Russia’s war on Ukraine. 12.12.2023

In the operational zone of the Ukrainian Operational-Strategic Group of Forces (OSG) “Khortytsia” on the Kupyansk direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 4 Russian attacks in the area of Synkivka and northwest of Petropavlivka. On the Lyman direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 8 enemy attacks in the areas of Spirne and Vesele. On the Bakhmut direction, Ukrainian troops repelled 14 enemy attacks in the areas of Bohdanivka, Klishchiivka, Andriivka and Pivnichne. The Ukrainian Defense Forces continue assault operations south of Bakhmut, inflicting losses on the enemy in personnel and equipment, and consolidating on the achieved positions.

In the “Tavriya” OSG operational zone on the Avdiivka direction, the Ukrainian defense forces continue to hold back the enemy, which persists in attempts to encircle Avdiivka. Ukrainian troops steadfastly maintain the defense, inflicting losses on the enemy forces. The Ukrainian Defense Forces successfully repelled 42 enemy attacks in areas east of Novobakhmutivka, Avdiivka, south of Severne, south of Tonenke, Pervomaiske and Nevelske. On the Maryinka direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continued to hold back the enemy in the areas of Maryinka, Krasnohorivka and Novomykhailivka, repelling 14 enemy attacks. On the Shakhtarsk direction, the enemy did not engage in offensive (assault) actions. On the Zaporizhzhia direction, the Ukrainian troops repelled 3 Russian attacks in the areas north of Pryiutne and west of Novopokrovka. On the Melitopol direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue active operations, inflicting losses to the Russian forces in personnel and equipment and wearing down the enemy along the entire front line.

In the operational zone of the “Odesa” OSG, on the Kherson direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to hold their positions on the left bank of the Dnipro River and to conduct counter-battery warfare and inflict damage on the enemy’s rear areas.

Russian forces continued offensive actions on the Kupyansk – Svatove – Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, Avdiivka, west and southwest of Donetsk, on the administrative border of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts, in the western part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and advanced in some sections of the front.

General conclusion:

• Russian forces are concentrating efforts to the north and west of Bakhmut.
• The Russian military command did not allocate a sufficient number of electronic warfare (EW) complexes along the front line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast to counteract Ukrainian drones.

Change in the line of contact (LoC):  

• There were 89 combat engagements on various fronts.
• On the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces have made slight advances to the southeast of Dibrova, achieved minor successes near Shyroka Bаlka, attacked in the direction of Yampolivka, and conducted offensive operations in the areas of Lyman Pershy, Novoselivske, Stelmakhivka, near Zhytlivka. They have deployed their reserves (assault units) near Synkivka, repelled Ukrainian attacks near Petropavlivka, Synkivka, Lake Lyman, Terny, and Dibrova.
• The “Khortytsia” OSG troops repelled at least 4 Russian attacks in the areas of Synkivka and Petropavlivka and at least 5 attacks near Makiivka and Terny, counterattacked, and consolidated  west of Shyroka Bаlka.
• On the Bakhmut direction, the “Tavriya” OSG forces successfully repelled at least 8 Russian attacks near Spirne and Vesele, along with 13 attacks near Hryhorivka, Bohdanivka, Ivanivske, Klishchiivka, Andriivka, and Pivnichne. They attacked near Bohdanivka, Khromove, Klishchiivka, Andriivka, and Kurdyumivka.
• Ukrainian stronghold north of Khromove along the O0506 highway (Bakhmut – Chasiv Yar). They displaced Ukrainian forces from several positions near Klishchiivka, advanced 100 meters from the outskirts of Bohdanivka, and moved towards Ivanivske and Klishchiivka.
• On the Avdiivka direction, Russian forces made minor progress to the east of Stepove, advancing in the vicinity of the railway near Stepove and to the north of Stepove, and making progress in the northwest of Maryinka.
• The “Tavriya” OSG forces successfully repelled Russian attacks near Avdiivka, east of Novobakhmutivka, south of Severne and Tonenke, near Pervomaiske and Nevelske, Krasnohorivka, Maryinka, and Novomykhailivka. They maintained positions in Maryinka and launched attacks near Heorhiivka.
• Berdyansk direction, the “Tavriya” OSG forces repelled Russian assaults near Pryiutne.
• Tokmak direction: Russian forces repelled Ukrainian attacks near Verbove and defended positions near Novoprokopivka.
• The “Tavriya” OSG forces repelled Russian attacks near Robotyne and near Novopokrovka.
• Kherson direction, The “Odesa” OSG troops continued ground operations near Krynky on the eastern bank of Kherson Oblast, fortified positions south of Krynky, and maintained positions near the Antonivskyi Bridge north of Oleshky. They took advantage of adverse weather conditions to deploy groups of 30-50 individuals to the eastern bank.
• In the Black Sea-Azov naval operational area, the enemy naval group on combat duty consists of:
  • Black Sea: 2 ships;
  • Azov Sea: 1 ship;
  • Mediterranean Sea: 4 ships, including 2 cruise missile carriers. The total “Kalibr” missile salvo is 16 cruise missiles.

