23:52 Putin invites India's Prime Minister Modi to Russia

Russian President Putin has invited India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russia next year. "We are waiting for him in Russia," said Putin at a meeting with India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, according to a Kremlin statement. According to the statement, the Indian leadership has already agreed in principle to the visit. India and Russia maintain good economic and political relations. The leadership in New Delhi is neutral towards the Russian war of aggression, does not support Western sanctions against Moscow and repeatedly promotes conflict resolution through dialog. Since the start of the war, India has increased imports of cheap oil from Russia.

22:17 USA provides Ukraine with last aid package for the time being
The US government is providing Ukraine with a further 250 million US dollars (around 225 million euros) in military aid - meaning that the US funds approved to date have now been largely exhausted. This is the last package this year, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Among other things, the aid mainly includes ammunition - including 15 million rounds for smaller weapons as well as ammunition for air defense or the US Himars multiple rocket launcher. How US support will continue in the future is completely open. The White House had already declared in mid-December that it only had funds for one more military aid package for Ukraine this year. The release of further funds is currently being blocked by a dispute in the US Parliament between Republicans and Democrats. It is unclear if, how and when both parties will agree on new funds next year.

21:36 Selenskyj: Ukraine can become one of the largest arms producers
According to President Volodymyr Selenskyj, Ukraine can become one of the largest arms producers in the world in the future. He is certain that the Ukrainian arms industry "can definitely become one of the top 10 most productive and strongest arms complexes in the world over time", said Zelensky in his evening video address. The industry is already contributing not only to strengthening Russia's own defense capabilities against the war of aggression, but also to economic growth and employment. Selensky praised the agreement with Western partners, above all the USA, on joint weapons production as "one of our greatest political achievements this year". This makes it possible to build modern military equipment. The production of Western types of weapons is to be further localized.

20:49 Ukraine: tripled its own arms production this year
According to Ukraine, it has significantly increased its production of military equipment in 2023 despite constant Russian air strikes. "Overall, we have tripled our production this year," Olexander Kamyshin, Minister for Strategic Industries, told journalists in Kiev. Almost a third of the economic growth of 4.9 percent was generated by defense companies. A total of around 300,000 workers are currently employed in the 500 or so mostly private companies. According to the minister, Kiev has increased the production of mortar shells by a factor of 42, among other things. Production of artillery shells has almost tripled.

19:59 Putin challenger Duntsova wants to found her own party
In Russia, journalist Ekaterina Duntsova, who was excluded from the presidential election, announces the founding of her own party. "This will be the party of all those who stand up for peace, freedom and democracy," Duntsova declared on Telegram. The Russian Supreme Court had previously rejected Duntsova's appeal against her exclusion from next year's election. The peace activist was previously only politically active as a city councillor in the Russian province. Among other things, she had publicly spoken out against the Russian offensive in Ukraine. "We have to act to make our voice heard," Duntsova continues. She hopes that this will give Russians "the right to live without fear, to speak freely and to have confidence in the future".

19:06 Kiev on Kretschmer's idea: Russian troops will then move closer to Saxony
Ukraine rejects an idea by Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer for a ceasefire with Russia, possibly with a temporary cession of territory (see ticker entry from 02:44). "If Ukraine accepts the temporary loss of territory, Russian troops will move closer to Germany and Saxony," wrote Oleh Nikolenko, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Kiev, on Facebook. Russian President Vladimir Putin is also very familiar with Saxony from his time in Dresden. Nikolenko recalls that both former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chancellor Olaf Scholz have tried to influence Putin. "Concessions on territories will inevitably lead to greater aggression by Russia, which will undoubtedly go beyond the borders of Ukraine," emphasizes Nikolenko. Peace in Europe can only be achieved by defeating Moscow.

18:31 Russian soldiers allegedly shot prisoners - Ukraine investigates
The Ukrainian public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the suspected shooting of prisoners of war by Russian soldiers. In December, three Ukrainian soldiers were taken prisoner of war in the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhya near Robotyne and shot a short time later, according to the authorities. A video of the shooting is circulating on the internet. A similar video of prisoners of war being shot near Stepowe in the Donetsk region had already emerged at the beginning of December. The public prosecutor's office is also investigating this.

