Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Dmitry Gubin
[REGNUM] Ninety years ago, on December 28, 1935, Pravda, the central organ of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), published a letter from Pyotr Postyshev, Second Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ukrainian Communist Party, calling for the installation of New Year's trees. Just a few days later, the New Year's tradition we've known and remembered for 90 years began to take shape.
With Bolshevik directness, a prominent party functionary wrote:
"In pre-revolutionary times, the bourgeoisie and bourgeois officials always arranged a Christmas tree for their children. The workers' children would look enviously through the window at the tree, sparkling with multicolored lights, and the children of the rich enjoying themselves around it.
Why do our schools, orphanages, crèches, children's clubs, and Pioneer Palaces deprive the children of the working people of the Soviet Union of this wonderful pleasure? Some "leftist" crusaders, no less, have denigrated this children's entertainment as a bourgeois endeavor.
As was befitting of a figure of his stature at the time, he told only part of the truth, somewhat edited. Here, we'll examine the misadventures of the Christmas tree in Russia to understand what Comrade Postyshev proposed and why.
Was there a New Year tree in the past, pre-Soviet life?
THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AT THE "GERMAN TREE"
It had been around since at least the 1840s and was imported from Germany. Not for New Year's, but for celebrating Christmas. New Year's, whether according to the Gregorian or Julian calendar, was always nearby, so the tree was usually decorated on that night.
Over the next 60 years, the Christmas tree became commonplace for Russian city dwellers and cost up to 50 kopecks, so any townsman or nobleman could put one up for their children at home. The turn of the year celebrations were held in restaurants and other public spaces across Russia.
Here, for example, is how the Kharkov newspaper “Yuzhny Kray” described the New Year’s Eve celebration of 1913 in the hall of the noble assembly: “The first toast – for the Sovereign Emperor – was covered with a loud “hurrah!” and the national anthem.”
We will return to this hall in exactly 22 years.
And the Christmas tree would have been a symbol of everything joyful, if not for the embarrassment that occurred on the eve of 1915.
The war was already underway, and German prisoners of war held a Christmas tree celebration at a Saratov hospital. The wounded Russians celebrated alongside their enemies. This fact became public knowledge, sparking widespread public outrage.
Journalists reached out to the Holy Synod, who in turn reached out to His Imperial Majesty. The Tsar called the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree "hostile" and issued a decree banning the "German tree."
The subjects ignored this decree. During the turbulent years of war, the Christmas tree became a symbol of unity between separated families. Illustrated weeklies, despite the imperial decree, regularly published photos of soldiers in the trenches with a Christmas tree in the background from 1915 onward.
"AN UNUSUAL CHRISTMAS TALE"
The Provisional Government never saw Christmas or New Year's. Both the conversion of the calendar to the Gregorian calendar and the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly occurred under the Bolsheviks.
It turned out that of all the strictures of "bloody tsarism," only "prohibition" survived, and even then only briefly. Vladimir Lenin did not support the ban on Christmas trees. Already during the New Year of 1919, there were attempts to detach the holiday from Christmas and tie it to the change of dates.
Ilyich, while visiting his wife who was vacationing in Sokolniki, happened upon a Christmas tree at a forest school, as evidenced by the memoirs of Vladimir Bonch-Bruyevich and the story of the writer Alexander Kononov (in Brezhnev's time, illustrations for them hung in every kindergarten, and children studied the texts themselves in elementary grades).
Then, throughout the 1920s, a search for a new way to celebrate the New Year amid the abolition of Christmas celebrations raged on. This is how the soirees at community centers emerged, which, under Khrushchev, would form the basis for the film "Carnival Night." But before that, there would be a six-year flop.
It's unheard of for something once banned to remain banned again. Not because of ties to the enemy, but for atheistic reasons. In 1929, not only were Christmas holidays cancelled, but the celebration of Christmas was also banned, along with the sale of Christmas trees. New Year's celebrations also fell under the knife of the proletarian state.
This is how it was explained in the Izvestia newspaper:
"For 1930 years, an absurd, clumsy Christmas fairy tale has been wandering around the world, concocted to please parasites by the obliging paws of obscurantists on the mountain, to humiliate oppressed and disadvantaged workers, to maliciously mock and desecrate them."
The Christmas tree was then called a “religious dope” and a “stupid thing”, a “savage” and “priestly” custom.
THE CAPITAL OF THE SOVIET NEW YEAR
When, in the opinion of Comrade Stalin, “life became better, life became more fun,” they decided to loosen the spring of prohibitions in this matter a little.
