December 2023 

• Ukraine’s military is asking for an additional 450,000 to 500,000 people to be mobilized, the country’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told media in a wide-ranging press conference. The development comes as Kyiv struggles to obtain approval for aid packages from the U.S. and EU and as its troops continue to face heavy fighting amid a bitterly cold winter. 

• President Zelenskyy is in Washington to discuss the Ukraine aid impasse with Biden. The meeting is meant to discuss the rollout of aid from the U.S.

• The U.S. announced Wednesday $175 million in additional Ukraine aid from its dwindling funds for Kyiv. 

• Ukraine signaled that it is shifting its military tactics toward a more defensive footing after an analysis of Russia’s resource capabilities and as winter approaches. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that winter “as a whole is a new phase of war,” with freezing temperatures making fighting far more difficult and the defense of critical energy infrastructure far more of a priority. 

November 2023 ​

• Foreign ministers of NATO countries have assembled in Brussels for security talks as Russia presses ahead in its war against Ukraine. The Russia-Ukraine war appeared to top the agenda of the two-day summit which began on Nov 28, 2023, as NATO’s chief urged allies to continue supporting the war-wracked country amid funding hold-ups in Washington and Europe.​​​

• Germany will support Ukraine with another military aid package worth €1.3bn (£1.1bn) that will include an additional IRIS-T air defense unit, according to Germany's defense minister.

• Russian forces are pummeling Ukrainian units that have crossed over the Dnieper river to the Russian-occupied bank of the Kherson River. The Kherson area, in southern Ukraine, is partially occupied by Russian forces after an offensive to take the city of Kherson last year prompted Russian forces to withdraw to the eastern bank of the river.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia is increasing its attacks across the front line, with increased strikes also against the country's energy infrastructure ahead of the winter, as it did this time last year.

• A Russian missile hits a Liberia-flagged ship in Odesa, Ukraine’s main Black Sea port. The strike hit a Liberian-flagged freighter, killing a port worker and wounding another, as well as three citizens of the Philippines, and crew members on the ship.

• Kyiv said two dozen Russian drones and a missile were downed overnight as concern grows that Moscow is once again targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter. Officials in Kharkiv reported civilian targets were hit by shelling and drone attacks.

• Ukraine’s commander-in-chief has conceded that war is at a stalemate and a ‘beautiful breakthrough’ is unlikely as there have been few gains in Ukraine’s five-month-long counteroffensive to retake Russian-occupied territory.​

• As of 1 November 2023, 18 million Ukrainians —more than 40% of the population— needed some form of humanitarian assistance.

October 2023

• Zelenskiy says he will keep up military pressure on Russian-occupied Crimea. 

• At least six dead and 16 wounded after Russian missile strike on postal centrUkraine sank the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, dealing a serious blow.

• One child is dead and six other people were wounded by Russian shelling in Ukrainian-controlled areas of the Kherson region. Residential areas as well as infrastructure facilities were hit. 

September 2023

• The International Criminal Court (ICC) opened a field office in Kyiv to help investigate war crimes in Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Announcing the move in the Ukrainian capital Thursday, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said the war was a moment of huge responsibility for the Court, requiring perseverance and endurance.  

• Ukraine calls for tougher sanctions after reports Russia has evaded international restrictions and increased its missile production.

• Ukrainian forces recaptured a group of oil and gas drilling platforms off the coast of the Crimean Peninsula, Kyiv's military intelligence agency. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

• BREAKING: Wagner Boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is confirmed dead after his plane was shot down near the Tver region, north of Moscow. 

1.  A memorial service has been held for the 62-year-old mercenary chief.

• Germany is pledging an additional 20 million euros (about $21 million) in humanitarian aid for Ukraine to prepare for winter, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said during a surprise visit to Kyiv Monday. 

• Lithuania has announced it has donated 4.5 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine, the country’s Ministry of Defense announced on Friday. 

• Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged an additional $1 billion in assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday 6 September during a visit to Kyiv aimed at boosting support for the country. 

• At least 16 people have been killed and a further 28 injured in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, according to Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko ​

• Russia-Ukraine updates: US unveils new $250m military package for Ukraine. The United States announced a new package of military assistance to support Ukraine that includes additional air defense and artillery munitions, mine-clearing equipment, and medical vehicles.

• More than 900 people were killed or injured by cluster munitions in Ukraine last year amid broad Russian use of the widely banned weapons, drastically increasing global casualty figures. 

• Cuba has uncovered a human trafficking ring aimed at recruiting Cubans to fight as mercenaries for Russia in its war in Ukraine, its foreign ministry has said, as Moscow seeks to increase the size of its forces.

