Victory Chronicles-DAY 1034

A fire destroyed a warehouse housing parts for Shahed drones used in attacks against Ukraine.  Located in the Russian economic zone of Alabuga, the warehouse stored 65 fuselages of attack drones, along with engines, navigation systems, and thermal imaging cameras, which were used in the production of 400 Shahed-136 units. The estimated losses for Russia are valued at $16 million. 

Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence didn’t provide specific details about when and how the fire occurred, but said that Russia would be held accountable for its actions against Ukraine. 

Ukraine receives the sixth installment of $1.1 billion under the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, bringing the total amount lent to $9.8 billion. The funds have already been transferred to Ukrainian accounts and will be used to finance critical budget expenditures. The EFF program was approved by the IMF Executive Board in March 2021, providing Ukraine with a $15.6 billion loan over four years. It has two main phases: emergency financing until the end of the war and support for post-war recovery.

A residential building in the Kyiv suburb of Brovary catches fire after being struck by debris from an unmanned aerial vehicle. The incident occurred 30 minutes after midnight and resulted in the roof and elevator room of the 25-story building catching fire. The building’s residents were promptly evacuated, and firefighters managed to extinguish the fire, covering an area of 30 square metres. Fortunately, there were no casualties or injuries reported as a result of the incident.

Ukraine’s military releases video of unmanned ground robotic systems (UGVs) proving their operational effectiveness while ensuring combat mission success and saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. UGVs can be used for mine removal, remote mining, logistical support, medical evacuation, fire support and tactical reconnaissance.

Ukrainian forces reportedly struck an oil depot in Russia’s Oryol Oblast with drones overnight on Dec. 21-22. The region’s governor, Andrei Klychkov, claimed that Russian air defenses and electronic warfare (EW) systems downed 20 Ukrainian drones over Oryol Oblast and that drone strikes caused a fire at a fuel facility.

Footage published on Dec. 22 purportedly shows a drone strike at the Stalnoy Kon (Steel Horse) oil depot on the northeastern outskirts of Oryol City. Ukrainian forces previously struck the Stalnoy Kon oil depot overnight on Dec. 13-14. Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU) reported on Dec. 22 that due to international sanctions that prevent Russia from accessing Western equipment and components, along with Ukrainian drone strikes, has led to reduced Russian oil exports. High Russian loan rates have caused Russian oil refineries to increase their downtime in 2024.

The SZRU reported that Russian oil refineries experienced a total downtime that prevented the facilities from refining 41.1 million tons of oil this year after having only experienced a total downtime worth 35.9 million tons of oil in 2023. Ukrainian drone strikes have also targeted Russian air bases and the Russian military appears to be building shelters for aircraft at several Russian air bases. Satellite imagery collected throughout October 2024 indicates that the Russian military has been constructing shelters for aircraft at several air bases, including in Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar Krai; Kursk City; and occupied Belbek, Crimea.

Lt. Dmytro Kozakov, codenamed Chapai, was killed on Sept. 10 near the village of New York in Donetsk Oblast as a result of an enemy FPV drone strike on his position. The officer was 23 years old.

Kozakov was born in the village of Krasnopil, Zhytomyr region. He attended the Krasnopil school and in 2019, he served as a contract soldier in the 3030 military unit of the National Guard. In 2020-2024, he studied at the Kyiv Institute of the National Guard of Ukraine.

During the full-scale Russian invasion, Koazkov defended his country in the ranks of the Azov 12th Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard. He was a platoon commander in the 5th Lubart Special Forces Battalion.

“My husband was the best. He was friendly, always came to the rescue and was my support,” said Kateryna Kozakova, his widowed wife. The officer was buried in his native village. Kozakov is survived by his parents, brothers, sisters and wife.

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

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