Preliminary data shows that Ukraine’s exports grew by more than 13% over the past year, primarily due to stabilizing the functioning of Ukrainian seaports, Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on Dec. 30.
Editor’s Note: This story was sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine. When a sapper with the call sign “Boroda” asked his friends, the founders of the Rovertech company, to create something for demining, and provided them with his own sketch, they seized on the idea.
President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed human rights activist Olha Reshetylova to the newly-created position of military ombudsman on Dec. 30.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha expressed Kyiv's position on Russia's military presence in Syria to leaders of the new Syrian administration during a diplomatic visit to Damascus on Dec. 30, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said at an online meeting attended by the Kyiv Independent.
Ukrainian partisans in Russia set fire to two locomotive trains on Dec. 30 destined for occupied regions of Ukraine, according to a Telegram post from Petro Andryushchenko, an advisor to the mayor of the Russian-occupied Mariupol.
As Russian troops continued to hold an advantage on the ground, Ukraine has been keen to level the power in the air. In 2024, Ukrainian forces bet on drones, hitting targets thousands of kilometers deep inside Russia. Ukrainian attacks have targeted dozens of oil refineries that aid Russia's war efforts,
The Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs) called it one of the largest prisoner exchanges since the start of the full-scale war in 2022.
The United States made a $3.4 billion payment in direct budget support to Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced on Dec. 30.
"Russia continues to carry out constant 'human wave' assaults, suffering record losses," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
The capital endured over 500 air raid alerts, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Serhii Popko on Dec. 30.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced a new security assistance package for Ukraine worth nearly $2.5 billion on Dec. 30.
The United States will provide Ukraine with $15 billion, backed by future revenues from frozen Russian assets, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Dec. 30.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visited Damascus on Dec. 30, marking the first official Ukrainian delegation to Syria in years. During the trip, he held talks with Syria’s de-facto leader Ahmad Al-Sharaa.
The Ukrainian Finance Ministry received $41.7 billion in international aid in 2024, Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said in a televized statement on Dec. 30.
Russia used 43 drones against Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force reported on Dec. 30.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the European Union must be banned and replaced with supplies from the United States and other partners.
This number includes 2,010 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak said that Ukraine may need to cede some territory due to the realities on the ground, Slovak news agency TASR reported on Dec. 29.
"Together with the new commissioner, the human rights community, and the Ministry of Defense, we will draft a corresponding bill on the Military Ombudsman and establish the institutional framework for its operation," Zelensky said on Dec. 29.
Latvia will transfer over 1,000 "combat drones of various types" to Ukraine through the international drone coalition, the country's Defense Minister Andris Spruds announced on social media on Dec. 28.
Poland is ready to increase domestic electricity production if Slovakia halts the delivery of backup power supplies to Ukraine, an unnamed Polish official told Bloomberg on Dec. 29.
Key developments on Dec. 28 - 29: * Ukraine prioritizing security guarantees over immediate NATO membership, senior diplomat says * Russia must admit guilt over downing Azerbaijani airliner, pay compensation, Azerbaijan's president says * Ukraine secures over $156 million for defense industry from European allies, defense minister says * Russia rejects Trump team's reported
Why is my life considered more important than a Ukrainian life? Why am I considered more important than the people I meet in Ukraine, who — even in the darkest times — still often extend such kindness and hospitality that you can't help but fall in love with this country? This isn’
Earlier reports from the Wall Street Journal indicated that Trump’s team is considering a plan to delay Ukraine’s NATO membership by at least 20 years in exchange for continued Western arms supplies and the deployment of European peacekeepers to monitor a ceasefire.
The funds will support the production of long-range drones, missiles, and artillery, which are critical to Ukraine’s defense strategy.
Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation detained Colonel Oleh Poberezhniuk, commander of the 211th Brigade, on Dec. 29, accusing him of failing to address abuse and torture allegations involving his subordinates.
Child casualties in Ukraine during the first nine months of 2024 have exceeded the total for 2023, highlighting the devastating impact of the war on children, the U.N. Humanitarian Aid Organization for Children (UNICEF) said on Dec. 27.
Russia has escalated its aerial assault on Ukraine, launching more than 280 KAB guided bombs, nearly 370 attack drones, and over 80 missiles in the past week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 29.
Ukraine’s accession to NATO remains on the agenda but is not a top priority for diplomatic efforts, Andrii Melnyk, Ukraine’s new permanent representative to the U.N., told Berliner Morgenpost on Dec. 27.
Overnight, Russia launched 10 drones from Crimea and six S-300/S-400 missiles from Russia's Belgorod Oblast, targeting the Kursk and Sumy oblasts, Ukraine’s Air Force reported.
"If a peace agreement is reached and Ukraine needs security guarantees, we can only discuss this if there is a clear mandate under international law. I don’t see it at the moment. I would like such a mandate to be given in consensus with Russia, not in conflict," Friedrich Merz said.
This number includes 1,730 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
