🕯️ 21:56 Explosions at village council meeting - MP charged with terrorism 💥
New reports surfaced this evening, alleging that a member of parliament was involved in a horrific act of terrorism, detonating hand grenades during a village council meeting in Transcarpathia, a western region of Ukraine. According to the "Kyiv Independent", the MP, who hails from the presidential party Servants of the People, stands accused of this heinous act, which left one person dead and 22 others injured. The motive behind this attack remains unknown to this day. A mystery shrouds the chilling moment, captured in police video footage, where a man enters the meeting room and hurls several explosives.
💐 21:26 Zelensky celebrates "historic week" 🇨🇦
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to his evening video address to celebrate what he termed a "historic week" - transporting him across continents in pursuit of crucial diplomatic talks. Zelensky’s whirlwind journey began in West Africa and soared all the way to Scandinavia, then to the United States, and finally, he rested in Germany at the US headquarters for Europe. This monumental week culminated in the EU's decision to initiate accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. Zelensky, in his address, proclaimed, "The negotiation process will not be easy, but the most important thing is that we have historically decided on one thing: Ukraine will always be a part of our common European home."
💥 20:48 Nikopol again under attack 😠
According to reports from the authorities, the city of Nikopol, located in the Dnipropetrovsk region, continues to endure brutal attacks, with kamikaze drones and heavy artillery shelling striking the city twice today. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, but the infrastructural damage proved to be substantial. Authorities, however, asserted that the city was under constant shelling the day before, which resulted in several injuries.
💔 20:21 Heartbreaking Death in Ukraine 🌪️
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office reported a heartbreaking incident where a 69-year-old woman was tragically killed by Russian artillery shelling in the settlement of Krasnopillja, nestled in the Sumy region, around 10 kilometers from the Russian border. Investigators have since attributed the attack to the Russian army, which targeted the woman's home with a lethal shell.
💥 19:50 Unexpected Attack in Belgorod by "Freedom of Russia Legion" 🇷🇺
Russian media reported aggressive confrontations in the Russian region of Belgorod, with claims of regular Ukrainian units launching an unexpected attack. This supposedly led Russian troops to open chaotic artillery fire on nearby settlements, causing fear and panic. The "Freedom of Russia Legion," a group composed of Russian citizens and belonging to the international volunteer corps of the Ukrainian army, claimed responsibility for the devastating operation.
💔 18:28 Families of Prisoners of War Demonstrate for a Prisoner Exchange 📣
Relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war gathered in Zaporizhia to plead for a prisoner exchange, their plight evident even in the downtrodden Christmas tree made of barbed wire, erected before the regional administration building. The 200 demonstrators, who include relatives of the soldiers defending Mariupol, have been separated from their loved ones despite the fact that some will spend another Christmas in captivity.
🇬🇪 17:55 Deminers Successfully Defuse Over 90,000 Mines ⚔️
In an ongoing effort to ensure the safety of Ukrainian communities, deminers have been busy rendering thousands of explosive devices harmless each week. This week's accomplishment amounted to 928 previously dangerous devices, with the majority of these discoveries occurring in the Kharkiv oblast, and the rest in the Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts. The total number of mines defused, since the beginning of the war, sits at over 91,000.
🕵️♂️ 16:29 Night Vision Satellites Launched by Bundeswehr 🛰️
The German military will soon send two more reconnaissance satellites into space, serving to supplement their existing monitoring capabilities in Europe and the Middle East. These new additions will allow for night-vision capabilities and cloud piercing radars, optimized to detect militarily significant activities and hinder espionage from foreign countries.
💔 15:58 London Expects Fraud and Intimidation in Election ⚠️
UK intelligence services anticipate that Russian agencies will indulge in widespread fraud and intimidation to ensure a favorable outcome in the Presidential election scheduled for March in Russian-occupied territories. The British daily intelligence update believably forecasts an election process that will be neither free nor fair.
💣 14:51 Life Claimed in Kherson by Russian Assault 🌪️
Reports from a regional authority indicate that a resident in Kherson fought for his life in the wake of a Russian attack on the city center this morning, succumbing to the relentless shelling.
📉 14:12 Moscow's Plan to Test Seven ICBMs in 2024 🌐
Russia has disclosed plans to test seven intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in 2024. In line with regulations, these tests will be made known to the United States with at least a 24-hour warning. Officers of the Russian armed force have revealed that these tests would greatly bolster the combat capabilities of their troops and allow them to effectively respond to anticipated threats.
💻 13:55 Russian Trolls Impersonate Ukrainian Commando Units 👾
Russian disinformation agents have invented a novel method to spread falsehoods through social media - they create "fake" Ukrainian brigade and battalion channels, which eventually lead to the discreditation of actual commanders and soldiers. This sinister strategy aims to prompt backlash against Ukrainian military units and sow chaos, confusion, and mistrust.
🇷🇺 13:17 Russia Employs Pressure Tactics on Ukrainian Workers 💪
Russian authorities have intensified the pressure on Ukrainian nuclear engineers employed at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia to acquire Russian passports and sign contracts with Rosatom, the Russian nuclear corporation. This coercive strategy is intended to force thousands of Ukrainian workers to obtain Russian documents and adhere to Russian employment contracts by the 31st of December.
🇩🇪 12:57 Putin Challenges Biden with Warning to Finland 🗣️
In an interview with Russian state television, Vladimir Putin threatened Finland should it choose to join NATO, stating: "You brought Finland into NATO. Did we have any disputes? All disputes, including territorial ones, were resolved a long time ago, in the middle of the 20th century. We had the friendliest and most sincere relations." Putin's warnings seemed ominous as Russia prepared to establish a Leningrad military district and military formations in the region.
