followed a prolonged assault by Shahed drones. After a brief pause, on Thursday, Dec. 12, Russia resumed Shahed drone strikes on Ukrainian regions, the first in two days.

EBRD wants to create insurance protection for domestic cargo, motor vehicle damage, and railway rolling stock since the internal financial market does not cover these categories.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and leading professional services firm Aon are launching a new bank guarantee designed to reinsurance capacity to private-sector insurers in Ukraine. The plan should cover internal domestic cargo, motor vehicle damage and railway rolling stock.

The insurance was launched as a tool for the new €110 million Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction Guarantee Facility.

Montenegro’s President Milatović backs Ukraine’s NATO membership but leaves open whether an invite should be immediate or tied to peace talks with Russia; More talks expected at NATO’s next summit.

President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović believes that every nation has the right to choose its future, and that Ukraine will eventually become a member of NATO.

Although Milatović stated that his country supports Ukraine’s NATO membership, he did not clarify whether an invitation should be immediate or contingent on peace talks with Russia.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russia has reportedly reached an agreement with select elements of the Syrian opposition about control over Russian military bases in Syria, but it remains unclear if the alleged agreement ensures the security of Russia's bases in Syria in the long-term.
• Russia is reportedly moving four ships from Russian ports to Syria, possibly to facilitate evacuations — further demonstrating the Kremlin's current cautious response to the developing situation in Syria.
• Ukrainian officials denied Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's claim that Ukraine rejected his offer to mediate a Christmas ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner of war (POW) exchange with Russia.
• People's Republic of China (PRC) President Xi Jinping continues to provide Kremlin officials with a platform from which to articulate their uncompromising demands on Ukrainian sovereignty.
• India continues to preserve and enhance its economic relations with Russia despite recent efforts to reduce its reliance on Russia as a security partner.
• Russian authorities are set to equate the violation of Russian censorship laws with extremism and terrorism, furthering the Kremlin's effort to establish a pseudo-state ideology.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded the Russian “Golden Star” Medal to a military correspondent for the first time since World War II as the Kremlin continues to use state awards to co-opt milbloggers and gain control over the Russian information space.
• Actors affiliated with Ukraine’s Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) likely assassinated the Deputy General Designer and Functional Software Department Head of the Russian Rosatom-owned “Mars” design bureau Mikhail Shatsky in Russia on December 12.
• Russian forces recently advanced in the main Ukrainian salient in Kursk Oblast and in the Chasiv Yar, Pokrovsk, and Kurakhove directions.
• Ukrainian forces recently regained lost positions near Svatove.
• The Russian military command's efforts to ensure operational security amongst Russian forces continue to draw ire from select milbloggers, who derided these efforts as disruptive overreach.