Top Ukrainian general says country is preparing for Russian invasion from the north
Moscow has announced the establishment of two “front line creative brigades” tasked with raising the “fragile” morale of troops deployed in Ukraine, according to the UK ministry of defence (MoD).
The MoD’s daily intelligence updated cites Russian media reports as saying “the ranks will include opera singers, actors and circus performers” in the hopes of raising the spirits of soliders jaded by “high casualty rates” and “poor leadership” on the battlefield.
Posting to Twitter, defence officials explain: “Fragile morale almost certainly continues to be a significant vulnerability across much of the Russian force.
“However, soldiers’ concerns primarily focus on very high casualty rates, poor leadership, pay problems lack of equipment and ammunition, and lack of clarity about the war’s objectives. The creative brigades’ efforts are unlikely to substantively alleviate these concerns.”
In other news, a top Ukrainian general has warned of a new Russian assault from the north.
Major General Andrii Kovalchuk said Ukraine is preparing for another round of attacks, adding that the country would need more military support to fight Vladimir Putin’s forces.
Zelensky demands international tribunal to prosecute ‘all who provoked war’
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has called for the formation of an international tribunal to prosecute “all those who provoked war.”
“The Kremlin and those who help the leadership wage war against Ukraine should be held accountable, which include propagandists and strategists who “imposed” its ideology on society, The Kyiv Independent cites Mr Zelensky as saying.
Emily Atkinson18 December 2022 16:00
Watch: Nasa reports Russian space capsule docked at ISS is leaking fluids
Nasa reports Russian space capsule docked at ISS is leaking fluids
Emily Atkinson18 December 2022 15:30
Thousands left without water and power as Russian missile barrage hits Ukraine
Emily Atkinson18 December 2022 15:00
Zelensky uses World Cup final to decry war
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has used the final of the football World Cup to decry war.
“This World Cup proved time and again that different countries and different nationalities can decide who is the strongest in fair play but not in the playing with fire — on the green playing field, not on the red battlefield,” Mr Zelensky said in an English video statement released hours before the final in Qatar between Argentina and France.
Emily Atkinson18 December 2022 14:30
Russian shelling targets Kherson city centre
Russian military forces have shelled the centre of Kherson, the major city that Russian soldiers retreated from last month in one of Moscow’s biggest battlefield setbacks in Ukraine.
Three people were wounded in Sunday’s attacks, said presidential deputy chief of staff Kyrylo Tymoshenko.The southern city and its surrounding region have come under frequent attack since the Russian pullback.
Regional governor Yaroslav Yanushevych said that Russia had carried out 54 attacks with rocket, mortar and tank fire over the previous day, killing three people and wounding six.
Emily Atkinson18 December 2022 14:00
One killed, four wounded by shelling of Russian region, governor says
One person was killed and four people were wounded by shelling in the southern Russian region of Belgorod near the border with Ukraine on Sunday, the governor of the region said.
“Our air defence system was activated over Belgorod and the Belgorod region,” governor Vyacheslav Gladkov…
Read More: Ukraine-Russia war – live: Russian soldiers’ ‘low morale over high casualties and poor leadership’