Putin confidant hit by shrapnel in Ukraine and operated on - Bachmut reports bloody Christmas Eve

Created: 2022-12-25 04:59

By: Florian Naumann, Franziska Schwarz

Russian forces continued their attacks on Ukraine on Christmas Eve.

At least seven people died in the shelling of Kherson.

Current news ticker.

• Bloody

  Christmas Eve

  in the

  Ukraine war

  : Allegedly more than 200 attacks on Bachmut

• Dead

  and injured on Christmas Eve in

  Cherson

  : President Zelenskyj speaks again of "terror"

• Reports of several

  fires

  in

  Russia

  : speculation about "attack"

• This

  news ticker

  on the military situation in the

  Ukraine war

  is constantly updated.

Update from December 24, 8:50 p.m .:

The pro-Russian administration of Cherson, which was annexed in violation of international law, is responding with well-known allegations to Ukrainian reports of a bloody bombardment of the city liberated in November.

Kremlin governor Vladimir Saldo said on Telegram, according to the state agency TASS, that Ukrainian gunmen had carried out "a terrorist bombardment on Kherson" that resulted in "civilian deaths".

This information can neither be independently confirmed nor disproved.

Putin confidant hit by shrapnel in Ukraine: state media report on the first operation

Update from December 24, 7:50 p.m .:

Dmitry Rogozin, former head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos and member of Vladimir Putin’s circle, was wounded in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk and is now being operated on in Moscow.

This is reported by the Russian state agency Tass.

Rogozin was hit by shrapnel near the shoulder blade during a bombardment on Wednesday (December 21).

A second intervention is necessary, said a spokeswoman for Rogozin.

Dmitri Rogozin now works as the head of a military advisory team for the Kremlin.

Rogozin had threatened several European countries with military strikes in the past, and the US media 

 described him as "Putin's most nuclear-obsessed buddy".

According to Tass, four other Russian military advisers were injured in Donetsk.

Not only as head of space travel close to the president: Dmitri Rogozin, here in 2021 with Putin on a flight to the Vostochny cosmodrome.

© Alexei Druzhinin/Imago

Update from December 24, 6:40 p.m.:

The strategically important city of Cherson is apparently under Russian fire at Christmas.

More details about the shots of the day are now known.

Among other things, a rocket fell near a supermarket in the city center, said the deputy chairman of the Oblast Council, Yuriy Sobolevskyj, according to the

in a telegram posting.

According to Ukrainian sources, the death toll has now risen to ten.

However, no children were injured.

This information is not independently verified.

Bloody Christmas Eve in the Ukraine war: Allegedly more than 200 attacks on Bachmut

Update from December 24, 5 p.m.:

The Ukrainian military has shared figures on the current situation around the heavily contested city of Bakhmut in the Donbass.

According to the East Command responsible, the Russian military carried out 225 attacks in the area on Christmas Eve, using tanks, artillery and multiple rocket launchers, among other things.

, 90 Russian soldiers were killed in the fighting and 100 injured

.

These data are not independently confirmed.

The Ukrainian forces did not provide any information about their own losses.

The Ukrainian border guard gave the all-clear for the time being with regard to the situation on the border with Belarus: There are no signs of troop or material movements in the direction of Ukraine, said border guard spokesman Andriy Demchenko, according to the portal.

The situation is "completely under control".

However, Belarus is strengthening its border.

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Update from December 24, 1:35 p.m .:

The number of fatalities and injuries in the Russian attacks on Cherson on Christmas Eve has risen again.

According to the presidential administration in Kyiv seven people were killed and 58 others injured.

Among them were 18 seriously injured, said the deputy head of the Presidential Office in Kyiv, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, on Saturday.

He had previously spoken of 5 dead and 20 injured. 

This photo shared by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shows two burning cars after the Russian shelling of Kherson on Christmas Eve.

© Screenshot/ZelenskyyUA

Ukraine war: new offensive from Belarus?

Moscow is apparently making progress with the preparations

Update from December 24, 1:20 p.m .:

The Russian armed forces are currently preparing a new offensive in northern Ukraine.

This emerges from the status report of the US think tank "Institutes for the Study of War" on the current developments in the Ukraine war.

According to military experts, Russia is currently creating further conditions for advance from Belarus to Ukraine in the new year, thus opening another front in the war in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military also announced on Saturday that Russia had deployed battalions there.

The ISW experts said that such an attack is still unlikely.

But he is possible.

And the danger must be taken seriously.

The establishment of a field hospital was seen as an indication that Russia could attack from there.

