Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 12-24-2024

The Recruitment Center for Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces wished Ukrainians a Merry Christmas by way of a specially made original video.

Special Operations Forces (SSO) recruiters decided to send Christmas greetings to the country’s citizens with an original video which Kyiv Post is honored to endorse by publishing the text of the greeting and the video which was posted on the SSO Recruiting YouTube channel.

The study gathered insights from over 1,000 Ukrainians, highlighting their resilience and commitment to keeping the holiday spirit alive despite the ongoing war.

A new Deloitte study reveals that holiday shopping remains a resilient tradition for Ukrainians, even in the face of ongoing challenges. This year, 65% of respondents plan to engage in Christmas and New Year shopping, an increase from 59% in 2023.

Deloitte is a multinational professional services network offering audit, consulting, tax, and advisory services. With operations in over 150 countries, the organization supports businesses, governments, and non-profits in addressing complex challenges and achieving growth.

Sandu, the country’s first woman head of state, owed her re-election in large part due to a strong turnout from Moldova’s large diaspora.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu was sworn in for a second term Tuesday, praising voters’ pro-Europe choice “despite the pressures” after Russia was accused of interfering in last month’s election in the former Soviet republic that borders Ukraine.

“We can be proud that, despite the challenges, we have managed to be on the right side of history,” she said while taking the oath before parliament and the Constitutional Court.

A professor from Kyiv’s Shevchenko University said in a recent interview that “hungry” Ukrainian women and “hungry for women” foreign peacekeepers would boost the country’s birth rate.

In an interview aired on YouTube, Nikita Vasylenko, Professor of Journalism at Kyiv’s National Shevchenko University really put the cat among the pigeons with his comments on one way that Ukraine could solve the problems of its demographic crisis.

Interviewed by pro-Russian commentator Alexander Shelest on his YouTube channel, Vasylenko said that when the war in Ukraine ends, the country is likely to see the arrival of thousands of “foreign peacekeepers.”

Belarusian state propaganda outlets have doubled down on early claims that the opposition is preparing to invade the country from abroad and instigate a coup.

Belarusian propaganda outlets claim that exiled opposition forces are preparing a coup d’etat against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko to take place next month.

This follows Belarusian state TV channel Belta reporting on Nov. 20 that the “fugitive opposition” has plans to attack four southwestern regions of the country with an initial assault involving “bands of nationalists” supported by foreign mercenaries and even NATO forces.

An engine room explosion sank a Russian cargo ship called ‘Ursa Major’ in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria and two of its crew are missing.

An engine room explosion sank a Russian cargo ship called ‘Ursa Major’ in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria and two of its crew are missing, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

The vessel, built in 2009, was controlled by Oboronlogistika, a company that is part of the Russian Defence Ministry’s military construction operations, which had previously said it was en route to the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok with two giant port cranes lashed to its deck.

Ukraine’s army is on the backfoot in most parts of the front while Russia presses on with its advantage ahead of the inauguration next month of US president-elect Donald Trump.

Anna Holubtsova was getting ready to sing at the concert organised in Kyiv by the Bakhmut administration, exiled since Russian forces devastated and seized their eastern Ukrainian city.

The last time AFP saw Holubtsova was in October 2022, when she was standing next to the burning house of her neighbour, destroyed by a rocket.

A forensic examination of the wreckage of the ballistic missile that attacked the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Nov. 21 has found components manufactured back in 2017.

The military issues website Defense Express (DE) on Monday, Dec. 23 categorized Russia’s supposedly new Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) as “made of lies and old reserves.” It says that examination of the remnants of the missile that was used to strike the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Nov. 21, concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that it was a brand-new weapon “couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

It identified that markings on one of the components recovered from the Oreshnik’s debris contained a serial number and production date indicating it had been manufactured in April 2017.

