Ukrainian maritime drone shoots down a helicopter, and the Special Operations Forces seize a village in Kursk region: December 31 highlights
For the first time in history, soldiers of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine hit an air target by launching missiles from a maritime drone. Ukrainian troops capture a village in the Kursk region of Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approves a deferral for civilian survivors of captivity. We have collected the main news for December 31.
Maritime drone shoots down a helicopter
Servicemen of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine have announced that for the first time in the world they have destroyed an aerial target using a Magura V5 maritime drone.
A Russian Mi-8 helicopter was destroyed as a result of the use of P-73 SeeDragon missiles from a maritime drone. Another similar enemy helicopter was hit by fire but managed to reach the airfield.
Ukrainian Special Operations Forces capture a village in Kursk region
Soldiers of the 6th Regiment of the Special Operations Forces have captured a village in the Kursk region of Russia. This was preceded by the work of artillery. Later, the soldiers entered the village, recaptured and cleared it. Together with the Russian military, the village was held by North Korean troops.
The military did not specify which village was captured.
Zelenskyy approves deferral for civilians after captivity
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a law granting a deferral from mobilization to civilians who have been captured.
The law also grants military personnel the right to be discharged from service after the death or disappearance of their half-siblings.
Drones strike oil depot in Smolensk region of Russia
In the Smolensk region of Russia, an attack by drones was reported, resulting in damage to an oil depot. Powerful explosions were heard at the facility, a fire broke out, and there was heavy smoke.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that the strike was carried out by a unit of the Special Operations Forces in cooperation with the Unmanned Systems Forces and other units of the Defense Forces.
The President and the Government made personnel changes
The Cabinet of Ministers has appointed Ruslan Kravchenko and Philip Pronin, former heads of the Kyiv and Poltava Regional Military Administrations, to new positions.
At the same time, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Serhii Popko from the post of head of the Kyiv City Military Administration and appointed Tymur Tkachenko to replace him.
The President also appointed a new head of the Counterintelligence Department of the Security Service of Ukraine.
Italy allocates €13 million to support Ukraine's energy sector
Italy has allocated €13 million to the Energy Support Fund for Ukraine. Earlier, Ukraine received €86 million from the EU to protect the energy sector.
As a reminder, during a massive attack on the morning of December 25, Russian troops shelled DTEK's thermal power plants.
Other important news of the day
- Russia fired 21 missiles and 40 drones at Ukraine on the night of December 31.
- A South Korean court issued an arrest warrant for the president, who was impeached due to martial law.
- A serviceman whose 12-year-old brother and grandmother were killed in a missile strike on Kryvyi Rih returned from captivity.
- The first symptom was itchy palms: an 8-year-old girl with an aggressive tumor was rescued in Lviv.