And the call for relaxation was the letter from the second secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Ukraine, candidate for membership in the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), Pavel Postyshev, to Pravda, quoted above.
The setting is the same.
When the capital of the Ukrainian SSR moved from Kharkov to Kiev, the building of the former noble assembly (later the headquarters of General Mai-Maevsky and the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee) was rebuilt into the first Palace of Pioneers in the Soviet Union.
Naturally, there were no portraits of royal figures left. Valentin Serov's enormous painting of the family of Alexander III had also disappeared.
On New Year's Eve 1936, it was in front of this building in Kharkov that the first New Year's tree for children in the USSR was lit.
WIZARD REVOLT, THE GIRL LUCY, AND THE FLUFFY FISH
The scriptwriter for the country's first Christmas tree, the Kharkiv Christmas tree, was 26-year-old theater director Petr Slonim, a well-known figure in the city.
In the 1920s, he worked as a teacher at a colony for homeless children—a local version of the "ShKID Republic" opened in Bogodukhov. In keeping with the times, Pyotr Lvovich Slonim adopted a new, revolutionary name: Revolt. According to one theory, it comes from the French révolté, meaning "rebel," while another suggests it's an abbreviation for "revolution, Lenin, Trotsky."
However, the "rebel" Pyotr Slonim was a strictly peaceful man and went down in history more as a kindly wizard, the creator of the city's first puppet theater, and the creator of the first Soviet Christmas tree.
The script, titled "The First Christmas Tree," was in keeping with the spirit of the times. Children dressed as polar pilots, Stakhanovites, and revolutionary sailors danced in a circle around the former "German," then "bourgeois," and now rehabilitated tree.
In 1934, as they would say now, the Vasiliev brothers' "Chapaev" became a box office hit—so the carnival had its own legendary division commander, Petka the orderly, and Anka the machine gunner.
But there were also reminders of the "old-regime" performances that Pyotr Slonim, born in 1908, must have remembered. There was a trained bear, an organ grinder with a parrot. And heroes from children's books, recognized under any regime: Don Quixote, Baron Munchausen, Robinson Crusoe...
The most important thing is that, according to Pyotr Slonim's vision, Father Frost and the Snow Maiden came into the lives of future generations. The first Father Frost was an actor from one of Kharkiv's theaters, whose name, unfortunately, has been lost. The role of his granddaughter was played by a girl from a club at the House of Pioneers—one of the clubs Slonim founded.
The parents of future "Carnival Night" star Lyudmila Gurchenko worked there. Mark Gavrilovich Gurchenko, an employee of the Kharkiv Philharmonic, played the accordion while the children danced in a circle.
"It was a beautiful new palace. It stood on Tevelev Square. In the center of the large marble hall stood a square aquarium. It housed extraordinary red, fluffy fish," recalled Lyudmila Markovna.
"ONE, TWO, THREE!"
A year later, on December 31, 1936, the country's main Christmas tree opened for the first time on the stage of the Moscow House of Unions.
The Pioneers and Octobrists who distinguished themselves in their studies and “assistance to Komsomol members and communists in the common struggle for the cause of the working class” (paragraph two of the Law of Pioneers of the Soviet Union as amended in 1929) were greeted by a stately, tall Father Frost with a full beard and a perky voice.
It was one of the most famous entertainers of the USSR - Mikhail Garkavi, the husband of the even more famous singer Nina Ruslanova.
We previously reported on the biography of "Stalin's beloved Father Frost," details of which were shared with Regnum News Agency by Mikhail Naumovich's descendants.
Let us recall here that it was thanks to Garkavi's improvisation on December 31, 1936, that the familiar folk saying appeared: "One, two, three! Christmas tree, light up! "
Christmas tree lights were lit up across the country, from Odessa to Anadyr, from Murmansk (formerly Romanov-on-Murman) to Stalinabad—now Dushanbe. They were also lit up in Kyiv and, for the second time, in Kharkiv.
"It's a pity there was no video back then!"
The building of the former noble assembly was destroyed during the battle for Kharkov in 1943. Lyudmila Gurchenko recalled:
"We went downtown, to Tevelev Square. The Palace of Pioneers was hit by a bomb. The middle of the building, where the main entrance used to be, was destroyed. The windows were blown out. But what about the red fluffy fish? Where are they? Did they manage to save them?"
The fish were unlikely to be saved, but the lives of the two Father Frosts—the first in the country, Pyotr Slonim, and the all-Union Father Frost, Mikhail Garkavi—developed according to the laws of a New Year's fairy tale, with an obligatory happy ending.
