The Witness

7:13 AM

Russia advises its citizens to avoid travel to US, Western nations.

Russian citizens are at risk of being "hunted" by Western authorities when traveling, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed.

4:37 PM  (Updated:  December 12, 2024 6:32 am)

UPDATED: Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia kills 10, injures 22, destroys clinic.

The death toll in the Dec. 10 attack rose to 10 on Dec. 12, after rescuers pulled a woman's body from the rubble of a building destroyed by a Russian missile.

6:04 AM

Trump invites Xi to inauguration, CBS News reports.

Trump's team is also considering inviting other world leaders, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

5:04 AM

Drones attack Chechnya, hitting police building, Kadyrov claims.

The attack damaged the roof of the building, shattered windows, and lightly injured four men on guard duty, Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov claimed. This marks the third reported drone strike against Chechnya during Russia's war against Ukraine.

3:48 AM

Tough battles, lost positions in Pokrovsk demand 'non-standard decisions,' Syrskyi says.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that "non-standard decisions" are needed near the embattled city of Pokrovsk, after the military reported that Russia had destroyed two Ukrainian positions in the area.

1:42 AM

Tsikhanouskaya says Ukraine maintains relations with Belarusian opposition leaders.

Svitlana Tsikhanouskaya, the most prominent Belarusian opposition leader, discussed efforts to maintain relations with Ukrainian authorities in a European Pravda interview on Dec. 10.

12:57 AM

Austrian OMV company terminates contract with Gazprom Export.

Austrian oil and gas company OMV has terminated its long-term gas supply contract with Russia's Gazprom Export, the OMV website reported on Dec. 11.

11:21 PM

EU to allocate 170 million euros to six countries bordering Russia and Belarus.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced 170 million euros ($178 million) in financial support for six European countries bordering Russia and Belarus to bolster their border protection efforts.

10:03 PM

Interview

'Russian colonialism is not reformable,' says historian Botakoz Kassymbekova

9:49 PM

Syria

What Russia’s army in Syria stands to lose after fall of Assad

9:25 PM

Zelensky slams Orban for phone call with Putin to discuss Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Dec. 11 following his hour-long call to Russian President Vladimir Putin during which the two discussed the war in Ukraine.

9:10 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Russia continues to suffer record losses in December, Zelensky says

8:34 PM

Russia may launch new Oreshnik missile against Ukraine in 'coming days,' US intelligence says.

Washington still sees the experimental Oreshnik missile more as "an attempt at intimidation than a game-changer on the battlefield in Ukraine," a U.S. official said.

7:55 PM

Ukrainian airline SkyUp launches flights from Moldova in April 2025.

SkyUp chose the Chisinau Airport in Moldova as it is the closest international hub to Ukraine.

7:43 PM

Culture

The Kyiv Independent’s picks for best Ukraine-related books of 2024

7:05 PM

Video

How the downfall of Russia-backed Assad in Syria may affect Ukraine war.

The Kyiv Independent’s Natalia Yermak sat down with Neil Quilliam, a Middle East expert at Chatham House, to talk about what it means for Russia’s war in Ukraine and how it might put Kyiv and the West in a more favorable position in the potential peace negotiations with Moscow.

5:57 PM

EU approves 15th sanction package against Russia, targeting 'shadow fleet'.

EU ambassadors agreed on a 15th package of sanctions against Russia, the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU announced on Dec. 11.

5:27 PM

Biden approves new memorandum on national security ahead of Trump taking office.

The document will not be published due to the "sensitivity of some of its findings," the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity under White House ground rules, told the Associated Press.

4:25 PM

Ukraine's tax hike, G7 loan enough for planned defense expenses in 2025, Finance Ministry says.

For the next year, Ukraine allocated 26.3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense and security expenditures, including Hr 740 billion ($17.7 billion) for arms purchases and Hr 50 billion ($1.2 billion) on the production and purchase of drones.

4:21 PM

Opinion

YouTuber Johnny Harris’ lens on Eastern Europe is distorted and irresponsible

3:54 PM

Russian proxies sentence 9 Azovstal defenders to 24 years, life in prison.

Russian occupation authorities in Donetsk jailed nine Ukrainian soldiers captured after defending Mariupol to between 24 years and a life sentence, the city's exiled authorities reported on Dec. 11.

3:18 PM

Russia convinced Assad to flee Syria amid rebel offensive, Bloomberg reports.

Moscow persuaded Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to flee to Russia with his family after realizing his regime was bound to lose to the opposition's rapid advance, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 11, citing its sources.

2:49 PM

Russian-occupied Abkhazia left without electricity due to hydroelectric station shutdown.

The region has recently faced energy restrictions aggravated by a growing spat with its Russian patrons. Moscow has cut almost all funding, including money crucial for the energy sector, after Abkhazia's local council voted against a controversial investment agreement with Russia.

1:52 PM

Russia continues to suffer record losses in December, Zelensky says.

"As in November, the Russian military is using a record number of its men in December in battles and assaults," President Zelensky said.

1:14 PM  (Updated:  December 11, 2024 1:32 pm)

Updated: Hungary's Orban calls Putin to discuss Ukraine.

The Hungarian government has not yet commented on the call, which appears to have taken place after Orban's visit to Trump's Florida residence.