Ukraine Russia war latest: Kyiv strikes three Russian air defence systems as surprise Kursk attack rolls on
The value of the Russian air defence systems reportedly damaged by Ukraine in just one day is over £24 million
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ukraine has claimed to have destroyed three Russian air defence systems in just one day, worth tens of millions of pounds.
Ukrainian navy commander Oleksii Neizhpapa said they had hit two Russian anti-missile Pantsir-S1 systems and one OSA anti-aircraft vehicle in one day. The Pantsir’s have an estimated value of $15 million (£12m).
“Our soldiers continue to turn Russian equipment into scrap metal,” he wrote on a Facebook post.
He shared a video apparently showing a drone hitting a Pantsir-S1 vehicle. Both Pantsir-S1’s were destroyed in occupied Kherson, southern Ukraine, he added.
It comes as Ukraine has launched a surprise counterattack in the Russian border region of Kursk, targeting “at least three” different points of the frontline in that direction.
According to war trackers, Ukrainian troops launched a second day of multiple attacks on Sunday on the eastern and western flank of what they already control in Kursk, after partially capturing the region last August.
The Institute for the Study of War, a US based think tank mapping the frontline, said Ukraine had made advances to the northeast of Sudzha, the only city in Kusk controlled by Kyiv.
Zelensky says Russian and North Korean troops suffered significant losses in Kursk
Ukraine-Russia war map: Where are Putin’s forces making gains on the frontline as 2025 begins?
Ukraine ends Russian gas pipeline to Europe – but how much will it cost Moscow?
The Natalia Grace saga: Ukrainian adoptee accused of faking her age has a new family
Blinken backs Ukraine’s position in Kursk as ‘important’ for negotiations
Ukraine’s position in Russia’s Kursk is critical to any future negotiations, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said today during his trip to South Korea.
“Their position in Kursk is an important one because certainly it’s something that would factor in any negotiation that may come about in the coming year,” Mr Blinken told reporters in Seoul.
“Negotiations on Ukraine ceasefire should lead to a just and durable outcome,” he said today.
Mr Blinken said that the outgoing administration of president Joe Biden wants to ensure that “Ukraine has the strongest possible hand to play”.
Even if negotiations take place, Mr Blinken said Ukraine would still need “adequate security assurances” against Vladimir Putin.
“There is going to be, at some point, a ceasefire. It’s not going to be in Putin’s mind ‘game over’,” Mr Blinken said.
“His imperial ambitions remain, and what he will seek to do is to rest, refit, and eventually re-attack,” the US official said, calling for an “adequate deterrent in place so that he doesn’t do that”.
Toretsk city divided in two as fierce fighting continues
The city of Toretsk has been divided in two as Ukrainian forces continue to fiercely defend the city in the Donetsk region.
Russians have been using scorched earth tactics to try and destroy the city’s infrastructure and Ukrainian military positions, according to DeepState, an open source intelligence organisation.
“There are a lot of resources there. Especially everything related to FPV and attack drones. The enemy does a lot of damage with them,” the acting commander of the Tsunami Regiment is quoted as saying, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
“They also have a lot of artillery. The enemy is constantly carrying out assault operations, constantly working from different directions: from the north, from the south, and from the east.
“They use vehicles, mainly ATVs and motorcycles. So far, no armoured vehicles have been spotted. The fighting is going on in the city itself.
“The line of contact is somewhere in the centre of the city. We can say that the enemy and us cut the city in half.”
Sanctions on Russian supply chains ‘insufficient’ - Zelensky
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said sanctions on supply chains for Russian military components are “insufficient”.
A Russian drone attack using 103 Shahed drones contained 8,755 foreign-made components , Mr Zelensky said. In the past week, Russia has used over 50,000 sanctioned components from around the world in hundreds of strikes on Ukraine, he said.
“The sanctions pressure on supply chains for foreign components remains insufficient. Russia continues to acquire the components and manufacturing tools it needs – almost globally – and uses them in the weapons it employs to terrorize Ukraine,” Mr Zelensky said in a post on X.
“We must continue strengthening cooperation with all our partners on sanctions, air defense systems, long-range weapons, and support for our warriors. These priorities will help protect our cities, villages, and positions on the frontline. I am grateful to every partner helping us with this.”
