Tim White Profile picture
Journalist/Documentary maker. Ukraine specialist. Data expert (inc. Covid-19). Media trainer. Sports commentator. Buy me a coffee? https://t.co/MLLqpHi3vV

Dec 29, 2022, 65 tweets

Day 309 of the war. #Russia's illegal war on #Ukraine.
Thanks for reading yet another daily thread

Thursday started with explosions for many in #Kyiv with a nationwide air alert. City leaders in the capital say it's air defence working.

Here's y'day link

With enemy aircraft moving, this alert for many regions including #Kyiv has already lasted over 2 hours.

More ships appeared in the Black Sea armed with missiles too, according to Gov of #Mykolaiv (RU: #Nikolaev) Vitaliy Kim

#StandWithUkraine

There has still been the regular shelling during the night in #Ukraine

Two villages near #Zaporizhzhia were hit by #Russia's artillery. Also struck of course was #Nikopol, which I don't always mention in these threads but continues to be targeted daily.

#RussiaIsATerroristState

#Ukraine's top military Intelligence official says fighting on the frontline has "reached a dead end."

Fresh from his own visit to #Bakhmut (RU: #Artemovsk), Kyrylo Budanov told the BBC nothing is likely to change until they get new weapons.

bbc.co.uk/news/world-eur…

It took 24 hours but finally Catherine the Great's statue was removed.

The landmark in #Odesa will now be kept in safe storage as the southern city removed all vestiges of #Russia's(+ USSR) occupation.

The daily update from UK Intelligence chiefs backs up what I've been writing here for a while...

#Russia rather arrogantly moved many air defence units to #Ukraine, and didn't "lock the back door" as they left home!

#StopRussia

In #Odesa explosions heard. Again, air defence has shot something down.

Presumably it's another wave of drones as seen last night. Then it was attack drones. These maybe reconnaissance in daylight to pinpoint air defence units and any overnight movement ahead of missile attacks.

Air defence also working in #Russia's #Belgorod region, as can be seen here.

But #Ukraine️ says it hasn't fired anything🤔

A government official has said over 100 rockets may be fired on #Ukraine️ this morning.

Here's the translation of Oleksiy Atestovych's post.

Incidentally the pic of air defence working in Odesa came from city officials, but is censored to ensure no buildings are visible.

Very big numbers in the daily losses table today*

Nearly 800 more Russian soldiers killed for invading on Putin's behalf.

Also, we do reach 2,000 artillery systems destroyed.

#StopRussia
*Ukraine estimates

#Russia's imposed Head of the occupied part of #Zaporizhzhia region admits #Ukraine partisans are the reason for lockdowns and blocking entry to/from #Melitopol.

Traitor Balitsky says explosives and weapons are smuggled in inside "cameras and tyres which our dogs can't detect"😅

Damage in one of #Kyiv's most densely populated areas, after debris from a Russian rocket fell on Darnytskyi district.

Here's the official statement (translated)

#RussiaisATerroistState

I'm also reading about unconfirmed reports of explosions in other cities too. Checking it out...

#Odesa (RU: #Odessa) has definitely been struck by a rocket.

(video contains swearing in Russian)

#RussiaIsATerroristState

#Kharkiv (RU: #Kharkov) too also hit in the large scale rocket attack this morning.

#RussiaIsATerroistState #UkraineUnderAttaсk

#Mykolaiv and #Poltava reporting strikes (as yet unconfirmed)

Meanwhile here's a censored video (martial law rules) of damage in #Kyiv after the supposed downing on a rocket.

#RussiaIsATerroristState #UkraineUnderAttaсk

It looks as if more lengthy power outages are likely for many in #Ukraine. They had been hoping to get back to "normal" power cuts - with electricity rationed to a few hours a day.

#Odesa has already reverted to emergency blackouts, #Kyiv likely to follow

#UkraineUnderAttaсk

#Lviv #IvanoFrankivsk latest areas reportedly hit as rockets reach the west of #Ukraine.

The Mayor of L'viv says 90% of the city is without power.

#RussiaIsATerroristState #UkraineUnderAttaсk

Confirmed in #Odesa region that a residential building has been damaged in the rocket attack.

Local official Kyrylo Tymoshenko says "fragments of a cruise missile fell into a residential building in the village of Stepove."

#RussiaIsATerroristState #UkraineUnderAttaсk

#Russia's air defence also active in Occupied #Crimea (#Dzhankoi in first pic) and #Bryansk (pic 2)

#RussiaIsATerroristState #UkraineUnderAttaсk

This is awful.
Another 63 rockets are in the sky right now according to #Ukraine's Defence.

