Victory Chronicles-DAY 651

Ukraine’s Air Force commander reported on Dec. 5 that a Russian Su-24M bomber was downed as it tried to launch missiles toward Odesa Oblast targets. Lieutenant General Mykola Oleschuk stated that the aircraft was taken down by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile, protected by a Su-30SM fighter plane, as Russia’s military planned to strike the southern area of Odesa Oblast.

Attacks on targets in Odesa Oblast have become commonplace since the onset of Russia’s incursion into Ukraine. Odesa, being situated on the Black Sea, serves as a vital hub for commerce within the region.

Ostriv Zmiinyi (Snake Island), located thirty-five kilometers from the mainland of Odesa Oblast, symbolizes Ukrainian resistance. The occupation of Snake Island had allowed Russian forces to establish a blockade of Odesa’s Black Sea ports and launch missile attacks against Ukraine for weeks until April 14th, 2022, when Ukraine successfully sank the Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

On the night of December 6, the Russian occupiers launched almost fifty Shahid attack drones into the territory of Ukraine. Of these, 41 were successfully destroyed. The drone attacks were launched from two different directions: from Cape Chauda in Crimea and the Kursk region in Russia. Ukraine’s defense forces responded to the attack by deploying fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, and mobile fire groups. The drones were shot down near Kamianske, Dniprovske, and Pavlohrad, reported the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has shared photos of Ukrainian military training in East England’s forests. These training sessions, part of Operation INTERFLEX, involve Ukrainian fighters engaging in combat and patrolling the forested areas. Over 30,000 Ukrainian defenders have already received training from British instructors, highlighting the strong collaboration between the two countries. Furthermore, the United Kingdom has also provided essential military equipment to Ukraine, including Challenger 2 tanks, AS-90 self-propelled artillery systems, and various armored and protected vehicles, such as Bulldog and CVR(T). Additionally, Ukraine has received anti-tank weapons like NLAW, Javelin, and Brimstone, demonstrating the UK’s commitment to supporting Ukraine’s military capabilities.

The State Border Guard Service has released a video of maritime border guards training. It shows maritime border guards practicing night firing and in stormy conditions.

Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted successful drone strikes against Russian military targets in occupied Crimea on the night of December 4 to 5. Ukrainian media reported on December 5, citing sources in the Ukraine’s Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) and Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), that GUR and SBU elements struck a Russian military oil terminal in Feodosia, a Nebo-M radar system near Baherove (13km west of Kerch), and a helicopter landing pad, P-18 Terek radar system, and a Baikal-1M anti-aircraft missile control system in unspecified areas of Crimea.

Russian sources, including the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD), claimed that Russian air defenses, electronic warfare (EW) systems, and small-arms fire downed up to 35 Ukrainian drones near Baherove, Feodosia, Cape Chauda, and over the Sea of Azov but did not say that any Ukrainian drones struck their intended targets.

Another group of Russian sources, including Kherson Oblast occupation head Vladimir Saldo, claimed that Russian air defenses downed up to 41 Ukrainian drones over northern Crimea and the Sea of Azov and claimed that Ukrainian forces attempted to strike Russian air defense systems and fuel storage facilities. Ukrainian forces have been conducting an interdiction campaign against Russian military infrastructure in occupied Crimea, primarily Black Sea Fleet assets, since June 2023 to degrade the Russian military’s ability to use Crimea as a staging and rear area for Russian operations in southern Ukraine.

Defender Mykola Holubovych, with the call sign Skif, was killed in the line of duty due to an enemy missile attack on the town of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk Oblast. He would have turned 44 in two months.

Mykola was born and lived in Ternopil, where he graduated from the local vocational school No.4, named after Mykhailo Parashchuk. Until his recent passing, he worked as a storekeeper at a mall in Ternopil. At the onset of the full-scale invasion on February 26, 2022, the man was drafted into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Initially, he served in a security company before joining the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade as a grenade launcher.  Alongside his comrades, Mykola safeguarded the Donetsk Oblast.

“He was an exceptional family man, devoted to his role as a husband and father, and possessed an incredibly kind spirit.” “He volunteered from the very beginning, without waiting to be called up, to defend his homeland,” said the fighter’s wife. “We miss him immensely.”

The defender was posthumously awarded the Order “For Courage” of the III degree and was laid to rest on the Walk of Fame at Mykulynets Cemetery in his hometown. He was also awarded the title of “Honorary Citizen of Ternopil.” The fighter is survived by his mother, wife, and two children.

• Russian attacks over past day kill 4, injure 15
• Netherlands allocates 2.5 billion euros for Ukraine in 2024
• German Defence Minister promises to improve situation with million rounds for Ukraine
• US Secretary of State: Senate would open Pandora’s box of aggression if it does not approve aid for Ukraine
• UK intelligence: Russia trying to upgrade Iranian-made attack drones