Senior occupier defects to Netherlands, shell shortages, how the EU dealt with Orbán
Your slice of the headlines in Ukraine. Daily. Tuesday, December 19, 2023.
● Russian occupier seeks asylum in Netherlands, offers testimony on Putin's allies to ICC
A high-ranking Russian occupier has fled to the Netherlands and is ready to testify about Russian war crimes in Ukraine at the International Criminal Court, the Russian human rights project Gulagu.net reported on Dec.18.
● U.S. Congress unlikely to reach agreement on border and aid to Ukraine this year — Politico
The U.S. Senate and Congress are unlikely to pass new border security restrictions, crucial for allocating aid to Ukraine, by the end of the year, Politico reported on Dec. 18.
● Kyivstar provides updates on service restoration efforts
Ukrainian mobile operator Kyivstar has reinstated access to SMS services, including international roaming, as of 11:00 a.m. on Dec. 18, 2023, according to the company. Telecom, mobile data, and Home Internet services for its customers have all been restored.
● Ukrainian troops face artillery shortages, scale back some operations — Tarnavskyi
Frontline Ukrainian troops face shortages of artillery shells and have scaled back some military operations, Tavria operational group commander, Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, said in an interview with Reuters on Dec. 18.
● Survey reveals Ukrainians trust in military, but trust in Zelenskyy is dropping
The Armed Forces of Ukraine retain the highest trust among Ukrainians — 96%, while Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi is trusted more than President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), published on Dec. 18.
● Ukraine’s national bank initiates process to join Euro SEPA payment system in 2024
Ukraine’s National Bank (NBU) plans to kickstart Ukraine’s accession to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) in 2024, chairman Andriy Pyshnyi wrote on Facebook.
● Zelenskyy’s office announces shift to 'Plan B' if Western aid is not allocated by year's end
The Ukrainian government will implement 'Plan B' if international partners do not allocate new financial assistance by the end of the year, Oleh Ustenko, an advisor to the President of Ukraine, stated on national TV on Dec. 17.
● How EU leaders countered Orbán's opposition to Ukraine
NV reporters witnessed the swift transformation of Ukraine's European future in Brussels, shifting from a gloomy morning outlook to a to an optimistic evening within a matter of hours on Dec. 14.
● EU weighs suspending Hungary’s voting rights for blocking EUR 50 billion aid to Ukraine — FT
EU officials are considering suspending Hungary's voting rights after it blocked EUR 50 billion ($54.7 billion) in aid to Ukraine, Financial Times reported, citing unnamed European officials on Dec. 18.
● Russian destruction renders Avdiivka Coke Plant irreparable, says Metinvest CEO
Russian shelling has inflicted such extensive damage on the Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant that its restoration after the war seems impossible, Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of Metinvest (a group of steel and mining enterprises), said in an interview with Forbes on Dec. 18.
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