Russia's war on Ukraine. 13.12.24
Operational situation
On the Kursk direction, Russian forces advanced to the eastern bank of the Psel River, northwest of Plekhovo and southeast of Kurilovka, capturing Plekhovo. Fighting continues for Daryino and Novoivanovka. The enemy attempted to advance east of Novoivanovka towards Sverdlivkovo, into the forest near Malaya Loknia and Martynovka, and south of Guevo.
On the Kharkiv direction, Russian forces attacked in the areas of Hlyboke, Lyptsi, Vovchansk, and Starytsia.
On the Kupyansk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces liberated Kopanky and successfully repelled an enemy attack east of Kolisnykivka. Russian forces advanced southeast of Kruhlyakivka and attacked near Zakhidne, Synkivka, Pishchane, Zahryzove, Nadiya, Kopanky, Lozova, Hrekivka, Novoyehorivka, Tverdokhlibove, and Druzhelyubivka.
On the Lyman direction, Russian forces launched offensives near Makiivka, Terny, Torske, Hryhorivka, and in the area of the Serebriansk Forest.
On the Kramatorsk direction, Russian forces advanced along Lisova Street on the western outskirts of Kalynivka, capturing the settlement. They also attacked near Chasiv Yar, Bila Hora, and Stupochky.
On the Toretsk direction, Russian forces attacked near Toretsk.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces captured Novotroitske and advanced west of the village, north along the railway, west of Novyi Trud, along Sosnova Street in Shevchenkove, northwest of the village, northeast of Novoolenivka, and southwest of Novotroitske. Fighting continues for Pushkyne. Enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups (SRGs) have penetrated the southern outskirts of Pokrovsk. Heavy fighting is ongoing in the Shevchenkove area and near Novotroitske, where Ukrainian Defense Forces are counterattacking. The enemy is fortifying positions near Novyi Trud.
Russian forces attacked near Pokrovsk, Myrolyubivka, Promin, Lysivka, Novyi Trud, Dachenske, Shevchenkove, Pushkyne, Pishchane, and Novotroitske.
On the Kurakhove direction, Russian forces advanced along Nahorna and Urozhayna streets in Kurakhove. The enemy is attempting to capture Zorya, advance near Konstyantynopolske, west of Stari Terny, on the western outskirts of Kurakhove, and in the center of Sontsivka, where they control up to 70% of the village.
The enemy attacked near Kurakhove, Dachne, Dalnie, as well as in the areas of Antonivka, Katerynivka, Yelyzavetivka, Veselyi Hai, Trudove, Uspenivka, Hannivka, and Sukhi Yaly.
On the Vremivka direction, Russian forces launched offensives in the area of Velyka Novosilka, advanced near Rivnopil, and in the areas of Rozdolne, Blahodatne, Neskuchne, and Novodarivka.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Novyi Komar, Rozdolne, and Blahodatne, forcing the enemy to retreat from the southern outskirts of Velyka Novosilka due to the challenging terrain, which hinders their advance.
On the Orikhiv direction, Russian forces attacked near Novoandriivka and Novodanylivka.
General conclusion:
The advance of Russian troops toward Guevo indicates preparations for an operation to capture Sudzha.
Russian and Ukrainian forces have reduced the intensity of combat operations on the Lyman direction due to poor weather conditions.
The enemy has reached a line 6-10 km from the outskirts of Pokrovsk and is attempting to break through to Pokrovsk via the left and right flanks of Ukrainian Defense Forces to avoid a frontal assault on the city.
The forward units of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army have reached the northern outskirts of Uspenivka and have encircled Ukrainian Defense Forces units that continue to hold their positions in Hannivka.
Russian troops are increasing the transfer of military equipment columns, including tanks and other armored vehicles, from occupied Crimea to Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Russian forces have begun using new "Shtorm" reconnaissance UAVs in Ukraine to conduct reconnaissance and adjust artillery fire.
Change in the line of contact (LoC):
There were 210 combat engagements on various fronts.
On the Kharkiv direction, the enemy conducted 8 assaults on the positions of Ukrainian units in the areas of Vovchansk, Hlyboke, and Starytsia.