Photos: People stop in their way to honour a fallen Ukrainian soldier
3,800 North Korean troops killed or injured in Kursk, says Zelensky
North Korea has suffered nearly 4,000 casualties in its fighting against Ukrainian troops in Kursk, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“North Korea... 12,000 have arrived [in the Russian Federation to join the war against Ukraine]. As of today, 3,800 have been killed or wounded,” he said in an interview.
“They can bring 30,000-40,000 more. Or maybe 500 [thousand]. They can bring many people. Because they have an autocracy,” he said.
In his previously shared data on 23 December, Mr Zelensky had said the number of North Korean soldiers killed and wounded in action in Russia’s Kursk oblast exceeds 3,000.
Four Russian airports reopen after drone risk
Four Russian airports reopened on Sunday morning after suspending flights to ensure the safety of civilian aircraft, aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said.
Airports in the cities of Kazan, Nizhnekamsk, Izhevsk and Perm - all east of Moscow - halted flights temporarily on Sunday morning.
Rosaviatsia did not specify a reason for the pause in flights, but airports have previously closed due to the risk of Ukrainian drone activity.
All restrictions were lifted by 11am, the watchdog said.
Zelensky warns ‘Putin will destroy Europe’ if US exits Nato
Volodymyr Zelensky has cautioned that any decision by Trump to exit Nato would weaken the military alliance and embolden Russian president Vladimir Putin in Europe.
The Ukrainian president said it was up to the US to determine Nato’s future. “I’m simply saying that if it does (quit the alliance), Putin will destroy Europe,” Mr Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader said he needed to sit down with Mr Trump to determine a course of action to halt the Kremlin and that Europe’s governments also needed to have a voice in that process before Kyiv could sit down for talks with the Russian side.
He also made the case that Mr Putin was not interested in serious negotiations to end the war, and that the Kremlin leader would have to be compelled to stop and agree to a lasting peace.
Ukraine-Russia war map: Where are Putin’s forces making gains on the frontline as 2025 begins?
By the time February 2025 arrives, marking three years since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the situation on the front line could look very different.
Currently, Russian forces are advancing in the east, slowly but surely, and they are shrinking Ukraine’s partial hold of the border region of Kursk.
That the Russians haven’t been more successful is a testament, above all else, to the resilience of Ukraine’s troops on the ground, many of whom have been fighting continuously for years. Dysfunction in the Russian military, with Mr Putin as its de facto commander-in-chief, is another.
But US president Joe Biden has sent the final military package of his tenure to Ukraine, ending the support (for now) of Kyiv’s most heavily-armed ally. US president-elect Donald Trump will soon re-enter the White House on the promise of ending the fighting altogether, even if that potentially means rewarding Mr Putin for his illegal land grab.
Tom Watling reports:
Ukraine-Russia war map 2025: Where are Putin’s forces making gains on the frontline?
Russian forces are advancing in the east, slowly but surely, and they are shrinking Ukraine’s partial hold of the border region of Kursk
Zelensky says Trump can be the first world leader to land in Kyiv airport
US president-elect Donald Trump can be the first world leader to fly to Ukraine and land in the currently shut Kyiv airport, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukrainian airspace has been closed since the February 2022 Russian invasion, and commercial air travel across Ukraine remains suspended.
Stating that he is looking forward to the reopening of Kyiv Airport, Mr Zelensky said: “Maybe we will open it, but only, and you must understand, if the war is over. There must be sustainable peace – and air defence systems, to be honest.”
“But there will be a moment… I think that the war will end and President Trump may be the first leader to travel here by airplane. I think it would be symbolic,” he told American podcaster Lex Fridman.
Mr Trump, the Ukrainian president added, had indicated when they spoke late last year that there would be an official Ukrainian visit to the United States soon after he takes office.
Ukraine will seek a boost in air defences at Germany meeting, says Zelensky
Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will again call on allies to boost Ukraine’s air defences at this week’s meeting in Germany, as US president-elect Donald Trump takes over later this month with a vow to end the almost three-year war quickly.
Mr Zelensky said that dozens of partner countries will participate in the meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Thursday, “including those who can help boost our capabilities not only to defend against missiles but also against guided bombs and Russian aviation”.
“We will discuss this with them and continue to persuade them,” he said in his nightly address on Saturday. “The task remains unchanged: strengthening our air defence.”
Ukraine will ask allies to boost its air defenses at a meeting in Germany, Zelenskyy says
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will again call on allies to boost its air defenses at this week’s meeting in Germany as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes over later this month with a vow to end the war quickly
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments