Ukraine-Russia war – live: Dozens injured in Kyiv missile strike as ‘90% of Putin’s pre-war troops lost’

At least 51 people, including six children, were injured in a Russian missile attack on Kyiv in the early hours of Wednesday as Putin’s pre-war troops suffers devastating losses.

Loud explosions rocked Kyiv at 3am as the city’s air defences started intercepting Russian missiles headed for the peaceful capital for the second time this week.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said debris from the intercepted missiles fell in the capital’s eastern Dniprovskyi district, damaging several buildings including a children’s hospital and the water supply system.

All missiles targeting the capital were downed by Ukraine’s air defence systems, Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration said.

The attack comes as a war monitoring think-tank reported that pre-war Russian forces have been devastated.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), citing a declassified US intelligence document, said Putin’s army has lost 87 per cent of their pre-war active-duty ground troops.

The intelligence assessment reportedly stated that Russian forces lost 315,000 out the 360,000 military personnel in their inventory before February 2022.

Although intelligence suggests 420,000 Russian personnel are currently in occupied Ukraine, the ISW said they “likely have lower combat capabilities” than those they replaced.

Key Points

• Kyiv children’s hospital damaged in missile strike

• Russia ‘lost 87% of pre-war troops’ in war

• Fears of winter push by Moscow ahead of Vladimir Putin elections in March

• Ukraine soldier says situation in Avdiivka is ‘very difficult’

Live: Putin holds first annual news conference since start of Ukraine war

10:26 , Tom Watling

Watch Vladimir Putin’s news conference live here with translation.

Putin admits Russian frontline gains are ‘modest’

10:19 , Tom Watling

Vladimir Putin has claimed that Russia forces are “improving their position” all along the 600–mile frontline - but added that the gains are “modest”.

In Kremlin doublespeak, such an admission is stark.

“Almost along the entire line of contact, our armed forces, let’s say modestly, are improving their position,” Putin said.

“Almost everyone is in an active stage of action, and the situation of our troops is improving throughout.”

Russian forces have gained about 0.08 percent of Ukrainian territory in 2023. They have lost tens of thousands of soldiers in the process, according to US estimates.

Putin asked why his ‘reality differs from ours’

10:12 , Tom Watling

Vladimir Putin has been asked “why does your reality differ from ours” during his news conference, though it appears he has decided not to answer that question.

A large blue screen is currently displaying questions from a pool of more than 2 million from journalists and the Russian public.

One question that has just appeared on the screen asked: “Why does your reality differ from ours?”

Another asked: “Mr President, when will the real Russia look like the one on TV?”

Putin does not appear to have answered either.

The questions are a reference to the difference between Russian state media, which is heavily censored by the Kremlin, and online sources of information, which are less regulated.

According to Russian state media, the war in Ukraine has been an outstanding success; less censored outlets online, on Telegram and other platforms, are more honest, though they still undergo some degree of censorship.

Putin says Ukraine counteroffensive was a failure

09:52 , Tom Watling

Vladimir Putin has alleged that Ukraine is “just sending their men out to be destroyed” in a swipe at their summer counteroffensive.

He said: “The enemy announced a big counteroffensive. none of it worked anywhere. I don’t even know why they do this. They are just sending their men out to be destroyed. It’s a one-way ticket.”

His comments come as thousands of Russians have been wounded or killed after being thrown into a fruitless attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka over the past two months.

Putin claims Russia were forced to start war with Ukraine

09:45 , Tom Watling

Vladimir Putin has claimed that Russia was forced to start the “special military operation” in Ukraine.

Reciting Kremlin favourites, he suggested NATO had encroached upon Russia, that the two revolutions in Ukraine were staged, and that European leaders are deliberately trying to steal away Ukraine.

Putin addresses soldiers allegedly fighting in Ukraine, tells them of importance of patriotism

09:38 , Tom Watling

Vladimir Putin has addressed a group of soldiers allegedly skyping in from the frontline in Ukraine about the importance of patriotism.

He said: “They say wars are won not by fighters but by school teachers. And priests. And that’s correct. Educating people in the spirit of patriotism is critically important and we’re already starting to do this.”

09:34 , Tom Watling

Below are some of the latest photos coming out of Gostinyy Dvor, the exhibition hall in Moscow, near the Kremlin, where Vladimir Putin is holding his first major news conference since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Putin says there is ‘no need' for another mobilisation

09:30 , Tom Watling

Vladimir Putin has said “there is no need” for another mobilisation because there are already nearly half a million men in the Russian military.

He was asked directly if there would be another round of mobilisation.

Tens of thousands of Russian men of fighting age fled the country in the immediate aftermath of the partial mobilisation last September.

Putin says goals for Ukraine takeover 'have not changed’

09:26 , Tom Watling

Putin says there will be peace with Ukraine "only when we achieve our goals … and those goals have not changed”.

He is referring to the total takeover of Ukraine.

His comments come amid wider US calls among Republicans for a ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia, saying that that is the only way to “stop the killing”, as JD Vance, the Ohio senator, said.

