Russian missile attack damages 6 foreign embassies in Kyiv, Foreign Ministry says
The embassies of Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal and Montenegro are located in a building that was heavily damaged by the Russian attack.
Russia-Ukraine War
Ukraine launched ATACMS, Storm Shadow against Russian chemical plant on Dec. 18, Moscow claims
Ukraine attacked the Rostov Oblast's Kamensky Combine, one of the largest chemical plants in Russia, with six U.S.-made ATACMS and four British Storm Shadow missiles on Dec. 18, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed on Dec. 20.
Biden administration to announce its final $1.2 billion Ukraine aid package under USAI, Reuters reports
The package is expected to include air defense interceptors and artillery ammunition, one of the sources told Reuters.
Ukraine retrieves bodies of 503 fallen soldiers
The bodies of 403 soldiers were recovered from Donetsk Oblast, while 57 and 12 bodies were brought back from Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk oblasts. Another 31 bodies were repatriated from morgues in Russia.
Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 7, injure 34 over past day
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed seven people and injured at least 34 others over the past day, regional authorities said on Dec. 20.
Russia captures 'Uspenivka pocket,' Ukraine denies reports of failed breakout
"Commander-in-Chief (Oleksandr Syrskyi) decided to withdraw Defense Forces units from the said area to avoid encirclement," the Khortytsia group of forces said.
Ukraine intercepts Russian sabotage groups attempting to push toward Kherson
The reports come amid an anticipated large-scale Russian advance in Kherson Oblast. In early December, Russian troops were carrying out assaults in the southern region to gain a foothold on islands in the Dnipro River delta.
General Staff: Russia has lost 770,420 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
This number includes 2,200 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Russian losses exceed 750,000 troops, expected to surpass 1 million within 6 months, UK estimates
The U.K.'s latest estimate are in line with figures from Ukraine's General Staff, which, as of Dec. 19, sits at 768,220 troops lost since the start of the war. The figures do not specify killed or wounded, though the overall consensus is that it includes dead, wounded, missing, and captured.
Fire, casualties reported in Kyiv amid Russian missile attack
Russia attacked the capital with five ballistic missiles of the Iskander-M or the North Korean KN-23 model, the Air Force said. All five missiles were reportedly shot down, with debris falling in several districts of the city.
Ukraine must decide between 'carrying on the fight or looking to negotiate ceasefire,' Blinken says
In a wide ranging interview with MSNBC on Dec. 19, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about prospects for a potential ceasefire in Ukraine as well as support for the embattled country ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in January.
6 injured in Russian attack on residential building in Kryvyi Rih
A Russian missile struck a two-story residential building in the city of Kryvyi Rih overnight on Dec. 19, injuring six people, including a child.
5 killed, 7 injured in fire at detention facility housing war deserters in Russia's Sakha Republic
Five people have been killed and a further seven injured in a fire at a detention center in the city of Yakutsk, which houses Russian soldiers who deserted their units during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials reported.
Putin says full-scale invasion of Ukraine should have been 'earlier,' expresses willingness to meet Trump
When asked what he would have done differently if he could go back to February 2022, the month Russia launched its all-out war against Ukraine, Putin responded, "Knowing what's happening now, back in 2022, I would've thought the decision ought to have been taken earlier."
Russian court orders two-month detention for suspect in General Kirillov assassination
A Moscow court ruled on Dec. 19 to place the suspect in the killing of General Igor Kirillov in pre-trial detention for two months. Kirillov was killed in Moscow on Dec. 17, with a bomb attached to a scooter.
EU leaders call for more military aid to Kyiv, pledge Ukraine's inclusion in key decisions
"Only Ukraine as the aggressed country can legitimately define what peace means — and if and when the conditions are met for credible negotiations," said Antonio Costa, president of the European Council.
Ukraine war latest: Zelensky blasts Putin’s Oreshnik threats, calling him ‘dumbass’
Key developments on Dec. 19: * Zelensky blasts Putin’s Oreshnik threats, calling him ‘dumbass’ * Zelensky dismisses ceasefire as Putin’s ploy to regroup, seeks coordinated peace plan * Ukraine strikes 'only oil refinery operating' in Russia's Rostov Oblast, military says * Putin acknowledges sanctions have impact on Russia's economy * Ukraine’s Special
Can Ukraine sustain its F-16 fleet if Trump halts US aid?
