Ukraine is preparing to host a new round of high-level security discussions with Western partners in early January, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Dec. 30, signaling an effort to maintain diplomatic momentum.

Ukraine formally joined the European Union's single roaming zone on Jan. 1, allowing Ukrainian citizens to use their mobile phone service across the European bloc without incurring additional charges.

Patriot is one of the world's most advanced air defense systems, capable of intercepting aircraft as well as cruise, ballistic, and hypersonic missiles.

'All memories of my childhood in Pokrovsk seem like a dream, as if it never really happened.'

Denis Kapustin, commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), was reported killed in action on Dec. 27.

Several fires were reported at oil facilities in Kaluga Oblast and Krasnodar Krai overnight on Jan. 1, according to Telegram monitoring channels.

Putin's speech avoided any mention of Ukraine, peace talks, or plans to bring the war to an end in 2026.

The report confirms Ukraine's original denial and undercuts claims made by the Kremlin.

Russia has lost around 1,208,970 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, Ukraine's General Staff reported on Jan. 1. The number includes 1,060 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day, the General Staff said. According to the report, Russia has also lost 11,488 tanks, 23,849 armored fighting vehicles, 72,418 vehicles and fuel tanks, 35,678 artillery systems, 1,587 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,266 air defense systems, 434 airplane

Russia launched 205 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said.

Undeclared nuclear reactor components bound for North Korea were allegedly aboard the Ursa Major when it sank off Spain in 2024, with damage consistent with a torpedo strike, according to Spain’s La Verdad.

Russia attacked several Ukrainian regions with drones overnight on Jan. 1, striking energy infrastructure in southern Odesa Oblast.

"A Budapest-style piece of paper will not satisfy Ukraine. Ukraine does not need a Minsk-style meticulously drafted trap. My signature will be under a strong agreement," Zelensky said in his address on Dec. 31.

Early in the morning on Dec. 31, the Finnish telecommunications service provider Elisa reported that an undersea cable linking Finland and Estonia had been damaged. The cargo ship Fitburg, sailing from Russia, may have been responsible.

The four independent members of the new board have been unanimously approved, Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said. Three additional state representatives will be selected for the board in the beginning of January 2026.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi, speaking to Reuters, called the footage "laughable."

Ukraine's military reportedly struck oil depots in the various Russian and Russian-occupied regions late on Dec. 30, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

Targets included Russia's Tuapse Oil Refinery, the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal, a Rosreserv oil base, a temporary military base for river boats, and ammunition depots in occupied Ukraine, the General Staff said.

The operation targeted a large oil depot in Rybinsk, a city 160 miles north of Moscow in Yaroslavl Oblast, the sources said.

The Kyiv Independent's Tim Zadorozhnyy speaks with Meaghan Mobbs, head of the R.T. Weatherman Foundation and the daughter of President Donald Trump's outgoing special envoy on Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.

Over 170,000 people are without power after the attack, Ukraine's Energy Ministry said on Wednesday morning.

Romania will contribute 50 million euros ($59 million), according to a press release by the Romanian government.

Each winter in southwestern Ukraine, villages are transformed by a riot of color, noise, and a kind of organized chaos. Costumed performers that are sometimes human, sometimes animal, sometimes entirely otherworldly wander from house to house, dancing, singing, playing instruments, cracking whips, and offering shots of alcoholic drinks. Their mission is simple but profound: to sweep away misfortune, summon laughter, and ensure abundance in the year ahead. This lively tradition is known as Mala

The number includes 1,000 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported intercepting 101 of the 127 drones launched by Russia overnight.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Dec. 29 that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him Ukraine had tried to attack Putin's residence, an allegation Kyiv has denied. "I learned about it from President Putin today. I was very angry about it," Trump said.

The single most important development that will unfold during 2026 are the U.S. midterm elections that will take place in November. The world has seen a dramatic regression of liberal democracies worldwide over the past decade.  Two large authoritarian powers, Russia and China, have tightened repression at home and projected their influence around the world. But critically, their rise has been abetted by the growth of populist nationalist parties in many developed democracies.  The most import

"Where is their condemnation of the fact that our children are being bombed and people are being killed all this time? I don't hear India, frankly, nor the United Arab Emirates," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 30.

Today's top story: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed new decrees launching year-round military conscription starting in 2026 and authorizing the use of reservists to protect critical infrastructure, signaling a deeper militarization of Russian society. The new conscription decree calls up 261,000 people ages 18 to 30 for mandatory military service in 2026, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported. Recruitment events will take place throughout the year, but conscripts will st

"Each restoration requires significant time and resources, as the level of damage varies across regions," Deputy Energy Minister Olha Yukhymchuk said.

Ukraine struck a Russian drone storage facility at Donetsk Airport in occupied Donetsk Oblast, Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi said on Dec. 30.

Donald Trump’s peace negotiations have seemingly made a full circle. After U.S. pressuring Ukraine to accept an unfavorable peace settlement, Kyiv spent over a month renegotiating the offer and getting close to receiving Trump's blessing on a revised proposal. Then Vladimir Putin called. Twice. A few hours before the second call, on Dec. 29, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Ukrainian drones had allegedly attempted to strike Putin's state residence with 91 drones in Russia's No