Putin ‘Direct Line’ meeting gets underway

09:11 , Tom Watling

Vladimir Putin has arrived for his “Direct Line” address, footage has shown.

He will spend the next three hours answering questions put to him by journalists and the Russian public.

What is happening in Brussels today? European leaders meet with Zelensky

08:50 , Tom Watling

The 27 leaders of the European Union will meet with Volodymr Zelensky today for a two-day summit.

On the agenda will be three main topics: an agreement to start talks on Ukraine’s formal accession to the bloc; finding consensus to pass £46 billion in financial aid to Kyiv to prop up its economy in 2024; and achieving support for an EU military package to Ukraine worth up to €20bn (£17bn).

All 27 members must agree for any of the three pledges to be made.

The likelihood of success in any of the three areas looks difficult - but it is not impossible.

The key will be in pacifying Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, who has said he intends to block Ukraine’s accession plans and the EU’s financial aid package to Ukraine. Hungary has refused to supply weapons to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion.

But the EU overnight unblocked €10bn in funds it had previously withheld from Hungary over its failure to combat state corruption, among other issues, to encourage Mr Orban to come around.

A further €21 billion remains frozen; Mr Orban may leverage his veto power to win more of those funds.

Mr Zelensky, who was pictured speaking intently to Mr Orban in Argentina over the weekend, has accused Hungary of working with Russia. Mr Orban remains on friendly terms with Putin, meeting the leader in Beijing in October.

“If there is no positive news [in Brussels], this will mean that Putin vetoed this decision,” the Ukrainian leader warned yesterday.

Regarding the military proposal, it has run into heavy resistance from the EU’s biggest financial contributor Germany, which has argued countries should now focus on providing bilateral (one-to-one) military aid to Ukraine.

Diplomats say the 20 billion figure is almost certainly dead but countries are debating whether to pledge in the summit declaration at least €5 billion.

Russia attacks south Ukraine with 42 drones and missiles, killing 1, Ukraine says

08:26 , Tom Watling

Russia launched 42 drones and 6 missiles at Ukraine’s southern regions overnight with air defences destroying 41 drones, but missiles killed one civilian, Ukrainian military has said.

“The defenders of the sky managed to shoot down 41 out of 42 Shahed-136/131 attack drones. The vast majority of them were shot down in Odesa region,” Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram.

The Ukrainian military said wreckage of downed drones damaged more than a dozen buildings in the southern city of Odesa and 11 civilians, including three children, were injured.

Emergency services said that during an overnight missile strike on the neighbouring Kherson region, one person was killed and a medical facility, private house and garage were destroyed.

Here are some of the latest photos from Ukraine and Russia

07:48 , Tom Watling

Below are some of the latest photos from Ukraine and Russia.

New Polish PM calls ‘apathy on Ukraine unacceptable’ as EU braces for bitter tussle with Orban

07:30 , Tom Watling

Poland’s new prime minister Donald Tusk has condemned “apathy on Ukraine” and said he will rally support for the war-hit nation ahead of the high-stakes summit of European Union (EU) leaders starting Wednesday.

“Apathy on Ukraine is unacceptable,” Mr Tusk said, adding that he will try to convince “some member states”, a day after his appointment to the top position.

Polish PM calls ‘apathy on Ukraine unacceptable’ as EU braces for tussle with Orban

Voices - The mysterious prison disappearance of Putin’s most powerful opponent

07:15 , Lydia Patrick

Russia’s best-known opposition figure Alexei Navalny has gone missing, from the one place you would have thought no one could go missing: a high-security Russian prison camp.

The alarm was sounded by his lawyers, who said they had been told that Navalny was no longer listed at the penal colony north of Moscow, but were not informed of his whereabouts. Amnesty International has designated Navalny a prisoner of conscience and called on the Russian authorities to “disclose his fate and whereabouts immediately”.

The most prosaic explanation for Navalny’s disappearance is that he is in the process of being transferred to another camp. In August, he was sentenced to an additional 19 years for offences, including “inciting and financing extremism”, which his supporters see as politically motivated.

Read the full comment piece by Mary Dejevsky here

Has anyone seen Alexei Navalny? No? This is why it matters...

Watch - Soviet monument dismantled in Kyiv as Ukraine continues ‘de-Communisation’ process

06:15 , Lydia Patrick

Deputy editor of Putin’s favourite newspaper ‘found dead just one year after boss’

05:15 , Lydia Patrick

The deputy editor of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “favourite newspaper” has reportedly been found dead at her Moscow apartment.

Anna Tsavera was found by her parents at her home just one year after the mysterious death of her former boss Vladimir Sungorkin, police told Russian news agency TASS.

Ms Tsavera was the deputy editor-in-chief of Komsomolskaya Pravda, a daily tabloid newspaper described by Mr Putin as his “favourite newspaper”, according to a document from the European Commission.

