The regional capital Cherson, which was only recaptured by the Ukrainian army last month, was already the target of Russian attacks over the Christmas period. On December 24, at least ten people were killed and 55 others injured in an attack on the central market of the city, which had a population of around 290,000 before the war.
The Ukrainian General Staff also announced on Wednesday that inhabited areas on the right bank of the Dnipro River near the city of Kherson were also shelled with mortars and artillery.
Barely changed front line
On the front in eastern Ukraine, the heaviest fighting continued around the town of Bakhmut, which has been under attack by Russian troops for months, and further north in the towns of Swatove and Kreminna. Here the Ukrainian forces are trying to break through Russian positions.
The frontline has changed little, but Russian pressure has increased as Russia has deployed additional tanks, armored vehicles and soldiers to combat zones, says Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj recently described the situation on this section of the front as “painful and difficult”.
“Understanding what needs to be done in spring”
Zelenskyj expects a decision in the defensive war against Russia in the coming year. “We will continue to prepare the armed forces and security of Ukraine for next year. It’s a crucial year,” said Zelenskyy on Tuesday evening after consultations with the military leadership. “We understand the risks of winter. We understand what needs to be done in the spring,” he added.
The President of Ukraine also announced in his daily video address that he would deliver his annual state of the nation address in parliament. “I want this message not to be a report, but our dialogue with you about the coming year,” said the 44-year-old.
It is about formulating the tasks for the future. The speech is expected before the turn of the year. Selenskyj did not name an exact date. Last year, he delivered the speech to the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada on December 1, almost three months before the start of Russian aggression against his country.
Destroyed pipelines, substations and bridges
Away from the contested front sections, the people of Ukraine are also suffering from the consequences of the war. According to government information, more than 700 critical infrastructure objects have been destroyed since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression at the end of February. “It’s about gas pipelines, substations, bridges and the like,” Ukraine’s Deputy Interior Minister Yevgeny Yenin said on Wednesday.
Since October, the Russian military has been specifically targeting energy supply systems in Ukraine. The Ukrainian power grid has been badly damaged by the constant fire from rockets, cruise missiles and drones. Again and again there are sudden emergency shutdowns. In the dark and cold winter days, people are therefore without light for hours – and sometimes cut off from the heat and water supply.
Persistent power outages in Kyiv
According to the city administration, the population in the capital Kyiv must expect sudden emergency shutdowns again and again until the end of winter. “We will have to live under these conditions all winter,” said the deputy chief of the city administration, Petro Pantelyev, on Ukrainian television on Tuesday.
As in other Ukrainian cities, the power supply in Kyiv has been severely affected by the Russian rocket attacks. Specialists worked around the clock to repair the system, but the situation remained difficult, Panteleyev admitted. The official warned that the capacity was not sufficient, especially on working days, when there was an increased power consumption.
Further attacks feared
The danger of further attacks on the Ukrainian energy supply infrastructure remains acute, the General Staff warned in its situation report on Tuesday. Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal had previously stated that Ukraine could spend New Year’s Eve without emergency shutdowns if there was no further shelling. However, there is a high risk that the Russian military will again target objects that supply electricity in Ukraine.
Expert does not expect the war to end in 2023
If Claudia Major from the German Science and Politics Foundation (SWP) has her way, the end of the war in the coming year is unlikely. “The war will last a long time,” the German editorial network (RND) quoted the security expert as saying.
The expert also currently sees little chance for peace negotiations. Anyone who believes that Ukraine has a choice between war on the one hand and negotiations and peace on the other completely misjudges the situation, she said: “Ukraine only has the choice between war and annihilation.”
