Russia does not change its intentions to seize Ukraine and plunge cities into "blackouts. " Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky announced increased countermeasures against enemy "Shaheds" and the formation of divisions of unmanned air defense systems.
Over the past day, 151 battles took place on the front, with the most active clashes recorded in the Pokrovsk and Huliaipole directions. The enemy launched 47 air strikes, dropping 129 guided aerial bombs, and carried out 3651 shelling attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that withdrawal from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions contradicts the law and public opinion. The issue of territories remains a key disagreement in peace talks, despite 90% agreement on a 20-point plan.
The Prosecutor General's Office has launched an investigation into the execution of two Ukrainian prisoners of war by representatives of the Russian Armed Forces on December 27, 2025, in the village of Shakhove, Pokrovsk district. The occupiers forced them to undress and then shot them, which is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions.
Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine Oleksandr Pivnenko showed a video of the combat work of the "Typhoon" unit during the assaults on Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad. The unmanned systems unit destroys Russian armored vehicles used in mechanized assaults.
Ukrainian marines eliminated enemy armored vehicles in the Pokrovsk direction. Pilots of the 88th separate battalion of the 35th separate marine brigade detected and destroyed the targets.
As of December 29, 2025, the Defense Forces of Ukraine have eliminated 1,205,690 Russian occupiers. The enemy has also lost over 11,000 tanks and 23,000 armored combat vehicles.
Russian air defense allegedly shot down two targets. Relevant videos appeared online.
On the night of December 29, residents of Maykop, the capital of the Republic of Adygea, heard explosions. The Khanskaya military airfield, where air defense operations were recorded, came under attack.
On the night of December 28, a warehouse storing Shahed-type UAVs, a pontoon crossing, and a repair unit of the Russian army in Donbas were hit.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the damage to the Syzran oil refinery in Russia's Samara region on the night of December 28, which led to a fire. Also successfully attacked were a boat storage facility in Chornomorske, a repair unit in Antratsyt, a pontoon crossing near Nikonorivka, and a UAV warehouse in Makiivka.
The Drone Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the defeat of the Russian GRU special forces in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region. More than 120 servicemen of the 14th Special Forces Brigade of the Russian GRU were eliminated or wounded.
In Ukraine, due to bad weather, roads are snow-covered in 9 regions and wet in 12, but passage on state-level roads is ensured. To ensure passage, 1312 units of equipment and 1484 workers have been deployed.
The Russian dictator stated that the issue would be resolved by military means if Ukraine does not seek peace on the Kremlin's terms. The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, Valery Gerasimov, reported on advances in Donbas, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.
On December 26, 258 combat engagements took place on the Russian-Ukrainian front. The Ukrainian Defense Forces stopped 63 assault actions of the aggressor in the Pokrovsk direction.
On December 26, the Russian army lost at least 1,240 servicemen, 33 artillery systems, and 5 tanks. The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 27.12.25 amounted to approximately 1,203,310 personnel.
The Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled an assault by Russian troops on Dobropillia, Donetsk Oblast, destroying 12 units of armored vehicles. The remaining enemy personnel are currently being eliminated.
On December 26, units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck a concentration of personnel of the 14th Special Forces Brigade of the Russian Federation in Berdianske and a warehouse of the 228th Motorized Rifle Regiment in Starobesheve. An enemy fuel and lubricants depot in Volnovakha was also destroyed.
As of December 26, 2025, 97% of local budgets in Ukraine have been approved, which provides a financial basis for communities for 2026. Budgets in 55 communities still need to be approved for stable funding of educational, medical, and social institutions.
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.
In Ukraine, due to snow and black ice, 404 road accidents were recorded, 66 of them with casualties. In Kyiv, there were 45 accidents, 6 of them with casualties.
Russia attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure overnight, leaving subscribers in Donetsk, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Kharkiv regions without power. Due to constant attacks, electricity consumption restriction schedules are applied in almost all regions of Ukraine.
Russians plan to create tourist sites, so-called "places of military glory," in the occupied Donbas and attract investments there for "tourism development. "
On the night of December 25, 2025, the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck the port of Temryuk, causing a fire in two oil product tanks. The military airfield in Maykop and a repair unit in Truzhenka were also hit.
The Kremlin believes it can gain more by continuing hostilities while using negotiations as a foreign policy tool. Russian dictator Putin insists on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as the exclusion of Ukraine's possibility of NATO membership.
ISW analysts believe that the Kremlin will have to compromise on its demands that are incompatible with the peace plan. Russia is not interested in a compromise-based settlement, as evidenced by its constant references to the 2024 demands.
Russia views the US 20-point peace plan as a starting point, demanding more restrictions on Ukraine's military forces and guarantees regarding NATO. Ukraine and the US have disagreements on territorial issues and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, but negotiations are nearing completion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to withdraw Ukrainian troops from parts of eastern Donetsk Oblast to create a demilitarized zone. This is a potential condition for peace talks, although Russia has not shown willingness to withdraw its troops.
Ukraine and the US have disagreements on territorial issues and the status of the Zaporizhzhia NPP in peace talks. Zelenskyy reported on the state of affairs regarding elections and EU accession.
The Ministry of Development has decided on the mandatory evacuation of children from 19 settlements in Donetsk Oblast. About 200 people with limited mobility are also being evacuated from Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
