2023 was a year of new trials and challenges for Ukrainians, caused by events on the frontlines of the Ukrainian-Russian war and global economic and political factors. The editorial team of Front News Ukraine has summarized the results of the outgoing year and formed a top of the most important events of this period.


Shelling of infrastructure. Ukrainians greeted the new year of 2023 with continued shelling of infrastructure facilities. First of all, the Russians tried to destroy Ukraine's energy system by striking at power generation and distribution facilities. This led to transformational processes in Ukraine's economy, increasing the need to ensure energy independence not only for the population but also for businesses. One of the characteristic features of Ukrainian households is now the presence of a generator or uninterrupted power supply battery. Communications and Internet service providers have also experienced changes in the market due to the immediate increase in demand for autonomous fiber optic connections.


Another target of the Russians was the logistics infrastructure that ensures the export of Ukrainian grain. Thus, in 2023, grain hubs, agro-industrial enterprises, Danube river ports, and even ordinary grain trucks often came under attack by missiles and UAVs.


The death of the Ministry of Internal Affairs leadership. On January 18, 2023, a tragic accident occurred in Brovary near a kindergarten: a helicopter crashed. 14 people died - 13 adults and one child. The leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was on board, including Minister Denys Monastyrskyi and his deputy Yevhen Yenin. Another 25 people were injured, including 11 children. The crash was caused by non-compliance with safety rules.

The battle for Bakhmut and Prigozhin's rebellion. "The "Bakhmut Meatgrinder" was a long-lasting defense of the city of the same name against the Russians, who were represented by both regular troops and mercenaries of the Wagner PMC. This battle became the largest military operation in Europe and the deadliest infantry battle since World War II. The storming of the city exhausted the occupiers' troops and exacerbated the conflict between the ruling clans in the Kremlin, which resulted in an open armed clash between the Russian Armed Forces and the Wagner PMC, Prigozhin's seizure of the headquarters of the Southern Military District, the city of Rostov, and the mercenaries' march on Moscow. On August 23, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his assistants died in a plane crash.


An arrest warrant for Putin. One of the victories of Ukrainian diplomacy was the issuance of an international arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. On March 17, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for two citizens of the Russian Federation - Vladimir Putin, the current president, and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights. They are suspected of the illegal forced transfer of Ukrainian children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia. This event not only officially cemented Putin's status as a criminal in the international community, but also closed the door to him visiting most of the countries where he is facing arrest.

Rearmament of the Armed Forces and autumn counteroffensive. In 2023, the Ukrainian army de facto switched to NATO standards, beginning to use advanced Western equipment in the theater of operations: from Leopards and Bradleys to HIMARS and ATACAMS. The strengthening of the Air Force should be highlighted separately, with modern Patriot, Gepard, IRIS-T, and other systems on combat duty. Equipping aviation with SCALP and Strom Shadow missiles has become a real nightmare for Russian military facilities. It was these weapons that hit the headquarters, submarines and boats of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Crimean bridge, logistics and military facilities in Crimea and on the Azov coast one after another.

On the one hand, such rearmament of the Armed Forces did not help to completely overcome all Russian defenses in the South in a short time as part of the autumn counteroffensive, but it did make it possible to unblock the Black Sea and reduce the potential of the aggressor's naval forces in this area.


On December 26, the Novocherkassk landing ship in Feodosia was destroyed by tactical aircraft missiles, and after a successful attack on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in temporarily occupied Sevastopol, the attackers began to move a significant part of the fleet from Crimea to Russia.


Thus, none of the Crimean ports are now safe for Russian warships. In fact, Ukraine has expelled the fleet from Crimea.


Political processes in the USA and Ukraine. This year marked the beginning of the campaign for the 2024 US presidential election, in which Republicans and Democrats took different positions around the main topic of international politics - a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The aggravation of these issues in American society to achieve political points by candidates, unfortunately, also affected the allocation of military and financial assistance to Ukraine, the last tranche of which is provided until the end of 2023. At the same time, one of the topics in the media was the tension between Zelensky and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, against the background of possible elections in Ukraine in 2024. This message is regularly confirmed and denied by various media representatives and institutions.

The explosion of the Kakhovka HPP. Another major event in Ukraine was the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant on June 6. After the explosion, 180 settlements in Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv regions became emergency zones. These areas were home to nearly 900,000 people, of whom more than 700,000 were left without access to drinking water. Almost 400,000 hectares of irrigated land on the left bank of the Kherson region lost their value as a result of the event. The destruction of the Kakhovka HPP dam caused Ukraine losses of almost $14 billion. This is stated in a new report presented by the Government of Ukraine and the United Nations. 


Economic blockade of Ukraine by some EU countries. The blockade of checkpoints on Ukraine's western border has been going on for more than two months. Polish carriers, sometimes together with organizations from Hungary and Slovakia, insist on the abolition of the "transport visa-free regime" for Ukraine in the European Union. This situation has led to tensions between the two countries and caused Ukraine to lose more than a billion and a half dollars. The appointment of a new government in Poland under the leadership of Donald Tusk has created hopes for a resolution of this conflict.
 


Cultural reform. Recently, Ukrainian Christmas has been the subject of debate. Orthodox Ukrainians are divided into two camps: some celebrate Christmas on December 25, while others choose January 7. Most believers remain committed to the second date, but the number of supporters of December 25 is growing. This year, for the first time, Christmas was officially celebrated in a Western manner at the state level. 

Negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU. On December 14, it became known that the European Council decided to start negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on joining the European Union, as well as to grant candidate status to Georgia. As you know, the possibility of starting negotiations with Ukraine at the meeting in the Belgian capital had been considered for a long time, but there was no clarity on this issue. According to European Council President Charles Michel, no member state was against this decision.


Looking back, we can say that 2023 was a real year of challenges for the Ukrainian state and its population, but many of these trials have been overcome. And, as you know, difficulties only temper the strength of character and the will to freedom. Therefore, we would like to wish all our readers in 2024 not to lose hope for the best and to move towards victory. Happy New Year, friends!