Russian forces have shelled the entire front line in the Donetsk region in Eastern Ukraine, as part of what appeared to be the Kremlin’s scaled-back ambition to secure only the bulk of lands it has claimed, Reuters reported. The fiercest fighting was in the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine claims that the Ukrainian forces have managed to repel Russian advance in seven settlements. According to Russian sources, the Ukrainian army counterattacked five settlements near Bakhmut, but the Russian forces managed to repel these attacks.
Thousands of households in and around the capital city Kyiv, as well as in Odessa and Dnipro, remain without electricity after the Russian attacks. According to military experts, neither Ukraine nor Russia have yet been able to achieve convincing success in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
On December 8, the Russian army sent reinforcements to the town of Svatove, Luhansk region, to defend against Ukrainian counteroffensive operation. According to the Institute for the Study of War, the Russian army is trying to increase its activity near Svatove to resist the expected advance of Ukrainian forces.
Plovdiv will offer concerts, bazaars and an ice park for the Christmas and New Year holidays to its citizens and guests, the municipality has announced. Mayor Kostadin Dimitrov will light the Christmas tree in front of the Plovdiv Municipality..
On Thursday, minimum temperatures will range from 3° to 19°C, with eastern areas reaching 15–19°C and Sofia around 6°C. The day will be cloudy with widespread rain. Heavy rainfall is expected in western regions overnight and in central and southern..
“Solutions for achieving peace in Ukraine must be based on fundamental principles of the UN Charter, such as sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.” This was stated by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev at the informal video..
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