December Stalemate – Russian Invasion of Ukraine DOCUMENTARY

Putin’s brutal and unprovoked invasionof Ukraine continued in December, but the month has not brought anysignificant changes on the battlefield. The grinding pace of the war continues,as neither side has managed a considerable breakthrough in the first half of the month. Themost descriptive picture of the current situation on the battlefield is the battle of Bakhmut,where WWI-style trench warfare is going on, causing massive casualties, as Russians tryto make gains in Donbas while Ukrainians are defending amidst heavy pressure. Welcometo another video on the war in Ukraine, in which we will discuss thebattlefield situation and much more. Thankfully war isn’t as common a thing todayas in the past, since back in the day rulers.

Would routinely use war as their route topower. This was almost always men, warlords, who usually created men-only inheritance systemsfor when thrones weren’t decided in battle. But that makes the exceptions to these rules all themore worthy of investigation, which brings us to the sponsor of this video MagellanTV, who hostthe series She-Wolves, England’s Early Queens. This series focuses on women who managed to riseabove the warlords and become ruler of England, overcoming the rules and their rivals. Howdid they manage that? Well obviously there was something special about them that beat the odds,so go give this series a watch to see what it was. Aside from that, you’ll find the biggest and bestcollection of other history content on MagellanTV, focusing on the drama of real life andreal people taking part in historic events,.

All done with extremely good quality for the lowprice of entry, and with good results – it's the highest rated documentary streaming app ongoogle play. More than twenty hours of new content is added weekly, 4K options never costextra, and there is not a single ad to be seen. You can actually get a free trial right now ifyou use our special link in the description, so you might as well give it a go. As usual, let’s start by describing thesituation on different fronts. There have not been any significant developmentson the Kherson front since the Russian withdrawal from the right bankof Dnipro earlier in November. The most notable update came on December3, when the Carlson Special Unit of the.

Ukrainian army raised the Ukrainian flag in anunspecified location on the left bank of Dnipro. At this point, it does not look like thisoperation led to any major consequences, as nothing has been reported about this flag-raisingsince then, which indicates that it may have been a one-off operation to taunt Russians orraise Ukrainian morale without significant tactical and strategic results. So, for now, thesituation on the Kherson front remains unchanged. The situation on the North Luhansk front alsoremained largely stable in the first half of December. Heavy battles were reported in andaround Novoselivske, Stelmakhivka, Ploschanka, Chervonopopivka, Bilohorivka[GI1], Spirne,and Kreminna. Ukraine is still trying to break through the Russian defenses bolstered bythe mobilized forces to take Svatove and advance.

On Starobilsk to potentially liberate the occupiedarea north of the city of Luhansk. But videos from this area indicated that the terrain is stillmuddy, complicating armored vehicles' movement. The Donbas front from Soledar in the Northand Mariinka in the South remained the most active part of the battlefield in Ukraine.Throughout the first half of December, heavy battles occurred in and around Soledar,Yakovlivka, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Opytne[GI2] , Klishiivka, Andriivka, Kurdyumivka, Bilohorivka,Berestove, Krasnohorivka, Vesele, Vodyane, Pervomaiske, Nevelske, Novomykhailivka, Mayorsk,Pidhorne, Mariinka, and other towns and villages. These are the same names we have been hearingover the past several months. Wagner units, elements of the 1st and 2nd Russian Army Corps,the 6th regiment of the LPR separatist force,.

Sparta and Somalia battalions of the DPR have beentrying to advance on this heavily fortified line. Their movements indicate that they are trying toencircle Bakhmut and Avdiivka. But this Russian force, estimated to be almost 40k strong, hasfailed to achieve a decisive breakthrough so far. They managed small advances in different partsof this front. For instance, on December 13-15, Wagner units entered the outskirts of Bakhmut, butthe Ukrainian defense stood tall in this brutal WWI-style trench warfare. Wagner groups are oftenthe forward units of Russian frontal assaults, as Prigozhin tries to demonstrate that he is abetter commander than the generals of the Russian army and earn additional political points. Sincethe bulk of Wagner forces comprises convicts, who have practically no rights, it is easier to pushthem toward Ukrainian trenches and strongholds..

When Russians try to avoid frontal assaults andattempt to bypass urban settlements, they still cannot avoid Ukrainian strongholds, since thereare so many of them on this front, some of which were created at the start of the war in Donbasin 2014. The strategic purpose of the Russian Donbas offensive still puzzles many militarycommentators. The attempts to take Avdiivka, Pervomaiske, and other towns in the vicinity ofDonetsk are to push the frontline further away from Donetsk and protect it from being shelled.The purpose of capturing Bakhmut was initially part of the strategy to advance Sloviansk andKramatorsk eventually, but the liberation of Izium and Lyman made the pincer movement on thesecities impossible, which seems like the offensive strategy that the Russians had. Despite this,Russians still continue offensive operations.

