Victorious news of 308th day of war: Russian forces flee from Kreminna, president promises prosperity of military-industrial complex, and world is amazed by photo from Azovstal

Espreso TV collected the top important and positive news for Ukrainians for December 28.

"Gesture of goodwill" in Kreminna

The occupying military leadership of Kreminna has moved to other settlements, and all Russian civilians who were brought to perform work or provide medical care have left in the direction of the Russian Federation. This was stated by the head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration Serhii Haidai.

The restoration works, which were started by the invaders, are now "frozen". As the occupiers themselves say - "now your Nazis will come and repair everything".

According to British intelligence, Russia has strengthened the front line in the area of Kreminna amid increasing pressure from Ukrainian forces. It is noted that Kreminna became quite vulnerable after the Ukrainian Armed Forces advanced westward through the Lyman in October.

"Russia has built extensive new defenses in the area and is likely to prioritize holding the line here," the British intelligence said.

The main reason for the construction of defensive structures in this area, according to intelligence, is that this territory is of great logistical importance for supporting Russian troops in Donbas.

At the same time, the Armed Forces asked to wait for official reports on the situation near Kreminna. The spokesman of the Eastern Grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Cherevatyi said that a lot of work is being done in this area. 

"When a significant result is achieved there, we will definitely inform the public about it. In the meantime, we must be patient and wait," he said on the air of a nationwide telethon.

Zelenskyy's speech in the Ukrainian parliament 

Zelenskyy delivered his annual address to the parliament. He spoke about plans for 2023 regarding defense, economy and Russia's war crimes. The president said that the Ukrainian military-industrial complex will be one of the most progressive. In addition, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would develop relations with the countries of Africa and the Global South for the sake of food security, and Ukraine should become a leader in building green energy.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also handed over to Joe Biden an award of the captain of the HIMARS battery Pavlo Cherniavskyi. In response, Biden handed over a Command Coin - a special symbol from the President of the United States of America.

Invincibility of Azovstal in photography

The photo of Dmitry Kozatsky with the call sign Orest became one of the best in 2022 according to The Guardian. 

The photo was taken at the Azovstal metallurgical plant during the several-months siege of the city. The picture depicts a warrior in the rays of the sun. While there, together with his comrades, he photographed everyday life and an improvised medical hospital, and then uploaded them to social networks with a request to distribute them. These photos went around the world and became a symbol of the invincibility of the Ukrainian nation.

The author of the photo also reacted to the publication: "Oh, my photo from Azovstal was included in the list of the best photos of the year according to The Guardian", Orest wrote. 

By the way, his photos won the prestigious photo competition in Paris - The Prix de la Photographie, and Orest also received the Polish photo award Grand Press Photo 2022 for unique photos from Mariupol.

Half a thousand German generators for Ukraine

Germany announced the purchase of 480 power generators for Ukraine, 196 of which have already arrived at their destination. The Federal Agency for Technical Aid has already sent 355 aid transports from Germany to Ukraine and neighbouring countries.

"We are making the largest contribution among the EU countries in this area. The same applies to the evacuation of the wounded and injured. We have already evacuated 600 people, many of whom were seriously injured and are now receiving the best medical care in Germany," said Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Feaser.

In addition, EUR 526,000 and 764 donations from 5 continents were collected in two weeks by the Light up Christmas for Ukrainians project, which was initiated by Parimatch Ukraine and the national fundraising platform UNITED24. More than half a million euros will be enough to purchase generators for 50 hospitals.

80% of the cities of Ukraine liberated from the Russian occupiers have partially restored the Internet. In general, the Internet coverage in Ukraine country is the largest in Europe, the Ministry of Digital Transformation reported and noted that the stability of Internet networks is one of the priorities for 2023.

Occupying forces continue to die ingloriously

This was reported by the General Staff. In the Zaporizhzhia region, the destruction of one S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, 8 units of military equipment of various types and ammunition was confirmed in the previous days. More than 150 Russian servicemen were wounded. The number of those killed is being specified. 

In the temporarily occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia region, Russian servicemen and mercenaries of the occupation troops are massively leaving their places of service. According to preliminary information, more than 200 people are wanted.

During the day, Ukrainian aviation conducted 4 strikes on the areas of the invaders' concentration, and the missile and artillery units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces hit 2 control points, 2 areas of manpower concentration and an ammunition depot of the enemy.