Zelenskyy announces the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed and Assad flees to Russia: highlights for December 8

Zelenskyy announces the number of soldiers killed in the war

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has released new data on the number of casualties among the Ukrainian military since the beginning of the full-scale war. He says that 43 thousand soldiers have been killed in the war against Russia since then. Another 370 thousand have been wounded.

Bashar al-Assad has fled to Moscow, and rebels have entered Damascus

The Syrian rebels of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group announced that their fighters had taken Damascus, the capital of Syria. Later it became known that Bashar al-Assad and his family fled to Moscow.

His escape was accompanied by news about the disappearance of the signal of the plane with the Syrian dictator on board, which allegedly happened due to a shootdown or plane crash. In fact, this disinformation was part of the Russian operation to rescue Assad, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said.

The United States has already stated that it will cooperate with all Syrian groups to ensure that the country moves away from the Assad regime.

Trump suggests that Ukraine will not receive the same amount of aid as before when he takes office

US President-elect Donald Trump has suggested that when he takes office, Ukraine will probably not receive the same amount of aid as it did from the previous administration.

In addition, Trump said that Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal with Russia to “stop this madness”. In response, the Ukrainian leader emphasized that if Kyiv agrees to a ceasefire and does not receive security guarantees, it could lead to a new war.

Sullivan says the US has trained a limited number of F-16 pilots only because of Ukraine

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the United States is ready to train more Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, but this has not happened yet due to the alleged lack of contingent in Ukraine.

He also said that the Abrams tanks that were given to Ukraine were not very useful on the battlefield.

LGBT+ lecture venue attacked in Kyiv

An event organized by the KyivPride NGO on LGBT issues was canceled in Kyiv. The organization said that unknown persons clashed with law enforcement officers who surrounded the venue.

The police opened a criminal investigation. Law enforcement officers detained 9 people, including minors.

Other important news

• The US Embassy in Ukraine warned American citizens about the threat of Russian shelling of Ukrainian critical infrastructure. Therefore, they called for increased caution.
• Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that a law prohibiting protesters from covering their faces with masks will be adopted in the near future.
• South Korean President Yun Sook-young was announced suspected of treason. He will not be in charge of state affairs, including diplomacy, until his resignation.