WAR IN UKRAINE: December 13, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 293
Heavy shelling and artillery fire were reported in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region overnight, a Ukrainian military official said on Telegram Tuesday. Valentyn Reznichenko, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, said grad missiles and heavy artillery were fired at the communities of Nikopol, Chervonohryhorivka and Marhanets. No casualties were reported. "Seven attacks and more than 50 enemy shells on peaceful towns and villages. Russians terrorized Nikopol district all night long," he said - CNN
UN aid chief Martin Griffiths arrived in Kyiv to assess the damage and the needs of millions of civilians left without electricity, water, and heating at the start of the cold season - RFE/RL
A Russian-appointed deputy governor of Ukraine's southern Kherson region, Vitaly Bulyuk, has been hospitalized with moderate injuries after his car exploded.
Russia will continue targeting Ukraine’s power supply, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address Monday. "We should all be aware that Russia has not given up its terror tactics," Zelensky said. "The absence of massive missile strikes only means that the enemy is preparing for them and can strike at any time. Although it is obvious that even without light we know well where to shoot and what to liberate, Russia still hopes for blackouts. This is the last hope of terrorists.”
Complete blackout of electricity in Ukraine is real, - Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. According to him, even in such a scenario, Ukrainians will not leave the country. It is likely that many will move to rural areas, "where there is an opportunity to heat with firewood.” He added: “I had no electricity, heating or water for 30 hours at my home.” Meanwhile, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine needs $1 billion to restore energy sector in order to get through the winter.
Belarus told the UN that it would allow, without preconditions, the transit of grain from Ukraine through its territory for export from Lithuanian ports. In return, Minks asks to allow its export of fertilizers currently under sanctions. With 17.6% (12.2 million tonnes) of market share, Belarus had been the world's third largest exporter of potash, a key ingredient in fertilizer, before the sanctions were imposed. Over 90% of export went through the port of Klaipeda in Lithuania. "An offer by Belarus to transport Ukrainian grain through its territory to Lithuania is just another attempt to escape sanctions. Ukrainian grain already travels through Poland and other countries to Baltic ports. It is a trap. Let's not fall into it," the Lithuanian tweeted.
The units of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully defused another drifting mine in Odesa region. "The defense forces discovered another drifting anti-ship mine off the coast of Odesa region. A unit of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine promptly defused the dangerous find," the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted on Telegram.
Ukrainians abroad stimulate the economies of other countries: Spending by Ukrainians abroad in 2022 will reach $2B per month, which is three times more than the previous year, the head of the National Bank, Andriy Pishnyi, said. According to Pishnyi, because of spending and employment of Ukrainian citizens abroad, the European economy enjoys a positive fiscal effect and a long-term positive impact. Due to contributions from Ukrainian migrants, GDP in, for example, Estonia, Poland, and the Czech Republic in 2026 will be 2.2% – 2.3% higher than models without migration. Since the beginning of the war, Ukrainians in Poland have paid 10B zlotys ($2.4B) in taxes, which significantly exceeds the amount of aid provided, said the head of NBU. The bank considers fears and pessimistic forecasts regarding the negative impact of the multi-million person flow of migrants from Ukraine unfounded, as they do not consider the beneficial financial impact of the Ukrainian people - UBN