Ukraine is facing the most perilous winter of the war so far, Politico says. Ukraine hits dozens of targets inside Russia and in occupied territories with own weapons. The EU sends almost 6 billion euros to Ukraine.
Ukraine facing most perilous winter of war so far, Politico says
This winter is shaping up to be the most hazardous of the war for Ukraine — at least since the early months of the invasion nearly four years ago, when Russia’s armored columns were closing in on Kyiv. Now Ukraine is facing another crunch winter — one that heroism and improvisation might not be able to overcome, Jamie Dettmer, opinion editor and a foreign affairs columnist at POLITICO Europe said in an opinion piece published on Thursday. The paragraphs below are quoted from the article.
That’s in part because the country’s fate won’t entirely be in its own hands. A lot will rest with Western allies as the Ukrainians struggle through the frigid weeks and months to grapple with three huge challenges.
First, Ukraine will face a funding crisis as 2025 turns into 2026 and is on course to run out of cash in February unless Belgium lifts its block on an audacious plan to issue a €140 billion reparations loan using immobilized Russian Central Bank assets held in a securities depository based in Brussels.
And the problem has only been complicated by Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico announcing last week that he will also oppose using Russian frozen assets to fund Ukraine’s defense spending.
The second problem is on the battlefield, where Ukraine is coming under increasing pressure from Russian forces and on the brink of losing the town of Pokrovsk, an important logistical and transport hub where fighting has been raging for more than a year. Losing Pokrovsk would trigger a new stage in the battle for Donetsk and give the Russians greater leeway in trying to overrun the 25 percent of the region it hasn’t managed to seize. It would put Russian commanders in a stronger position to threaten the strategically significant towns of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
The battle for Pokrovsk has again highlighted Ukraine’s severe manpower shortage. In some sections of the front line, Russia enjoys a 10-to-1 manpower advantage.
Aside from worries over funding and what’s happening on the battlefield, there’s the third big challenge of the winter — the energy war. This time round, though, the Russian attacks are of much greater magnitude and the Ukrainians don’t have the air defenses to cope, nor are they likely to get them soon.
On top of that, Russia has adjusted its tactics by targeting not only the power grid but also Ukraine’s natural gas infrastructure. With the Ukrainian winter just a month away, the country may have lost a third of its natural gas production capacity, possibly more.
It is indeed going to be a hard winter for Ukraine. The big question is whether the country will emerge in good enough shape to resist a bad peace deal being foisted on it.
Ukraine hits dozens of targets inside Russia, in occupied territories with own weapons
The Ukrainian military struck several dozen sites in Russia and the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory overnight on Thursday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a statement. Ukraine’s defense forces are using attack and jet-powered drones, as well as missiles of various types to conduct the strikes, it said. Last night, Ukraine used long-range drones and missiles, including own Flamingo missiles, Bars drone missiles and Lyutyi drones, it added.
In occupied Crimea, Ukraine struck an oil storage site — a naval oil terminal, a helicopter area and drone storage sites on the Kirovskoye air base, and air defense radars near Yevpatoriya, the message reads.
In the occupied area of Zaporizhzhia region, the Ukrainian military struck an oil depot near Berdyansk and forward command posts of Russia’s 5th Guards Combined Arms Army and the 127th Motor Rifle Division.
A number of sites inside Russia were also damaged, the Ukrainian General Staff said, adding that the results of the damage is being assessed.
Telegram channel Krymskiy Veter (Crimean Wind) said massive explosions rocked Feodosiya overnight on Thursday. A level crossing near an oil depot was reportedly closed without an explanation.
The Russian defense ministry said it had destroyed 17 drones over the Black Sea and seven drones over the Crimean peninsula.
EU sends almost 6 billion euros to Ukraine
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would disburse Thursday an almost 6 billion euros loan to Ukraine.
“We will disburse today to Ukraine almost EUR 6 billion from the ERA loan and the Ukraine Facility. And that is why I very much welcome the European Council’s very clear commitment to cover Ukraine’s financial needs for the next two years,” she said in a speech to the European Parliament.
“Ukraine has just received €5.9 billion from the European Union — €4.1 billion under the ERA Loans and €1.8 billion through the Ukraine Facility,” Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in a post to X on Thursday.
The ERA Loans for Ukraine Initiative uses extraordinary revenues generated by immobilized Russian sovereign assets to provide financial support to Ukraine. The Ukraine Facility is a €50 billion EU financial assistance program planned for 2024-2027.