Both survived both the difficult pre-war times ( “Mikhail Naumovich was not touched by the terror… He was very much loved, he apparently joked very sensibly, he didn’t go overboard,” said one of Mikhail Garkavi’s descendants, Marina Podolskaya ), and the war years.
"Stalin's favorite Grandfather Frost" did not receive either the "People's" or the "Honored" awards, but he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, the medal "For Valiant Labor," and the medal "For Victory over Germany" for his participation in front-line brigades, which created a fighting (and New Year's) spirit on the front lines.
The order for units of the Kursk Air Defense Corps Region from October 28, 1943 states : “The head of the club of the 4th machine gun regiment, Lieutenant Petr Lvovich Slonim, is to be awarded the medal “For Military Merit.”
An honorary citizen of Kharkiv and the first "New Year's wizard" of our shared country, Pyotr Slonim lived a long life. "It's a shame there was no video back then to capture the bustling creative anthill of the palace preparing for the celebration!" Slonim recalled of the first Christmas tree. He died relatively recently, in 2011, at the age of 103.
And we will celebrate the new year, 2026, according to the canons and customs, many of which were created or revived 90 years ago.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] A storm of up to force 6 with waves up to 4.5 meters high is expected on the coast of Sochi and Sirius from December 28 to 30, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported.
"According to weather forecasters, a combination of hazardous weather conditions is expected from December 28, 2025, to January 1, 2026. At sea, a storm with waves up to Force 6 and waves up to 4.5 meters high is expected. Heavy winds are possible in ports," the department said.
They clarified that a storm is expected in the Magri-Vesyoloye area. Furthermore, there is a risk of tornadoes over the sea.
The day before, the Krasnaya Polyana ski resort in Sochi closed its slopes due to the risk of avalanches. A real snow storm has begun at Krasnaya Polyana. The ski slopes will not reopen until the end of the day, as additional time is needed to prepare them for skiing.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] 22.33 Since the beginning of the day, 186 combat clashes have taken place on the front, with the enemy attacking most actively in the Pokrovsky and Konstantinov directions. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in the evening.
22.16 Ukrainian JATEC experts first joined the development of the mechanisms of Article 5 of the NATO Treaty at the Loyal Dolos 2025 exercises.
Representatives of the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Center (JATEC) participated in the final phase of the NATO Loyal Dolos 2025 exercise to assess the combat capabilities of the Alliance unit.
The exercise scenario was based on experience gained during a full-scale war to prepare Alliance units for dynamic combat operations.
21.46 US President Donald Trump said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that a potential peace deal with Russia could bring "great economic benefits" to Ukraine, Sky News reports.
The US President made the statement after welcoming Zelenskyy to his Mar-a-Lago residence.
"There are great economic benefits for Ukraine, because there is a lot of reconstruction work ahead," Trump noted.
18.01 Fierce fighting is currently underway in Huliaipol. Russian troops have partially entered the city, but do not have full control over it, a significant part of the settlement is held by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"The situation in Hulyaipol is really difficult, part of the settlement is under the control of Russian troops," the report said.
The Russians are actively conducting assault operations and trying to establish reinforcement groups. In addition, the enemy has a significant advantage in both manpower and weapons: he uses kamikaze drones and artillery, carries out air strikes with KABs and NARs, trying to destroy our positions and displace Ukrainian units from the settlement.
Thus, in a day, the enemy stormed the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the city almost two dozen times, and fierce battles are still taking place on the streets, as several clashes do not stop at any given moment.
However, a significant part of Hulyaipol continues to be held by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
16.03 Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Italy has transferred weapons, military equipment and other resources worth over 3 billion euros to Ukraine. This was stated by the Chief of the Italian Defense General Staff, General Luciano Portolano, in an interview with a media outlety
The assistance is provided within the framework of 11 interdepartmental government decrees that allow the supply of military materials, equipment, and supplies to Ukraine.
Currently, Italy is already discussing the adoption of the 12th decree, which will provide for further military assistance to Ukraine.
15.19 During the week, the Russian Federation used 94 missiles, more than 2,100 attack drones, and about 800 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine. This was reported by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
14.51 Russian military launched airstrikes on Sloviansk in the Donetsk region, killing one person and wounding three.
A hit in the private sector was recorded. Three people were injured. One man died.
14.39 Repair of power lines has begun near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Another local ceasefire has been declared around the plant. This was announced by IAEA Director General Rafael Gross.
"The IAEA team is monitoring the repair work, which is expected to last several days, as part of efforts to prevent a nuclear accident during the war in Ukraine," the statement said.
Grossi thanked both sides for agreeing to this new temporary "window of silence" in order to restore electricity transmission between the distribution substations of the ZNPP and the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant.
