Kharkiv Oblast
As a result of Russian attacks on Christmas night, consumers in four regions were cut off from power, and emergency blackouts occurred in Odesa region. Restriction schedules are in effect throughout Ukraine around the clock.
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.
For the first time, Russia used over 600 attack drones simultaneously during a massive attack on Ukraine, launching 673 "Shaheds" and missiles at energy infrastructure facilities. This is the ninth massive attack on energy facilities this year, and it has become the largest in terms of the number of drones used in all previous years of the full-scale war.
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.
During the night, the enemy attacked energy facilities in several regions, leading to new power outages in Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions. Today, hourly blackout schedules and power restrictions for industry and business are applied in all regions of Ukraine until 23:59.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has for the first time unveiled 20 points of a "basic document on ending the war. "
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War stated that these "attacks" are provocative and accompanied by loud statements from Russian officials and propagandists.
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.
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.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that there are about 1,100 Russians in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, and about 100 in Kupyansk, Kharkiv region. He noted that Ukrainian troops are holding their positions despite significant pressure from Russia.
In November, more than 60% of new passenger car sales in Ukraine fell on five regions. Kyiv remains the leader, and regional buyer preferences vary significantly by model.
Senior Police Lieutenant Iryna Baida and her husband died in their home in Izium as a result of enemy shelling. The deceased patrol police officer is survived by her 15-year-old son.
Ukrainian forces advanced in the central part of Kupyansk, Kharkiv Oblast, as confirmed by geolocated video footage from December 20. Russian forces intensified activity in Sumy Oblast but did not achieve confirmed progress.
On December 20, 235 combat engagements were recorded at the front. The enemy launched 70 air strikes, dropping 166 guided bombs, and carried out 3609 shellings.
The death toll from the enemy strike on Izium, Kharkiv Oblast, has risen to two: a 47-year-old man and his 42-year-old wife, a police officer, were killed. On December 20, at about 3:40 PM, the armed forces of the Russian Federation launched a guided aerial bomb attack, damaging an enterprise, a cafe, a Palace of Culture, a residential building, and cars.
As a result of the enemy's KAB strike on Izium, one person was killed and another was injured. A private house and an apartment building were damaged.
The Minister of Defense heard a report on the construction of fortifications in six regions. 2,130 platoon strongholds and over 3,000 km of anti-tank ditches have already been built.
A judge of one of the district courts of Kharkiv Oblast, who on December 18 hit two girls aged 13 and 14 at a pedestrian crossing, has been served with a notice of suspicion. Prosecutors are preparing a submission to the High Council of Justice regarding the selection of a pre-trial restraint for the judge.
Due to Russian attacks on energy facilities in five regions of Ukraine, consumers have been cut off from power, with over 99,000 of them in Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Blackout schedules remain in effect, but additional capacities have been freed up to shorten them.
The Russian dictator confirmed his intention to seize territories that he considers "historical lands of Russia. " This primarily refers to the south and east of Ukraine.
A 20-year-old veteran who lost all his limbs in the war could not renew his bank card because he was unable to hold it for confirmation. NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyi apologized and promised to personally deliver the card to the serviceman.
Lioness Vasylina, rescued from Kharkiv region, died in a rehabilitation center in South Africa. She did not wake up, showing no signs of illness, after being evacuated and living with lion Nikola.
Vladimir Putin claimed that the Russian army captured over 300 settlements in 2025 and accused the West of starting the war. Andrei Belousov stated that Russia allegedly captured Kupyansk, while Ukraine denied this.
On December 17, cloudy weather with clearings and no significant precipitation is forecast in Ukraine. Fog is expected in the morning in the northern, Cherkasy, Poltava, and Kharkiv regions.
Fog with visibility of 200-500 meters is expected during the night and morning of December 17 in the northern, central, and eastern regions of Ukraine, as well as in Kyiv. The State Emergency Service urges drivers to be careful due to complicated traffic conditions.
The Kharkiv region was switched to emergency power outages in the morning, and consumers in the Donetsk region were completely de-energized due to night attacks by the Russian Federation. In total, more than 700,000 consumers in the Odesa and Donetsk regions remain without electricity.
The head of the communications department of the Joint Forces Group, Trehubov, stated that up to 200 Russian servicemen are blocked in Kupyansk. Ukrainian forces are carrying out de-occupation operations and gradually pushing back the enemy.
Ukraine has introduced a new approach to air raid alerts with district-by-district notification, which will reduce the duration of alerts in communities without a real threat. This has already shortened the time of alerts in frontline and central regions, allowing businesses to operate more stably.
Over the past day, 158 combat engagements took place on the front line. The enemy launched 66 air strikes and carried out 4286 shellings, losing 980 servicemen and a significant amount of equipment.
Natalia Didenko reported that from December 15, a warming trend is expected in Ukraine, with temperatures rising to +1…+5°C, and in the West to +3…+6°C. In Kyiv, the temperature will rise to +2…+4°C, with possible drizzle and wet snow in the East.