Elimination of Russians who shot Ukrainian POWs in Donbas, strike on oil depot in Luhansk: highlights for December 4

Ukrainian military destroys Russian soldiers who shot Ukrainian servicemen

The Russian occupiers who shot unarmed Ukrainian soldiers in the Avdiivka sector have been killed.

Oleksandr Shtupun, a spokesman for the joint press center of the Tauride Defense Forces, said that law enforcement officers had opened a criminal case, and the investigation materials would later be submitted to international institutions. However, it is not yet known which unit was involved in the shooting of the Ukrainian soldiers.

Body of a child found under rubble in Novohrodivka

In Novohrodivka, Donetsk Oblast, the body of an 8-year-old girl was found who died as a result of a Russian attack on an apartment building in Novohrodivka overnight on November 29-30. This brings the number of victims of the Russian strike to three. Her parents are likely still trapped in the rubble. The search and rescue operation continues.

Russians fired six S-300 missiles at Pokrovsk district of Donetsk Oblast.

Strike on an oil depot in Luhansk

The Ukrainian Defense Forces have confirmed that an oil and lubricant depot in the temporarily occupied Luhansk was hit on December 3.

Russian propaganda outlets wrote that the attack caused one of the fuel tanks to catch fire. Before the strikes, a local heard the sounds of air defense systems and drone engines.

Disagreements over the counteroffensive

The Washington Post published a large article on the preparation, deployment, and course of the Ukrainian counteroffensive in two parts. The first part of the article states that the United States and Ukraine initially disagreed on the strategy, tactics, and timing of the operation. In particular, the Pentagon wanted the assault to begin in mid-April to prevent Russia from continuing to strengthen its lines of fortifications. The Ukrainians hesitated, insisting that they were not ready without additional weapons and training.

WP claims that the commander of the US military forces in Europe was unable to contact Ukraine's commander-in-chief for weeks at the start of the campaign because of the tensions. Each side allegedly blamed the other for mistakes or miscalculations.

According to the newspaper, the initial goal was to reach the village of Robotyne in the first 24 hours, then turn to Melitopol and sever Russian supply lines. However, in 2023, Ukraine managed to recapture only about 517 square kilometers – and at a very heavy price.

Modification of Neptune missiles

Ukraine is working to create a long-range version of missiles for the Neptune system, which will be a modification of modern missiles.

Overall, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi has identified a number of serious tasks related to increasing the capabilities of the defense industry and scaling up production in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, for the first time, Ukraine has reached the production rate of six units per month of domestic 155-mm self-propelled artillery systems Bohdan.

Violations in the restoration of homes in the Gostomel community

In Kyiv Oblast, the Hostomel settlement military administration recorded violations during the restoration of property damaged as a result of Russian aggression worth 21 million hryvnias ($574,021). There are still 100 homes that have not been restored.

In particular, construction materials worth 11 million hryvnias ($300,678) were misappropriated by the former head of the local military administration, and a shortage of materials worth 1.2 million hryvnias ($32,801) was recorded at one of the utility firms of the village council. In addition, there are contractors who received budget funds for reconstruction, but did not complete the agreed work or did not perform it at all.

Other important news

• The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery will ring bells every morning for soldiers in Russian captivity.
• Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who opposes military support for Ukraine, announced a meeting with PM Denys Shmyhal.
• The Ukrainian parliamentary ombudsman will visit Ukrainian prisoners of war three more times before the end of the year.
• The White House warned that the resources currently allocated to help Ukraine will run out by the end of the year.
• Empty trucks are now allowed to pass through the Ukrainian-Polish Uhryniv-Dolgobyczow checkpoint.