Trump wouldn’t want ‘major Russian victory,’ says ex-US ambassador

5:13 PM

Watchdog urges Zelensky to halt media intimidation, ensure press freedom.

The organization also criticized a proposed bill in the Verkhovna Rada that could impose harsher criminal penalties for publishing information from public databases during martial law, saying that it threatens investigative journalism.

4:11 PM

Zaluzhnyi releases book 'My War,' first in planned trilogy.

"This book is about my war. First, the war with my own fears that prevent me from doing anything. Second, the war with people who prevent you from achieving your goals. And finally, the war against circumstances that become obstacles in life," Ukraine's former commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said.

3:50 PM

Ukraine begins receiving first funds covered by frozen Russian assets proceeds.

Ukraine is already receiving U.S. funds under the framework of the G7's $50 billion loan covered by profits from frozen Russian assets, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Dec 20.

3:27 PM

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.

7:25 AM  (Updated:  December 20, 2024 3:14 pm)

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.

3:03 PM

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.

2:19 PM

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.

2:06 PM

Lithuania's new PM, ministerial cabinet visit Kyiv.

Lithuania's new ministerial cabinet arrived in Kyiv on Dec. 20, Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said mere hours after Russia's missile attack against the capital.

1:29 PM

Bulgaria's parliament no longer supports signing Ukraine security deal.

The Bulgarian parliament does not have enough votes to support the signing of Bulgaria's bilateral security treaty with Ukraine due to a shift in stance from the strongest party, Euractiv reported on Dec. 20.

1:19 PM

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.

1:18 PM

Russia's GRU possibly behind cyberattack on Ukraine's government, SBU says.

"All the Justice Ministry's data has been saved. Recovery is underway," Deputy PM and Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna said.

1:08 PM

Russian missiles strike Kyiv on the eve of holiday season (Photos)

12:05 PM

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.

11:52 AM

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.

11:05 AM

Russian An-72 military transport plane damaged in blast near Moscow, Ukraine's intel claims.

The Russian Navy plane's main power unit exploded on Dec. 12, the military intelligence agency said without providing details on the cause or circumstances of the explosion.

9:51 AM

Orban to reportedly block EU's Russia sanctions extension until Trump takes office.

Orban "surprised" his fellow EU leaders by deciding to block the extension during a summit in Brussels on Dec. 19 in what is considered a "routine" step, Bloomberg wrote.

9:10 AM

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.

8:25 AM

Russia targets Ukrainian government services in 'largest cyberattack in recent time.'

In the largest cyberattack in recent months, several government services were targeted, including state registers the Ministry of Justice oversees. Russia has regularly targeted Ukrainian companies and government institutions with cyberattacks since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

8:15 AM

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.

8:12 AM

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.

4:43 AM  (Updated:  December 20, 2024 8:09 am)

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.

6:06 AM

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.

4:05 AM

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.

2:50 AM

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."

1:59 AM

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.