18:05 Ukraine has received over 38 billion euros in financial aid in 2023
Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia, has received the equivalent of more than 38 billion euros in international financial aid in 2023. "This has allowed us to finance all necessary expenditure," says Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko in an interview with Forbes Ukraine magazine. This mainly concerns defense spending, but also pensions, aid for internally displaced persons and salaries for state employees. The year 2023 was therefore more stable than the previous year. However, every day of war costs the country a good 120 million euros in defense spending alone. With regard to the coming year, the minister emphasized: "I am less worried about 2024 than 2025." This is mainly due to the uncertainties regarding further support from the European Union and the USA due to the upcoming elections in 2024. For 2024, Marchenko had already previously stated the need for funds from abroad at the equivalent of over 33 billion euros.

17:14 FDP deputyleader Kubicki: If necessary, reinstatecompulsory military service
The deputy leader of the FDP, Wolfgang Kubicki, does not rule out the reintroduction of compulsory military service. "I was already against the suspension of compulsory military service in the past," Kubicki told Die Welt. "Because I said that the Bundeswehr would remain an army of the people - and that makes it harder to want to play a part on all the battlefields in the world." Kubicki goes on to say that Germany is "mentally and in fact neither ready nor able to defend itself at the moment". Europe as a whole cannot defend itself alone at the moment. "That's why I'm in favor of supplying Ukraine with what we can. And then quickly reorder it for the Bundeswehr." There was a risk that the Americans would not be prepared to defend Europe in an emergency: "So we need to rearm as much as possible as quickly as possible, and if necessary, we need to reinstate compulsory military service."

16:42 Russia and India want closer arms cooperation
Russia and India want to cooperate more closely in the production of armaments. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said this after a meeting with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Moscow, according to the state news agency Tass. Lavrov did not give any details. It was about the joint production of modern types of weapons as well as arms production within the framework of the Indian "Make in India" program. The cooperation serves strategic security on the Eurasian continent, says Lavrov.

15:49 Apparently another ship hit in attack on Crimean port
Another Russian navy ship has apparently been badly hit in the Ukrainian air attack on the landing ship "Novocherkassk" in the port of the city of Feodosiya in Crimea. The US-funded broadcaster Radio Liberty, citing recent satellite images from December 26, reports that the training ship UTS-150 was partially sunk. According to the report, the training ship was anchored not far from the "Novocherkassk".

According to the Ukrainian air force, the "Novocherkassk" was hit with cruise missiles and destroyed on Tuesday. Photos and videos of a large explosion could be seen on social networks. The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the attack, but only spoke of damage to the ship without giving further details. According to officially unconfirmed reports, the "Novocherkassk" is said to have been loaded with combat drones and other ammunition.

15:18 Russian court confirms ban on anti-war activist
Russia's Supreme Court has confirmed a ban on former journalist and anti-war activist Ekaterina Duntsova from running in the presidential election in March, as she herself announced. Her candidacy was rejected by the Central Election Commission on Saturday, citing "numerous violations" in her documents. Critics of incumbent Vladimir Putin stated that this showed that the outcome of the election had already been effectively decided. According to the presidential office, however, Putin enjoys broad support among the population. Polls put his popularity at 80 percent.

14:40 Several dead in Russian drone attacks
According to the authorities, two people were killed in a new wave of Russian drone attacks on Ukraine during the night. A 35-year-old man was killed when debris from a downed drone fell on his house in the Odessa region, according to Governor Oleh Kiper. Another man died of his injuries in hospital. Four other people were also injured, including a 17-year-old teenager. According to the Ukrainian air force, 32 out of a total of 46 drones were shot down. Most of the drones that did not succeed hit the frontline areas, particularly in the Kherson region. From there, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry reported another fatality due to Russian shelling.

13:59 Deepstate: Russians launch major breakthrough attempt - and experience fiasco
The popular Ukrainian war blog Deepstate, citing information from the Kiev armed forces, reports on a major attack by Russian tanks, which is said to have ended in losses. "Today's attempt by the enemy to break through to Stepove ended in another fiasco," it says on Telegram. Photos of the 47th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian army are also published. Stepove is close to the heavily contested town of Avdiivka. In the morning, Russian forces attacked the village with at least ten armored personnel carriers and several tanks. According to Deepstate, they are now only collecting the "remains". More videos from the 47th Brigade are expected soon. Russian forces are said to have lost thousands of soldiers and hundreds of armored vehicles and tanks near Avdiivka in recent weeks.

