Polish and allied fighter jets were deployed this morning after Russia launched airstrikes towards western Ukraine, near Poland’s border, Poland’s armed forces said. Follow live updates below.
Tuesday 23 December 2025 11:25, UK
Thanks for following our live coverage. We’re pausing our updates for now.
Here’s a short rundown of what happened so far today:
Here’s the latest situation along the frontlines showing the most recent territorial gains and losses made by Moscow and Kyiv.
Scroll through the maps, with particular focus on the Sumy region.
Moscow has claimed its troops captured two Ukrainian villages today, according to Russia’s defence ministry.
Russian troops are said to have taken Prylipka in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region and Andriivka in Dnipropetrovsk region.
The ministry confirmed its forces struck energy and military facilities in Ukraine, using Kinzhal missiles.
We reported at 8.27 that Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more than 650 drones and dozens of missiles were launched by Russia towards Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko has also made a statement on Telegram, saying it was a “deliberate, cynical Russian strike on the eve of Christmas”.
We reported at 8.27 about Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying Russia sent more than 650 drones and dozens of missiles, which killed two people, including a four-year-old.
Svyrydenko said the attack came “at a time when people are preparing for the holiday”.
“The enemy tried to leave Ukrainian families without light, warmth, and a sense of security,” she added.
The prime minister said most of the damage took place in energy facilities in the western regions of Ukraine.
As we reported in our previous post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said two people were killed after Russian strikes with more than 650 drones and dozens of missiles launched by Moscow.
He said at least 13 regions were targeted as emergency services continue to respond across Ukraine this morning.
We’ve heard from Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said the attack overnight targeted “our energy sector, civilian infrastructure, and virtually all aspects of daily life,” with two people killed, including a child.
“More than 650 drones have been deployed, a significant portion of which are ‘Shahid’ drones. Over three dozen missiles have been launched,” he said on Telegram.
Zelenskyy added that “air alert status remains in effect across most of Ukraine” with one woman killed in the Kyiv region and a four-year-old child killed in the Zhytomyr region.
Zelenskyy said at least 13 regions were targeted by Moscow and it “clearly signals Russia’s priorities”.
“It comes on the eve of Christmas, when people want to be with their families, at home, in safety,” he said.
Ukraine introduced emergency power outages after Russia attacked Kyiv, only two days after US-led peace talks in Miami.
The attack forced NATO member Poland to scramble jets to protect its airspace (see previous post).
Air raid alerts were heard across most of Ukraine, according to its air force, with debris falling near a residential building in Kyiv.
The National Police of Ukraine said four people, including a 16-year-old girl, were injured after a “hostile drone damaged a five-story building in the Sviatoshynskyi district”.
Ukraine’s energy minister said emergency power outages were introduced in several regions, including Kyiv and its surroundings, after Russia attacked energy facilities.
Moscow has repeatedly hit Ukraine’s power grid and energy facilities since the start of the war to put pressure on Kyiv,
The peace talks in Miami saw US officials meeting with Ukrainian and European delegations, as well as separate contacts with Russian representatives, as Washington attempts to determine whether an end to the war is possible.
Polish and allied fighter jets were deployed this morning after Russia launched airstrikes towards western Ukraine, near Poland’s border, the armed forces said.
“Fighter jets were scrambled, and ground-based air-defence and radar reconnaissance systems were put on heightened readiness,” the operational command of Poland’s armed forces said on X.
“These measures are preventative in nature and are aimed at securing and protecting the airspace, especially in areas adjacent to the threatened regions.”
It comes months after Poland closed its airspace as the air force scrambled jets in response to a Russian attack on Kyiv in September.
Poland has been forced to deploy its jets on several occasions since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
We’ll resume our updates shortly, but here’s a rundown of what happened yesterday:
Stay with us for the latest throughout the day.
That’s it for our live coverage today on the war in Ukraine.
Here is a round-up of the day’s big developments:
Keep an eye on the Sky News website for any breaking stories overnight surrounding the war in Ukraine.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free