[Korrespondent] 23.59 Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga has denied Moscow's claims that Ukrainian drones allegedly attacked the residence of the Russian dictator. He stressed that such claims are a deliberate provocation aimed at creating grounds for further attacks on Ukrainian cities.
22.31 The Russian army has lost more personnel than it mobilized, said Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky.
"We can state what the enemy himself declares: that he fulfilled the plan for manning his armed forces by 100%. According to the plan, this was the mobilization of 406 thousand people. At the same time, we can also state that his losses amounted to 410 thousand, even a little more. If in the first months of 2025 we observed a monthly increase in the grouping of Russian troops by approximately 7-9 thousand, then over the past six months the number of Russian troops has fluctuated at the level of 710-711 thousand. This indicates that even the implementation of all their mobilization plans does not allow them to increase the number of troops," the general explained.
Syrsky clarified that the Russians planned to form 14 new divisions in 2025. In reality, only seven were formed: two marine divisions consist of only one regiment. The formation of the other seven brigades was postponed until next year.
22:00 The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that on the night of December 29, it allegedly repelled a drone attack on the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Novgorod region.
According to the department, during the specified period, the Russian air defense allegedly intercepted 91 attack drones that were "flying in the direction of the residence of the head of the Kremlin."
The Russian Defense Ministry said that 49 drones were allegedly destroyed over the Bryansk region overnight, and another one over the Smolensk region. Over the Novgorod region, 18 drones were allegedly intercepted before 7:00 on December 29, and another 23 from 7:00 to 9:00.
21.50 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi commented on the video published by the Russians about the capture of a checkpoint of one of the battalions in Hulyaipol, Zaporizhia.
According to him, one of the territorial defense brigades could not withstand the enemy's pressure in the Hulyaipil direction and began to retreat.
"This is the 102nd brigade. It was gradually withdrawing. We were forced to transfer our assault units and divisions there, which gradually occupied what was left with battles. Currently, the enemy has had no advantages there for a month. Every day he tries to attack and carries out attacks, but still suffers huge losses in this direction. Therefore, hostilities continue there," said Syrsky.
The general explained that the battalion command's actions could have been structured differently, because reinforcements from the 5th Assault Brigade were coming to the rescue.
"They actually reached two streets from this command post. What happened happened. An appropriate investigation has been ordered, which is being conducted by the Military Law Enforcement Service," the commander-in-chief said.
Syrsky explained that a legal assessment will be given to the actions of the battalion commander, first of all, why he did so. Taking into account the fact that he received an order from the brigade commander to organize a perimeter defense, as well as to destroy everything that was of any value or contained confidential information.
21.19 US President Donald Trump said that Russian ruler Vladimir Putin informed him of the "attack" on the residence during a telephone conversation.
"Putin told me about it early this morning. He said he was attacked. This is not good. This is not good. Don't forget, I stopped the Tomahawks. It's one thing to be aggressive, it's another to attack his house. Now is not the time for that," Trump said.
20.52 Ukrainian military, under pressure from the Russians, had to gradually withdraw from Siversk. Against this background, the infantry was left without cover and it became necessary to withdraw from the city. This was stated by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky.
20.13 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky stressed that Russian troops do not control the Pokrovsko-Mirnograd agglomeration, holding only part of Pokrovsko. He stated this in an interview with Channel 24.
"The enemy cannot calmly enter Pokrovsk, because all approaches to it are under our control, under the control of the actions of our drones," Syrsky assured.
In addition, Ukrainian unmanned force units - drone brigades and regiments - are defending the Pokrovsk area.
19.51 Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the conscription of Russian citizens into military service in 2026. Thus, 261,000 people aged 18 to 30 will be recruited into the Russian army from January 1 to December 31.
This year's autumn draft (from October 1 to December 31) was the most massive in Russia since 2016. During this period, 135,000 people were drafted into the Russian army.
