Major Military Situation Updates - December 20, 2024, 00:02 UTC
Overall Situation
The conflict in Ukraine remains intense, with Russian forces making significant advances across multiple fronts. They are pushing towards Pokrovsk and Kurakhove, along the Vremivka axis, near Toretsk, and in the Kursk region. Ukrainian defenses are significantly degraded, with reports of widespread desertion and substantial losses. Extensive drone and missile attacks continue on both sides, targeting infrastructure and military positions.
Kryvyi Rih Under Attack
Ballistic Missile Strike: A Russian ballistic missile struck a two-story residential building in Kryvyi Rih.
Casualties: The attack resulted in 5 confirmed injuries: a 15-year-old girl, two men aged 38 and 49, and two women aged 30 and 82. Two individuals were rescued from the rubble. All casualties are reported to be in moderate condition.
Damage: The strike caused significant damage to the targeted building and surrounding structures, including multiple apartment buildings and private sector buildings.
Rescue Operations: Emergency rescue operations were completed.
Hospital Evacuation: Patients from a nearby hospital, which suffered damage to its windows, are being transported to other facilities.
Aid Center: A support center for affected residents has been established at a nearby school.
Major Cyberattack on Ukraine
Target: A large-scale cyberattack targeted Ukraine's state registry systems on December 19th.
Impact: The attack temporarily disrupted the operation of the Unified State Registries under the Ministry of Justice's jurisdiction.
Perpetrator: Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Olha Stefanishyna stated that the attack was carried out by Russian hackers.
Objective: The attack aimed to disrupt Ukraine's critical infrastructure.
Affected Systems: The targeted systems include the Unified State Register of all organizations and individuals, property, courts, debtors, convicts, powers of attorney, inheritance, notarial documents, Ministry of Justice documents, civil status acts, mortgages, transactions, media, and personal data databases.
Data Breach: Russian hacker group XakNet claimed responsibility, stating they had downloaded all databases from the National Information System, totaling over 1 billion entries. They also claim to have deleted data from servers in Poland where backups were stored.
Recovery: Specialists are working to restore access to the registries, estimated to take up to two weeks.
Drone Activity
Poltava Oblast: Three drones were reported moving from Poltava Oblast to Cherkasy Oblast. One drone was reported near the intersection of Kirovohrad and Cherkasy Oblasts, moving west. One drone was reported in Poltava Oblast, heading towards Kremenchuk. One drone was reported moving from Sumy Oblast to Poltava Oblast. Drones were reported circling in Sumy and Chernihiv Oblasts.
Brovary: One drone was reported approaching Brovary, with anti-aircraft activity potentially audible.
Velyka Novosilka: Drone operators from the 14th Guards Special Forces Brigade of the "Vostok" group are reportedly targeting Ukrainian forces near Velyka Novosilka, both day and night.
Other Developments
Kamchatka Aircraft Search: Rescuers have arrived in a nearby village to search for a missing An-2 aircraft in Kamchatka.
Biden to Visit Rome: The White House announced that US President Biden will visit Rome from January 9-12, meeting with Italian Prime Minister Meloni and Pope Francis.
Kyiv Air Alert: An air raid alert was issued for Kyiv at 23:47 and lifted at 00:00.
