[Korrespondent] 22.48 Russia has enough resources to continue the war against Ukraine for another 12 to 18 months. This opinion was expressed by Alexander Gabuyev, director of the Carnegie Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, in an interview with Handelsblatt.
He said that tightening sanctions could significantly reduce the time Russia can finance the war. He noted that in addition to large companies such as Rosneft and Lukoil, smaller oil and raw material producers could also be affected.
According to the expert, China, India, or the UAE can no longer be allowed to circumvent sanctions and purchase Russian oil with impunity: "This must happen daily and very consistently. Currently, this is clearly not enough."
If at the same time Ukraine continues to receive weapons and financial support, then, according to Gabuyev, the duration of the war can be reduced to less than 18 months.
22.11 Ukraine will prepare a peace plan on Tuesday, December 9, and then send it to the United States. This was announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
21.53 The PURL program, under which Ukraine's NATO allies finance the purchase of American weapons for it, requires $15 billion. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"By the way, I want to thank (NATO Secretary General - ed.) Mark Rutte for reminding all leaders: let's find additional money, because we need 15 billion a year for the PURL program," Zelensky said.
The president added that the program is "some $800 million short" by 2025 - after the Netherlands announced a $700 million contribution today.
21.40 China has significant influence over Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and is not interested in ending the war against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
According to the head of state, the PRC considers Russia an important partner in the global confrontation with the United States.
"China definitely has influence on Putin. I don't see that it would be beneficial for China to end this war. Why? Because we saw the new US doctrine. These are two poles that see each other - two great powers and a great confrontation," Zelensky said.
The president explained that Beijing does not benefit from a weak or defeated Russia, as this would weaken the balance of power in the global competition between China and the United States. "Today, China does not benefit from a weak and defeated Russia. And the Ukrainian people suffer because of this," Zelensky said.
21.22 The International Court of Justice decided to accept for consideration the Russian Federation's counterclaims against Ukraine under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, while Ukraine's objection to the inadmissibility of the Russian claims was rejected.
The court's press service indicated the following deadlines for submitting documents: December 7, 2026 for Ukraine and December 7, 2027 for Russia.
20.55 The issue of Ukrainian territories is an item in the US peace plan on which no compromise has yet been found, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
"We have no moral right and cannot legally, according to our Constitution, cede territories. Of course, Russia insists that we give up territories, we certainly do not want to give anything away. This is what we are fighting for today. I will be frank: the Americans are looking for a compromise today," the Ukrainian leader said.
Zelensky added that the US peace plan was reduced from 28 to 20 points. The provisions that were controversial for Ukraine were eliminated. Currently, the issues of territories where a compromise has not been found, the question of where European funds should be attracted, and the question of security guarantees remain.
19.56 The task of the Ukrainian delegation in the US was to receive from the American side full information about their conversation in Moscow and all drafts of current proposals regarding peace. This was stated by the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov.
"We worked together with Andriy Gnatov in the United States for several days with representatives of President Trump. I am grateful for the constructive work. The primary task of the Ukrainian team was to obtain from the American side complete information about their conversation in Moscow and all drafts of current proposals in order to discuss them in detail with the President of Ukraine," he said.
19.19 Officials from the Ministry of Development and the Kharkiv Regional Administration discussed the situation in the communities around the Pecheneg Dam, which is under attack by the Russians. So far, evacuation is not necessary.
"During the meeting, the situation in the communities of the Kharkiv region located near the Pecheneg Reservoir was discussed. As of today, the situation is stable, there are no grounds for carrying out any measures to evacuate the population," the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine said.
19.16 Ukraine and Europe now have many arguments and means to put pressure on Russia during peace talks. This was stated by French President Emmanuel Macron before the start of talks in London with the participation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
19.13 In the Reserve+ application, in 2026 it will be possible to receive notifications about summonses and fines for violating military registration. This was announced by the head of the main information technology department of the Ministry of Defense, Oleg Berestovy, during the Digital Defence Forum, RBC-Ukraine reports.
18.39 It is necessary to maintain the unity of all of Ukraine's allies - European countries and the United States. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in London during talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
18.39 A blogger from Chernivtsi, who during a stream reported the coordinates of a Ukrainian Armed Forces unit and published a video in public access, was sentenced to five years in prison. The Supreme Court confirmed the legality of the sentence.
18.23 Today, Reserve+ already has 6 million users, and 1 billion hryvnia in fines for violations of military conscription registration have been paid to the state budget.
18.10 On Tuesday, 24-hour power outage schedules will be in effect in the regions of Ukraine. This was reported by Ukrenergo. Massive Russian missile and drone attacks on energy facilities are the main reason for the restrictions, energy experts noted.
18.00 Thanks to digitalization, the mobilization process has become more effective in recent months than it was before, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said.