War in Ukraine: Current deployment in Belarus just a diversionary tactic?

Field hospitals are not necessary for exercises and can be an indication of the preparation for combat operations," the ISW said.

The establishment of these military hospitals in Belarus at the beginning of the year was also an indication of this - immediately before the start of the great Russian invasion.

However, Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko stressed during a visit to Moscow on Saturday that his country did not want to take part in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

According to the analysis of the ISW, the preparations in Belarus could also be a diversionary maneuver.

A sabotage attack is also possible to distract the Ukrainian armed forces from the defense in Donbass.

Russia could then use the possibly reduced attention of the Ukrainian troops for an offensive in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine or elsewhere, it said.

Dead and injured on Christmas Eve in Kherson — Zelenskyi speaks again of "terror"

Update from December 24, 12:39 p.m .:

The Ukraine war continues unabated on Christmas Eve.

According to the Ukrainian government, five people were killed in an attack on Cherson.

The attack aimed directly at the center of the southern Ukrainian city.

Furthermore, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, adviser to the Ukrainian president, said that another twenty people were injured in the attack.

Shortly after the attack on Kherson, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke on the short message service Telegram.

The Ukrainian President condemned the attacks and spoke of "terror".

In addition, Zelenskyy said the attacks were nothing more than "killing for the sake of intimidation and amusement."

"These are not military installations."

Ukraine war current: Russia suffers from lack of ammunition

Update from December 24, 9.35 a.m .:

The Russian armed forces continue to struggle with a lack of ammunition and missiles in the Ukraine war.

That comes from the daily Ukraine update of the British secret service.

Tens of thousands of recruits have been mobilized since October.

"Despite the alleviation of immediate manpower shortages, an ammunition shortage remains most likely the most important constraining factor for Russian offensive operations," the British Ministry of Defense said on the current situation in the war in Ukraine.

Due to the limited availability of cruise missiles, Russia has also limited its long-range missile attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure to about once a week.

The stock of artillery ammunition is not sufficient for larger offensive operations.

This is due to the fact that numerous grenades and rockets are needed every day for defense along the front.

An ammunition casing lies in the rubble of a destroyed Russian ammunition dump in the Kharkiv region.

© SERGEY BOBOK/afp

Ukraine war has lasting effects on grain harvest

Update from December 23, 10:09 p.m

.: The Ukraine war will have lasting consequences for the grain harvest: According to estimates, the grain harvest fell by around 40 percent this year as a result of the Russian war of aggression.

A crop yield of "65 to 66 million tons" is expected by the end of the year, the head of the Ukrainian grain association, Sergiy Ivashchenko, told the AFP news agency.

Last year, the yield reached a record 106 million tons.

The main reason for the decline is the war, explained Ivashchenko.

As a result of the Russian invasion of the country, the available acreage has shrunk and the yield of the seeds has declined.

The months-long export blockade on Ukrainian grain have "broken a cycle," said Grain Union chief Ivashchenko.

Farmers had had no income for a long time - which in turn meant that they did not have enough money to buy fertilizers.

As a result, the yield fell even on the areas that could be farmed despite the war.

Ukraine war: Russian attacks could occur at Christmas

Update from December 23, 8:25 p.m

.: According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukraine war will not pause at Christmas.

On the contrary.

In his daily video speech on Friday evening, he warned of possible Russian attacks over the coming public holidays and during the vacation period.

"With the holiday season approaching, Russian terrorists may become active again," he said.

"They despise Christian values ​​and all values ​​in general."

Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians to be extra vigilant in the coming days.

"So please heed the air raid shelter signals, help each other and always look out for each other," he said.

At the same time, he addressed an unusually harsh warning to Russia.

"The citizens of Russia must clearly understand that terror never goes unanswered," he said - without further elaborating.

Ukraine war news: Russian armed forces are apparently bringing reinforcements to the fronts

Update from December 23, 7:20 p.m

.: The Russian armed forces are apparently bringing reinforcements to their troops on the fronts in eastern and southern Ukraine.

"The enemy has increased the volume of rail transport of troops, equipment and ammunition to combat zones," the General Staff said in Kyiv on Friday.

The area around the frontline town of Bakhmut in the east was considered the primary combat zone, as were the towns of Avdiivka, Kupyansk and Limansk in the Donbass region.

Reinforcements on the Russian side were also recognized in the south of the country, it said.

However, the new units in the Cherson region would only be used to expand the defense lines.

The information could not be independently verified.

