Russian attacks in Kherson kill four civilians and injure nine others Waves of Russian shelling and drone attacks on the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson have now claimed the lives of four people. Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Saturday that a drone attack had killed a man in the town of Stanislav, southeast of the city of Kherson. He has since confirmed three further fatalities. On Sunday morning Prokudin wrote on Telegram that a couple in their 80s had been killed after a Russian artillery shell hit a residential building, while the body of a dead man was discovered in central Kherson after rubble was cleared. His identity is still being established, he added. According to the Kyiv Independent, the region has been attacked 88 times over the past day. Closing summary Waves of Russian shelling and drone attacks on the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson have now claimed the lives of four people. Kherson’s governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, reported the first fatality on Saturday, and has since confirmed three others. A further nine people have been injured in attacks the president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said were committed by “terrorists”. Humanitarian NGO rescues three children from Russian-occupied territories, including an eight-year-old boy and orphaned brothers. The head of Ukrainian humanitarian NGO Save Ukraine confirmed on social media that 226 children have been returned since 24 February last year. Trucks are entering Ukraine via the Shehyni-Medyka border crossing once again after Polish protesters ended a blockade that has been in place since 6 November. The truckers had been blocking several crossings with Ukraine, demanding the EU reinstate a system whereby Ukrainian companies need permits to operate in the bloc. Ukrainian air defences destroyed all but one of the 15 drones launched by Russia overnight, mostly in the south of the country. The Ukrainian air force said on Telegram that 14 Shahed drones were destroyed in the Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Khmelnytskyi regions. The Russian military death toll in Ukraine has reached over 350,000, according to estimates. According to indicative figures reported by the armed forces of Ukraine, Russia has lost 353,190 troops in Ukraine since its invasion of the country began in February 2022. Ukrainian Orthodox Christians are preparing to celebrate Christmas on 25 December for the first time since President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a law to move the celebration. Zelenskiy said the change would allow Ukraine to “abandon the Russian heritage of imposing Christmas celebrations on January 7”. Ukrainian Orthodox Christians prepare to celebrate Christmas on 25 December for the first time after law change moves country “far away from Moscow”. Ukrainians are getting ready to celebrate Christmas tomorrow for the first time since the president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, signed a law in July to move the celebration, a symbolic shift away from Russia he said would allow Ukraine to “abandon the Russian heritage of imposing Christmas celebrations on January 7”. In the southern Black Sea port of Odesa, churchgoers prayed and lit candles as priests in gold vestments held Christmas Eve service in the Cathedral of the Nativity. Olena, a parishionerwhose son is a medic on the frontline, told AFP: “We believe that we really should celebrate Christmas with the whole world, far away, far away from Moscow. For me that’s the new message now. “We really want to celebrate in a new way. This is a holiday with the whole of Ukraine, with our independent Ukraine. This is very important for us.” Humanitarian NGO rescues three children from Russian-occupied territories, taking total returned to almost 230. An eight-year-old boy is among three children to have been rescued from occupied territories by the Ukrainian humanitarian NGO Save Ukraine, reports the Kyiv Independent. In a social media post earlier today, the organisation’s head Mykola Kuleba wrote: “Three more children from the temporarily occupied territories were returned to the Save Ukraine team. Thus, we completed 14 rescue missions saving 14 children, seven of whom were children deprived of parental care… “For today, the Save Ukraine team has returned to Ukraine already 226 children who have been under the influence of Russian authorities since February 24, 2022.” One of those rescued was eight-year-old Yelysei, who lived with his grandmother in an occupied part of Kherson Oblast. Kuleba said that he was immediately placed in an orphanage when his grandmother died. Save Ukraine helped Yelysei’s mother, who was sick at that time and lived in Odesa, get proper medical assistance and rescue her child. The NGO also managed to return two 18-year-old brothers, Andrii and Mykhailo. Kuleba said the brothers, who are orphans raised in a foster family in the occupied territory, were “both wanted as disappeared”. Here are some of the latest images from the newswires: Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemns “terrorists” who attacked Kherson. Waves of Russian shelling and drone attacks on the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson have now claimed the lives of four people, with others injured. Summary It’s approaching 3pm in Kyiv. Here are the day’s main developments so far: Waves of Russian shelling and drone attacks on the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson have now claimed the lives of four people. Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported the first fatality on Saturday, and has since confirmed three others. A further nine people have been injured. Trucks are entering Ukraine via the Shehyni-Medyka border crossing once again after Polish protesters ended a blockade that has been in place since 6 November. The truckers had been blocking several crossings with Ukraine, demanding the EU reinstate a system whereby Ukrainian companies need permits to operate in the bloc. Ukrainian air defences destroyed all but one of the 15 drones launched by Russia overnight, mostly in the south of the country. The Ukrainian air force said on Telegram that 14 Shahed drones were destroyed in the Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Khmelnytskyi regions. The Russian military death toll in Ukraine has reached over 350,000, according to estimates. According to indicative figures reported by the armed forces of Ukraine, Russia has lost 353,190 troops in Ukraine since its latest invasion of the country began in February 2022. Russian naval infantry brigade deliberately using chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces, according to report. According to Ukrinform, a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has confirmed that Russia’s Black Sea fleet’s 810th naval infantry brigade is using chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces. This move represents an apparent violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Russia is a party. The ISW’s report states that, in a post to its Telegram channel on 22 December, the 810th naval infantry brigade detailed a “radical change in tactics” being used against Ukrainian forces in Krynky, on the eastern bank of Kherson oblast. The brigade claimed that some of those rotated into the Krynky area are applying the new tactic of “dropping K-51 grenades from drones” on to Ukrainian positions to smoke the forces out of their positions. K-51 aerosol grenades are filled with irritant CS gas, a type of teargas used for riot control (also known as a riot control agent or RCA). The Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Russia has been a party since 1997, prohibits the use of RCAs as a method of warfare. David Cameron could rewrite some of his international legacy by delivering crucial weapons to Ukraine. While prime minister, Cameron was part of a generation that believed doing more business with Russia would secure peace and profit. As foreign secretary, he is now firmly focused on supporting Ukraine and restraining Russia. To do that, Cameron should take the lead in creating a unified military supply chain to Kyiv and in ensuring a robust sanctions framework. Britain should lead in creating a coordinated sanctions and military supply chain unit that brings together UK, US and EU efforts. This would map the complex Russian military supply chains at every step of their way, define their choke points and combine resources to disrupt them using the full range of tools – law enforcement, diplomacy, overt and covert actions. EU foreign policy chief warns that Vladimir Putin won’t be “satisfied with a limited territorial victory” in Ukraine. The European Union’s existence is at stake in Ukraine, according to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell who believes the bloc’s future is threatened by both this conflict and the war in Gaza. He reflected on Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine when discussing fears that the ongoing uncertainty may push voters towards choosing rightwing populist parties for European parliament. Maybe this is the moment in which we have to look at the danger coming from a great power which threatens our democracy, which threatens Europe itself, not only Ukraine. And if we don’t change course rapidly, if we don’t mobilise all our capacities, it will let Putin win the war in Ukraine. Similarly If we are not able to stop the tragedy which is happening in Gaza, I think our project will be very much damaged. Putin cannot be satisfied with a piece of Ukraine and to let the rest of Ukraine belong to the European Union, but he cannot be satisfied with a limited territorial victory. He will not give up the war, especially not before the American election, which may present him with a much more favourable scenario. So we must prepare for a conflict of high intensity for a long time. The Russian military death toll in Ukraine has reached over 350,000, according to estimates. As of 24 December, Russia has lost 353,190 troops in Ukraine since the latest invasion of Ukraine began – including 800 over the past day. These indicative figures, reported by the Armed Forces of Ukraine this morning, have not been verified by the Guardian. According to their estimates, Russia has also lost 5,858 tanks, 10,888 armored fighting vehicles and 8,314 artillery systems since 24 February 2022. Some of the latest images coming out of Ukraine and Russia. Trucks entering Ukraine "as usual" after Polish protesters end blockade Lorries have started crossing the border into Ukraine once again after protesting Polish truckers unblocked the key border crossing of Shehyni-Medyka. The truckers had been blocking several crossings with Ukraine since 6 November demanding the EU reinstate a system whereby Ukrainian companies need permits to operate in the bloc, and the same for European truckers seeking to enter Ukraine. They were later joined by farmers who demanded government subsidies for corn and no hikes in taxes. On Saturday Kyiv’s economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced an end to the Shehyni-Medyka crossing blockade, with the Ukrainian border service confirming this morning that the movement of lorries has been fully restored. The service wrote on Telegram: “Truck traffic has been restored: Polish farmers have ended the blockade in front of the Medyka – Shehyni crossing.” The service quoted the Polish border guard as saying that the protest action in front of the crossing ended at 9:30 a.m. Kyiv time on Sunday. “Registration and crossing of trucks entering Ukraine is carried out as usual,” it added. While this blockade has been lifted, truckers said they will continue blockades at three other crossings over Christmas and will allow even fewer trucks to pass than earlier. Russian attacks in Kherson kill four civilians and injure nine others Waves of Russian shelling and drone attacks on the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson have now claimed the lives of four people. Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Saturday that a drone attack had killed a man in the town of Stanislav, southeast of the city of Kherson. He has since confirmed three further fatalities. On Sunday morning Prokudin wrote on Telegram that a couple in their 80s had been killed after a Russian artillery shell hit a residential building, while the body of a dead man was discovered in central Kherson after rubble was cleared. His identity is still being established, he added. According to the Kyiv Independent, the region has been attacked 88 times over the past day. Poland’s new foreign minister has called on European countries to rearm in the face of Russian threat, arguing that wars are “not decided by tactical engagements but by industrial capacities”. Radosław Sikorski, who took over as foreign minister this month, made the comments in an interview after returning from his first official visit to Ukraine. As the west, we are 20 times richer than Russia, but if Russia puts its economy on a wartime footing and we continue on a peacetime basis, they can outproduce us. Wars are not decided by tactical engagements but by industrial capacities, and we are behind the curve. During his trip Sikorski met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and prime minister Denys Shmyhal, as well as the country’s foreign and defence ministers. Ukrainian air defences destroyed all but one of the 15 drones launched by Russia overnight, mostly in the south of the country. The Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram: “As a result of air combat, Ukraine’s Air Force and defence forces destroyed 14 shaheds in Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Khmelnytskyi regions.” The drones were launched from the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov in Russia, it added. Reuters could not independently verify the report. There was no immediate comment from Russia. No damage or casualties have been reported by military and civilian authorities. Waves of Russian shelling and drone attacks struck the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson on Saturday, killing one person and injuring seven, officials in the region said, Reuters reports. Russian forces also shelled a power station closer to the front lines in eastern Ukraine, injuring five workers and knocking out electricity to the town of Kurakhovo. Russian forces a year ago abandoned positions on the western bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson region but constantly shell areas there from new positions on the eastern bank. Ukrainian troops have established beachheads on the eastern bank. Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin said a drone attack killed a man in the town of Stanislav, southeast of the city of Kherson, which for the past year, has been under Ukrainian control but subject to constant Russian shelling. The city came under several Russian attacks throughout the day, including one sustained assault on residential areas in the early evening, and Prokudin said seven residents were hurt. In the east, Russian shelling of a thermal power station in the town of Kurakhove injured five workers and triggered a power cut, the head of the local administration, Roman Padun, told the Suspilne public broadcaster. Opening summary Welcome to our continuing live coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war. In our top story, waves of Russian shelling and drone attacks struck the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson on Saturday, killing one person and injuring seven, officials in the region said. Russian forces a year ago abandoned positions on the western bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson region, but constantly shell areas there from new positions on the eastern bank. Ukrainian troops have established beachheads on the eastern bank. Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin said a drone attack killed a man in the town of Stanislav, southeast of the city of Kherson, which for the past year, has been under Ukrainian control but subject to constant Russian shelling. More on that story shortly. In other key developments: Many Ukrainians will on Monday celebrate Christmas Day on 25 December for the first time, after the government changed the date from the Orthodox Church observance of 7 January in a snub to Russia, Agence France-Presse reports. The law signed by president Volodymyr Zelenskiy noted that Ukrainians wanted to “live their own life with their own traditions and holidays”. It allows them to “abandon the Russian heritage of imposing Christmas celebrations on January 7”, it added. Christianity is the largest religion in Ukraine, with the Russian Orthodox Church dominating religious life until recently. Former TV journalist Yekaterina Duntsova has said she will challenge in the supreme court the decision to disqualify her from running in the Russian presidential election next year, calling it unjustified and undemocratic. Poland’s new foreign minister has called on European countries to boost long-term plans for military production after returning from his first foreign visit, to neighbouring Ukraine. “Wars are not decided by tactical engagements but by industrial capacities, and we are behind the curve,” said Radosław Sikorski, in an interview in Warsaw, a few hours after returning from Kyiv on Saturday. Financial institutions that support the Russian military-industrial complex are to be blacklisted in the US after president Joe Biden signed an executive order yesterday to deny banks under sanctions access to the American financial system. Fighting age Ukrainian men in Estonia could be extradited to their home country and forced to join the war effort amid a shortage of soldiers. Estonia’s public broadcaster ERR reports that the Baltic nation stands ready to support Ukraine in its proposals to conscript Ukrainian men abroad for military service. The Communist party of Russia, the second largest party in parliament, has selected a 75-year-old candidate, Nikolai Kharitonov, who won just under 14% of the national vote when he stood against Putin in 2004, to stand in the presidential polls. The assassination of the Wagner mercenary army chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was approved by a close ally of Vladimir Putin, the Wall Street Journal has reported after conversations with western intelligence officials and a former Russian intelligence officer. Protesting Polish truckers have unblocked the key border crossing of Shehyni-Medyka between Poland and Ukraine, Kyiv’s economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced, hailing an “important improvement”. Both Ukrainian and Russian troops are suffering from “exceptional levels of rat and mice infestation” in some sectors of the frontline, according to UK intelligence. The Ministry of Defence says rodent populations have risen due to milder temperatures in recent months and plenty of food.