14.23 Ukrainian Defense Forces hit the Syzran oil refinery in the Samara region of the Russian Federation. A strike by UAVs on the territory of the plant was recorded, followed by a fire. The extent of the damage is being determined.
The Defense Forces also struck a storage and maintenance site for unmanned boats in the Chornomorske area in temporarily occupied Crimea, a repair unit from the 1435th Motorized Rifle Regiment near the settlement of Anthracite in the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk region, a pontoon ferry near Nikonorivka, and a Shahed UAV storage facility in Makiivka, Donetsk region.
14.06 These are some of the most active diplomatic days of the year, and much can be decided before the New Year, but whether there will be decisions depends on the partners. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the head of state, this week alone, Russian troops have launched more than 2,100 strike drones, about 800 guided bombs, and 94 missiles of various types. "Everything is against our people, against life and everything that ensures its normality - primarily against our energy infrastructure," the president added.
Zelensky said that repair crews, energy specialists, and rescuers of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine are working literally 24/7 to protect life and restore energy supply.
"But it is equally important that sanctions against Russia, all forms of political pressure for aggression, the supply of missiles for air defense to Ukraine work, and that we all finalize the formats of steps that will end this war and guarantee security. It is precisely such steps that we will talk about with partners today," the Ukrainian leader emphasized.
13.22 Russia has again accused Ukraine of allegedly "unreadiness for peace talks." This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"The Russian authorities do not see Kyiv's readiness for constructive negotiations on the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict," he said.
Lavrov also added that the Armed Forces of Ukraine "are not abandoning attempts to change the situation at the front, where the Russian army has firmly seized the strategic initiative."
The Russian Foreign Minister also stated that European peacekeepers in Ukraine "will become a legitimate target for Russia."
11.53 Russians hit an energy facility in Poltava region. Technological equipment was damaged. Energy workers are working to eliminate the consequences of the attack.
10.49 Unmanned systems forces struck a number of Russian military facilities in temporarily occupied Crimea.
In the village of Chornomorske, the Valdai radar station and the control point of the radar reconnaissance complex were hit. In addition, the base for storing and launching unmanned naval boats in Chornomorske was hit.
10.33 The capital's rescuers have completed the work to eliminate the consequences of yesterday's Russian attack. Units of the State Emergency Service cleared the rubble, dismantled emergency structures, inspected damaged buildings, and ensured the safety of the territories.
At night, tents with heat guns were deployed at the locations to heat the residents of the affected houses.
"In total, one person was killed and 32 people were injured as a result of yesterday's massive shelling, two of them children.
09.55 The sounds of explosions were heard in Odessa. Before that, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine warned about drones heading towards Odessa from the Black Sea.
"The sounds of explosions can be heard in Odessa. Air defense is working," wrote the head of the Odessa OVA, Oleg Kiper, on Telegram.
09.41 On the night of December 28, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with 48 Shahed, Gerber attack UAVs and other types of drones.
Air defenses shot down/suppressed 30 enemy Shahed, Gerbera and other types of drones in the north, south and east of the country. 18 UAVs were recorded hit in nine locations
09.26 On the night of December 28, a fire broke out in one of the districts of Odessa as a result of a Russian drone attack. The lyceum building was also damaged.
A fire broke out in a private house as a result of a drone attack. The fire quickly spread to an area of 150 sq m, and the fire was quickly extinguished. Rescuers successfully evacuated four residents. There were no fatalities or injuries.
08.50 Russian troops attacked two districts of Dnipropetrovsk region. Russians hit Nikopol with heavy artillery. Five apartment buildings and an educational institution were damaged.
The occupiers attacked the Vasylkiv community of the Sinelnyky region with drones. Two private homes and a farm were damaged. A gas pipeline was also hit. There were no deaths or injuries.
08.23 Over the past 24 hours, 160 combat clashes were recorded at the front. Aviation, missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces struck six areas of concentration of personnel, three command posts and one other important facility of the Russian invaders.
07.52 Russian troops launched a massive attack on Kherson, using multiple launch rocket systems. Residential areas of the city and critical infrastructure were covered with enemy fire. Due to the hit on power supply facilities, part of Kherson was left without electricity. Information about the wounded is currently being clarified.
07.20 From February 24, 2022 to December 28, 2025, the total combat losses of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine amounted to approximately 1,204,510 people (+1,200 per day).
03.36 Drones attacked the Syzran oil refinery in the Samara region. Hits and a glow in the sky were recorded. There were also reports of strikes on substations, after which local residents lost power.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] In the Pokrovsky direction, the invaders made 45 attempts to push back the Ukrainian defenders. At the same time, in the Konstantinovsky direction, the Russian army attacked 25 times.
