Day 664 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Zaluzhnyi Criticized Zelensky For Removed Heads Of Military Districts

Ukraine | December 19, 2023, Tuesday // 10:24| views

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Day 664 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Putin: We are ready to talk about Ukraine, but we are not giving what's ours
Airports in Moscow closed due to drone attack
Poland has convicted 14 foreigners of spying for Russia
Zelensky welcomes the 12th package of European sanctions against Russia
Ukrainian troops are facing a shortage of artillery shells
Zaluzhnyi criticized Zelensky for the dismissed heads of military districts
Medvedev's son and Putin's niece sanctioned because of the war in Ukraine

Putin: We are ready to talk about Ukraine, but we are not giving what's ours

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia would be ready to talk with Ukraine, the United States and Europe about Ukraine's future if they wanted, but that Moscow would defend its national interests, Reuters reported.

Putin has repeatedly said he would be willing to talk peace, although Western officials are convinced he will wait until the U.S. presidential election in November before making a real effort.

"In Ukraine, those who are aggressive towards Russia, as well as in Europe and in the United States - do they want to negotiate? Let's. But we will do it based on our national interests. We will not give what is ours," Putin said at a defense leadership meeting in Moscow.

Russia controls about 17.5% of Ukraine's internationally recognized territory after annexing Crimea in 2014 and four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine last year.

Putin accused the United States of exploiting Europe for its own interests and said Russia was not planning a war against Europe. At the same time, he confirmed his position that Ukrainian membership in NATO is unacceptable for Moscow.

Airports in Moscow closed due to drone attack

Moscow's Vnukovo airport has temporarily suspended operations due to a drone attack, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

Around noon, the airport, one of the three major ones in the Russian capital, suspended departures and diverted the reception of planes.

The Russian agency "Interfax" announced the closure of the second major airport - "Domodedovo" as well as the smaller one - "Zhukovsky".

The RIA news agency also quoted management at the airport in the city of Kaluga, southwest of Moscow, as temporarily restricting takeoffs and landings.

Subsequently, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that a drone attack against the capital suburb of Odintsovo had been repelled. Debris from the downed drone, the origin of which is not specified, did not damage real property or people when it fell.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday morning the interception of three Ukrainian drones over the Bryansk region and the downing of another a little later over the Kaluga region.

In August and September, dozens of drones were directed at Moscow, damaging several high-rise buildings in "Moscow City" and significantly hampering the operation of airports in the Russian capital.

Poland has convicted 14 foreigners of spying for Russia

14 people - citizens of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine - were convicted of spying for Poland in favor of Russia. The verdict was handed down by a Polish court, writes AFP.

"After considering the case, the court found all the defendants guilty of the crimes they were charged with. It was established that some of them acted within the framework of an organized criminal group," said judge Yaroslav Kowalski.

Zelensky welcomes the 12th package of European sanctions against Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the new sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russia yesterday, Reuters reported. The 12th package of sanctions bans trade in Russian diamonds, further restricts Russian exports and imports, and tightens controls to prevent circumvention of already imposed restrictions. A ban has also been imposed on the import of liquefied propane with a one-year transition period.

Ukrinform quoted State Department spokesman Matthew Miller as saying that the United States is coordinating sanctions pressure on Russia with partners in the European Union, the G7 and other countries, and intends to increase pressure on Putin and prosecute anyone who helps him. .

The Pentagon has warned that without the approval of the US Congress for additional funding for Ukraine, its ability to help Kyiv will be exhausted on December 30. This was reported by the Bloomberg agency, which has a letter from the US Deputy Secretary of Defense Michael McCord.

The heads of finance ministries and central banks of the G7 countries will hold online talks today, Reuters reported, citing Japanese Minister Shunichi Suzuki, whose country chairs the group on a rotating basis. Among the issues the ministers plan to discuss is declared support for Ukraine.

The British "Daily Telegraph" writes that London intends to share naval experience with Ukraine to help Kyiv control the Black Sea.

UNIAN quoted People's Deputy Inna Sovsun from the "Holos" party, who said that it is possible to mobilize women in Ukraine if it is necessary for defense. The agency also quotes a Ukrainian military commander, who accuses journalists from "Reuters" that, in search of loud headlines, they announced the limitation of operations on the front due to a lack of ammunition, and it was not about limitation, but reformatting.

Ukrainian troops are facing a shortage of artillery shells

General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of the Tavria operational-strategic troop group, said that Ukrainian troops on the front line are facing a shortage of artillery shells and have limited some military operations due to a lack of foreign aid. This was reported by "Ukrinform".

Zaluzhnyi criticized Zelensky for the dismissed heads of military districts

Ukraine's highest-ranking general Valerii Zaluzhnyi yesterday issued the sharpest criticism yet of President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision this summer to fire the heads of the country's regional recruitment commissions, Interfax Ukraine reported, quoted by Reuters.