🕹️ 12:20 Ukraine Continues to Receive Iranian Drones 📈
Ukrainian military authorities have reported that the high frequency of Shahed drone assaults suggests extensive Iranian drone supplies. The Ukrainian airforce assesses that there are significant stockpiles of these drones and that there has been minor modernization to make them less detectable. Although Russia is now producing its own versions of the Shahed drone, this production is not yet at an industrial level.
👨👀 11:18 Unger: Russia Step Up Attacks on Ukraine 📈
Russian attacks on Ukraine have seen an escalation, reported ntv's Carolin Unger from Odessa. The Russian military is enacting a two-pronged strategy - launching swarms of drones and carrying out ground assaults, targeting sabotage and infiltration attempts.
💣 10:45 Putin Threatens Consequences to Finland's NATO Membership ⚠️
Vladimir Putin has warned the Finnish government that it will face unspecified "problems" if it proceeds to join NATO, citing decades of peaceful coexistence between Russia and Finland as a precedent. To bolster his point, he also announced the creation of a Leningrad military district and the concentration of military formations there.
🔫 10:22 Russia Reports Defending Against Ukrainian Attacks on Russian Territory 🛡️
Russian Ministry of Defense maintains that Soviet air defense systems have neutralized 33 attacking Ukrainian drones. They intercepted or destroyed these during their approach into Volgograd, Rostov and Lipetsk regions. This information cannot be independently verified.
🕵️♂️ 09:58 Kherson Unit Defends with Home-made Drones 🛬
In regions without access to advanced technology, Ukrainian military units have adapted, relying on home-made drones to support their defensive strategies.
📢 09:30 Putin Dismisses Biden's Warning as "Nonsense" 😱
In response to Joe Biden's warning of a possible Russian attack on NATO after a potential victory over Ukraine, Putin has rejected the claim as "nonsense." The US President asserted that Russia would target a NATO member should it prevail in Ukraine. Putin, in his usual confrontational style, denounced Biden's assumptions as a baseless attempt to justify a flawed policy.
💥 08:57 One Person Dead in Russian Airstrike on Odessa 💔
In a tragic turn of events, a Russian airstrike in the southern Ukrainian region of Odessa claimed the life of an innocent civilian. The force of an intercepted drone debris explosion resulted in fatalities and infrastructure damage in a residential area. The Ukrainian air defense intercepted nine Iranian Shahed drones during this onslaught, adding to the 22 earlier reported airstrikes in the region.
🇷🇺 07:52 Greenhill Report: Russian Losses Exceed 300,000 📊
According to the Greenhill report, Russian losses amount to over 300,000 soldiers since the beginning of the war, with at least 1250 more casualties reported in the previous 24 hours alone. The UAF (Ukrainian Armed Forces) also reported the destruction of 19 tanks and 25 armored vehicles during this period.
💥 07:14 ISW: Russian Navy Suffers Following Ukrainian Attacks on Black Sea Fleet 🎯
American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) asserts that the Ukrainian attacks on Russian Black Sea Fleet facilities have caused significant challenges to the Russian navy. The recent damage to infrastructure has adversely affected Russian capacity to operate in Western Black Sea and has improvised their transportation of goods.
💣 06:56 Sumy Under Sharp Russian Shelling 🌪️
The Sumy region's northern frontier experienced 118 explosions in a single day, as the Russian military zeroed in on several communities along the border with relentless artillery, mortar shelling, and drone attacks. The Russian forces also deployed mines as an offensive measure in the Yunakivska area, wounding one civilian.
💢 06:30 Optimism Amongst Ukrainian Businessmen Remains Undeterred by War 📈
Despite the ongoing conflict, the majority of Ukrainian businesspeople express optimism about future economic growth, with 41% estimating that revenues will remain steady and a further 55% anticipating no changes in employee counts. The survey, carried out by the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, also indicated that 33% hope to attract new workers.
🇷🇺 05:21 Russia Intercepts 33 Ukrainian Drones 🛬
Moscow's Ministry of Defense announced that Russian air defense systems prevented 33 Ukrainian drones from reaching Russian territories over nine regions (Lipetsk, Rostov, and Volgograd) as well as the Chernobyl nuclear exclusion zone.
🏴 03:26 Lithuanian Commander-in-Chief Praises German Efforts 🇩🇪
Lithuanian Army's Commander-in-Chief, General Valdemaras Rupšys, commended the planned deployment of a permanent German Bundeswehr brigade to Lithuania. General Rupšys praised Germany's impressive leadership in defending NATO's eastern flank, as the forces allocated to strengthen deterrence in the region.
👨🏻💼 01:57 Zelensky Praises Air Defense Successes 🛰️
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to those responsible for the successful interception and destruction of attacking Shahed drones and ballistic missiles as part of Ukraine's air defense operations. Zelensky made these comments as the nation observed its third night of heavy Russian airstrikes and drone assaults.
💔 00:15 Kuleba Praises Scholz's Vital Role at EU Summit 🎉
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba highlighted Olaf Scholz's crucial role at the recent EU summit, where Scholz effectively facilitated the removal of Hungary's veto on initiating accession negotiations between Ukraine and the EU. Kuleba expressed hope that this instance of German diplomatic involvement would coincide with a broader change in perspective regarding European efforts to address pressing issues.
🇽🇦 23:22 Ukrainian Truck Driver Dies at Polish Border Blockade 🚚
For the third time, a Ukrainian truck driver lost his life at the blocked border crossing between Ukraine and Poland. The driver, reportedly experiencing health issues, died while being transported to a hospital near the Krakivets-Korczowa border crossing. The Polish truck drivers' blockade, which began in November, has caused immense disruption to air and road transport between Ukraine and European Union nations as well as East European countries.
