War in Ukraine
Ukraine has announced the winners of the "School of Community Leaders 2. 0" competition from MHP, who will receive UAH 10 million in grant support. The projects focus on energy efficiency, veteran policy, and youth engagement.
About 100 Russian servicemen entered the village of Hrabovske in the Sumy region, trying to advance to Riasne. Currently, fighting is ongoing in the settlement, Ukrainian servicemen are driving out the occupiers.
The Southern Military Court in Rostov-on-Don is considering a treason case against Anton Kuur, a native of Tuva, who participated in the invasion of Ukraine. This may be the first such case since the beginning of the full-scale aggression.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, stated that Russia's economy allows it to produce weapons and hire mercenaries, which enables the Kremlin to continue the war. He emphasized that Putin and his elites do not see Russia's future without Ukraine.
Ukraine ranked 40th among 195 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index 2025, moving up 14 positions. The country surpassed the US and Great Britain in some criteria, particularly in the digitalization of public services.
Almost 6,300 people will receive eRecovery housing certificates worth UAH 8. 8 billion. In total, over 67,000 families have already received compensation worth UAH 31.5 billion.
In 2025, a pilot system for delivering textbooks to educational institutions was launched; now schools will receive books directly from publishers. The new model of direct textbook delivery to educational institutions was tested on 30% of the circulation, which amounts to over 2 million copies.
The occupation authorities of Crimea have restricted mobile internet until the end of the full-scale war in Ukraine. This decision, according to the occupation head of the peninsula, Aksyonov, is necessary to ensure the security of the peninsula.
President Zelenskyy received a detailed report from Rustem Umerov and Andriy Hnatov following meetings with the American team in Miami. Draft documents have been prepared regarding security guarantees, reconstruction, and a basic framework for ending the war.
The state has introduced special standard programs for Ukrainian children abroad and in the temporarily occupied territories. This will allow them to study the Ukrainian component and remain in the Ukrainian education system without additional burden.
Romania declared an alert in the border region due to a Russian drone attack on Ukrainian port infrastructure near the Romanian border. Radars detected two aerial targets moving towards Reni and Kiliya, and then another group of drones.
The former head of the Central Department for the Provision of Fuel and Lubricants of the Rear of the Logistics Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is accused of illicit enrichment of over 17 million hryvnias. He also illegally stored weapons and ammunition seized during the search.
In occupied Mariupol, a systemic scheme is operating to redistribute property that Russian entrepreneurs restored at their own expense after 2022. After the completion of the work, the legal status of the objects remains undefined, and the property is transferred to loyal structures.
In the Kharkiv region, a junior medical brother of the Chuhuiv branch of forensic medical examination was exposed for appropriating mobile phones of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. He has been notified of suspicion of theft committed under martial law, repeatedly.
On December 23, PJSC "Zaporizhstal" was completely de-energized due to massive Russian shelling of energy infrastructure, which led to an emergency shutdown of production. Thanks to the prompt actions of the personnel, a man-made accident was avoided and emissions were minimized.
On the night of December 23, Russia launched a combined attack on Ukraine, using 635 UAVs and 38 missiles, including 3 Kinzhals. Air defense forces shot down or suppressed 587 drones and 34 cruise missiles; three Kinzhals did not reach their targets.
Antony Blinken also noted that Donald Trump's approach to pressuring Ukraine is flawed.
Large-scale schemes for illegal border crossing by conscripts have been exposed in four regions of Ukraine. The organizers transported men to Moldova and Hungary for tens of thousands of dollars, and also issued fictitious disability documents.
As a result of Russia's massive attack on energy infrastructure, Ukraine's nuclear power plants were forced to reduce capacity. The capacity of nuclear power plants will be gradually increased after the damaged networks are restored.
In Ukraine, in 2024 and 2025, there was a significant increase in the number of men aged 25+ in professional pre-higher education. This phenomenon indicates a possible use of education as a way to defer military service.
A Politico columnist predicts that the Russian-Ukrainian war will end next year on terms extremely unfavorable to Ukraine. This is due to the EU's inability to agree on the use of frozen Russian assets and insufficient funding.
In Kyiv, the third "Bez Khvyl" (No Waves) relaxation shelter has started operating, combining safety and mental health support. The project was implemented thanks to a business idea competition from the "MHP-Hromadi" Charitable Foundation.
As a result of damage to an energy facility in Rivne region, about 300,000 consumers were left without electricity. Also damaged were 2 residential buildings, 3 outbuildings, and 3 passenger cars.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to Russia's massive attack, which included over 650 drones and 30 missiles aimed at energy and civilian infrastructure. Three people were killed, and at least 13 regions were hit.
As a result of the ninth massive attack by the Russian Federation, Rivne, Ternopil, and Khmelnytskyi regions are almost completely de-energized. There are also power outages in 6 more regions, and emergency blackouts have been applied in Odesa region and throughout Ukraine.
Poland scrambled its military aircraft and put air defense systems on alert in response to Russia's massive attack on Ukraine on December 23. These actions are preventive in nature to ensure the security of Poland's airspace.
At dawn, the enemy attacked Ivano-Frankivsk region with attack UAVs. The target was a critical infrastructure facility, no casualties were reported.
Russian generals regularly submit reports to Putin with inflated Ukrainian losses and downplayed Russian failures. Chief of the General Staff Gerasimov has strengthened his position despite criticism.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko reported that Russia launched over 600 drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine, with energy facilities in the west of the country being the most affected. Due to the attack, emergency power outage schedules are being applied throughout the country, which will be canceled after the situation stabilizes.
As a result of the Russian attack on Kyiv on December 23, the number of injured increased to five people, including a 16-year-old girl. A 48-year-old woman was hospitalized with shrapnel wounds, her condition is serious.