On the 1016th day of war, we find out that an assault battalion has liberated a village in the Donetsk region, in one of the rare offensive operations by Ukrainian forces in recent months.
Russia launched two ballistic missiles and over 40 drones over Ukraine. Most drones were shot down by air defense, and the missiles targeted the Dnipropetrovsk region.
In this region, Russian troops bombed three localities in the Nikopol district last night, without causing any casualties.
The highest-ranking American military official, General of the Air Force C.Q. Brown, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, spoke on the phone with his Russian counterpart, Chief of the General Staff of Russia Valery Gerasimov. The conversation took place at the initiative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, as announced by the American military.
Diplomatically, Kyiv is seeking to establish initial contacts with Donald Trump. A Ukrainian delegation led by Andrii Yermak, a top advisor to Volodymyr Zelensky, met with key representatives of the incoming American president.
Good news is coming from overseas - Ukraine will soon receive 50 billion dollars from Russian funds frozen by the United States and the European Union.
The Netherlands and Denmark have also announced significant contributions to Ukraine.
And Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, will attend the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) meeting in Malta. It will be his first trip to a European Union country since the beginning of the invasion in Ukraine.
Frontline Situation
- Drone and Missile Attack - Russia launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 44 drones last night. The attack began at 8:00 PM local time and targeted 11 regions, including Kiev. The air defense shot down 30 drones. Another 12 drones disappeared from radar, and one headed towards Belarus. The missiles targeted the Dnipropetrovsk region, as announced by the Ukrainian Air Force.
- Bombardment in Nikopol - Russian troops attacked three localities in the Nikopol district, Dnipropetrovsk region, during the night with artillery fire, destroying several spaces of an agricultural firm, houses, a car, a gas pipeline, and a power line. No casualties were reported, conveyed by Serhii Lisak, head of the regional military administration.
- Ukrainians Liberated a Village - The 48th Assault Battalion of the Ukrainian army removed Russian forces from the village of Novyi Komar in the Donetsk region, in one of the few offensive operations by Ukrainian forces in recent months. According to sources cited by the military analysis group DeepState, several soldiers from the 40th Marine Infantry Brigade of the Russian army were taken prisoner.
Other Relevant Information
- Top Generals from the US and Russia Spoke on the Phone - The highest-ranking American military official, General of the Air Force C.Q. Brown, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, spoke on the phone with his Russian counterpart, Chief of the General Staff of Russia Valery Gerasimov, as announced by the US Army on Wednesday. The conversation took place last week, marking the first time the two top military officials have spoken directly. "The leaders discussed a range of global and regional security issues, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine," said a spokesperson for Brown. This rare direct communication took place on November 27, but "at Gerasimov's request, Brown agreed not to proactively announce the call." The initiation of the call came from the Russian Ministry of Defense, the spokesperson said. Brown became the highest-ranking American general last year, and Gerasimov had last spoken with Brown's predecessor, Mark Milley.
- Zelensky's Aide Met with Trump's Team - A Ukrainian delegation met on Wednesday in Washington with key representatives of the incoming US President Donald Trump, a source told Reuters. The Ukrainian delegation was led by Andrii Yermak, a top advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and discussed with Mike Waltz, Trump's nominee for National Security Advisor, and with his emissary for Ukraine, former General Keith Kellogg. This meeting took place as Trump's advisors make public and private proposals to end the war in Ukraine, with solutions generally involving the future cession of large parts of the country to Russia.
- Confiscated Russian Funds Returning - Ukraine will soon receive 50 billion dollars from Russian funds frozen by the United States and the EU, announced US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a press briefing. The funds, frozen in response to Russia's invasion, will provide crucial economic and defense assistance to Ukraine in the coming months. Blinken mentioned that since 2022, the US has provided Ukraine with 102 billion dollars in assistance, while allies and partners have contributed 158 billion dollars.
- Additional Dutch Aid - The Netherlands will contribute an additional 23 million dollars to strengthen Ukraine's air defense systems and cyber resilience, announced Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp. The Netherlands previously provided Ukraine with several Patriot air defense launchers, most recently delivering three in November. Additionally, the Dutch government committed to providing a full anti-aircraft battery in cooperation with another unnamed partner, but the plan was never finalized as the partner withdrew, as reported by Kyiv Independent.
- Help from Copenhagen - Denmark will allocate 6 million euros to help restore Ukraine's energy infrastructure damaged by Russian attacks, Ukrinform reports. The announcement was made during a meeting between Olha Stefanišina, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, and the Minister of Justice of Ukraine, and a Danish delegation led by Marie Bjerre, Minister for European Affairs of Denmark, who arrived in Kyiv for the first time. "At the beginning of the meeting, Marie Bjerre announced a new aid package to help rebuild Ukraine's energy infrastructure: 6 million euros will be allocated to the Energy Support Fund of the Energy Community for Ukraine," the report states.
- Lavrov Returns to the EU after Two Years - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will participate in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) meeting in Malta. It will be his first trip to a European Union country since the start of the invasion in Ukraine. Although Lavrov is under European sanctions, which include asset freezes, the Maltese government specifies that these do not prohibit his right to travel. The host country justifies the invitation to the Russian official by the need to "maintain some open communication channels." The same summit will be attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukraine's representative, Andrii Sîbiga. Official sources confirm that Blinken does not intend to meet with his Russian counterpart.