The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine extended a formal Christmas greeting and congratulated the upcoming holidays to everyone who supports Ukraine in the war and to those who celebrate them.
Commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi of the Armed Forces recited a short speech in which he thanked Ukraine’s supporters and used the opportunity to wish them a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
The footage was obtained by Newsflash from the Commander on 22nd December, in which he said (in Ukrainian): “
“Dear Brothers in Arms!
“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you on the occasion of the upcoming Christmas and New Year.
“We often recall the saying ‘In dark times, bright people are clearly visible’. I thank you for your support and assistance.
“I am grateful to you for being together with us in this tough, unjust and unjustified war.
“I am grateful to you on behalf of every Ukrainian soldier in whose hands your weapon eliminates the world’s evil and saves innocent lives.
“The price of peace is extremely high. Recall this while looking at the sky and the Christmas Star in it.
“Pray for a Ukrainian warrior who is in the trenches now protecting the world from harm.
“And believe, that God is right there, next to him. On the side of good, the truth and fairness.
“We will win together!”
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 302nd day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 22nd December, Russia had lost about 100,400 personnel, 3,003 tanks, 5,981 armoured combat vehicles, 1,978 artillery units, 413 multiple launch rocket systems, 212 air defence systems, 283 warplanes, 267 helicopters, 1,693 drones, 653 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,615 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 178 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to Washington, DC to meet with US leaders on 21st December with a plea for military aid.
Zelenskyy called the tens of billions of dollars in US military and economic assistance to Ukraine an investment in democracy and “not charity”.
And the US Congress is set to announce an additional aid package for Ukraine that would include nearly USD 45 billion (GBP 37 billion).
The Kremlin warned that increasing the supply of US weapons to Ukraine would aggravate the war.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that Russia needs to prepare an “appropriate” response to NATO’s military expansion near Russian borders, including Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO membership aspirations, and proposed to expand the military.
And Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that Russian forces had faced challenges with mobilization, lack of drones and new equipment.
The head of the local grid operator in Kyiv, Serhiy Kovalenko, said power outages in Ukraine’s capital remain the most difficult.
He added that the situation may improve if the remaining 40 per cent of transformers do not get hit in new attacks.
Moreover, heavy fighting has been going on in Donetsk, Eastern Ukraine, as Russian forces attempt to make further advances in the region.
General Staff spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun said Ukrainian forces repelled attacks around more than 25 populated areas in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The bodies of seven civilians, including a teenage girl, were found in a mass grave in the village of Pravdyne in southern Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian defence minister.
In other developments, the former Russian deputy prime minister and former director of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, was wounded in the Ukrainian bombing of a hotel in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk.