Athena Stavrou has the full story

Deputy editor of Putin’s favourite newspaper ‘found dead just one year after boss’

EU unblocks billions for Hungary even though its leader threatens to veto Ukraine aid

04:15 , Lydia Patrick

The European Union on Wednesday relented and granted Hungary access to billions of euros in frozen funds just as Prime Minister Viktor Orban appeared ready to defy his EU partners and veto the opening of membership talks and vital financial aid for Ukraine.

A year ago, the European Union’s executive branch blocked substantial amounts of money out of concern that democratic backsliding by Orban’s nationalist government could put the bloc’s budget at risk.

The billions withheld mostly concern “cohesion funds” earmarked for Hungary. This envelope of money, one of the biggest slices of the 27-nation bloc’s budget, helps countries maintain their infrastructure at EU standards. They must apply for the money to fund building and other projects.

EU unblocks billions for Hungary even though its leader threatens to veto Ukraine aid

Analysis - Russia’s intensifying missiles strikes on Ukraine’s cities are a grim reminder how key Western support is

03:15 , Lydia Patrick

With critical military supplies from Ukraine’s most important ally, America, in danger of drying up, Russia is stretching Ukraine’s air defences to the limit with an intensified onslaught using drones and ballistic missiles.

More than 50 people, including six children, were injured after Russia launched 10 ballistic missiles at the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, early on Wednesday.

Ballistic missiles are more difficult to detect than other types like cruise missiles or drones, whose entire journey is powered by engines. The important difference in ballistic missiles is that the last stage of their trajectory is unpowered giving less warning where they will land.

Askold Krushelnycky has the full report

Russia’s intensifying strikes on Ukraine’s cities show how vital Western support is

US lawmakers grapple with border security deal details linked to foreign aid

02:15 , Lydia Patrick

U.S. lawmakers and the White House are discussing what level of border arrests should trigger stringent new asylum rules under a possible border security deal that would also include aid for Ukraine and Israel, a Republican senator said on Wednesday.

Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican involved with bipartisan talks over a border deal, said the White House had offered a proposal that included the creation of a new migrant expulsion authority similar to the COVID-era Title 42 policy.

“The administration has set something forward,” Tillis told reporters. “It’s not a detailed proposal, but it actually does define some of the contours that I think could dramatically reduce future flows.”

A group of Senate lawmakers have been negotiating a border agreement that would be paired with the Ukraine and Israel military aid. But they face a tight timeline to pass a bill amid opposition from both liberals and conservatives. Lawmakers are scheduled to leave Washington at the end of the week for a three-week holiday break.

The White House offer raised hopes that the Senate could act before Christmas on a bill the Republican-led House of Representatives could then take up in January. But some lawmakers warned that such a move would doom the legislation.

The House has pushed to pair aid for Ukraine with an enforcement-focused immigration bill known as H.R. 2., a measure Democrats have opposed.

Meet the women helping Putin’s frontline

01:15 , Lydia Patrick

Natalia Yermakova’s husband, Alexander, has been fighting in Ukraine for over a year after responding to President Vladimir Putin’s mobilisation call as a volunteer. Wounded in the leg, he was operated on and then sent back to the front.

A believer in what Russia calls its “special military operation” against Ukraine, Natalia is toiling as a volunteer in a “Family Battalion” in Moscow.

She is one of a group of around 40 mostly female relatives of mobilised men who thread camouflage netting, make signs to mark minefields, gather candles to be used in dug-outs, and put food parcels together in their free time.

As Putin positions himself to win a fifth presidential term in March, casting himself as the right man to lead a military campaign that the West says is a colonial-style war of aggression, it is people like Yermakova whom Putin is relying on to hold his support base together.

Her work takes place in an office belonging to the ruling United Russia party, which is adorned with Russia’s red, blue and white flag and portraits of politicians such as Putin.

There are similar groups working around Moscow, she said.

The relatives take turns accompanying the deliveries they assemble - in a more-than-30-year-old van - to the Russian military in what Yermakova calls “the new territories” - Ukrainian land annexed by Russia.

“We really want to support them (the soldiers) morally and emotionally and send them a message...that what they are doing there is needed by people here,” Yermakova told Reuters, while taking a break from threading a giant camouflage net.

00:15 , Lydia Patrick

Germany’s government clinched a last-minute deal on its 2024 budget on Wednesday that will see Berlin return to its self-imposed limits on new debt despite warnings this could hamper growth in Europe’s top economy and its green transition.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition was faced with either suspending what is known as the debt brake or finding some 17 billion euros ($18.3 billion) in savings and tax hikes after a Nov. 15 constitutional court ruling threw its plans into disarray.

Weeks of tense talks that had raised doubts the coalition could survive ended at around 5 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Wednesday with an agreement to go down the path of austerity - a win for fiscally hawkish junior partner, the Free Democrats (FDP).

Scholz of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) nevertheless said the brake to limit debt could be suspended again if Ukraine needed more funding to fight off Russia’s invasion. He was speaking hours before flying to Brussels to an EU summit at which support for Kyiv will be top of the agenda.

“The government will stick to its goals ... but we must do so with less money which means cuts and savings,” Scholz told a press conference flanked by Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the FDP and Economy Minister Robert Habeck of the Greens.

