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North Korean troops joining Russian assaults in Kursk, Zelensky says
North Korean units have sustained "noticeable losses" alongside Russian troops in Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 14.
Russia
US weighs sanctions on Russia's shadow fleet, Chinese banks supporting war effort, Reuters says
Washington is considering more sanctions on "shadow fleet" tankers and has not ruled out targeting Chinese banks if they are found to be involved in Russia’s war effort, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters in an interview on Dec. 13.
Russia's focus on Ukraine weakened support for Syria's Assad, UK Defense Ministry says
Russia’s focus on the war in Ukraine has significantly reduced its ability to support Syria’s Assad regime, increasing the risk of losing key military assets in the region, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Dec. 13 via X.
Ukraine downs 58 of Russian 132 drones launched overnight, Air Force reports
Ukrainian air defense intercepted 58 drones out of 132 launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported on its Telegram channel on Dec. 14.
Over 2,000 Ukrainian military personnel hospitalized for chemical poisoning since start of full-scale war, Ukrainian colonel says
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 2,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been hospitalized with chemical poisoning, and three have died, Ukrainian Colonel Artem Vlasiuk said during a Dec. 13 press briefing.
General Staff: Russia has lost 761,160 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost 761,160 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Dec. 14.
Russia appears to be withdrawing military assets from Syria, satellite images suggest
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.
EU to impose first sanctions on Russian intelligence over disinformation campaigns, Bloomberg reports
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.
Russian authorities block Viber messaging app
Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced on Dec. 13 that it had blocked access to the Viber messaging app.
Ukraine reportedly strikes oil depot in Russia's Oryol Oblast
Ukrainian drones reportedly struck an oil depot in the city of Oryol overnight on Dec. 14, causing a large fire. Governor Andrey Klychkov later said that 11 drones were downed over the Oryol region.
Biden administration sharing information on Ukraine war with Trump's team ahead of potential peace talks, NBC reports
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.
War will be 'resolved in next few months,' Trump's Ukraine peace envoy believes, plans to 'listen' ahead of peace 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.
Ukraine war latest: Russia launches one of the largest aerial attacks on Ukraine's energy grid
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,
How Kadyrov became so powerful, and why Chechnya remains vital for survival of Putin's regime
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
Russia mulls attacking Ukraine with Oreshnik nuclear-capable missile this weekend, FT reports
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."
The collapse of Assad’s regime shows the limits of Russian airpower
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
Belarus Weekly: Putin, Lukashenko sign security treaty, promise Oreshnik deployment in Belarus
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
Russia advances toward Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, Ukraine makes progress near Kupiansk, Estonian intelligence says
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.
Breakaway churches, spiritual awakenings, prayers in captivity. How war is changing Ukraine’s faith
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
Ukraine resisting Russian encirclement attempts at 4 Donetsk Oblast villages, military says
The statement comes as analysts raise concerns about a growing risk of Ukrainian units being encircled in the area.
How will Russia's war in Ukraine end? The good, the bad, and the ugly scenarios
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
Dutch Supreme Court dismisses Russia's appeal in Naftogaz's $5 billion arbitration case
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.
Putin orders 'emergency support' for struggling Russian coal industry
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.
Ukraine downs 161 of 287 Russian missiles, drones in mass aerial attack
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.
Massive fire engulfs warehouse in Russia's Novosibirsk
A massive fire engulfed a warehouse in Russia's Novosibirsk overnight on Dec. 13, covering 5,000 square meters, Russian media reported.
Google to suspend payments for Russian app developers, Russian IT portal claims
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.
Russia jails 2 Ukrainian soldiers deployed in Kursk Oblast for 14, 15 years
The court convicted the soldiers on terrorism charges, accusing them of "opening fire to kill both Russian servicemen and civilians." Russia often uses trumped-up charges to jail captured Ukrainian soldiers, activists, journalists, and regular civilians for lengthy terms.
General Staff: Russia has lost 760,120 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
This number includes 1,390 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Russia launches one of the largest aerial attacks on Ukraine's energy grid
Russia launched a large-scale aerial attack against Ukraine early on Dec. 13, firing missiles across multiple regions.
Russian guided bomb attacks fall sharply after ATACMS, Storm Shadow strikes, analysts say
Russian attacks against Ukraine with guided aerial bombs have reportedly fallen by over 50% since Western partners allowed Kyiv to target Russia with long-range missiles.
Can You Hear Me? The invisible battles of Ukrainian military medics | Documentary
The Kyiv Independent's journalists Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko followed a group of Ukrainian military medics as they journeyed from the heat of battle in war-torn Ukraine to the serene forests of Sweden for a short mental health retreat.
Russian occupation court sentences Ukrainian to 11 years for alleged espionage
A Russian-controlled court in occupied Donetsk Oblast sentenced 20-year-old Mikhail Karimov, a resident of Mariupol, to 11 years in a strict regime penal colony, Mariupol City Council reported on Dec. 12.
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