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

A Russian cargo vessel operated by the Ministry of Defence’s logistics fleet sank on Tuesday in international waters between Spain and Algeria while en route from St Petersburg to Vladivostok. The ship, called Ursa Major, sank following an explosion in its engine room. Two crew members remain missing, while 14 others have been rescued and taken to the Spanish port of Cartagena, Russia’s foreign ministry said. At 142 metres long — roughly one-and-a-half football pitches — Ursa Major was the largest ship operated by Oboronlogistika, a logistics arm of the Russian military, and had a cargo capacity of up to 1,200 tonnes. The defence ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) said that the vessel had previously transported cargo between Russia and Iran in the Caspian Sea before being reassigned to routes linked to Syria. The vessel was transporting cranes and equipment for icebreakers to Vladivostok as part of a “state mission” to develop the Northern Sea Route, according to information on Oboronlogistika’s website - FT

The U.N. organization assisting in investigating the most serious crimes in Syria said Monday the country’s new authorities were “very receptive” to its request for cooperation during a just-concluded visit to Damascus, and it is preparing to deploy. The visit led by Robert Petit, head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria, was the first since the organization was established by the U.N. General Assembly in 2016. It was created to assist in evidence-gathering and prosecution of individuals responsible for possible war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide since Syria’s civil war began in 2011. Petit highlighted the urgency of preserving documents and other evidence before it is lost. Since the rebel overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar Assad and the rebel opening of prisons and detention facilities there have been rising demands from Syrians for the prosecution of those responsible for atrocities and killings while he was in power - AP

Hryvnia weakens during holidays and central bank is interfering. Weekly Insight for Dec. 23

Bonds: MoF slashes bond offerings

After selling UAH10bn of military bonds last week, the MoF halved this week’s offering.The MoF decreased last week’s caps for military bonds from UAH5bn a week before to UAH3-4bn and sold a planned UAH10bn worth of military bonds.

Demand was limited, and only 14-month bills were oversubscribed. Demand nearly matched the supply for two and three-year securities. Interest rates in bids were mostly at the cut-off level, leaving weighted-average interest rates unchanged. See details in the auction review.

In the secondary bond market, trading fell by 25% to UAH13.8bn, of which 48% were military bonds.Portfolio of retail investors rose to a new high, over UAH77.3bn, mostly due to new purchases.

ICU view: The MoF will likely use funds from international aid to cover budget needs through end-December, decreasing domestic borrowings.

The last primary auction of 2024 will be held this week, with only UAH5bn offered in three military bonds combined. We expect demand will be close to supply and not cause any visible movements in interest rates.

The attack on the Russian airfield is the latest in a series of recent strikes on strategic locations in southern Russia.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a drone attack on the Millerovo military airfield in Russia’s Rostov region on Monday, Dec. 23, according to acting governor Yuri Slyusar. He reported on his Telegram channel that air defense systems intercepted eight drones near the airfield.

The Russian Ministry of Defense later stated that a total of nine drones were shot down across the region claiming there were no reported casualties.

Checks have been stepped up at the Narva crossing ever since Estonia ordered a crackdown on attempts to circumvent sanctions imposed over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In heavy snowfall and high winds, around 200 people wearing rain ponchos and fur hoods queued in the Estonian border town of Narva to cross into neighbouring Russia.

Arriving at the crossing in taxis or buses, some dragged suitcases through thick snow, and others walked up and joined the line with just a single plastic shopping bag.

The Pukguksong-2 is a two-stage, solid-fuel ballistic missile adapted from the submarine-launched Pukguksong-1. Its estimated range is between 1,200 km and 3,000 km.

A video from Russia’s Tyumen region, which recently surfaced on social media has revealed another shipment of military equipment from DPRK, including what are believed to be North Korean Pukguksong-2 medium-range ballistic missiles.

A train carrying the weapons appears to show five systems that analysts identify as likely Pukguksong-2 missiles, though clearer images or official confirmation are still awaited.

Though things are not as relaxed or stable as they were during pre-war times because the risks resulting from war still dominate much of Ukraine’s economy.

The liquidity, solvency, and operational resilience of the banking system do not raise any immediate concerns, Ukraine’s central bank, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) wrote in its latest Financial Stability Report.

The Index of Financial Stress, produced by the central bank, indicated that sentiment in the market had become calmer in the second half of 2024. The main reason for this is the decreased interest rates among Ukrainian bonds and Eurobonds after successful debt restructuring. 

Kyiv Post has rounded up some of the most remarkable and unique Ukrainian brands.

Looking for gifts for your loved ones or just something to treat yourself? Don’t look further than Ukrainian brands.

