Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv targets missile fuel factory as Moscow claims assassination attempts foiled
Four Russians accused of helping assassination plots arrested
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Your support makes all the difference.Ukraine has claimed to have striked a Russian industrial facility producing fuel for missiles, as Moscow says it has foiled several assissination plots on senior officers.
Kyiv said on Thursday that its air force had had carried out a strike in Russia’s Rostov region on a factory which was used to produce solid fuel for ballistic missiles used in attacks on Ukraine.
It did say what damage was caused in the attack or give an exact date, but said it had been struck in the past few days.
It comes as Russia claimed it had foiled several Ukrainian plots to assassinate senior officers and their families using bombs disguised as power banks or document folders.
The country’s Federal Security Service said it had arrested four Russians accused of helping plan the attack, just weeks after a high-ranking oddicer was killed outside his Moscow apartment by a bomb attached to an electric scooter.
It comes weeks after Ukraine’s intelligence service killed a top Russian officer outside his apartment building in Moscow by detonating a bomb attached to an electric scooter.
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Starmer condemns Russia’s ‘bloody and brutal war machine’ after Christmas Day attack
Russia’s “bloody and brutal war machine” has shown no respite even at Christmas, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said, as he condemned strikes against Ukraine’s energy grid.
Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports on the international reaction to yesterday’s attacks:
Starmer condemns Russia’s ‘bloody and brutal war machine’ after Christmas Day attack
Moscow has launched a massive missile barrage on Christmas Day, with the aim of crippling energy infrastructure sites across Ukraine
Pope Francis calls for negotiations in Russia-Ukraine war for ‘lasting peace’
In his Christmas Day address, Pope Francis called for a dialogue to end the Ukraine-Russia war and urged a ceasefire in Gaza, alongside appeals for peace in other conflict zones like Lebanon and Syria.
The Pope condemned the ongoing violence in Ukraine following a massive Russian missile and drone attack, reiterating his plea for a “just and lasting peace”. He also highlighted the humanitarian crises in Gaza, where hostages remain, and the plight of Christian minorities in Syria after rebels ousted President Bashar al-Assad.
His remarks on Israel’s “cruelty” in Gaza drew sharp criticism from Israel which called which called the comments “particularly disappointing”.
Russia accused of ‘state-sponsored terrorism’ with huge attack on Ukraine’s energy targets on Christmas Day
A large-scale Russian missile and drone attack targeting Ukraine’s energy system on Christmas Day has been condemned as “inhumane” by president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Half a million people were left without heating in Kharkiv in temperatures just a few degrees above freezing, as blackouts were reported in Kyiv and other regions.
At least one person was killed and six others wounded in the attack, described by one Ukrainian energy chief as Vladimir Putin’s “state-sponsored terrorism”.
The massive attack came as Ukraine officially celebrated Christmas on 25 December for only the second time, in a move to reduce the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church, which celebrates on 7 January.
It provoked outrage from outgoing US President Joe Biden who vowed to deliver more weapons to Ukraine after sending hundreds of air defence missiles in recent months. “The Ukrainian people deserve to live in peace and safety,” he said.
Read more here:
‘State-sponsored terrorism’ as Russia attacks Ukraine energy targets on Christmas Day
Russia fired more than 70 missiles at Ukraine on Christmas Day
British army tests ‘game-changing’ weapon in the war against drones
British army tests ‘game-changing’ weapon in the war against drones
Weapons such as surface-to-air missiles can cost many times more than the drones they are trying to shoot down
Biden vows continued arms support for Ukraine after Russia’s Christmas Day attack
US president Joe Biden condemned Russia’s Christmas Day attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and cities, underscoring the US commitment to supporting Ukraine.
“The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardize the safety of its grid,” Mr Biden said in a statement.
He instructed the defence department to continue accelerating arms shipments to Ukraine.
However, uncertainty looms over future aid as president-elect Donald Trump, who has voiced scepticism about the scale of US involvement in the conflict, prepares to take office.
