December 19, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine has moved here.

The commander of Ukraine’s military has expressed his support for tougher penalties against soldiers accused of desertion or refusing to carry out missions.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander in chief of the armed forces, said on Telegram Monday that he was “forced to raise a rather difficult topic — toughening responsibility for unauthorized abandonment of a military unit or duty station, desertion, unauthorized abandonment of the battlefield, refusal to use weapons, insubordination, failure to carry out combat missions.”

Zaluzhnyi said he backed legislation adopted by the Ukrainian parliament.

Such indiscipline, he said meant that “bare frontline areas are forced to be covered by other troops. This leads to the loss of personnel, territory and civilians on them. Often lost positions have to be regained by assault, at a very, very high cost. This is not the way it should be.”

Zaluzhnyi said he recognized the problems that lead to abandonment and was working to address them.

Some context: The legislature passed a law last week on “ensuring law and order and military discipline among the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the places of deployment of military units and institutions.” It said military police would have greater powers to combat the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, alcoholism in military units, and maintain an adequate level of military discipline and law and order.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia does not plan to “absorb” Belarus, in response to a question during a press conference in Minsk on Monday with his Belarus counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. 

“Russia has no interest in absorbing anyone. It is simply not advisable today,” Putin said in response to a reporter’s question about alleged rumors that Russia wants to absorb Belarus. 

“These unscrupulous critics from the outside either do not understand what they are talking about, or talk about it on purpose, misleading people who are not immersed in it. The issue is not a takeover. The issue is the coordination of economic policy,” Putin said.

“Everything else is nonsense. These are attempts by our ill-wishers to slow down our integration process. And they do this only in order not to get effective and dangerous competitors in the world markets. That’s all,” Putin said.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that Putin claiming he does not intend to absorb anyone “has to be treated as the height of irony.”

“We’ve heard these statements from President Putin, at the same time since the earliest days of this conflict and the weeks preceding this conflict, we’ve seen the Lukashenka regime essentially cede its sovereignty, cede its independence to Russia,” Price said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attending a meeting in Minsk, Belarus, on December 19.

At the end of a visit to Minsk, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia and Belarus are working closely to mitigate the effect of western sanctions against both countries.

Speaking at a news conference with his Belarus counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin said, “Russia and Belarus are working together to overcome the illegitimate steps and sanctions against Russia and Belarus,” and were “working with great confidence in this direction.”

Putin added: “Our countries are closest allies and strategic partners.” 

He said there was joint defense planning between Russia and Belarus and that Russia “will do everything for the joint safety of our countries.”

“Such measures are necessary because of the tense situation on the outer borders of the Union state,” he said — an apparent reference to the conflict in Ukraine and possibly the fractious relationship of both countries with Poland.

Putin confirmed that Russia was currently conducting military exercises on the territory of Belarus and that Russia and Belarus were also jointly developing weaponry. 

The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier Monday, that “The final assessment of the combat capability and combat readiness of the units will be given by the command at the final stage of coordination — after the battalion tactical exercises have been conducted.’

Russian-Belarusian relations: Russian forces have been based in Belarus for much of the year. In October, the Belarus defense ministry said that 9,000 Russian troops were moving to the country as part of a “regional grouping” of forces to protect its borders. Russian combat aircraft are stationed at or frequently visit several Belarus air bases. Some of the recent cruise missile attacks on Ukraine have originated in Belarus, according to Ukrainian officials. 

Putin said that Russia remains the largest investor in Belarus, to the tune of some $4 billion.

For his part, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said that 2022 had been a record for Russian-Belarusian relations on all levels and claimed that “sanctions had a painful boomerang effect on their initiators.” 

The European Union and the United States have imposed a range of sanctions on Belarus, principally against senior officials of Lukashenko’s government as well as air travel and some exports.

“Because the collective West has reared its ugly head at us, we must coordinate our efforts,” Lukashenko said. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday the Russian military is currently conducting military exercises on the territory of Belarus as part of efforts to protect “the safety of our countries.” 

