$1.2 billion: Biden administration prepares final aid package
The administration of US President Joe Biden will announce its final military aid package in the coming days, worth $1.2 billion.
Reuters writes about it, citing sources.
The new package will include interceptor missiles for air defense systems and artillery ammunition. Its exact content is still unknown.
Since the start of the full-scale war, the Biden administration has provided Ukraine with approximately $61.4 billion in security assistance. Most of the money for the purchase of weapons and equipment was allocated under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). Currently, another $5.6 billion is available.
503 fallen soldiers: Ukraine returns the bodies of the dead
The bodies of 503 fallen Ukrainian soldiers have been returned to the government-controlled territory.
This was reported by the Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
The bodies of 403 fallen soldiers were returned from the Donetsk sector, 12 from the Luhansk sector, 57 from the Zaporizhzhia sector and 31 from morgues in Russia.
The repatriation was made possible thanks to the joint work of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the Central Department of Civil-Military Cooperation of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Joint Center of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances, the State Emergency Service, and other structures of the security and defense sector of Ukraine.
5 ballistic missiles: on December 20 air defense shot down all missiles launched by Russia at Kyiv
On the night of December 20, the Russians attacked Ukraine with ballistic missiles, an airborne missile, and attack UAVs. The launches were made from the areas of Bryansk, Millerovo, Orel, Primorsko-Akhtarsk (Russia). This was reported by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units, mobile fire groups of the Air Force and the Defense Forces of Ukraine. It has been confirmed that 40 Shahed attack UAVs and other types of drones were shot down in Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as in the Kursk region of Russia.
At about 7 a.m., Russia struck the capital of Ukraine with 5 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles. The missiles were launched from Voronezh and Bryansk regions of the Russian Federation. The air defense shot down all five Iskanders that the occupiers had launched at Kyiv.
The wreckage of the downed missiles caused damage and destruction in five districts of the capital. There is information about a dead person and wounded.
Ukraine will need 2 weeks to restore state registries after large-scale Russian cyberattack
Russian hackers attacked Ukraine’s state registries on December 19. The work of the Unified and State Registers has been temporarily suspended. This was announced by the head of the Ministry of Justice Olha Stefanishyna.
The Ministry’s team and specialists from other services are working to restore the system. This is one of the largest attacks in recent times. The Russians aimed to disrupt critical infrastructure, Stefanyshyna said.
The enemy is trying to use this situation in their information operations to sow panic among citizens of Ukraine and abroad. I thank the citizens for their understanding. We will inform you about all important updates additionally, – said the head of the department.
Preliminarily, the functioning of other resources is not in danger. According to the minister, they will be restored first:
- The State Register of Civil Status Acts;
- The Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs;
- The State Register of Rights to Real Estate and Their Encumbrances.
The time for priority restoration will be approximately 2 weeks, – says Olha Stefanishyna.
Eurovision 2025: Ukraine announces the names of the finalists of the National Selection
Suspilne has announced the names of nine finalists of the National Selection for Eurovision Song Contest 2025. One more finalist will be selected by online voting in Diia. Therefore, the full list of those who made it to the final will be published by January 17, 2025. The final of the 2025 National Selection will be held on February 8.
Here are the nine finalists:
- Future Culture – “Waste My Time”;
- KHAYAT – “HONOR”
- KRYLATA – “STAY TRUE”;
- MOLODI – “my sea”;
- Ziferblat – “Bird of pray”;
- Abiye – “Home”;
- DK Energetik – “Salt”;
- Masha Kondratenko – “No time to cry”;
- Vlad Sherif – “Wind of change”.
637 thousand dollars: Poland allocates funds to Ukraine for mine action
Poland has allocated 2.5 million zlotys (approximately $637 thousand) to support mine action in Ukraine. The funds will be used to strengthen security and stability in areas of Ukraine heavily contaminated by landmines and explosive remnants of war. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Economy.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland signed a corresponding agreement with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine. Poland’s contribution will be used for innovative measures to free up land, in particular to increase the capacity to demine land with the involvement of sapper dogs.
As part of this initiative, 16 specially trained dogs under the guidance of eight handlers are being actively engaged in surveying large areas contaminated by mines in Mykolaiv region.
About half of the funding will also be used to test UAVs and remote sensing and conduct field operations in cooperation with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
We are confident that our assistance will accelerate demining efforts and strengthen the institutional capacity needed to address these challenges, while adhering to our common goals, – said Piotr Łukasiewicz, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Poland in Ukraine.
1 killed and 13 injured: Russia launches missile attack on Kyiv
On the morning of December 20, Russia launched a missile attack on Kyiv. Debris fell in several districts of the capital. One person was killed and 13 injured. This was reported by Mayor Vitali Klitschko and the Kyiv City Military Administration.
An air raid alert was announced in the capital at 6:45. A series of explosions soon followed, and air defense forces were deployed in the city.
The Russian armed forces launched a combined missile attack on Kyiv. The enemy probably used Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles from MiG-31K and Iskander/KN-23 ballistic missiles, – the KMMA said.
In Holosiivskyi district, a missile attack damaged an office building, road surface and a gas pipe, and 5 cars were set on fire. At another address, the facade of an office building was damaged, the roof caught fire, and the 15th floor was destroyed.
In Solomyansky district, a fire broke out in a non-residential building, which has already been extinguished. There was also a fire in a non-residential building in Shevchenkivskyi district.
