Key corruption index sees Ukraine improve, Russia worsen in 2023

Ukraine has recaptured 13 square kilometers (5 square miles) of territory in Pokrovsk after previously having no troops left in the city, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said during a Dec. 9 press briefing.

Russia's Syzran oil refinery halted operations on Dec. 5 after sustaining damage in a Ukrainian drone attack, Reuters reported on Dec. 9, citing industry sources.

The three texts cover a framework peace agreement, security guarantees, and Ukraine's reconstruction, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Ukraine's largest bank, the state-owned Privatbank, extended a Hr 5 billion loan ($118.6 million) to Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-run oil and gas giant, for emergency natural gas purchases, Naftogaz wrote in a press release on Dec. 9.

"I am asking now, and stating this openly, for the U.S. to help me. Together with our European partners, we can ensure the security needed to hold elections. If that happens, Ukraine will be ready to conduct elections in the next 60 to 90 days," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, now Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.K., ranks second with 19.1%, a 3% increase from the previous poll.

"We had an excellent and very substantive discussion on all aspects of the diplomatic situation," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"The Ukrainian and European components are now more developed," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Protesters recorded a video appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the removal of support would leave them unable to survive financially.

This move will allow state institutions to coordinate their response more effectively and involve the military.

The strike has reportedly destroyed around 70% of the facility’s total fuel tanks.

Search and rescue operations in the western Ukrainian city concluded after four days, with 33 confirmed dead and six people still missing.