Changes in the enemy disposition: not detected

Possible operation situation developments:

• Russian forces will be unable to completely seize the initiative in the coming months and launch a large-scale offensive that would prevent the Ukrainian Defense Forces from allocating resources to their offensive operations.
• The enemy’s military command will continue to focus on encircling Avdiivka, improving its operational position in the Bakhmut area, and attempting to advance towards Kupyansk in the vicinity of Synkivka. Defensive operations will be sustained on the other fronts.

Russian operational losses from 24.02.22 to 12.12.23 

Personnel – almost 340,650 people (+800);

Tanks – 5,664 (+9);

Armored combat vehicles – 10,579 (+19);

Artillery systems – 8,073 (+3);

Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 919 (0);

Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 605 (0);

Vehicles and fuel tanks – 10,650 (+14);

Aircraft – 324 (0);

Helicopters – 324 (0);

UAV operational and tactical level – 6,163 (+9);

Intercepted cruise missiles – 1,596 (+10);

Boats/ships – 23 (0).

Humanitarian +general:

• According to information provided by the Situation Center of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Russian troops shelled 10 regions of Ukraine over the past day. A total of 125 towns and villages and 32 infrastructure objects were attacked with various types of weapons. One person was reported killed and three people were reported injured in Kherson Oblast. In Kupyansk, Kharkiv Oblast, on December 12, a man was killed, and another one was injured as a result of Russian shelling. The number of casualties is being updated/clarified.
• On December 12, the telecommunication operator “Kyivstar” experienced a widespread outage caused by a cyber-attack,  leading to the loss of mobile communication and internet connectivity for numerous subscribers The outage also caused disruption to the air raid alert system in Dnipro, Sumy, and Kyiv Oblast and affected some ATMs and payment terminals owned by Ukraine’s largest bank “Privatbank”.
• As of the morning of December 12, despite the resumption of three power units in thermal power plants and one block in a combined heat and power plant, the situation in Ukraine’s energy system remains challenging. The electricity consumption remains high, although there is some reduction due to warmer weather. As of December 12, Ukrtransgaz does not predict an energy deficit in the power system.
• Since August, approximately 278,000 pensioners residing in conflict zones and receiving low pensions have been receiving additional payments funded by the United Nations World Food Programme. A monthly allocation of 609 million UAH is dedicated to this initiative.
• The majority of multi-story buildings in the self-proclaimed “Luhansk People’s Republic” lack heating, resulting in documented cases of fatalities in the region. The conflict between the “Luhansk gas” enterprise, owned by the self-proclaimed LPR, and the occupying administration, which reportedly neglects payment for consumed natural gas, is cited as the cause of the crisis, the National Resistance Center of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported.

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