[Korrespondent] 21.54 The US Senate has approved a large-scale $901 billion defense policy bill for 2026, which, among other things, provides $400 million in aid to Ukraine. Radio Liberty reports.
The document was supported by 77 senators from both parties, with 20 speaking out against it.
21.09 The Cabinet of Ministers approved the package of solutions developed by the Ministry of Defense, which are necessary for the launch of the Defence City space. This concerns comprehensive state support for Ukrainian arms manufacturers to scale and modernize production and generate innovations. This was announced by the head of the department, Denys Shmyhal.
19.09 The Presidents of Ukraine and the Czech Republic, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Petr Pavel, discussed the diplomatic situation, Ukraine's combat successes in Kupyansk, and the continuation of the Czech initiative to supply ammunition during a telephone conversation. The press service of the Ukrainian head of state reported this.
18.46 The EU is focused on preparing a reparations loan for Ukraine based on frozen Russian assets, and alternative financing scenarios are not currently being considered, said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaia Kallas. Radio Liberty reports.
18.21 The first anti-aircraft regiment with the S-500 Prometheus missile system (ZRS) has been created in Russia. This was stated by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Andrei Belousov at the expanded board of the department. The S-500 is designed to combat not only missiles, drones and aircraft, but also low-orbit satellites.
17.56 The presentation of the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia is scheduled for early 2026. This is reported by European Truth, citing several diplomats in Brussels.
17.45 Ukraine and Germany have signed a number of new important agreements worth over 1.2 billion euros. This was announced by Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal. One of the agreements concerns the supply of spare parts for Patriot anti-aircraft systems, which will allow for faster restoration of existing complexes.
17.38 The Air Force has shared footage of the destruction of Russian drones in southern Ukraine. This is evidenced by a video posted by the Air Force Command on its Facebook page.
17.05 In Zaporizhia, as a result of a bomb attack, the number of victims has increased to 29 people, including 5 children. This was reported by the head of the Zaporizhia OVA Ivan Fedorov. Two apartment buildings suffered significant damage. Another 12 apartment buildings and private houses were damaged.
16.35 Since the beginning of the day and as of 16:00, 87 battles have taken place on the front, which is almost half the figure on Tuesday as of this time. Such data was published by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational summary. No clashes were recorded at all in the Kupyansk, Kramatorsk and Prydniprovsk directions.
16.02 Russian war criminals attacked a motorcyclist with a drone in the village of Darʼivka, Kherson region, at around 1:20 p.m. on Wednesday, December 17. This was reported by the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, on his Telegram channel.
15.59 The Russian military leadership is spreading claims about alleged control over Kupyansk due to fear of losing positions after defeats, while most of the city is controlled by the Ukrainian Defense Forces. This was reported by the head of the Central Directorate of the National Security and Defense Council Andriy Kovalenko.
"Russian Defense Minister Belousov continues to lie that Russia controls Kupyansk. In fact, most of the city is controlled by the Ukrainian Defense Forces, and they continue to clear it of Russians," Kovalenko noted.
He added that all officials of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, from Valery Gerasimov, who first declared alleged control of the city, to Belousov, continue to lie under Putin himself.
15.29 British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has ordered the transfer of £2.5 billion (over $3.3 billion) from the sale of Chelsea football club by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich to humanitarian purposes in Ukraine, The Guardian reports.
15.05 The head of the Russian regime, Vladimir Putin, called European politicians "pigs" who allegedly hoped to benefit from the collapse of Russia. He said this during an expanded meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry's board.
14.42 Norway will finance a new military aid package for Ukraine worth 3.2 billion kroner (almost 270 million euros), Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced. The package will include ammunition for F-16 fighter jets and missiles for air defense systems.
14.30 The Verkhovna Rada supported the draft law on the legal status and medical care of foreign military personnel and stateless persons. A total of 291 MPs voted for the relevant draft law No. 14052.
The draft law, in particular, provides that foreign citizens who are undergoing military service, to confirm the legality of their stay in Ukraine, have the right to obtain a temporary residence permit for the entire term of the contract, as well as within three months after its termination or termination.
In addition, foreign military personnel serving in Ukraine, as well as their family members, will be able to obtain a temporary residence permit even if their passport has expired or needs to be replaced. This is allowed in cases where they need to contact the authorities of their country to apply for a new passport, and this country is an aggressor against Ukraine or does not recognize its territorial integrity.
14.18 A state-level emergency has been declared in the Odessa region. This was reported by the head of the OVA, Oleg Kiper, in Telegram.