Keith Kellogg, Trump’s pick for special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, also criticised Wednesday’s attack.
“Christmas should be a time of peace, yet Ukraine was brutally attacked on Christmas Day,” Kellogg said. “The US is more resolved than ever to bring peace to the region.”
Russia ship bound for Syria sinks in Mediterranean
A Russian cargo ship that Kyiv says was intended to collect weapons from military bases in Syria has sunk on route in the Mediterranean Sea.
Officials in Moscow said two crew members are missing after an engine room explosion sank the Ursa Major between Spain and Algeria. Fourteen other crew were rescued and taken to Spain.
The vessel left the Russian port city of St Petersburg on 11 December, according to ship tracking data from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). It was last seen sending a signal at 10.04pm GMT on Monday between Algeria and Spain.
Ukraine’s military intelligence claimed on Monday that the ship had been sent to Syria to remove weapons and military materiel after the fall of Moscow-backed Bashar Al-Assad.
Ukraine and South Korea disagree on North Korean losses
Ukraine’s president Zelensky and South Korean officials have provided different estimates of North Korean troops killed or injured as they fight alongside Russian forces.
Seoul’s top military officials say that around 1,100 North Korean troops have been killed or wounded in Ukraine’s Kursk region. Meanwhile, Zelensky put the figure much higher, at over 3,000.
The Ukrainian president has warned that more North Korean troops will likely join the invading Russian forces, criticising world leaders for doing “almost nothing” to curb collaboration between the two nations.
South Korean military sources have corroborated his claim, saying there is evidence that North Korea is preparing to send more resources to Russia.
Russian gas flows faster in face of Ukraine criticism
Russia’s Gazprom said that it would send 42.4 million cubic metres of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Tuesday, up from 42.1 mcm on Monday.
The slight uptick in distribution comes after Zelensky said he would not allow contracts for gas exports which flow from Russia to Europe through Ukraine to be renewed.
In reaction to the announcement, Slovakia PM Robert Fico met with Putin on Monday for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Gazprom’s exports to Europe and beyond decreased sharply following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, dropping by 90 billion cubic metres (bcm) in a single year to 63.8 billion over the year.
This dropped again in 2023 to 28.3 bcm, and is estimated to reach 32 bcm overall for 2024.
However, these figures are all staggeringly low compared to Gazprom’s pre-war exports, with the 2018/19 peak of 180 bmc remaining far out of reach.
Ukraine launches first robot-only assault on Russia
Ukraine has successfully mounted its first robot-only assault against Russia, its the military says, as unmanned vehicles pushed back Moscow’s forces over the weekend.
In a display of modern warfare, Kyiv used dozens of remote-controlled vehicles mounted with machine guns, as well as unmanned kamikaze drones, in a raid near the Ukrainian-held town of Lyptsi, the Ukrainian military said.
Volodymyr Dehtiarov, a representative for Ukraine’s Khartiia Brigade, said: “We are talking about dozens of units of robotic and unmanned equipment simultaneously on a small section of the front.”
The assault took place between Russian-held Hlyboke and Ukrainian-held Lyptsi, in the Kharkiv region near Ukraine’s north-western border.
Kyiv has struggled with a shortage of manpower as the fight against invadin Russian troops continues into 2025. Ukranian officials have said the nation’s military consists of around 800,000 while Russia has committed 1.7 million troops to its war so far.
Modern assaults such as Ukraine’s robot only attack may prove to be crucial in the coming year as the officials look to tackle the imbalance of troops.
Editorial: Putin’s Christmas Day attacks were designed to show ruthless force – but they may backfire
How Putin’s ‘ruthless’ Christmas Day attacks on Ukraine may backfire
Editorial: Half a million were left without heating and one person was killed as Russia launched more than 70 missiles at Kharkiv. Yet 2025 will almost certainly be the year when the war ends – and it will not be the unmitigated disaster for Ukraine that seemed likely even a few months ago
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