Victory Chronicles-DAY 1400

Russian troops have pushed into the border village of Hrabovske in Ukraine’s Sumy region, triggering close combat as Ukrainian forces work to drive them back, Ukraine’s Joint Forces command said Dec. 23.

Lt. Col. Viktor Trehubov, head of communications for the Joint Forces, said about 100 Russian soldiers crossed the border and moved into the village, attempting to advance farther toward the nearby settlement of Riasne. Ukrainian units responded quickly, engaging the Russian troops as they began digging in along the southern edge of Hrabovske.

The village sits just miles from the Russian border and has been repeatedly targeted since the war began. Residents were abducted during earlier incursions, Ukrainian officials said, leaving the community largely exposed and already scarred by previous fighting.

Trehubov said the situation remains fluid, with clashes continuing inside the village. He warned that border settlements across northern Ukraine remain highly vulnerable to sudden ground assaults launched from Russian territory.

Lasting security for these areas, he said, would likely require Ukraine to establish a controlled buffer zone several kilometers inside Russia, reducing Moscow’s ability to stage surprise attacks on civilian communities near the border.

Air defenses intercept hundreds of Russian drones and missiles in massive attack. Ukraine’s air defenses repelled one of the largest combined Russian air attacks since the start of the full-scale war, intercepting more than 580 drones and dozens of missiles during an overnight assault on Dec. 23, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

Russian forces launched 673 aerial threats, including 635 drones of various types and 38 missiles fired from air and ground platforms. The attack involved Shahed-type strike drones, Kh-101 and Iskander-K cruise missiles, as well as Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, weapons designed to overwhelm air defenses through speed and volume.

By late morning, Ukrainian air defense units had neutralized 621 targets, including 587 drones and all 34 cruise missiles. Three Kinzhal missiles failed to reach their targets, with impact sites still being assessed.

Despite the scale of the interception, strikes were recorded at 21 locations, with debris from downed drones and missiles falling at eight additional sites. Ukrainian officials said the attack largely targeted critical infrastructure, continuing Russia’s campaign to disrupt electricity, heating and other essential services during winter.

Fighter jets, surface-to-air missile systems, electronic warfare units, drone teams and mobile fire groups were all involved in the defense, as air defense crews remained on high alert amid ongoing drone threats.

Drone debris injures five in Kyiv residential district. Falling debris from a Russian drone attack injured five people in a residential neighborhood of Kyiv on Dec. 23, including a teenager, as another wave of aerial strikes brought the war into the heart of the Ukrainian capital, officials said.

The debris crashed down in the Sviatoshynskyi district, damaging several five-story apartment buildings. Windows were blown out, metal fragments littered courtyards and walkways, and parts of one building were left structurally unstable. A 48-year-old woman suffered shrapnel wounds and was taken to a hospital in critical condition. The other injured residents, including a 16-year-old girl, received medical treatment at the scene.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the debris struck upper floors of a residential building, prompting emergency crews to quickly secure the area. Rescuers from Ukraine’s State Emergency Service dismantled hazardous structural elements to prevent further collapse, while police and medics worked among broken glass and scorched walls.

Drones ignite fire at major petrochemical plant in southern Russia. Drone strikes hit an industrial zone in southern Russia overnight Dec. 23, triggering a large fire at what residents and independent monitoring channels identified as a major petrochemical facility, highlighting mounting pressure on Russia’s industrial rear.

Stavropol region Gov. Vladimir Vladimirov confirmed that a fire broke out in an industrial area in the town of Budyonnovsk but did not name the facility. He said no casualties were reported. Videos and photos shared on social media showed a bright orange glow and towering flames lighting up the night sky, indicating significant damage.

Local witnesses identified the site as the Stavrolen petrochemical plant, one of Russia’s largest producers of plastics and chemical materials and part of the Lukoil group. The plant manufactures polyethylene and polypropylene used across Russian industry, including sectors tied to energy and logistics.

Key Takeaways

1. False reports are likely shaping Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin’s understanding of the battlefield situation.
2. FT and the Washington Post’s reports cohere with ISW’s observations from open-source information about the pervasive culture of lying in the Russian military, in contrast with the increased willingness of Kremlin officials overseeing the economy to present more truthful reports to Putin.
3. Putin’s own cognitive warfare effort, which exaggerates Russian advances to push Ukraine to capitulate to Russian demands during negotiations, feeds on and likely encourages the false reports his military officials provide him.
4. Senior US and Ukrainian officials commented on the outcome of separate meetings between US and Ukrainian as well as US and Russian representatives in Miami.
5. Russia reportedly rejected a US-proposed temporary ceasefire, and a high ranking Kremlin official publicly indicated that Russia will reject many of the latest Ukrainian and European peace proposals.
6. Ukrainian security services likely assassinated Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, the chief of the Russian General Staff’s Operational Training Department, in Moscow City on December 22.
7. Russian security services likely assassinated former leader of the Russian Hispaniola Brigade Stanislav Orlov in occupied Crimea on December 4.
8. Ukrainian forces advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area and near Pokrovsk. Russian forces advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area.

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