Tuesday, December 31

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainians freed from Russian captivity who returned to Ukraine on Dec. 30, 2024. (President Volodymyr Zelensky/Telegram)

Ukraine brings back 189 people from Russian captivity in prisoner swap. The Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs) called it one of the largest prisoner exchanges since the start of the full-scale war in 2022.

Ukraine’s police name Russian commander suspected of murder of woman who became symbol of Bucha massacre. Ukrainian National Police named the Russian commander responsible for the murder of Iryna Filkina, the Ukrainian woman who came to symbolize the mass murder of civilians in Bucha in the early stages of Russia’s full-scale invasion when a photo of her hand with a red manicure went viral around the world.

Partisans allegedly set ablaze two trains near Moscow destined for occupied Ukrainian territories. Ukrainian partisans in Russia set fire to two locomotive trains on Dec. 30 destined for occupied regions of Ukraine, according to a Telegram post from Petro Andryushchenko, an advisor to the mayor of the Russian-occupied Mariupol.

Zelensky appoints human rights activist Olha Reshetylova as first military ombudsman. President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed human rights activist Olha Reshetylova to the newly-created position of military ombudsman on Dec. 30.

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Oil depot on fire in Russia’s Smolensk region following drone attack. An oil depot in the Yartsevo district of Russia’s Smolensk region caught fire following a drone attack overnight on Dec. 31, according to regional authorities.

Russia launched over 1,300 drone strikes, 250 missiles at Kyiv in 2024. The capital endured over 500 air raid alerts, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Serhii Popko on Dec. 30.

Governors of Kyiv, Poltava oblasts dismissed amid position reshuffles. Ruslan Kravchenko, the governor of Kyiv Oblast, and Filip Pronin, the governor of Poltava Oblast, were dismissed on Dec. 30 and are expected to be appointed to new positions soon.

Ukraine’s exports grew 13% in 2024 amid stabilized port activity, Economy Ministry says. Preliminary data shows that Ukraine’s exports grew by more than 13% over the past year, primarily due to stabilizing the functioning of Ukrainian seaports, Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on Dec. 30.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine struck hundreds of targets deep inside Russia in 2024. What did they achieve?

Ukrainian attacks have targeted dozens of oil refineries that aid Russia’s war efforts, arms depots, weapon production plants, as well as military airfields harboring Moscow’s air force.

Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva / AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian startups cut demining time by centuries with new tech

According to Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, a total of 174,000 square kilometers (67,000 square miles) of Ukraine’s land have been considered to be potentially contaminated following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Photo: UNDP in Ukraine

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv brings back 189 Ukrainians from Russian captivity; US unveils $2.5 billion in aid

Ukraine brought back 189 Ukrainian citizens from Russian captivity on Dec. 30 in one of the largest prisoner exchanges during the full-scale war.

Photo: President Volodymyr Zelensky/Telegram

Human cost of war

Russian military suffers 427,000 casualties in 2024, Syrskyi claims. “Russia continues to carry out constant ‘human wave’ assaults, suffering record losses,” Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

Opinions and insights

Opinion: ‘I survived a Russian torture camp. So I had to see Assad’s Sednaya prison’

“After spending 2.5 years in Russia’s secret prison Izolyatsiya and enduring its torture regime, I felt it was essential, both as a survivor and a writer, to examine the elements of a similar system on another continent,” writes Stanislav Aseyev, a Ukrainian writer, journalist, veteran, and a survivor of the Izolyatsia prison in Russia-occupied Donetsk.

Photo: Omar Haj Kadour / AFP via Getty Images

International response

Germany indicts 3 in alleged Russian espionage plot. The suspects, all dual German-Russian nationals, allegedly aimed to disrupt Germany’s support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s all-out war, Deutsche Welle reported on Dec. 30.

US sends $3.4 billion in financial aid to Ukraine. The United States made a $3.4 billion payment in direct budget support to Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced on Dec. 30.

Biden announces $2.5 billion security assistance package for Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden announced a new security assistance package for Ukraine worth nearly $2.5 billion on Dec. 30.

US to send $15 billion to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets, PM says. The United States will provide Ukraine with $15 billion, backed by future revenues from frozen Russian assets, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Dec. 30.

NATO to strengthen Baltic Sea military presence following suspected underwater cable sabotage. NATO allies met on Dec. 30 to address the security of critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, following damage to undersea cables connecting Estonia and Finland several days earlier.

In other news

China’s Xi tells Putin two countries always move forward ‘hand in hand.’ Xi emphasized that China and Russia consistently advance together on a “path of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party,” according to the official Chinese news agency Xinhua.

Kyiv, Damascus hold ‘similar view’ on Russian military presence in Syria, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry says. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha expressed Kyiv’s position on Russia’s military presence in Syria to leaders of the new Syrian administration during a diplomatic visit to Damascus on Dec. 30, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said at an online meeting attended by the Kyiv Independent.

Ukraine quadruples domestic gas transit fees as Russian gas pipeline deal expires. Ukraine will quadruple gas transit tariffs for its domestic customers starting Jan. 1 when a deal to transport Russian gas through Ukrainian pipes expires, the National Energy Regulatory Commission said during a meeting on Dec. 30.

Ukraine can help restore stability in Syria after years of Russian interference, Zelensky says. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine has a chance to contribute to restoring stability in Syria following years of Russian interference, emphasizing that this effort will also bolster Ukraine’s own pursuit of peace.

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