NYT: Pentagon sending US arms stored in Israel to Ukraine
Jerusalem initially expresses concern the move could damage its relations with Moscow lest Russia limit its freedom of action in Syria, where it has a military presence.
Europe
Britain pledges tanks for Ukraine after 21 die in Russian strike on apartment block
Ukraine has for months sought to be supplied with heavier tanks, including the US Abrams and the German Leopard 2 tanks, but Western leaders have been treading carefully.
Terror scare in France as 6 injured in knife attack
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin says the suspect was neutralized by police.
Russia intensifies Bakhmut attack as area 'completely destroyed'
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar says Russia has thrown “a large number of storm groups” into the battle.
Germany: Iranian arrested on suspicion of plotting chemical attack
Police say the man is suspected to have planned a serious attack motivated by Islamic extremism, for which he allegedly obtained the potent toxins cyanide and ricin.
Putin orders 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine ahead of Orthodox Christmas
"Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation to introduce a ceasefire regime along the entire line of contact of the parties in Ukraine from 12.00 on January 6, 2023 to 24.00 on January 7, 2023," Putin says in the order, calling on Ukraine to reciprocate.
Russia blames its soldiers' mobile phone use for Kyiv's deadly missile strike
The Russian military is taking unspecified measures to “prevent similar tragic incidents in the future,” the Defense Ministry said, promising to punish officials responsible for the blunder.
Ukraine rocked by explosions as Russia launches 'over 100 missiles' in waves
The attack is the the latest in a series of Russian strikes targeting vital infrastructure across Ukraine that began in October, causing widespread blackouts and power rationing.
Belarus sentences Olympian to prison for speaking out against president
Aliaksandra Herasimenia is sentenced in absentia to 12 years behind bars for calling for sanctions against Belarus due to the 2020 presidential election widely regarded as fraudulent.
Ukraine hits deep inside Russia, Putin calls for talks
"A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down at low altitude while approaching the Engels military airfield in the Saratov region," news agencies reported the Russian Defense Ministry as saying.