Latest Developments in Ukraine: Dec. 29

For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine.

The latest developments in Russia’s war on Ukraine. All times EST.

10:03 p.m.: Oil prices fell by more than a dollar Thursday, Reuters reported, as more countries consider restrictions on Chinese travelers, raising concerns over demand during uncertainty about COVID-19 infections spreading in China.

Conflicting headlines about demand from top oil importer China have buffeted traders in recent weeks. While the government is dismantling pandemic restrictions, a surge in infections there is prompting some countries to enact travel rules on Chinese visitors.

Brent crude futures for February delivery fell by $1.01 to $82.25 a barrel shortly before noon EST.

8:58 p.m.: The Bulgarian foreign ministry on Thursday summoned Russia's ambassador to explain why Moscow has placed a Bulgarian journalist working for an international investigative website on a list of wanted persons, The Associated Press reported.

Christo Grozev, the leading Bellingcat researcher on Russia, who carried out investigations into the poisonings of opposition politician Alexey Navalny and former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, has focused this year on war crimes allegedly committed by Russians in Ukraine.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Galab Donev said Thursday that his country has not been informed through official channels by Russia about any charges brought against Grozev.

"This act is unacceptable … it constitutes an encroachment on the freedom of speech and an attempt to intimidate a Bulgarian citizen," he said.

8:16 p.m.: As the New Year approaches on Sunday … Russians usually celebrate the New Year, the country's main holiday, with pomp, joy and high spirits. But this was a year like no other, Agence France-Presse reported.

After 10 months of intense fighting and chaotic mobilization, few are in the mood for grand celebrations.

While the streets of snowy Moscow are adorned with bright lights and decorations, they are also dotted with portraits of soldiers.

With little appetite for splashing out on parties as fighting rages, Moscow has cancelled the traditional fireworks show.

President Vladimir Putin also has called off his usual end-of-year Red Square ice hockey game and scrapped his New Year marathon press conference, a staple of his two-decade rule, leaving only his midnight message to be aired to Russians.

7:30 p.m.: A statue of 18th-century Russian Empress Catherine II was dismantled in the Ukrainian city of Odesa.

A symbol of Russian imperial heritage, the statue became the target of anti-Russian anger after Moscow launched its invasion. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty asked Odesa residents if they agreed with the removal of the monument.

6:27 p.m.: Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw the commissioning of new warships and vowed Thursday to further strengthen his country’s navy, according to The Associated Press.

“We will speed up and increase the volumes of construction of ships of various projects, equip them with the most modern weapons, and conduct the operational and combat training using the experience received during the special military operation,” Putin said, referring to Russia’s 10-month-old campaign in Ukraine.

The newly commissioned vessels included a corvette, a minesweeper and the Generalissimus Suvorov nuclear submarine. The submarine armed with Bulava nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles is the sixth submarine of the new Borei-class to join the Russian navy.

“It will ensure Russia’s security for decades ahead,” Putin said.

5:30 p.m.:

4:44 p.m.:

3:59 p.m.: Life for independent Russian journalists under the conditions of de facto wartime censorship imposed by the government of President Vladimir Putin can be disheartening, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Putin's government has been battling dissent for years, a crackdown that intensified in the months before Russia launched a massive unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Since then, new legislation has criminalized spreading information that supposedly "discredits the armed forces of the Russian Federation."

2:55 p.m.: Kazakhstan is preparing to deport a Russian security officer who fled his country because he objected to its invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported. He hoped to find refuge in the West, his wife said on Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of Russians fled to Kazakhstan and other neighboring countries after the war started. Many of them were civilians, crossing legally as they sought to dodge mobilization.

As an officer of the Federal Protective Service , which is tasked with protecting the Russian president, Major Mikhail Zhilin, 36, was barred from leaving Russia. He illegally crossed into Kazakhstan in September when it became clear he could be sent to Ukraine.

Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic which denied Zhilin's request for refugee status, treads a fine line between staying on friendly terms with Russia, a major trading partner, and not carrying out actions that could make it look like it is taking a pro-war stance, especially since most Kazakh citizens have been found to oppose the invasion.

2:12 p.m.:

12:49 p.m.: Belarus lodged a protest to Ukraine's ambassador Thursday after saying it had downed a Ukrainian S-300 air defense missile in a field, during one of Russia's heaviest aerial onslaughts against Ukraine since the start of the war.

The military commissar of the Brest region, Oleg Konovalov, played down the incident in a video posted on social media by the state-run BelTA news agency, saying locals had "absolutely nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, these things happen."