After the court ruled that 60 billion euros of unused pandemic debt could not be moved to a climate and transformation fund, Scholz said that fund would be reduced by 12 billion euros in 2024 and by 45 billion euros in budget planning up to 2027.

US says Russia has lost 315,000 troops in Ukraine, equivalent to 90% of invading force

Wednesday 13 December 2023 23:15 , Lydia Patrick

Russia has had 315,000 of its troops killed or injured in Ukraine, the equivalent of nearly 90 per cent of the total number of soldiers it sent to war when the invasion first began, a declassified US intelligence report said.

Vladimir Putin’s personnel losses in the 22 months of the conflict have set back Russia’s military modernisation by 18 years, a source familiar with the assessment told Reuters.

The numbers represent a far greater tally than Russian officials have ever admitted to, and also outstrip Western estimates of Ukrainian losses.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine with a total of 360,000 personnel in February last year. After failing in its attempts to rapidly capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Moscow has since launched several major recruitment drives to further bolster its numbers on the frontline, and replace tiring troops.

US says Russia has lost 315,000 troops in Ukraine, equivalent to 90% of invading men

Voices - The mysterious prison disappearance of Putin’s most powerful opponent

Wednesday 13 December 2023 22:15 , Lydia Patrick

Russia’s best-known opposition figure Alexei Navalny has gone missing, from the one place you would have thought no one could go missing: a high-security Russian prison camp.

The alarm was sounded by his lawyers, who said they had been told that Navalny was no longer listed at the penal colony north of Moscow, but were not informed of his whereabouts. Amnesty International has designated Navalny a prisoner of conscience and called on the Russian authorities to “disclose his fate and whereabouts immediately”.

The most prosaic explanation for Navalny’s disappearance is that he is in the process of being transferred to another camp. In August, he was sentenced to an additional 19 years for offences, including “inciting and financing extremism”, which his supporters see as politically motivated.

Read the full comment piece by Mary Dejevsky here

Has anyone seen Alexei Navalny? No? This is why it matters...

ICYMI - 10 Russian drones shot down over night

Wednesday 13 December 2023 21:15 , Lydia Patrick

10 Russian drones were shot down, most of them in the Odesa region, the Ukrainian air force said.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said in a report that Russian forces this year have “continued to use explosive weapons with wide area effects in their attacks on densely populated urban areas of Ukraine ... both in areas close to heavy fighting and in cities far from the contact line”.

The governmental organisation added in the report published on Wednesday that Ukrainian armed forces, though on a much smaller scale, also shelled populated areas of Ukraine that are occupied by Russia, causing civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.

Polish PM Tusk: "apathy on Ukraine is unacceptable"

Wednesday 13 December 2023 20:15 , Lydia Patrick

Poland’s new Prime Minister Donald Tusk, arriving at a European Union summit in Brussels, said that his role would be to strengthen European determination to effectively support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.

“Apathy on Ukraine is unacceptable,” Tusk said, adding that he will try to convince “some member states”.

Hungary locked horns with fellow European Union members on Wednesday over Ukraine‘s bid to join the bloc, aggravating a dispute that could hold up Kyiv’s membership drive and was set to overshadow an EU summit.

Latest pictures from Ukraine

Wednesday 13 December 2023 19:15 , Athena Stavrou

ICYMI: Major Russian missile attack on Kyiv injures 51 and damages children’s hospital

Wednesday 13 December 2023 18:15 , Athena Stavrou

At least 51 people, including six children, were injured in a Russian missile attack on Kyiv in the early hours of Wednesday in a sign of a renewed winter offensive by Vladimir Putin on Ukrainian civilians miles away from the war’s frontlines.

This is the second missile assault on Ukrainian civilians within 48 hours as Volodymyr Zelensky is in the US seeking help to save the besieged nation from Russian aggression.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said debris from the intercepted missiles fell in the capital’s eastern Dniprovskyi district, damaging several buildings and the water supply system.

Of the total injured, 18 people were hospitalised while 27 others were receiving medical treatment on the spot. The oldest person hurt in the attack is 80 and the youngest is 5, officials said.

The debris from the missile assault damaged an apartment building, a private house, and set several cars ablaze. It also shattered the windows and entrances of a nearby children’s hospital.

Deputy editor of Putin’s favourite newspaper ‘found dead just one year after boss’

Wednesday 13 December 2023 17:15 , Athena Stavrou

The deputy editor of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “favourite newspaper” has reportedly been found dead at her Moscow apartment.

Anna Tsavera was found by her parents at her home just one year after the mysterious death of her former boss Vladimir Sungorkin, police told Russian news agency TASS.

Ms Tsavera was the deputy editor-in-chief of Komsomolskaya Pravda, a daily tabloid newspaper described by Mr Putin as his “favourite newspaper”, according to a document from the European Commission.

Russian media outlet Baza, which has links to Russia’s security services, wrote on their Telegram channel that on 10 December, Ms Tsareva spoke with her parents on the phone and complained of feeling unwell.

She reportedly was working the next day, but in the evening her father and landlord found her dead in her bed.