According to him, this is precisely the status of the emergency situation that arose as a result of the massive Russian attack on the energy infrastructure of the Odessa region on December 13-14.
13.49 Plans to deploy European troops in Ukraine to monitor compliance with the peace agreement may be the subject of negotiations. This was a surprise statement made by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
13.16 Ukrainian military managed to regain control of almost 90% of the territory of the city of Kupyansk in Kharkiv region and recaptured territories in Pokrovsk and its surroundings in Donetsk region. This was reported by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky.
13.04 In the Kherson region, Ukrainian military destroyed a Russian 2S6 Tunguska anti-aircraft missile and gun complex. The combat operation was carried out by servicemen of the 39th separate coastal defense brigade together with the crews of FPV drones of the 34th Venom BPS center and the Lasar's Group unit.
"The destruction of this SAM system significantly weakens the enemy's ability to cover its equipment from our means of destruction," the military said.
12.44 Russian aggressors struck Zaporizhia and Zaporizhia district with guided bombs. This was reported by the head of the local OVA Ivan Fedorov. As of now, 26 people are known to have been injured.
12.27 The administration of US President Donald Trump is preparing a new package of sanctions against the Russian energy sector. Bloomberg reports this, citing sources. It is indicated that Washington will impose sanctions if Moscow rejects the peace agreement with Kyiv.
11.33 The head of the medical unit of one of the combat brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine worked for the Russian FSB and corrected enemy air attacks in the Kyiv, Zhytomyr and Chernihiv regions. The SBU reported this. In exchange for cooperation, the Russians offered the agent money and "evacuation" to relatives in Russia.
11.15 Russian military attacked a rescue vehicle in Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk district, Donetsk region, four employees were injured.
"In Druzhkivka, Russian troops attacked rescuers with an FPV drone as they were driving to respond to a fire call. Four SES employees were injured when they hit a tanker truck. They were evacuated to the hospital. A fire truck was also damaged," the SES said in a statement.
11.10 Over the past 24 hours, the Russian occupation army has lost 1,730 soldiers killed and wounded on the front in Ukraine. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in an operational update. The Ukrainian military has destroyed more than 400 units of Russian equipment, including air defense and MLRS.
10.51 On Wednesday night, Ukrainian military forces successfully struck strategic military-industrial complex and oil refining facilities of the Russian Federation. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported details.
10.39 Russian military struck a heat generation facility in Kherson, possible disruptions in the supply of heat to homes.
10.30 As of Wednesday morning, hundreds of thousands of consumers in Ukraine remain without electricity due to Russian shelling. This was reported by the Ministry of Energy. At the same time, the number of outages in the Odessa region was reduced 10 times over the past 24 hours - as of this morning, 32 thousand subscribers were without electricity.
09.34 In the Vyshhorod district of the Kyiv region, as a result of an attack by Russian drones, the windows of two two-story residential buildings were broken. There were no injuries. No critical infrastructure was hit.
09.15 On the night of December 17, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with 69 Shahed, Gerber attack UAVs and other types of drones.
Air defenses shot down/suppressed 37 enemy Shahed, Gerbera and other types of drones in the north, south and east of the country. 29 strike UAVs were recorded hitting 12 locations.
08.30 Over the past 24 hours, 278 combat clashes have been recorded on the front. In particular, in the Pokrovsky direction, Ukrainian defenders stopped 82 assault actions of the Russian invaders.
07.28 The cessation of Russia's war against Ukraine "depends on the position of US President Donald Trump and the States." This was stated by the self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko in an interview with Newsmax.
"Now a lot depends on the position of Trump and the United States of America. The main thing is that Trump does not back down from this position. He is a person with character, sometimes impulsive. So that he does not spit on all this, does not wave his hand and does not go aside. If he persistently moves in this direction, then there will be a result. The Europeans have nothing to make a fuss about here," the Belarusian dictator said.
Answering the question of how Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian ruler Vladimir Putin can achieve peace, Lukashenko said: "I think that the situation that is developing... will push them to make this peace happen."
03.20 In Russia, drones attacked an oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban, in the Krasnodar Territory. Social media reports say that a fire broke out at the plant.
01.51 Representatives of the United States and European countries have developed drafts of two documents containing a plan to support Ukraine after a peace agreement is reached. The plan involves strengthening the Ukrainian army, deploying European troops to the country to deter a new invasion, and more active use of American intelligence. The second part of the agreement, which the publication's interlocutors described as an "operational document between the military," contains more detailed information. In particular, it outlines how US and European troops will cooperate with the Armed Forces of Ukraine to prevent Russia from attempting to seize more territory.