"The project on the electronic TCC and the unreal work that has been done by the Ministry of Defense over the past quarter, when 95% of all services were transferred online or to the ASC database, almost a million online deferrals were extended, the unloading of our TCCs allowed us to focus more on the mobilization process," he said.
Today, the Reserve+ system already has about 6 million users. Most of the CCC services have already been digitized, and the rest will be digitized in the near future.
17.56 On the afternoon of December 8, Russian troops shelled the Dniprovsky district of Kherson, one person was killed. This was reported by the head of the Kherson OVA, Oleksandr Prokudin. According to him, a 45-year-old man received fatal injuries as a result of the attack.
17.44 The pilot of a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet was killed while performing a combat mission in the eastern direction, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.
17.37 The European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) has been approved, with €300 million allocated to the Special Support Instrument for Ukraine - to modernise and support its defence industry. This was stated in a statement by the EU Council on 8 December. Within the framework of the programme's grants of €1.5 billion for the period 2025-2027, €300 million has been allocated to the Special Support Instrument for Ukraine - "a key and unique instrument aimed at modernising and supporting Ukraine's defence industry and facilitating its integration into the wider European defence industry system".
17.31 Four civilians, including two minors, were injured in an attack by Russian troops on Kostyantynivka, the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office reported.
A 42-year-old man, his 32-year-old wife, and their two minor children, a 7-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy, were injured in the attack. The victims were diagnosed with mine-explosive injuries, shrapnel wounds, and contusion.
17.04 Since the beginning of the current day, 87 combat clashes have occurred on the front. The Ukrainian army is holding back the offensive of the Russian occupiers in nine directions, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in an operational summary.
16.29 Russian invaders wounded 15 civilians in Zaporizhia region. This was reported by the head of the OVA Ivan Fedorov. At least five apartment buildings were damaged in Zaporizhia. The enemy also attacked Vilniansk.
15.55 The Security Service of Ukraine, the National Police, and the Prosecutor General's Office, together with Lithuanian law enforcement agencies, exposed another Russian who tortured a Lithuanian volunteer in temporarily occupied Melitopol.
In November, thanks to a joint investigation, Ukraine extradited to Lithuania a Russian prisoner who had tortured a volunteer from Lithuania.
Law enforcement officers have now identified the suspect's accomplice. He turned out to be his colleague, a Russian citizen, Rabadan Abdulganiev, a senior inspector of the military police of the 177th Separate Marine Regiment of the Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Federation.
Both Russians tortured prisoners held in a prison set up by the enemy on the territory of the captured airfield in Melitopol. Among the victims was a Lithuanian volunteer who had been assisting the Defense Forces since the beginning of the full-scale war.
In the walls of the torture chambers, prisoners were locked in cramped metal boxes, strangled to death, hung by their arms, doused with ice water in the cold, and shocked with electric shocks.
According to materials from SBU investigators and foreign partners, Abdulganiev was found in absentia to be a suspect in violation of the Geneva Conventions, laws, and customs of war.
15.49 Ukrainian military carried out a series of effective strikes on military facilities of the Russian occupiers in the temporarily occupied territories. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The military also updated data on the consequences of the December 5 strike on the Temryutsk seaport in the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation. The destruction of 20 tanks was confirmed.
15.05 Negotiators currently discussing a US-brokered peace initiative have different views on the issue of territories in eastern Ukraine , President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a telephone interview with Bloomberg.
The Ukrainian side insists on a separate agreement on security guarantees from Western allies, primarily the United States, the head of state noted.
13.34 Seven people were injured in a strike by Russian troops in Zaporizhia, the head of the regional military administration, Ivan Fedorov, reported.
"The number of victims of the attack on Zaporizhia has increased to 7 people," Fedorov noted.
13.31 An elderly woman was killed in the Dnipro district of Kherson as a result of Russian shelling. This was reported by the head of the OVA, Oleksandr Prokudin.
"An 87-year-old woman from Kherson fell under another enemy strike," he noted.
13.20 Ukraine needs to strengthen mobilization and recruitment in response to the offensive of the Russian occupation army. This was written by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi in Telegram. According to him, there is no other choice but to increase defense capabilities and strengthen the army in order to further repel full-scale Russian aggression.
13.18 The Cabinet of Ministers approved amendments to the Procedure for Reservation of Military Conscripts, which are aimed at protecting the human resources potential of enterprises operating in the defense-industrial complex and ensuring the economic stability of the country. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture.
Thus, one of the important innovations is the ability to reserve employees of defense industry enterprises for a period of 45 calendar days - a period during which the employee eliminates violations of military registration rules.
Additionally, for businesses that have been certified as critical, the 72-hour review period for employee bookings has been lifted, allowing for faster decisions to be made, helping to protect staff and maintain business continuity.