August 2023​

• Ukrainian officials said that a 45-year-old resident of Kupiansk died under Russian artillery shelling on Tuesday morning, as attacks on the northeastern city mounted and the authorities stepped up calls for civilians to evacuate.

• Ukrainian authorities have ordered a mandatory evacuation of children from two districts of the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region that are under persistent shelling by the Russians.  Altogether more than 50 children are still thought to live in the districts. 

• The United States has said that it will begin flight training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets in October.

• Russian air defenses destroyed 42 Ukrainian drones over the Crimean Peninsula early Friday, the Russian Ministry of Defense said on Telegram. 

• Russia's disregard for civilian life continues: 

  • ​Two teachers were killed and four people were injured when a Shahed drone hit a school in Romny, in the Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine. 

  • Russian air strikes are targeting civilians, forcing mass evacuations around the city of Kupiansk in northern Ukraine.

• The United States has approved sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to defend against Russian invaders.

• NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has promised to back Ukraine until it “wins the war”, claiming Russian President Vladimir Putin has “underestimated” the alliance.​​​​​

• Russia's missile strikes in Ukraine's western Lviv region overnight wounded at least 19 people, including a 10-year-old child, and extensively damaged civilian infrastructure. The attacks — which happen in the west less often than on the front lines in the east and west — also resulted in the hospitalization of five people, according to the head of the Lviv regional military administration. 

• Russia says it thwarted 2 more Ukrainian drone attacks in the Belgorod region. Russian air defense systems detected and destroyed multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, over the territory of the Belgorod region, the defense ministry said on Monday, 14th August.

• Ukrainian forces have hit an industrial site in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk, causing a fire and an ammonia leak, the head of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Territorial Defense said in a Telegram post. 

• Ukraine has provided the Pentagon with a report about the use of controversial American cluster munitions in the fight with Russia, a Ukrainian official told CNN on Wednesday. The official said the information transmitted to the defense department included both the number of rounds fired and the number of Russian targets destroyed, though the official declined to say what those figures are.  

• As of 8 August, at least 78 rescuers have been killed and 280 wounded in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion while responding to missile strikes, according to Col. Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, spokesperson for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.​​​​​

• On August 7, SBU, the Ukrainian security service, detained an informant who was sharing intelligence with Russia as part of an assassination plot against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to a SBU statement, the woman "was preparing an enemy airstrike on Mykolaiv region," planned during a visit by Zelenskyy.

• Ukraine has significantly damaged a Russian warship in the Black sea port of Novorossiysk, using an unmanned boat, known as a sea drone, to carry out the attack. The ship had been used to transport troops and military hardware to occupied Ukrainian ports, but now is out of commission following the successful Ukrainian attack.

• Ukrainian officials have given details of a large pipeline being built to supply water to communities affected by the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam on the river Dnipro in June. 

• On August 2, Russia attacked Ukraine's port city Izmail, which has become the country's main alternative route for grain exports since Russia pulled out of the grain deal and has blockaded Ukraine's Black Sea ports. The attack destroyed nearly 40,000 tons of grain, destined for worldwide markets. 

• On August 1, both Ukraine and Russia were attacked overnight, with drone strikes targeting Kharkiv and Moscow, according to local authorities. One person was injured in the attack.

July 2023

• On July 31, a Russian missile strike on a residential building in the southern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih killed at least four people, including a 10-year-old girl. At least 53 were injured in the attack. 

• On July 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Russia's close "militant friendship" with North Korea, pledging to increase Russia's economic, political, and security ties with the isolated totalitarian state. This comes after North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to discuss military and nuclear capabilities.

• Ukraine calls for a big increase in air defense systems to protect its main cities from Russian missile threats. According to officials, the strikes on Odesa over the past week had shown clearly that the Russian strategy was to bombard Ukrainian cities, with the aim of overwhelming air defense systems.

• The European Union has announced an expansion of sanctions to Russia's ally Belarus, agreeing to ban exports of battlefield equipment and aviation parts to the country. ​​

• The United States Department of Defense announced on July 25 that it will give a $400 million military aid package to Ukraine, including air defense missiles, armored vehicles, drones, ammunition, and more. 