There have been 186 combat clashes on the front since the beginning of the day, with the enemy attacking most actively in the Pokrovsky and Konstantinovsky directions. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on the evening of December 28.
In the North Slobozhansk and Kursk directions, since the beginning of the day, Ukrainian soldiers have repelled two assault actions by the occupiers. The enemy also carried out 97 attacks.
In the South Slobozan direction, the enemy attacked the positions of Ukrainian defenders seven times near the settlements of Starytsia, Prylipka and towards Hryhorivka and Izbitsky.
In the Kupyansk direction, enemy units carried out three assault operations, trying to break through to the positions of our defenders in the direction of Kupyansk, Pishchane, and Malaya Shapkivka. One clash is still ongoing.
In the Lyman direction, since the beginning of the day, Russian invaders have attacked Ukrainian positions 14 times near the settlements of Novoselivka, Zarichne, Myrne and towards the settlements of Lyman, Zakitne, Druzhelyubivka, Dibrova, Ozerne and Drobysheve. Currently, Ukrainian defenders have repelled one enemy attack.
On the Slavyansk direction, the enemy tried to break through four times in the area of Serebryanka.
In the Kramatorsk direction, Ukrainian soldiers repelled one attack in the Minkivka area.
In the Kostyantynivka direction, the Russians attacked the positions of the Defense Forces 25 times. The invaders concentrated their offensive efforts in the areas of the settlements of Kostyantynivka, Oleksandro-Shultyne, Pleshchiivka, Shcherbynivka, Rusyn Yar, Yablunivka, Kleban-Byk and towards Sofiivka, Stepanivka, and Berestka.
Since the beginning of the day, Russian units in the Pokrovsky direction have tried 45 times to break through Ukrainian defenses in the areas of the settlements of Chervonyi Lyman, Myrnograd, Novoekonomichne, Pokrovsk, Kotlyne, Udachne, Molodetske, Filiya and towards the settlements of Novopavlivka, Novye Shakhove, Rodynske, Serhiivka, Vilne. Two clashes are still ongoing.
The defense forces are holding back enemy assaults, the enemy is suffering significant losses - today 146 occupiers have been neutralized in this direction, of which 100 are irretrievable. Our defenders destroyed two vehicles, 14 unmanned aerial vehicles, two units of special equipment, and also hit two vehicles, a UAV control point, and three shelters for enemy personnel.
In the Oleksandrivka direction, Ukrainian units stopped 19 enemy attacks on the positions of our troops near the settlements of Yalta, Vyshneve, Rybne, Oleksandrograd and towards the settlements of Iskra, Khoroshe, Nove Zaporizhzhia, Ivanivka, Sosnivka. The enemy launched an airstrike on Velykymykhailivka.
In the Hulyaipol direction, our defenders stopped 17 enemy attempts to advance in the areas of Hulyaipol, Solodke, Dorozhnyanka, Bilogirya, and towards Varvarivka. Two more clashes are ongoing.
In the Orikhiv direction, Ukrainian units stopped nine attacks by the invaders in the area of Shcherbaky, Malaya Tokmachka, Stepovoye, Plavni, and towards Novoandriyevka and Prymorske.
In the Dnieper direction, the Defense Forces repelled three enemy attacks in the area of the Antoniv Bridge.
As a reminder, the village of Dronivka in Donetsk region is under the control of Ukrainian troops. However, the Russian occupiers are pressing from two directions, trying to capture the settlement.
Previously, the analytical project DeepState reported that the Russian occupiers had advanced in the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions, including in the Dronivka area.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 21:28 UAV operators of the Sever group caught rotation of personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Sumy region.
Drone operators from the Vostok group destroyed enemy unmanned aerial vehicles west of Gulyaipole.
A Molniya-2 UAV crew from the West group of forces destroyed a machine gun crew of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
20:18 Servicemen of the 121st Motorized Rifle Regiment of the West group of forces successfully stopped attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kupyansk direction.
19:20 Slavyansk direction. Advance of the Russian Armed Forces west of Seversk, –MAP.
17:58 In the west of the Zaporizhzhia region, our units are alsoleada heavy assault on the Primorsky area, where fighting has not subsided for several weeks.
During the recent fighting, the 108th Motorized Rifle Regiment advanced to the northern outskirts of Primorskoye and consolidated its position there. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are still attempting to counterattack and fire drones at our positions.
A little further east, in the plantings in the open field north of Stepnogorsk, fighters from the 247th Motorized Rifle Regiment are operating, having also advanced north in the direction of Veselyanka.
