Ukraine troops show blown-up hangar ‘turned into mass grave’ for Russian soldiers
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The Russian military has lost over 60 fixed-wing aircraft in the conflict with Ukraine, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has revealed in its Latest Defence Intelligence update.
Russian aircraft are also conducting significantly less missions per day, probably tens of missions, compared to a high 30 per day at the start of the war.
This decrease is likely a result of the threat of Ukrainian air defences, limitations on the flying hours available, and increasingly worse weather.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian military has shared a video of a charred hangar full of destroyed Russian equipment at an undisclosed location, saying the site had effectively become a “mass grave” after it was blown up.
The defence ministry said the incident should serve as a warning to other Russians who come to fight in Ukraine.
In the video, Ukrainian soldiers are seen walking around the hangar housing a large number of blown-up military trucks and other vehicles. A line of wreaths, purportedly left by the fleeing Russians for their own killed soldiers, is shown outside.
The Ministry of Defence’s Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine
Russia has now lost more than 60 fixed-wing aircraft in its war with Ukraine.
Ukraine troops show blown-up hangar ‘turned into mass grave’ for Russian soldiers
Russia’s war against Ukraine running at ‘reduced tempo’
The head of US intelligence has said that Russia’s war in Ukraine is running at a “reduced tempo”, and suggested that the prospects for Ukrainian forces could improve over the coming months.
Avril Haines alluded to past allegations by some that Vladimir Putin’s advisers could be shielding him from bad news about the progress of the war, adding that the Russian president “is becoming more informed of the challenges that the [Russian] military faces”.
“But it’s still not clear to us that he has a full picture at this stage of just how challenged they are,” said the US director of national intelligence, speaking late on Saturday at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California.
The head of US intelligence says Ukrainian forces may have the upper hand in coming months
Russian sorties down to 10 per day from 300 per day in March, says MoD
The number of sorties by Russian aircraft into Ukraine has come down drastically to tens of missions per day compared to up to 300 seen in a day in March, the British defence ministry said today.
“In recent months, the number of sorties conducted by Russian tactical combat aircraft over Ukraine has reduced significantly.
Russian aircraft now probably conduct tens of missions per day, compared to a high of up to 300 per day in March 2022,” the ministry said today in its latest intelligence update.
It added that Vladimir Putin has now lost over 60 fixed-wing aircraft in the conflict, likely including an additional Su-24M FENCER fighter-bomber and a Su-25 FROGFOOT ground attack aircraft last week.
“The decrease in sorties is likely a result of continued high threat from Ukrainian air defences, limitations on the flying hours available to Russian aircraft, and worsening weather,” according to the defence ministry.
The Russian air force will likely continue at a low rate of ground attack operations through the poor winter weather as Russia’s ground attack tactics are largely reliant on visual identification and unguided munitions, it added.
Ukraine shoots down Russian helicopter, four drones - official
Ukrainian forces have continued to repel Russian attacks in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts over the weekend, the general staff of country’s armed forces said today.
In the past 24 hours, the Russian attacks included seven missiles, 32 airstrikes and over 50 MLRS against Ukrainian positions.
The counterattack from Ukrainian forces included 18 strikes on the areas of concentration of troops, weapons and military equipment and one strike on the positions of Russia’s anti-aircraft missile system over the same period, the top military office said.
One Ka-52 helicopter and four UAVs have also been shot down, the general staff office said.
More than 51,000 Russian war crimes, crimes of aggression recorded so far- Ukraine
The Russian military has committed 51,161 war crimes and crimes of aggression in Ukraine since the start of the war, the Ukrainian prosecutor general said yesterday.
The office of the prosecutor general added that 18,585 crimes against Ukraine’s national security have also been recorded by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.
Russian troops fighting hard in Putin’s next target Bakhmut
Ukrainian forces are holding positions on the battle’s frontline in eastern Ukraine, including near Bakhmut in Donetsk.
Russian forces have made the city — 89km away from the capital region of Donetsk — their next target as they advance through the eastern region.
Russian forces pressed for improved tactical positions to advance on Bakhmut and on the town of Avdiivka, just inside Ukrainian-controlled territory, the Ukrainian military said.
From the Kremlin, it has been confirmed that the Russian troops are conducting successful operations in the Bakhmut area and have pushed back Ukraine’s attacks in the Donetsk direction.
At least 25 settlements have been shelled along front lines in the south, including Kherson and Nikopol, on the Ukrainian-held side of the Kakhovka reservoir, opposite the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Overnight, Russian forces have hit industrial and energy infrastructure with rockets, Anatoliy Kurtev, the secretary of the Zaporizhzhia city administration today.
Earlier on Saturday, the British defence ministry had claimed that Russia is likely planning to encircle the Donetsk oblast town of Bakhmut with tactical advances to the north and south.
The capture of the town would have limited operational value but it can potentially allow Russia to threaten Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the ministry added in a daily intelligence update.
Nurses must drop pay demands to ‘send clear message to Putin’, cabinet minister says
“This is a time to come together and to send a very clear message to Mr Putin that we’re not going to be divided in this way,” said the Tory party chair.
Read the full story here:
‘This is a time to come together and to send a very clear message to Mr Putin that we’re not going to be divided in this way,’ says Nadhim Zahawi
Reduced blackouts in Kyiv from today amid ongoing ‘difficult’ situation
Power blackouts in the Ukrainian capital region will be restricted to certain areas from today as planned “stabilisation” cutoffs aim to get the grid working again, said Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko.
This is an improvement on the previous blanket blackouts across Kyiv but the situation in the war-hit region remains “difficult”, he said.
Blackouts have been planned for three other regions – Odesa, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk in Ukraine‘s south and east – the country’s largest power supplier DTEK said.
However, Ukraine has seen some success in restoring power to the eastern city of Kherson, where 85 per cent of customers have now been provided with electricity, the regional governor said.
Kherson was rendered largely without power in November after Russian soldiers abandoned the city, having occupied it for around eight months.
Sumy oblast attacked 64 times throughout Sunday - officials
Russian troops struck Sumy oblast in northeast Ukraine at least 64 times till 9pm yesterday, regional officials said on Telegram.
At least four hromadas — an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories — came under Russian shelling and firing, said the head of the Sumy oblast military administration, Dmytro Zhyvytskyi.
“Russians shelled Yunakivka hromada from 120-mm calibre mortars. 35 mortars blew up at the outskirts of the village, which is close to the state border. There were no casualties,” he said.
Another five strikes were targeted at Nova Sloboda hromada, damaging civilian houses in the vicinity, he said.
The Russian attacks also destroyed outbuildings and power transmission lines.
