The Russian military has been beefing up its defenses in the south-eastern Zaporizhia Oblast, particularly between the towns of Vasilyevka and Orikhiv, in recent weeks, according to the UK MoD in its daily news update. The way Russia has been working to improve defenses suggests that commanders are likely to anticipate major Ukrainian offensive actions in two areas: either northern Luhansk Oblast or Zaporizhia. A major Ukrainian breakthrough in Zaporizhia would seriously jeopardize the viability of the Russian “land bridge” linking Russia’s Rostov region to Crimea; A Ukrainian success in Luhansk would further undermine Russia’s declared war goal of “liberating” the Donbass, they say.
+++ 09:33 Zelenskyj on the alleged ceasefire: The world has seen how misleading every statement from Moscow is +++
During the Orthodox Christmas, Russia reportedly wanted to keep the guns silent. But during the ceasefire, Ukraine repeatedly reported attacks. Moscow claims to have only reacted. When the deadline expires, the attacks continue unabated.
+++ 08:46 crew management: Two thermal power plants damaged by Ukrainian shelling +++
In the Russian-controlled parts of the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, two thermal power plants were damaged by Ukrainian shelling, according to the local occupation administration. According to initial information, this is due to attacks on Suhres and Nowji Swit, the administration announced on Telegram. Initially, there was no comment from the Ukrainian side. However, the leadership in Kyiv almost never comments on attacks by its military on Russian targets.
+++ 08:03 Governor of Donetsk: At least one civilian killed and eight injured in Bakhmut +++
Pavlo Kyrylenko, the Ukrainian governor of Donetsk Oblast – one of the regions annexed by Russia – reported earlier this morning on Telegram that Russian shelling in Bakhmut over the past few days has killed one civilian and wounded eight others. The numbers are likely to be even higher as it is currently not possible to collect data on the casualties in the Russian-held areas of Volnovakha and Mariupol, Kyrylenko said.
+++ 07:08 Bishop Ackermann: Freedom and democracy are always threatened +++
According to Bishop Stephan Ackermann of Trier, the Russian attack on Ukraine has made it clear that freedom and democracy must always be defended. “Freedom and democracy were never a matter of course,” says Ackermann. “I don’t think they’re any more threatened now than they were before. We just thought they weren’t threatened, and kind of taken for granted. But they aren’t.”
Ackermann welcomes the fact that the Bundeswehr should be better positioned in the future. “It must be well equipped, otherwise it cannot fulfill its purpose.” But it is more important that political sanctions are used earlier. The lesson of the Ukraine war is: “First of all, to be awake, to be sober with regard to the political assessment – and then to be consistent with sanctions earlier. Just strengthening the defense budget is not enough.”
+++ 06:10 Göring-Eckardt and Kubicki for the delivery of German battle tanks to the Ukraine +++
After the German promise of “Marder” armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, other politicians called for the delivery of German “Leopard” battle tanks to Ukraine. “It would be wrong to stand by the promise for “Marder” armored personnel carriers,” Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “We should do and deliver everything that is possible. This also includes Leopard tanks,” said the Green politician. FDP deputy leader Wolfgang Kubicki told the Funke newspapers that it “could be sensible to supply not only Marder but also Leopard tanks.” It is important to maintain Ukraine’s defense capability. However, any further step in support for Ukraine must be closely coordinated with the NATO partners. He doesn’t believe in Germany going it alone on this issue, says Kubicki.
+++ 04:04 Russia declares the end of the ceasefire +++
Russia ends the declared 36-hour Christmas ceasefire and again announces that it will continue its so-called “military special operation” until victory over Ukraine. Shortly after midnight, the governor of the Kharkiv region reported bomb attacks via the short message service Telegram.
+++ 02:35 Schmyhal: Ukraine has the world’s largest minefield +++
According to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal, the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine has created a 250,000 square kilometer minefield in his country. “It is currently the largest minefield in the world,” Schmyhal said in an interview with the South Korean news agency Yonhap. According to Schmyhal, the mined area corresponds to more than 40 percent of the entire land area of Ukraine.