13:11 "Mountains of corpses. And no one is even trying to take them away
The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valery Salushnyi, has spoken about his biggest mistake, according to the Nexta media outlet: "My main mistake is that I thought that such a number of losses as we inflicted on them would stop anyone. But it didn't stop Russia," Salushnyj said. In a recent press conference, he nevertheless made it clear how important it was to continue inflicting heavy losses on the Russian armed forces. "Today it is difficult to estimate how many more losses are needed to stop them. I believe that it is necessary to do this constantly, until the end of the war, until the enemy gives up the fight against our country." According to him, the losses would have stopped any other country - just not Russia. "What is happening on the line of contact - mountains of corpses. And no one is even trying to remove them. Every day there are more and more," says Salushnyj.

12:10 Thiele sees new quality of war: "Russia is working its way forward in small steps"
According to military expert Ralph Thiele, the successful Ukrainian attack on a Russian warship is merely a pinprick in the fighting. Even if Moscow has to accept high losses of life and material, the armed forces can still record successes.

11:31 After successful attack on warship: Russia withdraws ships from Crimea
Following the attack on the large landing ship "Novocherkassk ", Russia withdrew two ships from the Bay of Feodosiya near the Crimean peninsula a few hours later, according to the US-funded broadcaster Radio Liberty. A correspondent was able to observe this. However, due to the distance and visibility, it was not possible to identify the ships. Judging by their size, however, they were possibly a warship and a military boat, according to yesterday's report with an accompanying photo. Meanwhile, Ukrainian navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said that there could have been around 80 people on the "Novocherkassk" at the time of the attack. "Ships like this don't usually remain in port without a crew," says Pletenchuk. The investigation is still ongoing.

10:47 Russian Foreign Ministry shoots sharply against the West
Statements from the Russian Foreign Ministry suggest that there is still no interest in a peaceful solution. The ministry's spokeswoman, Zakharova, accuses the West of provoking Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which she trivializes as the "Ukraine conflict". The settlement is only possible by achieving the "goals of the special military operation". She also claims that a "Western ideology" is being imposed on Ukraine that contradicts its history. "People celebrate religious holidays to be closer to God, and only in Ukraine is Christmas celebrated to be closer to Europe," said Zakharova. The EU recently opened accession negotiations with Ukraine, which was received very positively by the government and large parts of the population. This year, for the first time, the number of people celebrating Christmas on December 25th was also higher in the country.

09:56 Ukraine admits withdrawal from ruined city of Marjinka - ISW nevertheless does not see a major Russian success
The probable capture of Mariinka in the Donetsk region by Russia represents a limited tactical gain for Russia, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). However, this does not indicate any operationally significant progress, according to a recent analysis. "Unless the Russian armed forces have dramatically improved their ability to conduct rapid mechanized forward movement, for which there is no evidence," writes the ISW. It is highly unlikely that the Russian forces will make rapid operational progress from Marjinka. At best, the capture of the settlement would create the conditions for further limited tactical gains.

09:14 "Putin's departure will inevitably lead to a splintering of the elites"
Despite all the current repression, the well-known Russian human rights activist Oleg Orlov believes that opposition and civil society engagement is important as preparation for a time after the current Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. "As long as he himself is at the helm, I don't think we can hope for any changes," says Orlov, who is facing several years in prison for his criticism of Putin's war against Ukraine, in Moscow. "But his departure will inevitably lead to change and a splitting up of the elites," adds the 70-year-old. "And the opposition and the remnants of civil society will have a huge role to play at this moment to ensure that these are not purely cosmetic changes."

08:24 Kherson the target of drone attacks
The southern Ukrainian city of Kherson has been a target of Russian drone strikes since Tuesday evening. According to Mayor Roman Mrotschko, Iranian-made Shahed drones were used. He called on the population to take shelter. Some of the Shahed drones used by Russia against targets in Ukraine had crashed without causing any damage.

07:39 Dozens of Russian attacks from the air, 17 from Ukraine
Last night shows Russia's superiority in aerial attacks: according to the Ukrainian General Staff, Kremlin troops attacked Ukrainian positions and civilian facilities dozens of times on December 26. Specifically, 60 airstrikes, 69 missile attacks, 46 attacks with Shahed drones, 69 missile salvos and eight attacks with cruise missiles were counted. 32 of the Shahed drones were shot down. According to the report, Ukraine only carried out 17 airstrikes.