• Russian drones attacked Ukrainian grain storage infrastructure at port on the River Danube on July 24, according to local officials. The Danube has been a key export route for Ukrainian grain since Russia pulled out of the grain deal. Russia also destroyed a grain depot in Odesa, a continuation of attacks that have destroyed over 60,000 tons of grain in the past week.​

• Russia struck the Ukrainian port city of Odessa with missiles for the fourth consecutive night since the country pulled out of the grain deal, killing civilians and targeting grain terminals. 120 tons of food were destroyed in the attack. ​​

• Late on Wednesday, July 19th, the Russian defense ministry announced that it would regard all ships sailing to Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea to be potential carriers of military cargo, and their flag states would be "considered to be involved in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of the Kyiv regime." The United States warned that Russia could also be preparing to attack civilian ships in the Black Sea. ​

• Early on Tuesday, July 18th, Russian forces launched continued airstrikes on Odesa, Ukraine - a key port city in the southern region of Ukraine. These air strikes come roughly a day after Ukrainian drone strikes on the key Crimean bridge, first targeted in October 2022.​

• Following Russia's recent backing out of the Black Sea grain deal, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced that there are no viable land alternatives to make up for the loss of exportation that was initially sent through the Black Sea route. Russia has now targeted Odesa - the key southern exportation port of Ukraine - to intensify the consequences of the broken deal.​

• Russia has officially pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal, agreed upon in July 2022, allowing Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea to Turkey. The deal was meant to address rising food costs and hunger crises due to Russian blockades of Ukrainian grain exports in the Black Sea, and an estimated 32 million tons of grain and food reached global markets due to the deal. Russia's decision to go back on the deal will cause hunger and famine throughout the many countries dependent on Ukrainian exports.​

• Ukrainian air defenses shot down 20 Iranian-made drones on July 13, launched at civilians in Kyiv by Russia. The attacks still caused a number of injuries and destroyed homes. Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilians have been a regular part of their ongoing invasion.​

• The G7 has signed a declaration outlining a long-term plan for security and economic support to Ukraine. This plan will help ensure a sustainable defense force, strengthen Ukraine's economy, and provide technical and financial support necessary during the ongoing war. ​

• Russian forces launched another air strike on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the erly hours of July 11th. It was the second air strike against Kyiv in July. Ukrainian official, Ruslan Kravchenko, said that this air strike was carried out by drones and lasted for nearly 2 hours. All drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defense, and no strikes or victims were recorded.​​

• ​Kremlin officials announced that Prigozhin and Putin met on June 29, only a few days after Priogzhin’s Wagner Group attempted a coup on the Russian government. The meeting supposedly lasted roughly 3 hours. There are few details on what transpired during the meeting, but it appears to have ended peacefully.​

• The White House announced that the United States will supply Ukraine with a cluster munitions package to aid in their counteroffensive against Russia. The decision to do so had been postponed for a long time due to the controversy surrounding the weapons as they pose risk of civilian harm. ​

• Former U.S. officials have reportedly held secret talks with prominent Russians with close ties to the Kremlin, according to half a dozen people briefed on the discussions. These discussions, which in one case have involved Russia's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, are aimed at laying the groundwork for future negotiations to end the war. ​​

• NATO has laid out new military plans to better prepare for Russia to widen its scope of the war. Largely spurred by the belief that Russia will restructure its military in the wake of the Wagner uprising, protecting additional countries bordering Russia and Belarus, where Wagner leader Yevegny Prigozhin has gone into exile, has been a priority for the organization. These military plans will be a major point of discussion at NATO's July 11-12 summit.

• At least five people and 34 injured have been killed by Russian missile strikes in the Western Ukrainian city of Lviv. Over 30 homes were destroyed in the Russian assault on the city. 

• Both Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of planning attacks on one of the world's largest nuclear power plants, located in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhizhia, which Russia has held since March 2022. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russian troops had placed "objects resembling explosives on the roof of several, power units." 

• Russia has taken 700,000 children from Ukraine into Russian territory, according to Russian MP Grigory Karasin. Ukraine says that many of these children have been deported illegally, while the United States estimates that 260,000 were "forcibly deported" throughout the war.

• Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Tuesday, July 11th, that NATO’s continued expansion into Eastern Europe is seen as a threat to Russia and that the expansion is a “mistake.” Peskov released these statements as the 2023 NATO summit began Tuesday morning in Vilnius, Lithuania. Sweden is expected to enter NATO at this summit, and further conversation is expected to set a timeline for Ukraine’s possible membership.

• NATO allies will be considering Ukraine’s membership at the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania this week. While considering Ukraine joining NATO is testing the unity of NATO allies, NATO membership for Ukraine would likely decrease Russian aggression against the West.

June 2023

• Russian General Sergei Surovikin, former commander of the Russian army fighting in Ukraine until his demotion in January, and current commander of the Russian air force, is believed to have been detained by the Russian government​. It is speculated that he was arrested and detained due to collusion with the Wagner Group amidst their coup attempt.​​​

• Wagner forces are expected to no longer fight in Ukraine after Yevegny Prigozhin, leader of the mercenary group, refused to sign contracts with the Kremlin after his exile to Belarus. 

