Victory Chronicles
-DAY 303

ISW KEY TAKEAWAYS: RUSSIAN INFORMATION SPACE GROWING MORE AMBIGUOUS AND CONTRADICTORY

Above: President Joe and Jill Biden stand in solidarity with President Zelensky and Ukraine. (Jill Biden)

• Putin’s used the term “war” when regarding the invasion of Ukraine prompting confusion within the Russian information space. Putin used this word—war–instead of the phrasing “special military operation” when falsely accusing Ukraine of starting a war against its population in 2014, prompting a russian milbloggers to state that “every thinking person knows that what is happening in Ukraine is a hot war.” 
• Putin made several statements that Russia seeks to end the war as soon as possible while simultaneously noting that Russia will not increase the pace of ”special military operation” because that would lead to ”unjustified losses.”, statements that are part of the Kremlin’s effort to justify Putin’s costly war effort to Russian domestic audiences who are increasingly making greater sacrifices to fulfill the Kremlin’s unrealistic goals.
• The Federal Bailiff Service of Russia database (FSSP) reported that 10 out of the 15 dead servicemen had debts totaling more than 5.7 million rubles, indicating that debt among Russian troops is high. This finding supports ISW’s previous assessment that Russian ”volunteer” unit recruitment targeted financially vulnerable Russians.
• An independent Russian Human Rights project, OVD-Info, and opposition media source Verstka published data on December 21 that shows that Russian popular resistance to the conflict in Ukraine has broken a ten-year record for protests arrests in Russia. Russian officials have detained more than 19,440 protestors.
• Supply shortages are contributing to tension between the Russian military and Russian security forces such as the FSB and the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia) because Russian security forces have access to the supply chain before the military, meaning that the security forces select the best vehicles and other supplies while the Russian military receives what is left over.

Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhny sends holiday gratitude to Ukraine’s allies:

GENERAL STAFF DAILY ENEMY LOSSES

Above: Ukrainian forces are still removing the abandoned bodies of invaders from the liberated town of Kupyansk, Kharkiv. The kremlin has permanently wasted the lives of over 100,000 fighters in the first 300 days of war on Ukraine. (Newsweek)

https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua

Ukrainian General Staff of the Armed Forces estimated enemy losses for last 24 hours

• Liquidated personnel, 100,950 (+550)
• Tanks, 3,005 (+2)
• Armored personnel vehicles, 5,986 (+5)
• Artillery systems/MLRS, 1,984/414 (+6/1)
• Anti-aircraft warfare systems, 212 (0)
• Aircraft/helicopters, 283/267 (0)
• UAV operational-tactical level, 1,698 (+5)
• Cruise missiles, 653 (0)
• Warships/boats, 16 (0)
• Vehicles and fuel tanks, 4,622 (+7)
• Special equipment, 178 (0)

CIVILIAN MISSILE STRIKES

Above: On December 22, the Russian military launched two missile strikes on Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, destroying a school and business. (Ukraine World)

Glory to Ukraine! The three hundred and third day of the Russian large-scale invasion has begun

• Over the past day, the enemy launched 6 missile and 6 air strikes on civilian objects in the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk Also, the enemy launched more than 70 attacks from rocket salvo systems.
• At the same time, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine repelled the attacks of the occupiers in the areas of settlements of Vysoke in the Sumy region, Khatne in the Kharkiv region, Stelmakhivka, Andriyivka, Nadiya, Makiivka, Ploshanka, Chervonpopivka and Dibrova in the Luhansk region and Novoselivka, Yampolivka, Yakovlivka, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Mayorsk , New York, Vodyane, Krasnohorivka and Maryinka in Donetsk
• In the Siverskyi direction, the enemy launched an anti-aircraft fire in the area of the settlements of Bleshnya in the Chernihiv region and Novovasylivka, Atynsk, Iskryskivshchyna, Pavlivka, Vodolagi and Krasnopillya in the Sumy
• In the Slobozhansk direction, areas of Shevchenka, Strelecha, Neskuchne, Ternova, Staritsa, Vovchansk, Volokhivka, and Stroivka of the Kharkiv region were hit by tank, mortar, and artillery shelling.
• In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy carried out fire damage near Novomlynsk, Kupyansk, Krokhmalny and Berestovo in the Kharkiv region, and Novoselivsk and Stelmakhivka in the Luhansk
• On the Lymanskyi direction, Makiivka, Ploshanka, Chervonpopivka and Dibrova of the Luhansk region were shelled.
• In the direction of Bakhmut, the enemy fired tanks and the entire range of artillery at the areas of Verkhnokamianske, Belogorivka, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, Andriivka, Oleksandro-Shultine, Kurdyumivka, Ozaryanivka and New York settlements of the Donetsk
• On the Avdiivskyi direction, Kostyantynivka, Vodyanyi, Nevelskyi, Krasnohorivka, Georgiivka, Maryinka, and Novomykhailivka districts in Donetsk region were affected by enemy fire.
• Vremivka, Velyka Novosilka, Neskuchne, Vugledar, and Mykilske of the Donetsk region were affected by fire in the Novopavlovsk direction.
• On the Zaporizhia and Kherson directions, Marganets of the Dnipropetrovsk region and the city of Kherson were shelled by rocket and barrel artillery.