19.49 The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets reported on the alleged killing of seven civilians in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast. Russian soldiers may have shot people hiding in the basement of a residential building.
19.20 The US peace plan does not provide for any restrictions on mobilization for Ukraine. At the same time, an 800,000-strong army will be sufficient in peacetime. This was stated by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky.
The general was asked whether Ukraine was satisfied with the US peace plan's provision of an 800,000-strong army in peacetime. Syrsky replied that such a figure would indeed guarantee that Ukraine would retaliate in the event of repeated Russian armed aggression.
"This figure also guarantees a planned mobilization process. That is, we are not limited in mobilization. All our mobilization characteristics and capabilities are preserved," the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine noted.
The general clarified that initially Ukraine was offered to reduce the size of the army to 600,000, but the figure of 800,000 "just satisfies the country."
18.13 The Italian Council of Ministers approved a government resolution that provides for the continuation of aid to Ukraine. This became known after the end of the meeting, ANSA reports.
"The Council of Ministers approved a resolution on providing assistance to Ukraine," the statement said.
The decree on another extension of aid was approved despite the resistance of the right- wing League party, which opposes further military support for Kyiv.
18.00 President Volodymyr Zelensky called the Russian Federation's statement about the drone attack on Putin's residence "another lie."
"Now the Russians have come up with an obviously fake story about some kind of strike on some residence of the Russian dictator, so that they have an excuse to continue the strikes on Ukraine, in particular, for strikes on Kyiv, as well as for refusing to take the necessary steps to end the war.
Typical lying tactics of the Russians. Especially since they have already struck Kyiv, in particular, the building of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine," Zelensky said.
The President emphasized that Ukraine is not taking steps that could weaken diplomacy.
"Russia always takes such steps. This is one of the many things that sets us apart. It is important that the world does not remain silent now and that the Russians do not disrupt the movement towards peace," the Ukrainian leader emphasized.
17.41 Russia accused Ukraine of attacking the residence of ruler Vladimir Putin. This was stated by the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Lavrov.
According to him, on the night of December 29, Ukraine allegedly carried out a drone attack on Putin's state residence in the Novgorod region. Lavrov said that "91 drones were involved in the attack, all of them were shot down."
The Foreign Minister noted that Russia does not intend to withdraw from the negotiation process because of this attack, but will reconsider its negotiating position regarding Ukraine.
Lavrov added that "the targets and time of the strike in response to the attacks on Putin's state residence have been determined."
17.33 A total of 89 combat clashes have been recorded on the front since the beginning of the day, fighting is currently ongoing in six directions, with Russian troops continuing to focus most of their efforts on Pokrovsk. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on the evening of December 29.
17.20 Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said that the Russian Federation will continue to carry out the tasks of the so-called "SVO" (this is what Russia calls the full-scale war against Ukraine - ed.), in accordance with the "ideas and plans of the General Staff."
Putin also stated that "Russian troops continue to advance in Donbas, in Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, while the Armed Forces of Ukraine are retreating."
15.18 Ukrainian and American negotiating teams have made significant progress in working out security guarantees in the draft agreement to end the Russian-Ukrainian war. This was stated by Secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine for Defense Rustem Umerov.
"An important meeting of leaders took place in the United States as part of the ongoing negotiation process. The Ukrainian and US teams have made significant progress in working out a peace framework, security guarantees, and a sequence of further steps," he wrote on Telegram.
According to Umerov, the parties agreed to continue consultations in the near future and prepare the next stages of the dialogue, including meetings at the leadership level in Washington in January next year.
"Security guarantees remain a key condition for achieving a sustainable result," the NSDC Secretary emphasized.
14.44 The Defense Forces have denied Russian claims that they are allegedly in control of part of Kostyantynivka, in the Donetsk region. This was reported by the 19th Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"The Kremlin is once again trying to wishful thinking and proclaiming the "successes" of the Russian army on the battlefield. However, none of these theses are supported by facts," the report says.
