22:40 Girkin supporters gather in Moscow

Hundreds of supporters of the imprisoned former separatist leader Igor Girkin have supported his candidacy for the Russian presidential election next year at a meeting in Moscow. Over 300 of them gathered in a hotel in the Russian capital to campaign for Girkin. Among them were many women, elderly people and military veterans. Some wore T-shirts with Girkin's face and the slogan "Freedom for Strelkov", his pseudonym. The military blogger supports the current Russian offensive in Ukraine, but strongly condemns its military strategy as not tough enough.

22:04 Russians step up attacks on Dnipro bridgeheads
On December 24, the Russian armed forces apparently stepped up their attacks on the left bank of the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine. This is according to information from the Ukrainian High Command. According to the information, the defenders repelled 23 Russian attacks. However, the Russian attackers received a "good thrashing" and suffered "considerable losses", according to the army command. The Ukrainians held the front line and their positions. Yesterday, Saturday, the defenders reported 15 repulsed attacks from there. Ukrainian units have established bridgeheads on the southern bank of the Dnipro.

21:32 Selenskyj: "Another dimension of Christmas"
In his Christmas Eve address in the heart of the capital Kiev, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj says that millions of Ukrainians have experienced "another dimension of Christmas". Once again, they were celebrating in times of war against Ukraine. "We all celebrate Christmas together. (...) Our gifts, values and traditions have changed. Nowadays, it's not so much about how we decorate our homes, but about how we protect them, clean up the mess and eradicate the enemy. We are happy to see the first star in the evening sky and not see enemy missiles and drones in it." He wished "the victorious return of all those who celebrate Christmas Eve with weapons in their hands in the trenches and oppose the enemy. Guardian angels of Ukraine who prove to us every day: Good will prevail, light will prevail."

20:57 Ukraine announces artillery cooperation with France
In January 2024, a new "artillery coalition" will begin its work in Paris, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Hawryliuk announced during the meeting with the delegation of the Senate of the French Parliament. It is crucial for Ukraine to "improve its firepower by receiving artillery systems from its allies", according to a statement. The armed forces are therefore particularly interested in the further procurement of self-propelled howitzers such as the French Caesar system. With the help of automated targeting technology, the ammunition consumption of the system is to be reduced by 30 percent. The Ukrainian military is suffering from an acute shortage of ammunition for its Soviet-era artillery systems. The 122-mm and 152-mm shells are therefore being heavily rationed for front-line use.

20:14 Ukraine: Russian armed forces increase artillery strikes
The Russian armed forces have increased the number of artillery attacks, according to the Ukrainian High Command. On December 24, more than 1,000 cases of shelling were registered in the Khortytsya region in the east alone. "The enemy is actively using tactical aircraft and FPV drones and carrying out offensive operations with the support of armored vehicles," it says: "The number of enemy artillery attacks is more than 1,000 per day." On the various fronts, the Ukrainian forces registered 48 ground attacks during the day. In addition, there were 29 Russian airstrikes and 26 attacks with multiple rocket launchers on positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements. There is no information about shifts on the front. The information cannot be independently verified.

19:39 London: "We know what happens when dictators march through Europe"
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps says the West "cannot afford" to lose the war in Ukraine. A victory for Vladimir Putin would have "serious consequences". "The consequences would be incredibly serious for Europe, for Britain, for the world," Shapps speculates. "We know what happens when dictators march through Europe. Currently, defense spending across the West, including the UK, is not enough to fend off the threat of a resurgent Russia. Supporting Ukraine is "not some kind of charity". It was in the West's own interests, he said.

18:48 Ukrainian military: 19 settlements on the border with Russia evacuated
19 settlements in Sumy oblast have been completely evacuated. This was announced by the oblast's military administration. The settlements in the north-east of Ukraine are less than 5 kilometers from the Russian border. A total of 12,689 people lived so close to the border, including 712 children. Almost 4,000 of these people have now left their homes. In July, the administration called for people to move away from the border. The evacuation is taking place on a voluntary basis.

17:53 Russia reports downing of four Ukrainian fighter jets
According to Russia, it has shot down four Ukrainian military aircraft in the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Defense announced that the air defense had downed three Su-27 fighter jets and one Su-24 tactical bomber in the Zaporizhzhya and Dnipropetrovsk regions in south-eastern Ukraine. No further details are given.

