Saturday, December 28

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers on duty near the front-line city of Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast, on Dec. 27, 2024. (Vincenzo Circosta/Anadolu via Getty Images)

US officials believe Ukraine may be forced to retreat from Kursk Oblast in spring, Bloomberg reports. U.S. officials told Bloomberg on Dec. 27 that they believe Ukraine may only have a few months left in its incursion into Kursk Oblast until Ukraine’s military is forced to retreat from the region or risk being encircled by Russian forces.

Ukraine working to extend basic training to 2 months, Syrskyi says. “We are currently working to create conditions for the training to last 2 months in total. High-quality training means, first and foremost, the preservation of the lives and health of our soldiers,” Syrskyi said.

3 senior Russian officers killed in HIMARS, drone attack, Ukraine’s military intelligence says. Video released by HUR shows a large explosion followed by what appears to be the detonation of a cluster munition.

Kyiv running out of ATACMS missiles, NYT reports. Two senior U.S. officials said that when Biden gave Kyiv permission to launch ATACMS into Russian territory, Ukraine likely had only about 50 of the missiles left in its arsenal.

Ukraine repelling Russian attempt to gain foothold in Kherson Oblast, military says. Ukrainian troops have thwarted a Russian attempt to gain a foothold on one of its islands on the Dnipro River delta, Vladyslav Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian military’s Southern Command, said on national TV on Dec. 27.

Ukrainian drones can hit targets 2,000 km away, military intelligence claims. “From what we can tell — it’s no longer a secret — Ukrainian long-range unmanned aerial vehicles can hypothetically operate up to 2,000 kilometers,” military intelligence spokesperson Andrii Yusov said.

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Zelensky urges China to help stop North Korean military aid to Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky urged China to use its influence over North Korea to prevent the deployment of North Korean soldiers to the front line during his evening address on Dec. 27.

Drone strike damages railway line in Russia’s Voronezh Oblast, governor claims. Debris from an intercepted drone damaged the contact network of a railway in Russia’s Voronezh Oblast overnight on Dec. 28, regional Governor Alexander Gusev alleged.

45% of Ukrainians think Trump’s election will bring peace closer, survey finds. Overall, 23% of respondents think peace under Trump would be mostly or completely fair to Ukraine, whereas 31% believe it would be mostly or completely unfair.

Russia ramps up production of Shahed drones, decoys at Tatarstan plant, CNN reports. In 2023, the factory produced 2,738 Shahed-136 drones, with output more than doubling to 5,760 units in the first nine months of 2024.

Storm damages Russian anti-drone barriers near Crimean Bridge, satellite images reveal. The images, taken on Nov. 8, Dec. 16, and Dec. 24, reveal that Russia has yet to fully repair the barriers, which are constructed from old barges.

Ukraine completes preparations for second peace summit, Foreign Ministry says. While Ukraine aimed to hold the summit before the end of 2024, spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said the focus is on achieving substantive outcomes rather than organizing “an event for the sake of an event.”

Read our exclusives

2024: Ukraine’s most memorable moments, in photos

The year 2024 was brutal for Ukraine. It also contained rare glimpses of joy. The Kyiv Independent partnered up with the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers to look back at some of the most memorable moments for Ukrainians in 2024 in photos.

Photo: Danylo Pavlov

Fall of Assad’s regime disrupts Russian army recruitment in Syria

The collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria in November has shaken Assad-ally Russia’s near-decade of influence in the country. It has also had one other lesser-known consequence: disrupting Moscow’s ability to recruit Syrian fighters for its war in Ukraine.

Photo: Omar Haj Kadour / AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Russia’s new Oreshnik missile relies on Western manufacturing technology, FT reports

Russia’s new intermediate-range ballistic missile, the Oreshnik, recently fired at Ukraine, was developed using advanced manufacturing equipment from Western companies, despite sanctions, The Financial Times reported on Dec. 27.

Photo: Gavriil Grigorov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Ukraine considers 60,000 citizens as missing persons, official says. As of late 2024, 60,000 individuals in Ukraine are considered missing under special circumstances, Ukrinform reported on Dec. 26, citing Dmytro Bohatyuk, head of the Interior Ministry’s Department for Missing Persons.

Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 6, injure 6 over previous day. Overnight, Russia launched 24 drones from inside Russia, as well as two Iskander-M ballistic missiles from Voronezh and Kursk oblasts, Ukraine’s Air Force reported.

North Korean troops suffer over 1,000 losses in Kursk Oblast in past week, White House official says. “It is clear that Russian and North Korean military leaders are treating these troops as expendable and ordering them on hopeless assaults against Ukrainian defenses,” National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said on Dec. 27

General Staff: Russia has lost 782,510 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. This number includes 1,650 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

Opinions and insights

Trump’s China strategy hinges on crippling Russia’s economy

“Trump could score a quick and impressive win against China: by turning Russia entirely out of Ukraine and restoring the pre-invasion borders,” economists Simon Johnson and Oleg Ustenko write.

Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

International response

US to send $1.25 billion in military aid to Ukraine, AP reports. The upcoming aid package is expected to include a substantial supply of air defense munitions, along with Stinger missiles and artillery rounds, according to U.S. officials.

Ukraine receives $485 million in humanitarian aid from USAID, World Bank. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in coordination with the World Bank under the PEACE in Ukraine program, has delivered $485 million in humanitarian aid for Ukraine, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Dec. 27.

Slovakia threatens to cut electricity supplies if Ukraine ends Russian gas transit. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced on Dec. 27 that his government will evaluate potential reciprocal measures against Ukraine, including halting electricity supplies, if Ukraine stops the transit of Russian gas to Slovakia after January 1.

NATO to ‘enhance military presence’ in Baltic Sea following damage to undersea power cable, Rutte says. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Dec. 27 that “NATO will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea” following the recent damage to the Estlink 2 power cable in the Gulf of Finland likely caused by Russia.

China’s Xi Jinping to visit Russia next year, Kremlin’s Beijing ambassador says. Speaking to Russian media, Ambassador Igor Morgulov said plans for several bilateral events were being “drawn up” but that Xi’s trip was a priority.

Exposing the diamond industry — How Russia funds its war on Ukraine

In other news

Loud bang heard before Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed, passengers tell Reuters. The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) on Dec. 27 said the aircraft had been hit by “a Russian Pantsir S1 air defense system on Russian terrain.”

‘Weapon’ may have brought down Azerbaijan Airlines plane, Azerbaijan’s transport minister says. Azerbaijani Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev said on Dec. 27 that an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan was due to ‘external interference,’ with authorities investigating “the type of weapon used in the interference.”

Ukraine sends 500 tons of wheat flour to Syria under humanitarian program, Zelensky says. The aid aims to help alleviate a looming food crisis following the collapse of the Russia-backed regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 amid a large-scale rebel offensive.

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