Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes takes stock for you every evening. Between the strong declarations, the advances on the front and the results of the fighting, here is the essential part of this Tuesday, December 17, 2024, the 1,028th day of the war.
Fact of the day
A scooter exploded in his path as he left a residential building in the southeast of Moscow. Russian general Igor Kirillov, 54, did not survive, nor did his assistant. And, shortly after, the Ukrainian security services (SBU) claimed responsibility for this unprecedented targeted attack because it was perpetrated in the Russian capital against a very senior official.
The general, in the crosshairs of the Ukrainians for a long time, and in that of the West, was the “commander of the Russian radiological, chemical and biological defense forces”. As such, he was suspected of having used “barbaric methods” against the Ukrainian troops and population. According to the SBU, since February 2022, more than 4,800 cases of use of “chemical munitions” by the Russian army have been recorded. Moscow calls these accusations absurd.
With this targeted assassination, kyiv undoubtedly achieved a coup this Tuesday. Which will probably bring a proportional response from Moscow. The United States has also made it clear that it was not aware of this operation.
Today’s statement
« Ukraine has no reason to give in [à Moscou]. Ukraine is under attack. » »
Donald Tusk, the Polish Prime Minister, was visiting Lviv, in western Ukraine, on Tuesday. There he met Volodymyr Zelensky to whom he reiterated his country’s unfailing support. He notably assured that his country “will ensure” that possible peace negotiations do not result in “unjust decisions” for Ukraine.
“We will be very vigilant and participate in all possible talks,” he added.
The number of the day
12. The number of “Russian agents” that the Ukrainian security services claimed on Tuesday to have arrested. They are suspected of belonging to a “vast network” responsible for spying on military airfields that can accommodate F-16 fighter planes supplied to Ukraine by the West. kyiv received its first batch of American-designed fighters in early August, after requesting the aircraft for two years to help intercept Russian missiles. Valuable for the Ukrainian armed forces in their fight against the Russian forces, their location is theoretically kept secret.
Beyond observing the F-16s, the suspects allegedly spied on “firing positions of air defense systems,” as well as the location of companies producing electronic warfare equipment to counter Russian drones. The SBU released images of four detained men, whose faces are blurred. Some of them were deserters from the Ukrainian army under arrest, according to the SBU.
Today’s trend
Moscow has been carrying out an “intense” counter-offensive in the Russian region of Kursk for several days with the support of North Korean soldiers, Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, revealed this Tuesday. However, he assured that his troops “firmly held” the lines, “destroying enemy personnel and equipment” and notably inflicting “heavy losses” on North Korean troops.
But, according to a calculation by the British magazine The Economistthe Ukrainians have lost half of the territories they controlled in this area since the start of their surprise offensive in August.
