12:34 Russia threatens West with retaliation if central bank reserves are withdrawn

Russia has threatened to withdraw assets from Europe and the USA if the G7 states confiscate 300 billion dollars in frozen reserves held by the Russian central bank. In view of reports that the seven leading industrialized nations (G7) are considering this, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has spoken of theft, a violation of international law and a threat to the global financial system. "It would undermine the trust of other countries in the USA and the EU as economic guarantors." Peskov answered the question of whether there was a list of Western assets that Russia could seize in retaliation in the affirmative. He did not give any details. On Thursday, insiders said that the heads of state and government of the G7 countries were likely to discuss a new legal approach to confiscating the frozen assets at their summit in February. However, no decisions have yet been made.

12:00 Death toll from Russian airstrikes rises to 18
Following the heaviest Russian airstrikes on Ukraine since the start of the war, the death toll has risen to at least 18. Over 100 people were also injured, according to the regional Ukrainian authorities. There were fatalities in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Odessa and the capital Kiev.

11:34 Ukraine: 114 of 158 missiles and drones shot down
According to the air force, Ukraine has shot down 114 of 158 drones and missiles fired by Russia during the night and in the morning. The attacks killed 12 people and injured 76.

10:58 Flying object entered Polish airspace from the direction of Ukraine
The Polish army reports that a flying object has entered Polish airspace from the direction of the Ukrainian border. It is not known what kind of missile it was, explains the task force on Platform X. In recent hours, Russia's massive airstrikes have also targeted the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, which lies close to the border with Poland. The Ukrainian air force says it has shot down most of the drones and cruise missiles fired from Russia.

10:03 Selenskyj: Russia attacked with over 100 missiles
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Russia fired around 110 missiles during its massive airstrike on Friday. Most of them were shot down by air defenses, according to Zelenskyi. It was one of the heaviest air strikes on Ukraine to date.

09:23 Ukraine reports further fatalities in Russian airstrikes
Further fatalities are reported from Ukraine as a result of the massive Russian airstrike. In the eastern city of Dnipro, four people were killed and more than a dozen others injured, according to local authorities. According to the governor of the region, a maternity clinic and a shopping center were hit. The Ministry of Health announced that an unspecified medical facility in the city had been severely damaged. However, all patients and staff were able to escape to safety. Two people were killed in the Black Sea port city of Odessa, according to the regional governor there. At least 15 other people were injured, including two children. Rockets hit residential buildings.

08:43 Bundeswehr general surprised by the Russians' ability to hold out
According to Bundeswehr Major General Christian Freuding, some Russian capabilities were not initially recognized when looking at the war in Ukraine. The head of the Ukraine Situation Center at the Ministry of Defence told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper that "the Russians' ability to hold out was not initially seen in the way we judge it today". "We also didn't see that they would succeed in what we are now clearly observing: That they are ramping up their military-industrial complex, expanding it, increasing production capacities, despite the draconian sanctions regime."

08:09 Ukraine: One dead and 15 injured in massive attacks
According to the authorities, one person has been killed and 15 others injured in massive airstrikes on Ukraine. The fatality is reported from Kharkiv in north-eastern Ukraine. Eight people were injured there. Mayor Ihor Terekhov explained on television that 22 air strikes had been counted. A hospital, several residential buildings and industrial plants had been hit. Seven casualties are reported from Kiev. Mayor Vitali Klitschko writes on the short message service Telegram that a metro station used as a shelter has been damaged.

07:44 Falling debris sets fire to high-rise apartment building in Kiev
According to the authorities, a residential tower block has caught fire as a result of the Russian airstrikes on Kiev. There are casualties, according to the city administration. The fire was caused by falling debris. A warehouse is also on fire.

07:05 Air defense in large-scale operation - explosions in Kiev
According to Ukrainian reports, several Ukrainian cities have been attacked by Russia. Explosions were also heard in the capital Kiev. Mayor Vitali Klitschko calls on residents to seek safety. According to Klitschko, the air defenses are in full operation. There is a missile warning for the capital.

06:14 Selensky calls for a fight against Russia in 2024
In view of uncertain military aid for the coming year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is urging the international community to join forces in the fight against Russia's aggression. "Russian terror must be defeated. Terror must always fail. And all of us in the free world must ensure this together," said Selensky in his video address shortly before the end of the year. Everything must be done to ensure that everyone "shows strength together" in the coming year. Selensky thanked Pope Francis for his peace wishes for Ukraine and the USA for a new military aid package. The United States had supplied new missiles for air defense as well as Himars cruise missiles, 155 and 105 millimeter caliber artillery ammunition and additional armored vehicles. "Everything we need," says Selensky.

05:40 Kharkiv under rocket fire
Kharkiv in north-eastern Ukraine is under Russian missile fire, according to the mayor Ihor Terehov. At least six explosions of anti-aircraft systems have been recorded so far.

04:29 Russians attack Lviv with drones
Russian drones are attacking the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. This was reported by the governor of the region, Maksym Koyytskyi, on Telegram. Local media report explosions.

02:25 Drone parts crash into high-rise building in Odessa
Falling parts of a downed drone have set fire to a high-rise building in Odessa, according to local authorities. The governor of the region, Oleh Kiper, reported the drone attack on Telegram. "A high-rise building in Odessa was damaged by a downed drone". There is no information yet about possible deaths or injuries. The governor calls on all residents of the city to stay in shelters during the drone attack.

