On Wednesday, December 6, 2023, the war entered its 651st day with the following main developments:
Fighting:
– Russia targeted an aid centre, a medical centre, and residential buildings in Ukraine’s southern and eastern regions, resulting in three deaths and at least 11 injuries. The International Rescue Committee’s humanitarian centre, “I am Kherson”, was destroyed in an overnight missile attack.
– Ukraine’s military reported shooting down 10 out of 17 attack drones launched by Russia. Drones hit private homes and residential buildings in the Kharkiv region and an unspecified infrastructure target in the Lviv region.
– Russia’s air defense systems destroyed or intercepted a total of 41 Ukraine-launched drones, with 26 being destroyed over Russian territory and 15 over the Sea of Azov and Crimean Peninsula.
– Ukraine claimed the drones hit “important military facilities in Crimea” including radar systems and an anti-aircraft missile control system, and said the attacks were a “result of a special SBU operation”. Major-General Vladimir Zavadsky, the deputy commander of Russia’s 14th Army Corps, was confirmed to have been killed in Ukraine.
Politics and diplomacy:
– Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cancelled plans for a video-link appeal for new aid to the United States due to some Republicans attempting to link support to US immigration policy.
– Ukraine accused Russia of taking about 20,000 Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-occupied territory without the consent of their families or guardians, and six Ukrainian children are being returned to their immediate families in Ukraine from Russia under a deal brokered by Qatar.
– Washington imposed new Russia-related sanctions, targeting a defense procurement network consisting of nine entities and five individuals based in various countries.
Weapons:
– Ukraine is investigating alleged corruption in arms procurement but said there was no “misuse” of the Western weapons sent to the country to fight the Russian invasion.
Overall, the situation remains tense and complex, with ongoing fighting and political negotiations shaping the course of the conflict.