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Stay on top of Russia-Ukraine war 12-26-2024 developments on the ground with KyivPost fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated war maps.
The Estlink 2 submarine cable between Finland and Estonia was disconnected on Christmas Day, just over a month after two telecommunications cables were severed in Swedish waters in the Baltic Sea.
The EU on Thursday threatened further sanctions against Russian vessels after Finland said it was probing an oil tanker that sailed from a Russian port for the “sabotage” of a power cable linking the country and Estonia.
On Christmas Day, the Estlink 2 submarine cable that carries electricity from Finland to Estonia was disconnected from the grid, just over a month after two telecommunications cables were severed in Swedish territorial waters in the Baltic Sea.
Nearly three years into the war, Washington has committed $175 billion in aid for Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he had asked the Defense Department to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine, after condemning Russia’s Christmas Day attack on Ukraine’s energy system and some of its cities.
Russia attacked Ukraine on Wednesday with cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as drones, Ukraine said. The strikes wounded at least six people in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and killed one in the region of Dnipropetrovsk, the governors there said.
Azerbaijani government sources told Euronews that the damaged plane was not allowed to land at Russian airports.
A Russian missile fired over Grozny, Chechnya, caused the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Dec. 25, Euronews reports, citing a source in the Azerbaijani government.
According to government sources, the surface-to-air missile (SAM) was fired at the plane, which was flying from Grozny to Baku, Azerbaijan, during drone activity in the skies above Grozny. Fragments from the missile struck passengers and crew members, exploding near the plane mid-flight.
N. Korea’s military involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine is intensifying, with recent offensives near Kursk resulting in heavy losses among DPRK troops and increasing calls for reinforcements.
On Christmas Day, the Estlink 2 submarine cable that carries electricity from Finland to Estonia was disconnected from the grid.
Finnish authorities said Thursday they are investigating an oil tanker that sailed from a Russian port for the “sabotage” of a power cable linking Finland and Estonia that was damaged the previous day.
On Christmas Day, the Estlink 2 submarine cable that carries electricity from Finland to Estonia was disconnected from the grid, just over a month after two telecommunications cables were severed in Swedish territorial waters in the Baltic Sea.
A strike by Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces on a concentration of DPRK forces in the Kursk region resulted in significant losses among North Korean troops, both killed and wounded.
North Korean soldiers are facing losses and severe difficulties, including a lack of drinking water, according to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR).
On Dec. 20, a strike by Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces on a concentration of DPRK forces in the vicinity of Novoivanivka, Kursk region, resulted in significant casualties among North Korean troops, both killed and wounded.
Politicians in Ukraine are de facto starting their election campaigns, despite uncertain prospects for a ceasefire in 2025 and the organizational and technical challenges ahead.
With the possibility of negotiations and a freeze in the war come spring 2025 – currently being considered by figures aligned to US President-Elect Donald Trump and hinted at by Ukrainian government representatives – election planning in Ukraine is gaining momentum.
Various politicians, both former and current, are reminding the public of their presence and increasing their media activity.
Ukrainian Air Force struck a Russian missile fuel facility in the Rostov region, weakening Russia’s ability to carry out attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed on Thursday, Dec. 26, that it targeted a military-industrial complex in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Rostov region, which produced missile fuel for ballistic missiles, according to the Ukrainian General Staff’s Strategic Communications (AFU StratCom) report via Telegram.
The Russian troops used the facility to produce solid missile fuel for ballistic missiles, “which are used to target Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals, residential buildings, and power stations.”
An investigation is underway, with some experts suggesting the plane may have been accidentally shot down by Russian air defenses in an area with reported Ukrainian drone activity.
Azerbaijan held a national day of mourning Thursday after a passenger jet from the flag carrier crashed in Kazakhstan killing 38 people, as experts pointed to apparent shrapnel damage on the wreckage as evidence of a possible missile explosion.
The Embraer 190 aircraft was supposed to fly northwest from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to the city of Grozny in Chechnya in southern Russia, but instead diverted far off course across the Caspian Sea. It crashed Wednesday near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.