He compared the incident to one in November, when an S-300 believed to have strayed after being fired on by Ukrainian air defenses landed on the territory of NATO-member Poland, triggering fears of an escalation that were rapidly defused.

The Ukrainian ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry in Minsk to receive a formal protest note.

"The Belarusian side views this incident as extremely serious," spokesperson Anatoly Glaz said.

11:56 a.m.:

11:26 a.m.:

10:45 a.m.: The new wave of Russian strikes that pounded cities throughout Ukraine Thursday, wounded several people in the capital, and left the western city of Lviv almost without electricity, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. But the Ukrainian military said it had managed to neutralize most of the missiles, avoiding much larger damage. "According to preliminary data, 69 missiles were launched in total. Fifty-four enemy cruise missiles were shot down," Ukrainian commander-in-chief General Valeriy Zaluzhny said.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the victims included a 14-year-old girl. Klitschko warned of potential electricity cuts and called on residents to stock up on water.

Besides Kyiv, the strikes also targeted Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, and the Black Sea port city of Odesa. Most of Lviv, where Russian attacks are still rare, was left without power, Mayor Andriy Sadoviy said.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said there were numerous explosions in the city.

Power cuts were also instituted in the Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions to reduce potential damage to the power infrastructure.

10:17 a.m.: France has arrested a Ukrainian tycoon and former lawmaker wanted by Ukraine for allegedly embezzling $113 million from his bank at an alpine ski resort, Agence France-Presse reported.

French police took Kostiantyn Zhevago into custody on Tuesday in Courchevel, southern France.

Kyiv put Zhevago, 48, on a list of wanted people in 2021.

His arrest came after a request from Ukraine and the country's prosecutor general's office said it was seeking Zhevago's extradition.

He is accused of embezzling millions from his Finance and Credit Bank, which went bankrupt in 2015.

9:36 a.m.: U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday named a retired Kuwaiti vice admiral as coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative to manage grain shipments from war-torn Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reported.

Abdullah Abdul Samad Dashti will help coordinate the five-month-old operation by Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and the United Nations to ensure shipments of grains, oilseeds, fertilizers and other farm products can get safely to markets from the Black Sea.

Dashti succeeds Sudan's Amir Mahmoud Abdulla, who had served as U.N. coordinator since August.

Dashti retired in 2021 from the Kuwaiti armed forces and has 40 years of experience in "naval operations, leadership and management, both within Kuwait and multinational deployments," Guterres' office said in a statement.

6:05 a.m.:

5:45 a.m.: Nearly three years after Iranian forces shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 shortly after its take-off from Tehran on January 8, 2020, a coalition of countries has begun the first step in a process to hold Iran authorities responsible. It may take them all the way to the International Court of Justice, Agence France-Presse reported.

Canada is leading the group; 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents died on the flight. The country, along with Britain, Sweden, and Ukraine, is calling for an arbitrator to settle the claims against Iran, which admitted that it had shot down the Kyiv-bound plane by mistake.

5:25 a.m.: Agence France-Presse reported that Ukraine's air defense shot down 54 out of 69 missiles launched by Russia in a new wave of attacks on Thursday morning, according to the Ukrainian army.

"According to preliminary data, 69 missiles were launched in total. Fifty four enemy cruise missiles were shot down," Ukraine's commander-in-chief General Valeriy Zaluzhny said. Presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak said earlier in the day that more than 120 missiles had been fired.

Kyiv authorities said that air defenses downed all 16 missiles that targeted the Ukrainian capital.

"Sixteen missiles were recorded over Kyiv. All 16 missiles were shot down," the city's military administration said on social media, adding that missile fragments damaged three private houses and a car.

However, close to half of Kyiv's population was left without power.

"Forty percent of the capital's consumers are without electricity after the Russian attack," Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on social media.

5:15 a.m.:

5 a.m.: When the lights go out and the power goes down in Kyiv, 18-year-old manicurist Elyzaveta Litvynchuk takes her gel lamp, electric nail file and her clients to one of the capital's "invincibility points" which offer back-up electricity from generators, Reuters reported.

The centers were started by Ukrainian authorities, but local people and volunteers have since created their own, such as the Greenhouse invincibility point in a school building, following months of power outages as Russia bombs Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

With her gel manicure power lamp plugged in, Litvynchuk tended to the nails of a client, while others charged phones or worked at laptops.

