The U.K. Defense Ministry said on Dec. 3 that Russian forces had “highly likely” made small advances south of Bakhmut in recent days after five months of trying to capture the besieged town in Donetsk Oblast.
The ministry said that Russia likely plans to encircle Bakhmut with “tactical advances to the north and the south,” investing a significant portion of its military effort in capturing the town.
After Russia's battlefield defeats in Ukraine’s northeast and the south, “there is a realistic possibility that Bakhmut’s capture has become primarily a symbolic, political objective for Russia,” it added.
While seizing Bakhmut could allow Russia to launch more attacks on urban areas such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast, it would have “limited operational value," according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.
“The campaign has been disproportionately costly relative to these possible gains,” the report reads.
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Intercepted calls released by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) suggest a Russian commander ordering his soldiers to shoot civilians near the embattled city of Pokrovsk.
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Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Zelensky are meeting in the city of Linkoping, home to the defense company Saab, which produces Gripen fighter jets and other arms.
In a video, the SBU revealed two versions of the new drones.
Former U.S. Ambassador Steven Pifer discusses recent U-turn in U.S. President Trump’s policy on Ukraine following a phone call with Putin. Pifer says that Trump can still end Russia’s war if he starts using leverage on Moscow but argues that, regardless, Ukraine and Europe should assume they will have to manage the conflict without U.S. support.
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Explosions rocked Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight on Oct. 22 as Russia launched a large-scale aerial attack against Ukraine.
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Russia attacked Kharkiv with drones on Oct. 22, damaging a kindergarten and killing one person, injuring at least six, local authorities reported.
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Russian air defenses intercepted 44 Ukrainian drones overnight and into the morning of Oct. 22, including eight over Dagestan, according to Russia's Defense Ministry. No drones were reportedly shot down over Mordovia.
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Explosions took place at the Petrotel-Lukoil refinery in Ploiești, southern Romania, as well as at Hungary’s largest oil refinery in Szazhalombatta.
Wednesday, October 22
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also do not plan to meet in person in the near future, though they held a "productive" call on Oct. 20, a State Department spokesperson told the Kyiv Independent.
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The Bryansk Chemical Plant produces gunpowder, explosives, and rocket fuel components for the Russian military. It has been sanctioned by the U.S. and U.K.
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