On this frontline, possibly to regain momentumand strategic initiative and for a political aim to capture the Ukrainian-controlled areas ofthe Donetsk oblast and propagate it as a win to the internal audience. Battles in Donbasforced Ukrainians to dedicate more troops to defense in this area, preventing them frombeing used in North Luhansk or Zaporizhia. But as we said in our previous video, Russia’slosses on the Donbas front are simply inadequate to the meager advance they have achieved.The stalemate on the Zaporizhian front persisted too. Russians tried to break throughtowards Velyka Novosilka, but were repelled. There was a notable HIMARS strike on Melitopolon December 11, Zaporizhia’s key logistical hub crucial for supplying Crimea. The Ukrainiancommand later stated that the entire command of.

The 58th Russian army was in a restaurant, whichwas hit. The number of casualties is unknown, but the Russian social media reaction to thisstrike showed that it was rather painful. Ukraine has previously used the tactic of bleedingout the Russian military infrastructure through precision strikes before launching an offensivein Kherson and Kharkiv. This may indicate that Ukraine is indeed planning to attack on theZaporizhian front, with Melitopol, Tokmak, Berdiansk, and Mariupol being their primarytargets of advance, and is preparing for this attack by targeting Russian military assets.Information about the deployment of additional Ukrainian troops to this front, which theRussian artillery has constantly been targeting, also indicates that Ukraine is indeed planningto counter-attack on the Zaporizhian front..

Negotiations about the demilitarization of theZaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant continued as well. The chief of the Int. Atomic Energy AgencyRafael Grossi stated on December 2 that he hoped for an agreement on the power plant’sdemilitarization by the end of the year. The director of the Russian nuclear energy agencyRosatom, Alexei Likhachev, confirmed negotiations on ensuring the safety of the Power Plant. Theprominent Russian independent media outlet Meduza cited its sources in the Kremlin on December2, stating that Russia is preparing to withdraw from the Power Plant in exchange for guaranteesof uninterrupted oil supply through the Druzhba pipeline, which connects Russia to the Europeanmarket via Ukraine. On the same day, Ukrainian intelligence claimed that Russia had withdrawnsome of its personnel from the Power Plant..

Despite the denial of the Russian foreignministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova that Russia is planning to withdraw, on December13, French president Macron reiterated that the issue of militarization of the Power Plantmight be resolved in the upcoming weeks. For now, temperatures in Ukraine have not stablydropped below zero, and the muddy terrain prevents armored maneuvers. The Ukrainian Armed ForcesEastern Group spokesperson, Serhii Cherevatyi, implied that Ukraine is expecting a frozen groundfor its winter operations and is preparing its armored vehicles for these operations. PreviouslyUkrainian representatives have stated that Ukraine cannot afford to have a long operational pause inthe winter because that would allow Russians to regroup and reinforce to push for anotheroffensive. The weather will mostly drop.

Below-zero temperatures in early January, when weexpect major offensive operations to accelerate. In his interview on December 15, the UkrainianCommander in Chief General Zaluzhny stated that Ukraine is planning a major operation thatwill be launched soon. While Zaluzhny, said that Ukraine did not need another wave of mobilization,according to him, Ukraine would need 300 tanks, 700 infantry fighting vehicles, and 500 howitzersto get back to the pre-24 February status quo. He also claimed that Russia is preparing200k fresh troops with 1.2-1.5 million people in reserve. Zaluzhny has a differentopinion on the Russian mobilization effort: “The Russian mobilization has worked. It is nottrue that their problems are so horrible that these people will not fight. They willfight. The Tsar has told them to fight,.

And they will fight. Perhaps they are not equippedwell enough, but they still constitute a problem for us”. Zaluzhny stated that Ukraine needs toprepare for battles in the first quarter of 2023, as he believed Russia would again target thecapital Kyiv. It is important to understand that this interview was mainly for theinternational audience, so presenting the Russian force as stronger was in line with theUkrainian hope of getting more military aid. Concerning the situation to the north of Kyiv,it is notable that Belarus conducted unscheduled combat readiness drills on December 13 underorders from Lukashenka. Around the same time, it was reported that dozens of Russian vehicles,including T-80 tanks, had been brought close to the Ukraine-Belarus border. While there is noconsensus in the Ukrainian leadership with regards.

To another attack on Ukraine from Belarus, theofficial of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence (GUR), Vadym Skibitsky, stated that there areno signs of the creation of a strike group in Belarus, developments in Belarus are extremelyimportant to monitor. At the very least, Russia will try to fix Ukrainian forces on their northernborder. Still, there is also a possibility that Russia will decide to attack Kyiv once again.It is pretty clear that both sides are preparing for the war to continue well into 2023, atleast. Ukraine has momentum and demands the complete withdrawal of all Russian forces fromits territories, including Crimea, which is a non-starter for Putin at the moment. Arguably,Russia would be content with freezing the conflict to regroup and prepare for another attack, whichis something Ukraine desperately wants to avoid..

