Russia-Ukraine war: List of major events, day 1,030 | russia-ukraine war news
The situation as of Friday, December 20 is as follows:
fighting
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A Russian missile attack in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region killed three people and injured three others, national police said. It said more than 10 houses were damaged in the attack.
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The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine launched six United States-made long-range ATACMS missiles and four United Kingdom-made Storm Shadow missiles at Russia’s southern Rostov region. The ministry said Russian forces downed all ATACMS and three of four Storm Shadows, and said Moscow would respond to the attacks.
- A South Korean politician said at least 100 North Korean soldiers deployed to support Russia’s war effort in Ukraine have been killed since they entered the war in December. Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to reinforce Russian forces, including in the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces seized territory this year.
politics and diplomacy
- Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is ready to compromise on Ukraine in potential talks with Donald Trump to end the war and has no prerequisites for opening talks with Ukrainian officials.
- Putin, in an effort to circumvent sanctions, has published a decree allowing foreign buyers of Russian gas until April 1 to pay in rubles not only through US-sanctioned Gazprombank, but also at other Russian banks.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he needs Europe and the US to ensure durable peace, as he met with EU leaders in their final summit before Trump’s inauguration.
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Trump have agreed that Russia’s war on Ukraine has gone on “for too long”. Scholz told Trump in a phone call that he would continue to support Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression as long as necessary.
- The EU will give Ukraine an additional 30 billion euros ($31.09 billion) in financial aid in 2025, EU Council President Antonio Costa announced after meeting with EU leaders in Brussels.
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A Moscow court has ordered the murder suspect of top Russian general Igor Kirillov to be sent to pre-trial detention for two months. The suspect, a native of Uzbekistan, was charged with a terrorist act that resulted in the death of one person.
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Finland’s Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen warned that Russia and the countries supporting it will remain a threat to Europe even after the war in Ukraine ends. Finland is Russia’s neighbor, sharing more than 1,300 km (800 miles) of border, which is currently closed to all travelers as Helsinki accuses Moscow of promoting undocumented migration to Europe.
- A Russian military court has sentenced two men to 21 years in prison, accusing them of planning an attack on Ukraine’s orders. Victoria Shinkarchuk and Alexander Kholodkov, former local government officials from the Belgorod region bordering Russia, were convicted, the TASS state news agency reported.
Cyber warfare
- Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Olha Stefanyshina said that Russia had launched a massive cyberattack on Ukraine’s state registries, resulting in a temporary suspension of services. The registries contain important information about Ukrainian citizens such as births, deaths, marriages, and property ownership.
