Czech Foreign Minister supports calls to stop issuing EU tourist visas to Russians

2:19 PM

Biden administration to announce its final $1.2 billion Ukraine aid package under USAI, Reuters reports.

The package is expected to include air defense interceptors and artillery ammunition, one of the sources told Reuters.

2:06 PM

Lithuania's new PM, ministerial cabinet visit Kyiv.

Lithuania's new ministerial cabinet arrived in Kyiv on Dec. 20, Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said mere hours after Russia's missile attack against the capital.

1:29 PM

Bulgaria's parliament no longer supports signing Ukraine security deal.

The Bulgarian parliament does not have enough votes to support the signing of Bulgaria's bilateral security treaty with Ukraine due to a shift in stance from the strongest party, Euractiv reported on Dec. 20.

1:19 PM

Ukraine retrieves bodies of 503 fallen soldiers.

The bodies of 403 soldiers were recovered from Donetsk Oblast, while 57 and 12 bodies were brought back from Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk oblasts. Another 31 bodies were repatriated from morgues in Russia.

1:18 PM

Russia's GRU possibly behind cyberattack on Ukraine's government, SBU says.

"All the Justice Ministry's data has been saved. Recovery is underway," Deputy PM and Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna said.

1:08 PM

Russian missiles strike Kyiv on the eve of holiday season (Photos)

7:25 AM  (Updated:  December 20, 2024 12:32 pm)

Fire, casualties reported in Kyiv amid Russian missile attack.

Russia attacked the capital with five ballistic missiles of the Iskander-M or the North Korean KN-23 model, the Air Force said. All five missiles were reportedly shot down, with debris falling in several districts of the city.

12:05 PM

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 7, injure 34 over past day.

Russian attacks against Ukraine killed seven people and injured at least 34 others over the past day, regional authorities said on Dec. 20.

11:52 AM

Russia captures 'Uspenivka pocket,' Ukraine denies reports of failed breakout.

"Commander-in-Chief (Oleksandr Syrskyi) decided to withdraw Defense Forces units from the said area to avoid encirclement," the Khortytsia group of forces said.

11:05 AM

Russian An-72 military transport plane damaged in blast near Moscow, Ukraine's intel claims.

The Russian Navy plane's main power unit exploded on Dec. 12, the military intelligence agency said without providing details on the cause or circumstances of the explosion.

9:51 AM

Orban to reportedly block EU's Russia sanctions extension until Trump takes office.

Orban "surprised" his fellow EU leaders by deciding to block the extension during a summit in Brussels on Dec. 19 in what is considered a "routine" step, Bloomberg wrote.

9:10 AM

Ukraine intercepts Russian sabotage groups attempting to push toward Kherson.

The reports come amid an anticipated large-scale Russian advance in Kherson Oblast. In early December, Russian troops were carrying out assaults in the southern region to gain a foothold on islands in the Dnipro River delta.

8:25 AM

Russia targets Ukrainian government services in 'largest cyberattack in recent time.'

In the largest cyberattack in recent months, several government services were targeted, including state registers the Ministry of Justice oversees. Russia has regularly targeted Ukrainian companies and government institutions with cyberattacks since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

8:15 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 770,420 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022.

This number includes 2,200 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

8:12 AM

Russian losses exceed 750,000 troops, expected to surpass 1 million within 6 months, UK estimates.

The U.K.'s latest estimate are in line with figures from Ukraine's General Staff, which, as of Dec. 19, sits at 768,220 troops lost since the start of the war. The figures do not specify killed or wounded, though the overall consensus is that it includes dead, wounded, missing, and captured.

4:43 AM  (Updated:  December 20, 2024 8:09 am)

6 injured in Russian attack on residential building in Kryvyi Rih.

A Russian missile struck a two-story residential building in the city of Kryvyi Rih overnight on Dec. 19, injuring six people, including a child.

6:06 AM

Ukraine must decide between 'carrying on the fight or looking to negotiate ceasefire,' Blinken says.

In a wide ranging interview with MSNBC on Dec. 19, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about prospects for a potential ceasefire in Ukraine as well as support for the embattled country ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in January.

4:05 AM

5 killed, 7 injured in fire at detention facility housing war deserters in Russia's Sakha Republic.

Five people have been killed and a further seven injured in a fire at a detention center in the city of Yakutsk, which houses Russian soldiers who deserted their units during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials reported.

2:50 AM

Putin says full-scale invasion of Ukraine should have been 'earlier,' expresses willingness to meet Trump.

When asked what he would have done differently if he could go back to February 2022, the month Russia launched its all-out war against Ukraine, Putin responded, "Knowing what's happening now, back in 2022, I would've thought the decision ought to have been taken earlier."

1:59 AM

Russian court orders two-month detention for suspect in General Kirillov assassination.

A Moscow court ruled on Dec. 19 to place the suspect in the killing of General Igor Kirillov in pre-trial detention for two months. Kirillov was killed in Moscow on Dec. 17, with a bomb attached to a scooter.

12:24 AM

EU leaders call for more military aid to Kyiv, pledge Ukraine's inclusion in key decisions.

"Only Ukraine as the aggressed country can legitimately define what peace means — and if and when the conditions are met for credible negotiations," said Antonio Costa, president of the European Council.

10:44 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky blasts Putin’s Oreshnik threats, calling him ‘dumbass’

10:39 PM

G7 discusses slashing Russian oil price cap, complete ban, Bloomberg reports.

Discussions reportedly include lowering the current $60-per-barrel cap to approximately $40 or even implementing a complete ban on Russian oil supplies.

10:19 PM

War analysis

Will Ukraine sustain its F-16 fleet if Trump halts US aid?

10:14 PM

Belarus sentences 2 Belarusians, Ukrainian to 11-25 years for alleged terrorism.

Two Belarusians and one Ukrainian were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 11 to 25 years by Belarusian authorities for their alleged involvement in preparing terrorist acts, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported on Dec. 19.