Victory Chronicles-DAY 1392

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Kyiv will not recognize Russia’s claim over the Luhansk and Donetsk regions under any circumstances, drawing a firm line as diplomatic pressure grows around possible paths to end the war.

Speaking during a briefing with Ukrainian media, he said Moscow persists in demanding control over parts of eastern Ukraine that Russian forces have occupied since 2014 and expanded after the full-scale invasion in 2022. 

Zelenskyy stressed that Kyiv’s position has not shifted, even as some international partners search for compromise ideas that are aimed at finding a peace settlement.

Ukraine’s second war-time president also acknowledged that proposals have surfaced that include the idea of a special or free economic zone in the region, but said such discussions do not imply acceptance of Russian sovereignty. 

The Donbas region where Luhansk and Donetsk are located, he said, remains Ukrainian territory under international law, regardless of who currently controls it on the ground.

“Neither de jure nor de facto will we recognize Donbas as Russian,” Zelenskyy said, referring to areas temporarily under occupation. 

He added that Ukraine is willing to discuss territorial issues only within the framework of its sovereignty, warning that conceding land would reward aggression and undermine long-term security.

Russia loses nearly 30,000 troops each month in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia is losing close to 30,000 troops every month in its all-out war against Ukraine, calling the scale of losses a stark reflection of how the Kremlin wages the conflict with disregard to human life..

Speaking on Dec. 16 to members of the House of Representatives and Senate of the Dutch Parliament, Zelenskyy said Russian attacks remain relentless and “insanely bloody,” even as casualties continue to mount. 

He said the figures refer to Russian troops who’ve been killed, not wounded, with monthly losses ranging from about 25,000 to more than 31,000. Drone footage from the battlefield, he added, documents many of those losses.

Zelenskyy said Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin views soldiers as expendable, driven not by concern for people but by power and money. While Moscow does not publicly account for its dead, Zelenskyy said, it carefully tracks every dollar and euro it loses.

That is why frozen Russian assets matter, he said, urging Ukraine’s allies to use that money to protect lives and curb further aggression, arguing that financial pressure is one of the few tools Moscow truly understands.

Russian drones strike heating equipment warehouse in southern Ukraine. Russian forces launched a large-scale drone attack on Ukraine’s southern Black Sea Odesa region, destroying a warehouse packed with boilers and electric heaters that are meant to keep civilians warm during the winter season, local officials said.

According to Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa regional administration, dozens of drones targeted the area overnight. One strike ignited a commercial facility, triggering a fast-moving fire that tore through a warehouse that stored household heating equipment. Fire crews worked for several hours and fully extinguished the blaze by morning.

Emergency responders managed to shield a nearby logistics warehouse, preventing the flames from spreading and limiting further damage. No injuries were reported.

The destroyed equipment was intended for civilian use as temperatures continue to drop across southern Ukraine. 

Ukraine’s special forces hit Russian rocket system and troops in Donetsk region. Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) carried out overnight drone strikes on Russian military targets in the occupied part of the easternmost Donetsk region by striking a multiple rocket launch system and groups of Russian troops, according to the SOF press service.

The operation took place overnight on Dec. 15–16, with first-person view attack drones that usually are used to target positions deep behind the front line. In the population center of Blahodatne, Ukrainian operators also struck a BM-27 Uragan multiple rocket launch system along with its crew. The Uragan is a Soviet-designed system that is capable of firing heavy rockets over long distances and has been used by Russian forces to shell Ukrainian cities and frontline positions.

Key Takeaways

1. US, Ukrainian, and European officials reportedly agreed on unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine during a peace negotiation meeting in Berlin, Germany, on December 15.
2. Ukrainian forces conducted an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) strike against a Russian submarine for the first time in naval history on the night of Dec. 14 to 15.
3. Ukrainian forces continue counterattacking in the Kupyansk direction as Russian ultranationalist milbloggers acknowledge the severity of the situation for Russian forces.
4. Russian forces are striking Ukrainian logistics lines in Odesa Oblast with various air launched munitions, including glide bombs, highlighting Ukraine’s urgent need for a well provisioned and diverse air defense umbrella.
5. Russian strikes appear to be advancing the Kremlin’s stated goal of degrading Ukraine’s energy infrastructure by splitting Ukraine’s power grid in half. Ukraine requires Western-provided air defense systems and partner support for its drone interceptor development to safeguard itself against increasingly devastating strikes on its energy infrastructure.
6. Ukrainian forces recently advanced in western Zaporizhia Oblast. Russian forces recently advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area.

• Kremlin rejects new proposals for Christmas ceasefire
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• SBU blows up Russian submarine with drones for the first time in history
• EU has met pledge to deliver two million artillery shells to Ukraine, says EU’s chief diplomat
• Axios: Next round of Ukraine-US talks may take place in Miami
• Trump speaks to European leaders: I think we are now closer than ever to peace in Ukraine
• New MI6 chief warns Putin is “dragging out” Ukraine talks