• Eleven people, included four children, were killed in a Russian missile attack on a crowded restaurant in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk. Over 60 people were injured in the attack. 

• ​The United Nations human rights office announced findings that Russian forces have detained over 900 Ukrainian civilians throughout their invasion, torturing most of them and executing more than 70. This report comes amidst months of investigation into Russia's human rights violations.

• Yevegny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner group, has arrived in Belarus after being exiled from Russia following Wagner's march towards Moscow over the weekend. The Wagner group has been offered an abandoned military base by the Belarusian president, Aleksander Lukashenko, to accommodate them. 

• On June 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin released a televised address following Yevegny Prigozhin and his Wagner group's rebellion against Putin. Putin did not mention Prigozhin by name, but described those involved as traitors. In the address, Putin gave Wagner mercenaries the option to either establish themselves in Belarus, join the Russian military, or go home. ​

• Wagner leader Yevegny Prigozhin has gone into exile in Belarus as part of the deal that ended Wagner's march towards Moscow. The deal also removes Prigozhin's control of the Wagner mercenary force, which had been active in Ukraine as an integral part of Russia's invasion. Charges against Prigozhin of mounting an armed rebellion will also be dropped. ​

• Wagner troops advanced within 120 miles of Moscow before a deal put the coup attempt on hold. Prigozhin claims his forces took control of the Russian city Rostov-on-Don, though left the city after the deal was made.

• On June 23, mercenary soldiers part of the Wagner Group, under command of Yevegny Prigozhin, attempted an armed rebellion against the Vladmir Putin and the Russian government. Prigozhin claims the rebellion was a response to an attack on Wagner field camps in Ukraine by the Russian military. 

• Ukraine has stopped a Russian offensive in the east near the cities of Kupiansk and Lyman, according to a senior defense official.

• The commander of Ukraine's ground forces has confirmed that the main force of the country's offensive reserve has yet to go into battle with Russia. This announcement comes as Ukraine's counteroffensive has been slower than anticipated. 

• The European Union has agreed to a new package of sanctions against Russia, their 11th package of sanctions since Russia started its invasion of Ukraine. 

• One person was killed and seven were injured after Russia fired at rescue workers and civilians in Kherson while they were clearing flooded areas. This comes after Russia denied the U.N.'s request to send aid to those impacted by the destruction of the Kakhova Dam in the Russian-occupied region.

• ​Russia has illegally taken 150 Ukrainian children from the occupied Luhansk region to Russia. Ukraine claims that Russia has taken 19,393 from Ukraine to Russia throughout the war. Russian president Vladimir Putin has been issued an arrest warrant from the international criminal court for child abduction. ​​​

• ​Russia shot missiles at Kyiv while South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and others were in the capital as part of an African peace delegation which will also be visiting Moscow. 

• ​Ukraine has recaptured seven villages just days after launching its counteroffensive, showing early signs of success.

• The United Nations has called the destruction of the Kakhova Dam a "dire humanitarian crisis." Russia's destruction of the dam on June 6 has forced the evacuation of thousands of people and jeopardized the water supply of millions. 

• Ukraine has claimed its first battlefield gains since launching its counteroffensive last week, retaking four villages in the eastern Donetsk region. ​

• Russian forces have destroyed another Ukrainian dam, in the Dontesk region, causing flooding in the region. 

• Ukraine has launched its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russian forces, deploying Western battle tanks into combat for the first time.

• Ukraine and NATO have blamed Russia for destroying a massive dam along the Dnipro river in the city of Nova Kakhovka, in the Kherson region currently under Russian occupation. The dam's destruction caused massive amounts of flooding, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without access to drinking water and causing an environmental crisis. ​ ​

• U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced that the U.S. was working with Ukraine and other allies to work towards a "just and lasting peace," warning against peace initiatives that could potentially help legitimize Russia's illegal seizure of Ukrainian territory. ​

• ​Ukrainian deputy defense minister announces some Ukrainian forces are moving to "offensive actions," leaving many to speculate of a counteroffensive in the near future. 

• ​Russian airstrikes targeting a residential district in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro killed a two-year old girl and injured 22 people.

May 2023

• The United States has announced a new $300m arms package for Ukraine, which includes air defense systems and ammunition. The US made clear to Ukraine that the arms cannot be used for attacks inside Russia.​

• Three civilians were killed in a Russian night-time missile attack on Kyiv, including an 11 year old girl. At least 17 missile strikes were launched on Kyiv in May. ​​

• Over 27,000 Ukrainian "civilian hostages" are being held by Russia, according to Ukrainian authorities. ​​

• Russian security council deputy chair and former president Dmitry Medvedev claims British officials aiding Ukraine should be considered a legitimate military target. 

