08:21 Ukrainian drones strike at Russian chip manufacturer

Two Ukrainian drones hit the Russian city of Bryansk, around 120 km from the Ukrainian border, during the night. They are said to have destroyed a production facility of the Kremniy EL company, one of Russia's largest manufacturers of microelectronics and parts for Russian weapons, according to a local news agency.

07:45 Russia: Death toll in Belgorod continues to rise
According to Russian information, the number of dead after the Ukrainian attack on the Russian city of Belgorod has risen to 22. This was announced by the governor of the Belgorod region on Telegram on Sunday. Three children were among the dead and 109 people were injured.

07:02 Russian attack in Kharkiv hits "cafés, residential buildings and offices"
Buildings in Kharkiv were damaged in the Russian drone attacks during the night, explains Mayor Ihor Terekhov on the online service Telegram. "These are not military facilities, but cafés, residential buildings and offices," the mayor emphasized. He did not give any details about possible victims.

06:16 USA: Russian civilians also bear the burden of war
During an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in response to a suspected attack in Belgorod, US official John Kelley declared that "Russian civilians are also bearing the brunt of the brutal war". The United States would grieve for every civilian life lost in this conflict and in all conflicts worldwide," Kelley says. "Just as we discuss issues openly and clearly in this chamber, Putin should be honest with his people about the true and mounting costs of his war."

05:36 Lavrov: Have 200 Ukrainians in custody
Russian courts have allegedly sentenced more than 200 Ukrainian fighters to prison since the beginning of Moscow's military operation in Ukraine. "The courts of the Russian Federation have already sentenced more than 200 representatives of Ukrainian armed formations to long prison terms for committing atrocities," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the state news agency RIA.

04:34 Kharkiv reports Russian drone attacks
In Kharkiv, in north-eastern Ukraine, several waves of drone attacks have hit residential buildings in the city center and caused fires. "On the eve of the New Year, the Russians want to intimidate our city, but we are not afraid - we are unbreakable and invincible!" wrote the mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, on the short messaging service Telegram. "Information about possible victims is being clarified."

03:32 Russia: Number of dead in Belgorod rises to 21
The number of people killed in the shelling of Belgorod has risen to 21, three of whom are children. This was reported by the Russian agency Tass, citing the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov. 110 people were also injured and 30 residential buildings were damaged. Russia blames Ukraine for the attack. Kiev has not yet commented.

01:12 Moscow: Ukraine used cluster munitions in Belgorod
Russia accuses Ukraine of a "terrorist attack" on civilians in the Russian city of Belgorod. "In order to increase the number of victims of the terrorist attack, they used cluster munitions," said the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, at the UN Security Council meeting requested by Moscow. It was a "deliberate, indiscriminate attack against a civilian target". Ukraine and its allies rejected the accusations. US representative John Kelly said:. "Russia could end this war today." At the same time, he called for "protection of all civilians on all sides in any conflict".

23:33 Kiev: Drone attack repelled
According to the military administration, Ukrainian air defense systems in the region around Kiev have repelled a Russian drone attack. This was announced by the local military administration via its Telegram channel.

22:11 Three dead and six injured in Russian attacks on Donetsk
Three civilians are reported to have been killed and six injured in Russian missile attacks on frontline communities in the Donetsk region, according toThe Kyiv Independent, citing the Prosecutor General's Office. In the embattled town of Avdiivka, a Russian missile hit a residential garden, killing a 79-year-old resident, according to the report. According to the report, the Russian attack also hit a house in the village of Pokrovsk, killing its 73-year-old owner. Russian forces are also said to have attacked Selidove. They reportedly killed a 60-year-old woman and injured her 36-year-old son and three other civilians. According to reports, four people were hospitalized. The Attorney General's Office has declared that it has launched an investigation into the attack as a suspected war crime. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy reports that Russian forces attacked one of the region's thermal power plants near the front line and halted electricity production. The Ministry of Energy also reports that 16 substations were left without power, leading to blackouts in the area.

21:42 St. Petersburg: "Unauthorized" memorial plaque for Prigozhin appears
A memorial plaque to "Wagner" boss Prigozhin is said to have been placed on the wall of his St. Petersburg office at Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment number 7, according to Radio Liberty, citing a report by "Fontanka". "Fontanka" posted photos of the memorial plaque on its Telegram channel. "The Hero of the Russian Federation, head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin, worked in this house from 2003 to 2023," the plaque reads. Apparently, the installation of the memorial plaque was not approved by the city council. As Fontanka reports, the owner of the building, Bar Service LLC, had previously approached the city's cultural committee with a proposal to install a plaque. However, the authorities had rejected this. Prigozhin died in August 2023 as a result of a private plane crash over the Tver region. Officially, the causes of the disaster are unknown. The funeral of Prigozhin, who bore the title of Hero of Russia, was not held in public, without the state honors due in such cases.

You can read about all previous developments here.