North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the test launch of a new long-range anti-aircraft missile, which took place on Dec. 24 at a training ground near the country’s eastern coast.

Two Russian Interior Ministry officers were killed when an explosive device was thrown into their car overnight on Dec. 24, sources in Ukraine’s military intelligence told NV. Two others were seriously injured.

A Christmas procession has begun in Kyiv Families,folklore groups, artists, veterans, and service members are marching through central streets carrying traditional Christmas stars This procession continues Ukrainian traditions of carolers and nativity plays dating back to at least the 17th century

The fall of Kupyansk would have endangered all Ukrainian troops on the left bank of the Oskil River, former AFU Commander-in-Chief Viktor Muzhenko said.

Russian forces struck an evacuation mission in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, with a drone on Dec. 25, killing one person and wounding two others.

The Kremlin will have to compromise on demands that contradict the 20-point peace plan proposed by the United States and Ukraine.

💪 People-Titans: Infantrymen of Ukraine’s 93rd Brigade held a position in the Kostiantynivka sector for over 130 days. Denys (Bars) and Dmytro (K2) defended the line for four months and even evacuated a POW, the brigade’s press officer said. 📸 Photo: Iryna Rybakova

Pope Leo XIV is delivering his first Christmas Urbi et Orbi blessing from the Vatican on Dec. 25. He is expected to renew calls for peace.

The Ring magazine published an updated ranking of the best heavyweight boxers on Dec. 24.

🎄✨ The NV editorial team wishes everyone a Merry Christmas!

Explosions rocked Yefremov Synthetic Rubber Plant in Russia’s Tula Oblast, where drones reportedly struck the facility.

🌟📸 How Ukrainians celebrated Christmas in the 20th century While cities often followed Russified traditions, villages and communities preserved authentic Ukrainian carols, verteps, and rituals. NV shares rare archival photos from across Ukraine.

Russian forces attacked production facilities operated by Ukrnafta, deploying drones and causing critical damage.

Russian citizens massively obtain Romanian citizenship using forged documents, thus, evading international sanctions and gaining legal access to the European Union.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is not abandoning its goal of joining NATO.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a U.S. delegation may hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as Wednesday.

Ukraine may reduce or suspend mobilization efforts once a peace agreement is signed, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Oil-like spots and dead birds have been found on two beaches in Odesa. Relevant services are working at the scene. english.nv.ua/nation/oil-l...

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly detailed, for the first time, 20 key provisions of a draft peace agreement aimed at ending Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine — a revised version of an earlier 28-point proposal.

Two 93rd Brigade fighters with the codenames Bars and K2 successfully returned with a Russian POW after holding a position near Konstantynivka for 130 days.

Russia’s economy is sliding toward a deep recession and faces the risk of a systemic banking crisis amid falling oil revenues, mounting Western sanctions, and the depletion of financial reserves.

🇩🇰🇺🇦 Sculptures by Ukrainian artist Maria Kulikovska were destroyed on Dec. 22 at the Copenhagen exhibition “My Body Is a Battlefield.” The works depicted pregnant women and symbolized Ukrainian women’s vulnerability and resilience. 📸: Nataliya Popovych / Facebook

Ukraine’s Central Election Commission has resumed operations of the State Voter Register for the first time since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Russians in 2025 began economizing on food due to a range of economic factors, including rising delinquencies on previously taken loans, Ekaterina Lobacheva, head of X5 Retail Group, Russia's largest retailer, said.

Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the town of Siversk in Donetsk Oblast.

A Kyiv appeals court has upheld the detention of former Ukrenergo CEO Volodymyr Kudrytskyi but agreed to reduce his bail to 7,000,736 hryvnias (about $185,000).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reviewed reports from National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov and Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Andrii Hnatov on talks with a U.S. delegation about settling the war.

Around 100 Russian soldiers broke into Hrabovske in Sumy Oblast with battles ongoing as the enemy attempts to entrench and advance toward Riasne.

Russia could attempt to attack a NATO country after reaching a peace deal with Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has warned.

🏒🧸 A Ukrainian hockey match was briefly halted after fans threw hundreds of teddy bears onto the ice following the home team’s first goal. The toys will be donated to Latvian and Ukrainian children in Liepāja and Riga. 📸: liepajniekiem.lv

Russian forces have advanced near the settlement of Yunakivka in Sumy Oblast and Sviato-Pokrovske in Donetsk Oblast.

During Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s televised Q&A, state-run media aired footage of a man presented as BBC journalist Steve Rosenberg — but it wasn’t him.

Russian forces fired more than 600 drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight.

Two Russian fighter jets, worth up to $100 million, were destroyed in the Dec. 21 sabotage operation near the Russian city of Lipetsk, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported, sharing a video taken by partisans during the attack.

Negotiations to end Russia's war against Ukraine have achieved a "breakthrough," but there is no certainty of a peaceful settlement at this point, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said.

Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai overnight on Dec. 22, as well as facilities used to store, prepare, and launch attack drones near occupied Donetsk.

Russian troops claiming to have captured the city of Kupyansk in Kharkiv Oblast actually consist of small subunits numbering up to 200 people and are in a difficult position, Joint Forces communications chief Viktor Trehubov said.

💔 “A dinner without them.” Families of missing persons and prisoners of war held a joint remembrance action in Stryi, Lviv Oblast, to remind the public of their loved ones. 📸 Stryi City Council / Facebook

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency launched a drone strike overnight on Dec. 22 targeting the Tamanneftegaz maritime oil terminal in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, sources told NV.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed a report by Reuters suggesting that Moscow aims to seize territory across all former Soviet republics, calling the information “untrue.”

Russian forces have been halted in key areas of Pokrovsk and are now bogged down in brutal urban fighting, suffering heavy losses as they try to push forward.

Ukraine’s parliament is setting up a working group to “quickly review” the possibility of holding a presidential election during martial law, ruling Servant of the People faction leader Davyd Arakhamia said.

Russia develops a new anti-satellite weapon capable of disabling Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites used by Ukrainian forces by creating a cloud of debris in orbit.

A Russian shadow fleet tanker, Valeriy Gorchakov, was left almost completely submerged after its stern was hit by drones, according to photos published by the monitoring Telegram channel Krymsky Veter.

The United States will not stop supporting Ukraine, remains a committed ally of Europe, and has a clear interest in staying in NATO, Secretary General Mark Rutte said.

A Russian major general died from injuries in a suspected car bomb explosion in Moscow early on Dec. 22, according to Svetlana Petrenko, official spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee.

A team of U.S. defense officials recently visited Ukraine and conducted on-site tests of Ukrainian unmanned surface vehicles, advancing the possibility of a Ukraine–U.S. drone industry partnership deal.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki said that transferring MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine is not within his authority, but added that exchanging aircraft for drone defense systems “does not contradict Poland’s policy.”

Long-range drones operated by the Alpha Special Operations Center of Ukraine’s SBU Security Service struck a third Russian oil platform in the Caspian Sea, marking another successful attack on the Kremlin’s offshore energy assets, sources within the SBU told NV.

Russia’s low-cost sabotage campaign in Europe — arson, explosions, and hybrid attacks — is overwhelming EU intelligence services and draining security resources, AP reports after analyzing 145 incidents.