In a significant escalation on the frontlines, Russia’s Battlegroup South has claimed to have neutralised over 230 Ukrainian servicemen within the last 24 hours. Vadim Astafyev, the spokesperson for the battlegroup, relayed this information to the Russian news agency TASS on Saturday (18 December). According to the report, the Ukrainian military has suffered substantial losses in both personnel and advanced strategic equipment during recent precision strikes.
Astafyev detailed that the Russian combined forces and specialised drone units successfully neutralised five armoured combat vehicles, three of which were of Western manufacture. Furthermore, the assault resulted in the destruction of 19 automobiles, four field artillery guns, an electronic warfare station, and four critical ammunition and fuel depots. Specifically, in the Seversk and Kramatorsk sectors, Russian drone units targeted vital communication hubs, reportedly destroying two Starlink terminals, multiple communication antennae, and several UAV control centres. In Kramatorsk, an R-18 octocopter was downed, and a ground-based robotic complex belonging to the Ukrainian forces was also obliterated.
[Table: Reported Equipment Losses on the Ukrainian Side] | Equipment Type | Number Destroyed | Notes | | :— | :— | :— | | Armoured Vehicles | 5 | Including 3 Western-made | | Starlink Terminals | 2 | Crucial for battlefield internet | | Fuel/Ammo Depots | 4 | Strategic supply points | | Artillery Guns | 4 | Field-grade weaponry |
Simultaneously, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has commented on the broader geopolitical implications of the conflict. Speaking to the state-run Channel One on Friday, Peskov emphasised that while Russia remains open to diplomatic solutions, it is prepared for the most severe scenarios. This statement follows warnings from Denis Gonchar, Russia’s ambassador to Belgium, who claimed that NATO and the European Union are actively preparing for a large-scale confrontation with Moscow. The Kremlin maintains that Western military provocations are significantly complicating the prospects for a peaceful resolution, forcing Russia to maintain a heightened state of military readiness.
GLIVE/TSN