How Democracies’ Peace Narratives Help Strengthen a Dying Russia
Two months ago, in a widely reprinted article for the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), summed up by the title “The Impending Betrayal of Ukraine,” Tim Willasey-Wilsey wrote that, failing to help Ukraine win, “the West will have years to repent the betrayal of the courageous Ukrainians, whose only crime was their wish to join the Western democratic order.” On the same day, German intelligence reported that, by 2030, Russia would be in a position to attack NATO. Some very good experts even pointed out that this could well be before then.
The international relations specialist is faced with a cognitive, political and rhetorical dilemma. Cognitive, because we have to think of two contradictory things: Russia’s predicted defeat due to its economy going to hell, and its remaining strength. Political. Each of the speeches made by Western leaders has an effect on the way Russia anticipates its actions, long since better than we do, and how opinions gauge the outcome of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Ukraine’s independent Orthodox Church leader has visited Pope Francis, but the Vatican has deliberately kept silent so as not to incur the wrath of the Russian Orthodox Church.
A historic first visit took place between Pope Francis and the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) Metropolitan Epifaniy earlier in the month. The head of the independent Ukrainian church thanked the Pope for his humanitarian efforts and stressed the importance of his peace prayers and those of millions of Christians worldwide.
Over four days, the Ukrainian church representatives engaged in a packed itinerary that included various cities and regions in Italy. The Vatican endorsed the trip and facilitated the delegation’s access to key sites, such as the Papal Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Bari (Puglia), allowing the Metropolitan of Kyiv to preside at a Holy Liturgy there. Metropolitan Epifaniy also held a peace prayer at Rome’s Greek Orthodox Church of St Theodore, under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, indicating the carefully coordinated preparation for his visit. However, this otherwise meticulously planned trip was overshadowed by one unexpected issue – the Vatican’s media blackout.
Russian commanders abandon the bodies of fallen soldiers on the islands of the Kherson region, labeling them as “missing in action” to dodge paying compensation to their families.
The Russian command is leaving the bodies of its fallen soldiers on the islands of the Kherson region, officially listing them as “missing.” This practice helps avoid paying compensation to the families of the deceased, the Ukrainian partisan movement Atesh reported on Wednesday, Dec. 25.
Agents of the movement within the Russian Armed Forces report abuse of power by the command of the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade on the left bank of the Kherson region. Commanders send soldiers on deadly assaults and then refuse to evacuate the bodies of those killed, the report states.
This vessel, built in 2010, was seized by Russia from Ukraine during the 2014 annexation of Crimea but has remained largely unused in recent years.
In the temporarily occupied Crimea, a Ukrainian drone hit the Russian ship Fedor Uryupin, moored in the bay near the village of Chornomorske.
This was reported by the Crimean Wind Telegram channel, Ukrinform saw.
The airfield, 175 km from Ukraine, hosts Russia’s Su-34 bombers, used for guided aerial strikes, and the 47th Bomber Aviation Regiment of the 105th Mixed Aviation Division.
Drones purportedly targeted the Baltimore military airfield in Voronezh on Dec. 25, Russian Telegram channel ASTRA reported.
The Baltimore airfield, 175 km from Ukraine, hosts the 47th Bomber Aviation Regiment of the 105th Mixed Aviation Division, operating Su-34 bombers, which are used by Russia for strikes with guided aerial bombs.
Looking for the perfect Christmas getaway? Kyiv Post brings you the most magical Christmas markets in Europe for a fairy tale trip to remember.
Fairy tales come to life in Europe during the Christmas holidays. Central squares transform into places of beauty and adventure, streets are adorned with garlands, festive music fills the air, and sweet aromas waft through winding streets.
From late November, festive markets begin to open, Christmas trees bring their majesty and color to the various plazas and courtyards, and millions of tourists gather to immerse themselves in these special places.
Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.
Key Takeaways from ISW:
Russia’s “outrageous” Christmas Day attack kills one and knocks out electricity to millions; Power grid announces blackouts; Pope calls for peace; “Hatred must not have the final word,” Biden says.
On the evening after Russia launched a massive missile and drone strike on targets throughout Ukraine on Christmas Day that killed an energy worker, the nation’s power grid operator, Ukrenergo, announced a now-familiar series of blackouts.
“Due to the large-scale missile attack, measures to limit consumption have been applied,” a social media message from Ukrenergo read. “For schedules of shutdowns in your region - find out on the website and official pages of your regional energy company.”