07:11 Russian oil goes mainly to China and India
According to official figures, half of Russia's oil exports this year are going to China. "The most important partners in the current situation are China, whose share has risen to around 45 to 50 percent, and of course India," Russian state news agencies quote Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak as saying. India's share has risen from almost zero to 40 percent within two years. "There used to be practically no deliveries to India." Europe's share of Russian crude oil exports has fallen from around 40 to 45 percent to around four to five percent.

06:45 Russia wants to install modern howitzers on the border with Finland
According to the arms company Rostec, Russia plans to station its most modern artillery systems on the border with Finland and Norway. The tests of the new Coalition-SV self-propelled howitzers have been completed and mass production has already begun, Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov told the state news agency RIA. The first series production will be delivered by the end of 2023. "I think that they will soon be deployed there, because howitzers of this class are necessary to outperform Western artillery models in terms of range." President Vladimir Putin had announced that Russia would strengthen its armed forces on the country's western borders when Finland joined Nato.

06:08 Germany identifies suspected war criminals - trial planned

The suspects in the first German investigation into a specific war crime in Ukraine are now known. "The alleged shooters and officers responsible have already been identified," Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann told the German Press Agency. The proceedings, which were initiated in mid-July, concern targeted shots fired by members of the Russian armed forces at fleeing civilians. "If we catch the perpetrators, we will press charges," said the FDP politician. "And if Ukraine or another country we are cooperating with catches these people, then we will make the evidence available in such a way that charges can be successfully brought there." Convictions in absentia would generally not be considered for war crimes and other serious offenses under German criminal procedure law.

06:08 Zelensky advocates public discussion on mobilization
Ukrainian President Zelenskyi believes it is right that the draft law on mobilization in Ukraine should not be debated behind closed doors. "A discussion on new mobilization rules has begun today," he says in his evening video address. The military command, the Ministry of Defense and other bodies involved had presented it to parliament. It is important that the regulations are discussed transparently so that people understand the motives of the military leadership, said Selenskyj. "The law is something that affects everyone."

02:44 Kretschmer recommends Ukraine "temporarily" relinquish territories
Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer recommends that the Ukrainian government temporarily relinquish territory in the war against the Russian aggressors. "In the event of a ceasefire, Ukraine may first have to accept that certain territories are temporarily inaccessible to Ukraine," the deputy federal chairman of the CDU told the Funke Mediengruppe newspaper. "Not a single square metre of Ukrainian territory has become Russian," emphasized Kretschmer. "But as in other major conflicts, it will take time to find a final solution." Kretschmer once again calls on the German government not only to supply weapons to Ukraine, but also to take diplomatic initiatives.

23:38 EU wants to enable Ukraine aid even without Hungary
According to a report in the Financial Times, the European Union is preparing an aid program of up to 20 billion euros for Ukraine. The debt-financed plan would bypass Hungary if Prime Minister Orban maintains his veto against new aid at the planned summit on February 1. According to the newspaper, the model envisages participating member states providing guarantees to the EU budget that would allow the European Commission to borrow up to 20 billion euros on the capital markets for Kiev next year.

22:00 Russia and India discuss the war in Ukraine
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar plan to discuss the situation in Ukraine at talks in Moscow on December 27. This was reported by the Russian state news agency TASS, citing Moscow's foreign ministry.

20:36 Selenskyj: Russia firesat Kherson train station before evacuation train departs
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj, Russia attacked the Kherson train station shortly before the planned departure of an evacuation train. One police officer was killed and four other people were injured in the shelling, added Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. The police had brought around 140 civilians waiting at the station to safety.

19:36 Ukrainian army chief "currently dissatisfied" with militaryservices
The Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valery Salushnyj is "currently dissatisfied" with the work of the military services responsible for mobilizing troops in his country to maintain the war effort against Russia. Salushny said this at a press conference - a day after the Ukrainian parliament published the text of a draft law that envisages reforms to the army conscription program, including lowering the age of men who can be mobilized from 27 to 25.

18:50 Putin receives heads of state and government of post-Soviet countries
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has received representatives of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) for an informal meeting in St. Petersburg. The heads of state and government of Belarus and those of the Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan took part in an excursion to the magnificent Peterhof Tsarist Palace and other sights on Tuesday. The two hostile South Caucasus states Armenia and Azerbaijan were also represented at the meeting, which traditionally takes place at the end of the year.

You can read about all previous developments here.