Speaking alongside Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, Putin said Russia and Belarus will continue to cooperate closely in the military sphere, and exchange and develop military equipment and weapons. 

Putin said “such measures are necessary” because of the tense situation “on the outer borders of the Union state [of Russia and Belarus].”

A critical infrastructure facility burns after a Russian drone attack early Monday morning in Kyiv.

At least two people were hurt and key infrastructure has been damaged in a Russian drone assault on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, the latest attempt by Moscow to ravage Ukraine’s power supplies.

Here are the latest developments:

A woman shops for groceries during a blackout in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on December 16.

Across Ukraine, power engineers are engaged in their daily battle to restore electricity to homes and public buildings after Russian missile and drone attacks — but they are also tackling much longer outages.

In the far north of Ukraine, the villagers of Tsirkuny in Kharkiv region have electricity for the first time since the day Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February. The regional power company said 100 consumers in the village are back online.

“As a result of hostilities, the damage to power grids and equipment here is enormous,” the company said. “Transformer substations, poles, wires are damaged. The work is also complicated by the large amount of work on demining the territory. We have already replaced two power transformers, which allowed us to supply the first consumers. Another 10 transformers need to be replaced.”

Elsewhere, more recent damage is being tackled.

Oleksandr Starukh, head of Zaporizhzhia Region Military Administration, told a briefing that the situation in the region is currently difficult. 

“Our power engineers have managed to restore the basic vital systems. People have warm radiators, water supply, the sewage system works. Electricity is supplied according to schedules,” Starukh said.

The energy crunch is exacerbated by the lack of nuclear generation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, where all six units are out of operation. “They are in partially cold and partially hot shutdown mode,” Starukh said.

The plant has been occupied by the Russians since early March. Russian-appointed officials have repeatedly declared plans to connect the plant to the Russian grid through Crimea.

Earlier Monday state electricity company Ukrenergo said that “during the whole night, enemy UAVs have been trying at breaking through to power facilities across the country.”

Several facilities had been hit, it said, with the most difficult situations in the central, eastern and Dnipro regions. 

A Ukrainian firefighter and serviceman inspect damage caused by a Russian drone outside the home of Ivan and Olha Kobzarenko.

Ivan and Olha Kobzarenko were at home in their modest rural property when they had an unexpected visitor early Monday: an Iranian-made Shahed drone.

The drone fell into their yard after being intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses as it flew towards a target in Kyiv.

The Kobzarenkos — an elderly couple — live in the Obkuhiv district, an area of farms and lakes located south of the Ukrainian capital.

Ivan, who is in his late 70’s, received facial injuries but declined to go to hospital. Olha was unhurt.

But doors, windows and the roof of their home were damaged.

Their summer kitchen, which is in a separate building, was destroyed, and their garage and car caught fire.

Olha Kobzarenko searches for her dog on Monday.

Olha was born in 1939, on the eve of another war, and seems undaunted. As she showed off the damage to visitors, she asked, “How the hell is Putin going to scare us?”  

Oleksiy Kuleba, head of Kyiv region military administration, pledged that the Kobzarenkos’ home would be repaired. 

The entire drone fell into the Kobzarenkos’ yard between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. local time, Darya Tverdokhlib, Kuleba’s spokeswoman, visited the scene and told CNN. “They are feeling ok, they are strong,” she said. “Their family [was] much more scared than Ivan and Olha.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at a press conference in Minsk, Belarus, on Monday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko avoided mentioning Ukraine in their public statements at a summit in Minsk.

In brief remarks, Putin said that Belarus was Russia’s closest ally. He expected trade between the two countries to reach a record this year, at the equivalent of $40 billion.

Lukashenko said that despite “some rough edges” Belarus and Russia, find answers to all threats; and expressed the hope that the West will “listen to the voice of reason” so a dialogue on security could resume.

Belarus’ role in the conflict: Russian forces are based in Belarus and used its territory in the initial invasion of Ukraine in February. But Lukashenko has gone to some lengths to ensure that Belarus troops do not become involved in Russia’s “special military operation.” 

