Saturday, December 21

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Civilians leave the site after a Russian ballistic missile hits the city center in Kyiv on Dec. 20, 2024. (Vlada Liberova/Libkos/Getty Images)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Ukraine intercepts Russian sabotage groups attempting to push toward Kherson. The reports come amid an anticipated large-scale Russian advance in Kherson Oblast.

Zelensky approves over 30 new ambassador appointments. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the approval of over 30 Ukrainian ambassadorial appointments abroad during his evening address on Dec. 20.

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.

Over 12,000 civilians killed in Ukraine during Russia’s full-scale war, UN says. Over 12,340 civilians were killed and more than 27,836 were wounded in Ukraine between Feb. 24, 2022 and Nov. 30, 2024, according to the United Nations.

Read our exclusives

Russian missiles strike Kyiv on the eve of holiday season (Photos)

Russia launched five ballistic missiles against Ukraine’s capital on the morning of Dec. 20, highlighting the stark contrast between the approaching holiday season and the realities of war.

Photo: Roman Pilipey /AFP via Getty Images

Russia buys acceptance with cash, plunging economy into uncertainty

Most troops hail from Russia’s most disadvantaged regions — where the prospect of upfront cash is impossible to ignore. But these payments are warping Russia’s social fabric.

Photo: Contributor/Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Russian An-72 military transport plane damaged in blast near Moscow, Ukraine’s intel claims

A power unit of a Russian An-72 military transport plane blew up at the Ostafyevo airfield in Moscow Oblast last week, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) reported on Dec. 20.

Photo: Kirill Naumenko/Wikipedia

Human cost of war

Fire, casualties reported in Kyiv amid Russian missile attack. Russia launched a series of missile attacks against Kyiv on the morning of Dec. 20, reportedly killing one person, injuring 12, and causing damage across the city.

Russian drone attack in Kharkiv injures 6, including child. The drone hit a 9-story residential building in the city’s Saltivskyi district, authorities said. 

Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia injures 4, including child. The attack damaged a 9-story apartment building in the city, Governor Ivan Fedorov said. Three women and a 12-year-old boy sustained injuries.

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.

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.

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.

International response

Trump plans to continue US military aid to Ukraine after inauguration, FT reports. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump plans to continue military support for Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 20, citing undisclosed sources.

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.

IMF approves $1.1 billion in funding for Ukraine. The IMF approved the $1.1 billion tranche after completing its sixth review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), a plan to provide Ukraine with over $15 billion in budget support over four years.

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.

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.

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.

In other news

Zaluzhnyi releases book ‘My War,’ first in planned trilogy. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s former commander-in-chief and current ambassador to the U.K., released an autobiographical book titled “My War,” the first part of a planned trilogy, he announced on Dec. 20.

Druzhba pipeline disruption halts Russian, Kazakh oil shipments to Europe, Reuters reports. Russian and Kazakh oil shipments to Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, and Germany via the Druzhba pipeline have been halted since Dec. 19 due to technical issues at a Russian pumping station, Reuters reported, citing anonymous sources.

OSCE urges Tbilisi to institute reforms in final report on Georgian parliamentary elections. “To safeguard the democratic principles currently at stake in Georgia, it is imperative that the authorities urgently address all concerns,” OSCE representative Eoghan Murphy said.

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