This position is supported by NATO Sec-GenStoltenberg’s statement to the Financial Times, where he argued that Russia intends to freezethe war in Ukraine “at least for a short period so they can regroup, repair, recover… and thentry to launch a bigger offensive next spring”. On December 2, Putin called the German ChancellorScholz, complaining that the Western financial and military support to Ukraine prolongs the conflictand enables Kyiv to reject talks. At this point, it looks like Russian demands from Ukraine are therecognition of Russia’s annexation of its lands. This has been reiterated both by foreignminister Lavrov and Putin’s spokesperson Peskov in December. Ukraine has no intentionto agree to these demands as a pre-condition of talks with Russia. As the West continuessupporting Ukraine, it is doubtful that Ukraine.

Will enter Moscow-dictated negotiations.In a joint press conference on December 1, Biden and Macron stated their commitmentto continue supporting Ukraine. Biden also indicated that he was ready to talk with Putinif he genuinely looked to end the war. Notably, the United States and Russia continue theircontacts, as, on December 9, diplomats from the two countries met to discuss “difficult questions”causing problems for bilateral relations. Another significant diplomatic development wasthe EU decision to place a price cap on Russian oil at 60 dollars on December 5. According toFinancial Times, this caused a jam of Russian oil tankers on the Dardanelles since Turkeybanned the entrance of vessels without insurance, which Russian ships have not been able to getdue to sanctions. In the foreseeable future,.

We will see how much of an economic impactthe oil price cap will have on Russia. In this period, Russia continued usingkamikaze drones and cruise missiles against the critical infrastructure of Ukraineto force Zelensky into negotiations. But this time, Ukraine was particularly active inharassing Russian military targets in Russia too. On December 5, an unidentified Ukrainian droneattacked the Russian military airfield in Engels, Saratov, which hosted strategic Tu-95 and Tu-160bombers capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Several aircraft were reportedly damaged in thisattack. On the same day, a fuel truck exploded at the airfield in Ryazan Oblast with threecasualties. According to the Ukrainian command, Russia retaliated with 70 missile strikeson Ukraine, 60 of which were shot down by.

The Ukrainian air defense system. Earlier theUkrainian military industry giant Ukroboronprom stated that it is working on manufacturinga UAV with a range of 1000 kilometers. Some speculated that this UAV was putto use in these attacks. On December 6, Ukraine struck a fuel storage facilities atthe Kursk airbase and in the Bryansk oblast. Ukraine is growing in confidence regardingstriking targets deep inside Russian territory. An anonymous Ukrainian government source toldFinancial Times, “The attacks are repeatable. We have no limitation on distance, and soon,we will be able to reach all targets inside Russia — including in Siberia. We know how hardit is to defend against these kinds of air attacks in Ukraine. Soon Russia will also have no safezones.” It is also notable that while earlier.

In the war, it was reported that the UnitedStates opposed Ukraine striking the Russian territory fearing escalation, now the USand other Western allies are more tolerant of these Ukrainian operations. The US Secretaryof State Blinken told reporters that the United states “have neither encouraged nor enabled theUkrainians to strike inside of Russia,” but they will continue supporting Ukraine militarily.The Times also confirmed through an unnamed US defense source that America no longer opposesUkrainian strikes on military targets in Russia. For Russia, the Ukrainian ability to attackso deeply is both concerning and embarrassing, as it shows the population that theair defense is not impregnable and that even the strategic bases can be attacked.Seemingly, Russian air defense is stretched thin..

Russia made another strike on the Ukrainianenergy infrastructure on December 7, this time using Shahed drones targeting Kyiv,Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Zhytomyr, and Zaporizhia Oblasts. On December 10, Shahid drones severelydamaged the energy infrastructure in Odesa. According to Russian sources, Russia continuesto target the critical port city of Odesa, which hosted another spontaneousprotest against blackouts on December 8. On December 14, Russia made a drone strike on theKyiv oblast. According to the Ukrainian commands, all 13 Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 drones launchedwere shot down by the Ukrainian air defense. Notably, throughout November and December, theuse of Iranian Shahed-136 drones has been limited. According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces officialYevhen Silkin, this has been not due to the lack.

Of drones but the cold weather, as the Iraniandrones are not manufactured for such weather. It was reported that Russia has been working onmodifying Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 drones to make them resistant to cold. Apparently,this modification has been completed, as Russia restarted using Iranian drones.Although the Ukrainian air force has fared better against Russian attacks, the damagecaused by it is still painful. The Ukrainian energy infrastructure continues to face heavypressure, and it is rumored that the government will be forced to increase energy prices in 2023.Ukraine’s allies continued providing military, financial, and humanitarian support during thisperiod. On December 1, the United States signed a contract with Raytheon worth 1.2 billiondollars to provide Ukraine with 6 NASAMS air.