17:28 NGO rescues three children from Russian-occupied territories
At Christmas, the aid organization Save Ukraine brings three children back to unoccupied territories: an eight-year-old boy and two 18-year-old brothers who came of age under occupation. The two were orphans who grew up with a foster family. "After growing up, the boys realized that the occupying power would soon send them to fight against their own countrymen," writes NGO founder Mykola Kuleba. In Ukraine, the brothers were wanted as missing persons. Eight-year-old Yelysey is being taken to his mother. So far, "Save Ukraine" has already brought 226 children back to Ukraine, according to the organization. According to the Ukrainian government, around 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted by Russian forces since the start of the large-scale invasion. The International Criminal Court has therefore issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

16:51 Power plant partially shut down after Russian attacks
One of the units of a thermal power plant in Donetsk Oblast is shut down due to an emergency. Russian forces damaged a 330-kilovolt line belonging to the Ukrainian state energy supplier Ukrenergo. Five employees are injured. "The bombing damaged the power grid and the power plant itself. Civilian consumers were cut off from the power supply," the Ministry of Energy announced. A 330-kilovolt line in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast is also interrupted due to considerable damage. Fighting continues in the regions.

16:10 Iceland increases support for Ukraine
Iceland announces that it will join the IT and demining coalitions for Ukraine. It is also supporting NATO's purchase of medical supplies for the country with 340,000 euros. "(We are) continuing our support for Ukraine in the fight against the unjustified and illegal invasion by Russia," says Iceland's Foreign Minister Bjarni Benediktsson. The IT Coalition currently comprises eight countries. The formation of the demining coalition has been announced, but has not yet been finalized. It is to help remove mines in the liberated areas as well as on the front line.

15:44 Ukraine: Russia has lost more than 350,000 soldiers
According to estimates by the Ukrainian armed forces, more than 350,000 Russian soldiers have lost their lives in Ukraine in just under two years. As of December 24, 353,190 Russian soldiers have been killed in the campaign since the start of the large-scale invasion - 800 of them on December 23. In addition, the attackers are said to have lost 5858 tanks, 10,888 armored combat vehicles and 8314 artillery systems. The figures cannot be independently verified.

15:16 Defense minister on new forces: No one will be demobilized, but frontline rotation possible
Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov says in an interview that no one will be demobilized until the war is over. However, soldiers will be given the opportunity to rest or be partially discharged. To do so, they must have been on the front line for two years. The Ukrainian armed forces want to call up 450,000 to 500,000 new soldiers next year. Among other things, they are to enable a rotation of personnel at the front. There must be rules for this, says Umierov: "If the government wants to be supported by society, it must explain how mobilization, demobilization, deferment, social protection and other things are regulated." Military service should not be perceived as a punishment.

14:36 Ukraine: Russian air force reduces its attacks after shooting down Su-34s
The Russian armed forces are reducing their air attacks after the loss of three of their Su-34 fighter-bombers in southern Ukraine, reports Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian air force. "The enemy is now trying to conduct as much reconnaissance as possible to gather information in the southern areas where the Russian fighters were shot down," he says. According to this, the Russians are trying to find out from where exactly the fighter planes were shot down. On the Kherson front in particular, the Russians deployed far fewer aircraft. The information cannot be independently verified. Ihnat emphasized that if Ukraine were to get more air defense systems, such shoot-downs could be more frequent.

13:57 Zelenskyi after attack on Kherson: Russian army deliberately shelling normal roads
Ukrainian President Zelenskyi accuses the Russian army of deliberately attacking normal roads and civilian infrastructure. Hospitals, a school, municipal heating networks and residential buildings were damaged in last night's attack on Kherson, says Zelenskyi. "There are casualties, including a child. They are all receiving help. Unfortunately, there are also fatalities. My condolences to the families." Work is being done around the clock to restore the power and heat supply, he added. The governor of Kherson had previously confirmed three fatalities and one injured person. According to the report, the Russian army had shelled the city center with artillery.

13:32 Borrell: "Putin is prepared to let his compatriots die"
EU foreign policy chief Borrell assumes that Russian President Putin will not give up the war. "Putin has decided to continue the war until the final victory", he tells the British Guardian. The Kremlin leader will not be able to be satisfied with a piece of Ukraine and "leave the rest to the European Union". Borrell warns that "if we do not mobilize all our capacities, Putin will be able to win the war in Ukraine". At the same time, Russia's success depends on getting as many people as possible onto the battlefield, Borrell believes. Putin is "still willing to fight and let his countrymen die so that his army and the population suffer" because he knows no turning back.