Police have opened an investigation but initial reports suggest there were no signs of a struggle or a violent death.

Ms Tsavera had been in her role at the newspaper for six years.

Voices: The mysterious prison disappearance of Putin’s most powerful opponent

Wednesday 13 December 2023 16:15 , Athena Stavrou

Russia’s best-known opposition figure Alexei Navalny has gone missing, from the one place you would have thought no one could go missing: a high-security Russian prison camp.

The Independent’s foreign affairs columnist Mary Dejevsky writes how although conspiracy theories are rife, Mr Navalny’s disappearance has more serious repercussions.

Read the full premium article here:

Has anyone seen Alexei Navalny? No? This is why it matters...

Denmark promise 1 billion euro support package for Ukraine

Wednesday 13 December 2023 15:28 , Athena Stavrou

Nordic nations have vowed to keep supporting Ukraine following Zelensky’s surprise visit to Oslo on Wednesday.

Together, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland said they would support Ukraine “for as long as it takes” in a joint statement released on Wednesday.

Separately, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said her government would present a new support package for Ukraine worth one billion euros (£858 million) to parliament this week.

Additionally, Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said they would donate three billion crowns (£218 million) to Ukraine as part of a package previously approved by Norway’s parliament.

“We are providing targeted, long-term support to assist Ukraine in its battle for freedom and democracy,” Stoere said in a statement.

Orban has no reason to block Ukraine’s EU membership, Zelensky says

Wednesday 13 December 2023 15:00 , Athena Stavrou

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Hungary has no reason to block their EU membership talks.

It comes after Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly spoken out against Ukraine’s goal to join the bloc.

Most of the European Union’s 27 members want to open talks on Ukraine’s accession at a summit this week and agree on billions of euros in further support for Kyiv in its war against Russia‘s invasion.

Mr Orban is blocking both moves. Hungary relies on Russia for much of its energy supply, and Mr Orban is seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strongest ally in Europe.

Speaking to lawmakers in Hungary’s parliament on Wednesday, Mr Orban said that the time for bringing Ukraine into the EU had “not yet come”, and that the development of a strategic partnership with Kyiv should be a prerequisite for beginning membership talks.

“The government’s position is currently that Ukraine’s rapid entry into the European Union would come with unforeseeable consequences.

“Ukraine’s fast-track accession does not serve the interests of either Hungary or the European Union,” he said.

Germany renews support for Ukraine in budget

Wednesday 13 December 2023 14:30 , Athena Stavrou

German chancellor Olaf Scholz said support for Ukraine would continue as he announced the country’s budget today.

Scholz’s government has pledged to double support for Kyiv to 8 billion euros next year compared to the current year. There will be 6 billion euros additionally for Ukrainian refugees.

He added that the budget agreement meant support for Ukraine would continue for as long as it was needed and said Putin is betting on international support for Ukraine faltering.

Russia lose 90% of invading force, US say

Wednesday 13 December 2023 14:00 , Athena Stavrou

Russia has had 315,000 of its troops killed or injured in Ukraine, the equivalent of nearly 90 per cent of the total number of soldiers it sent to war when the invasion first began, a declassified US intelligence report said.

The numbers represent a far greater tally than Russian officials have ever admitted to, and also outstrip Western estimates of Ukrainian losses.

“The scale of losses has forced Russia to take extraordinary measures to sustain its ability to fight. Russia declared a partial mobilisation of 300,000 personnel in late 2022, and has relaxed standards to allow recruitment of convicts and older civilians,” the assessment said.

Read the full report here:

US says Russia has lost 315,000 troops in Ukraine, equivalent to 90% of invading men

Pictures: Overnight strike on Kyiv

Wednesday 13 December 2023 13:22 , Athena Stavrou

Debris from intercepted Russian missiles devasted Ukraine’s capital overnight.

Over 50 were injured in the attack, including six children.

Ukraine’s biggest mobile network hope to restore services following cyber attack

Wednesday 13 December 2023 12:23 , Athena Stavrou

Ukraine’s biggest mobile network, Kyivstar, is hoping to restore some of its services today following an “unprecedented cyber attack”.

The country’s security service is investigating the possibility that Russia may have been behind the attack on Tuesday, which saw 24.3 million mobile subscribers knocked out of services.

The attack - thought to be the largest attack since the war began - even damaged IT infrastructure and air raid alert systems in some regions.

“We expected that we would be able to return some services in the first half of the day today. We see that this will not happen, but we are moving towards starting to restore some services in the second half of the day,” the company’s CEO Oleksandr Komarov said in televised comments.

In a separate statement on Facebook, Kyivstar reiterated that personal client data was safe, and systems storing it were not damaged.

Moscow has not given an immediate comment.

North Korea hosts Russian governor for talks

Wednesday 13 December 2023 11:49 , Athena Stavrou

A North Korean minister met with a Russian governor to discuss economic cooperation, state media KCNA reported on Wednesday.

The talks were between North Korea’s External Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong Ho and Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky, which borders the country.

Discussions focused on “elevating economic cooperation to a higher level,” KCNA said.

“This is the first visit after a long break caused by the pandemic,” Kozhemyako said on his Telegram channel. “Our delegation’s program includes many meetings to develop humanitarian ties between Primorye and the DPRK. First of all, in the field of culture, tourism and sports.”

In November, Kozhemyako told the Russian TASS state news agency that Primorye was ready to consider the possibility of providing part of its agricultural land for farming by North Korean farmers.

Kozhemyako’s visit marks the latest in a flurry of bilateral visits since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited Russia in September and met President Vladimir Putin to discuss deepening military cooperation.

Russia investigating radio journalist

Wednesday 13 December 2023 11:25 , Athena Stavrou

Russian investigators have opened a criminal case against a Russian-American journalist for spreading misinformation about the army, a state-affiliated media outlet reported on Tuesday.

Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has been detained since October 18 after being briefly detained in June while trying to fly out of Russia after visiting her mother.

Her employer said she was being unfairly and cruelly persecuted.

According to Tatar-Inform a state-affiliated media outlet she has been formally accused of deliberately gathering military information that could be used against Russia.

They said the case centred on a book she promoted by a Prague-based journalist which told stories of Russians who opposed the war in Ukraine.

Her promotion of the book was reportedly seen by state investigators as deliberately distributing false information about the Russian army out of political hatred.

There was no immediate comment from Russian authorities on the Tatar-Inform report.

Zelensky arrives in Norway ahead of EU summit

Wednesday 13 December 2023 10:47 , Athena Stavrou

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Norway to discuss further military and financial aid.

Mr Zelensky is meeting with Nordic leaders ahead of the European Union summit this week where a decision on whether Ukrainian membership talks is expected.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Zelensky said the summit would not be easy but he insisted that Kyiv had fulfilled all demands.

Russia ‘lost 87% of pre-war troops’ in war

Wednesday 13 December 2023 10:02 , Athena Stavrou

Pre-war Russian forces have been devastated by the war in Ukraine, a war monitoring think-tank has said.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), citing a declassified US intelligence document, said Putin’s army has lost 87 per cent of their pre-war active-duty ground troops.

The intelligence assessment reportedly stated that Russian forces lost 315,000 out the 360,000 military personnel on their inventory before February 24 2022.

Russia has reportedly also lost two-thirds of the tanks in its pre-war inventory and over a quarter of their stockpiles of military equipment as of November 2023.

The ISW says that Russia has managed to partially offset these losses and continues to prepare for a long war.

Intelligence suggests 420,000 Russian personnel are currently in occupied Ukraine, although they “likely have lower combat capabilities” than those they replaced.

Russia’s military command is also pursuing a “long-term restructuring and expansion” to prepare for a potential future conflict against NATO, ISW reported.

Russia use new missile launch site to ‘complicate Ukrainian air defence efforts'

Wednesday 13 December 2023 09:27 , Athena Stavrou

Russia brought a new launch site into use on Tuesday in an effort to “complicate Ukrainian air defence efforts”, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said.

In their latest defence intelligence update, the MoD said Russia launched at least 15 Shahed One Way Attack Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (OWA UAV) from the Balaklava district of Crimea.

This is now the fifth confirmed OWA UAV launch site being used in Russian operations against Ukraine alongside the sites at Cape Chauda, Yeysk, Primorsko, and Kursk.

The Ministry of Defence said: “Russia is highly likely dispersing its OWA UAV launch capabilities across several locations as both a force protection measure and to complicate Ukrainian air defence efforts.

“Russia will likely use additional launch sites in response to Ukrainian attacks, forcing Ukraine to adapt to new transit corridors of these systems.”

EU chief says support Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes'

Wednesday 13 December 2023 09:09 , Athena Stavrou

The European Union’s chief executive urged the bloc on Wednesday to continue supporting Ukraine for “as long as it takes”.

Ukraine is looking to a key European leaders’ summit on Thursday for a positive signal on its future in the European Union.

“As the war drags on, we must prove what it means to support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament ahead of the leaders’ summit.

Her Commission has proposed that the summit takes a decision this week to start EU membership talks with Ukraine once it meets the four outstanding conditions set out previously to advance Kyiv’s EU hopes.

The Brussels EU executive suggested that could happen in March.

Hungary is opposed to granting Ukraine more financial aid and has threatened to veto plans to advance Kyiv’s EU membership.

Hungary reinforces opposition to Ukraine’s EU membership talks

Wednesday 13 December 2023 08:25 , Athena Stavrou

Hungary has stuck to its opposition stance on Ukraine’s membership talks with the EU.

Prime minister Viktor Orban said Ukraine should aim for a strategic partnership instead in an interview with local news broadcasters this morning.

“The EU is preparing to make a terrible mistake and we must prevent that even if 26 (members) want to make the mistake,” Mr Orban said in the interview.

“If we want to give support to Ukraine, a geostrategic signal, then we should, but this is not membership.”

The Hungarian PM was seen engaging in a heated discussion with Ukrainian prime minister Volodymyr Zelensky in Argentina over the weekend.