When you shop Ukrainian, you’re doing more than finding something unique. You’re supporting a nation facing a war that stretches into its third year. Many of these brands honor cultural traditions and sustainability, so your purchase comes with a story and a deeper purpose.

Phishing or bribery of employees could have been used to gain access to the registers.

The cause of a large-scale recent cyberattack on the state registers of the Ministry of Justice could have been a phishing attack but may have involved bribery of employees with access to the files.

Alexander Fedienko, head of the Verkhovna Rada’s subcommittee on cybersecurity, stated this in a comment to Radio Svoboda on Dec. 23, Forbes Ukraine reported.

In video footage that first emerged online on Sunday, the man is seen with his hands tied and being slapped across the face by a man speaking Russian.

Australia’s prime minister said on Tuesday his government is working to secure a “positive outcome” after a video emerged of an Australian man captured by Russian forces in Ukraine.

In video footage that first emerged online on Sunday, the man is seen with his hands tied and being slapped across the face by a man speaking Russian.

The last two weeks have seen a wave of more than 30 incendiary attacks on municipal offices, banks, post offices, and police cars throughout Russia

Over the 10 days from Dec. 13 to 22, Russians committed 34 arson attacks on municipal offices, multifunctional centers (MFC), banks, post offices and police cars in several Russian cities. According to reports in Russian mainstream and social media, those who were apprehended claimed they did so under pressure from telephone scammers who said they’d get their money back if they did what they were told.

The independent Russian news site Mediazona said this was the largest wave of such attacks that have occurred in Russia since the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It seems this campaign may have been intended to coincide with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Dec. 19 end of year “Direct Line” propaganda exercise and the Dec. 20 Security Service Worker’s Day.

Analysts argue that the impact of Trump’s protectionist trade policies on Europe would likely not be catastrophic – although it would probably be bad.

Donald Trump sparked panic in European capitals for the umpteenth time earlier on Friday (20 December) when he repeated his threat to impose tariffs on EU exports to the US.

“I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas,” the US president-elect wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Germany sends Kyiv largest aid package to date; Slovaks protest their leader’s visit to the Kremlin; Ukrainian drones strike same Russian oil depot for second time in a month.

The $680 million military-aid package promised by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during his Kyiv visit three weeks ago has arrived in Ukraine, and has shaped up to be the largest such allotment to date.

In all, Germany has contributed about €28 billion ($29 million) in aid to Ukraine since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion in 2022.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from ISW:

• Russian forces are gradually advancing south and southwest of Pokrovsk, but it remains unclear if Russian forces will be able to exploit these gains to envelop the town or if they intend to advance to the administrative boundary of Donetsk Oblast.
• It remains unclear which effort the Russian military command will prioritize, as Russian President Vladimir Putin may have tasked the Russian military with securing territorial gains rather than seizing significant settlements.
• The Russian military command appears to have split responsibility for the Pokrovsk direction between the Central Military District’s 2nd and 41st combined arms armies (CAAs), and ISW has yet to observe significant Russian activity in the 41st CAA’s area of responsibility (AoR).
• Decreased combat effectiveness among Russian forces may be slowing the rate of Russian advance in the Pokrovsk direction.
• Increased Russian armored vehicle losses over the last year, particularly among Russian units and formations that have been engaged in frontline combat for most of 2024, may be impacting Russia’s rate of advance in certain sectors of the frontline.
• North Korea is reportedly planning to deploy more troops and weapons to Russia amid reports that over 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed and wounded in Kursk Oblast.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin used his meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to advance Russia’s campaign to undermine Western unity in supporting Ukraine.
• The Kremlin may be setting information conditions for a false flag in the pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria likely in a continued attempt to destabilize Moldova and hinder its integration into European Union (EU).
• Russian forces have reportedly withdrawn completely from most of their positions in Syria, including their base at Qamishli in northern Syria. (NOTE: A version of this text also appears in ISW-CTP’s December 23 Iran Update.)
• Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk, Toretsk, Vuhledar, Velyka Novosilka, and in Kursk Oblast.
• The Kremlin’s “Time of Heroes” program, which aims to appoint Russian veterans into government positions, is already causing conflict between veterans and corrupt regional officials.