Ukraine News: Power outages continue - more emergency facilities in Kyiv

Update from December 23, 5:32 p.m

.: Because the power outages caused by Russian attacks are ongoing, authorities in Kiev have opened 52 more emergency facilities with power generators.

According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, there are now 632 of them in the city area, as reported by the

.

On Friday, the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, which used to have 160,000 inhabitants, was the target of Russian attacks during the Ukraine war.

According to Oleksandr Honcharenko, Mayor of Kramatorsk, 12 apartment buildings, three private residences and two educational institutions were damaged.

According to the Kiyv Independent, there was initially no information about victims.

USA: New York Times sees evidence of Russian war crimes in Bucha

Update from December 23, 3:30 p.m .:

The

sees further evidence of Russian war crimes in the now liberated city of Bucha.

"Soldiers have questioned and executed unarmed men of military age and they have killed people who unintentionally got in their way," writes the newspaper, citing its own eight-month research on site, as

reported

Analyzes also showed that the phones of those killed were used to make calls to Russia.

The AP news agency came to similarly shocking conclusions after surveys in the city of Mariupol, which was occupied by Russia.

More than 10,000 new graves have been found since March.

At the same time, "thousands" of those killed could be hidden unburied in bombed and destroyed blocks of flats.

Advisor to the Ukrainian mayor of Mariupol, Petro Andryushchenko, accused Russia of demolishing apartment buildings to cover up the extent of the crimes.

According to the AP, 50,000 buildings could be planned for demolition.

Meanwhile, Russia continues to attack Ukrainian cities.

On Friday, two people were killed in attacks on residential buildings in Kherson Oblast, Governor Yaroslav Yanushevich said, according to the

.

The day before there were even 61 attacks, including with tanks.

and artillery shelling in the Cherson region – a kindergarten was also said to have been affected.

This information is not independently verified.

Kadyrov celebrates victory over "NATO" troops: Putin confidant wants to announce triumph

Update from December 23, 1:35 p.m .:

Shortly before Christmas in the Ukraine war, Russia is confident of victory: Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke at noon of progress in the “demilitarization” of Ukraine.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov took the same line.

Ukrainian troops suffered massive losses in battles with Chechen special forces around the city of Soledar in Donetsk Oblast, he said on Friday, according to the state agency TASS.

In the current situation in the war in Ukraine, Kadyrov put it in such a way that not only Ukrainian "Nazi soldiers" but also "NATO" troops were removed from the city.

Neighborhoods were liberated "one after the other" from "NATO servants".

This information is not verified.

It also seems more than unlikely that there are actually NATO soldiers in Ukraine - but voices from Russia repeatedly emphasize that the actual enemy of the war is the western defense alliance.

Stigmatizing the Ukrainian government and army as “Nazi” forces is also part of the Kremlin’s narrative.

Meanwhile, there are calls for help in the face of blackouts in Ukraine: civilians suffer from "chaos" on the streets, food problems and cold.

Ukraine war: reports of several fires in Russia - speculation about "attack"

Update from December 23, 12:45 p.m .:

There are further reports of fires in relevant buildings in Russia.

In Moscow, the fire brigade had to put out a fire in a military building during the night.

The fire broke out in a garage complex at the military facility in the east of the Russian capital.

Around a dozen fire engines were deployed to extinguish the approximately 200 square meter seat of the fire.

Little is known about the causes of the fire or the extent of the property damage.

According to official information, there were no injuries.

At the same time, a fire broke out in the southern Russian region of Saratov as a result of a suspected arson attack in a district military replacement office.

The fire brigade managed to extinguish the flames before they could spread to neighboring apartments, the regional news portal

reported .

There was no official information about the cause of the fire.

However, the media reported that a bottle with petrol residues had been found.

There was talk of an attack.

In the course of Russia's war against Ukraine, there have already been a number of such incidents in draft offices.

Ukraine war: Russia faces major problems recruiting new soldiers

Update from December 23, 12:10 p.m .:

According to the British Ministry of Defense, Russia is facing new recruitment problems in the Ukraine war.

"It remains unclear how Russia will find the recruits to achieve such an increase at a time when its armed forces are under unprecedented pressure in Ukraine," said London on the morning of Russian plans rumored to be the strength of the increase army by 30 percent.

Meanwhile, the United States estimates that up to 50,000 mercenaries from the “Wagner Group” are deployed in Ukraine – some allegedly commanding regular army units.

Fire in Moscow accommodation of Putin task force?

