Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin’s forces launch deadly Kyiv ballistic missile and drone attack
Putin says he is open to talks with Donald Trump, saying ‘we will have things to discuss’
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.Russia has launched dozens of missiles and drones against Ukraine as at least one person was killed in the capital of Kyiv in the attack.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia had fired 60 drones overnight, though 20 were downed well before they reached their target, and five ballistic missiles at towns and cities across the country.
At least one person was killed after missiles hit Kyiv at around 7am local time this morning, while a high-rise building was badly damaged. The capital’s St Nicholas Church was also damaged.
Five people were also injured in a separate Russian missile strike that damaged a two-storey residence in Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown, Kryvyi Rih.
Meanwhile, Russian president Vladimir Putin has said he should have invaded Ukraine earlier as he used an end-of-year press conference to double down on his decision to start the war.
Despite the toll his war has taken on Russia’s finances and the lives of its young men, Putin claimed that sending troops into Ukraine in 2022 has boosted his country’s military and economic power.
Vladimir Putin: Russia is ready to compromise with Trump on Ukraine war
Kim Jong Un ‘personally overseeing’ North Korean training for Ukraine amid reports of heavy losses
The huge spike in gun range openings in a country that borders Russia
Warning North Korea can produce ballistic missiles for Russia ‘in months’
ICYMI: Ukraine’s air force says it shot down 45 Russian drones launched overnight
The Ukrainian air force said on Thursday that Russia launched 85 drones to attack Ukraine overnight of which 40 “imitator drones” did not reach their targets and 45 other drones were shot down.
Russia also launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and an Kh-59/69 guided missile during the attack, the air force said.
The missile attack damaged apartment buildings and municipal property in Sumy and Dnirpopetrovsk regions, according to the statement.
Government criticises Russia’s ‘gangster threat’ against Times journalists
The UK government has criticised Moscow’s “desperate rhetoric” after a senior ally of Vladimir Putin threatened The Times newspaper over its coverage of the assassination of a Russian general.
Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and current deputy security council chair, said journalists at The Times were “legitimate military targets” and should “be careful” as “anything goes in London”.
His comments followed a Times editorial in which the newspaper described the assassination of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov as “a legitimate act of defence” by Ukraine, which has claimed responsibility for the killing.
General Kirillov, who was in charge of Russia’s nuclear, biological and chemical defence troops, was killed by a bomb hidden in a scooter outside his Moscow apartment on Tuesday.
Asked about Mr Medvedev’s comments, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said they were “simply the latest in a stream of desperate rhetoric coming out of Putin’s government”.
He added: “Unlike in Russia, a free press is a cornerstone of our democracy and we take any threats made by Russia incredibly seriously.
“It’s the first duty of government to protect its citizens. That’s why we have world-leading intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies in the UK and we have made clear that we will do whatever it takes to protect the British public and defend the freedom of the press.”
Russian police reportedly detain two suspects in murder of Igor Kirillov
Police in Russia have detained two suspects in the killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of the radiation, chemical and biological defense forces, and his assistant Ilya Polikarpov on Tuesday, reported Russian language independent newspaper Meduza relying on local news outlets.
Law enforcement agencies tracked down the suspects directly from the crime scene, where surveillance cameras recorded a couple of suspicious cars, reported Kommersant citing an unnamed official.
The reports do not mention the suspects identity, meaning it is unclear if they include the 29-year-old Uzbek national Russian authorities said they arrested on Wednesday.
According to the publication, the organisers of the crime recruited the perpetrators via instant messengers, providing them with a contact from the security service of Ukraine – which later claimed responsibility for the killing.
Russian Telegram channel 112 claims the suspects have already given testimony and told investigators about the organisers of the murder.
UK announces new funding for Ukraine amid ‘critical’ situation
The UK has pledged a new £225m package of support for Ukraine after the defence secretary said the situation in the country is “critical”.
On a trip to Kyiv, John Healey said that the UK will “step up” on international leadership on Ukraine in 2025, after prime minister Sir Keir Starmer urged allies to maintain their support.
The package announced this morning involves £186m for military equipment through the International Fund for Ukraine, including £92m for Ukraine’s navy and £68m for air defence equipment.
The announcement comes after Mr Healey met with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov and also includes £39m for counter-drone systems and protective equipment for Ukraine’s armed forces.
Announcing the new funding, Mr Healey said: “Nearly three years after (Russian President Vladimir) Putin launched his illegal full-scale invasion, the depths of his miscalculation are clearer than ever, as the brave people of Ukraine continue to defy all expectations with their unbreakable spirit.
“But they cannot go it alone - which is why the UK will step up our international leadership on Ukraine throughout 2025.