Russia also has strike aircraft based in Belarus.

Lukashenko also mentioned economic relations, saying that “Thanks to joint work, Russia and Belarus managed to overcome the possible negative consequences of sanctions pressure.”

A man looks at a destroyed house near Kherson shipyards after a missile attack on Karabell Island in Kherson, Ukraine, on December 14.

Civilians in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson continue to shelter from Russian bombardment, with local officials saying that both the city and other recently liberated settlements are hit dozens of times daily.

Russian forces “shelled the territory of Kherson region 69 times” on Sunday, said Yaroslav Yanushevych, head of Kherson region military administration, adding that the attacks killed at least three people, injured six, struck a hotel and apartment buildings, and also damaged infrastructure in the region that was recaptured in November.

Heating systems and water supply impacted: Halyna Luhova, head of Kherson city military administration, gave the following updates:

“There are areas, like Antonivka, where it is impossible to restore power supply in the near future, and thousands of people are without electricity because it is impossible to get there because of constant shelling,” Luhova said.

Alla, left, and her neighbor Lyubov, right, spend an evening with candles and a flashlight in an apartment in Kherson on December 15.

A critical power infrastructure facility burns after a Russian drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday.

Ukraine continues to face attacks from Russian forces using drones and heavy artillery, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calls on European leaders to provide further military aid, including air defense systems.

Here are the latest headlines:

Ukrainian forces shot down 10 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia over Mykolaiv region on Monday, according to Vitalii Kim, head of the regional military administration.

Kim added that “Russian occupation forces attacked Ukraine with Iranian-made ‘Shahed-136’ self-detonating drones,” adding that 10 of the drones were “destroyed.”

Earlier on Monday the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that 35 drones had been fired towards Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) plenary session in Riga, Latvia, on December 19.

Any unilateral call for a ceasefire by Russia would be “completely meaningless in the current context,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday.

Sunak told the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) leaders’ summit in Riga, Latvia, that such a call from Russia would be “false.”

“Our collective resolve is clear, and we have and will continue to support Ukraine. And that is first and foremost because their security is our security,” the prime minister added.

The JEF comprises Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Monday that its forces had shot down four US-made anti-radiation missiles over a region in southern Russia bordering Ukraine, one of the first such claims to be made by Moscow since it launched the war nine months ago.

“Four American anti-radar ‘HARM’ missiles were shot down in the airspace of the Belgorod region,” said Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for Russia’s Defense Ministry, in his daily briefing.

The “HARM,” an air-to-surface, high-speed anti-radiation missile, is designed to “seek and destroy” radar-equipped air defense systems, according to the US Air Force.

Separately, on Sunday, shelling struck the Belgorod region, hitting residential and industrial buildings, according to its governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, who said that one person had died and 10 more were injured in the attacks.

“Yesterday was an extremely difficult day. There was shelling from the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” said Gladkov in a post on the messaging app Telegram on Monday.  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks via video link during a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) plenary session in Riga, Latvia, on December 19.

Ukrainian children are asking Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus, for weapons, air defense systems and victory this Christmas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday, the day the country celebrates Saint Nicholas Day.

“On Saint Nicholas Day today … Russian terrorists gave a gift to Ukrainian children with new strikes,” Zelensky said in a virtual address to the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) leaders’ summit. 

Saint Nicholas Day, or Svyatyy Mykolay Day, is celebrated in Ukraine on Dec. 19, based on the old Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. The saint’s feast day is normally celebrated on Dec. 5 or 6 in Western Christian countries.

Zelensky urged leaders from the JEF – composed of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom – to continue to support Ukraine with military aid to “speed up the movement of our armed forces towards victory.” 

“Our victory will be the victory for each of you, for Europe, for your people – a victory that the whole world, I’m sure, looks forward to,” said Zelensky. 

MIM-104 Patriot short-range anti-aircraft missile systems for defense against aircraft, cruise missiles and medium-range tactical ballistic missiles are located at Rzeszow Airport, Poland on July 24.

Ukraine would be better able to defend itself from drone and missile attacks by Russian forces if it were provided with fighter aircraft and Patriot missile defense systems, according to a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force.

Speaking on Ukrainian television on Monday following a wave of drone attacks on the country, Yurii Ihnat said that “F-15 and F-16 aircrafts could effectively fight the threats that we have today – missile attacks and attacks by Shaheds (Iranian-made drones used by Russian forces).”

Some background: Last week, CNN exclusively revealed that the US was finalizing plans to send the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine.

Ukraine has been calling for the US to send the Patriot, the US’ most advanced ground-based air defense system, which is highly effective at intercepting ballistic and cruise missiles, as it comes under a barrage of Russian attacks that have destroyed key infrastructure across the country.

It would be the most effective long-range defensive weapons system sent to Ukraine, and officials say it will help secure airspace for NATO nations in eastern Europe.

Russian forces bombarded Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region overnight using drones, Grad multiple rocket launcher systems and other heavy artillery, according to local authorities.

Nikopol was struck by more than 60 Russian shells, Valentyn Reznichenko, head of the region’s military administration, said Monday in a statement on the messaging platform Telegram. The district, which is controlled by Ukrainians, lies on the west bank of the Dnipro River, across from the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Towns and villages in the district, including Chervonohryhorivka, Myrove and Marhanets, were targeted, according to Reznichenko. There were no casualties, but civilian infrastructure and power systems were hit, leaving a path of destruction. Shelling in Chervonohryhorivka alone damaged 11 houses, six outbuildings, cars, a gas pipeline and power line, Reznichenko said. Due to the attack, a water pumping station had been “disconnected,” he added, leaving several villages cut off from any water supply.

Reznichenko added that Ukraine’s air defense had intercepted two Russian drones flying in the region.

An investigator shows the remains of a Russian suicide drone found at a site of a damaged residential house in the village of Stari Bezradychi, in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, on December 19.

The Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have shot down 30 out of 35 drones launched by Russia from Sunday night into Monday, but those that dodged air defenses damaged power systems and civilian targets.

The Iranian-made, self-detonating Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 drones were launched from the “eastern coast of the Sea of Azov,” the Air Force said in a statement on Facebook.

Many of the drones targeted Kyiv, according to the city’s military administration, which said 18 out of 23 spotted in the sky over the capital were intercepted. There were no casualties, but authorities said that one critical infrastructure facility was hit. Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said that emergency services were working to limit the consequences of the attack.

The drone attacks come after several cities in Ukraine, including the capital, were hit by Russian missile strikes on Friday that dealt a major blow to the country’s civilian infrastructure, leaving many people without light, power or heat.

Critical power infrastructure burns after a drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on December 19.

A critical infrastructure facility was damaged in a Russian drone attack in Kyiv on Monday according to a Ukrainian military commander.

Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on Telegram that Ukrainian forces shot down 18 of the 23 Iranian-made Shahed attack drones launched by Russia at the capital on Monday.

Authorities earlier said Ukrainian air defenses had shot down nine Russian drones in Kyiv.

Popko added that two districts of the capital bore the brunt of the damage. A road in Solomyanskyi district was damaged and fragments of a drone landed on a high-rise residential building in Shevchenkivskyi district.

Two people were injured in the attacks, which come after several cities in Ukraine, including Kyiv, were hit by Russian missile strikes on Friday that dealt a major blow to the country’s civilian infrastructure, leaving many people without light, power or heat.

Residents gather as a critical power infrastructure facility burns after a Russian drone attack in Kyiv on Monday.

Two people were injured and homes were damaged after Russian drones attacked Kyiv early Monday, according to the Ukrainian capital’s military administration.

Critical infrastructure facilities were also damaged, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said Monday on Telegram, adding that technicians are working to stabilize power and heat supply.

Earlier Monday, Ukrainian air defenses shot down nine Russian drones in Kyiv, according to authorities.

It comes after several cities in Ukraine, including the capital, were hit by Russian missile strikes on Friday that dealt a major blow to the country’s civilian infrastructure, leaving many people without light, power or heat.