According to the Institute for the Study of War and other sources, Russia continued to forcibly remove Ukrainian children from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, under the pretext of providing them with “special medical care.” These actions may amount to genocide, as the forced deportation and separation of children from their families constitutes a deliberate attempt to erase the national identity. The forcible displacement of civilians, particularly children, represents a grave violation of international law and could be viewed as part of a systematic effort to destroy a national group.

These activities are part of a broader pattern of Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine, which includes the destruction of critical infrastructure and deliberate attacks on civilians in locations such as Kherson, Nikopol, Dnipro, Kramatorsk, and Zaporizhzhia. Many of these actions, given their systematic nature and intent to obliterate Ukrainian national and cultural identity, may be classified as acts of genocide.

On 6 December, the European Union and the Kingdom of Norway signed an administrative agreement on support for the EUMAM Ukraine mission established to bolster Ukraine’s military capabilities in response to Russian aggression. Norway pledged a voluntary financial contribution of approximately €14.5 million for 2023, to be directed to the European Peace Facility (EPF). These funds would assist the EU’s efforts through the EUMAM mission, which provides training to Ukrainian soldiers and essential military aid to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression. 

On 7 December, Russian forces continued their relentless attacks on Bakhmut and Avdiivka, while also shelling numerous towns along the front line. In Kurahove, located in the Donetsk region, 8 to 10 civilians were killed, five others were injured, and 35 civilian facilities were destroyed. Ukrainian forces successfully repelled attacks in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, while also conducting air raids on Russian positions. 

On 8 December, the Council of the European Union decided not to recognize travel documents issued by Russia in occupied regions of Ukraine and in the separatist regions of Georgia (Abkhazia and South Ossetia). This move was a direct response to Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and its practice of issuing passports to residents of these areas. Consequently, such documents would no longer be accepted for visa applications or entry into the Schengen Area.

This measure was a response to Russia’s recognition of the independence of Georgia’s separatist regions in 2008 and its ongoing violations of international law in Ukraine’s occupied territories.

Energoatom reported that Russian forces had brought BM-21 Grad launchers to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The weapons were placed near power unit No. 6, right next to the station’s dry storage of spent nuclear fuel. This constituted a serious violation of nuclear and radiation safety rules, and according to Energoatom, Russia might be preparing a provocation.

According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russia had not abandoned its maximalist aspirations; i.e., taking full control over the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. Despite the onset of winter, fighting was expected to intensify, particularly in Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Svatove, where Russian forces were fortifying their positions and conducting counterattacks.

Illustrative photo. Generated by AI