War in Ukraine
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that unmanned systems account for up to 60% of enemy casualties. According to him, Ukraine is increasing their use and is ahead of Russia in the use of FPV drones.
The President of the European Council, António Costa, is confident that a decision on financing for Ukraine for 2026-2027 will be made at the December EU summit. He noted that the bloc is "very close to reaching a decision" amid the proposal of two options: a "reparations loan" or EU borrowing.
The Syzran Rosneft refinery has suspended oil processing due to equipment damage caused by a drone attack on December 5. Repairs to the plant, which has a capacity of 8.5 million tons per year, could take several weeks.
The Institute of Agrarian Economics calculated that the cost of the Christmas table in 2025 will be UAH 1374. The most expensive dish will be fried fish.
Emergency power outages have been canceled in Kyiv and the region, but up to 50% of the capital's consumers remain without electricity. Emergency blackouts continue in most regions of the country due to the consequences of missile and drone attacks.
President Zelenskyy announced his readiness to present to the USA Ukrainian and European components of possible steps to end the war. This will happen after discussing the results of the work in London with the Ukrainian negotiating team.
Russian troops attacked a funeral service vehicle with an FPV drone. As a result of the attack, a 58-year-old man was injured and is receiving the necessary assistance.
62 combat engagements were recorded at the front. The enemy is actively operating in the Pokrovsk, Oleksandrivka, and Kostiantynivka directions, having made 19 attempts in the Pokrovsk direction. In the Siversk-Slobozhanskyi and Kursk directions, the enemy launched an airstrike and carried out 50 shellings.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the Russian dictator does not seek to restore the USSR and attack NATO. He emphasized that this is impossible, although earlier Putin called the collapse of the USSR "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century."
Donald Trump said he does not want to run Europe, but considers it weak and "collapsing. " He emphasized his role in increasing contributions to NATO, which, he suggested, go to Ukraine.
Russia is increasing oil exports, reaching the highest weekly shipments since February 2022, but unloading cargoes is becoming a problem. This has led to a 28% increase in the volume of Russian sea shipments since late August, and the surplus of oil at sea has reached a two-and-a-half-year high, limiting the Kremlin's revenues.
The oil market will face a "super-oversupply" next year due to rising supply and weak demand, warns trader Trafigura. A record surplus of over 4 million barrels per day is expected, which has already led to a 16% drop in Brent crude prices this year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took 14th place in Politico's ranking of the most influential people in Europe. The ranking was topped by US President Donald Trump, and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was placed 5th.
Russian occupiers are trying to infiltrate the northern part of Pokrovsk, taking advantage of the fog. Search and assault operations are underway and the enemy is being eliminated in urban areas.
69,000 children received Christmas gifts and wrote postcards for Ukrainian soldiers as part of the "Sweet Christmas" initiative.
The US President made a false statement that Crimea is "surrounded by ocean," although in reality it is washed by the waters of the Black and Azov Seas.
According to the US president, Zelenskyy allegedly forced Joe Biden to give Ukraine $350 billion, as a result of which Ukraine, in Trump's opinion, lost 25% of its territory.
Donald Trump stated that the understanding of Ukraine's non-accession to NATO existed long before Putin's presidency. He also noted that Zelenskyy demanded the return of Crimea and NATO membership during his first meeting with Putin.
Ukrenergo is implementing emergency power outages for the second time in a day in most regions of Ukraine. The reason is the consequences of massive missile and drone attacks; blackout schedules are temporarily not in effect.
Russian occupiers are trying to infiltrate in the direction of Siversk in Donetsk region, using small group tactics. They are taking advantage of their numerical superiority and weather conditions for covert movement between Ukrainian positions.
A criminal group that illegally transported orphaned children abroad for adoption has been exposed in Ukraine. Two women and the founder of a charitable organization have been notified of suspicion; 13 out of 25 children have already been taken out of the country.
The Security Service and the National Police prevented the illegal sale of trophy weapons and ammunition, detaining nine dealers. Among the seized items were Russian grenade launchers, Kalashnikov automatic rifles, explosives, and ammunition of various calibers.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the new US National Security Strategy contains parts unacceptable to Europe. He also noted that Europe should become less dependent on the United States.
Commenting on his son Donald Trump Jr. 's statement about the possibility of withdrawing from the Russian-Ukrainian war without seeing success in his attempts to stop it, Trump replied that "that's not quite right."
Donald Trump does not believe that Russia's war against Ukraine could escalate into World War III, emphasizing that it would not have started under his presidency. He called it a big problem for Europe, which the continent is not coping with.
Trump lashed out at traditional US allies for failing to control migration and end the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Ukrainian Special Operations Forces successfully hit enemy targets in the occupied territories on the night of December 8. A UAV depot of the 9th Russian brigade in Donetsk and 6,000 m³ of fuel in Simeikino, Luhansk region, were destroyed.
US President Donald Trump stated that Russia is in a more advantageous position in negotiations with Ukraine. He also criticized European leaders for their inaction in ending the war.
Cyberpolice exposed a resident of Bukovyna who hacked social media accounts and sold them on a hacker forum. The man created malicious software, administered a bot farm, and became an "arbitrator" of the forum; he faces up to 15 years in prison.
Donald Trump called on Ukraine to hold elections, stating that the country has not had elections for a long time and the current situation is not a democracy. He also expressed doubt about the actions of European leaders to end the war.