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.
Vakhtang Golandzia, a member of the assembly that de facto serves as the occupied region's legislative body, was fatally shot, and his colleague Kan Kvarchia was injured, RFE/RL reported, citing local health authorities.
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.
Speaking during his annual press conference and a call-in program, Vladimir Putin again claimed that Russia's "new" Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) cannot be intercepted by air defenses.
"The sanctions are having an effect, but they are not of key importance," Russian President Vladimir Putin said when talking about the surging inflation and prices in Russia.
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.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 45 of the 85 Shahed-type drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles launched overnight, the Air Force reported. Forty drones were reportedly lost across Ukraine thanks to electronic warfare countermeasures.
Jonah Leff said that the researchers from his group examined remnants of four North Korean missiles recovered in Ukraine in July and August. One of them had marks showing it was procured in 2024, according to the researcher.
"For the third day, Russian forces have been conducting intensive offensive operations in Kursk Oblast, actively using North Korean units," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
The legislation lists permissible cases for holding multiple citizenship and simplifies procedures for foreigners to obtain Ukrainian citizenship.
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.
A Russian attack killed one person in the front-line town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and another Russian service member were reportedly killed in an explosion in Moscow on the morning of Dec. 17.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on Dec. 16 ordered an investigation into the alleged abuse, extortion, and humiliation of soldiers in the 211th Pontoon Bridge Brigade by their commanders.
The new listings include 54 persons and 30 entities "responsible for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine."
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 27 of the 49 drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force said. Nineteen drones were reportedly lost across the country thanks to electronic warfare countermeasures.
When asked whether the upcoming Trump administration plans to restrict how Ukraine can use U.S. arms, Mike Waltz said that a "blank check... just isn't a strategy... This just, kind of, forever war that we seem to be backing into."
"I hope to talk about peace, about peacekeeping, as soon as possible in Ukraine, but also in Gaza and Lebanon," Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told journalists in Madrid when asked about the possibility of Rome deploying peacekeepers in Ukraine.
Moldova's parliament on Dec. 13 voted to introduce a 60-day-long state of emergency starting Dec. 16 over the expected halt of Russian gas transit via Ukraine.
"DTEK thermal power plants were attacked. According to preliminary information, there were no casualties," the company said. The plants' equipment was "seriously damaged," with energy sector employees already working on repairs.
Russia launched a large-scale aerial attack against Ukraine early on Dec. 13, firing missiles across multiple regions.
The EBRD's new Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction Guarantee Facility will initially help reinsurance companies cover risks connected to land-based transport, focusing on small and medium businesses.
"I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that?" Donald Trump told Time.
Mikhail Shatsky, a Russian expert involved in modernizing missiles launched against Ukraine, was shot dead near Moscow, a Defense Forces source told the Kyiv Independent on Dec. 12.
Russia's Comprehensive Program for the Development of the Air Transport Industry until 2030 envisioned producing 1,032 passenger aircraft between 2022 and the end of the decade.
French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Warsaw on Dec. 12 to brief the Polish prime minister on his meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump last week and to discuss Europe's support for Ukraine and ways to end Russia's war.
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least one civilian and injured at least 11 over the past day, regional authorities reported early on Dec. 12.
The $895 billion U.S. defense budget passed by the House of Representatives did not include a provision to extend the lend-lease act for Ukraine despite the efforts of Ukrainian diplomats, Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, said on Dec. 12.
Russian occupation authorities in Donetsk jailed nine Ukrainian soldiers captured after defending Mariupol to between 24 years and a life sentence, the city's exiled authorities reported on Dec. 11.
The region has recently faced energy restrictions aggravated by a growing spat with its Russian patrons. Moscow has cut almost all funding, including money crucial for the energy sector, after Abkhazia's local council voted against a controversial investment agreement with Russia.