Also reported explosion in Melitopol

Update from December 23, 10:50 a.m .:

According to unconfirmed reports, a fire broke out in an accommodation of the OMON security forces in Moscow.

The building was "on fire," reported the Ukrainian medium

, citing Telegram channels.

The OMON units belong to the National Guard and are considered an important domestic lever of power for the authoritarian Russian government.

According to Nexta

, a car exploded in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol in the Ukrainian Zaporizhia Oblast in the morning.

According to information from Russia, two members of special forces died in the car.

The reports are unverified and currently not confirmed by the Russian side.

Ukraine war current: USA worried about arms delivery from North Korea to Wagner mercenaries

Update from December 23, 10:10 a.m .:

According to the United States, North Korea has delivered weapons to the “Wagner” mercenary group in the Ukraine war.

White House Communications Director John Kirby said on Thursday (local time) that the country had completed an initial arms shipment to "Wagner" -- the mercenary group had paid for it.

"We assume that the amount of material supplied to "Wagner" will not change the dynamics on the battlefield and in Ukraine, but we are certainly concerned that North Korea plans to supply more military equipment .”

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said North Korea had delivered the weapons last month.

"It is despicable that Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council - in violation of UN Security Council resolutions - is now using weapons from North Korea and Iran to conduct its war of aggression against Ukraine," Thomas-Greenfield said the current knowledge in the war in Ukraine.

The regime in Pyongyang has dismissed the reports as "baseless," writes the

, citing a North Korean state agency.

However, there are also reports from Japan about arms deliveries from the North Koreans.

Among other things, artillery shells were delivered to Russia by train.

Further deliveries are planned for the coming weeks.

Ukraine war topical: Putin troops attack "Fortress Bakhmut" again

Update from December 22, 9:02 p.m .:

Russian troops tried again to attack the frontline town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

The attackers repeatedly advanced to the outskirts of the city, the general staff in Kyiv said.

In heavy fighting, the attackers could be beaten.

At Bachmut, two goals were achieved, as it was further said.

For one thing, the city's defenses could not be penetrated.

On the other hand, the Russian attackers suffered heavy losses, as Serhij Tscherevatyj, spokesman for the Ukrainian Army Group East, said.

"And these are incredible casualties for a 21st century army," the spokesman said.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to the frontline town and declared it a "Bakhmut Fortress".

Ukraine War: Fire breaks out on Russian aircraft carrier

Update from December 22, 2:45 p.m .:

According to the state news agency Tass, a fire broke out on board the only aircraft carrier in the Russian Navy, Admiral Kuznetsov.

The aircraft carrier is currently located at the port of Murmansk.

However, it was a local fire that has since been extinguished, Tass reported, citing emergency services.

No one was hurt and 20 people were evacuated, the report continued, making it clear that the fire was not related to any action in the Ukraine war.

Ukraine war current: Putin's defense minister visits the front - Russian media show pictures

Update from December 22, 1:25 p.m .:

According to information from Moscow, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke to soldiers during a visit to the front in Ukraine and thanked them for their service in the Ukraine war.

The Ministry of Defense published footage on Thursday in the Telegram online service showing Shoigu inspecting barracks and walking through trenches.

Shoigu checked the conditions for the deployment of personnel and military equipment "at the forefront," the ministry said.

He also checked the positions of the military units and the housing and heating conditions.

Ukraine war current: Ex-Rokosmos boss apparently injured in rocket fire

Update from December 22, 11:39 a.m

.: Ex-Roskosmos boss Dmitry Rogozin was affected in the Ukraine war.

"I'm injured, a three by four millimeter splinter penetrated above the right shoulder blade," he wrote on Telegram.

After that he had to have an operation.

Roskosmos is a Russian space agency.

Rogozin is a politician known for his imperialist stance.

According to media reports, he was celebrating his birthday when projectiles hit a bar in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region.

Ukraine war: Putin minion involved in missile attack - "I'm hurt"

Rogosin, dessen politische Anfänge in der extrem rechten Partei „Rodina“ („Heimat“) liegen und der beim nationalistischen „Russischen Marsch“ von Medien beim Zeigen des Hitler-Grußes abgelichtet wurde, machte unter Putin später Karriere - erst als Botschafter bei der Nato, dann als Vizeregierungschef und zuletzt als Roskosmos-Chef. Nach seiner Ablösung im Juli 2022 gab es Spekulationen, dass Putin ihn zum Generalgouverneur der eroberten ukrainischen Gebiete ernennt.

