Zelenskyy in Bakhmut, new military aid, difficulties with electricity supply: highlights of the day

Zelenskyy in Bakhmut

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid an unannounced visit to the frontline town of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast. There he awarded Ukrainian defenders, and they handed the president a flag and asked him to hand it over to the US Congress.

Situation with energy supply

Emergency power outages still continue in 11 oblasts of Ukraine. The situation in the power system remains difficult, there are currently no forecasts when it will be possible to restore stable power supply, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

In Kyiv, as of the evening of December 20, the situation with electricity supply also remains difficult. Power engineers do not expect a quick return to scheduled blackouts. However, the subway in Kyiv has been fully restored. In Kyiv Oblast, 80% of the region remains without electricity.

At the same time, power engineers restored electricity supply to more than 25,000 households in Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.

Return of abducted children

A 16-year-old boy from Mariupol, who was taken by the occupiers to Russia and "adopted" there, was returned to Ukraine. The teenager did not talk to the Russian family, and informed them of his desire to return to Ukraine through one of the chatbots.

Ukraine also managed to return home three more children who were taken by the Russian occupiers under the pretext of "rehabilitation" to the children's camp "Medvezhonok" in Russia during the temporary occupation of Kharkiv Oblast.

UOC (MP) wants Zelenskyy to lift sanctions

The Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) asks President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to lift the sanctions that allegedly block the activities of religious organizations, and wants Kvartal 95 production studio to apologize for the jokes.

In addition, the President is asked to prevent the adoption of bills related to the UOC (MP). One of these documents is a bill to ban the Russian Orthodox Church and its subordinate structures in Ukraine.

The threat from Belarus is growing

The commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev, said that the military threat from Belarus is gradually increasing. However, Ukrainian defenders are also taking adequate measures.

According to Nayev, the potential of the troops currently concentrated in Belarus is sufficient to threaten Ukraine and conduct tactical actions with limited objectives.

New military assistance

Finland has approved the 11th military aid package for Ukraine worth €28.8 million. The Finnish President also ruled that the Armed Forces of Finland will continue to participate in training support for the Ukrainian military in the UK until the end of 2023.

In addition, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that Ukraine will receive weapons and ammunition from partners every month during 2023 to fight against Russia. For the next year, Ukraine has signed numerous contracts for the supply of weapons.

In other news:

• Ukraine's state budget received a $2 billion grant from the United States through the World Bank Trust Fund. The money will be spent on pensions, medical guarantees, and social benefits;
• Ukraine became the country of the year 2022 according to The Economist – for the heroism of the people who oppose the aggressor;
• Russia has begun to move its equipment to the south of Belarus – closer to the border with Ukraine, the monitoring group Belarusian Hajun reports;
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bill on the selection of judges to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. This document was criticized by experts, and it contradicts the recommendations of the Venice Commission;
• The head of the Servant of the People party Olena Shulyak apologized to the wounded soldier she visited in the hospital ward. The soldier said that Shulyak was "having it out with him" over the bill on urban planning;
• Ukraine has signed an agreement to supply over 10,000 Starlink antennas. They should arrive in the coming months.