On December 31, 2024, the Kyiv military government announced that air defense systems had prevented a Russian attack at dawn. Reuters witnesses said multiple explosions occurred in the Ukrainian capital after the air force announced the threat of missile attacks across the country.
Point of conflict: Ukraine is running out of ATACMS ammunition; Russia pressed hard in Kursk
Initial information showed that falling rocket fragments damaged 3 buildings and 2 cars. A woman was injured.
In the town of Shostka in Sumy province in northern Ukraine, 13 rockets were launched, damaging a 12-story apartment building, two educational institutions and several other facilities.
Kyiv residents took shelter under the metro station during the attack on the morning of December 31, 2024
The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down 6/21 missiles launched by Russia overnight, including a hypersonic missile. In addition, Russia also launched 40 UAVs, but 16 were shot down and 24 did not reach the target.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said it conducted an attack using high-precision weapons and UAVs on Ukraine’s military infrastructure, including a military airport and explosives production facility. Moscow said all targets had been hit.
Kyiv residents take shelter under the train station
Kyiv suffered an attack on the last day of 2024, forcing people to take shelter at the metro station.
Ukrainian self-propelled boat shot down Russian helicopter
Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Agency (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, taking down a target for the first time. aerial pepper. GUR released a video showing multiple missiles launched towards the helicopter, causing the Russian vehicle to then fall into the water. Another was damaged but returned to the airport.
The Russian side has not commented on the above information. The Russian Defense Ministry said the Black Sea Fleet destroyed eight unmanned boats in 24 hours. Mr. Mikhail Razvozhaev, leader of the Russian-appointed Sevastopol provincial government in Crimea, said two unmanned boats were destroyed near the shore overnight. Russian military blogger Voenny Osvedomitel also reported on the Ukrainian self-propelled boat shooting down the Russian helicopter.
On the same day, Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attacked oil depots in Smolensk province in western Russia, causing a fuel leak and fire. Governor Vasily Anokhin said 10 UAVs were shot down but debris fell into the oil depot. He announced that the situation was under control and did not affect surrounding residents but did not specify the damage.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that 68 Ukrainian UAVs were shot down overnight, including 10 over Smolensk.
Russia and Ukraine have a large prisoner exchange before the new year
Exchange of prisoners of war
Russia and Ukraine on December 30, 2024 conducted a major prisoner exchange. According to the page The Kyiv Independent189 Ukrainian citizens were released, including 87 soldiers, 43 members of the National Guard, 33 members of the border protection force… Those released included soldiers defending the Azovstal region and the city Mariupol, Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Snake Island and other fronts.
In the opposite direction, Russia received 150 soldiers in an exchange brokered by the UAE.
Ukrainian prisoners of war were released in the exchange on December 30, 2024
Russian prisoners of war were released in the exchange on December 30, 2024
Russia advances rapidly in 2024
AFP analyzed data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW, USA) on December 31, 2024 showing that Russia controlled nearly 4,000 more km2 territory in Ukraine in 2024, 7 times more than in 2023. Most of Russia’s land gains were in the fall, with 610 km2 in October and 725 km2 in November 2024. Those were the two months Russia gained the most territory since March 2022, the beginning of the conflict.
In December 2024, Russia’s advance slowed to 465 km2 but still nearly 4 times more than in December 2023.
The data shows the pressure Ukraine faces in the new year of 2025, as Russia pours resources into the conflict while the ability to provide US aid under Donald Trump’s administration is questioned.
