Ukrainian women celebrate Christmas, officially marked on December 25 for the first time in the country

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EA on Times Radio: UK’s Hard-Right Politics, Ukraine, Israel-Gaza, and A Bit of Panto

Monday’s Coverage: It’s Christmas and Kyiv Is Still Free

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1209 GMT:

The UK Defense Ministry says a first group of six Ukrainian pilots have completed basic training on the piloting of F-16 fighter jets.

The group is now flying the warplanes in Denmark as part of preparation for combat.

Another 10 pilots are continuing their basic training. Dozens of technicians are receiving English-language training.

Ukraine Defense Minister Rustem Umerov posted:

UPDATE 1007 GMT:

Russia’s Defense Ministry has acknowledged that Ukraine used guided missiles to attack the port city of Feodosia in occupied Crimea.

Russia’s proxy “governor” of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said one person was killed and two injured.

Video of the explosion that destroyed the landing ship Novocherkask:

UPDATE 0958 GMT:

Japan’s Mitsui is pulling its employees out of Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 liquefied natural gas project, say multiple sources.

The project has already been crippled by US sanctions. Foreign shareholders have suspended participation, renouncing responsibilities for financing and for offtake contracts.

Last week Russia’s largest private gas company Novatek declared force majeure and told clients that LNG supplies will not begin in the spring.

UPDATE 0952 GMT:

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko says the transfer of Russian nuclear weapons to Belarus was completed in early October.

Russia and Belarus signed an agreement for the transfer in May 2023, and Vladimir Putin said in June that the process had begun.

Lukashenko did not say how many tactical nuclear weapons were transferred or where they were placed within Belarus.

Western countries and NATO have denounced the transfer as “dangerous and irresponsible”.

Be

UPDATE 0937 GMT:

A day after his transfer to a prison in a remote Arctic region was finally established, leading opposition activist Alexei Navalny has defied the attempt of Russian authorities to silence him, with his team posting a Twitter thread.

Navalny disappeared for almost three weeks, with no word of his whereabouts, during the transfer.

Navalny described his new prison home above the Arctic Circle — “the nearest town has the beautiful name of Labytnangi”:

Unfortunately, there are no reindeer, but there are huge fluffy, and very beautiful shepherd dogs….

I don’t say “Ho-ho-ho”, but I do say “Oh-oh-oh” when I look out of the window, where I can see a night, then the evening, and then the night again.

He was “transported with such precaution and on such a strange route” that he “didn’t expect anyone to find me here before mid-January”. So he was surprised by a visit from his lawyer.

He told me that you had lost me, and some of you were even worried. Thanks very much for your support!

UPDATE 0930 GMT:

The Ukraine Air Force has marked the destruction of the Russian landing ship Novocherkask, as well as 13 of 19 attack drones, with a reference to SpongeBob Square Pants:

UPDATE 0810 GMT:

A Ukrainian airstrike on occupied Crimea has destroyed a Russian warship.

The attack early Tuesday morning was on the port of Feodosia, causing an initial fire was followed by a large secondary explosion.

The commander of the Ukraine Air Force, Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk said the landing ship Novocherkask was destroyed.

The fleet in Russia is getting smaller and smaller! Thanks to the Air Force pilots and everyone involved for the [fine] work!

The Russian proxy “governor” of Crimea confirmed the assault and fire in the port, claiming that it was quickly contained.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has wished the nation a Merry Christmas by hailing the strengthening air defense against Russia’s daily drone and missile strikes.

Zelenskiy spoke of the downing of five Russian fighter jets, three on Friday and two on Sunday.

This Christmas sets the right mood for the entire year ahead….

The stronger our air defense, the fewer Russian devils will be in our skies and on our land.

He praised Ukraine’s “capabilities in negotiations with partners, capabilities in bolstering our sky shield, capabilities in defending our homeland from Russian terrorists”.

And he looked forward to an “even stronger” defense with the delivery of “previously agreed-upon additional systems, as well as F-16 jets”.

A year ago, Vladimir Putin was pursuing his “energy war”, trying to break Ukraine’s resistance by breaking its power grid. Some daily attacks included more than 100 missiles as well as dozens of Iran-made Shahed “kamikaze” drones.

The assault continues, albeit at a much diminished intensity. Overnight on Sunday-Monday, 28 of 31 Shahed drones were downed and two Russian missiles were intercepted.

On Sunday, two fighter jets were shot down: an Su-34 over the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine and an Su-30SM over the Black Sea over the Black Sea. Two days earlier, three Su-24s were downed over southern Ukraine.