Zelensky fired all the heads of the country's regional recruitment commissions in August as part of a campaign against corruption. At the time, he said a statewide commission investigation had uncovered abuses by officials ranging from illegal enrichment to transporting conscripted men across the border despite a wartime ban on leaving the country.

In response to a reporter's question on the sidelines of yesterday's event whether this decision has affected mobilization levels, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhnyi complained about the dismissal of the heads of regional recruitment commissions. "These were professionals, they knew how to do this and now they are gone," said the general, quoted by Interfax Ukraine.

Zaluzhnyi’s frank assessment of the situation on the battlefield in his essay published this November in the British publication "Economist" was in sharp contrast to the unwavering optimism of Zelensky's public statements, notes Reuters. Major Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda recently published a story about the long history of growing tensions between the two men, citing several anonymous officials.

In response to a reporter's request for comment on a recent Ukrainian Defense Ministry plan to boost military recruitment, Zaluzhnyi said the old system should be restored. "It is still a bit early to assess the recruitment of military personnel. As for the mobilization issues, it does not need to be strengthened, but to be returned to those limits (and) those frameworks that worked before," he said.

Ukraine, which initially could count on tens of thousands of volunteers ready to fight the Russian invasion, is now trying to enlist more men to replace those currently on the front lines, Reuters noted. In recent weeks, there have been numerous angry posts on social media alleging recruiting board officials are showing up at gyms and resorts to hand out call-ups.

Zaluzhnyi’s comments come a day after it was publicly revealed that a listening device had been found in an office he was expected to move into and Ukraine's Internal Security Service had launched an investigation.

Medvedev's son and Putin's niece sanctioned because of the war in Ukraine

Ilya Medvedev - the son of former Russian President and Prime Minister and current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, is among the new 61 individuals added to the EU's sanctions list.

The list is part of the 12th package of restrictive measures against Russia over the war in Ukraine. It was adopted yesterday by the member states (Council) of the EU.

28-year-old Ilya Medvedev is responsible for the creation of digital services in the illegally occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. He coordinated the "I am Russian" project aimed at providing Russian government services to residents of these areas. Among the services are a simplified procedure for granting Russian citizenship. In this capacity, Medvedev Jr. supports and carries out activities and policies that undermine and threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

Anna Tsivilyova, daughter of the first cousin of President Vladimir Putin, is also included in the list. She heads the "Defenders of the Fatherland" foundation and the Guardianship Council in the Kemerovo region of Siberia. She is also a member of the Council of the Eurasian Women's Forum. Anna Tsivilyova's husband is Sergey Tsivilyov - governor of the Kemerovo region. The "Defenders of the Fatherland" Foundation headed by Civil supports veterans who participated in the military operations in Ukraine. The organization also operates in the parts of the country illegally annexed by Russia, including Crimea.

The new EU blacklist includes 61 individuals and 86 companies responsible for undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

The sanctioned companies are mostly from the military and defense sectors. Over 40 companies are part of the Russian military-industrial complex. Measures have also been imposed against 7 private companies and one of their founders.

Among those punished are 12 individuals from Belarus involved in providing support for the Russian war in Ukraine, as well as Russian officials and businessmen from the defense sector.

The AlfaStrakhovanie insurance company, the Federal Service for Financial Supervision (Rosfinmonitoring) and 4 telecommunication companies in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia were sanctioned.

The list included 14 members of Russia's Central Election Commission (CEC) and two members of regional commissions responsible for organizing the illegal referendums in 2022 and the illegal elections that year. Also sanctioned were those involved in the military re-education of Ukrainian children, including the Victory Volunteers movement, the Vanguard Center, and the Crimean Patriotic Center, known as the Crimean Patriot Center.

The Council has sanctioned two individuals and two IT companies responsible for circumventing European sanctions. The same measures have been applied to persons spreading disinformation and propaganda in support of Russia's war in Ukraine. Among them for the TV channels "Tsargrad" and "Spas TV".

Sanctioning criteria have been expanded to include on the list individuals and companies involved in the takeover of European companies based in Russia, as well as those who benefit from such activity. The Council can also leave deceased persons on the list if it considers that their assets are likely to be used to finance Russian aggression in Ukraine or other activities directed against the sovereignty of that country.

Thus, restrictive measures because of the war have already been taken against a total of about 1,950 individuals and companies.

Novinite is still the only Bulgarian media that publishes a summary of events and highlights related to the conflict, every single day. Our coverage began on day one - 24.02.2022 and will not stop until the war has concluded. Despite the pressure, our independent media will continue to provide its readers with accurate and up-to-date information. Thank you for your support! #stayinformed

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Tags: Zelensky , Russia , Ukraine , Zaluzhnyi