“We were expecting that things like SWIFT and all the blocking sanctions on Russia’s banks would totally crater the Russian economy,” CNN quoted one of the U.S. officials. Russia’s economy was expected to shrink by nearly 15% earlier in the year, but between April and June, it declined by about 4% as compared to the same period last year, the report reads.
Russia launched 131 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 106 drones. At least 22 drones made it through, striking 15 locations.
Drones from the "Alpha" Special Operations Center of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck the Temryuk Seaport in Krasnodar Krai and a gas processing plant in Orenburg Oblast overnight on Dec. 25, an agency source confirmed to the Kyiv Independent.
The number includes 860 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
Russia's Defense Ministry reported that between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Moscow time on Dec. 24, its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 132 Ukrainian drones.
"'May he perish,' each of us may think to ourselves," Zelensky said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "But when we turn to God, of course, we ask for something greater. We ask for peace for Ukraine."
In a hypothetical runoff between the two, Zaluzhnyi would secure a decisive victory, winning 64% of the vote compared to Zelensky's 36%, according to the poll.
The Kyiv Independent’s Myroslava Chauin speaks with Kateryna Rashevska, a legal expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights and a children’s rights activist, about evidence that Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territories were transferred to a children’s camp in North Korea.
The plant, located in the town of Efremov, produces dual-use synthetic rubber and polymers used in military vehicle tires, armored personnel carriers, and other weapons-related applications.
"The role of unmanned systems on the battlefield is growing, and therefore the production of innovative instruments of war is our number one priority," Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
Ukrainian intelligence sources said the officers had previously taken part in Russia's war against Ukraine and were implicated in the abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs).
While many respondents expressed hopes for an end to the fighting, they largely expect it to conclude on terms "proclaimed as its goals," reflecting continued alignment with the Kremlin's narrative.
