Victory Chronicles-DAY 1031

Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) may be responsible for the recent cyberattack on Ukraine’s government services, said Volodymyr Karastelyov, the acting head of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU).

Several government services, including state registries overseen by the Justice Ministry, were targeted. 

Ukraine is investigating the incident, which officials believe had been months in planning. The details of the attack and the specific registers affected were not disclosed, but the Justice Minister, Olga Stefanishyna, assured that all data has been saved and recovery efforts are underway. However, there is a concern of a potential data leak.

This cyberattack is part of a series of Russian attacks on Ukrainian companies and government agencies since the country’s full-blown invasion in February 2022, including a massive cyberattack on Monobank, one of Ukraine’s largest banks.

Kyiv’s repatriation efforts of Ukrainians killed in action have led to 503 soldiers being returned, the Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported. 

The bodies were recovered from various areas, including 403 from the Donetsk region, 12 from the Luhansk region, and 57 from the Zaporizhzhya region. Additionally, the bodies of 31 more victims were retrieved from morgues in Russia. 

A warehouse in the Kyiv suburb of Boryspil caught fire as a result of a Russian drone attack. The inferno, which started 50 minutes after midnight on Dec. 20, spanned an area of 15,000 square meters. No casualties were reported. A total of 72 first responders and 24 rescue vehicles were at the scene. In addition, assistance came from specialized equipment from Kyiv, the Boryspil Airport, local fire brigades, a fire train from the South-Western Railway and water trucks from local authorities to support the firefighting operations. The fire was successfully contained at 4:05 a.m., according to the State Emergency Services. 

Ukraine’s 46th separate airmobile brigade has reported heavy fighting along the Kurakhove axis in the Donetsk region, describing the occupiers as “crawling like ants”. Despite the ongoing battle, the paratroopers state that they are continuously destroying the enemy. The urban areas, which act both as shelter for the occupiers and their final resting place, have been the sites of intense battles. 

Russia’s Novoshakhtinsk Oil Refinery in Rostov region struck by Ukrainian drones overnight on Dec. 18. Ukraine’s military reported that the Security Service (SBU) in conjunction with other units of the military struck infrastructure and production facilities in the bordering Russian region of Rostov.. 

Novoshakhtinsk Oil Refinery is the only operational oil refinery in that region. It refines up to 7.5 million tons of fuel per year and provides support to the Russian military. Geolocated footage published by reliable open-source intelligence groups on Dec. 18 showed a fire at the refinery.

The region’s acting Gov. Yuri Sliusar acknowledged that Ukrainian strikes caused a fire at the site and claimed that Ukrainian forces used three unspecified projectiles and more than 30 drones for the strike. Ukrainian forces last targeted the Novoshakhtinsk Oil Refinery on March 13, 2024, and it reportedly temporarily halted operations after that strike.

Jr. Sgt. Volodymyr Soiko was killed as a result during an enemy drone attack on May 7, 2024 while performing a combat mission near the village of Novooleksandrivka, Donetsk region. The defender was 30 years old. 

Soiko was born in the village of Hrymaylivka, Lviv region. Residing in Lviv, he studied at the prestigious Lviv Polytechnic National University, but did not have time to graduate because in 2015 he took an academic leave and voluntarily came to the defense of Ukraine. 

Later he resumed his studies, but the full-scale invasion of February 2022 interrupted them. In his youth, he was engaged in ballroom dancing. He loved hiking in the mountains. He was fond of running, took part in half marathons and aspired to run a full marathon. In civilian life, he worked as a technical support agent for foreign companies, and in recent years he was an employee of Wix, a free website builder.

Soiko began his military career as a warrior in 2015, joining a military unit of the law enforcement service. During the full-scale war, he defended the military. Most recently, he served as a mortar platoon commander of a mortar platoon of a fire support company of the 110th Mechanised Brigade. 

“I remember that on Feb. 24, 2022, Volodymyr and I were looking for an open optician to pick up lenses for him for the first time. He didn’t like to talk much, but he was true to his principles. He knew that day that he would mobilize and did so in the first days of March 2022. He loved this life very much and knew how to enjoy every little thing. He was the most caring lover, dreaming of his own home, children and dog. It’s hard to find a photo that doesn’t show his eternal smile. That’s how he remained in everyone’s memories: cheerful, sincere, and real”’ says Olha, the deceased’s civilian wife.

Soiko was buried at the Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv. Volodymyr is survived by his parents, two brothers and his civilian wife.

*Volodymyr’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

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