16:38 Servicemen of the 68th Army Corps of the Center group of forces conduct communication training in the rear area of the North Military District.
The soldiers practice the use of portable radio stations, as well as the methods and techniques for installing remote antennas.
15:48 Company commander of the assault detachment of the 122nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the West group of forces told that his unit is located in the northwest of the city of Kupyansk and is conducting assault operations, destroying the enemy.
While carrying out a combat mission to search and destroy the enemy, FPV drone operators from the group's unmanned systems units detected and destroyed a car, an armored combat vehicle, and a robotic platform of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the outskirts of the city.
13:31 Artillery crews of the Vostok group destroyed UAV control points, as well as enemy antennas and equipment in the Zaporizhzhia region.
12:22 Summary of Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the Special Military Operation as of December 28, 2025:
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct a special military operation.
Units of the North group of forces improved their tactical position and defeated formations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' assault regiment near the village of Kondratovka in Sumy Oblast.
In the Khar'kov direction, units of two heavy mechanized and two mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a National Guard brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Veseloe, Izbitskoe, Staritsa and Stognii in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 140 servicemen and 12 vehicles.
Units of the "West" force grouping inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of five mechanized brigades, an assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two National Guard brigades, and a territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Kupyansk-Uzlovaya, Kurilovka, Boldyrevka, Blagodatovka, Pristen, and Koroviy Yar in the Khar'kov region.
In the Kupyansk direction, during the day, units of the 6th Army repelled two attacks by formations of the 92nd Assault and 14th Mechanized Brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Podoli and Nechvolodovka in the Khar'kov region with the aim of breaking through to the city of Kupyansk in the Khar'kov region.
Up to 15 militants and a T-64 tank were destroyed.
In total, enemy losses in the West Group's area of responsibility amounted to over 200 servicemen, a tank, two US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, three armored combat vehicles, and 10 pickup trucks. Five ammunition depots were destroyed.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces have occupied more advantageous positions and lines. Formations of seven mechanized brigades and an airmobile brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been defeated near the settlements of Nikiforovka, Konstantinovka, Donetskoye, Reznikovka, Slavyansk, Krivaya Luka, Illichivka, and Rai-Aleksandrivka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost up to 155 servicemen, three US-made M-113 armored personnel carriers, two armored combat vehicles, 13 cars and an ammunition depot.
Units of the Center group of forces, as a result of decisive actions, liberated the settlements of Dimitrov, Rodinske, Artemovka and Volnoye of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The manpower and equipment of two mechanized brigades, an infantry brigade, two airborne assault brigades, an airmobile brigade, three assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two naval infantry brigades, the Azov* special forces brigade, a territorial defense brigade, and three National Guard brigades were damaged in the areas of the settlements of Lenino, Ivanovka, Toretskoye, Kutuzovka, Grishino, Shevchenko, Belitskoye, Dobropolye, Vasilevka, Novy Donbas of the Donetsk People's Republic, and Novopavlovka of the Dnipropetrovsk region.
*Azov is a terrorist organization banned in Russia.
The enemy lost more than 500 servicemen, three armored combat vehicles, a pickup truck, and a radio-electronic reconnaissance station.
Units of the "East" force group continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defenses and completed the liberation of the village of Gulyai-Pole in the Zaporizhzhia region.
The manpower and equipment of three mechanized brigades, two assault brigades, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades were damaged in the areas of the settlements of Dobropasovo, Gai, Gavrilovka, Pokrovskoe in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Pryluky, Vozdvizhevka, Ternovatoe, Charivne, Zaliznichnoe and Barvinovka in the Zaporizhzhia region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 185 servicemen, two combat armored vehicles, four cars, and a US-made 155mm M-198 howitzer.
Units of the Dnepr military group actively liberated the village of Stepnogorsk in the Zaporizhzhia region.
The formations of the mechanized, mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Orekhov, Preobrazhenka, Chervona Krynytsia in the Zaporizhzhia region and Sadovoe in the Kherson region.
More than 60 Ukrainian servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, seven cars, an electronic warfare station, and two supply depots were destroyed.
11:35 Crews of the unmanned systems unit of the 18th Combined Arms Army, together with the rear support units of the Dnepr group of forces, dailydeliverAmmunition, food, spare batteries for radio stations, and medications for our units carrying out combat missions in the island part of the Dnieper delta in the Kherson region.