As the outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden rushes to provide last-minute aid to Ukraine before Donald Trump takes office in January, the State Department has recently announced a $266 million maintenance sales package for Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets. Trump has made no public comments about the Ukrainian
One killed, one in captivity: The tragic story of two brothers forever separated by Russia’s war
Warning: This article contains descriptions of graphic scenes. For a moment, Oksana Latanska could not believe her eyes when she looked down at a cold, little body, gray from dust and ashes. It hardly resembled the little boy that she knew so well and whom she saw almost every weekend
Ukraine’s Special Forces report killing 12 North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces reported on Dec. 19 that they had killed 12 North Korean soldiers and injured 20 others, preventing their advance in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
Ukraine won't extend Russian gas transit, Zelensky confirms
“We will not engage in extending the transit of Russian gas. We will not give (Russia) the opportunity to earn additional billions on our blood,” Zelensky said.
North Korean troops in Kursk Oblast boost Russia's manpower, despite vulnerabilities
North Korean troops fighting in Kursk Oblast are especially vulnerable to drones but still managed to help Moscow advance a few kilometers in the partially Ukrainian-occupied region in southwest Russia, according to Western military experts analyzing open-source data. The assessment of drone vulnerability differs from an on-the-ground testimony obtained by
Zelensky dismisses ceasefire as Putin’s ploy to regroup, seeks coordinated peace plan
“We need coordinated work for a lasting peace, not just the suspension of hostilities that Putin seeks in order to buy time,” Zelensky said.
Denmark allocates $292 million to bolster Ukraine’s air defense, minister says
The announcement comes amid intensified Russian attacks against Ukraine, including one of the largest aerial strikes on Dec. 13, which targeted energy infrastructure across Ukraine.
‘Dumbass’ — Zelensky blasts Putin’s Oreshnik threats, 'high-tech' duel proposal with the West
At a press conference in Brussels on Dec. 19, President Volodymyr Zelensky blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent threats of using the new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile against Kyiv to test Western air defense systems in what he called a "high-tech duel" with the West.
Ukraine's brigade commander arrested over alleged power abuse after media investigation
A court in Ternopil took into custody Colonel Oleh Poberezhniuk, commander of the 211th Pontoon Bridge Brigade, suspected of abuse of power, the Prosecutor General's Office reported.
Russia building road to connect Crimea, Mariupol, with Russia's Rostov Oblast, Putin claims
Moscow has already built a 40-kilometer-long segment between the Russian city of Taganrog and occupied Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin proposes to 'experiment' on Western air defenses by launching Oreshnik at Kyiv
Speaking during his annual press conference and a call-in program, Vladimir Putin again claimed that Russia's "new" Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) cannot be intercepted by air defenses.
Ukraine won't limit army's strength as part of potential peace talks, Zelensky says
"We simply have no right to limit the strength of our army in any case," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukraine strikes 'only oil refinery operating' in Russia's Rostov Oblast, military says
Initially, SBU drones attacked the facility to distract Russian air defenses, providing a "window" for Ukrainian missiles to strike the facility, an SBU source said.
At least 100 North Korean soldiers killed, 1,000 wounded in Russia-Ukraine war, South Korean official says
At least 100 North Korean troops have been killed while fighting for Russia against Ukraine, a South Korean lawmaker said after an intelligence briefing, the BBC reported on Dec. 19.
Russia fails to breach Ukraine's defense lines in simultaneous attacks, Syrskyi says
"The Ukrainian defense forces in heavy battles did not allow the Russians to breach the defense and achieve operational success on any of the directions," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Russia-Ukraine war
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, eight years after it annexed the Crimean Peninsula and led an armed aggression in Ukraine’s east.
In February 2014, almost immediately following the end of the EuroMaidan Revolution in Ukraine, Russia swiftly moved to annex and occupy Crimea. Within months, Russian proxy forces took control of parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
By the start of 2022, Russia had amassed nearly 200,000 troops on Ukraine’s border. At 4:50 a.m. on Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in a speech that Russia was to carry out “a special military operation.” Within minutes, missile strikes were launched on Ukrainian cities and the full-scale invasion had begun.
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