Due to frozen ports and railway tracks in Poland, Ukraine is experiencing a shortage of Arctic diesel. This is causing queues at gas stations, despite the resumption of supplies.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has approved a new structure for Ukraine's defense plan. The Cabinet of Ministers has been instructed to develop a defense plan with the participation of the SBU, Foreign Intelligence Service, and the NBU.
The government has started checking 29 licenses for strategic minerals and 10 for oil and gas subsoil, where extraction has not started or work programs have been violated. Additional restrictions against Dmytro Firtash have also been initiated, which will allow the annulment of three special permits.
In Kyiv, 63 teams are working on restoring power grids, and over 220 teams are restoring heat supply. NJSC "Naftogaz" is ready to provide another 40 teams of specialists.
Loud statements and heated discussions - pension reform is being discussed in Ukraine. The biggest promises, for example, a minimum pension of UAH 6,000 for everyone, run into a budget ceiling, and real levers of stabilization run into what is always unpopular: economic growth, de-shadowing through the business climate, and political capacity to implement unpleasant decisions. What awaits pension reform in the near future.
The CERT-UA team has recorded a new wave of cyberattacks on Ukrainian government agencies and EU organizations, exploiting a vulnerability in Microsoft Office (CVE-2026-21509). The attackers sent malicious emails disguised as the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center, gaining access to victims' computers.
The Group III disability pension in 2026 is granted after disability is established, provided the necessary insurance period is met. It is calculated as 50% of the old-age pension (or, at the applicant's choice, may equal it if there is sufficient service). It can be applied for online or offline through the Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU) by submitting basic documents, and if necessary, it is topped up to the subsistence minimum.
Ukraine is introducing Starlink terminal registration via a "whitelist" to counter their use by Russians. The registration process for civilians will be simple, and a separate secure channel will be available for the military.
Residents of Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast have received the first 10,000 "Warmth Packages. " They contain items for staying warm and maintaining communication amidst a challenging energy situation.
Kyiv continues to restore heat supply after the power system accident; heat has been returned to over 2700 buildings. 693 buildings remain without heat, with the most difficult situation in the Solomianskyi and Pecherskyi districts.
Elon Musk stated that the restrictions imposed on the use of Starlink by Russian military personnel have already yielded results. Ukraine's Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed the practical results and emphasized close cooperation.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the large-scale technical failure in the energy system, which led to cascading blackouts in the center and north of the country. The situation was brought back to controlled parameters, and versions of an enemy attack are not confirmed.
Due to a failure in Moldova's customs databases caused by a blackout, traffic was temporarily suspended at the border with Ukraine. Movement was fully restored after the central databases resumed operation.
The Coordination Headquarters decided to relocate the wards of 8 boarding institutions from Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, and Chernihiv regions. 19 reserve locations in safer regions have been identified for their accommodation.
The Coordination Headquarters approved the mandatory evacuation of 25 children with their parents from 7 settlements of the Stary Saltiv community in Kharkiv Oblast. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba stated that the state acts quickly where security risks increase.
The capital's subway is gradually resuming operation, with trains running on the "blue" and "green" lines. In Kharkiv, the subway operates on a weekend schedule with a 20-minute interval.
The "Health Screening 40+" program has been launched in Ukraine via the Diia application. Citizens aged 40 and over will receive funds for examinations to identify disease risks.
Due to a systemic accident in Ukraine's energy infrastructure, the Chernihiv region is completely de-energized. The region is preparing for a complete transition to backup power if the situation does not stabilize.
Moldovan Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu stated that electricity supply in the country will be restored within one to two hours. This happened due to the activation of the power grid protection system in Ukraine, which caused a partial blackout in Moldova.
The Ministry of Social Policy stated that information about the mass cancellation of pensions for over a million citizens is fake. Payments have been suspended only for 337,000 people who have not undergone identification or have not provided data on the absence of payments from the Russian Federation.
Elon Musk responded to the request of Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov regarding the use of Starlink on Russian UAVs. Ukrainian specialists discovered a Starlink terminal on a Russian BM-35 drone.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal reported a record daily volume of electricity imports to Ukraine – 41. 987 GWh. This helped maintain the system amidst Russian attacks and frosts, reducing the deficit.
The government has decided to automatically recalculate utility payments if services were not provided or were of inadequate quality. Consumers do not need to submit additional applications; the recalculated amounts will be reflected in the January 2026 bills.
President Zelenskyy ordered to strengthen protection against Russian drones in Kherson, Nikopol, and the border communities of Sumy region. This decision was made after constant attacks on residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.
President Zelenskyy held a meeting on the development of small anti-drone air defense. The structure of the new command was approved, and key tasks for the Air Force and the Ministry of Defense were defined.
Rob Jetten, the prospective Prime Minister of the Netherlands, has announced a refusal to negotiate with Moscow and continued support for Ukraine. The new Dutch government has committed to providing annual military aid to Ukraine and supporting its path to EU and NATO membership.
The "SvitloDim" program has launched in Ukraine, providing 100,000 to 300,000 UAH for the purchase of energy equipment for multi-story buildings. Applications are submitted online through "Diia"; the program operates under martial law.
Ruslan Romanov, Head of the Council of Prosecutors of Ukraine, explained the procedure for forming the Competition Commission for the selection of SAP leadership, emphasizing the legality of the Prosecutor General's actions and the transparency of the procedure. He clarified on what grounds the appointments of commission members can be canceled.
Systemic management failures, non-transparent decisions, and tolerance of Russian influence gradually transformed the State Aviation Administration from a guarantor of safety into a source of reputational and security risks. The consequences of such decisions by the previous leadership of the aviation regulator today threaten trust in it, defense capabilities, and the future of Ukrainian aviation.
As of January 1, a mechanism for insuring property against war risks, which now covers production equipment, came into effect. Entrepreneurs independently specify the amount of damage, and the compensation limit of up to UAH 10 million applies to each legal entity separately.
