Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 12-20-2024

The IMF’s latest funding approval brings its total loan disbursement to Ukraine up to $9.8 billion out of the total loan amount of $15.5 billion approved in 2023.

The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) executive board approved a $1.1 billion disbursement to Ukraine on Friday as part of an ongoing loan program to provide budget support.

The approval bolsters Ukraine as it faces continued Russian attacks, and comes just over a month after staff at the International Monetary Fund completed the sixth review of an existing four-year program worth some $15.5 billion.

“We respect our partners. That’s why when you beat Fury, don’t hit him too hard, because we don’t want them to ban Storm Shadow,” Zelensky wrote, apparently in jest.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded with boxing star Oleksandr Usyk to be gentle with British rival Tyson Fury in their world heavyweight clash in case a battering delivers a knockout blow to a crucial arms deal.

Usyk defeated Fury in May to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and the two men meet again in Riyadh on Saturday.

In Crimea, the Ukrainian Atesh partisan group found a Russian fuel depot supplying military forces, along with hidden armored vehicles, and reported its location for further action.

In the Saky district of Crimea, members of the Ukrainian partisan movement, Atesh, discovered and reported a Russian fuel depot containing not only fuel tanks that supply its forces but also tanks and other military vehicles, the group reported on Telegram.

“The occupiers are taking measures to minimize the consequences in case of an attack: They are stretching [camouflage] nets and placing sandbags on the tanks, trying to prevent a larger fire if the depot is hit,” reads the Atesh post.

Investment in the missile drone is to be part of a €10 million investment in Ukrainian arms production

Lithuania plans to invest in Ukraine’s Palianytsia missile-drone, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced in a social media post on Friday, Dec. 20.

The importance of rapid weapons development in the Russo-Ukrainian War was brought home on the same day, as Moscow targeted Ukraine’s capital with ballistic missiles.

Pointing to gradual Russian advances, Ukrainian authorities recently ordered families with children to evacuate from towns near the river in the Kremlin’s sights

Lyubov Voronova still remembers a time before the war when the Oskil River flowing by her east Ukraine home was an idyll where families would swim, picnic and make memories.

Now, nearly three years into Russia’s invasion, Kremlin forces have brought panic and destruction to its banks in a war of attrition that has pit invader and defender on opposing banks.

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

One of the worst Russian strikes on Kyiv in almost three years occurred in the early hours of today. The missile and drone attack caused heavy damage in the center of the capital, striking at the heart of foreign businesses and tourism. Substantial damage was also inflicted on one of the oldest Catholic churches in Kyiv. At least one dead and several injured. The IHG Hotels & Resort’s Holiday Inn was heavily damaged too. The complex hit - the Toronto-Kyiv business complex - is popular among expats and locals alike. It was the location of this year’s Embassy of Canada to Ukraine Canada Day festivities where a federal minister and several VIPs were present. St Nicholas Church was just restored back to its original beauty after a major fire some years ago. Stained glass windows were broken and other damage. The Russian attack on Kyiv damaged the embassies of Portugal, Argentina, Albania and Montenegro. The Portuguese Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires in Lisbon. A Kyiv friend said: “In 3 years of war I’ve never felt such power vibrations from the blasts in our shelter. This one was different.” This attack struck at the heart of international business in Kyiv. It raises the question whether the business community should be shifting some of its efforts and resources from the (admittedly needed) campaign to rebuild Ukraine to lobbying for more paralysing sanctions on Russia, war crimes prosecutions - and against a fast track settlement that will potentially leave Ukraine with the shorter end of the stick.

