"Turning energy into a weapon and cynical energy blackmail of partners is what deprived Russia of its most attractive and geographically accessible market," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 1.
"We will do everything to ensure that Europe's security is a reality, not just an aspiration. I hope Poland will lead efforts that result in peace," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
The Russian army has lost over 38,000 troops and more than 1,000 pieces of equipment since the beginning of Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Jan. 1.
"This means that it (Ukraine) is now a full-fledged state party to this international treaty and has all the rights and obligations assigned to state parties," ICC spokesperson Fadi el-Abdallah told Ukrinform.
Over the past year, Ukraine conducted 11 prisoner exchanges and secured the return of 356 more people than in 2023.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his New Year video greeting late on Dec. 31 that no one would give peace to his country as a gift, but he believed the United States would stand together with Ukraine as it fights to stop Russia's full-scale invasion.
Since the beginning of 2024, at least 246 children native to Kherson Oblast have been returned from Russian occupation, governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.
"We Ukrainians know what it means not to wait for what tomorrow will bring, but to fight for every single day, and every year of freedom," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Herman Halushchenko said Ukraine could compensate for any disruption by importing electricity from Romania and Poland.
Key developments on Dec. 31: * Ukrainian sea drone downs Russian helicopter with anti-air missile in first strike of its kind * Russian attacks damage homes and infrastructure in Kyiv and Sumy oblasts ahead of New Year * Ukraine strikes oil depot in Russia's Smolensk Oblast, General Staff confirms * Russian officers trained for
The depot, which supplied the Russian military, was targeted in a coordinated operation involving Ukraine's Special Operations Forces and the Unmanned Systems Forces.
European infrastructure allows for the flow of gas from other countries, a European Commission representative said.
This comes a month after President Volodymyr Zelensky signed off on a major tax increase bill on Nov. 28 in a bid to plug Ukraine’s budget deficit.
Russian missile and drone attacks injured at least one person and damaged residential buildings and infrastructure in Kyiv and Sumy oblasts on Dec. 31
During a battle in the Black Sea off the Western tip of occupied Crimea, the special unit Group 13 launched SeeDragon missiles from the Magura drone.
Mashovets had been in the role since April 2020 under the Presidential Office Head Andriy Yermak and oversaw the military direction of the President's Office.
This number includes 1,610 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day
Xi emphasized that China and Russia consistently advance together on a "path of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party," according to the official Chinese news agency Xinhua.
An oil depot in the Yartsevo district of Russia's Smolensk region caught fire following a drone attack overnight on Dec. 31, according to regional authorities.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine has a chance to contribute to restoring stability in Syria following years of Russian interference, emphasizing that this effort will also bolster Ukraine’s own pursuit of peace.
Key developments on Dec. 30: * Ukraine brings back 189 people from Russian captivity in prisoner swap * Biden announces $2.5 billion security assistance package for Ukraine * Russian military suffers 427,000 casualties in 2024, Syrskyi claims * Russia launched over 1,300 drone strikes, 250 missiles at Kyiv in 2024 Ukraine
Ukraine will quadruple gas transit tariffs for its domestic customers starting Jan. 1 when a deal to transport Russian gas through Ukrainian pipes expires, the National Energy Regulatory Commission said during a meeting on Dec. 30.
Ukrainian National Police named the Russian commander responsible for the murder of Iryna Filkina, the Ukrainian woman who came to symbolize the mass murder of civilians in Bucha in the early stages of Russia's full-scale invasion when a photo of her hand with a red manicure went viral around the world.
Preliminary data shows that Ukraine’s exports grew by more than 13% over the past year, primarily due to stabilizing the functioning of Ukrainian seaports, Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on Dec. 30.
Editor’s Note: This story was sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine. When a sapper with the call sign "Boroda" asked his friends, the founders of the Rovertech company, to create something for demining, and provided them with his own sketch, they seized on the idea.
President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed human rights activist Olha Reshetylova to the newly-created position of military ombudsman on Dec. 30.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha expressed Kyiv's position on Russia's military presence in Syria to leaders of the new Syrian administration during a diplomatic visit to Damascus on Dec. 30, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said at an online meeting attended by the Kyiv Independent.
Ukrainian partisans in Russia set fire to two locomotive trains on Dec. 30 destined for occupied regions of Ukraine, according to a Telegram post from Petro Andryushchenko, an advisor to the mayor of the Russian-occupied Mariupol.
As Russian troops continued to hold an advantage on the ground, Ukraine has been keen to level the power in the air. In 2024, Ukrainian forces bet on drones, hitting targets thousands of kilometers deep inside Russia. Ukrainian attacks have targeted dozens of oil refineries that aid Russia's war efforts,
The Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs) called it one of the largest prisoner exchanges since the start of the full-scale war in 2022.
The United States made a $3.4 billion payment in direct budget support to Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced on Dec. 30.
"Russia continues to carry out constant 'human wave' assaults, suffering record losses," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
