Russia's various pushes along the front have slowed some, but minor advances continue in places such as around Avdiivka. Russia has also tried to advance again in the Kupyansk area, once again being rebuffed at Synkivka. Russia has tried repeatedly to break through at Synkivka, frequently even taking the exact same roads; and meeting with the same fate.
Late at night and spreading to the early hours of the next day, Russia launched a major missile and drone strike against a number of Ukrainian cities all throughout the country, including Lviv in the far west. Anecdotally, Kharkiv was hit by one of the largest waves of bombardment it has faced in around a year. Ordinarily these large waves are in retaliation to some perceived slight, such as a Ukrainian attack on the Kerch Strait Bridge, as an example. However, the only notable thing that happened recently was the destruction of a Ropucha class Russian warship, but that is something that has happened a few times before; and the level of embarrassment pales in comparison to the loss of the Russian flagship Moskva or the loss of the Rostov-on-Donu submarine on land. Instead, I have some concerns that this may be the start of an intensified campaign against Ukrainian energy infrastructure this winter. With no statements from Russia yet about this wave of attacks, it's too early to draw any form conclusions.
A merchant ship en route to Ukraine to pick up grain hit a naval mine in the Black Sea, taking damage. While Ukraine's Black Sea corridor has been pretty successful, the corridor is still no guarantee of safety from Russian attacks and mines. The incident today may dissuade some companies from shipping to and from Ukraine, and it highlights the importance of clearing out naval mines. Ukraine's Black Sea neighbors have discussed how to reduce the threats of mines in the area, but a lot of work remains to be done.
Ukraine is looking ahead to the upcoming year with an eye on the budget. The IMF has said that they expect Ukraine to raise their own funds domestically to fund a possible mobilization of approximately a half million people. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has put forth the idea of an emergency meeting between Ukraine and many of its supporters in order to discuss the budget, as fiscal aid from the United States and the EU has fallen off a cliff, due to Republican opposition in the United States and Hungarian opposition in the EU. Ukraine's economic minister, Yuliia Svyrydenko, has warned that Ukraine may be forced to slash salaries for state employees and pensions for retirees as funding dries up and the need to pay for military expenses, including new fortifications, remains high. In other economic news, the Ukrainian hryvnia has slid an historic low when compared to the United States dollar (about 38 to 1), an inauspicious start to the upcoming year.
The new Polish prime minister has stated his intentions to visit Kyiv sooner than later. This comes as the Polish government has signaled their hopes to end the blockade imposed by Polish truckers in the near future, well before the March date that the truckers said they will continue the blockade through. Yermak, one of Zelenskyy's top aides, held a phone call with a Hungarian minister as a likely precursor to an eventual conversation between Zelenskyy and Orbán.