Latvia preparing bill to limit use of Russian language.

7:25 AM  (Updated:  December 20, 2024 10:13 am)

Fire, casualties reported in Kyiv amid Russian missile attack.

Klitschko reported that five cars were on fire in the Holosiivskyi district of the city due to the falling debris from a missile. At least two people were hospitalized as a result the injuries sustained during the attack.

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

Russian cyberattack targets Ukrainian government services.

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.

12:24 AM

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.

10:44 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky blasts Putin’s Oreshnik threats, calling him ‘dumbass’

10:39 PM

G7 discusses slashing Russian oil price cap, complete ban, Bloomberg reports.

Discussions reportedly include lowering the current $60-per-barrel cap to approximately $40 or even implementing a complete ban on Russian oil supplies.

10:19 PM

War analysis

Will Ukraine sustain its F-16 fleet if Trump halts US aid?

10:14 PM

Belarus sentences 2 Belarusians, Ukrainian to 11-25 years for alleged terrorism.

Two Belarusians and one Ukrainian were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 11 to 25 years by Belarusian authorities for their alleged involvement in preparing terrorist acts, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported on Dec. 19.

9:48 PM

Human story

One killed, one in captivity: The tragic story of two brothers forever separated by Russia’s war

9:40 PM

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.

8:54 PM

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.

8:44 PM

North Korean troops in Kursk Oblast boost Russia's manpower, despite vulnerabilities

8:17 PM

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.

7:13 PM

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.

6:08 PM

‘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.

6:24 PM  (Updated:  December 19, 2024 4:00 pm)

Belarus

'You'll die here' – Belarusian political prisoners recount experiences ahead of Lukashenko's reelection

3:53 PM

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.