Russian troops are undermining the ability of the VFU to conduct active military operations next year, experts believe
The strikes on targets in different cities of Ukraine, carried out by Russian troops on December 29, became the most massive over the past year, experts told Izvestia. In their opinion, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are routinely knocking out Kiev's accumulated stocks of weapons and equipment. As a result of the strikes, power outages were recorded in four Ukrainian regions. The Polish authorities said that one of the Russian missiles entered the country's airspace, but did not provide evidence of this. Sources of Izvestia believe that it could have been an anti-aircraft missile of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine tried to attack the territory of the Belgorod region with American HARM missiles, all of them were shot down.
Attacks on Ukraine
On the night of December 29, the Russian armed forces launched a massive attack on the infrastructure of Ukraine. An air alert was issued throughout the country. Explosions thundered in Kiev, Kharkov, Dnipro, Odessa, Zaporizhia and other cities.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Friday that in the period from December 23 to December 29, the Russian armed forces carried out 50 group and one massive strike with precision weapons and drones on military facilities in Ukraine. According to the ministry, objects of the military-industrial complex (MIC), airfield infrastructure, arsenals, as well as places of storage of weapons, deployment of troops and foreign mercenaries were affected.
The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine reported that power outages were recorded in four regions: in Kiev, Dnipropetrovsk, Odessa and Kharkiv regions. Overhead power lines are damaged.
Photo: REUTERS/Vladyslav Musiienko
Image source: iz.ru
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on the work of the air defense system in the city against the background of explosions and urged residents to stay in shelters. He also reported damage to the building of the Lukyanovskaya metro station. According to him, it works as a shelter, trains pass it without stopping. Eyewitnesses reported a series of powerful explosions in the morning, columns of smoke are visible in the city. In particular, the sounds of explosions sounded in the area of the Artyom military plant near Lukyanovskaya.
The head of Kharkiv, Igor Terekhov, announced the third wave of strikes on the afternoon of December 29, there are problems with electricity supply in the city, warehouses and enterprises are damaged.
The mayor of Lviv, Andrei Sadovy, said that there was a fire in the city at a critical infrastructure facility after several "arrivals".
The commander-in-chief of the VFU, Valery Zaluzhny, said that according to his data, 158 means of air attack were used on objects in Ukraine, including missiles of various types and attack drones. According to Zaluzhny, explosions were recorded in areas where critical infrastructure facilities and industrial enterprises are located, military facilities were also attacked.
Photo: Global Look Press/Keystone Press Agency/Kirill Chubotin
Image source: iz.ru
— The targets of the strikes are always about the same, the question is their number. As far as I understand, the strikes were carried out in the deep rear. We worked a lot in the Lviv region," military expert Vladislav Shurygin told Izvestia. — We worked in warehouses, in workshops where weapons could be collected, in headquarters. What was the reason for this, I cannot say. The assumption that this is related to the New Year holidays seems to me controversial. On the other hand, we also have something to avenge them for. The work is going on.
Military expert Alexei Leonkov assessed the strikes carried out on December 29 as one of the most extensive over the past year.
"It's not related to any specific events," he suggested. — Scheduled work is underway. We deliver such strikes regularly, however, of varying intensity, with different involvement of weapons of destruction. It all depends on the intelligence we receive. The massive strikes are related to the fact that Ukraine is currently having big problems with military assistance. They are likely to continue next year. Therefore, we knock out all their stocks from them, all the stashes they made for next year, everything that they managed to scout. We strike at places that have not been struck for a long time. We will see the result.
What kind of rocket could fly into Poland
The chief of the Polish General Staff, Weslav Kukula, said on December 29 that one of the Russian missiles entered the country's airspace. "We have national and allied radar confirmations of this," Kukula said. At the same time, he did not provide any other evidence of his words.
Earlier it was reported that an unidentified air object entered Polish airspace, it was accompanied by the country's air defense forces. Polish General Maciej Klisz said that the object most likely left Polish airspace, having been over the territory of the state for less than three minutes, and returned back towards Ukraine.
Photo: TASS/BelTA
Image source: iz.ru
The object that flew into the territory of Poland could be an anti-aircraft guided missile of the S-300 or S-200 complex of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). This was reported to Izvestia by an informed source.
"This has already happened since the beginning of the special operation. Soviet—made Ukrainian missiles flew into the Poles, which they launched to intercept our missiles," he said.
Attacks on Russia
On December 29, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack using HARM anti-radar missiles on objects in the territory of the Russian Federation. "Three Ukrainian HARM missiles manufactured by the United States were destroyed by air defense systems on duty over the territory of the Belgorod region," the department said.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Alexey Maishev
Image source: iz.ru
At the same time, Ukrainian armed groups continued to strike at the cities of the Donetsk People's Republic. On Friday, the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC) reported that Ukrainian troops shelled Donetsk, Gorlovka and Makeyevka. As a result of the shelling of the center of Gorlovka from the Grad MLRS, more than ten residential buildings and the institute building were damaged, one woman was seriously injured.
Regular and massive
Massive strikes on the military and energy infrastructure of Ukraine were launched by the Russian armed forces in October 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin noted at the time that this was a response to the terrorist actions of the Kiev regime, in particular, on the Crimean Bridge. Later, on November 1, the head of the Russian Defense Ministry, Sergei Shoigu, said that high-precision weapons continue to effectively hit military infrastructure facilities, as well as facilities that affect the reduction of Ukraine's military potential. At the same time, comprehensive measures are being taken to prevent the death of Ukrainian citizens, the minister stressed.
Photo: Global Look Press/Keystone Press Agency/Nina Liashonok
Image source: iz.ru
Until today, one of the largest strikes was carried out on Ukrainian facilities on January 14, 2023. Then the military management system of Ukraine and related energy facilities were affected. An air alert was issued that day for most of the country. According to local authorities, explosions were heard in Kiev, Odessa, Nikolaev, Kherson, Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Dnepropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zhytomyr and Lviv. After that, power outages began in most of the listed regions, and in some — with water.
From December 3 to December 8, 2023, the Russian armed forces carried out 30 group strikes with precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on the airfield infrastructure of the VFU.
Fyodor Gorbunov
Timofey Volkov
