Destruction of Su-34, return of children from occupation and shelling on Christmas Eve: highlights for December 24
Ukrainian defenders destroyed a Russian Su—34 in the Mariupol sector, three more children were returned from occupation, and Russians shelled Chornobaivka on Christmas Eve. We have collected the main news for December 24, 2023.
Destruction of the Su-34
The Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed that an anti-aircraft missile system hit a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber in the Mariupol sector on the evening of December 24.
The Commander of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, also noted that on the evening of December 24, in the Odesa direction, there was combat work against the Russian Su-30 fighter in the Black Sea.
“We are studying objective control materials to know for sure whether the target was hit or not,” the commander noted.
Return of children from occupation
Three more Ukrainian children were returned from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. One of the returnees is 8 years old, and the other two are 18-year-old brothers, said Mykola Kuleba, founder of the Save Ukraine Foundation, which organized the return.
He noted that in this way the foundation completed its 14th rescue mission. During it, 14 children were returned to Ukraine, 7 of whom were children deprived of parental care.
Mobilization issues
Defense Minister Rustem Umierov said that his department is preparing a “responsibility matrix or mobilization matrix”. A bill on changes to mobilization will soon be registered in parliament.
The minister noted that he would ask to lower the conscription age from 27 to 25, “if the argument is sufficient for society to accept it.” The ministry also wants to take into account all categories of military personnel.
Answering the question of whether a person who is subject to mobilization can be sent an invitation to the military registration and enlistment office on a smartphone, Umierov said: “We are working on these technical solutions.”
Speaking about demobilization, the minister said that his agency had found a solution “that will enable a person who has been in the perimeter for two years to understand what the rules will be for him to rest or be partially dismissed.” Work is underway on this legally, legislatively, and technically, Umierov added.
Shelling on Christmas Eve
On the evening of December 24, on Christmas Eve, Russians shelled Chornobaivka in the Kherson region. A 37-year-old woman was killed in the shelling. On the night of December 24, Russian troops struck the central part of Kherson, killing three people.
In the afternoon, Russians also shelled the frontline villages of Ocheretyne and New York in the Donetsk region. Three civilians were wounded as a result.
Other news
- In 19 settlements of the Sumy region, located in a five-kilometer zone near the border with Russia, no local population remains. All residents were evacuated, the Regional Military Administration reported.
- Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said there will never be a function to serve subpoenas through the “Diia” mobile application.
- On December 24, the Security Service of Ukraine showed for the first time another type of maritime drone – “Cossack Mamay”. In the summer, the large landing ship "Olenegorsky Gornyak" and the SIG tanker were hit by such a drone.
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