10:39 In the area of the settlement Primorskoye, paratroopers of the 7th Mountain Airborne Assault D ivision continue fighting for the village. The fighting doesn't stop for even a few minutes; the Ukrainian Armed Forces command continues to send its personnel back and forth, thereby attempting to hold back the advance of our paratroopers. There is progress in the village; they've approached the northern part, and are clearing the central and southern parts.
In the area of Stepnogorsk, Stavropol paratroopers of the 7th Airborne Assault Division are giving the enemy no chance, having encircled the town. Clearing the town is difficult, as there is a lot of open terrain, making movement virtually impossible due to the sheer number of enemy FPV drones.
09:53 Zaporizhzhia direction. Russian Armed Forces are rapidly advancing towards Pavlovka, MAP.
07:30 Changes on map over the past 24 hours:
Stepnogorsk was liberated
Gulyaipole was liberated
Village of Artemovka (Sofiyivka) was liberated
Rodinskoye was liberated
Dimitrov (Mirnograd) was liberated
Russian Armed Forces entered Zakotnoye
07:19 During the past night, air defense systems on duty destroyed 25 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
12 over the territory of the Samara region,
Three over the territory of the Belgorod region,
Three over the territory of the Kursk region,
Three over the territory of the Saratov region,
Two over the territory of the Volgograd region,
Two over the territory of the Rostov region.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] Reports from fighters in Kuupyansk about enemy efforts. Heavy fighting for the city continues. Part of the city is ours, part is the enemy's, and part is in the gray zone.
The enemy continues to commit reserves to the battle, regardless of losses, seeking to stage some kind of media victory with a flag during the New Year or during the "cocaine führer's" negotiations with Trump. They need any kind of media victory.
In addition to losses in Kupyansk itself and in the surrounding area, the price of this PR offensive will be the further loss of Ukrainian Armed Forces positions in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.
Reports that the Russian Armed Forces have completely lost Kupyansk were, frankly, premature. Yesterday, the Russian Ministry of Defense deployed objective monitoring from various areas of Kupyansk, which, however, does not negate the obvious difficulties in holding certain positions in the central and northwestern parts of the city.
Work is currently underway to halt the enemy's advance in the city and stabilize the LBS, so that they can later move on to recapturing lost positions in the city and to the west. The defeat of Ukrainian Armed Forces equipment near Kupyansk. P.S. Incidentally, one of the wounded Nazis from Azov, who was exchanged under Abramovich's orders, was released in Kupyansk.
After liberating Huliaipole (in just four weeks), Russian forces are completing the hunt for lone Ukrainian soldiers who failed to escape and are regrouping for further offensive operations westward in the direction of Orekhovo.
North of the city, two bridgeheads across the Gaichur River are being methodically expanded, which will undoubtedly be used to break through the flimsy Ukrainian defense line north of Huliaipole.
Besides the lack of forces, a serious problem for the Ukrainian Armed Forces is that the main defensive lines east of Orekhovo were built to repel a Russian offensive from the south and southeast.
To the east, field fortifications are rather poor. Furthermore, the terrain there is not the most favorable for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Three cities in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast—Zaporizhzhia, Orekhov, and Volnyansk—still remain in enemy hands. Orekhovo and Volnyansk are our next targets.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[RIA] Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov revealed details of Vladimir Putin's phone call with his American counterpart, Donald Trump. RIA Novosti reports the key details.
The meeting was organized at Trump's initiative; he wanted to discuss several issues with Putin before his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky.
The conversation lasted one hour and 15 minutes and was friendly, benevolent and businesslike in nature.
"It was characterized by a mutual interest in moving towards a peaceful, long-term settlement of the Ukrainian conflict."
Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov answers journalists' questions during a press briefing following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Presidential Special Envoy Steven Wittkoff.
Putin argued to Trump that it was fundamentally important to continue to rely on the understandings reached in Anchorage and during bilateral contacts.
The presidents share similar views that a temporary ceasefire under the pretext of a referendum will only prolong the conflict.
Trump stated that he was convinced of Russia's desire for a political and diplomatic resolution to the situation.
"It is with this in mind that he intends to structure today's negotiations with Zelensky."
Putin agreed with the American leader's proposal to continue work on a settlement within the framework of two specially created working groups: one on security and one on economic issues.
To finally end the fighting, Kyiv needs a political solution regarding Donbas.
The leaders agreed to talk after Trump's contacts with Zelensky.
This was the ninth phone call between Putin and Trump since the start of the White House's second term. The two leaders' previous and longest conversation took place on October 16. At that time, they placed particular emphasis on the Ukrainian crisis. The Russian president emphasized Moscow's commitment to a diplomatic solution.
In early December, Vladimir Putin received US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in the Kremlin. The two sides discussed the essence of the peace initiative but were unable to find a compromise.
