What did the final days of 2022 reveal about the war?
A look back at the strikes, front-line claims and sanctions moves reported in the closing week of 2022.
What did the last week of 2022 tell us about where the war stood? On 30 December 2022, the picture was one of continued Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities, Ukrainian claims of gains in the east, and a widening economic confrontation over oil.
Strikes on cities
On 29 December 2022, Russia carried out a series of drone and cruise missile strikes on Ukraine. Strikes were reported in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv and Zhytomyr, and at least three people were injured. A few days earlier, on 24 December 2022, Russian forces shelled the city of Kherson, killing at least ten civilians and injuring 58 others.
Movement on the front
In Luhansk Oblast, Ukrainian forces claimed on 27 December 2022 that they were closing in on the city of Kreminna. According to governor Serhiy Haidai, Russian fighters in some parts of the city had been forced to retreat to neighbouring Rubizhne. This was part of the fighting along the Svatove-Kreminna line.
Inside Russia, a drone approaching the Engels air base in Saratov Oblast was shot down on 26 December 2022. Debris killed three Russian military members.
The oil price cap
On 27 December 2022, Russian president Vladimir Putin issued a decree banning exports of Russian oil and petroleum products to countries and organisations that adhere to the US$60-per-barrel price cap. Australia, the European Union and the G7 states had agreed that cap earlier in the month. The decree was set to apply from 1 February to 1 July.
An opinion in hindsight
Taken together, these reports show a war fought on several levels at once: against civilians and infrastructure in cities, for ground in Luhansk Oblast, and through sanctions and counter-measures on energy exports. As 2022 closed, each of these strands was still active, and none had been settled.