Latest launches from Tu-22M3 bombers over the Black Sea confirmed.

#RussiaIsATerroristState #UkraineUnderAttaсk

Mayor of #Kyiv @Vitaliy_Klychko says "So far, two people have been rescued from a damaged private house. Medics treated them on the spot and hospitalised them."

"Rescuers continue search and rescue operations.
Rocket debris also damaged a car on one of the central streets."

#Kharkiv - four missiles landed. This confirmed by Head of the region, Sinegubov who says they were hit with "probably S-300, in Nemyshlyansky and Osnovyansky districts."

The target is critical infrastructure. No details on casualties yet.

#RussiaIsATerroristState

In #Kharkiv the Slobidskyi area was again hit.

#RussiaIsATerroristState #UkraineUnderAttack

#Kyiv region:

The village of Bortnichi has been hit. This is the private sector according to the Telegram channel of Pravda_Gerashchenko.

#RussiaIsATerroristState #UkraineUnderAttack

#Kyiv: @Vitaliy_Klychko says a 14 year old girl has also been injured, bringing the total known victims to three.

#Odesa: regional head says 21 missiles were shot down over their region. But there is damage to energy infrastructure.

#RussiaIsATerroristState #UkraineUnderAttack

One of #Russia's missiles was caught on camera flying over #Kyiv region.

#RussiaIsATerroristState #UkraineUnderAttack

My analysis is that the drones over the last 24 hours were definitely testing air defence as #Russia seems to be targeting defence systems in this morning's attack, as well as power infrastructure.

More reports of Russian drones now - no doubt surveying the damage.

#Kyiv - first official photo of the damage in the residential #Darnytskyi neighbourhood.
At least 3 people were injured. Rescue work continues.

#RussiaIsATerroristState #UkraineUnderAttack

#Kyiv - more photos of the extensive damage in the #Darnytskyi district of the capital.

This is clearly not just fragments of a rocket landing.
But it is evidence of more war crimes, the day after @GordonBrown said headway is being made for a War Crimes Tribunal.

#Mykolaiv: the small town of #Ochakiv (RU: #Ochakov) is under heavy fire from MLRS. 11 shells hitting so far according to local sources.

This is the coastal tip opposite the Kinburn Spit.

#RussiaIsATerroristState #UkraineUnderAttack

Most of #Ukraine has been sheltering for 4.5 hours so far and the danger is not over.

#RussiaIsATerroristState #UkraineUnderAttack

By the way, this is what has temporarily replaced the monument to Catherine the Great in #Odesa

At the start of today's thread I showed the statue finally being removed from its plinth here.

#StandWithUkraine

The all clear has been given for the people of #Ukraine to emerge from bunkers and shelter.

This air raid alert lasted for 4 hours and 44 minutes.

An air raid warning again at the Engels air force base in #Saratov! More explosions also, but only looks like air defence from photos and reports so far.

#StopRussia

A lucky escape in a village in #IvanoFrankivsk.

A rocket crashed into a house in the village of #Tymoshenko but did not detonate.

#UkraineUnderAttack #RussiaIsATerroristState

Now a short video from near the #Engels air base in #Russia

Something was shot down it seems.

#Ukraine maintains only two cities were directly hit by Russian rockets - #Kharkiv and #Lviv.

Authorities maintain all damage in #Kyiv was from debris from intercepted missiles as all 16 over the region were shot down.

#Odesa also says air defence worked.
I'm not convinced.

Specifically in #Kyiv, Mayor @Vitaliy_Klychko says 40% of households are without electricity but heat and water are working.

Debris caused damage to:
3 private houses and a car in Darnytskyi,
An industrial enterprise in Holoseivskyi,
A playground in Pecherskyi district.

A lot of damage in #Kherson too - primarily result of MLRS attacks today. Here is an example.

Artillery rocket attacks are ongoing there now.

#StandWithUkraine

Heavy shelling on #Ukraine towns in #Donetsk region too overnight.

This is #Kurakhove, near the frontline, around 30km west of the city of Donetsk.

#StandWithUkraine

Some of our friends "down under" are not happy that #Australia seems to have stopped support for #Ukraine.

C'mon Aussie!

Nice film of #Ukraine's defenders taking out one of the rockets. It's said to be from today.

thx to @MuffinmanMc for spotting this

This is a very big "flash"
It's in #Luhansk oblast, but just a few kilometres from the border with #Russia.

