Key developments on Dec. 21-22: * For the first time, Ukraine attacks Russian positions using solely ground, FPV drones * Over 12,000 civilians killed in Ukraine during Russia's full-scale war, UN says * Two Russian airports suspend flights after Ukrainian drones target Kazan, media, officials report * Slovak PM Robert Fico meets with
"The video shows how Russian soldiers shot five captured Ukrainian defenders," Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said, referring to drone footage released by the 110th Mechanized Brigade earlier on Dec. 22 that appears to have captured Russian troops shooting surrendered Ukrainian soldiers from behind.
In comments to the Kyiv Independent, the first deputy justice minister said that the precise date of the full restoration of the registries would be more clear in the coming days.
The reports of casualties come as Ukraine's Air Force reported shooting down 52 attack drones, including the Shahed type, that Russia launched against the country overnight.
The Air Force added that it lost track of 44 decoy drones that Russia launched alongside the real attack drones.
This number includes 1,820 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Dec. 22.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he had "learned unofficially" of the upcoming visit.
Ukraine has said it will not extend the transit agreement for Russian gas through its territory, set to expire on Dec. 31.
A military spokesperson said the drones included ground systems equipped with machine guns, and kamikaze FPV drones.
This number includes 1,860 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Ukraine is already receiving U.S. funds under the framework of the G7's $50 billion loan covered by profits from frozen Russian assets, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Dec 20.
Ukraine attacked the Rostov Oblast's Kamensky Combine, one of the largest chemical plants in Russia, with six U.S.-made ATACMS and four British Storm Shadow missiles on Dec. 18, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed on Dec. 20.
The package is expected to include air defense interceptors and artillery ammunition, one of the sources told Reuters.
"Commander-in-Chief (Oleksandr Syrskyi) decided to withdraw Defense Forces units from the said area to avoid encirclement," the Khortytsia group of forces said.
This number includes 2,200 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Key developments on Dec. 19: * Zelensky blasts Putin’s Oreshnik threats, calling him ‘dumbass’ * Zelensky dismisses ceasefire as Putin’s ploy to regroup, seeks coordinated peace plan * Ukraine strikes 'only oil refinery operating' in Russia's Rostov Oblast, military says * Putin acknowledges sanctions have impact on Russia's economy * Ukraine’s Special
A court in Ternopil took into custody Colonel Oleh Poberezhniuk, commander of the 211th Pontoon Bridge Brigade, suspected of abuse of power, the Prosecutor General's Office reported.
Ukraine's economy has adapted itself well to the realities of the full-scale war while Russia's economy faces increasingly unfavorable forecasts, The Economist wrote on Dec. 19.
"Everything what is happening in Syria is not a defeat for Russia," Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
Starting Jan. 1, Ukraine will introduce new expert commissions in major hospitals for assessing people's medical status based on a new, "modern system," MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak said.
"We’re going to continue to work and ensure that Russia is never able to weaponize its energy resources and its energy positioning for political gain again," U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said.
Initially, SBU drones attacked the facility to distract Russian air defenses, providing a "window" for Ukrainian missiles to strike the facility, an SBU source said.
At least 100 North Korean troops have been killed while fighting for Russia against Ukraine, a South Korean lawmaker said after an intelligence briefing, the BBC reported on Dec. 19.
This number includes 1,530 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
"We continued to work on the initiative of President Macron regarding the presence in Ukraine of forces that can contribute to stabilization on the path to peace," Zelensky said after meeting with the French President on Dec. 18.
Key developments on Dec. 18: * 'Couple hundred' North Korean troops lost fighting for Russia against Ukraine, AP reports * Sweden 'does not exclude' more direct physical presence in Ukraine to bolster defense * Russia detains two suspects over assassination of General Igor Kirillov, Kremlin media reports * Peace talks with Russia only possible
In the call, a nurse at a Moscow hospital tells her husband, a soldier fighting in Kursk Oblast, that wounded fighters are being brought in by the trainload.
A senior U.S. military official did not give an exact figure but said the high casualty rate was in part due to the soldiers' lack of battle experience.
This number includes 1,580 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Key developments on Dec. 17: * Ukraine's SBU assassinates Russian general charged with chemical weapons crimes, source claims * Ukraine's Special Forces claim to kill 50 North Korean soldiers in 3 days * Russia heavily attacking in Kursk Oblast for 3rd day, 'actively' using North Korean troops, Syrskyi says * Zelensky rejects Orban's mediation,
Slovakia's state-owned energy company SPP and its partners in Hungary, Italy, and Austria called for continued gas transit through Ukraine in a declearation published on Dec. 17.
Ukraine's Special Operations Forces killed 50 North Korean soldiers and injured 47 others in three days of fighting in Russia's Kursk Oblast, the unit said on Dec. 17.
