Hello, this is Kateryna Hodunova reporting from Kyiv on day 1,399 of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine*.*
Today’s top story so far:
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.
Read also: A dark Christmas looms in Odesa Oblast as Russia hammers energy facilities, bridges, ports
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)
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.
Read also: Entire oblasts in Ukraine ‘almost completely without power’ after mass Russian missile, drone attack
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.
Read also: What will happen in Ukraine in 2026? We asked 6 of our journalists what they expect
From The Kyiv Independent - News from Ukraine, Eastern Europe via this RSS feed