Hello, this is Kateryna Hodunova reporting from Kyiv on day 1,399 of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today’s top story:
Ukrainian forces struck Russia’s sole Il-38N reconnaissance aircraft in the Black Sea on the eve of a submarine’s destruction during the Dec. 15 operation, a source from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent on Dec. 23.
Ukrainian underwater drones, known as “Sub Sea Baby,” struck a 636.3-class submarine, Varshavyanka — classified as a Kilo-class by NATO — for the first time during the SBU operation on Dec. 15 in the Russian city of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai.
Ukrainian forces hit the Il-38N reconnaissance aircraft, known as “Sea Dragon,” with a drone carrying an above-ground warhead on the eve of the submarine’s destruction.
The $24 million aircraft, based in Yeysk, Krasnodar Krai, was the only one of its class in the area equipped with radars for detecting submarines and marine drones, the source said.
Neutralizing the Il-38N, which had been countering Ukrainian drone operations, allowed Ukrainian forces to carry out the operation in Novorossiysk, the source added.
Nearly 100 Russian troops enter Hrabovske, Sumy Oblast, in ‘sudden’ attack
Around 100 Russian soldiers entered the village of Hrabovske in Sumy Oblast and attempted to advance toward the settlement of Riasne, Viktor Tregubov, head of the Joint Forces communications department, told Suspilne on Dec. 23.
“Russian units are currently consolidating their positions in the southern part of Hrabovske. Ukrainian forces are trying to dislodge them from their positions. Fighting continues in the village,” Tregubov said.
The attack by Russian forces was “sudden,” according to Tregubov.
Tregubov added that settlements located directly on the Russian border, where Russian territory can be reached on foot, can only be reliably secured if Ukrainian forces establish a control zone extending several kilometers into Russia.
Hrabovske lies on the border with Russia’s Belgorod Oblast.
Soldiers from Russia’s 36th Brigade abducted 52 civilians from the village, including children, and took them to Russia — an act that constitutes a war crime. Ukraine has called on its international partners to help facilitate the return of the abducted civilians.
Philanthropist Howard Buffett travels to Kupiansk suburb in Kharkiv Oblast to help evacuate civilians
Last updated 8:24 p.m. Kyiv time.
American businessman and philanthropist Howard Buffett, accompanied by the Bilyi Yanhol (“White Angel” in English) special police unit, visited frontline areas in the suburbs of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, the National Police said on Dec. 23.
Kupiansk, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Russian border, remains one of the most active combat zones in the region, with fighting continuing in and around the city as Ukrainian forces work to repel Russian troops seeking to occupy the city.
Armored vehicles provided by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation have enabled the evacuation of more than 200 civilians from frontline communities in Kharkiv Oblast, according to the police.
During his visit to the region, Buffett personally took part in the evacuation of residents, the statement said.
Law enforcement officers thanked the philanthropist for supplying the armored vehicles and presented him with a unit chevron in recognition of his support.
Last updated 7:37 p.m. Kyiv time.
A Ukrainian man convicted of spying for Belarus has been jailed for 15 years, Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU) said on Dec. 23.
According to the SBU, the 24-year-old local unemployed man was recruited by Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB) to spy on Ukraine’s northern borders and was detained in July 2025 in Ukraine’s northwestern Volyn Oblast bordering Belarus.
The detainee was tracking the locations of Ukrainian military, checkpoints, fortifications and routes along Ukraine’s northern border, walking around the border area, and adding coordinates of military facilities on Google Maps, the SBU said.
The SBU officers exposed the agent, documented his crimes, and detained him at his place of residence. During a search, a smartphone, used for contacting a Belarusian KGB agent, was seized.
Based on the materials provided by the SBU, the court found the agent guilty under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (treason committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy under martial law).
Ukraine withdraws from Siversk, Donetsk Oblast, General Staff says
Last updated 6:33 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from Siversk, Donetsk Oblast, the General Staff announced on Dec. 23.
Fighting continues in the area around Siversk, but Ukrainian soldiers have withdrawn from the settlement, “in order to save lives and maintain the combat capability of units,” the General Staff said.
The General Staff added that Russian forces advanced because of its “significant numerical superiority” and “constant pressure from small assault groups in difficult weather conditions.”
“The city remains under the fire control of our troops. The occupiers remaining in the city are being defeated, and their logistics are being cut off. Enemy units are being blocked to prevent their further advance,” the General Staff said.
Ukrainian drone destroys Russian Grad rocket launcher in Donetsk Oblast
Last updated 5:45 p.m. Kyiv time.
Soldiers from the 79th Separate Tavriya Airborne Assault Brigade destroyed a Russian BM-21 Grad multiple-launch rocket system in the village of Malynivka, Donetsk Oblast, using a drone, the brigade said on Dec. 23.
The brigade did not specify the exact timing or location within the village where the Russian equipment was destroyed.
The operation was carried out by operators of Perun Corps strike drones, resulting in the destruction of the BM-21 Grad launcher loaded with a full complement of shells.
