New Year
Actor Idris Elba has been awarded a knighthood for his services to youth. He founded the Elba Hope Foundation, which provides grants to organizations in the UK, USA, and Africa.
Oleh Blokhin, a Soviet and Ukrainian athlete, former Dynamo Kyiv footballer and ex-coach of the Ukrainian national team, won the European Player of the Year award - the "Ballon d'Or" - in 1975.
In Ukraine, snow and frosts down to -14 degrees are expected on New Year's Eve, with ice on the roads. Warming will begin on January 2, but frosts will return.
The State Energy Supervision announced that standard hourly power outage schedules will be in effect in Ukraine on New Year's Eve. The situation may depend on security factors, despite the expected decrease in the load on the system.
The number of criminal proceedings related to domestic violence in Ukraine has decreased by 28% since the start of the full-scale invasion. At the same time, the number of calls to the National Hotline for the Prevention of Domestic Violence increased by 9%, reaching 35,000 in three quarters.
Coach-psychologist Mykola Oliynyk explained why people often enter the new year with unresolved emotional problems and unanswered questions. He also gave advice on how to deal with this.
Turkish police have detained 357 suspects in 21 provinces as part of an operation against the Islamic State. This followed a shootout in which three police officers and six militants were killed.
On January 1 and 2, 2020, the train schedule on all three lines of the Kyiv Metro will be changed due to the predicted decrease in passenger traffic. On January 1, the interval between trains will be 3-4 minutes in the morning and 5-6 minutes in the afternoon, on January 2 - 3-4 minutes throughout the day.
New Year on the planet lasts almost a day, starting from the Line Islands in the Pacific Ocean and ending in Samoa. Find out the exact time of the 2026 New Year celebration in different countries of the world according to Kyiv time.
The largest passenger traffic, accounting for 50% of the total, is recorded at the Ukrainian-Polish border. Although there are no queues like before Christmas, certain checkpoints, such as "Krakovets," "Shehyni," and "Ustyluh," remain the busiest.
Astrologer Ksenia Bazylenko said that 2026, the Year of the Red Fire Horse, will be a year of movement and bold decisions, starting on February 17. It promises success to active and ambitious people, especially those born in the years of the Horse, bringing positive changes in the financial sphere and opportunities for leadership.
Russia is aggressively forcing citizens to use the state messenger Max, which is becoming a tool of control. Schoolchildren and students face threats for refusing to install the application, and in the occupied territories, Max only works with Russian and Belarusian SIM cards, isolating Ukrainians.
At a meeting with the military, Putin heard about the "liberation" of 334 settlements and the advance to Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Orikhove. He also ordered the expansion of the "security zone" until 2026.
An interactive installation "Heart in an Ice Block" has been installed on Sofia Square in Kyiv, which will be open until January 6, 2026. It symbolizes the importance of emotional support and human warmth during the war, allowing visitors to melt the ice with their touches.
The housing rental market in Ukraine is sensitive to events in the country, with a seasonal "lull" in December-January and May-June, which are the most favorable periods for searching. One-room apartments in new buildings remain the most expensive, and western regions show a price peak due to the war.
The SBI is investigating a road accident in Kyiv on December 27, 2025, where a serviceman in an SUV crashed into a car at a red light. As a result of the collision, a woman, a mother of two children, died, and her daughters were hospitalized with injuries.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that much could be resolved in diplomacy before the New Year, and Ukraine is doing everything for this. He noted that decisions depend on partners, important sanctions and pressure on Russia, missiles for air defense, and the finalization of formats for ending the war and security guarantees.
The Defense Forces hold the northern part of Pokrovsk, blocking enemy attempts to advance westward. In Myrnohrad, the situation is difficult, the enemy resorts to propaganda, but Ukrainian units are strengthening their grouping.
The series "Stranger Things" has accumulated 1. 2 billion views in its nine years of existence, surpassing all other Netflix series in total viewing time. The project also created 8,000 jobs and brought $1.4 billion to the American economy.
Passenger traffic is increasing at the Ukrainian-Polish border due to the Christmas and New Year holidays, especially for departures from Ukraine. The longest queues are observed at the Shehyni, Krakovets, Rava-Ruska, Ustyluh, and Uhryniv checkpoints.
Sales of New Year's trees in Ukraine decreased by 11% this year, with forestry enterprises selling only 39. 9 thousand fir trees. The number of illegal logging cases also significantly decreased.
Tonight, Russia attacked Ukraine with almost 500 drones and 40 missiles, including Kinzhals, with Kyiv being the main target. As a result of the attack, there were hits, residential buildings were damaged, and there was no electricity and heating in some areas of the capital and the region.
The State Tax Service of Ukraine will carry out regulatory and technical work from December 31, 2025, to January 2, 2026. During this period, there may be restrictions on the operation of electronic services, in particular, for accepting tax invoices.
The National Bank of Ukraine has published the working schedule of the electronic payment system and the banking system for the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. The EPS will operate 24/7, but with restrictions for the State Treasury on December 31, 2025, and January 1, 2026.
The sons of American actor Macaulay Culkin are fans of the movie "Home Alone. " However, they don't yet know that their father played the role of Kevin McCallister.
UNN offers an unusual New Year's menu with bright spices and exotic fruits that will appease the symbol of the coming year. Table decoration in red, yellow, and gold shades is no less important.
President Zelenskyy discussed with his Finnish counterpart Stubb preparations for talks in the US, including a 20-point document and a recovery plan. The Ukrainian and American teams have made significant progress in developing security guarantees and an economic development strategy.
The President of Poland was informed about the incident with objects from Belarus and the interception of a Russian aircraft. An analysis of the events, which may be a provocation, is underway.
Southern regions of Ukraine are preparing for worsening weather conditions with snowfalls, and in some areas, particularly Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions, snowfalls and ice are already being recorded. In Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, snow is also observed, roads are being treated with anti-icing agents, and traffic on state-level roads is ensured.
Colleen Hoover is known for her romantic stories that explore themes of love, loss, and change; her books regularly become New York Times bestsellers. The online bookstore MEGOGO BOOKS offers a complete collection of the author's works in Ukrainian and English.