"We would like our Greenhouse to become a so-called magnet in this area. So, people can meet each other and help each other in the future," said its director Andrii Yerofeev.

4:40 a.m.: It has been four years since American businessman Paul Whelan was detained by Russia on charges of espionage.

"His detention remains unacceptable, and we continue to press for his immediate release at every opportunity," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, emphasizing that Whelan's release remained a top priority.

Officials had hoped to include Whelan in the recent prisoner exchange with Russia. VOA's White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has the story.

4:22 a.m.: Ukraine has secured the release of 1,456 prisoners of war since Russia invaded on February 24, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told parliament in his annual address held behind closed doors on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

Kyiv and Moscow have held a series of prisoner swaps throughout the war which is now in its eleventh month. Zelenskyy has said the release of prisoners of war is a priority.

Russia is thought to hold thousands of Ukrainian prisoners of war, but the exact figures are not known.

3:55 a.m.:

3:32 a.m.: Agence France-Presse reported that Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on social media, "For the moment, there are three wounded in Kyiv, including a 14-year-old girl. They are all in hospital."

3:15 a.m.: Regarding Thursday's Russian missile strikes, "Two private houses in Darnytskyi district were damaged by the fragments of downed missiles," Reuters cited the Kyiv city military administration as saying on Telegram.

It said a business and a playground were also damaged and the situation of the victims "is being clarified."

Lviv's mayor Andriy Sadovyi said on Telegram that 90% of the city was without electricity and electric public transport was not running.

"There may be interruptions in water supply," he added.

2:55 a.m.: Regarding the new wave of Russian missile strikes that hit several cities in Ukraine Thursday morning, Reuters reported that the Ukrainian Air Force said Russia was following an overnight assault by "kamikaze" drones by attacking the country "from different directions" with air- and sea-based cruise missiles.

It added that air defense systems could be active throughout the country.

Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said more than 120 missiles had been fired at Ukraine.

"We're waiting for further proposals from 'peacekeepers' about (a) 'peaceful settlement,'" he wrote on Twitter, referring to Russia's calls for a solution to the war Moscow started with an invasion on February 24.

2:40 a.m.:

2:34 a.m.: Mayors of Ukraine's eastern city of Kharkiv, the capital Kyiv and western Lviv reported on Thursday that Russian missiles had struck the cities and caused a series of explosions, Reuters reported.

Kharkiv's Ihor Terekhov said officials were clarifying what had been hit and whether there were any casualties, while Kyiv's Volodymyr Klitschko warned of possible power cuts there and asked residents to charge their phones.

Ukraine reported a new Russian missile strike on Thursday morning as blasts were heard in several cities which the authorities said came from air defense systems shooting down incoming missiles.

2:15 a.m.: According to Reuters, Ukraine reported a fresh Russian missile strike on Thursday morning as blasts were heard in several cities which the authorities said came from air defense systems shooting down incoming missiles.

Presidential office adviser Oleksiy Arestovych wrote on Facebook that more than 100 missiles were incoming, in several waves, and air raid alarms could be heard across the country.

Blasts were heard in Kyiv, Zhytomyr and Odesa, according to a Reuters correspondent and local media reports.

Power cuts were announced in the Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions, aimed at minimizing potential damage to the energy infrastructure.

1:58 a.m.:

1:30 a.m.: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent trip to Belarus has refocused attention on the border between the country and Ukraine.

Amidst worries about a second invasion from the north, some Belarusians are supporting Ukraine directly on the front lines. VOA's Eastern Europe Bureau Chief Myroslava Gongadze has the story.

1:02 a.m.:

12:25 a.m.: Russia will not use Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's 'peace formula' as a basis for negotiations and believes Kyiv is still not ready for real peace talks, Russia's RIA news agency cited Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Thursday, according to Reuters.

Lavrov also told RIA that Kyiv's idea of driving Russia out of eastern Ukraine and Crimea with Western help was "an illusion."

12:01 a.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared his country a "global leader" in a speech to parliament on Wednesday, telling lawmakers to remain united in the face of Russia's invasion and praising Ukrainians for helping the West "find itself again."

Reuters reported that Zelenskyy, in an annual speech held behind closed doors because of Russia's war, said Ukraine's military resistance against the Kremlin had reinvigorated a belief in values across the world.

"Thanks to our unity we achieved that which almost no one in the world believed. Almost no one — except us," he told lawmakers, his cabinet, other senior officials and the top military brass.

"Our national colors are today an international symbol of courage and indomitability of the whole world," he said in the 45-minute speech.

Some information in this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.