In addition, the Armed Forces of Ukraine emphasized that the claim about alleged control over part of Kostyantynivka is also a myth.
14.23 Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the West and Ukraine will lose if Russia manages to divide democratic countries and impose its terms of peace.
"After night talks with European leaders, one thing is certain: the West and Ukraine will lose this confrontation if Russia manages to quarrel us and dictate its terms of peace. The declaration of US participation in security guarantees is a success, but the negotiations are still far from the end," Tusk wrote on the X platform.
13:30 Russians launched an air strike on the front-line town of Orekhov in Zaporizhia Oblast. This was announced on December 29 by the head of the Zaporizhia OVA, Ivan Fedorov.
"One person was killed and another was injured as a result of an enemy attack on Orikhiv," he noted.
12.20 Russian occupiers have advanced in the city of Myrnograd in Donetsk region and Hulyaipil in Zaporizhia region. This is reported by DeepState. In addition, the Russians have advanced near the settlements of Chervonyi Liman and Filiya in the Pokrovsky direction.
11.55 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that martial law in Ukraine can be lifted only after receiving real security guarantees that will make repeated aggression by Russia impossible.
9.41 In temporarily captured Melitopol, an explosion killed at least four Russian occupiers and damaged a Ural truck. The Main Intelligence Directorate reported this in a video.
9.22 Russian war criminals attacked Ukraine on the night of December 29 with 25 Shahed, Gerber attack UAVs and other types of drones, about 15 of them "Shaheeds". The Air Force Command reported this on its Telegram channel.
9.19 Russian troops attacked the Nikopol and Sinelnyk districts of the Dnipropetrovsk region with strike drones, causing fires. This was reported by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA Vladislav Gaivanenko on December 29.
8.58 The defense forces stopped 52 attacks by Russian invaders in the Pokrov direction and 26 - in the Konstantiniv direction. Over the past day, 209 combat clashes took place on the front. This is evidenced by the morning report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
8.33 French President Emmanuel Macron announced a meeting of the "Coalition of the Determined" countries in early January, to be held in Paris. The participants plan to finalize the specific contributions of each state to the system of security guarantees for Ukraine. He reported this on the social network X.
7.58 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may be able to contact Russian dictator Vladimir Putin by phone for the first time in more than five years, the American Fox News channel reported, citing its sources.
7.25 Russia lost another 1,180 soldiers in the war against Ukraine over the past 24 hours. This is evidenced by the morning report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
06.32 On the night of Monday, December 29, a series of powerful explosions thundered in the Russian city of Tula. According to Russian sources, they were caused by Ukrainian ballistic missiles. Russian media reports that eyewitnesses counted about 14 "loud bass" explosions in Tula at about 3 a.m. They were heard in particular in the northern and northeastern parts of Tula. Bright flashes were also visible in the sky.
03.25 Volodymyr Zelenskyy summed up the results of the meeting with Donald Trump, emphasizing the productivity of the negotiations.
03.04 In the Republic of Adygea, which is part of Russia, local residents and Ukrainian OSINT channels reported explosions and a possible attack on the Khansk military airfield. According to the Supernova+ channel, the Khansk class 2 airfield, which is capable of receiving Tu-134, An-12, Il-18 aircraft, was hit.
00.57 At the same time, the Donbas issue remains unresolved. Speaking about the future of Donbas, Donald Trump noted that there is currently no full agreement, but progress is obvious.
00.30 The Ukrainian President noted that Ukraine and the United States have completed the coordination of a number of documents within the framework of the peace package. All aspects of the peace agreement were discussed, including the 20-point peace plan, which has been agreed upon by 90 percent. The Prosperity Plan for Ukraine is in the final stages of development.
00.12 The US and Ukrainian presidents met at Trump's private Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. The talks lasted more than two hours, after which Zelensky and Trump held a video conference with EU leaders.