Russia threatens to shut down Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

8:55 PM

Fico criticizes Zelensky over refusal to extend Russian gas transit, warns of crisis.

President Volodymyr Zelensky reaffirmed the refusal during a press conference on Dec. 19, saying that Kyiv would not enable Moscow to earn additional revenue while continuing its war.

3:26 PM  (Updated:  December 20, 2024 7:43 pm)

War analysis

How will Russia-Ukraine war end? The good, the bad, and the ugly scenarios

7:37 PM

Ukraine charges Russian general with killing Reuters employee in Kramatorsk.

The strike killed Ryan Evans, a British security adviser for Reuters, and injured six others, including two Reuters journalists.

6:52 PM

Belarus weekly

Belarus Weekly: EU imposes new sanctions on Belarusian officials, companies supporting regime

6:31 PM

Russia keeps key interest rate at 21%, defying expert expectations.

To rein in accelerating inflation fueled by war spending, Russia's Central Bank has been raising its interest rate — from 7.5 percent in July 2023 to the current 21% - the highest level since the early 2000s.

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.