As the president later stated, Washington divided the 27 points of the original plan into four packages and proposed to discuss them separately. He clarified that he had reviewed almost every one of them, and there were issues with which Moscow disagreed.
A few days later, a meeting between US and Ukrainian delegations took place in Berlin. Following the meeting, Western countries reportedly agreed to provide security guarantees similar to Article 5 of the NATO Charter. In exchange, the Americans demanded that Kyiv make territorial concessions, according to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
1. The conversation was organized at Trump's initiative; he wanted to discuss a number of issues with Putin before meeting with Zelensky.
2. It lasted 1 hour and 15 minutes and was friendly, benevolent, and businesslike in nature.
3. Putin argued to Trump the fundamental importance of continuing to rely on the understandings reached in Anchorage and during bilateral contacts.
4. The presidents share similar views that a temporary ceasefire under the pretext of a referendum only prolongs the conflict.
5. Trump was convinced of Russia's desire for a political and diplomatic settlement of the situation.
6. Putin agreed with Trump's proposal to continue work on the settlement within the framework of two specially created working groups - on security and economic issues.
7. The leaders agreed to talk after Trump's contacts with Zelensky.
8. A final cessation of hostilities requires a political solution from Kyiv regarding Donbas. A bold political decision - to boldly get the hell out of Donbass.
[Rudaw] The family of an Iraqi young man killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in the Russia-Ukraine war last week say he had planned to migrate to Germany but was "deceived" into joining the conflict.
Abdullah Salman is among hundreds of Iraqis believed to have joined the Russians in the war.
"Like any young man, he wanted to go to Germany to work. They took them out and made them sign papers. They were deceived and taken to Russia. The child had no power to confront them. Their phones were confiscated. After 20 days, he sent a message home saying he was in the war," his cousin Ahmed Riyaz told Rudaw on Saturday.
Three months ago, Abdullah, 22,
…so not even slightly a child…
and four other young men left the Iraqi city of Kut in Wasit province to Iran, and from there they were sent to the battlefields in Russia.
The national security advisor of Iraq said on Wednesday that hundreds of Iraqis are participating in the Russia-Ukraine war and that a government committee has been formed to bring them home.
Nearly four years have passed since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, which has resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties. With US mediation, diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have intensified, though prospects for a breakthrough remain uncertain.
There is no accurate data available on how many Iraqis are on the battlefields participating in the Ukraine-Russia war.
"There are relevant parties inside Iraq who deceive young people and exploit them with money, marriage to Russian women, citizenship, land, apartments, and such things. Many young men were deceived this way in Iraq, went to Russia, and are now fighting in the war," Hussein Raed, a friend of Abdullah, told Rudaw.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] The Soyuz-2.1a medium-class launch vehicle carrying two Aist-2T Earth stereo imaging satellites and 50 other spacecraft successfully launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. The press service of the Roscosmos state corporation reported this on December 28.
"The Soyuz-2.1b rocket carrying the Aist-2T satellites and other satellites for various purposes launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome," reads a message on Roscosmos's Telegram channel at 5:18 PM Moscow time.
The state corporation also released a video showing the rocket igniting its engines, lifting off from the ground, and taking off into the sky.
Roscosmos later clarified that the rocket had operated normally, after which the booster separated from its third stage and began to launch the spacecraft into their designated orbits.
Yesterday, the Soyuz-2.1A launch vehicle with a spacecraft on board successfully launched from the Plesetsk test cosmodrome. The launch was performed by a combat crew of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) space forces.
The spacecraft, later launched into space by a rocket, entered its designated orbit as planned. It was then accepted for control by ground-based assets of the Russian Aerospace Forces' space forces.
#1
Russia is working like crazy fast to restore their only human spacecraft launching site. That's part of why the are saying so much about their other launch sites. SpaceX has been asked by NASA to be prepared to schedule more human spaceflights to the space station so that people including Russians scheduled on Russian ships can be able to come and go to the station.
This is like we went up on the Russian ships for years after the Shuttle was deemed too dangerous. Space is a hard and unforgiving place!
Elon Musk has a similar problem with Starship right now and is building new launch and landing sites for it like crazy. He wanted sites at Vandenberg additionally (for it's simpler polar orbits but California wouldn't agree. He now plans to "dogleg" polar orbits out of Florida.
The older SpaceX Falcon-9s and Falcon-9-Heavies are launching at faster and faster turn-around times and the heavies are getting bigger second stage cowlings to launch larger sats. New landing pads for the first stages of both Falcon types are being built like crazy both in Vandenberg and Florida.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