Defense systems. The United States has alreadyprovided 2 NASAMS, and according to the Pentagon, the success rate of this air defense systemis 100% in shooting down Russian missiles. On the same day, Lithuania purchased 25k winteruniforms for the Ukrainian army. On December 2, Ukraine received the first promised Hawk airdefense systems from Spain, while France sent 4 LRU MLRS systems. France also gave Ukraine a loanof 100 million euros, along with pledging to train 2000 Ukrainian soldiers in France. Several dayslater, France supplied Ukraine with 6 TRF1 155-mm towed howitzers. It was also reported that Germanyplans to supply Ukraine with 14 unmanned ground vehicles, 7 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraftguns, 18 RCH-155 self-propelled artillery systems, 80 pickup vehicles, 3 Biber armored bridge layers,eight marine UAVs, medical supplies and vehicles,.

Anti-drone equipment and so on. Germany alsoreportedly provided Ukraine with additional IRIS-T rockets, artillery, and grenade launcherammo. Additionally, Germany has paid for two Skynex air defense systems to be manufacturedby Rheinmetall and supplied to Ukraine in 2024. On December 9, the United States announcedanother military aid package to Ukraine worth 275 million dollars, which included HIMARSand 155-mm ammunition, HMMWVs, and generators. On the same day, Reuters reported that Bulgariais planning its first military aid to Ukraine, while British Prime Minister Sunak pledged toprovide more air defense systems and missiles. On December 11, it was reported that Azerbaijansupplied Ukraine with an unspecified number of transformers, which the Russian MFAofficially condemned several days later..

According to CNN, most importantly, the UnitedStates is about to announce supplying Ukraine with Patriot air-defense rockets. Patriots wouldbe very effective in intercepting Russian missiles and would significantly help the Ukrainian airdefense protect their critical infrastructure. Last but not least, the United States is alsoplanning to supply JDAM guidance kits that convert non-precision munitions into precisionmunitions, according to the Washington Post. JDAMs can be installed on different typesof munitions and will significantly enhance the capability of the Ukrainian army tostrike Russian targets more accurately. In the first half of December, Russia continuedcooperating with Iran to purchase drones and missiles. On December 3, the Chief of Staff ofthe Iranian Army, Major General Mohammad Bagheri,.

Met with the Russian deputy defense ministerColonel General Alexander Fomin, to discuss military cooperation between the sides. Severaldays later, it was reported that Iran agreed to provide 6000 drones, mostly Shaheds, to Russia.On December 9, NBC News cited US officials stating that Russia may be supplying Iran with helicoptersand air-defense systems in exchange and discussing the potential shipment of Su-35 aircraft toIran. But according to Axios, Iran will not give Zolfaghar missiles with 700-km range to Russia,as it fears the UN sanctions, and will supply it only with Fateh-110 missiles with a 300-km range.According to the Russian media outlet Kommersant, Russia’s friendship with China is not swimmingly.Kommersant reported that China banned the supply of Loongson computer processors to Russia,which can be used in military production..

Vladimir Putin made several seemingly mutuallyexclusive remarks on using nuclear weapons during this period. At first, on December 7, duringa meeting with his Human Rights Council, Putin claimed that they were not “crazy” and that Russiawould not be the first to make a nuclear strike. But several days later, Putin remarked that hewas thinking about adding the concept of the preemptive strike to the Russian nuclear doctrine.In response, NATO chief Stoltenberg stated there is a real possibility of a major war betweenRussia and NATO. One can only hope this will never happen, as the consequences may be disastrousand apocalyptic. For now, the war is between Ukraine and Russia, as losses continue to pile upfor both sides. In early December, the Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak stated that10-13k Ukrainian soldiers had died during the war..

The open source investigation of BBCRussia and Mediazona has concluded that 10k Russian soldier deaths can be confirmed byopen source information, but not every dead soldier gets a social media post about them, sothe number is obviously much higher. Now let’s look at the count of visually confirmed equipmentlosses of both sides compiled by the Oryx blog. For Russia: 1579 tanks, 3355 vehicles, 208command posts, and communication stations, 795 artillery pieces and vehicles, 160 multiplerocket launchers, 67 aircraft, 72 helicopters, and 153 drones. For Ukraine, there are 435tanks, 1162 vehicles, eight command posts and communication stations, 191 artillery piecesand vehicles, 34 multiple rocket launchers, 55 aircraft, 27 helicopters, and 56 drones.Our series will continue in the coming weeks,.

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