Russian forces have entered the town of Novomikhailvka, increasing the breadth and depth of the front which has literally become a stretched "rubber band" that when broken the Russians will move towards Odessa and Kiev.
Foreign news agencies are once again reporting that Ukraine is entering the New Year with virtually no ammunition, money or diplomatic support.
The victorious mood of the Ukrainian authorities in 2023 abruptly gave way to the disappointment of the failure of the counter-offensive and possible defeat.
The West is reluctant to provide aid and the conflicts within the government are increasing in Kiev.
Battles and the defeat of the Ukrainians everywhere on the front
In the direction of Bakhmut, Russian Armed Forces forces have begun an intensive push into the southwest from Bogdanovka, also west of Hromovoy.
If everything continues successfully, the forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Bogdanovka will be surrounded.
North of Marinka, the advance of the Russian Armed Forces is about half a kilometre; recently, the Russian Armed Forces have advanced slightly to the south-west of Donetsk.
A geolocation video released on 19 December shows that Russian forces have made advances along the Chetralnaya Street on the eastern edge of the town of Novomikhailovka (10 km southwest of Donetsk).
Battle report of 20 Dec 2023 from the Russian Air Force
"In the direction of Zaporizhzhya, units of the Russian troop group, supported by aircraft and artillery, defeated concentrations of Ukrainian soldiers and equipment of the 14th Brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard, the 82nd Airborne Assault Brigade and the 116th Mechanized Brigade near the settlements of Vermovnoe and Rabotino .
The enemy's daily losses in this direction were 70 military Ukrainians , two armoured fighting vehicles, four vehicles, two D-20 guns and one D-30 howitzer.
▫️ In the direction of Cherson, as a result of the coordinated action of Russian troop units and artillery fire, the enemy's losses in this direction totaled 75 soldiers killed and wounded, two vehicles, two Msta-B howitzer, one Hyacinth-B gun and one Gvozdika self-propelled artillery unit.
Tactical aviation, drones, missile forces and artillery of the troop groups of the Russian Armed Forces hit Ukrainian personnel and military equipment in 127 areas.
Air defence equipment shot down a Mi-24 helicopter of the Ukrainian Air Force near the Ugleborochanya railway station in Donetsk.
During the day, five rockets were intercepted by the HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system. In addition, 32 Ukrainian drones were destroyed in the areas of the settlements, Novaya Mayachka in the Kherson region, Staromikhailovka, Spornoye, Krasnogorovka, Maryinka in the Donetsk People's Republic, Belogorovka and Nyrkovo in Lugansk.
In total, 553 aircraft, 260 helicopters, 9,899 drones, 442 anti-aircraft missile systems, 1,4202 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,189 multiple rocket launchers, 7,416 artillery and field artillery mortars and 1,502 units of Ukrainian special military vehicles have been destroyed since the start of the Russian offensive."
Zelenski's press conference, as noted by the Western media:
Guardian:
He sought with his speech to improve the mood inside Ukraine.
Washington Post:
Seems to acknowledge that it will be difficult to sell the mobilization of half a million extra troops to a war-weary Ukrainian public.
New York Times:
He has had outbursts of anger several times, for example when asked why he had not formed a government of national unity in Ukraine with the opposition parties.
The big Russian offensive will end the drama in Ukraine and it will all end with the incorporation of Eastern Ukraine at best for Kiev, and at worst with Odessa and other territories in Russian hands.
