Victory Chronicles-DAY 1038

Three senior Russian military officers were killed in Ukraine’s southern region of Zaporizhzhya in a joint special operation orchestrated by Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR). Four separate forces took part in the operation that included HUR, the Security Service (SBU), the Unmanned Systems Forces, and the Tavria operational group. The mission was implemented when HUR learned of a planned officers meeting attached to the Russian command at the 4th Guards Military Base. 

After confirming the intelligence, a plan was devised, which included the Tavria Special Forces, the SBU, and the Typhoon Tactical Group. The operation began with a precision strike using high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) projectiles, followed by a multiple drone attack. Three officers were killed and five vehicles were destroyed during the operation. 

The killed officers identified include Dmitry Nagorny, commander of the 1st Battalion of the 135th Motorized Rifle Regiment, Grigory Krokhmalov, Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, and Cpt. Yuri Fomin, commander of the anti-aircraft battery.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) mulls providing 400 million euros in financing for a pilot project to construct social housing in Ukraine. 

The funding, comprising a grant and a loan, intends to build public housing in urban areas with access to critical infrastructure. The project will meet European energy-efficient standards and the principle of build-back-better. It envisions developing approximately 6,000 to 6,500 apartment units, with the EIB selecting locations based on regional needs and interest in cooperation. 

Currently, Ukraine only has 3,000 social apartments, while the number of internally displaced persons stands at more than 5 million. As of October 2024, there were approximately 3.6 million internally displaced people in Ukraine, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry approves the Ravlyk universal mobile platform for military use. This ground robotic system is fully produced in Ukraine. The Ravlyk is a small and easily transportable robot that weighs just over a half a tonne. It is capable of carrying several hundred kilograms of cargo or pulling a nearly two-tonne trailer. The platform is sealed, dust- and waterproof, allowing it to function well in difficult weather conditions. Equipped with an electric motor and soft all-terrain tires, the Ravlyk can move quietly. It is designed to overcome off-road terrains, mud, sand mounds, narrow ditches, and low vertical obstacles.

In Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih, police officers and first responders rescue a dog that was trapped under the rubble of a house damaged by a Russian missile. The distraught dog experienced about 20 minutes of fear and despair before being pulled out into the fresh air. Law enforcement officers returned the animal over to its owner.

Russian President Vladimir Putin explicitly rejected a suggestion reportedly considered by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s team in early November 2024 that would delay Ukraine’s membership in NATO for at least a decade as a condition for ending the war in Ukraine. Putin responded on Dec. 26 to a journalist’s request to comment on the Trump team’s reported early November suggestion to delay Ukraine’s membership in NATO for 10 to 20 years. Putin stated that it does not matter if Ukraine joins NATO “today, tomorrow, or in 10 years.” 

Putin’s statement is part of a series of comments he has made recently reiterating his refusal to consider compromises on his late 2021 and early 2022 demands on Kyiv. These demands include forcing Ukraine to become a permanently neutral state that will never join NATO, imposing severe limitations on the size of the Ukrainian military, and removing the Ukrainian government.

Sr. Lt. of the Medical Service Oleksandr Kovch was killed on July 26 during a combat mission near the village of Ponyativka in the Kherson region. The defender was 45 years old.
Kovch was born in the village of Shchedrohir, Volyn region. He lived in the village of Ratne. He graduated from the Ivano-Frankivsk Medical Academy. Kovch was a surgeon by profession. For about 14 years, he worked at the Ratne Central District Hospital, then at the Zabolotiv and Starovyzhiv hospitals. He was fond of gardening, fishing, and playing the accordion. He adored his beloved dog and made various home crafts with his own hands.

During the full-scale Russian invasion, the officer served in the 35th Separate Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian Navy.  “Kind, sensitive, loving, he would always come to the rescue of anyone who needed it. He was a real man and a patriot of his country. I am proud of my Hero. He will always be in my heart,” says his widowed wife Olga. The officer was buried in his native village of Shchedrohir. Kovch is survived by his parents and wife.

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

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