• ​Ukrainian drones struck wealthy districts of Moscow on Tuesday. Russia responds with three deadly strikes on Kyiv in 24 hours. 

• Russia destroys hospital in Dnipro with missile strike, killing at least two and injuring 23, adding to list of Russian war crimes. ​​

• ​Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner mercenary force, warns possibility of revolution in Russia if the Kremlin does not improve its handling of the war.

• A Russian court extended the arrest of American journalist Evan Gershkovich by three months. U.S. officials believe that Gershkovich, who was arrested in March, has been "wrongfully detained."

• The Freedom of Russia Legion, an anti-Putin militia comprised of Russian citizens, launched a successful cross-border raid into Russia's Belgorod region, capturing the settlement of Koznika.  

• ​President Biden announced at the G7 summit that the U.S. will support efforts to train Ukrainian pilots to use F-16 fighter jets, as U.S. allows European allies to export the American jets to Ukraine. 

• Ukraine shoots down six “unstoppable” Russian hypersonic missiles using U.S. surface-to-air missile defense system.​​​

• Putin’s one-tank military parade highlights Russia’s insecurities and exhausted resources

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Japan to join the G7 summit to secure enhanced support prior to an anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive. This comes after a trip to Saudi Arabia to meet with leaders of Arab nations. 

April 2023

• Russian special forces gutted by war in Ukraine, according to leaked classified documents

• Western allies have delivered more than $70 billion in military aid to Ukraine, NATO chief says 

March 2023

• Russia tests intercontinental ballistic missiles and stopped data exchanges on nuclear weapons with the U.S.

• ​Kyiv urges Russians not to adopt Ukraine’s ‘stolen’ children, thousands of whom have been illegally deported from Ukraine

• ​Chinese president Xi Jinping visited Putin in Russia as the countries increase cooperation

• Russia fighter jet targeted American drone over Black Sea, breaking international law

• Russia fires hypersonic missiles as war in east drives elderly holdouts into a basement​

• President Biden visited Kyiv as the first President to go to an active war zone with no US troops present.  "It stands tall. And most importantly, it stands free," he said in a post-visit speech.

• Free speech under fire in Russia as court imposes fine on Wikipedia for calling it's war on Ukraine an "occupation"

February 2023

• Russia will intensify attacks to coincide with the February 24th anniversary of the invasion, with the objective of capturing Donetsk and Luhansk

• Russia launched an offensive in Ukraine, involving 500k troops. Between 80-97% of the Russian army is currently deployed in Ukraine.

• ​Russia launched up to 35 missiles into Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, Ukraine using Soviet-era technology.

• Russia refuses to allow inspection of its nuclear arms this year, leading to the US accusing the country of violating the 2011 New Start arms treaty.​

• The Russian government has sentenced journalist Alexander Nevzorov to eight years in prison for his reporting on the war.

• Russia has announced it will now force occupied areas of Ukraine to use Moscow time, after already imposing Russian passports and currency in annexed territories. 

January 2023

• Ukrainian official says Russian efforts to capture key Donetsk town of Soledar have been unsuccessful.

• Russia's war in Ukraine pushes Doomsday Clock closest to midnight that it has ever been. 

• Putin ordered a 36-hour unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine from Friday until Saturday for Russian Orthodox Christmas but the move was rejected by Kyiv and dismissed as "hypocrisy." Shortly before the ceasefire began, Russia launched 4 rockets, blowing up a residential building. Then Russia accused Ukraine of violating the ceasefire they did not agree to. 

• 55 missiles were launched at Kyiv and other cities on Thursday morning, aimed at power substations and energy facilities. Eleven casualties have been reported

• Russia began shelling eastern and southern Ukraine Friday afternoon, killing at least 10 and injuring 20.

• Ukrainian regional military head urges locals "to refrain from attending" Orthodox services for fear that Russia will target congregations with deadly force. 

December 2022

• Russia used Iranian-made drones to hit two energy facilities in Odesa, leaving 1.5 million people without power

• Russia says there will be no withdrawal from Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

November 2022

• Ukraine's prosecutor general's office recently stated that 329 children are currently considered missing in Ukraine. 12,034 children have been deported to Russia.

• Russia has postponed nuclear disarmament talks with the United States initially planned for this week. 

• A letter bomb at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid injures one, Kyiv ramps up security in all representative offices abroad. 

 

New instances of Russian aggression reach western news daily. Check back here for the latest.