Ukraine-Russia war latest: Biden vows surge in weapons for Kyiv after ‘outrageous’ attack by Putin
At least one person killed and six wounded as Putin launches more than 70 missiles at Ukraine on Christmas Day
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Your support makes all the difference.Half a million people have been left without heating in Kharkiv as Vladimir Putin’s forces launched a barrage of aerial attacks on Ukraine, condemned as “inhumane” by Volodymyr Zelensky.
The strikes wounded at least six people in the city of Kharkiv and killed one in the region of Dnipropetrovsk, local governors said.
Zelensky said more than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than 100 attack drones were used to strike Ukraine’s power sources.
US President Joe Biden denounced the "outrageous" attack and said he asked the US Defense Department to push forward with a new surge of military aid to Kyiv.
Mr Biden, who is being replaced by Donald Trump next month, said the purpose of the attack was "to cut off the Ukrainian people's access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardize the safety of its grid".
Washington has committed $175 billion in aid for Ukraine. It is not certain the flow will continue at that pace under Trump, who has said he wants to bring the war to a quick end.
Russia accused of ‘state-sponsored terrorism’ with huge attack on Ukraine’s energy targets on Christmas Day
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Pope Francis calls for talks to end Ukraine war in Christmas message
Pope Francis has used his Christmas message to call for talks between Kyiv and Moscow to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
In his Christmas Day address, the Catholic leader mentioned the Ukraine conflict directly and called for “the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation”.
Speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to thousands of people in the square below, the pope said: “May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine!”
He also called for “gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace”.
Francis, who has been pope since 2013, was criticised by Ukrainian officials this year when he said the country should have the courage of the “white flag” to negotiate an end to the war with Russia.
Professor who fled Putin’s war warns Kremlin is playing ‘Russian roulette with lives’
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, Vladimir Putin has faced persistent opposition not only in Western capitals but also inside his own country. For Russians though, criticising the president comes at a cost – one Salavat Abylkalikov knows all too well.
Abylkalikov, 38, a former professor at one of Russia’s most prestigious universities, says he was compelled to flee Moscow last year to escape being conscripted to fight in the Ukraine war, and protect his wife and daughter from harm and separation.
Abylkalikov is one of 400 academics from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine who, since the start of the war, have fled or sought help to leave from the Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara), a British charity that assists foreign scholars looking to escape dangerous places or situations.
Nearly 300 of the academics are from Ukraine, making it the highest number of requests for support from scholars in a European country since the 1930s.
My colleague Arpan Rai reports:
Professor who fled Putin’s war warns Kremlin is playing ‘Russian roulette with lives’
Nearly 400 scholars have fled Russia, Belarus and Ukraine since the start of the war. One of them narrates his ordeal to Arpan Rai
Ukrainian energy boss denounces ‘state-sponsored terrorism’
Ukraine’s largest private energy company DTEK said its generating facilities were attacked as part of the massive assault by Vladimir Putin’s forces, with power equipment seriously damaged, in the 13th large-scale assault on the energy sector this year.
“We appeal to every ally of Ukraine to end this state-sponsored terrorism now by giving our armed forces the air defence ammunition they need to protect essential energy infrastructure,” DTEK Cchief executive Maxim Timchenko said.
Russia ‘trying to destroy region’s power system’, Dnipropetrovsk governor says
Dnipropetrovsk governor Serhiy Lysak said the fatality there occurred in a Russian attack on regional power facilities.
“Since the morning, the Russian army has been massively attacking the Dnipro region. It is trying to destroy the region’s power system,” he said.
Urgent call for evacuation of Australian fighter after stepping on landmine in Ukraine
The Australian government is being urged to urgently evacuate a 38-year-old citizen who sustained severe injuries after stepping on a landmine while fighting on Ukraine’s eastern front.
Friends of the injured man, who was yesterday reported to be receiving treatment in a Ukrainian hospital, told The Guardian that without immediate specialist care, he risks losing his limbs.
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed on Tuesday that consular assistance was being provided but declined to comment further, citing privacy concerns.
The Australian fighter recounted his harrowing ordeal in a statement shared by a supporter. “I nearly bled out,” he said, describing the 20-hour evacuation and the lack of immediate first aid.
Glenn Kolomeitz, a former Australian army officer, has called on the government to arrange an urgent evacuation to ensure the man receives proper medical treatment. “He needs surgery very rapidly,” Mr Kolomeitz stressed.
Nearly half of Ukrainians support joining Nato even as territories remain under Russian occupation
Nearly 47 per cent of Ukrainians feel that the country should join Nato even if some of the territories are under Russian occupation, a new survey suggests.
The findings from the survey by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation and the Razumkov Centre, reported by the Kyiv Independent, are broadly in line with suggestions made recently by Volodymr Zelensky for a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine.
The recent polls reveal an increase of 14 per centage point from a similar survey conducted in June 2023.
One killed and at least six injured as half a million without power in Kharkiv after ‘inhumane’ attacks
The Russian strikes condemned as “inhumane” by Volodymyr Zelensky have wounded at least six people in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and killed one in the region of Dnipropetrovsk, the governors there said.
Half a million people in Kharkiv region were left without heating, in temperatures just a few degrees Celsius above zero, while there were blackouts in the capital Kyiv and elsewhere.
The Ukrainian president said more than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than 100 attack drones were used to strike Ukraine’s power sources. Kyiv managed to shoot down at least 50 missiles and a significant number of drones, he said.
More than 3,000 North Koreans killed and wounded in Kursk, Zelensky says
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed and wounded in Russia’s Kursk region.
“There are risks of North Korea sending additional troops and military equipment to the Russian army,” Mr Zelensky said after receiving a report from his top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, adding: “We will have tangible responses to this.”
The estimate is higher than that provided by South Korea’s military, which said that at least 1,100 North Korean troops had been killed or wounded.
Mr Zelensky said he was citing preliminary data. However, the figures of combat casualties could not be independently verified.
Volodymyr Zelensky condemns ‘inhumane’ Russian attacks on Christmas Day
Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned an “inhumane” attack by Russia on Christmas Day.
The Ukrainian president said more than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than 100 attack drones were used to strike Ukraine’s power sources. Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said one Russian missile passed Moldovan and Romanian airspace.
“Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane?” Mr Zelensky said. “They continue to fight for a blackout in Ukraine.”
He said Ukraine has managed to shoot down at least 50 missiles and a significant number of drones.
Comment: The one battle President Zelensky looks set to win
The one battle President Zelensky looks set to win
For all of Russia’s recent setbacks, it is increasingly unlikely Ukraine will be able to push back invading forces to the border positions when hostilities first broke out – but it may yet force Vladimir Putin into a negotiated peace that would ensure greater security for Europe
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