Mr Orban has repeatedly opposed Ukraine’s EU membership and boasts about his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian offensives primarily ‘aimed to weaken Western support'

Wednesday 13 December 2023 08:05 , Athena Stavrou

Russia’s autumn offensive operations were primarily aimed at weakening Western support, US intelligence reportedly assessed.

War monitoring think-tank The Insititute for the Study of War (ISW) cited the intelligence that said the operational objectives of Putin’s offenses were considered secondary aims.

US intelligence reportedly concluded that offensives have only resulted in heavy Russian losses and no operationally significant Russian battlefield gains.

US National Security Council Spokesperson Andrienne Watson reportedly stated that Russian forces have suffered more than 13,000 casualties and lost 220 combat vehicles along the Avdiivka-Novopavlivka axis since launching offensive operations in October 2023, ISW said.

Western weapons should not be doubted, Kyiv official says

Wednesday 13 December 2023 07:28 , Athena Stavrou

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff said the effectiveness of Western weapons should not be doubted, in light of last night’s attack.

The Ukrainian air force said it had downed 10 Russia-launched ballistic missiles overnight.

“The effectiveness of Western weapons in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers cannot be doubted,” Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak said on the Telegram messaging app.

“But there are victims as a result of falling fragments of Russian missiles, houses were burned. Kyiv is being hit with ballistic (missiles).”

Over 50 civilians, including a five-year-old child, were injured as a result of debris from intercepting missiles during the attack.

51 injured in Kyiv missile strike

Wednesday 13 December 2023 07:18 , Athena Stavrou

At least 51 people, including six children, were injured in a Russian missile attack on Kyiv in the early hours of Wednesday.

Loud explosions rocked Kyiv at 3am as the city’s air defences started intercepting Russian missiles headed for the peaceful capital for the second time this week.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said that the debris from intercepted missiles damaged an apartment building, a private house, and set several cars ablaze. It also shattered the windows and entrances of a nearby children’s hospital.

All missiles targeting the capital were downed by Ukraine’s air defence systems, Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration said.

Andriy Shevchenko urges the world not to forget Ukraine: ‘The cold is coming. Russia will try to hit our energy’

Wednesday 13 December 2023 07:00 , Lydia Patrick

On the morning of 24 February 2022 – a date etched in every Ukrainian’s mind – Andriy Shevchenko was woken by a phone call from his mother. She told him through tears that Russia was invading. Shevchenko was in London, where he lives with his wife and four sons; his mother and wider family were in Ukraine, under attack.

Read the full voices piece by Lawrence Ostlere here

Andriy Shevchenko on Ukraine: ‘The cold is coming. Russia will try to hit our energy’

Voices- Zelensky’s extraordinary visit can’t fix the fact America’s Ukraine aid is dead

Wednesday 13 December 2023 06:00 , Lydia Patrick

In December of last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington as a hero, delivering a joint address to Congress. The select committee investigating the January 6 riot postponed the release of its final report as Congress rolled out the red carpet for the leader of the country pushing back against aggression from Russia.

But the warm welcome underlined the fact that Democrats, who at the time controlled the majority in the House, knew that passing aid to Ukraine would be much harder come January when Republicans took control of the House of Representatives.

And indeed, on Tuesday 12 December, despite arriving in the US Senate in his trademark fatigues flanked by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, most Republicans remained wholly unmoved in their opposition to assisting Ukraine.

There is truly no way around it: Congress is wholly at an impasse when it comes to passing aid to Ukraine, and no dramatic plea from Zelensky can change it.

Zelensky’s extraordinary visit can’t fix the fact America’s Ukraine aid is dead

Watch - Biden slams GOP ‘gift’ to Putin and calls for Congress to pass Ukraine funding

Wednesday 13 December 2023 04:00 , Lydia Patrick

Homeless will not rise despite cuts to help to Ukrainians in Ireland, says minister

Wednesday 13 December 2023 03:00 , Lydia Patrick

Minister for Children and Integration Roderic O’Gorman has said that he does not expect homelessness to rise in Ireland amid plans to pare back state supports being offered to arriving Ukrainians.

The Government has agreed to cut financial support for Ukrainians who are given state accommodation from the end of January, and will also provide state accommodation only for a maximum of 90 days.

During that period, arrivals will be paid a 38.80 euro subsistence allowance and an additional 29.80 per child per week “in recognition of the fact that accommodation has been provided”, according to the Taoiseach.

Arrivals had been entitled to a jobseeker’s allowance of 220 euro per week.

Mr O’Gorman said that the proposal is similar to one proposed at Cabinet several weeks ago, but with a “significant change” in the form of the social welfare reduction.

He also said that a number of properties around the country are to be set up solely for use as reception centres, alongside vacancies in hotel and guesthouse properties.

Meals and laundry services, integration support and access to education for children will be provided in those reception centres.

Top US Senate Republican says Ukraine aid deal ‘practically impossible’ before Christmas

Wednesday 13 December 2023 02:00 , Lydia Patrick

U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday it would be “practically impossible” for Congress to pass a supplemental funding package including aid for Ukraine before Christmas.

