Live blog: Ukraine receives last tranche of EU’s $19.8B aid package — Kiev

Thursday, December 21, 2023

1144 GMT –– Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has announced that his country received the last tranche of the EU’s $19.8 billion macro-financial assistance package for 2023.

Symyhal said on Telegram that Ukraine received the last $1.65 billion tranche from the EU, adding: “These funds help us maintain economic stability and fulfil our social obligations.”

In December 2022, the European Council declared that it adopted a macro-financial assistance package worth $19.8 billion aiming to finance the country’s "immediate needs" for 2023.

This year the EU was the largest donor of direct budget support, covering more than 45 percent of the external financing needs, according to Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko.

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1749 GMT –– Western creditors extend debt payment suspension for Ukraine

Ukraine and a group of its Western creditors agreed to extend through March 2027 a debt payment suspension agreed in September 2022 that could have expired at the end of this year, the Ukrainian government said.

"I am grateful to our partners from the G7 countries for understanding Ukraine's needs in the time of war," Ukraine's Minister of Finance Sergii Marchenko said in a statement.

1749 GMT –– Ukraine's Zelenskyy notes signs that Russian military plans are slowing

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Ukraine was receiving signals that Russia's military planning and activity were slowing.

Zelenskyy, in his nightly video address, said this was noted in a report issued by the HUR military intelligence directorate.

"There was a separate report from the HUR," Zelenskyy said. "The enemy's plans, the work of the Russian defence (industry). There are signals indicating a slowdown. We will continue to support their slowdown."

1536 GMT –– Kiev says 3 killed, 5 wounded in Russian shelling in east Ukraine

Ukraine said that Russian shelling had left three people dead and several more injured at mining facilities in Toretsk, a town in the war-battered eastern Donetsk region.

"Two bombs hit the territory of one of the mines in Toretsk. One person was killed and two others were injured," Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said in a statement on social media.

Two more bombs hit the territory of another mine. Two people were killed and three were injured," he added.

He said that the first mine hit had been cut off from electricity and that 32 miners who were underground at the time of the attack had been brought to the surface. Klymenko added that the Russian strikes damaged administrative buildings and equipment at the mine, and police were investigating the incident.

1245 GMT –– Ukrainian men abroad will be called to army: defence minister

Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said Ukrainian men aged between 25 and 60, who are living abroad, will receive an invitation in the coming weeks to report to the recruitment centres.

"We want justice for everyone because it's about our own country. We’ll send them an invitation," Umerov said in an interview with the German newspaper Bild.

He also said they may take measures if they do not show up voluntarily. “We are still discussing what should happen if they do not come voluntarily,” he said.

1217 GMT –– Ukraine to increase domestic borrowing in early 2024

Ukraine will need to increase its domestic market borrowing to get through January-February 2024 because of a lack of financial support from partners, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said.

Delays over European Union and US aid packages have increased uncertainty for Kiev as Russia's offensive in Ukraine drags on although the Ukrainian economy is widely expected to weather the next few months.

"Unfortunately, in January and February, the decisions taken by the partners are not enough so that we can cope on our own. That's why we have a Plan B mechanism in force now," Marchenko was quoted as saying by the Interfax-Ukraine agency.

Marchenko was quoted as saying 2025 would also bring challenges, but that he did not believe it wise to start "tightening the screws" and taking measures now to minimise those risks.

0951 GMT –– Russia has fired 7,400 missiles, 3,700 Shahed drones in war so far: Kiev

Ukrainian air defences were able to shoot down 1,600 of the missiles and 2,900 of the drones, airforce spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said in televised comments.

"We are faced with an enormous aggressor, and we are fighting back," he said.

He said the lower missile downing rate was due to the use of supersonic ballistic missiles, which are much harder to hit, as well as the fact that the West supplied Ukraine with advanced Patriot air defence systems only well into the war.

0857 GMT –– Germany to provide $96M in energy assistance for Ukraine

Germany will provide an additional 88.5 million euros ($96.89 million) to help strengthen the resilience of the Ukrainian energy system as Russia targets its infrastructure, the foreign and economy ministries said in a joint statement.

The economy ministry is contributing 54.3 million euros via the state-owned bank KfW and the foreign ministry 34.2 million euros to the Ukraine energy support fund, the statement said.

0601 GMT –– Kiev says Russia attacked Ukraine with 35 drones overnight

Ukraine has said that air defence systems in the capital Kiev and other locations across the country had downed dozens of Iranian-designed drones launched by Russian forces in Moscow's latest overnight barrage.

"Russian occupiers attacked with 'Shahed' type UAVs from three directions: Chauda - occupied Crimea, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Kursk," the Ukranian air force wrote on Telegram.

It said it shot down 34 of the 35 drones, without reporting any casualties.

2134 GMT — Zelenskyy says working on increasing efficiency of drones

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is working on increasing drones' efficiency in all areas during a conference call with the country's military, law enforcers, intelligence directorate and foreign intelligence service.

"We are working to increase the efficiency of drones, including FPV, in all areas," Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.

"This is an obvious priority of the state and a concrete way to protect the lives of our warriors."

The Ukrainian leader also mentioned his meetings with the prime minister, defence minister and strategic industries minister, saying that "Good results have been achieved in December."

2100 GMT — Russian troops said to have seized Ukraine stronghold in Donetsk

Russian paratroopers have stormed a Ukrainian military stronghold northwest of Artyomovsk in Donetsk region, TASS news agency reported.

"In the Donetsk direction, assault units of Ivanovo paratroopers from the Battlegroup South, continued to improve the situation along the frontline and with the support of artillery fire stormed another strong point northwest of Artyomovsk," TASS said, citing the Russian Defence Ministry.

The report said the paratroopers discovered the Ukrainian main fire weapons and control points during an aerial reconnaissance.

The paratroopers suppressed and disrupted their control system before capturing the positions of the Ukrainian armed forces, after which they carried out a complete clearing of the stronghold.

2100 GMT — Analysts say Ukraine's forces pivoting to defence

Ukraine's armed forces are taking up a more defensive posture, a military analysis has said, after their summer counteroffensive failed to achieve a major breakthrough against Russia’s army and as winter weather sets in after almost 22 months of the war.

"In recent weeks, Ukraine has mobilised a concerted effort to improve field fortifications as its forces pivot to a more defensive posture along much of the front line," the UK Ministry of Defense said in an assessment.

The Kremlin’s deep defences held firm against Ukraine's months-long assault, which employed Western-supplied weapons but did not have essential air cover along the front line that extends for around 1,000-kilometres.

Most fighting in recent weeks has focused on artillery, missile and drones as mud and snow hinder troop movements.

"Russia continues local offensive options in several sectors, but individual attacks are rarely above platoon size," the UK analysis said. "A major Russian breakthrough is unlikely and overall, the front is characterised by stasis."

Russian President Vladimir Putin is hopeful that Kiev's Western allies will grow weary of financing the costly Ukrainian war effort, allowing the Kremlin's forces to make a new offensive push next year against a weaker foe.

For our live updates from Wednesday (December 20), click here.