“We will enhance our offer of training to Ukraine and provide battle-winning capabilities, such as the drones and munitions included in our new £225 million package today.”
Ukrainian forces ‘do not have strength’ to recover land from Russia, says Zelensky
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday admitted that his forces “do not have the strength” to remove Russian troops occupying their territory in the east of the country or Crimea.
The comments came as he sought more support from allies.
Speaking to the French paper Le Parisien, he said: “We cannot give up our territories. The Ukrainian constitution forbids us to do so,” he said.
“De facto, these territories are now controlled by the Russians. We do not have the strength to recover them.
“We can only count on diplomatic pressure from the international community to force Putin to sit down at the negotiating table.”
Oil refinery in Rostov catches fire after Ukrainian drone attack, governor says
An oil refinery in the Rostov region of southern Russia has caught fire after being attacked by Ukrainian drones, confirmed local governor Yuri Slyusar.
Emergency crews have been dispatched to the fire at the Novoshakhtinsk refinery and details on casualties were being clarified, he said.
It came as Russian air defence systems repelled 10 Ukrainian missiles targetting the region, he said on Telegram.
Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s official Centre Against Disinformation, wrote on Telegram that the missile attack focused on the Kamensky chemical plant “which produces rocket fuel specialising in solid fuel components for rocket engines”.
The plant, he said, also produced explosive materials and components for ammunition.
Mr Kovalenko posted a brief video showing a fire and smoke outside a fenced compound.
Mr Slyusar said fragments from one missile triggered a fire in a house in the village of Malenkaya Kamenka and smashed windows in others, adding that there were no casualties and emergency services were at the scene. He made no mention of any industrial target.
Ukraine’s military intelligence has said it is behind the killing of a senior Russian general in Moscow - the latest in a string of assassinations claimed by Kyiv’s security forces.
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of nuclear, chemical and biological protection of Russian troops, was killed outside an apartment building in Moscow along with his assistant, when a bomb hidden in an electric scooter went off, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee.
Sources say the Ukrainian security service, known as the SBU, was responsible. The killing came just a day after the SBU officially accused Kirillov of war crimes and issued a warrant in absentia for him over alleged use of banned chemical weapons against Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline.
The intelligence network, which often draws comparisons to Israel’s prized Mossad spy agency, has reportedly carried out dozens of assassinations, though they are never officially claimed.
Tom Watling reports:
Behind enemy lines: Ukraine’s deadly assassins have terrorised Russia
Ukraine’s security service spy chief says they have killed ‘very many’ Russian conspirators
North Korea can produce ballistic missiles for Russia to use against Ukraine in months
North Korea demonstrated this year that it could produce ballistic missiles and supply them to Russia for use against Ukraine in a matter of months, the head of a research organisation that traces weapons used in the war said yesterday.
Jonah Leff told the UN Security Council that researchers on the ground examined remnants of four missiles from North Korea recovered in Ukraine in July and August, including one that had marks indicating it was produced in 2024.
“This is the first public evidence of missiles having been produced in North Korea and then used in Ukraine within a matter of months, not years,” he said.
Mr Leff also had briefed the Security Council in late June, telling members that the organisation he heads, Conflict Armament Research, had “irrefutably” established that ballistic missile remnants found in Ukraine early this year were from a missile manufactured in North Korea.
Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia objected to the second appearance of Mr Leff at the council meeting, chaired by ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield of the United States, which holds the council’s rotating presidency this month.
He claimed Mr Leff represents Nato and the European Union, and questioned whether his organisation could provide impartial assessments. And he accused Ms Thomas-Greenfield of violating Security Council practices and transforming its meetings “into a politicized act of buffoonery.”
The US ambassador retorted that Russia had vetoed a resolution that ended the monitoring of sanctions against North Korea by UN experts, which she said makes organisations like Conflict Armament Research and its independent, well-regarded experts all the more critical.
ICYMI: At least 100 North Korean troops killed fighting in Ukraine, South Korea says
At least 100 North Korean troops deployed to Russia have been killed and another 1,000 have been injured in combat against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, a South Korean lawmaker said this morning, citing the country’s spy agency.
The heavy losses are attributed to the lack of experience of North Korean troops in drone warfare and unfamiliarity with the open terrain where they are taking part in the battle, member of parliament Lee Seong-kweun told reporters.
Mr Lee was speaking after a closed-door briefing by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to parliament.
The discrepancy in the estimate of the troops killed from that made by a US military official, who earlier cited “several hundred” casualties, is because of the relatively conservative analysis by the NIS, Mr Lee said.
“There was a report that there have been at least 100 deaths and the injured are approaching 1,000,” he said.
In pictures: Zelensky in Brussels for European Council meeting
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments