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At least two AN-124 heavy military transport planes were spotted at Khmeimim air base, located in Latakia on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, with their nose cones lifted, signaling readiness to load cargo, according to satellite images collected by Maxar.

The proposed measures target more than a dozen individuals and three entities, including Russian intelligence officers and media entrepreneurs, according to Bloomberg. The sanctions aim to counter destabilizing operations globally.

Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced on Dec. 13 that it had blocked access to the Viber messaging app.

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to raise the possibility of deploying European soldiers to Ukraine at the upcoming EU leaders' summit on Dec. 18-19, if a ceasefire deal is eventually reached between Russia and Ukraine, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported on Dec. 13, citing EU diplomats.

Members of President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration have held discussions with White House officials as part of the incoming administration's ongoing effort to establish a ceasefire once Trump is inaugurated in January, NBC News reported on Dec. 13, citing sources familiar with the talks.

"I truly believe this will be resolved in the next few months," Kellogg said in an interview on Fox Business. "The only person who can do this is President Donald Trump, and he will do it. They're tired of killing each other out there. This is time," Kellogg added.

Key developments on Dec. 13: * Russia launches one of the largest aerial attacks on Ukraine's energy grid * Ukraine resisting Russian encirclement attempts at 4 Donetsk Oblast villages, military says * Ukraine's new Ground Forces chief announces reforms focused on personnel, tech * Russia mulls attacking Ukraine with Oreshnik nuclear-capable missile this weekend,

In December 1994, Russian troops launched a brutal and eventually unsuccessful military campaign against Chechen rebels, effectively beginning the First Chechen War. Thirty years later and two wars since, Chechnya, under strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, has become a key pillar of Russian President Vladimir Putin's oppressive regime. After losing the first

Brussels will host a two-day European Summit in the EU Council buildings on Dec. 18-19.

Kostin submitted his resignation on Oct. 22 following a National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) meeting headed by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The unnamed official said that Russia wanted to use the weapon to intimidate Ukraine and its supporters, but the Oreshnik "does not change the rules of the game on the battlefield."

French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Premier Donald Tusk met on Dec. 12 in Warsaw. High on the agenda was how to support Ukraine in the “new Transatlantic context.” On the sidelines of the visit, the Élysée emphasized that “France’s position is that it is necessary to support Ukraine

After a decade-long civil war, Bashar al-Assad was firmly ensconced in Damascus — a far cry from the summer of 2012 and again in 2015, when policymakers, analysts, and pundits alike believed his rule was on the brink of collapse. The intervention of the Russian Air Force in the fall of

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko sign a security pact, announcing the potential deployment of Russian Oreshnik missiles in Belarus. Lukashenko frees 29 more political prisoners amid an ongoing pre-election civil society clampdown. Exiled Belarusian activists to face a record 17 in absentia charges for aiding

Ukrainian forces are enjoying success in the Kupiansk sector, where two Russian bridgeheads that emerged during the crossing of the Oskil River were destroyed, Estonian intelligence said.

For a decade, the world has seen how Russia has scarred Ukraine’s landscape with tens of thousands of bombs and missiles. The spiritual wounds — and awakenings — experienced by millions of Ukrainians are less visible. Almost a third of Ukrainians say their religious faith has grown since the war broke

The fine for wearing a mask or using lasers or fireworks is 2,000 Georgian lari ($712).

The statement comes as analysts raise concerns about a growing risk of Ukrainian units being encircled in the area.

Editor's note: This article is a compliment to an upcoming analytical report on scenarios for the end of Russia’s war against Ukraine by KI Insights, the Kyiv Independent’s research unit. After nearly three years of heavy battles and mass strikes, Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine is showing

Regarding U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s repeated promises to quickly end the war, Yermak said, "There is no plan yet, and we have not seen it for sure. We know that several opinions and positions are being discussed."

The Supreme Court of the Netherlands has rejected Russia's appeal, upholding a decision by the Hague Arbitration Court requiring Russia to pay $5 billion in compensation to Ukraine’s state-owned Naftogaz for misappropriated assets in occupied Crimea, Naftogaz reported on Dec. 13.

"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.

Andrius Kubilius, the newly appointed European defense commissioner, spent the morning of Dec. 13 in a shelter in Kyiv during a large-scale Russian missile attack, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova said on X.

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.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for urgent measures to support the country’s coal companies, which face multibillion-dollar losses and risk mass bankruptcies, The Moscow Times reported on Dec. 12.

Moscow deployed four Kinzhal air-launched missiles, two Iskander-M ballistic missiles, one Kh-23 North Korean ballistic missile, 55 Kh-101 and Kh-55SM cruise missiles launched from Tu-95MS bomber planes, 24 sea-launched Kalibr missiles, seven Iskander-K cruise missiles, and one Kh-59/69 missile, the Air Force said.

The proposed changes include a revamped recruitment system with "zero tolerance for corruption," improved military training tailored to front-line needs, and integration of advanced technology into training and operational processes.

A massive fire engulfed a warehouse in Russia's Novosibirsk overnight on Dec. 13, covering 5,000 square meters, Russian media reported.

"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.

Google Play will indefinitely halt processing payments to app developers with bank accounts in Russia starting Dec. 26, Habr, a Russian IT portal, reported on Dec. 12.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump wants European troops to monitor a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 12, citing undisclosed official sources.