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 Monday, December 16, 2024, the 1,027th day of the war.
Fact of the day
It is a reality, the Ukrainian troops, fewer in number and less well armed, continue to lose ground on the front. Enough to fill Vladimir Putin with pride, who this Monday offered himself the pleasure of taking stock of this “pivotal” year 2024 in what he calls, again and again, the “special military operation” in Ukraine. “Russian troops have the strategic initiative across the entire line of contact,” assured the master of the Kremlin in a speech to the main executives of his Ministry of Defense. He noted in particular the “liberation” of “189 localities”, towns or villages, during the year.
Vladimir Putin also praised the considerable increase in arms production in the country, and called for this effort to continue. “We must resolve all issues relating to the mass production and deployment of national systems to carry out strikes, including hypersonic systems,” he said, referring to his frightening Orechnik missile, capable of carrying nuclear charges.
To finish demoralizing the enemy, the “Tsar” indicated that his Russian forces were starting to use AI-assisted systems. “Soldiers are receiving advanced robotic systems, some of which use artificial intelligence technologies,” he said.
Today’s statement
« We’re going to talk to President Putin and we’re going to talk to Zelensky. […] We have to stop this, it’s carnage. » »
A new statement from American President-elect Donald Trump from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida which proves that he has every intention, even if not quite in “24 hours”, of settling quickly the conflict after his inauguration on January 20.
The number of the day
20 %. The portion of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, that Russia occupies today. The Russian army took 725 km2 of enemy territory during the month of November, its largest territorial gain in a month since March 2022 and the first weeks of its large-scale assault, according to an AFP analysis based on data from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The previous record dated from October, the advance was then 478 km2.
Today’s trend
Faced with this good news for Russia, Westerners were reduced to diplomatic threats on Monday. In particular, they slapped the fingers of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. “We urge North Korea to immediately cease all assistance to Russia for its war of aggression against Ukraine, including by withdrawing its troops,” wrote in a statement the heads of diplomacy of Australia, the Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.
kyiv said Monday that “at least 30 soldiers” North Korean, fighting alongside the Russian army, were injured or killed this weekend in the Russian region of Kursk, partially occupied by kyiv’s forces. According to Westerners, some 11,000 North Koreans are deployed on the Russian side.