00:41 Russia plans to produce 500,000 Ladas next year
Russia's state-owned car manufacturer Avtovas wants to increase production of the Lada brand to 500,000 vehicles next year despite Western sanctions. According to the largest Russian car manufacturer, it expects to produce more than 374,000 Lada vehicles this year. The figure corresponds to a reduced forecast from November. The USA imposed new sanctions against Russia in September, which affected Avtovas. The French Renault Group sold its majority stake in Avtovas in 2022 in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to insiders, the purchase price was just one rouble, but the French secured a six-year buyback option.

23:26 Zelensky talks to the Pope about the Ukrainian peace formula
According to his own statements, Ukrainian President Zelenskyi spoke with Pope Francis in a telephone conversation about the Ukrainian peace formula, which he first presented to the United Nations last year. "We discussed our joint work to implement the Ukrainian peace formula," Selenskyj wrote on X. "Over 80 countries are already involved in this process at the level of their representatives. And there will be more," he adds. The peace formula for Ukraine will next be discussed in Davos (Switzerland). It includes the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, the release of all prisoners of war, a trubunal for Russian war criminals and security guarantees. The Pope has sent a special envoy, the Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, to Kiev, Moscow, Washington and Beijing as part of his peace efforts for Ukraine.

22:14 USA and Russia extend cooperation in space
According to information from Moscow, Russia and the USA are extending their agreement on cross-country flights to the ISS space station. According to the Russian space agency Roskosmos, it has been agreed with the US space agency NASA that mixed space teams will fly to the orbital station up to and including 2025, according to the Interfax news agency. The ISS is one of the few things where Americans and Russians are still working together after the outbreak of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine at the end of February 2022. Cosmonauts and astronauts also fly to the space station together. Due to the tensions, Russia has since announced that it will cease cooperation after 2024 and build its own space station. However, as the construction of the station takes time, Moscow later announced that it was considering remaining on board the ISS until 2028.

21:27 Federal Foreign Office sharply criticizes Moscow after verdict against poets
The Federal Foreign Office reacts with sharp criticism to the sentencing of two Russian poets to several years in prison for their participation in a public anti-war reading (see ticker entry from 16:04). "The Russian regime is allowing the judiciary to stifle freedom of expression", the ministry declared on X. A few hours earlier, a court in Moscow had sentenced the poets Artyom Kamardin and Igor Shtovba in Moscow for "incitement to hatred" and "public calls for activities against state security". Kamardin, 33, and Shtovba, ten years his junior, were arrested in September 2022 after taking part in a public reading in Moscow criticizing the offensive in Ukraine.

20:45 Zelenskyi: Exports of 12 million tons via Black Sea corridor so far
Exports of twelve million tons have been transported via the temporary corridor in the Black Sea set up in August. In his evening video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi says that the corridor "brought particularly important results in December, and this can be felt at the level of our entire economy". Following Russia's withdrawal from the grain agreement brokered by the UN and Turkey, Ukraine established a so-called humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea. Cargo ships that have been stuck in Ukrainian ports since the start of the war in February 2022 have been able to leave via this corridor. Freighters also use it to call at Ukrainian ports to pick up cargo. There is a de facto blockade because Russia suspended the agreement that guaranteed the safe passage of such freighters carrying Ukrainian grain in July. This blockade is to be circumvented by the corridor.

19:50 Ukraine reports dead and injured in Russian attacks in the south
According to the Ukrainian authorities, at least three people have been killed and nine others injured in Russian attacks on several targets in the south of Ukraine. Two fishermen were killed in the shelling of the village of Bilenke in the Zaporizhzhya region, the Prosecutor General's Office announced on Telegram. Five other civilians suffered injuries of varying severity. According to the authorities, one villager was killed and four others were injured in another Russian attack on the village of Orikhiv. According to police reports, the Kharkiv region in north-eastern Ukraine was also the target of several Russian attacks. Following an attack on the town of Vovchansk near the border with Russia, a 60-year-old woman died of her serious injuries, police said. Three women aged between 58 and 76 were injured in an airstrike on the village of Glushkivka.

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11:54 Military response to cyberattacks discussed in UkraineIn response to the ongoing cyberwar against Ukraine, there have been discussions about strengthening the military's cyberdefense capabilities. Volodymyr Selensky, the Ukrainian President, has emphasized the importance of this, especially in light of recent attacks that have disrupted critical infrastructure.

10:18 Nato considers aiding Ukraine with cyberdefenseAs cyberattacks against Ukraine continue, Nato is considering providing support to strengthen Ukraine's cyberdefenses. This could involve sharing best practices, providing training, and even offering technical assistance to help Ukraine better protect itself against cyber threats.

09:30 Russia denies involvement in cyberattacks against UkraineDespite strong evidence linking Russia to the cyberattacks against Ukraine, the Russian government continues to deny any involvement. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has dismissed the accusations as part of a "war propaganda" campaign by the West.

08:46 Ukrainian government to announce new cybersecurity measuresIn response to the ongoing cyberattacks against Ukraine, the Ukrainian government is expected to announce new measures to strengthen its cybersecurity. These could include the creation of a dedicated cybersecurity agency, the implementation of more stringent security protocols, and the allocation of additional resources to cyberdefense.

Source: www.ntv.de

12:34 Russia threatens West with retaliation if central bank reserves are withdrawn