May be an accident. May be nothing. May be Russians testing. May be a Ukraine strike. Hope for confirmation later.

This is a more realistic assessment of #Ukraine's air defence success against the huge missile attack by #Russia.

It's been a long, tough morning. I'm going for a rest.

Some amazing, artistic photography.
Another quick plug for this website.

1/2
Depending on your point of view, more cleaning up of #Ukraine's politics, or more abuse of power in clamping down on opponents?

First, a document alerting members of the now banned "Opposition Platform for Life" political party a criminal case has been opened against them.

2/2

Secondly, a crimincal case is opened against the Mayor of #Poltava.

Bizarrely #Ukraine prosecutors blur the fact of Oleksandr Mamai even though there is only one elected Mayor!

He's accused of publishing army details in the war without permission of the General Staff.

Fake provocation, to get the population ready for war?

#Belarus claims it shot this down in its air space..

"Wreckage was found in a field in Ivanovo District of #Brest. The wreckage belongs to the S-300 anti-aircraft guided missile launched from the territory of #Ukraine."

A lot has been written on both sides about the removal of the "Catherine the Great" statue in #Odesa. It's certainly contentious and divisive. But most Russian arguments I've seen are ridiculously simplistic and historically inaccurate.
Here's a pro #Ukraine take:

This caught my eye. It's allegedly an attack by #Ukraine on Russians in Occupied #Donetsk.

I cannot verify the claim, nor the timing.

At least one Russian channel is reporting that the #Engels air base incident may have been a case of friendly fire. There's no verification and no comment from the Kremlin of course but the story says one of #Russia's Su-25 planes was mistaken for a drone

1/2
Again this isn't "firm" news, but snippets from various claims on pro-Ukraine channels, though only ones I have come to trust.

Eye witnesses report #Russia is sending wave after wave of convict #Wagner troops to frontlines in the #Donbas, with guns but no military back-up.

2/2

These #Wagner "troops" are literally expendable cannon fodder, causing some problems for #Ukraine but pretty quickly wiped out.

The other reports are that the dead convicts are then cremated deeper in #Luhansk along with documentation, so their loss will never be admitted.

Cutting this St George's ribbon in #Russia now carries a 5 year prison sentence.

#Putin continues his ludicrous erosion of liberty and almost everyone is too scared to say anything.

#RussiaIsATerroristState

The tribunal is creeping nearer.
There cannot be an ICC hearing immediately, but a War Crimes Tribunal is a realistic prospect according to EU/UK/US allies.

#RussiaIsATerrorismState

Three people have now died after #Russia's strikes in #Kharkiv region.

War crimes investigators are documenting evidence where a house was hit in #Kupiansk killing a 59 year old man.

Earlier a rocket attack in #Chuhuiv killed two employees of an 'enterprise' which was struck.

#Ukraine's General Staff announce that this blast yesterday killed 50 more invaders.

Today's Ukraine's forces hit Skadovsk and Chaplynka (again)

#StandWithUkraine

#Russia continues to shell #Kherson.

Here's a clip of some of the latest damage caused in the city which was liberated 7 weeks ago tomorrow.

#RussiaIsATerroristState

#RussiaOnFire (sort of)

A passenger's power bank is reported to have "exploded" on board this plane. An emergency evacuation was undertaken at Domodedovo airport in #Moscow.

No one was injured and seemingly no fire.

As we mourn the truly greatest player football has ever seen, remember too one of his last wishes and final public pronouncements, six months ago.

#Pele #RipLegend

reuters.com/lifestyle/spor…

Andriy Yermak from the President's Office says "If Zelenskyy had been president then, we wouldn't have lost #Crimea

What utter tosh.

UK + USA refused point blank to get involved even as guarantors. EU also.
Of course no hint of what Zelenskyy would have done differently.

In #Zaoprizhzhia some more Iranian "mopeds" flew around menacingly.

#Ukraine's defenders managed to knock down at least 3 drones and the all clear has now been sounded for the region.

#StandWithUkraine

#Kherson - Last time a maternity ward, today another hospital.

Two people were injured when #Russia's shelling damaged this Regional Cardiology Dispensary was damaged.

The roof, windows and facade of one of the buildings were destroyed in the building.

📷TG kherson_typical

Typical #Ukraine!

In the southern town of #Marhanets, a shell lands outside a shop. People dive for cover, but one customer admonishes the shop assistant for not completing her order!

#StandWithUkraine

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