Click to see the full-size image
On December 17-18, 2024, Russia and Ukraine continued to exchange strikes against each other’s territory. According to official statements, Ukrainian air defenses shot down 63 out of 82 attacking Russian drones. Russian air defense systems, in turn, destroyed 47 Ukrainian drones, primarily over the Bryansk region.
Russian strikes on Ukrainian defense-industrial complex (DIC) facilities are reported to have severely impacted weapons production. Ukrainian military expert Alexander Kovalenko claims that at least a third of defense enterprises have faced disruptions to state contracts due to destruction. He describes a paradoxical situation where enterprises damaged by strikes receive no aid, no contract extensions, and no relief from their obligations. Instead, they are fined and dragged into litigation for delivery delays. Consequently, many plants, including once showcase facilities, are forced to expend resources on court battles rather than military output. Kovalenko also notes that Ukrainian media downplays the issue of strikes on DIC objects, with public attention largely focused on energy sector attacks.
Affected Facilities in Ukraine
The strikes on December 17-18 impacted several Ukrainian regions, damaging energy, transport, and military infrastructure.
-
Dnipropetrovsk region: Powerful explosions occurred in Kryvyi Rih, with reports of fires and power outages.
-
Cherkasy region: Strategically important facilities, including energy infrastructure, were attacked. Nearly the entire city experienced electricity supply interruptions.
-
Mykolaiv region: An energy facility was hit in Voznesensk district. Damage to the power supply system caused water supply issues in Voznesensk due to a disabled pumping station. Authorities planned to power it via a generator.
-
Odesa region: A state-level emergency was declared in the region due to a week-long blackout affecting more than 50,000 residents. On the evening of December 17, a substation in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi was struck, extending blackouts for another day. Shelling continued of the bridge in Zatoka, where a train was damaged. Strikes were also reported on trains in Artsyz, which Russian sources claimed were transporting disguised military cargo.
-
Zaporizhzhia region: Ukrainian reserves prepared for transfer to the Orikhiv direction were destroyed.
-
Kharkiv region: Strikes targeted the territory of the Lozova Forging and Mechanical Plant, reportedly used for armored vehicle repair. Explosions were also reported in the settlements of Pechenihy, Kochetok, Borky, and Bohodukhiv.
-
Other Regions: A Ukrainian Armed Forces unit and two artillery pieces were destroyed on the eastern outskirts of Sumy. Explosions were reported near TEC-6 in Kyiv, in Kramatorsk, and drone activity was reported against targets in the Chernihiv region.
Affected Facilities in Russia
The main Ukrainian drone strike on the night of December 18 targeted southern Russia.
-
Rostov region: Three cities were attacked—Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog, and Bataysk. In the port of Rostov-on-Don, the tanker “Valeriy Gorchakov” was damaged by a direct hit, causing a 20-square-meter fire. Two crew members were killed, three were injured. A spill of petroleum products was averted. In Rostov, two sections of a multi-story residential building were damaged (with destruction on the fifth floor).
-
Krasnodar Krai: The Slavyansk district was attacked. Drone debris was found in Slavyansk-on-Kuban and the settlement of Pribrezhny, damaging roofs and shattering windows. Damage to power grids was recorded in the district center. In the Krasnoarmeysky district, drone debris fell in the stanitsa of Cheburgolskaya and several khutors, damaging private households. Reports indicated one of the targets was an oil refinery.
-
Other Regions: According to official statements from the Russian Defense Ministry, air defense systems were also active over Crimea, Belgorod, Bryansk, Saratov regions, and over the Black Sea.
Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, speaking at a ministry board meeting, stated that Russian strikes have disabled over 70% of thermal power plants (TPPs) and 37% of hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) that supplied energy to Ukraine’s military industry and army. He claimed the country’s energy capacity has been more than halved. Belousov assessed the effectiveness of Russian precision strikes at approximately 60%, calling this figure “an order of magnitude higher” than the effectiveness of Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory. He rated the average effectiveness of Russian air defense in repelling attacks at 97%. In his speech, the minister also addressed NATO, stating the alliance has begun preparations for a potential confrontation around the 2030s, with its annual budget estimated to grow more than 1.5 times—to $2.7 trillion.
MORE ON THE TOPIC:
fossile kraftwerke is kaputt.
only way out is full surrender, never was any different