Believe in the Armed Forces! Together we will win! Glory to Ukraine!

KHARKIV-LUHANSK

Above:  The front along the Kharkiv-Luhansk border may be heating up as Ukraine draws closer to Kremmina. (Ukrinform)

Map via ISW

• Russian forces continued to conduct limited counterattacks to regain lost positions along the Svatove-Kreminna line on December 22. Ukrainian forces repelled six Russian assaults on Ukrainian frontline positions in Luhansk Oblast near Novoselivkse (14km northwest of Svatove) and Stelmakhivka (15km northwest of Svatove).
• A Russian milblogger claimed that fighting is intensifying in the Kreminna area where Ukrainian forces conducted reconnaissance in force and probed Russian positions.

LUHANSK-DONETSK-ZAPORIZHZHIA

Above: The heroic defense of Bakhmut is already a story for the history books.  (Euromaidan Press)

Map via ISW

• Russian forces continued offensive operations around Bakhmut on December 22. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces repelled Russian assaults near Bakhmut; within 26km northeast of Bakhmut near Berestove, Yakovlivka, and Soledar; and within 31km south of Bakhmut near Opytne, Kurdyumivka, Ozarianivka, Mayorsk, and Niu York.
• Russian forces have not decisively broken through Ukrainian positions in Bakhmut and Ukrainian forces have repelled Russian assault groups that had momentarily broken through into the outskirts of the settlement.
• Russian forces continued offensive operations in the Avdiivka-Donetsk City area on December 22. Ukrainian forces repelled Russian assaults within 27km southwest of Avdiivka near Krasnohorivka, Nevelske, and Marinka. A Russian journalist posted footage on December 22 from Andriivka (10km south of Bakhmut) indicating that Russian forces are in the settlement.

Above:  Russian forces have captured Andriivka, Donetsk, confirmed by geolocated video. (George Barros)

KHERSON-ZAPORIZHZHYA-CRIMEA

Above: A Ukrainian soldier prepares to shoot from a howitzer on the front line in Zaporizhzhia. (The Telegraph)

Map via ISW

• Russian forces are increasing security measures in left-bank Kherson Oblast and Crimea out of fear of Ukrainian counteroffensive operation An intensive anti-sabotage operation is underway in occupied Kherson Oblast to counter Ukrainian sabotage groups attempting to cross the Dnipro River or the Dnipro-Bug estuary to the left bank.
• Russian forces are continuing to shell residential buildings in Kherson City, and shelled Ochakiv just north of the Kinburn Spit. Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command reported that Ukrainian air defenses shot down a Russian Kh-59 missile over Mykolaiv Oblast on December 22.
• Ukrainian partisans killed a Russian collaborator in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Kakhovka, Kherson Oblast, on December 22.
• Russian occupation authorities are continuing to set conditions to forcibly evacuate Ukrainian citizens from occupied territories by intensifying strikes on civilian infrastructure and impairing the operations of social institutions to make civilian life unbearable in Vasylivka, Kakhovka, and Nova Kakhovka, Kherson Oblast.
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Grossi traveled to Moscow and met with a Russian delegation that included Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev on December 22 to discuss the creation of a security zone around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
• On the territory of the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea, enemy units are carrying out engineering equipment of defensive positions along the highway Krasnoperekopsk – Dzhankoy.
• Crimea raised the level of the ”terrorist” threat in six Crimean areas along Russian ground lines of communication : Armyansk, Dzhankoyskyi Raion, Kerch, Krasnoperekopsk and the Krasnoperekopskyi Raion, and Leninisky Raion.
• Russian forces are increasing their naval activity in the Black Sea. Naval News analyzed satellite imagery that showed an increase in Russian submarine activity near Sevastopol, including the return of a Kilo-class submarine to base accompanied by a likely Raptor assault boat and a helicopter.

Above: Naval News