Three more children who were either under occupation or on the territory of a terrorist state were returned to Ukraine.
In parallel with this, the invaders are transferring part of their forces to the Kupyansk direction, which is in the Kharkov region.
Read about these and other main events on December 16 in Ukraine and the world in the digest on Facts ICTV.
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- Night attack on Kyiv
- Fake Telegram channels
- Ukraine returned three more children
- The occupiers are transferring forces to the Kharkov region
- Ukraine may be preparing an offensive in 2024
- SBU suspects a terrorist attack in Transcarpathia
- A truck driver died on the border with Poland
Night attack on Kyiv
On the night of December 16, air defense destroyed all the Shahed-136/131 attack drones with which Russian troops attacked Kyiv.
According to the head of the Kyiv city military administration Sergei Popko, UAVs attacked the capital in groups, waves and from different directions.
The drone strike on the night of December 16 was the sixth air attack on the capital since the beginning of the month.
No one was injured during the air defense operation and falling debris in the city.
Fake Telegram channels
On social networks, scammers have begun to more often create fake Telegram channels of Ukrainian brigades and battalions. According to their description, these channels were created allegedly to receive feedback on violations and crimes of the command, reports the Center for Countering Disinformation.
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The TsPD says that in fact, such Telegram channels were created by Russian propagandists to spread fakes and Kremlin narratives.
— The purpose of which — discredit both the command of brigades or battalions, and the military themselves, — the message says.
At the same time, Russian intelligence can create similar Telegram channels to collect information using the feedback function. The Center calls for trusting only verified sources of information.
Ukraine returned three more children
Three children were returned to the controlled territory of Ukraine. They will soon be reunited with their families and will celebrate the New Year holidays at home, said Dmitry Lubinets, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
According to him, every return — a separate story and a special operation that people are working on.
In particular, a boy born in 2008 and a girl born in 2011 were taken out of the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region. Brother and sister — already with his mother.
According to the Ombudsman, the third boy, born in 2011, is also already close to his mother. With the assistance of Ukraine, his mother took him to the territory of Georgia. The guy sought to return to Ukraine from the Russian Federation to his mother after his father took him out without permission.
The occupiers are transferring forces to the Kharkov region
Russian troops do not lose hope of capturing Kupyansk in the Kharkov region. They are transferring reserve personnel to this direction, despite the fact that the Defense Forces are inflicting colossal losses on them.
As the head of the public relations service of the command of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vladimir Fityo, said on the air of a national telethon, Russia’s losses in this direction are enormous.
— For the enemy, Kupyansk is a springboard for a further offensive on the western territories. Therefore, capturing the city is of fundamental importance to him. Yesterday alone, the Defense Forces repelled nine attacks. The occupiers are transferring reserves of assault battalions here to compensate for losses, — noted by the military.
He added that the enemy is actively using both technology and human resources.
Ukraine may be preparing an offensive in 2024
Next year, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine may be preparing a counter-offensive, which was planned for this summer by Commander-in-Chief General Valery Zaluzhny, writes the German publication Welt with reference to a German expert, senior researcher at the Munich Security Conference Nico Lange.
Although the Defense Forces' counter-offensive has apparently stalled this year and the West has been somewhat hesitant in support, there are signs that Kiev is preparing a plan for 2024.
Niko Lange notes that most of the tanks and armored personnel carriers that Western countries promised to Ukraine have not even reached us yet. For example, Germany and the Allies promised to provide 200 Leopard 1 tanks, but Ukraine received only 30 units.
However, the Ukrainian Armed Forces still have access to more than 95% of all weapons systems supplied by the West because they have not yet been used in a counter-offensive, according to an assessment by the Dutch intelligence project Oryx, which analyzes data on the supply and destruction of military equipment.
Learn more about the analysis of German experts regarding the situation on the battlefield — read the material.
SBU suspects a terrorist attack in Transcarpathia
The deputy who detonated grenades during a meeting of the village council in Transcarpathia was suspected of committing a terrorist act, which led to grave consequences.
As SBU investigators reported, the bomber was informed of suspicion under Part 2 of Art. 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Law enforcement officers reported that the bomber himself was detained, he came to his senses and is now in the hospital under the supervision of doctors and law enforcement officers. Subsequently, a preventive measure will be chosen for him.
The SBU also recalled that searches were carried out at the defendant’s place of residence, where, among other things, they found a “suicide note”, the contents of which are now being studied.
The pre-trial investigation continues, all the circumstances of the crime are being clarified, as well as the motives of the bomber.
A truck driver died on the border with Poland
A Ukrainian truck driver became ill in line in front of the Krakovets checkpoint — Korcheva from Poland, reported ICTV Facts journalist Ekaterina Kurbanova.
The driver later died, she said.
Note that this is not the first time that Ukrainian drivers have died in line at the border, which arose due to the blockade of Polish carriers.
