Multiple large explosions near Russian airport, Moscow claims Ukraine attacked UAVs
Russian officials announced on December 4 that Ukraine had used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to attack Russia’s Ryazan province. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that 35 UAVs had been shot down in several areas, including Ryazan. Russian media reported that many Ryazan residents heard explosions near Dyagilevo airport, on the outskirts of Ryazan city, according to The Kyiv Independent .
Dyagilevo airport, located about 500 km from the Ukrainian border, is believed to host the 43rd combat training center with Tu-22M3, Tu-95MS, Tu-134UBL bombers and An-26 transport aircraft, as well as Il-78 refueling aircraft and a repair plant. There have been previous reports that the airport was attacked by Ukrainian UAVs in 2022 and in July this year.
US must 'empty its pockets' to strengthen air defense in Ukraine, Middle East
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military said Russian forces were continuing attacks on Kherson province in an attempt to gain an advantage in the area. Vladyslav Voloshyn, a spokesman for the Self-Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine, said Russia’s goal was to gain a strong defensive position and draw Ukrainian forces to the area.
Ukrainian firefighters extinguish a fire in Rivne province after a Russian attack on December 3.
Voloshyn said intelligence sources revealed that Russia was training units with a focus on overcoming water obstacles, which are believed to be in response to river terrain in some areas of Kherson. Voloshyn also said that Moscow was preparing 300 boats, stressing that Ukrainian forces were ready to respond to any escalation of hostilities. Russia and Ukraine did not comment on their opponents' statements.
Ukraine arrests 16-year-old girl on suspicion of “informing” on Russia
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on December 4 that it had arrested a 16-year-old girl, accused of assisting the Russian military in carrying out airstrikes in the Chernigiv region in northern Ukraine. The SBU said the girl was tasked by Russia to provide the locations of Ukrainian air defense systems in the north, adding that she had carried out spying activities while riding in a taxi and had leaked sensitive information via encrypted messaging apps.
The SBU said it arrested the girl after discovering she was taking pictures of a defense facility. “The SBU seized a mobile phone with evidence of espionage and sabotage activities in favor of Russia,” Ukraine said in a statement. The girl is in custody and has been charged with treason. Moscow has not commented on the information.
More and more Ukrainian soldiers are deserting
Ukraine speaks out against information about "holding Kursk until Trump takes office"
The Kyiv Post newspaper on December 4 quoted Mr. Andriy Kovalenko, director of the Center for Countering Disinformation of Ukraine, denying information that the Ukrainian army was ordered to maintain its controlling position in Russia's Kursk province to wait for the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.
Earlier, the BBC quoted a Ukrainian soldier as saying that the unit was tasked with holding its positions in Kursk for as long as possible, until Mr Trump officially became US president and began discussing a peaceful solution in Ukraine. “This could be in exchange for something but no one knows exactly,” the soldier said.
Mr. Kovalenko asserted that the Ukrainian military had not received any instructions to hold the Kursk region until Mr. Trump took office for future “exchanges.” The Ukrainian official added that the combat missions in Kursk were aimed at serving other strategic objectives on the front line.
Meanwhile, Reuters on December 4 quoted sources close to Mr. Trump as saying that Mr. Trump's advisers proposed that Ukraine would have to cede part of the territory controlled by Russia to end the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this week that Kyiv would need to find a diplomatic solution for the Ukrainian territories controlled by Russia.
Zelensky's new calculation for NATO to protect Ukraine
Mr Trump has repeatedly pledged to end the long-running conflict in Ukraine “within 24 hours” of his inauguration on January 20, 2025, but has yet to spell out how that would be done. Analysts say Mr Trump is unlikely to follow through on such a pledge given the complexity of the conflict.
NATO facilitates Ukraine to receive air defense missiles
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the issue of Ukraine's defense was at the center of the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting held on December 3 in Brussels, Belgium, stating that NATO had actively welcomed Kyiv's request for air defense weapons.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (right) meets with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on December 3 in Belgium.
“We discussed what we can do together to ensure that Ukraine has the air defense capabilities to protect critical infrastructure,” Ukrainska Pravda quoted Mr. Rutte as saying on December 4.
NATO leaders acknowledged that this was a difficult task, as each NATO member's air defense systems were designed for different purposes. In addition, there was no surplus supply in the world. However, Mr. Rutte emphasized that there was consensus among partners on the issue of aid to Ukraine.
On December 3, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha revealed details of Ukraine's new request for air defense systems, stating that they will be deployed at 19 locations to protect nuclear and energy facilities.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Kyiv would have to make a difficult decision on whether to send in more troops, given Ukraine’s reported manpower disadvantage in the eastern battlefield. “This is important because even if you have money and ammunition, you still need people on the front lines to confront Russia,” Blinken said.
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