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Due to technical difficulties the Brief will be abbreviated for the near future. There will be no Brief tomorrow for the New Years Day holiday I hope to return in the new year to the full brief
Here are some of the main stories we are covering today:
THE HOME FRONT
Ukraine negotiates the return of 189 prisoners from Russian captivity
Ukraine managed to bring back 189 Ukrainians from Russian captivity, including military service members and two civilians, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Dec. 30.
The Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs) called it one of the largest prisoner exchanges since the start of the full-scale war in 2022.
"We are working to free each and every one from Russian captivity. This is our goal. We do not forget anyone," Zelensky said on Telegram.
The freed captives included soldiers who defended Azovstal and Mariupol, the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the Snake Island, and other sections of the front.
Eighty-seven Armed Forces service members, 43 National Guard members, 33 border guards, and 24 sailors were among those released, according to the headquarters. Azov fighters were also freed during the latest exchange, Zelensky said.
Among the released were two journalists-turned-soldiers: Mariupol journalist Oleksandr Hudilin and former journalist of the Espreso channel Roman Borshch.
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RUSSIAN WORLD
Russia ends sign-on bonuses for prisoners joining the army
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has signed a decree barring prisoners who sign contracts with Russia’s Defense Ministry from receiving sign-on bonuses.
The document states, “One-time monetary payments [...] shall not be made to citizens of the Russian Federation who, as of the date of signing a contract for military service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, were serving a sentence of imprisonment.”
The decree is set to take effect on January 1, 2025.
In November 2022, President Vladimir Putin approved one-time payments for those enlisting with the Defense Ministry during the war. The payment amount was increased in July 2024 to 400,000 rubles ($3,500).
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Germany charges 3 over alleged Russia spying plot
A man believed to be a veteran of a pro-Russian militia in Ukraine and two other suspects planned attacks on military and industrial sites, according to German prosecutors. All three are dual German-Russian nationals. DW reports.
German prosecutors on Monday indicted three people over a widely-publicized espionage plot which allegedly included plans of sabotage on German territory.
The main suspect, Dieter S. is believed to be a veteran of a pro-Russian militia in Ukraine, which Germany considers a terrorist organization. The former militant was allegedly in contact with another former member of the militia, who is also part of Russian intelligence.
The primary goal was to "undermine the military support provided from Germany to Ukraine against the Russian war of aggression,” according to the prosecutor's office.
Prosecutors say that S. agreed to commit explosive and arson attacks against targets in Germany. The indictment states S. scouted out locations which included compounds used by the US Armed Forces, a loading station and a tool manufacturing company. Germany's "Der Spiegel" magazine reported that one of the potential targets was the US Grafenwöhr base in Bavaria, where Ukrainian soldiers are trained to operate American tanks. Authorities also believe that S. agreed to sabotage railway lines used to transport military goods.
The main suspect allegedly took photos and videos and passed them along to the Russian intelligence agent.
Two other people are suspected of helping S. with the plot. All of the suspects are German and Russian dual nationals.
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MILITARY & TECH
Russian military suffers 427,000 casualties in 2024
Russian forces have suffered around 427,000 soldiers killed or wounded this year, mainly in battles in Donetsk Oblast, Russia has taken more than 789,000 casualties since the beginning of the full scale invasion. The Kyiv Independent reported citing Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on Dec. 30.
"Russia continues to carry out constant 'human wave' assaults, suffering record losses. Last week, Russian forces have been losing around 1,700 people killed and wounded every day," Syrskyi said on Telegram after visiting units deployed in Donetsk Oblast.
Russian forces have been advancing at a rapid pace in late 2024, closing in on key Donetsk Oblast towns like Pokrovsk, Toretsk, or Kurakhove at the cost of record losses. Heavy battles continue also in Russia's Kursk Oblast, and Kyiv has warned about possible Russian advances in Ukraine's south.
Ukraine claimed that Moscow's troops suffered their highest casualties in November and December, putting Russia's overall losses throughout the full-scale war at nearly 790,000 by the end of the year.
The figures could not be independently verified. Moscow does not reveal the scale of its war losses but alleges they are lower than those of Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine had lost 43,000 soldiers on the battlefield since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, in addition to 370,000 injuries.
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Ukrainian sea drone downs Russian helicopter with anti-air missile
Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) destroyed a Russian aerial target with the Ukrainian-made Magura V5 naval strike drone for the first time, The Kyiv Independent reported citing HUR on Dec. 31.
During a battle in the Black Sea off the Western tip of occupied Crimea, the special unit Group 13 launched R-73 missiles from the Magura drone. The unit downed a Russian Mi-8 helicopter and hit another helicopter, although the latter was able to fly back to the airbase.
Ukrainian forces continue to write military history with the first combat elimination of an air target using a naval drone on December 31, 2024. The video released by the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine allows us to pinpoint some of the crucial details of this episode that took place, apparently, near the coast of the russian-occupied Crimea.
In the footage, a pair of russian Mi-8 helicopters and a fighter jet try to intercept Ukrainian unmanned surface vehicles but this is exactly when the hunter becomes prey. Several Magura V5 drones were equipped with R-73 anti-air missiles, fired at russian rotorcraft in this episode.
A video from the battle shows the moment the missiles locked onto the helicopter before it exploded and crashed into the sea.
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The Magura drone has helped Ukraine push back against Russia’s Black Sea Fleet by striking dozens of ships this year. They have been in operation since the summer of 2023.
It can cover a distance of more than 800 kilometers (500 miles), reach a speed of 80 km/h (50 mph), and is capable of carrying a 250-kilogram warhead. Each one is 5.5 meters long and costs approximately 10 million hryvnias ($240,000).
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In June, HUR announced that the drones had been modified to operate anti-aircraft missiles, presenting a serious threat to the Russian air force over the Black Sea.
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Ukrainian Special Forces capture Kursk village where North Korean soldiers were located
Ukrainian Special Operations Forces occupied a village in Russia's Kursk Oblast during an offensive, the military said, sharing footage of the operation on Dec 31.
Ukrainian Special Forces (SOF) soldiers from the 6th Regiment have reportedly occupied a settlement in Kursk Oblast “thanks to offensive actions.”
The operation began with artillery support, followed by SOF soldiers entering the village, retaking it, and clearing it as part of a special operation, according to the report.
Ukrainian fighters said they discovered North Korean troops alongside Russian forces in the village.
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