Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russian helicopter shot down in historic sea drone strike as Kyiv attacks oil depot
The Ukrainian strike on a Russian chopper is the first time an unmanned sea drone has shot down an aerial target, Kyiv said
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Your support makes all the difference.A Russian helicopter was shot down by an uncrewed Ukrainian naval drone, in what Kyiv’s spy agency says was the first such strike in history.
In a battle near Cape Tarkhankut, on Crimea’s western coast, a missile-armed Magura V5 maritime drone struck a Russian Mi-8 helicopter. Dramatic video footage appears to show the moment the chopper was downed into the sea.
It is the first time an aerial target was destroyed by an uncrewed vessel, Ukraine’s GUR spy agency said in a post on Telegram.
Another Russian helicopter was damaged but managed to reach an airfield, the agency said. The reports have not yet been independently verified.
It comes as the Ukrainian military said it attacked an oil depot in Russia’s western Smolensk region, which it says was used for military purposes. Powerful explosions and tanks with oil products caught fire.
Local governor Vasily Anokhin said earlier that wreckage from one of the 10 Ukrainian drones shot down by Russian air defences fell on the oil facility. The situation is now “under control”, he said, offering no further detail.
Meanwhile, Kyiv brought home 189 former captives in a prisoner exchange with Moscow on Monday, in which 150 Russian soldiers were also freed.
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Families in tears as Ukrainian soldiers return home POW swap
Families in tears as Ukrainian soldiers return home after Russia prisoner of war swap
Ukrainian families sobbed as they reunited with loved ones in a prisoner of war (POW) swap with Russia on Monday, 30 December. Among them were soldiers captured by Russia from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, Snake island and other parts of the front line, as well as two civilians. Volodymyr Zelensky said the two countries exchanged 189 prisoners of war each in an exchange mediated by the United Arab Emirates. It was the 59th POW swap since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022. Mariupol defender Oleksandr Hlyshenko was in captivity for more than two years. He waited for his release "every minute" and called the day of the exchange his "second birthday."
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After nearly three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the future of the country’s fight against Vladimir Putin’s forces is more uncertain than ever.
Donald Trump’s sweeping victory in the US presidential race, off the back of promises to end the war in Eastern Europe in 24 hours – seemingly even if that means forcing Kyiv to cede territory to Russia – appears to spell the end of the West’s long-held policy of helping Ukraine to defeat Putin entirely. Negotiations with Russia, after years of silence, are back on the agenda.
This is causing significant stress in Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. As Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian opposition leader, puts it: “The world needs to understand how crucial it is not to end the war on any idea of negotiating with Russia.”
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As Trump returns to the White House – what next for Ukraine in 2025?
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Watch: Families in tears as Ukrainian soldiers return home after Russia prisoner of war swap
Ukrainian families sobbed as they reunited with loved ones in a prisoner of war (POW) swap with Russia on Monday, 30 December.
Among them were soldiers captured by Russia from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, Snake island and other parts of the front line, as well as two civilians.
Volodymyr Zelensky said the two countries exchanged 189 prisoners of war each in an exchange mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
Ukrainians pay £19bn taxes in 2024 as Zelensky signs tax rise bill
Ukrainian citizens and businesses paid more than 1 trillion hryvnias (£19 billion) in tax in 2024, the Finance Ministry has reported.
It comes one month after president Volodymyr Zelensky signed a major tax increase bill in November as he seeks to plug Ukraine’s budget deficit, The Kyiv Independent reported.
The bill is expected to raise an added Hr 8 billion (£150 million) this year and an extra Hr 141 billion (£2.6 billion) in 2025 for the state budget, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said according to the Ukrainian outlet.
Ukraine is preparing for a budget deficit of around $35 billion (£28 billion) in 2025, prime minister Denys Shmyhal said in August, with foreign partners expected to cover around $20 billion (£16 billion) of this.
Ukraine military confirms strike on Russian oil depot
The Ukrainian military has confirmed its forces struck a Russian oil depot in the Smolensk region.
The depot was used for military purposes, Ukraine’s general staff said on Telegram. Powerful explosions and tanks with oil products were among the things which caught fire.
Earlier today, Smolensk governor Vasily Anokhin said debris from a Ukrainian drone that had been shot down caused a fuel spill and fire at an oil depot in the region, but that the situation was “under control”.
Italy allocates €13 million for Ukraine’s energy sector
Italy has announced a €13 million allocation to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, the Italian Foreign Ministry has announced.
The ministry said it was an “important step in efforts to restore energy systems” damaged by Russian attacks.
The contribution, which it says is one of the largest by a single country, will “help stabilise electricity supplies to millions of war-affected Ukrainians at this difficult time”, it added.
“Italy’s commitment to contribute to the Fund comes at a crucial time as attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure continue. The contribution also recognises the Fund’s ability to quickly provide the equipment the country desperately needs to restore energy supplies,” the statement added.
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