Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on Dec. 16 ordered an investigation into the alleged abuse, extortion, and humiliation of soldiers in the 211th Pontoon Bridge Brigade by their commanders.
This number includes 1,600 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
"Both the United States and the European Union must help Ukraine to achieve a better negotiating position for possible future negotiations, which should be encouraged and forced on the aggressor, not the victim."
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller warned that if North Korean troops crossed the border into Ukraine to fight for Russia, that would mark a serious "escalation" in the war.
"Russia is not only involving North Korean soldiers in assaults on Ukrainian positions, but is also trying to hide the losses of these people," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 16.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Dec. 16 that the deal allowing Russian gas to transit through Ukraine will not be extended beyond the end of the year. His statement comes as several European countries intensify efforts to secure alternative energy supplies.
"Everybody in NATO and in the EU right now has the feeling in their backbone that you should increase defense expenditure because of what is happening all over the world and with Russia," Estonia's Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Reuters.
Key developments on Dec. 16: * Russia sets 2025 goal to fully occupy 4 Ukrainian regions, Defense Minister says * 'It's a tough one,' Trump says following questions on how he plans to stop Russia's war against Ukraine * Ukraine possesses laser weapons, advanced drone technologies, commander says * North Korean troops suffer
Hungary, which maintains close ties with Moscow despite Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, has consistently criticized EU sanctions against Russia and blocked initiatives to provide military aid to Kyiv.
North Korean troops have joined combat operations in the Kursk Oblast, marking the first confirmed engagement of North Korean soldiers alongside Russian military, Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder said on Dec. 16.
President-elect Donald Trump confirmed he had not invited President Volodymyr Zelensky to his January inauguration but noted that Zelensky would be “welcome” if he chose to attend.
Launched in October 2022, the European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM) has already trained approximately 60,000 Ukrainian troops as of August 2024, primarily in Germany and Poland.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz failed a confidence vote in the Bundestag on Dec. 16, paving the way for early parliamentary elections scheduled for Feb. 23.
Speaking on Dec. 16, Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi said Ukraine’s laser system, called Tryzub, can down aircraft at altitudes exceeding 2 kilometers.
One thing stands out when looking at Ukraine’s Armed Forces — it is made up predominantly of older men. Ukraine has never publicly released information about the age of its troops, but the average age is reportedly around 43 years old. Exact figures on the size of Ukraine’s armed
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said during a Defense Ministry meeting on Dec. 16 that Moscow aims to seize the entirety of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in 2025.
According to the SBU's investigation, chemical weapons have been used in more than 4,800 cases since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
The money will be channeled through the Nansen Support Program, Norway's civil and military support program for Ukraine.
Almost 100 of Ukraine's new Peklo missile-drone hybrids have been produced as the weapon entered serial production, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Dec. 16.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 27 of the 49 drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force said. Nineteen drones were reportedly lost across the country thanks to electronic warfare countermeasures.
"There were thousands of ammunition rounds for armored personnel carriers, tanks, anti-tank guided missiles, mines, grenades, and millions of rounds of ammunition of various calibers," the SBU source said.
When asked whether the upcoming Trump administration plans to restrict how Ukraine can use U.S. arms, Mike Waltz said that a "blank check... just isn't a strategy... This just, kind of, forever war that we seem to be backing into."
This number includes 1,070 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
"When it comes to peace, I believe that realism must be maintained. Today, probably no sensible person in Europe believes that peace can be achieved without some partial territorial losses for Ukraine," Slovak President Peter Pellegrini said.
The pope has earned a controversial reputation in Ukraine with his earlier remarks that relativized the responsibility of Russia’s war, encouraging Ukrainians to have the "courage" to negotiate for peace.
"We have seen hundreds of (North Korean soldiers) on the battlefield already, and (Ukraine is) successfully fighting them as we are fighting with the Russians," Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova told CBS News. "We see them now in Kursk Oblast only, and our brave defenders were not only able to kill a lot of them, but also keep the positions."
Key developments on Dec. 14-15: * North Korean troops joining Russian assaults in Kursk, Zelensky says * Ukraine destroys Russian train with 40 fuel tanks in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, source claims * 292 front-line clashes recorded over the past day, General Staff reports * Two Russian oil tankers reportedly sink in Kerch Strait * North Korean
Editor's note: This article is a shortened on-site version of KI Insights' The Week Ahead newsletter covering events from Dec. 16 to Dec. 22. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events, delivered directly to your inbox every Sunday. Central banks accounting for over 40%
Russian forces continue their assaults employing diverse weaponry and tactics to strike Ukrainian positions, with a concentrated focus on Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.
Two people were injured and an infrastructure facility was damaged in the city of Mykolaiv amid Russia’s overnight drone and missile attack, Governor Vitalii Kim reported on Dec. 15.
This number includes 1,280 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has emphasized the importance of inflicting "maximum pain" on Russian President Vladimir Putin through additional sanctions and enhanced military support for Ukraine.