12.59 Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said that the Russians are trying to copy Ukrainian naval drones, but their real capabilities have not yet been proven, and the Ukrainian Navy continues to take into account all risks and destroy military targets. He said this on TV, Ukrinform reports.
12.38 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will hold talks in London and Brussels on Monday . This was stated by the Ukrainian leader's spokesman Serhiy Nikiforov in a comment to journalists, reports Evropeyska Pravda.
11.56 The European Commission has found a legal way to allow frozen Russian assets to remain in Europe indefinitely – even without unanimous support from EU countries, the Financial Times newspaper reports , citing sources.
11.40 The command of the Russian Armed Forces is hiding the real losses in the Pokrovsky direction, registering the killed as SZCH. This was reported by the partisan movement ATESH on December 8. It is noted that ATESH agents within the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Russian Federation have recorded a systematic practice: after large-scale losses, the command deliberately registers the dead as "those who left the unit without permission." In this way, they hide the real number of "two hundredths" and avoid claims from relatives.
11.33 On Tuesday, the UN Security Council will hold an open meeting on Ukraine . This was reported by the APA agency with reference to the Permanent Mission of Slovenia to the UN.
11.12 Five people were killed and 11 were injured as a result of Russian shelling in the Kharkiv region over the past 24 hours . This was reported by the head of the local OVA, Oleg Synegubov.
10.54 Law enforcement officers have exposed and detained a Russian informant who was monitoring the columns of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in southern Ukraine. The SBU reported this . The perpetrator periodically traveled by taxi around Mykolaiv and its surroundings to monitor the bases of the Defense Forces for the Russians.
10.49 The so-called Donetsk garrison military court convicted four Russian servicemen in the case of the murder of American "military corpsman" Russell Bentley. The servicemen of the 5th Motorized Rifle Brigade were found guilty and sentenced to terms of one and a half to twelve years in prison, Russian media report. The accused are four Russian servicemen - Vitaly Vansyatsky, Vladislav Agaltsev, Vladimir Bazhin and Andrey Yordanov. Vasnyatsky and Yordanov were sentenced to 12 years in strict regime prison, Agaltsev - to 11 years, Bazhin - to one and a half years in a penal colony.
10.37 On Monday morning, consumers in a number of Ukrainian regions were left without electricity due to Russian shelling of energy infrastructure . This was reported by the Ministry of Energy and Ukrenergo.
Also, consumption restriction measures are being enforced in all regions of Ukraine: capacity restriction schedules for industrial consumers and businesses and hourly outages ranging from 2.5 to 4 shifts.
10.12 Russian troops attacked Fastiv, Kyiv region, with drones for the third night in a row. As a result of the shelling, houses were damaged and fires broke out. The State Emergency Service reported this on December 8. The roofs of a 3-story and a one-story building with an area of ​​1,500 sq m caught fire. The blast wave damaged a private residential building and administrative buildings. All fires have already been extinguished.
9.47 On the night of December 8, the Russian Federation once again attacked Ukraine, using 149 drones. This was reported by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As of 09:00, air defense systems shot down/suppressed 131 enemy Shahed, Gerbera and other types of drones in the north, south and east of the country. 16 strike drones were recorded hitting 11 locations, as well as the fall of downed drones (fragments) in 4 locations.
8.49 Russian invaders are storming in 11 directions, most intensively in Pokrovsky. During the day from December 7 to 8, a total of 164 combat clashes were recorded on the front. This is evidenced by the morning report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
8.28 The fall of a Russian drone near an apartment building in Chernihiv resulted in damage. The number of victims also increased to three. The State Emergency Service reported this on its Telegram channel.
7.59 Six people were injured in enemy strikes in the Zaporizhia and Polohiv districts. This was reported by the head of the Zaporizhia OVA Ivan Fedorov.
According to him, during the day the invaders launched 615 strikes on 20 settlements in the Zaporizhia region.
7.51 Russian war criminals attacked Okhtyrka in Sumy region with drones on the night of December 8, causing a fire in a high-rise building. Rescuers showed photos after the enemy strike. The State Emergency Service reported this on Telegram.
7.35 The Ukrainian Defense Forces have eliminated and wounded another 810 Russian occupiers over the past 24 hours, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.
03.49 US President Donald Trump said that Russia has agreed to a peace deal, which Zelensky's team also "likes". And the Ukrainian leader, according to Trump, has not yet read it. In this regard, Trump said that he is "a little disappointed that President Zelensky has not read the proposal yet."
02.52 After a drone attack on Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region, the city was left without electricity, the city authorities reported this evening.
01.00 Russians attacked Okhtyrka, Sumy region, with three drones. One of them hit a multi-storey residential building. According to preliminary data, five civilians were injured. Emergency and rescue operations are ongoing.