Rogosin hat derweil eine Gruppe von freiwilligen Militärberatern unter dem Namen „Zarenwölfe“ gegründet. Mehrfach posierte er bei der Übergabe von Ausrüstung für Soldaten an der Front.

Update vom 22. Dezember, 10.22 Uhr: Bei diesem Thema ist keine der beiden Kriegsparteien aus offensichtlichen Gründen ehrlich: Die Angaben sind daher mit Vorsicht zu genießen. Das ukrainische Militär hat nun mitgeteilt, dass Russland im gewaltsamen Konflikt des Ukraine-Kriegs bereits über 100.000 Soldaten als Verluste zu beklagen habe.

Russlands Verluste im Ukraine-Krieg übersteigen nach Angaben die Marke von 100.000 Soldaten

Mehr als 100.400 russische Soldaten seien „eliminiert“ worden, hieß es zu den aktuellen Verlusten Russland im Krieg in der Ukraine. Das kann nach Einschätzung unabhängiger Medien bedeuten, dass sie getötet oder so schwer verletzt wurden, dass sie aus dem Kriegsdienst ausscheiden mussten.

Russland hatte zuletzt von „nur“ rund 6000 getöteten Soldaten in den eigenen Reihen gesprochen. Unabhängige russische Medien haben indes bereits mehr als 10.000 russische Gefallene namentlich identifiziert. Die Ukraine nennt selbst keine eigenen Verluste in den täglichen Militärberichten über die aktuelle Situation im Ukraine-Krieg. Das Präsidentenamt in Kiew hatte zuletzt von mehr als 10.000 getöteten ukrainischen Soldaten gesprochen.

Ukraine-Krieg aktuell: Putin-Militär leidet unter Ausbilder-Mangel – Belarus muss beispringen

Update vom 22. Dezember, 8.44 Uhr: Putins Streitkräfte leiden unter einem Mangel an Ausbildern für ihre Rekruten und greifen deshalb inzwischen „im großen Stil“ auf die Hilfe aus dem verbündeten Land Belarus unter Alexander Lukaschenko zurück. So schätzt es der britische Geheimdienst in seinem jüngsten öffentlichen Update zum Ukraine-Krieg ein.

Der Grund: Viele der russischen Ausbilder seien aktuell in den Gefechten im Ukraine-Krieg oder ebendort gestorben. Der britische Geheimdienst wertet die Entwicklung als Anzeichen dafür, wie strapaziert Putins Streitkräfte aktuell seien.

Ukraine-Krieg aktuell: Sabotage und Attacken auf russischem Boden

Erstmeldung vom 22. Dezember: Moskau -  In den vergangenen Monaten gab es eine Reihe von Zwischenfällen im Ukraine-Krieg, darunter Explosionen auf wichtigen Militärstützpunkten und an Infrastruktur-Einrichtungen auf russischem Boden. Moskau macht die Ukraine dafür verantwortlich.

Härtere Strafen für „Saboteure“ im Ukriane-Krieg– Duma-Abgeordnete stimmen für Gesetz

Das russische Unterhaus hat nun härtere Strafen gegen „Saboteure“ beschlossen. Ein entsprechendes Gesetz sei von den Abgeordneten verabschiedet worden, teilte die Duma am Mittwoch (21. Dezember) mit. Das Gesetz sieht bis zu lebenslange Haftstrafen für einheimische und ausländische „Saboteure“ vor.

Mit dem neuen Gesetz sollten „unser Land und unsere Bürger vor Terror- und Sabotagegefahren geschützt“ werden, erklärte die Duma. Ihr Vorsitzender Wjatscheslaw Wolodin verwies zudem auf die anhaltende „militärische Spezialoperation“ in der Ukraine, wie der russische Überfall auf das Nachbarland in Russland offiziell genannt wird.

Die Strafen für „Saboteure“ sollen „so hart wie möglich sein“, forderte er. Das neue Gesetz muss nun noch vom Oberhaus beschlossen und von Präsident Wladimir Putin unterzeichnet werden.

Putin sieht „keine finanziellen Beschränkungen“: Kremlchef fordert schnellere Aufrüstung

Kremlchef Putin forderte bei einer erweiterten Sitzung des Verteidigungsministeriums zudem mehr Tempo bei der Aufrüstung und Modernisierung der Streitkräfte. Für die weitere Aufrüstung der Armee gebe es „keine finanziellen Beschränkungen“, sagte Putin.

Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also proposed increasing the force by around 350,000 soldiers to 1.5 million men.

He also called for new units to be set up in north-west Russia on the border with potential new NATO states Sweden and Finland.