Tuesday, December 3

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian servicemen of the mobile air defense unit fire a machine gun at Russian drones during night patrol on Dec. 2, 2024 in Chernihiv Oblast. Armed with portable anti-aircraft complexes and machine guns of various systems, servicemen from the mobile anti-aircraft fire groups are on round-the-clock duty to protect the airspace over Chernihiv Oblast from attacks by Russian drones. (Maksym Kishka/Suspilne Ukraine / JSC “UA:PBC” / Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Ukraine’s military lacks strength to retake some occupied territories, diplomacy needed, Zelensky says. “Our army lacks the strength to do that. That is true,” President Volodymyr Zelensky told Kyodo News regarding the liberation of territories held by Russia since 2014, including Crimea.

Russian drone attack on Ternopil damages energy infrastructure. An overnight Russian drone attack on Ternopil on Dec. 3 damaged energy infrastructure in the city, Mayor Serhiy Nadal said.

Zelensky, Scholz meet in Kyiv as Germany unveils military aid. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Ukraine’s capital for the first time since June 2022, promising to announce the delivery of 650 million euros ($680 million) worth of arms to be supplied this December.

Some North Korean troops fighting on Russia’s side killed, Zelensky says. Some of the North Korean soldiers deployed to fight for Russia have already been killed, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Kyodo News on Dec. 1 without revealing their numbers.

‘We need to move faster,’ Zelensky announces personnel changes in Ukrainian Armed Forces. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement follows General Mykhailo Drapatyi’s appointment as Ukraine’s Ground Forces commander.

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‘This does not strengthen Ukraine,’ Zelensky on Scholz’s call with Putin. Separate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin do not strengthen Ukraine and may lead to improving his standing, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 2 during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Russia trained 300,000 reserve soldiers for war in Ukraine, Russian defense official claims. “Seven companies of instructors and eight training companies for specialists… have trained over 300,000 service members,” said Ivan Buvaltsev, the head of the training department at the Armed Forces.

Zelensky disputes media reports of 80,000 Ukrainian military casualties. “Recently, some in, I believe, the American press reported that 80,000 Ukrainians had been killed. I want to tell you that, no, (the number of those killed is) less, much less,” Zelensky said, while refusing to provide a detailed number of casualties.

Russia fired at least 60 North Korean missiles against Ukraine, military intelligence says. “Their accuracy, in principle, is not very high. We understand that the technologies by which they were manufactured are outdated,” Andrii Cherniak, a military intelligence spokesperson, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Russian presidential administration holds seminar for regional officials to discuss ‘victory’s image’ in war. Russian presidential administration last week held a seminar for vice-governors to discuss an “image of victory” in the war against Ukraine, the Russian pro-regime Kommersant news outlet reported on Dec. 2, citing its undisclosed source.

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Ukraine war latest: Scholz visits Kyiv for first time since June 2022, pledges $680 million in military support

“I would like to make it clear here on the ground that Germany will remain Ukraine’s strongest supporter in Europe,” Scholz said upon his arrival on Dec. 2, promising additional arms supplies worth 650 million euros ($680 million) in December.

Photo: Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images

‘Destroying us little by little:’ Ukrainian troops worried about fate of Kursk operation

The Kursk operation — the first time Russia was invaded by another country’s army since WWII — kicked off three months before U.S. presidential elections. Ukraine’s grip on Russian territory has given it leverage in potential negotiations.

Photo: Fermin Torrano/Anadolu via Getty Images

We see that Russian economy is in a very dire state, EU top diplomat Kallas says

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s new top diplomat, was in Kyiv on her first day in office on Dec. 1. In an exclusive interview, Kallas told the Kyiv Independent that “the EU is the biggest investor in the Ukrainian defense industry.”

Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Russia-friendly candidates surge in Romania’s elections, a worrying signal for Ukraine

Anti-NATO and Russia-admiring independent candidate Calin Georgescu came in first during the initial round of the presidential vote on Nov. 24, with nearly 23%, a shock result that contradicted previous polling.

Photo: Daniel Mihailescu / AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 4, injure 23 over past day. Russian forces launched 110 Shahed-type drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles against Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said. Fifty-two were shot down, 50 were lost across Ukraine thanks to electronic warfare countermeasures, and six flew to Belarus and Russia, according to the statement.

International response

US announces $725 million military aid package for Ukraine. The package will include Stinger missiles, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, drones, and landmines, among other equipment.

NATO unlikely to issue membership invite to Ukraine at upcoming meeting, Reuters reports. NATO countries will likely sidestep Ukraine’s call to provide the embattled country with an invitation into the military alliance during the upcoming NATO Foreign Ministerial Meeting on Dec. 3-4, Reuters reported, citing multiple diplomats.

France, UK discuss deploying troops to Ukraine for ceasefire monitoring, sources tell RFE/RL. The official, who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly, noted that these discussions happen in individual capitals, not within NATO.

Szijjarto meets Lavrov in Moscow, calls on Ukraine, Russia to sit down at ‘negotiating table.’ “The past thousand days have proven conclusively that the war in Ukraine cannot be resolved on the battlefield, and therefore the solution must be sought at the negotiating table,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

In other news

Kyiv denounces violence against Georgian protesters; Moscow compares pro-EU rally to Orange Revolution. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry condemned on Dec. 2 the violent crackdown by Georgian authorities against pro-EU protesters, saying the government’s steps demonstrate a “turn toward Moscow.”

Georgian opposition leader briefly detained amid crackdown on pro-EU rally. Over 220 protesters have been detained over the past few days, the country’s Interior Ministry said. This included several journalists and Zurab Japaridze, leader of the opposition Girchi – More Freedom party, who was detained on Dec. 2 before being released the same day.

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