+++ 01:15 survey: Many Germans are skeptical about tank deliveries +++
According to a survey by the opinion research institute INSA for the newspaper “Bild am Sonntag”, 49 percent of the citizens surveyed think the German government’s planned delivery of “Marder” tanks to Ukraine is wrong. 40 percent support the decision, 11 percent are undecided or do not provide any information. When asked whether Germany should also supply battle tanks to Ukraine, 50 percent of respondents answered no, while 38 percent were in favor. On Friday, the institute asked 1001 citizens about their opinion on behalf of the newspaper.
+++ 00:04 Turkey: We are trying to find a ceasefire +++
According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, Turkey is seeking a long-term ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine. He tells the US broadcaster CNN. According to Kalin, the ceasefire ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin did not work. He adds that “neither side seems ready to lay down their arms and come to the negotiating table”. According to Kalin, neither Ukraine nor Russia can achieve a decisive victory on the battlefield. Turkey will therefore continue to work to ensure a longer ceasefire, especially with regard to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, “which continues to pose a major security threat to everyone”.
+++ 23:31 Kharkiv reports explosions +++
Shortly after the official end of the ceasefire declared by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, the authorities in the region around the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv reported several explosions. “Attention to the residents of Kharkiv and the region: stay in shelters. The occupiers are striking again!” writes Governor Oleh Synehubov on Telegram. According to initial information, there is one fatality, Synehubov said. Almost immediately after 10:00 p.m. CET, air alerts were also issued in the areas of Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Luhansk and on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia.
+++ 22:55 Ukraine withdraws citizenship from 13 Orthodox clergymen +++
According to Ukrainian media, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had 13 clergymen of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church revoked their citizenship. The decision is said to have been made at the end of December. It was initially not known who it was supposed to be about. Since the corresponding decree contains personal data, it was not published, it is said. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has traditionally been closely linked to Russia and only completely broke away from Moscow after the Russian invasion last February. In view of the Russian war of aggression that has been going on for more than ten months, the leadership in Kyiv sees the church’s ties to Russia as a threat to the country’s security.
+++ 22:00 ceasefire declared by Moscow officially over +++
The ceasefire declared by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin over the Orthodox Christmas has expired. Russia’s President had instructed the Russian Ministry of Defense to cease hostilities in the neighboring country from Friday noon (local time/10 a.m.CET) to Saturday evening midnight (local time/10 p.m.CET). Nevertheless, according to Ukrainian information, there were attacks like yesterday and today on the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj had previously rejected the ceasefire announced by the Russian side as a deceptive maneuver by Moscow. According to estimates by British secret services, hostilities in Ukraine continued at the usual level during the orthodox Christmas period. This was announced by the British Ministry of Defense in its daily briefing.
+++ 21:51 Ukraine puts opera singer Anna Netrebko on the sanctions list +++
Ukraine has put 119 Russian artists and other public figures on a sanctions list. One of the internationally best-known names in the decree published by the Ukrainian Presidential Office is the Vienna-based opera singer Anna Netrebko, who has come under criticism for being close to the Kremlin. Her and 118 other people – including three Ukrainian nationals – will have their assets in Ukraine blocked, if they exist. The sanctions list also includes the well-known Russian musician Filip Kirkorov and actor and director Nikita Mikhalkov. (More on that in the entry at 6:58 p.m.)
+++ 21:23 Selenskyj: Putin’s declared ceasefire has failed +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared the ceasefire declared by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin over the Orthodox Christmas celebrations to have failed. “The world was able to see once again how false statements from Moscow are at every level,” said the 44-year-old in his video message in the evening – shortly before the promised ceasefire period announced by Putin is officially due to end at 10:00 p.m. CET. “They said something about an alleged ceasefire, but the reality is that Russian shells hit Bakhmut and other Ukrainian positions again,” Zelenskyy said. “Once again it has been confirmed: Only the expulsion of the Russian occupiers from Ukrainian lands and the elimination of all possibilities for Russia to put pressure on Ukraine and all of Europe will mean the restoration of a ceasefire, security and peace.”
You can read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.