WhatsApp may be blocked in 2025 in Russia if company doesn't comply with law, senator says
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Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 2, injure 5 over past day
Russian forces launched 60 drones at Ukraine overnight from the Russian cities of Bryansk, Millerovo, and Primosk-Akhtarsk, according to a report from Ukraine's Air Force.
Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sinks in Mediterranean after explosion
According to reports, 14 crew members were rescued, and two remain missing.
Ukrainian drones attack Russian city of Millerovo, Rostov Oblast, acting governor says
Millerovo hosts a military airbase which houses aircraft used to attack Ukraine, Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's counter-disinformation center, said.
General Staff: Russia has lost 777,720 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
This number includes 1,630 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Italy extends military support to Ukraine through 2025
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Italy has delivered 10 military aid packages to Kyiv which have included advanced systems like the French-Italian SAMP/T air defense units.
Parliament proposes bill to allow male students free travel from Ukraine
The Verkhovna Rada is drafting a bill that will allow Ukrainian students enrolled in universities abroad to freely cross Ukraine's borders. Once entering the country from abroad, most male students currently cannot leave Ukraine again.
Ukraine receives 86 million euros from European Investment Bank to protect energy infrastructure from drone attacks
Anti-drone shelters will be constructed with the funding to protect electricity transmission equipment and make Ukraine's energy grid more reliable and resilient, the EIB said in a statement.
US plans to impose more sanctions on Russian energy by year-end, Ukrainian official says
The U.S. is planning to impose additional sanctions on Russian oil by the end of the year, particularly targeting Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president’s commissioner for sanctions, told public broadcaster Suspilne on Dec. 23.
Ukraine war latest: Over 3,000 North Korean troops killed, wounded in Kursk Oblast, Zelensky says
Key developments on Dec. 23: * Over 3,000 North Korean troops killed, wounded in Kursk Oblast, Zelensky says * Satellite imagery suggests North Korea to supply more arms to Russia, WSJ reports * 'Mysterious' fire engulfs Russian Shahed warehouse, Ukrainian intelligence claims * First Ukrainian Legion unit trained in Poland deployed to Ukraine,
Ukraine ends year battered, with Russian troops pushing north, east, and south
The entire year 2024 saw Ukrainian troops on the back foot, losing territory to the advancing Russian troops in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast and eastern Donetsk Oblast. Russia captured Avdiivka — an industrial city in Donetsk Oblast — in February, kickstarting Moscow's offensives all across the region. Taking advantage of a poorly conducted
'Fico’s energy policy poses a threat to Europe' — Ukraine criticizes Slovak PM after Russia visit
The criticism followed Fico's meeting with Putin in Moscow on Dec. 22 to discuss gas supplies after Ukraine announced it would not extend its transit deal for Russian gas beyond Dec. 31.
North Korean troops deployed to aid Russia were Pyongyang’s idea, NYT reports
While some Western officials initially viewed the arrival of North Korean soldiers in Russia as evidence of the Kremlin’s desperation, U.S. agencies now reportedly believe the idea was North Korea’s initiative, quickly embraced by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
YouTube traffic in Russia drops 80% as authorities try to curb access
The ongoing slowdown, reportedly implemented by Russian regulators to restrict access to the service, has made the platform nearly unusable in the country.
How Ukraine’s new drone-missile hybrids are changing long-range weapon technology
Ukraine has turbo-charged its long-distance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), making “rocket-drones” to compete with cruise missiles or save the trouble of asking for more Western-made ranged weapons. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration has been showing off the latest results, with videos of the Peklo and Palianytsia missile-drones, which Ukrainian soldiers
Over 3,000 North Korean troops killed, wounded in Kursk Oblast, Zelensky says
This estimation, coming from Ukraine's intelligence, is a significant increase from other recent reports about the North Korean casualties.
Assassinations of pro-war figures seek to demoralize Russia, punish war criminals
The Dec. 17 killing of Russian Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov in Moscow — reportedly by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) — is the most high-profile assassination of a Russian military official to date. It's not the first one, however. Military officials, propagandists, and those seen as collaborators by Kyiv have been assassinated
Satellite imagery suggests North Korea to supply more arms to Russia, WSJ reports
North Korea appears to be preparing to supply more arms to Russia on top of some 20,000 containers it had already sent, the Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 23 based on its analysis of satellite images.
Moldova prepares for harsh winter, as Russian-occupied part of country runs out of gas
Moldova enacted a state of emergency, as the country gears up for an energy crisis at the start of 2025 following the end of Ukraine's obligations to transport Russian gas through its territory. Moldova, and especially the country's breakaway region of Transnistria, will be hit the hardest following the end
2025 – A Turning Point for Ukraine
Editor's note: This article is a special edition of the KI Insights' The Week Ahead newsletter, looking at challenges and opportunities facing Ukraine in 2025. 2025 is gearing up to be a decisive year for Ukraine. The country’s leadership will need to navigate a turbulent international landscape, as well
'What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?' — Zelensky blasts Fico after Moscow visit
Zelensky called Fico's pro-Russian energy policy "a big security issue" for Slovakia and Europe, asking: "Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?"
'We don't have to grovel before a mass murderer' — Czechia blasts Fico over Moscow trip
The Czech government’s decision to wean itself off from Russian energy ensured that "we don't have to grovel before a mass murderer," Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said on Dec. 22, referring to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s visit to Moscow.
Russian cyberattack: Breach occurred at 'top-level account,' MP says
Hackers could have used phishing or bribed employees to break into Justice Ministry registries during a Russian cyberattack last week, Oleksandr Fedienko, head of the parliamentary subcommittee on cybersecurity, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Dec. 23.
Cargo vessel sent to transport Russian military equipment from Syria breaks down in open sea, Ukraine's intel claims
Concurrently, marine traffic monitors show a Vladivostok-bound cargo ship, Ursa Major, previously registered as Sparta III and visually matching the picture published by HUR, moving at a very low speed of little over 1 knot in the open sea between Spain and Algeria.
Moscow begins providing energy aid to Georgia's Russian-occupied Abkhazia region
The press service of the Abkhaz energy company Chernomorenergo reported that a schedule from Nov. 1, under which electricity will be unavailable for four hours per day, is in effect.
Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 3, injure 3 over past day
The Russian military attacked Ukraine with 72 Shahed-type drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles overnight on Dec. 23, Ukraine's Air Force reported on Telegram.
Australian citizen fighting for Ukraine allegedly captured by Russia
The man, who identifies himself as 32-year-old Australian citizen Oscar Jenkins, is seen in military fatigues, apparently tied up, and violently interrogated in a video shared on Russian Telegram channels.
Russia's threat to Europe 'much wider than we imagine,' Italian PM warns
"It's about our democracy, it's about influencing our public opinion, it's about what happens in Africa, it's about raw materials, it's about the instrumentalization of migration. We need to know it's a very wide idea of security," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
'Mysterious' fire engulfs Russian Shahed warehouse, Ukrainian intelligence claims
A large-scale fire broke out at a Shahed drone warehouse at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Russia's Tatarstan, destroying drone parts worth $16 million, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on Dec. 23.
General Staff: Russia has lost 776,090 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
This number includes 1,990 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
North Korea preparing to ship more troops, drones to Russia, Seoul says
North Korea is preparing to deploy additional troops and weapons, including kamikaze drones, to aid Russia in its full-scale war against Ukraine, the South Korean military said on Dec. 23.
BMW dismisses employees involved in scheme to illegally deliver cars to Russia
BMW discovered irregularities that allowed cars to be transferred to Russia from its branch in Hanover, the German automaker said on Dec. 22.
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