Summary
It is just after 6pm in Kyiv. Here is a summary for the main events from today:
Russia’s defence ministry on Thursday said its forces had foiled a Ukrainian attack on Russian facilities in Crimea and had destroyed 10 Ukrainian missiles over the peninsula.
Ukraine attacked a Russian military unit near Yevpatoria in Russian-occupied Crimea on Thursday, Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said. On Telegram, he said: “Thanks to the air force pilots and everyone who planned the operation for perfect combat work.”
Russian hackers were inside Ukrainian telecoms company Kyivstar’s system from at least May last year in a cyber-attack that should serve as a “big warning” to the west, Ukraine’s cyber spy chief told Reuters. Illia Vitiuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine’s (SBU) cybersecurity department, disclosed details about the hack in an interview with Reuters.
Polish farmers blockaded the Medyka border crossing with Ukraine on Thursday, private broadcaster Polsat News reported, resuming a protest intended to secure government subsidies for corn and prevent tax increases.
The Nato chief, Jens Stoltenberg, will convene a meeting between Nato diplomats and officials from Ukraine on 10 January, after a recent wave of heavy Russian airstrikes on the country, the transatlantic defence alliance said on Thursday.
A missile strike last week killed 32 people in Kyiv, authorities said Thursday, raising the toll of the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital since the war began. The strike took place on 29 December.
Russia is planning to buy short-range ballistic missiles from Iran, a step that would enhance Moscow’s ability to target Ukraine’s infrastructure, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing US officials.
One civilian was killed and eight wounded on Thursday in a Russian missile strike on Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine, damaging energy company buildings and causing power and water supply cuts, the regional governor said.
Vladimir Putin has issued a decree allowing foreign nationals who fight for Russia in Ukraine to obtain Russian citizenship for themselves and their families.
Seventeen Ukrainian journalists imprisoned in the occupied territories have been added to the international list of persecuted journalists whose release is demanded by the European Federation of Journalists, the former deputy prosecutor general of Ukraine said.
Nuclear inspectors have been denied access to the main halls of reactors one, two and six at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia power station in Ukraine. Rafael Grossi, director general of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency, said inspectors at the plant had for two weeks had no access and were yet to receive 2024 maintenance plans for the plant.
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war in the biggest single release of captives since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukrainian authorities said 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned home in the first exchange in almost five months. Russia’s defence ministry said 248 Russian servicemen were freed under the deal sponsored by the United Arab Emirates.
Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for restoration, said a family returning from abroad had become the first to conclude a property purchase agreement under a compensation scheme for destroyed housing. “We want those Ukrainians who need it to feel confident applying for governmental support toward repairing houses or buying new property. Especially if this will let them come back to Ukraine from abroad as did this first family.” The house was in Bucha, Kubrakov said.
The Polish foreign minister has called on allies to deliver long-range missiles to Ukraine to help Kyiv target Russian “launch sites and command centres”.
The Nato support and procurement agency said it would support a group of countries with a contract for up to 1,000 Patriot guidance enhanced missiles.
Polish farmers would resume their blockade at a border crossing with Ukraine, Reuters reported. “I will try to convince carriers not to use blockades as a method of defending their interests. We will do everything to effectively protect their interests,” said the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk.
Norway will send two F-16 fighter jets to Denmark to contribute to the training of Ukrainian pilots, the Norwegian defence minister has said.
Thank you for following along. Our live updates will be back tomorrow and you can find more coverage here in the meantime.
Ukraine hit Russian military unit in Crimea, air force commander says
Ukraine attacked a Russian military unit near Yevpatoria in Russian-occupied Crimea on Thursday, Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said.
On Telegram, he said:
Thanks to the air force pilots and everyone who planned the operation for perfect combat work.
He was referring to a screenshot from local media saying the unit came under attack, Reuters reports.
Russia’s defence ministry earlier said its forces had foiled the Ukrainian attack.
Updated