European security guarantees without U.S. involvement will not be “sufficient “ to ensure the long term protection of Ukraine from Russian aggression, Volodymyr Zelensky warned yesterday. The Ukrainian president spoke after meeting with EU and NATO leaders in Brussels to discuss future support for Kyiv in light of Donald Trump’s impending return as U.S. president, and his vows to stop military aid to Ukraine and force peace negotiations with Russia. Zelensky has been pushing leaders to extend a formal invitation to Ukraine to join NATO, but the U.S. and Germany have been deeply reluctant and Hungary is against it. “It is very important to have both on board, the United States and the Europeans…a common decision,” he said. “There should be a very comprehensive position… we must be assured of the security guarantees that will protect us tomorrow.” His comments came after the EU’s chief diplomat warned Western capitals to stop suggesting peace talks to Zelensky and instead ensure their promises of security guarantees to Kyiv were not “empty.” Kaja Kallas said: “There’s no point pushing Zelensky to talk when Putin doesn’t want to talk. We can’t talk about peacekeepers when there’s no peace. And why is there no peace? Because Russia doesn’t want peace.” - FT

The volume of demand for bonds decreased almost threefold in the latest auction. Bond Market Insight for Dec. 19

The first primary auction took place without a significant change in interest rates after the NBU increased its key policy rate. However, there was still some reaction to the National Bank’s decision. The Ministry of Finance reduced caps to UAH3-4bn, and bidders moved their preferences closer to the maximum rates. The volume of demand decreased almost threefold, to UAH12.4bn, if we compare only military bonds.

The most significant volume of bids was for 14-month securities: UAH5.3bn vs. the UAH3bn cap. The minimum rate in bids increased by 10bp to 15%, and the maximum was 15.1%. A considerable amount of demand was in non-competitive applications. Since the MoF satisfied UAH900m of non-competitive bids, competitive bids with lower rates gained an advantage and lowered the weighted average rate by 1bp to 15.09%.

Russian intelligence is likely behind a large-scale cyberattack on Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice state registers – restoration of services estimated to take two weeks, but with no data loss expected.

Russian intelligence services are involved in a large-scale cyberattack, which has led to the suspension of operations of the Unified and State Registers under the jurisdiction of Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice, according to the Cybersecurity Department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Friday, Dec. 20.

The SBU said it has opened a criminal investigation into the cyberattack.

More than 20 years ago I feared that Ukraine’s Orange Revolution and the failure of Moscow’s proxy Viktor Yanukovych to be elected as the country’s president would not go unanswered by Russia.

Twenty years ago, on Dec. 15, 2004, I wrote to Condoleezza Rice, then President Bush’s national security advisor and whose Senate confirmation hearings for Secretary of State were scheduled for January.  This was during the Ukraine’s Orange Revolution that pitted Putin’s proxy, Viktor Yanukovych, against Viktor Yushchenko, who was poisoned by Putin, in an election rigged by Russia, though Yanukovych lost the Dec. 26 rerun.

I was alarmed that, failing Putin’s subornation of Ukraine, Russia would invade Ukraine and attempt to claw back the keystone of its empire.  He would use it as the crowbar to flip the “US led international order.”  If we didn’t deter the assault, the global cascading effect would be overwhelming, and the credibility of our deterrent would be no more.

EU leaders condemned Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure, urged more electricity exports, and called for greater integration of Ukraine’s energy systems with the EU.

The heads of states and governments of the European Union have condemned Russian targeted attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and called for increasing the export of electricity to Ukraine.

The relevant statement was made in the European Council conclusions on Ukraine, following a meeting in Brussels on Dec. 19, 2024, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Kyiv Post’s Chief Editor, Bohdan Nahaylo, comments on the latest developments in the Ukraine war and the challenges that Kyiv might face ahead.

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with European leaders in Brussels this week and urged them to continue to provide his country with the support it needs to stop the Russian aggressor, in the hope that the new administration of US President-elect Donald Trump in Washington will do the same.

He received assurances that Ukraine will not be abandoned, but…

Ukraine‘s foreign ministry said that the Albanian, Argentine, North Macedonian, Palestinian, Portuguese and Montenegrin missions were damaged.

Six diplomatic missions to Kyiv were damaged on Friday in a Russian missile attack on the centre of the Ukrainian capital, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said.

