Zelenskyy's press conference, wage growth, and difficult situation at front: highlights of December 19

Zelenskyy held a press conference

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held the final press conference of 2023. The head of Sstate answered questions about mobilization, dissolution of the Verkhovna Rada, return of prisoners of war, joining NATO in parts, relations with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and more.

According to the President, the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi proposed to mobilize up to 400,000-500,000 people for counteroffensive actions, but he did not approve it. He says that mobilization could cost Ukraine an additional 500 billion hryvnias ($13.4 billion).

Zelenskyy also assured that he would not sign a law on women's mobilization, but he might consider lowering the age of conscripts.

When asked whether it is possible to join NATO in parts, the head of state replied that Ukraine has not yet been invited to join the military alliance.

Regarding a possible conflict with Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the president said that he has a "working relationship" with the general.

In addition, Zelenskyy said that Poland's decision to block Ukrainian grain exports caused losses in political relations between the two countries.

The situation at the front is complicated

Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said that in the first half of December alone, the Russians lost about 8,000 soldiers in the area of responsibility of the Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Troop Grouping.

On the evening of December 19, the Defense Ministry's General Staff reported that 69 combat engagements took place at the front during the day. The operational situation in eastern and southern Ukraine remains difficult.

Defense Forces repelled Russian attacks on seven axes, including Kupyansk, Lyman, and Bakhmut.

"The situation is difficult. We have to fight in conditions of the enemy's superiority both in weapons and in the number of personnel," noted Syrskyi.

According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, an outbreak of so-called mouse fever was recorded in the Kupyansk sector in the units of the Russian forces.

Wage growth

The Cabinet of Ministers predicts that the average monthly gross salary of employees will be 21,809 hryvnias ($584) in 2024, 25,732 hryvnias ($690) in 2025, and 30,260 hryvnias ($811) in 2026.

The government also predicts that the unemployment rate will decrease from 18.7% in 2024 to 15% in 2026.

14 Russian spies sentenced in Poland

Poland has sentenced 14 foreigners, including Ukrainian citizens, for spying for Russia. They were tracking aid trains for Ukraine and planning to bomb them.

The spy network was uncovered by the Internal Security Agency and the Organized Crime Department of the National Prosecutor's Office in Lublin. The first nine suspects were caught in March this year. The group comprised Ukrainians, but also included two students from Belarus and a Russian hockey player who plays for the Silesian team.

Usually, the spies received the following payment for their tasks: $5 for posting leaflets, $300-400 for installing a camera, and up to $10,000 for hijacking a train.

A plane took off from Boryspil

On December 19, a Skyline Express Boeing 777-300 passenger plane was evacuated from Boryspil Airport in Kyiv Oblast without passengers or cargo on board.

According to Boryspil Airport, since the closure of Ukraine's airspace on February 24, 2022, Skyline Express aircraft have been grounded for ongoing maintenance and servicing.

This is the fourth successful transfer of the aircraft from Boryspil Airport since the beginning of the full-scale war, the state-owned enterprise notes.

Other news

• Ukraine's losses from the blockade on the Polish border have risen to 1 billion euros.
• Ukraine is investigating information from former Wagner mercenary Igor Salikov, who wants to testify about Russian war crimes.
• Truskish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says it is "wrong" to make Ankara wait for EU membership when Ukraine and Moldova are already in negotiations.
• The Metro Bridge in Kyiv has been "in a tired state" for two years. However, the budget for its overhaul was only included this year.
• Deputy Head of the National Police Dmytro Tyshlek resigned. Earlier, his relatives were found to have Russian citizenship.