The Kremlin is ready to announce the withdrawal of its troops from Kherson, analysts say. Kiev’s troops are gaining more and more ground

The European Union plans to give 1.5 billion euros a month in aid to Ukraine in 2023 to support the war-torn country.

Meanwhile, on the front, the Russians are losing ground, and some analysts believe that Moscow is preparing to announce a new so-called gesture of goodwill: the withdrawal from Kherson.

On the other hand, the American and Russian Defense Ministers discussed on the phone the situation in Ukraine and international security. They haven’t had such a conversation in several months.

For the second night in a row, the Ukrainian army hit the Antonovsky bridge, near which the Russians set up a pontoon of barges so that they could retreat to the other side of the Dnieper. Ukrainians are advancing on Kherson and at least 15,000 locals have been moved from one side to the other, a sign that Moscow is pushing back on the southern Ukrainian front. On Friday, a convoy of Russian journalists and propagandists was hit by missiles while crossing the river.

Andrey Malkevich, First Deputy Chairman of the Media Committee of the Russian Public Chamber: “We were taking journalists from Kherson, together with their families, from the dangerous bank of the Dnieper to the left bank. The first explosion occurred at the head of the column. That was the car I was driving. The second explosion occurred in the middle, and the third at the end of the column”.

For their part, the Russians continued their missile and drone attacks. In Zaporozhye, five people were injured in a bombing.

Volodymyr Hrianisti, head of the Dniprovsky district: “We resist and we will win, we must stick together. These attacks don’t scare anyone, they make us stronger, because that’s how war is. I think we will win.”

After Russian President Vladimir Putin was filmed at a training camp inspecting the equipment of newly mobilized soldiers, other images of Russian soldiers unhappy with what they got have surfaced on social media.

Russian soldier: “This thing is a plastic paintball mask. A mess… The superiors think we’re going to walk around here dressed like in ‘Star Wars’. But the coolest thing here is this pair of kids tactical gloves. Because I can’t fit my hands in them. And they don’t match any other soldier here.”

In another video, some Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group are surprised to discover that the Ukrainians’ bulletproof vests actually protect.

Billions of euros for Ukraine in 2023

In Brussels, the EU leaders reached an agreement in principle to give Ukraine, next year, a financial aid of approximately 1.5 billion euros per month. On the other hand, the Americans say they are open to talks, but have no one to talk to.

Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State: “Right now, Russia is showing no sign that it is willing to engage in meaningful diplomatic talks. On the contrary, we observe that they are doubling and even tripling their aggression against Ukraine”.

Belarus will not go to war against Ukraine

In the UN Security Council, Iran has been criticized for providing drones and missiles to Russia. Moscow and Tehran deny it, but a Russian defense ministry official made a major blunder on the set of a news show – asking presenters not to ask him about Iranian drones used by Russia, not realizing that he has open mic and is already live.

Meanwhile, thousands of Russian soldiers are in Belarus, as part of preparations that could herald the opening of a new front in northern Ukraine. According to some officials from Latvia and Ukraine, the target would be to interrupt the delivery of Western military equipment via Poland. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, however, declared that his army would not go to war against Ukraine.

Some military experts claim that Russian units entering Belarus have no heavy weapons, not even logistics trucks, and are maneuvering at the border only to intimidate the Ukrainians and force them to keep significant troops on the border.