The ministry said that the Albanian, Argentine, North Macedonian, Palestinian, Portuguese and Montenegrin missions were damaged.

HUR reported a $4.5M An-72 explosion near Moscow, highlighting its ongoing efforts to weaken Russia‘s aviation capability.

A Russian An-72 military transport aircraft operated by the Kremlin’s naval forces exploded near Moscow last week, on Dec. 12, according to Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR).

“On Dec. 12, 2024, at the Ostafyevo airfield in the Moscow region, an explosion occurred — the main power unit of a military transport An-72 aircraft belonging to the naval fleet of the aggressor state, Russia, detonated,” the intelligence report states.

Kyiv Post shares photos showing the aftermath of Russia‘s relentless attack on central Kyiv.

What the European media are saying about Europe’s support for Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and several European leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels on Wednesday evening. According to Rutte, the meeting focused on how to put Kyiv ‘in a position of strength’. Europe’s press wonders where this strength is supposed to come from.

Full support also in Europe’s interest

The EU currently has 15 packages of sanctions against Russia, which must be unanimously renewed every six months by all 27 member states.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has informed European Union leaders of his intention to block the extension of sanctions against Russia until after the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, according to sources cited by Bloomberg.

The EU currently has 15 packages of sanctions against Russia, which must be unanimously renewed every six months by all 27 member states. The next deadline for renewal is January 31, 2025, leaving only 11 days after Trump’s January 20 inauguration for a decision to be made.

Trump returns to the White House next month having pledged to bring a swift end to a war that NATO says has left more than one million dead and wounded since Putin‘s 2022 invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday he needed both Europe and the United States on board to secure a durable peace, as he huddled with EU leaders at their final summit before Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Trump returns to the White House next month having pledged to bring a swift end to a conflict that NATO says has left more than one million dead and wounded since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion.

The Kamensky Combine is Russia’s key producer of solid fuel components for rocket motors, explosives, and ammunition.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) carried out a missile strike on the Kamensky Combine enterprise in Russia’s Rostov region, one of the country’s largest chemical industry facilities, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The attack occurred on Wednesday, Dec. 18, but was not officially confirmed by Russian authorities until the evening of Thursday, Dec.19.

Poland assumes the presidency of the EU Council on January 1. What can be expected.

Security, security, security. That’s Poland’s menu of priorities for its half-year in the European Union hot seat, as it looks to share its experience of fending off threats and to nudge fellow member states to stick together in an ever more uncertain world.

The EU is a union of equals but there’s always one country that is a little more equal than the others. That’s because its ministers and diplomats chair meetings of the 27 states and act as a kind of administrative sheepdog, herding decisions and legislation through the complex machinery of Brussels. For the next six months, it’s Poland’s turn to be top dog.

Russian forces fired at least five Iskander-M and KN-23 ballistic missiles from the Bryansk region, along with two Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles launched from MiG-31K jets.

[UPDATES] As of 11 a.m., Russia said it targeted arms industry and security service targets in strikes on Kyiv on Friday as a “response” to this week’s Ukrainian strikes using Western missiles on a chemical plant in southern Russia.

“In response to the actions of the Kyiv regime, supported by its Western handlers, a combined strike with long-range precision weapons was launched today,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine’s Parliament passed a law to replace Medical and Social Expert Commissions, believed to be a major source of corruption, with doctor teams for disability assessments.

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, approved a bill to eliminate the Medical and Social Expert Commission (MSEC) on Thursday, Dec.19.

The Ministry of Health commented on the approval, with 259 parliamentarians voting in favor, stating that it will begin reforming the MSEC and introducing assessments of daily functioning.

What are Putin and his massive Russian support-base really after.

Editors: Here is the latest bulletin from the Chatham House Russia and Eurasia Programme on developments in Russia. Preamble and questions are by Ben Noble, responses by Nikolai Petrov.

Russia’s Presidential Administration held a session in November for regional officials, during which the meaning of ‘victory’ in Russia’s war on Ukraine was discussed.