Multiple explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the last day of 2024.
Kyiv's military authorities said on December 31, 2024, that air defense systems had thwarted a Russian attack in the early hours of the morning. Witnesses told Reuters news agency that several explosions occurred in the Ukrainian capital after the air force reported a missile threat across the country.
Flashpoint: Ukraine running low on ATACMS ammunition; Russia presses hard in Kursk
Initial information shows that falling rocket debris damaged 3 buildings and 2 cars. One woman was injured.
In the town of Shostka in Sumy Oblast in northern Ukraine, 13 rockets were launched, damaging a 12-storey apartment building, two educational institutions and several other facilities.
Kyiv residents take shelter under the metro station during the attack on the morning of December 31, 2024
The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down six of the 21 missiles launched by Russia during the night, including a hypersonic missile. Russia also launched 40 UAVs, but 16 were shot down and 24 did not reach their targets.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had carried out strikes using high-precision weapons and drones on Ukrainian military infrastructure, including a military airport and an explosives production facility. Moscow said all targets were hit.
Kyiv residents take shelter under metro station
Kyiv suffers attack on last day of 2024, forcing people to take shelter in metro station
Ukrainian self-propelled boat shoots down Russian helicopter
The Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service (GUR) said on December 31, 2024 that a self-propelled boat of this force destroyed a Russian helicopter and damaged another in the Black Sea.
Specifically, in the battle near Cape Tarkhankut on the west coast of the Crimean peninsula on December 31, 2024, a Ukrainian Magura V5 self-propelled boat equipped with missiles hit a Russian Mi-8 helicopter, the first time it had brought down an aerial target. GUR released a video showing multiple missiles fired at the helicopter, causing the Russian vehicle to fall into the water. Another was damaged but returned to the airport.
Russia has not commented on the report. The Russian Defense Ministry said the Black Sea Fleet had destroyed eight unmanned boats in 24 hours. Mikhail Razvozhaev, the head of the Russian-appointed Sevastopol regional government in Crimea, said two unmanned boats had been destroyed near the shore overnight. Russian military blogger Voenny Osvedomitel also reported that a Ukrainian autonomous boat had shot down a Russian helicopter.
On the same day, a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacked an oil depot in Smolensk province in western Russia, causing a fuel leak and fire. Governor Vasily Anokhin said 10 UAVs were shot down but debris fell on the oil depot. He said the situation was under control and there was no impact on the surrounding population, but did not specify the damage.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that 68 Ukrainian UAVs were shot down overnight, including 10 in Smolensk.
Russia, Ukraine have a major prisoner exchange before the New Year
Prisoner exchange
Russia and Ukraine conducted a major prisoner exchange on December 30, 2024. According to The Kyiv Independent , 189 Ukrainian citizens were released, including 87 soldiers, 43 members of the National Guard, 33 members of the border guard force... Those released included soldiers protecting the Azovstal region and the city of Mariupol, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Snake Island and other fronts.
In return, Russia received 150 soldiers in an exchange brokered by the UAE.
Ukrainian prisoners released in exchange on December 30, 2024
Russian prisoners released in exchange on December 30, 2024
Russia to advance rapidly in 2024
AFP analyzed data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW, USA) on December 31, 2024, showing that Russia controls nearly 4,000 square kilometers of additional territory in Ukraine in 2024, seven times more than in 2023. Most of the land Russia gained was in the fall, with 610 square kilometers in October and 725 square kilometers in November 2024. Those were the two months when Russia gained the most territory since March 2022, the beginning of the conflict.
In December 2024, Russia's advance slowed to 465 km2 but was still nearly four times more than in December 2023.
The data shows the pressure Ukraine faces in the new year 2025, as Russia pours resources into the conflict while the ability of the US to provide aid under the Trump administration is questioned.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chien-su-ukraine-ngay-1042-kyiv-bi-oanh-tac-ngay-cuoi-nam-185241231171401692.htm
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