Overview
- A Kyiv court ordered former SBU Kharkiv chief Roman Dudin held in pretrial detention until February 22, 2026 on new charges of organizing the illegal seizure of the regional administration during the first hours of the 2022 invasion.
- SBU counterintelligence says it detained in Kyiv a suspected FSB‑recruited hitman who attempted to shoot a Defence Intelligence officer, seizing a pistol, ammunition, and digital evidence of contacts with Russian handlers.
- The General Staff reported 237 combat engagements in the day with extensive use of guided bombs and drones, and a guided‑bomb strike in Kharkiv killed two people and wounded eight, including a nine‑month‑old child.
- Prosecutors filed indictments to court for 18 suspects over the torture of more than 90 civilians in occupied Kupiansk, and the head of Russia’s SIZO No. 3 in Perm was charged in absentia over torture and murders including journalist Viktoria Roshchina.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed a December 28 meeting with President Donald Trump in Florida to refine a 20‑point plan, and an Elysee Palace representative said partners aim to finalize post‑ceasefire security guarantees in January.