The situation at the front
In the Kherson direction, the Russian military will begin the evacuation of civilians from Kakhovka on December 3 (it was occupied in April), the pro-Russian administration of the city reported . Bedridden and people with limited mobility will be sent to one of the boarding houses in the Genichesk district, which borders on Crimea. Ukrainian publics write about another potential “goodwill gesture” – this was the case with Kherson.
The British Ministry of Defense notes that after the retreat from the right bank of the Dnieper, the Russian troops began to have serious problems with logistics. The Russians are pushing strongholds and supply centers further and further from the line of contact to the south and east. Road transport is vulnerable to the artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, there are difficulties with ammunition.
On the eve of the Ukrainian General Staff said that Russian troops are preparing to retreat from some areas of the Zaporozhye region. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) commented on these statements: they cannot independently confirm them, but note that it becomes really difficult to defend Russia's occupied positions against the backdrop of intensifying shelling of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, Russia still has reserves in the Crimea – they can be used when the Armed Forces of Ukraine advance in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, analysts say. The Ukrainian mayor of the occupied Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, in turn, noted that it was not worth talking about a retreat yet.
The Russian military, however, may soon leave the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, writes Meduza, citing sources close to the Kremlin and the government. In exchange, Moscow allegedly demands a guarantee of uninterrupted transit of oil and gas through the territory of Ukraine (the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline goes through it). According to this plan, the station can be given either to Kyiv or the IAEA. However, there is no question of completely withdrawing troops from the region, the publication claims.
At the same time, OSINT researchers indicate that we can talk about another version: the units, most likely, do not leave at full strength, this is part of a planned rotation.
The Russian army continues to advance in the Bakhmut direction in the Donetsk region, ISW notes. Fierce battles have been going on for several months, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding the city. The Russian Ministry of Defense declared full control over Kurdyumovka. The capture is also confirmed by independent analysts.
This is how Bakhmut looks like now – it is almost completely destroyed.
The WarGonzo propaganda project claims that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are making progress in the Svatov direction in the Lugansk region. Active battles are being fought in the area of the city of Kremennaya. Referring to sources on the front line, WarGonzo talks about the advance of the Ukrainians near Chernopopovka, which is located near Kremennaya.
As for the major shelling of the day, Russian channels reported attacks on the center of Donetsk , as well as a strike from HIMARS on an oil depot in Shakhtyorsk .
“Putin is being sold another blitzkrieg”
"New Newspaper. Europe” spoke about a new possible attack on Kiev. The journalists spoke to a Russian soldier who is now in Grodno in Belarus. According to him, the command is concentrating troops along the borders, and by mid-December they plan to send more than 300,000 mobilized people there to try to capture Kyiv again. At the same time, it is planned that the military will break through Bakhmut to Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.
“To attack long-term firing points through swamps and forests along minefields in several lanes and under artillery fire is suicide. Let's put thousands at once. Serious fortifications were built along the border, anti-tank ditches three meters wide were dug. All directions were shot by Ukrainian artillery,” says the military man.
Germany to hand over Cheetahs to Ukraine
According to Der Spiegel, in the spring of 2023, Germany will send a batch of Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine. Initially, they wanted to "send to the scrap." According to the publication, seven Cheetahs will be handed over to the Armed Forces of Ukraine after they are repaired. This is the last such equipment from German warehouses. Kyiv continues to request modern Leopard tanks from the German authorities. So far there is no agreement.
Transfer of NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine
Politico reported that the United States is in talks with some countries in the Middle East to transfer several modern NASAMS air defense systems to the Ukrainian Armed Forces – now they are in Oman and Qatar. This is faster than making them in the USA. In return, the United States promises to supply the countries of the Middle East with new complexes – within two years. If this proposal is supported, then Ukraine will be able to receive installations within three to six months, the journalists write.
At the same time, the Financial Times writes that Western countries themselves have begun to experience problems and cannot replenish their ammunition reserves – they have depleted due to the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Therefore, in order to continue to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine with weapons, it is necessary to replenish stocks.
See also The Insider's military report for December 1: “Russia's preparations for a massive missile strike, shelling of Kherson, fighting in the Bakhmut direction. What is happening on the front line.