Here is the situation as it stands on Friday, December 16.
Fighting
- Russia pounded Ukraine with missiles in the eastern region of Kharkiv, the Black Sea region of Odesa and in Vinnytsia in west-central Ukraine, hitting critical infrastructure across the country and leaving some areas without power as people took cover in shelters, Ukrainian officials said.
- A new Russian offensive could occur in February when half of the 300,000 soldiers conscripted by Russia in October to support the war would complete training, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov speculated.
- Russian forces carried out 23 air raids and four missile strikes, as well as 78 bombardments using multiple rocket launchers in the Donetsk region in the past 24 hours, Ukraine’s General Staff said.
- At least eight people were killed and 23 wounded by Ukrainian shelling in the village of Lantrativka in the Russia-controlled Luhansk region of Ukraine, Russia’s state TASS news agency reported.
- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said further attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure could lead to severe humanitarian deterioration and displacement.
Diplomacy
- European Union leaders wrapped up their last summit of 2022 with an agreement to provide 18 billion euros ($19bn) in financing to Ukraine next year and slap more sanctions on Russia after Poland withdrew its objections to a minimum corporate tax as the bloc prepared to cap gas prices and prop up its industry.
- EU states should buy arms jointly to replenish stocks after supplying Ukraine, said Jiri Sedivy, chief executive of the European Defence Agency, warning the United States may not always be able to shield Europe from threats.
- US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo will urge allies to provide continued “timely” support for Ukraine and discuss how to implement the price cap on Russian oil during visits to Germany’s capital Berlin, and Brussels, this week, the Treasury Department said.
- The US military will be expanding its training of Ukrainian military personnel in Germany, the Pentagon said, including training approximately 500 Ukrainians per month in combined arms.
Economy
- The US has imposed a new round of financial penalties on people and entities involved in Russia’s financial sector, with the targets including one of the country’s richest men, Vladimir Potanin.
- President Vladimir Putin said Russia will expand trade with new partners, including switching gas flows to eastern neighbours amid EU sanctions, saying “we will never take the route of self-isolation”.
- United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths said it was unlikely the Black Sea grain deal would be expanded in the near term to include more Ukrainian ports or reduce inspection times.
- More than 14 million tonnes of grain have been exported from Ukraine under the Black Sea deal with Russia, easing global food prices, the UN has said.