McConnell told reporters that a deal will not happen until President Joe Biden and Republicans reach agreement with Republicans, who want to link funding for Ukraine to new border security measures.

US concern over Alexei Navalny ‘unacceptable meddling’, Kremlin says

Wednesday 13 December 2023 01:00 , Lydia Patrick

US concern over the condition of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is unacceptable meddling in Russia’s domestic affairs, the Kremlin said.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he was unaware of the whereabouts of Navalny, who has been moved from his penal colony to an undisclosed location.

It comes after the White House national security spokesperson John Kirby called for the immediate release of Navalny, saying “he should never have been jailed in the first place”.

MI6 chief thanks Putin’s TV channel for help in encouraging Russians to spy for the UK

Wednesday 13 December 2023 00:00 , Lydia Patrick

The head of Britain’s foreign intelligence agency has thanked Russian state television for its “help” encouraging Russians to spy for the U.K. after it translated and broadcast part of a speech he gave earlier this year in which he called on Russians to “join hands with us.”

Anchor Maria Butina — herself a former Russian spy — included the clip at the top of a program about Richard Moore, the head of Britain‘s Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6.

Moore gave the speech in July at the British Embassy in Prague where he openly encouraged Russians faced with “the venality, infighting and sheer callous incompetence of their leaders” to spy for Britain.

On Monday, Moore tweeted that the British foreign intelligence agency had been “puzzling over how to get my message to our target audience in Russia — we never thought Russian state TV would step in to help.”

MI6 chief thanks Putin’s TV channel for help in encouraging Russians to spy for UK

Polish far-right politician extinguishes Hanukkah candle in parliament

Tuesday 12 December 2023 23:00 , Lydia Patrick

A far-right lawmaker in the Polish parliament used a fire extinguisher on Tuesday and put out a candle on a menorah that was lit for the Jewish holiday Hannukah.

All major political forces quickly denounced the incident carried out by Grzegorz Braun, and said there would be no tolerance for antisemitic and xenophobic behavior in the Sejm, the Polish parliament.

The speaker of the parliament, Szymon Holownia, called the act “absolutely scandalous” and excluded him from the day’s parliamentary proceedings. He said he was reporting him to prosecutors.

“Poland is home of all religions,” Holownia said.

Polish far-right politician extinguishes Hanukkah candle in parliament

Defence secretary Grant Shapps confirms transfer of two navy minehunters to Ukraine

Tuesday 12 December 2023 22:00 , Lydia Patrick

Britain is sending two Royal Navy minehunter ships to Ukraine to boost its Black Sea capabilities in the face of Russia’s aggressive invasion, officials said.

UK defence secretary Grant Shapps said the aid is part of the collaborative effort between Britain and Norway to bolster the Ukrainian Navy. Strong maritime forces are critical to fight Russia’s aggression and facilitate grain and steel shipments through the Black Sea, Mr Shapps said.

UK is also sending amphibious armoured vehicles and coastal raiding boats to the nation under siege.

“It’s not just those couple of ships, but we’re launching something called the ‘Maritime Coalition’, which is a British-led...but international plan to ensure that not only can they be-mine that part of the sea, but Ukraine can build a navy for the future,” Mr Shapps told the BBC.

Defence secretary Grant Shapps confirms transfer of two navy minehunters to Ukraine

Ukrainian commanders not about to be dismissed, defence minister says

Tuesday 12 December 2023 21:00 , Lydia Patrick

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov rejected any notion on Tuesday that two of the country’s top military commanders were about to be dismissed.

“On this matter, there is no such question,” Umerov told a news conference alongside his Latvian counterpart. “On this matter, I am always open and if the question is ever raised, I will say something immediately. There are no such issues.”

At issue at the news conference was the future of Commander in Chief Valery Zaluzhnyi and Joint Forces Commander Serhiy Nayev.

The possibility of change in Ukraine‘s top military ranks has been raised several times since relations cooled between President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Zaluzhnyi over the commander’s view of the conduct of the 21-month-old war against Russia.

Zaluzhnyi, in a published essay last month, said the war was entering a phase of attrition similar to World War One battles.

The president disagreed with any notion that the war was subject to a stalemate, though he has acknowledged that a counteroffensive launched in the east and south in June has moved more slowly than had been hoped.

Umerov, appointed in September, made a similar denial last month that changes in Ukraine‘s command were under consideration.

In his latest comments, Umerov said rotations of positions were a normal part of military operations “but there are no such issues, however much our enemies want to knock us off stride”.

“Everyone is subject to change, absolutely everyone,” he told reporters. “We will do everything necessary for our victory, but for today, there is no such issue.”

Biden tells Ukraine’s Zelensky: ‘Don’t give up hope'

Tuesday 12 December 2023 20:15 , Lydia Patrick

U.S. President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy not to give up hope in his country’s fight against Russia’s invasion, saying the U.S. Congress should fund additional aid.

Biden also announced $200 million in separate military assistance for the country.