13:03 Governor reports shelling of Russian villages
The governor of the Russian Belgorod Oblast, which borders on Ukraine, reports Ukrainian attacks. Several villages were shelled with artillery yesterday, says Vyacheslav Gladkov. He also reports attacks using kamikaze drones. According to Gladkov, a drone exploded on a bridge between two villages in the Grayvoronsky district while repair work was being carried out there. According to him, five workers were injured. Six residential buildings were also damaged.

12:35 Ukraine: Polish truck drivers end blockade at a border crossing
According to Ukrainian reports, Polish truck drivers protesting at the border with Ukraine have ended their blockade of one of the crossings. Traffic has been flowing normally again at the Medyka border crossing in southern Poland since the morning, according to the Ukrainian border guard. Registration and the movement of trucks across the border into Ukraine are "proceeding as usual". On Friday, the new Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski and the Ukrainian President Selenskyj spoke about the border blockade. Polish transport companies have been blocking important border crossings to Ukraine since the beginning of November. They are complaining of "unfair competition" from Ukrainian companies after the EU suspended a number of conditions for border transportation due to the Russian attack on Ukraine.

12:02 Exiled mayor reports explosions in Tokmak
The exiled mayor of Melitopol reports explosions in Tokmak, which is occupied by Russian troops. The explosions were heard in the northern outskirts, writes Ivan Fedorov on Telegram. Tokmak and Melitopol are located in the Ukrainian oblast of Zaporizhia, which is partly controlled by Russia.

11:26 Russia lacks millions of workers according to study
According to a report, Russia has a shortage of around 4.8 million workers this year. An acute labor shortage is also expected in the coming year, reports the newspaper "Izvestia", citing experts and the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The author of the study, Nikolai Achapkin, is quoted by the paper as saying that the labor shortage will increase significantly in 2022 and 2023. Drivers and store workers are particularly in demand. According to the study, the number of vacancies in relation to the total number of workers rose to 6.8 percent by mid-2023 compared to 5.8 percent in the previous year. The reasons cited include population growth and emigration. Hundreds of thousands of Russians left their country after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Many fled because they rejected the war or feared being drafted.

10:53 Military expert Wiegold: Putin's denial "rings all the alarm bells"
Russia's President Putin describes warnings by the US President of a Russian attack on NATO territory as "complete nonsense". Such a scenario would not be in Moscow's interests. Military and security expert Thomas Wiegold finds the statement suspiciously familiar.

10:31 Russia: Ten drones shot down over Donetsk
The Russian military claims to have intercepted ten Ukrainian drones over the Donetsk region within 24 hours. These were shot down by air defense systems over Horlivka, Maryinka and Pobyeda, an army spokesman told the state news agency Tass. Eleven Ukrainian attacks were also thwarted, he added. The military spokesman also reported attacks on Ukrainian troops in which up to 200 Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded. The information cannot be verified.

10:02 Armed forces warn of new air strikes
In the south and east of Ukraine, as well as in large parts of the center, there is an air alert this morning. The Ukrainian air force warns of possible missile attacks. After about half an hour to an hour, the military gives the all-clear for most regions.

09:42 Kherson region counts hundreds of grenade attacks
The military administration of the Kherson region reports Russian attacks with dead and injured. Within 24 hours, four people were killed and nine others injured in the region, the administration writes. According to the report, 88 attacks were counted. Residential areas, an educational institution and critical infrastructure objects were targeted. By this morning, 71 shells had been fired at the city of Kherson alone. A total of 425 shells are reported, as well as attacks with the SU-23 anti-aircraft gun, drones, aircraft and two rockets.

09:02 Partisan group claims to have uncovered new command post in Crimea
A partisan group claims to have discovered a new Russian command post in Crimea. The "Atesh" group wrote on Telegram that partisans had gained access to the site of a former ammunition depot near Yevpatoria. They had discovered a new Russian troop command post. Military equipment had also been moved there in recent days to make up for losses suffered by Russian troops in southern Ukraine. The group publishes the coordinates of the location and pictures.

08:14 Kherson reports three dead after shelling
According to Ukrainian reports, three people have been killed and another injured in Russian attacks on Kherson. Governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram that the Russian army had shelled the city center during the night. An artillery shell hit a residential building, says Produkin. An 87-year-old man and his 81-year-old wife were killed in the attack. Rescue workers found another body when they were clearing rubble. A 54-year-old man was also injured by an explosion.

