Ukraine Daily

Monday, December 26

Russia’s war against Ukraine

People attend the Sunday Mass at Volodymyr Cathedral amid Russia-Ukraine war in Kyiv, Ukraine on December 25, 2022. (Photo by Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Pope Francis calls to end ‘senseless’ war in Ukraine during Christmas Day address. Earlier, Pope Francis asked people to spend less on Christmas celebrations, using the savings to help Ukrainians through a very difficult winter.

Media: Russia to provide Iran with 24 fighter jets ‘very soon’. Russia will supply 24 Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets “very soon” to Iran, whose air force is lacking high-quality military aircraft, Israeli television channel i24NEWS reported, citing unnamed Western intelligence sources.

Governor: Russia attacked hospitals in Kherson on Dec. 24. Russian troops continue to attack hospitals in the liberated parts of Kherson Oblast, launching “targeted terrorist attacks on institutions providing assistance to people,” Kherson Oblast Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych reported on Dec. 25.

General Staff: Russian forces shell over 65 settlements in Ukraine on Christmas Day. Russian forces shelled over 65 settlements in Ukraine on Christmas Day, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Dec. 25.

Mayor: 3 Russian missiles hit Kramatorsk, no injuries reported. Russian troops fired three missiles at an industrial zone in the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast on Dec. 25, but there are no casualties so far, Kramatorsk Mayor Oleksandr Honcharenko reported.

Zelensky: ‘Russia has lost everything possible this year.’ In an address on Dec. 25, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that, despite the Kremlin’s failed blitzkrieg and defeats on the front line, Russian forces will still try to make the remainder of the year “dark and difficult.”

Putin claims readiness for negotiations, blames West for refusing to talk. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claimed on Dec. 25 that the Kremlin was “ready to negotiate with everyone involved” to reach what it views as “acceptable solutions” for its brutal war against Ukraine.

Russian state media: Medvedev urges ‘security guarantees’ for Russia. Russia’s Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said that in order to “normalize the situation” (Russia’s war against Ukraine) which could lead to a Third World War, Russia needs “security guarantees,” reported Russian state media Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Shmyhal: Ukraine has received $1.5 billion in support for energy sector from partners. Support from partners to Ukraine’s energy sector amounts to $1.5 billion, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Dec. 25.

Explosions reported in Russian city of Engels. Explosions and air raid sirens were reported in Engels, Russia overnight on Dec. 25, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing local Russian Telegram channels.

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Ukraine war latest: Russia kills 16 civilians in Kherson Oblast on Christmas Eve, as Putin claims to be ready for negotiations.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin claimed on Dec. 25 that the Kremlin was ready for negotiations to reach what it views as “acceptable solutions” to its brutal war against Ukraine.

Photo: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images

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The human cost of Russia’s war

Governor: Russia kills 16 people in Kherson Oblast over the past day. Out of them, 10 people were killed in the shelling of central Kherson on the morning on Dec. 24.

Russian troops continue to shell Donetsk Oblast, injure 7 civilians on Christmas Eve. According to Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, two people were wounded in the villages of Maksymilianivka and Predtechyne, and five more in Bakhmut, which has been the site of some of the heaviest fighting for months.

General Staff: Russia has lost 102,050 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Since yesterday, Ukraine’s General Staff has added 620 troops to its estimation of the Russian battlefield losses.

International response

China strengthens ties with Russia, defends war stance. In an address on Dec. 25, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi defended Beijing’s stance regarding Russia’s full-scale war and indicated that it would strengthen its ties with Moscow in the upcoming year.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Olga Rudenko, Daria Shulzhenko, Oleg Sukhov, Asami Terajima, Teah Pelechaty, Natalia Datskevych, Lili Bivings, Anastasiya Gordiychuk, and Olena Goncharova.

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