Explosions again in Kherson
Explosions thundered in Kherson on the morning of December 21. Local Telegram channels also report explosions in the city. According to residents, there were several.
There are no changes in the Zaporozhye direction . It is reported that in early December, the Ka-52 "Alligator" was shot down. According to Ukrainian Telegram channels, a Russian helicopter shot down its own Pantsir-S1 air defense missile system, the crew survived.
Bakhmut direction: Over the past week, the Russian military and Wagner forces have made some progress on the eastern outskirts of the city of Bakhmut, according to the UK Ministry of Defense. The agency suggests that the Russian infantry entrenched itself in the eastern industrial areas of the city, but from time to time advanced into the residential area of the city. Street fighting continues. According to the pro-Russian "military commander" Poddubny, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to prepare for fighting in urban areas, trenches and fortifications have been dug.
In the Bakhmut direction, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to OSINT analyst Def Mon, are already 5 km from Kremennaya.
In Belarus , according to military expert Konstantin Mashovets, deployed
- up to 4 airborne assault battalions of the 38th separate airborne assault brigade (in the areas of the settlements of Uzhovo, Konchitsy, Pinsk, Brest region, as well as in the area of the settlement of Bragin, Gomel region);
- a consolidated rapid reaction detachment in the area of the settlement of Ivanovo, Brest region;
- up to 3 airborne battalions of the 103rd separate airborne brigade (near the settlements of Lelchitsy and Gomel, Gomel region, as well as at the Beresteisky training ground).
In addition, in the area of the village of Kirov, Gomel region, the work of the mobile group of electronic intelligence (REI) of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus is recorded.
Three regions of Belarus on the border with Ukraine are restricted for visiting. In the border zone of the Loevsky, Bragin and Khoiniki districts of the Gomel region, close to Ukraine, entry, temporary stay and movement are limited. The restrictions do not apply to those who need to be there on duty or work, people living in these areas or visiting close relatives.
Mutual shelling
On December 20, the village of Shebekino, Belgorod Region, was subjected to active shelling. It is reported that the city lost electricity and water supply. The target of the strike of the Russian Armed Forces in the Kharkiv region was probably the Shebelinsky gas processing plant, writes Poddubny.
According to the governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov, shell fragments damaged storage and production facilities on the territory of the industrial zone and two cars.
On December 21, a missile attack was launched at the base of the 73rd Marine Special Operations Center of the Ukrainian Navy in Ochakiv, according to pro-Russian Telegram channels.
Donetsk is being shelled again with GRADs, according to local Telegram channels. Because of the shelling, three floors of the Kalinin hospital collapsed.
Zelensky's visit to the USA
Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in the USA. This became known after the decision of the White House to allocate another package of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $1.85 billion, of which $1 billion will go to "strengthen the air defense" of Ukraine, including the supply of Patriot air defense systems, and the remaining $850 million to " security assistance.
Politico writes that the Ukrainian leader will ask the Americans for ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300 km, as well as attack drones. Biden intends to discuss with Volodymyr Zelensky his vision of a "just peace" that should end the conflict in Ukraine, said John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications at the National Security Council.
“The President really felt that with the approach of winter and the entry into a new phase of this war, the aggression of Mr. Putin, this is a good opportunity for both leaders to meet face to face and discuss not only what the United States is doing now and will continue to do in the future, but how to ultimately try to reach what President Zelensky called "a just world," Kirby told CNN.
Deliveries of weapons, military and special equipment
The central part of the next package of military assistance to Ukraine under the PDA will be the shipment of Patriot air defense systems. It is specified that a battery worth about $1 billion will be shipped from the presence of the Pentagon and another $800 million of various property under the USAI program. Earlier, a bill was already approved in the United States, including, among other things, assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 45 billion in 2023, which will also include military assistance.
Earlier, The Insider wrote about the importance of the delivery of Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine. The transfer of these complexes to Ukraine will help strengthen the country's air defense as a whole and protect itself from ballistic missiles that Iran is going to transfer to the Russian Federation. Read more about the Patriot air defense system here .
“It is more interesting <what> to be purchased / produced,” writes military observer Ilya Kramnik. “There's a whole pack of Soviet ammunition in there. 45,000 152mm shells, 20,000 122mm, 50,000 122mm Grad rockets, 100,000 125mm tank rounds, as well as terminals and payment for satellite communications services, and funding for training and maintenance and provision. The source of ammunition in this case is interesting separately. These can be both the military-industrial centers of Eastern Europe and, for example, Pakistan. Thus, we can state the confidence of the States in the ability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to support a certain number of Soviet artillery systems and the Soviet tank fleet and beyond.
Popular Mechanics magazine published an article about the use of American JDAM guided bombs by Ukraine. Among other things, it says that “an unknown number of Su-27s and MiG-29s were modified with American LAU-118 brackets, which are attached to BRU-32 bomb racks (also American). JDAMs can be hung from these bomb racks." JDAM is a set of equipment based on GPS technology that converts existing free-fall bombs into all-weather correctable (“smart”) munitions.
Shoigu: The maximum draft age should be raised to 30 years
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the age limit for conscription should be increased to 30 years. At the same time, the age of the start of conscription should be gradually increased to 21 years (instead of 18). He made such a proposal at a meeting of the collegium of the Ministry of Defense. Now in Russia men under the age of 27 are being called up for military service.
Shoigu also announced the need to increase the size of the Russian army to 1.5 million people, including 695,000 contract soldiers. According to military expert Pavel Luzin, Russia does not have such a number of officers.
“In general, this is all some kind of chimera of an inflamed consciousness. 1.5 million people – where to get so many officers? And how do you manage it all? Even 1.15 million people is a lot, it contradicts both demographic and economic trends, and the entire evolution of the Soviet and Russian armies since 1985. But the increase in paper numbers is real money. Money for combat payments. Also, payments to the dead and wounded can also be made according to salary items if there is a task to hide losses. I would not rule out that there will be military service at all these announced repair plants – there is an acute shortage of personnel. And so on the contract of young guys for 2 years of overtime work without days off could be recruited. But that's all my speculation. It is simply interesting that since the summer something has changed so much that by the 137 thousand on paper another 350 thousand people were needed.
Read also The Insider's summary of the main results at the front on December 20: “ Zelensky is in Bakhmut, Girkin makes fun of Putin, Russia is moving its tanks in Belarus to the border with Ukraine. What's going on at the front ."