07:45 Ukraine: Drone attacks repelled during the night
According to the army, Ukraine was again attacked by Russia with "Shahed" drones last night. These were launched from the Russian Primorsko-Akhtarsk on the Sea of Azov. According to the Ukrainian air force, 14 of the 15 combat drones were shot down. According to the report, the drones were shot down in the Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhya, Dnipropetrovsk and Khmelnytskyi oblasts. It remains unclear whether one of the 15 drones landed a hit or missed its target. Nothing is known so far about possible casualties or damage - for example from falling debris.

07:14 Taiwan sets up fund for Ukrainian refugees
Taiwan is providing one million US dollars to support Ukrainian refugees in Poland. A fund will be set up together with an alliance of major Polish cities, according to the Foreign Ministry in Taipei. Among other things, the money will be used to improve educational opportunities for Ukrainian children and young people.

06:37 Russia to use banned gas in war
The US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes that the Russian Black Sea Fleet has admitted to using banned chemicals during the war. Among other things, the organization refers to a Telegram entry from the 810th Marine Infantry Brigade. It describes a tactic in which K-51 grenades are dropped from drones onto Ukrainian positions in order to force the soldiers out of their positions and then attack them with various weapons. In addition, footage from the 810th Brigade is said to show K-51 grenades presumably being used at Krynki near Kherson. These grenades are filled with CS gas, also known as tear gas, writes ISW. However, the use of CS gas in wars is prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention.

05:40 Dead and injured after explosion in Lviv
An explosion in a house in Lviv has probably killed three people and injured at least four, as Lviv's mayor Andrii Sadovyi reported in the evening. Sadovyi notes that the load-bearing walls of the house were damaged and that people were trapped under the rubble. While the exact cause of the explosion has not yet been confirmed, Sadovyi says it was likely caused by a gas leak in the house's garage.

03:36 Zelenskyi thanks for cheetahs from Germany
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi thanks Germany, Finland and the Netherlands for new military aid in the fight against the Russian war of aggression. Germany had supplied the Gepard anti-aircraft tank, 155-caliber artillery shells and other necessary weapons, said Zelenskyi in his video message broadcast in Kiev in the evening. Germany had also sent the US Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. Selensky emphasizes that a well-functioning air defence system is the key to ending the war.

01:57 Gas consumption in Germany higher than in 2022
Private households and companies in Germany have consumed 7.2 percent more gas since October 1 than in the same period last year. This was reported by the Funke newspapers, citing calculations by the Federal Network Agency. According to these calculations, gas consumption by private households and businesses has increased by 2.5 percent. Gas consumption in industry even increased by 11.1 percent. However, unlike in the previous year, the Network Agency is not concerned. "We can see that gas consumption rises when it gets cold. But a few cold days don't worry us," said Network Agency boss Klaus Müller. According to the network agency's calculations, gas consumption in Germany in 2023 has fallen by 13.9 percent compared to the winters of 2018 to 2021 - i.e. before the Russian attack on Ukraine and the end of Russian gas supplies - despite the increase since October.

23:40 Kherson region under heavy fire
Ukrainian officials from the Kherson region report heavy Russian shelling and numerous drone attacks. The governor of Kherson, Oleksandr Prokudin, announced that a man had been killed in a drone attack in the town of Stanislav, southeast of the city of Kherson. Seven people were injured in an attack on residential areas. According to local authorities, Russian forces also fired on a power plant near the front line in eastern Ukraine. The town of Kurakhovo is now without electricity.

22:23 Ukraine's frontline soldiers lack artillery ammunition
The Ukrainian armed forces are having to severely ration their artillery ammunition, reports the Washington Post. Due to the lack of ammunition, planned attacks against Russian positions have also been canceled. "We get a limited number for each target," a soldier from the Zaporizhzhya oblast is quoted as saying. For a smaller target, such as a mortar position, they received five to seven shells. "The guys are very tired," he says. They are still motivated because they have no other choice. "But you don't win a war with motivation alone." A member of another artillery brigade reports that they fire around 10 to 20 shells a day at enemy targets. Previously, the average was 50, sometimes up to 90 a day. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the lack of ammunition this week.

21:43 Kiev considers electronic conscription
Ukraine's Ministry of Defense is considering sending conscription notices for Ukrainians electronically in the future. This could be used to reach nationals abroad, among others. The army leadership has recommended that the government mobilize 450,000 to 500,000 soldiers in the coming year. According to various media reports, Kiev has not yet made a decision on this. The Ukrainian parliament must decide on the call-up.

You can read about all previous developments here.