06:58 Russian governor: 600 people evacuated in Belgorod

Yesterday, Wednesday, Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out further missile and drone attacks on the southern region of Belgorod. The governor of the region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, later explained that 600 residents had to be evacuated due to unexploded ammunition. A total of 323 houses within a radius of 500 meters were evacuated while sappers assessed the danger, he says. Several villages had come under fire and a power line had been cut, Gladkov added. There have been repeated attacks on the southern Russian region since the weekend. According to Russian reports, 25 people have been killed.

06:19 Ukrainians are tired of the war: "Telemarathon" by Selenskyj and Co annoying
Once called a "weapon" by President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, many Ukrainians say after nearly two years of war they are fed up with the government-sponsored telemarathon broadcast around the clock, the New York Times reported on January 3. Oksana Romaniuk, head of the Kiev Institute for Mass Information, called it state propaganda and said, "Everyone is fed up with this image that says: we are winning, everyone likes us and gives us money." Since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, Ukrainians have only seen one television news program, which revolves around political leaders seeking support abroad and troops firing on Russian positions. There are also catchy slogans and mood-lifting themes. Most Ukrainians saw the telemarathon as vital at the beginning of the war. "It was life-saving content," says Khrystyna Havryliuk, a well-known local journalist. But in the third year of the war, the number of Ukrainians who trust the Telemarathon has dropped significantly - from 69 percent in May 2022 to just 43 percent in December 2023, according to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

01:39 Ukraine reports new attacks on Kharkiv
Russian airstrikes are reported again from Kharkiv in the late evening. According to the military administration, there is damage to civilian infrastructure in the city center. No casualties have been reported so far.

23:06 Ukrainian energy supplier fears no serious outages
The Ukrainian state energy supplier Ukrenerho does not expect the power grid to collapse, even if Russia uses the coming cold weather for new attacks. "The enemy will not reach it," says Ukrenerho boss Volodymyr Kudrytsky. Hits would cause problems. "But I am sure that it will only be temporary interruptions to the power supply due to damage to some systems," says Kudryzkyj. Nevertheless, he advises Ukrainians to use electricity sparingly.

22:01 France sees only Ukrainian self-defense in Belgorod attack
The French Foreign Ministry comments on the attack on the Russian city of Belgorod, for which Moscow blames Ukraine and in which 24 people were killed and over 100 others injured. Kiev has not claimed responsibility for the attack. "There is an attacking state, Russia, which is carrying out a strategy of terror by deliberately attacking important civilian infrastructure in violation of international humanitarian law, and an attacked state, Ukraine, which is acting in self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter," says a representative of the French Foreign Ministry. "Russia can put an end to this conflict and the human tragedies associated with it, for which it bears full responsibility. To do so, it must withdraw all its troops from the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine."

21:17 Emergency power supply at Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant improved
The emergency power system at the occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia has been improved to prevent a nuclear accident. At the urging of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Russian operators of the nuclear power plant near the front line have set up a system that automatically connects the nuclear power plant to a backup power line in the event of a main line failure. This was announced by IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in Vienna. The power plant, which is currently not generating any electricity, needs external power to ensure that the reactors are cooled on a permanent basis. The nuclear power plant has already suffered several temporary power outages in the course of the Russian war of aggression.

20:38 USA rejects report on changed Ukraine strategy
The USA rejects a media report that it is seeking to change Ukraine's strategy in the war against Russia. In response to a question from journalists, a State Department spokesperson stated that this was "not true". On December 27, Politico reported that the USA and European representatives were secretly changing their focus. According to the report, the Ukrainian goal of a complete victory over Russia should no longer be pursued. Instead, an improvement in the situation before negotiations to end the war is being advocated. An unnamed representative of the US government and a European diplomat were cited as sources.

20:04 Experts are not allowed to enter the reactor halls of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant
Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been prevented from inspecting the reactor halls of three units at the Russian-occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhya, according to the organization. Experts have not been allowed to enter the reactor halls of units one, two and six over the past two weeks, explains IAEA Director Rafael Grossi. "This is the first time that IAEA experts have not been given access to a reactor hall of a unit that was in cold shutdown." In addition, access to some parts of the power plant's turbine halls is still restricted, Grossi explains. The IAEA is also waiting for the access to the reactor roofs planned for December 19, which "did not take place due to safety concerns". Grossi added that his team would continue to request access to the reactor halls where the reactor core and spent fuel are located.

You can read about all previous developments here.