The BM-21 Grad is a Soviet-era 122 mm multiple rocket launcher mounted on a truck, with 40 tubes capable of firing all rockets within a few seconds. Designed for area bombardment, it has a range of 20–40 km (12–25 miles), is operated by a crew of 3–5, and can quickly redeploy after firing.
Video reportedly shows a Ukrainian drone striking a Russian BM-21 Grad multiple-launch rocket system in the village of Malynivka, Donetsk Oblast. (79th Separate Tavriya Airborne Assault Brigade)Ukraine brings back group of children from Russian-occupied areas of Kherson Oblast
Last updated 5:08 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukraine has returned a group of children, aged 9 to 16, from the Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin announced on Dec. 23.
Prokudin did not specify the number of children, but said they had “gone through threats, searches, and interrogations.”
Among those rescued was a 9-year-old girl whose family had long feared leaving the occupied territory because her father is a former Ukrainian soldier.
Another was a 16-year-old girl who lived under constant Russian strikes and was threatened by Russian military and Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers after taking a photo of a destroyed building near her home.
All the children who returned to Ukrainian-controlled areas are now receiving psychological support, as well as assistance with paperwork and finding housing, according to Prokudin.
Bribes, TikTok, and escapes through disused pipelines — Ukraine’s SBU reveals ‘mobilization evasion schemes’
Last updated 2:54 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU) on Dec. 23 revealed details of several alleged “mobilization evasion schemes” it had uncovered, leading to the arrest of eight ringleaders who now face up to ten years each in prison.
In one such scheme, the SBU said it had arrested a 62-year-old man from Lviv who “delivered” evadersto the west of the country before “laying out an escape route for them to the EU through a non-working gas pipeline.”
He worked in conjunction with another Ukrainian man living in the EU who advertised their services on TikTok and met them at the other side of the pipeline when they emerged, the SBU said.
In Poltava Oblast, the SBU arrested a 48-year-old former law enforcement officer who ran a scheme obtaining fake medical certificates from neurologists he was “familiar” with.
“As the investigation established, draft evaders were first registered as ‘inpatients’ in local medical institutions, and then they were given fictitious discharge papers with serious diagnoses,” the SBU said.
Other schemes were not quite as imaginative — one in Odesa involved a man disguised as a military officer simply transporting people in the trunk of his car, while another involved issuing camouflage clothing and sending people along a long forest trail.
At least 4 killed, 26 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
At least 4 people have been killed and 26 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on Dec. 23.
Russia launched 635 drones, 35 Kh-101 and Iskander-K cruise missiles, and three Kinzhal hypersonic missiles at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 587 drones and 34 Kh-101 and Iskander-K missiles. At least thirty-nine drones made it through, striking 21 locations.
Debris from intercepted missiles and drones was found at eight locations, and three Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles failed to reach their targets, with their crash sites still being identified.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian attacks injured nine people over the past day, the local military administration said.
Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin also reported one death and one injury on the morning of Dec. 23 following Russian drone attacks. A man was killed in the regional center of Kherson after a drone dropped explosives on him, while a 51-year-old man was injured in the village of Tomyna Balka.
In Zhytomyr Oblast, Russian strikes killed one child and injured five other people overnight on Dec. 23, according to the local military administration.
Aftermath of a Russian attack on Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine, on Dec. 23, 2025. (Ukraine’s Emergency Service)
Aftermath of a Russian attack on Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine, on Dec. 23, 2025. (Ukraine’s Emergency Service)
Aftermath of a Russian attack on Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine, on Dec. 23, 2025. (Ukraine’s Emergency Service)
Aftermath of a Russian attack on Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine, on Dec. 23, 2025. (Ukraine’s Emergency Service)In Kyiv Oblast, a Russian attack sparked a fire in a two-story building, killing a woman. Three others, including a girl, were injured in overnight Russian strikes, the local military administration said.
In the city of Kyiv, five people, including a child, suffered injuries due to Russian strikes, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said.
In Khmelnytskyi Oblast, a Russian attack killed a civilian, Governor Serhii Tiurin said.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russian strikes injured a 76-year-old man and two women, aged 76 and 69, Governor Vladyslav Haivanenko said.
In Donetsk Oblast, one person suffered injuries in a Russian attack against the city of Kostiantynivka, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.
The mass Russian attack overnight on Dec. 23 also triggered widespread power outages across Ukraine, leaving Rivne, Ternopil, and Khmelnytskyi oblasts almost completely without electricity, the Energy Ministry said.
Russian strikes caused power outages for consumers in Vinnytsia, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Kharkiv oblasts as well.
Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities prompted the emergency shutdown of Zaporizhstal, one of Ukraine’s largest metal producers, the company said.
The swift switch to alternative power sources allowed production to be safely halted, avoiding a man-made disaster and reducing emissions, according to the company’s statement.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,199,280 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,199,280 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Dec. 23.
The number includes 1,420 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 11,446 tanks, 23,792 armored fighting vehicles, 70,966 vehicles and fuel tanks, 35,331 artillery systems, 1,576 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,263 air defense systems, 434 airplanes, 347 helicopters, 93,166 drones, 28 ships and boats, and two submarines.