On the Kupyansk direction, there were 8 Russian attacks. Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled enemy assaults near Synkivka, Zahryzove, Dvorichna, and Lozova.
On the Lyman direction, the enemy attacked 22 times, attempting to advance near Kopanky, Novoyehorivka, Lozova, Nadiya, Makiivka, Terny, and in the Serebriansk Forest.
On the Kramatorsk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 7 Russian attempts to advance in the areas of Chasiv Yar, Hryhorivka, and in the direction of Stupochky and Bila Hora.
On the Toretsk direction, the enemy carried out 4 attacks in the Toretsk area.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces stopped 47 enemy attacks in the areas of Myrolyubivka, Promin, Lysivka, Dachenske, Novyi Trud, Pishchane, Shevchenko, and Chumatske.
On the Kurakhove direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 51 enemy attacks. The occupiers most actively tried to advance in the areas of Sontsivka, Stari Terny, Kurakhove, Dalnie, and Uspenivka.
On the Vremivka direction, the enemy carried out 31 assaults in the areas of Sukhi Yaly, Konstyantynopolske, Rozdolne, Neskuchne, and Novodarivka, actively using bomber aviation for strikes.
On the Orikhiv direction, the aggressor made 2 unsuccessful attempts to attack the positions of Ukrainian units in the direction of Novodanylivka.
On the Prydniprovskyi direction, Russian occupiers attacked 5 times but were met with a strong response and suffered losses.
An operation is ongoing in Kursk Oblast, where Ukrainian forces repelled 21 enemy attacks.
In the Black Sea-Azov naval operational area, the enemy naval group on combat duty consists of:
Black Sea: 3 ships, including 2 cruise missile carriers; the total salvo is 24 cruise missiles.
Mediterranean Sea: 7 ships, including 4 cruise missile carriers; the total salvo is 41 cruise missiles.
Changes in the enemy disposition:
The 51st Airborne Regiment of the 106th Airborne Division is advancing towards Sverdlivkovo and near Novoivanovka.
The 80th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion "Sparta" of the 51st Combined Arms Army operates on the Toretsk direction.
The 68th Tank Regiment of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army, the 18th Howitzer Artillery Brigade, and the 39th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 68th Army Corps are advancing on the Kurakhove direction. The 5th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Combined Arms Army is engaged near Kurakhove.
Possible operation situation developments:
On the Kupyansk direction, the enemy will try to break through the "Khortytsia" OSG defense near Kruhlyakivka and advance southward toward Bohuslavka and Nova Kruhlyakivka; attack Lozova and move toward Nova Kruhlyakivka; breach the "Khortytsia" OSG defense at Pershotravneve toward Kopanky and Novoserhiyivka, forcing Ukrainian Defense Forces to retreat from positions near Novoyehorivka under the threat of encirclement.
On the Kramatorsk direction, the "Khortytsia" OSG units will be forced to retreat to the Kostyantynivka area if the enemy reaches the Chervone–Stupochky line and simultaneously launches an offensive northward at the junction of its 41st and 51st Combined Arms Armies from the Novooleksandrivka–Arkhanhelske line, advancing to the Yablunivka–Oleksandro-Kalynove line on the Toretsk direction. If the Chasiv Yar Refractory Materials Plant is lost, it will be under enemy control by the end of December.
On the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy will attempt to advance to the Novotroitske–Ukrainka line, which would achieve two operational objectives: bypassing the flank of Ukrainian Defense Forces units holding Zorya and Sontsivka and simultaneously creating favorable conditions for enveloping Pokrovsk from the south.
If the enemy advances to the area where the Vovcha and Solona rivers converge near Dachne from the north, the position of Ukrainian Defense Forces units in Kurakhove will become critically complicated unless they manage to retreat in time. In the southern part of the Kurakhove bridgehead, Ukrainian Defense Forces units will soon have to abandon Hannivka and Uspenivka to avoid encirclement and retreat in a northwesterly direction.
