Ukraine

The Ukrainian defense-industrial complex has significantly increased production, involving more than 800 companies. Through the "Army of Drones" project, 1.2 million drones have been purchased, and domestic products account for more than 96% of the drone segment.

In his New Year's address, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz assured that Germany would not leave Ukraine alone. Germany will continue to provide the largest support in Europe, while maintaining its cool against the spread of war.

Minister of National Unity Oleksiy Chernyshov invited Ukrainians abroad to celebrate 2025 Kyiv time. He emphasized the importance of the unity of all Ukrainians, regardless of where they live.

The State Emergency Service has provided recommendations for safe New Year's Eve celebrations at home and outdoors. The rules apply to the use of electrical appliances, Christmas tree decorations, behavior during an alarm, and the prohibition of pyrotechnics.

Since the beginning of 2024, more than 32 thousand Ukrainians have applied to recruitment centers for advice on military service. 7198 people are already undergoing the selection stage, and more than 10 thousand vacancies are available at the centers.

Italy has provided €13 million for the Energy Support Fund for Ukraine. The funds will be used to restore the war-damaged energy infrastructure and stabilize electricity supply.

Auckland marked the start of 2024 with a grand fireworks display near the Sky Tower. New Zealand became one of the first countries to welcome the New Year after Kiribati and the Tonga Islands.

The Russian command has developed plans in case of war with Japan and South Korea, including a list of 160 targets. Documents from 2013-2014 contain targets for strikes on nuclear power plants, bridges, tunnels and industrial facilities.

The demand for specialists in Ukraine has reached pre-war levels, and the government has launched dozens of retraining programs. In 2025, it is planned to allocate 700 million euros to retrain another 180,000 Ukrainians.

Law enforcement officers will bring to police stations people who violate the curfew on New Year's Eve. Currently, there is no liability for curfew violations, but the Cabinet of Ministers has introduced a bill on fines.

Ukraine's air defense forces shot down 6 missiles and 16 enemy UAVs, with another 24 drones lost to location. Among the destroyed targets were an aeroballistic missile "Kinzhal", 5 X-69 missiles, and a "Shahed" UAV.

Elon Musk ironically commented on the news of an additional $2. 5 billion in US aid to Ukraine. The billionaire sarcastically supported the comment about Zelenskyy's “biggest money theft”.

President Zelenskyy appointed Olha Reshetylova as Ukraine's first military ombudsman. She is a co-founder of the Come Back Alive Foundation and heads the Media Initiative for Human Rights.

For the first time, the Kremlin has invited Russian military personnel involved in war crimes in Ukraine to a New Year's TV show. Among those invited are participants in the fighting in Bucha, Bakhmut and other cities of Ukraine.

Bharat Petroleum Corp is looking for alternative oil supplies from the Middle East due to the reduction in Russian imports. India's purchases of Russian oil have fallen to their lowest level since December last year due to tighter sanctions.

Ukraine's power grid remains in a significant power shortage after 13 massive attacks since the beginning of the year. Power engineers continue restoration work and call for rational electricity consumption.

Philip Pronin has become the new head of the State Financial Monitoring Service, replacing Ihor Cherkasky. Prior to that, Pronin headed the Poltava RMA and worked for ARMA.

The Cabinet of Ministers appointed Ruslan Kravchenko as the head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine. Previously, he managed the Kyiv Regional Military Administration and was a prosecutor who led the case against Yanukovych.

A BMW and a DAF truck collided on the H-09 highway near the village of Nastashyno, killing five people, including two children. The 20-year-old driver of the BMW was speeding and drove into the oncoming lane.

High passenger traffic of up to 150 thousand people per day has been recorded at the Ukrainian border. 85% of the total flow is made up of Ukrainians, half of whom cross the border with Poland.

The NBU has set the new official hryvnia exchange rate at 42. 0390 UAH/USD, which is a historic low for the national currency. In exchange offices, the dollar is trading at UAH 42.36-42.50.

A Magura V5 maritime drone with R-73 SeeDragon missiles destroyed a Russian Mi-8 helicopter near Cape Tarkhankut. The second enemy helicopter was damaged and managed to reach the airfield.

Over the last day, 168 combat engagements took place, most of them in the Pokrovsk sector - 40 attacks. The enemy launched one missile attack and made 4,500 attacks, using 1,864 kamikaze drones.

The Ukrainian Air Force announced a large-scale air alert on the territory of Ukraine. The reason was a possible threat to launch a MiG-31K fighter jet.

The Pentagon reports on the low effectiveness of North Korean attacks in the war against Ukraine. About 1,000 DPRK soldiers were killed or wounded in the fighting in the Kursk region.

Ukrainians will celebrate the New Year under cloudy skies with no significant precipitation. Air temperatures will range from 0 to +11°C depending on the region, with the warmest temperatures in Odesa.

Over the past day, Ukrainian troops eliminated 1610 Russian occupants. Also, 5 tanks, 27 infantry fighting vehicles and 34 enemy artillery systems were destroyed.

Enemy drones were spotted flying over the territory of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava and Dnipro regions. The UAVs are moving in different directions.

Air defense is in place in the Kyiv region due to a drone attack. Explosions were reported in the capital of Ukraine, and people are in shelters during the air raid.

A fire broke out at an oil depot in yartsevo, smolensk region of the terrorist country after a drone attack. The head of the district confirmed that the attack was aimed at the fuel and energy complex facility.