HERE IS THE SITUATION ON TUESDAY DECEMBER 14, 2023. (659 DAY)
In the latest missile attack on Kyiv, at least 53 people, including six children, sustained injuries. The city’s air defenses successfully intercepted the Iskander-M and S-400 missiles, but the falling debris damaged windows, including those of a children’s hospital, and destroyed parked cars. Of the injured, 18 were admitted to the hospital.
A cyberattack on Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile phone network, by a group of hackers called Solntsepyok left millions without phone access or air raid alerts. Kyiv suspects the group has ties to Russian military intelligence. Kyivstar has initiated the restoration of voice services.
As European Union leaders convened to decide on initiating membership talks with Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, currently in Norway, addressed the issue of Hungary’s opposition. Despite Zelenskyy’s direct discussion with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who opposes Ukraine’s quick EU entry, the EU leaders expressed support for Ukraine. Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland pledged ongoing military, economic, and humanitarian support to Ukraine, urging Russia’s immediate withdrawal from Ukrainian territory.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz proposed strengthening Ukraine’s defense to deter future Russian attacks. In a related development, a German court heard that Russia paid Carsten Linke, a former soldier working for Germany’s foreign intelligence agency (BND), 450,000 euros for information about weaponry destined for Ukraine. Linke and accomplice Arthur Eller, a Russian-born German diamond trader, face charges of high treason.
658 Day the Russia-Ukraine War Conflict Updates
Scholz emphasized that the West’s military support aims to fortify Kyiv’s defense to dissuade Russia from future aggression.
Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, announced a new support package for Ukraine worth 1 billion euros ($1.08 billion). This proposal will be presented to parliament on Thursday, as revealed during a press conference in Oslo alongside Nordic leaders and Ukrainian President Zelenskiy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to conduct his annual end-of-year press conference on December 14. The event, including a “direct line” where Russians can seek advice from Putin, will serve as a summary of the year. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the combined format, incorporating the direct line and the president’s final press conference.
Following a major cyber-attack that temporarily disrupted its networks, Ukraine’s leading mobile phone operator, Kyivstar, has begun restoring voice services for some clients. CEO Oleksandr Komarov stated that data and other services would follow suit. The cyber-attack, described by Komarov as the “biggest cyber-attack on telco infrastructure in the world,” inflicted substantial damage on Tuesday. The responsible hacking group, believed by Kyiv to be linked to Russian military intelligence, is known as Solntsepyok. This activist hacker group claimed responsibility for the attack on the Telegram messaging app, providing screenshots suggesting unauthorized access to Kyivstar’s servers.
SOURCE https://www.theguardian.com/