On the Vremivka direction, intense battles for Velyka Novosilka are expected to unfold soon, as the enemy's future ability to organize and carry out a further offensive toward Rozlyv and Bahatyr, as well as to conduct a deep flanking maneuver against the Ukrainian Defense Forces' grouping from the south, depends on it. By controlling Rozdolne (located between Velyka Novosilka and the Zaporizhzhia–Donetsk highway) and having a convenient stronghold for concentrating and deploying additional forces and assets, the enemy command will soon attempt to cut off all "Khortytsia" OSG’s communication lines in Velyka Novosilka. The enemy will once again attempt to break through towards Novyi Komar or in the direction of Dniproenerhiya.
By the end of the current year, the enemy will not succeed in seizing the "belt of fortresses" Kostyantynivka – Druzhkivka – Kramatorsk – Sloviansk or occupying Donetsk Oblast. The upcoming battle for Pokrovsk will mark the apex of the enemy’s offensive operation in the Southwestern Theater of Operations in 2024.
The enemy's military command in the theater of operations until March 2025 will be creating conditions to achieve the military-political goal of the “Special Military Operation”: reaching the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts and the junction of Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk Oblasts near the village of Temyrivka.
Russian operational losses from 24.02.22 to 13.12.24
Personnel - almost 760,120 (+1,390);
Tanks 9,537 (+5);
Armored combat vehicles – 19,675 (+31);
Artillery systems – 21,078 (+6);
Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,253 (0);
Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1.023 (0);
Vehicles and fuel tanks – 31,177 (+50);
Aircraft - 369 (0);
Helicopters – 329 (0);
UAV operational and tactical level – 20,176 (+65);
Intercepted cruise missiles – 2,861 (0)
Boats/ships – 29 (0).
Humanitarian + general:
From 2:00 p.m. on December 12, the enemy launched a combined air attack on Ukraine using missiles of various types and strike drones. In total, 287 enemy aerial attack assets were detected during this period — 94 missiles and 193 UAVs. As of 11:30 a.m., the following have been confirmed shot down: 80 Kh-101/Kh-55SM/“Kalibr”/“Iskander-K” cruise missiles; 1 “Iskander-M” ballistic missile; 80 strike UAVs of the Shahed type and other unidentified drones. Additionally, 105 enemy drones were lost from radar tracking, five returned to Russia, and one to Belarus. Eleven cruise missiles were downed thanks to F-16s.
Five out of nine nuclear power plant units have reduced their output due to Russia's missile attack on Ukraine's energy system, according to the IAEA.
On December 13, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, causing serious damage to equipment at DTEK thermal power plants. This marks the twelfth large-scale attack on Ukraine's energy system and the ninth on DTEK energy facilities this year.
In Lviv Oblast, six energy infrastructure facilities were targeted by Russian attacks.
On the morning of December 13, Prykarpattia experienced the most massive attack since the start of the full-scale war, with a hit on a critical infrastructure facility. There were no casualties.
As a result of a Russian attack in Chernihiv Oblast, residential buildings, an educational institution, and a farm facility were damaged, leading to the deaths of 11 cows.
Due to a Russian missile attack on Odesa Oblast, a transport company’s building and eight trucks were damaged. At dawn, the Russian army also attacked Odesa Oblast with drones, but no consequences were reported.
In Kyiv Oblast, falling debris from downed Russian cruise missiles and drones damaged four private houses, two boxes of an agricultural enterprise, and power lines.
During a 16-hour-long air raid alert in Cherkasy Oblast, Ukrainian defenders shot down two enemy missiles and 17 drones.
On the morning of December 13, Kharkiv came under Russian attack. The Ukrainian Air Force reported the use of ballistic weapons. In addition, a Russian drone struck a five-story residential building in the Industrial district of Kharkiv.
Around 7:45 a.m., Russia launched missile strikes on a civilian enterprise in the Berestiansky district of Kharkiv Oblast. A 60-year-old security guard was injured, and three employees of a nearby enterprise sustained bodily injuries as well.
Two people were killed and four others were injured due to Russian shelling in Kherson Oblast on December 12.
In response to Russia's large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, the volume of power outages was increased, and the schedules for these outages were changed. According to Serhii Kovalenko, the CEO of energy supplier YASNO, "Ukrenergo" ordered the disconnection of three out of six consumer groups.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, over 2,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been hospitalized with poisoning caused by chemical substances used by the Russians. Three members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have died as a result.