Putin’s forces have captured the village of Kostiantynopolske in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, just six miles from the city of Kurakhove, which they have stormed and are threatening to encircle.
Russia also launched 113 overnight drones into Ukraine, wounding eight people just hours after at least one person was killed in the capital of Kyiv in a missile attack.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, 57 drones were shot down during the attacks while further 56 drones were “lost”, likely having been electronically jammed.
On Friday, missiles hit Kyiv at around 7am local time, while a high-rise building was badly damaged. The capital’s St Nicholas Church was also damaged.
Meanwhile, Russian president Vladimir Putin has said he should have invaded Ukraine earlier as he used an end-of-year press conference to double down on his decision to start the war.
Despite the toll his war has taken on Russia’s finances and the lives of its young men, Putin claimed that sending troops into Ukraine in 2022 has boosted his country’s military and economic power.
Airport in Kazan reopens after Ukrainian drone attack
The airport in the Russian city of Kazan reopened on Saturday after temporarily closing earlier in the day following a Ukrainian drone attack, Russia’s aviation watchdog said.
Russian state news agencies reported the drone attack on a residential complex and other areas in Kazan, some 500 miles (800 km) east of Moscow.
The Defence Ministry said the city had been attacked by three waves of drones between 7:40 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. (0440 and 0620 GMT). It said three drones were destroyed by air defence systems and three others by electronic warfare systems.
There were no casualties reported, agencies said, citing local authorities. The mayor of Kazan said on Telegram that all planned mass events in the city would be canceled over the weekend and that authorities would offer temporary accommodation to evacuees.
The Baza Telegram channel, which is close to Russia’s security services, published unverified video footage showing an aerial object crashing into a high-rise building, producing a large fireball.
Kim Jong Un ‘personally overseeing’ North Korean training for Ukraine
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is personally overseeing training of soldiers to be sent to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to South Korean intelligence reports, after Pyongyang’s inexperienced forces were said to have suffered a high number of casualties.
South Korean MP Lee Seong-kweun claimed at least 100 North Korean soldiers had been killed in the war, citing a briefing to parliament by the National Intelligence Service.
“There was a report that there have been at least 100 deaths and the injured are approaching 1,000,” he said.
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113 drones sent into Ukraine overnight
Moscow sent 113 drones into Ukraine overnight into Saturday, Ukrainian officials said.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, 57 drones were shot down during the attacks while further 56 drones were “lost”, likely having been electronically jammed.
The governor of Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, said eight people were wounded on Friday night in drone attacks on the regional capital, also called Kharkiv.
Russia is ready to compromise with Trump on Ukraine war, Putin says
During boasts about Russia’s military achievements in his annual marathon televised news conference, Vladimir Putin says he is ready to compromise over Ukraine in possible talks on ending his war and has no conditions for starting discussions.
The Russian president told one reporter he was ready to meet Donald Trump, who he said he had not spoken to for years.
The US president-elect has vowed to swiftly end the Ukraine war, without giving any details on how he might achieve that.
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Drone attacks damage residential buildings 600 miles from frontline
Ukraine has brought the war into the heart of Russia with drone attacks that damaged residential buildings in the city of Kazan in the Tatarstan region, more than 600 miles from the front line.
The press service of Tatarstan’s governor, Rustam Minnikhanov, said that eight drones attacked the city.
Six hit residential buildings, one hit an industrial facility and one was shot down over a river, the statement said.
A video posted on local Telegram news channel Astra, verified by The Associated Press, shows a drone flying into the upper floors of a high-rise building.
Local authorities said there were no casualties. Flights were halted at Kazan’s airport and all mass gatherings cancelled on Saturday and Sunday.
The attacks, which Ukraine did not acknowledge in keeping with its security policy, comes after a Ukrainian attack on Friday on a town in Russia’s Kursk border region using US-supplied missiles killed six people, including a child.
Putin praises Boris Johnson’s hair as he peddles baseless Ukraine army theory
Putin praises Boris Johnson’s hair as he peddles baseless Ukraine army theory
Vladimir Putin praised Boris Johnson’s hair as he referred to a quote there is no online record of the former prime minister ever having said. During a four-hour phone-in on Thursday (19 December), the Russian president said: “Prime minister Johnson with the great hair… He said they need to fight until the last Ukrainian, that’s what they’re doing now. They’re running out of Ukrainians who would like to fight, I don’t think there are any left.” Mr Putin appeared to reference a Kremlin-peddled theory that Mr Johnson hindered peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow, something the former PM denied, telling The Times it was “total nonsense and Russian propaganda.”
Russian troops capture village in Donetsk
Russian troops have captured the village of Kostiantynopolske in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, the defence ministry said on Saturday.
The reports have not been independently verified.
US condemns ‘unacceptable’ Russian missile attack on Kyiv
The US State Department on Friday condemned a Russian missile attack on Kyiv earlier in the day that killed a civilian and damaged a building hosting several diplomatic missions.
“Any attack against diplomats or diplomatic facilities anywhere is unacceptable,” department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a post on X.
Six killed in Ukrainian missile attack on Russia’s Kursk region, acting governor says
Six people, including one child, were killed on Friday in a Ukrainian missile attack on the town of Rylsk in Russia’s Kursk region, the acting governor, Alexander Khinshtein, said.
Ten wounded people, including a 13-year-old, were taken to hospital with minor injuries, Khinshtein wrote on Telegram.
“What happened today is a huge tragedy for all of us,” he said. “We grieve together with the families of the victims. No one will be left without support.”
Those responsible would receive “well-deserved retribution”, he said.
Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the incident.
Two Russian airports temporarily halt operations
Two Russian airports have temporarily halted operations following a Ukrainian drone attack, Russia’s aviation watchdog said.
Kazan airport has temporarily halted flight arrivals and departures, Russia’s aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said via the Telegram messaging app on Saturday, following a Ukrainian drone attack on the city.
Russian state news agencies reported the drone attack on a residential complex in Kazan, a city some 500 miles east of Moscow. The TASS agency said eight drone strikes had been recorded including six on residential structures.
There were no casualties reported, agencies said, citing local authorities.
The Baza Telegram channel, which is close to Russia’s security services, published unverified video footage showing an aerial object crashing into a high-rise building, producing a large fireball.
Rosaviatsia said it was also introducing temporary restrictions at the airport in Izhevsk, a smaller city northeast of Kazan.
Source: independent.co.uk