Ukraine.ua

Today, on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, it is important to stand by civilians enduring unimaginable hardships 🇵🇸 Right now, Gaza is facing a dire humanitarian crisis. According to the UN OCHA report, since 7 October 2023, over 43,000 lives have been lost, most of them civilians, and more than 100,000 people are wounded, struggling amidst severe shortages of medical supplies and essential aid.  It is crucial to ensure people have access to humanitarian supplies and to take every possible measure to minimise civilian casualties. In today's world, solidarity is more than just words — it is about action.  Earlier this year, through the 'Grain from Ukraine' humanitarian program, Ukraine delivered 7409 tonnes of wheat flour to Palestine, enough to feed almost 750 thousand people for a month. We are also committed to providing 765 tonnes of vegetable oil from Ukraine to support those in need 🌾 Together, we can ensure humanitarian aid reaches those who need it most 🫂 #Gaza #Palestine #GrainFromUkraine

Who are we grateful to? We are profoundly thankful for our brave defenders, who tirelessly protect our homes and families and show the world what true courage looks like. Our hearts are full of gratitude for the courageous rescuers who risk their lives daily to save others, even as they face constant threats and danger. We thank our resilient energy workers, who continue to restore power and ensure that Ukrainians have light, heat, and electricity, even in the darkest times. We are grateful to our tireless volunteers, who provide crucial support from delivering food and medicine to evacuating people from dangerous places. We are deeply grateful to our partners and allies for their support and dedication in helping us work toward a lasting peace for Ukraine. The journey is far from over, and we need to continue to strengthen Ukraine in various fields. We thank every single person who, in their own way, contributes to Ukraine's strength and resilience. Your efforts – big and small – make a difference for our common future.

Ukraine's energy infrastructure was heavily attacked on the night of 28 November. Russia launched more than 90 missiles and about 100 attack drones over Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Defenсe Forces shot down 79 missiles and 35 drones. In several regions, cluster munitions have been used by Russians to strike civilian infrastructure. It makes it much more difficult for rescuers and energy workers to eliminate the consequences of the strike. Russia has been using a large number of missiles and drones during air attacks. That is why the need to strengthen Ukrainian air defenсe is highly urgent. It is especially necessary to protect Ukrainian infrastructure from targeted Russian strikes in the winter.

Ukrainian freediver Kateryna Sadurska has set a new world record in diving without fins 👏 It is a sixth one for a bit more than a year for her. In the competition on the island of Dominica, the athlete reached a depth of 82 meters, 2 meters more than she did in October 2024. 'It's hard to process it right now, just want to tell it looked easy, and it felt easy, as it should be, but the journey was far from that', writes Kateryna on her Instagram. Congratulations on a new achievement 🙌

'I don't want our children to see what we have to see now; I don't want our children to replace us. Our children shouldn't fight, our children shouldn't breathe gunpowder', writes the Ukrainian defender Vitsyk, gently holding his nephew during a short reunion with his family. Our defenders are fighting for a future where no child will have to hear the air raid alert daily and hide in shelters from deadly Russian missiles and bombs. Photos: vitsikkkk / Instagram

Ukrainians encounter these messages in their daily news feeds — from Kyiv and Kharkiv to Odesa, Sumy, Kryvyi Rih, Ternopil, and across the entire country. While the Russian constant shelling of Ukraine may gradually fade from the headlines of international media, the reality is that it continues to kill Ukrainians every day. Russia does not stop its daily terror against civilian people. Strengthening air defence alongside enforcing sanctions is a way to protect Ukrainians from deadly Russian bombs, missiles, and drones and save more lives.

Chasiv Yar is a strategically important town in the Donetsk region that is being relentlessly destroyed by Russian forces using aerial bombs, drones, and artillery. It mostly resembles a ghost town now, as the Russians employ here the same tactics they used in Avdiivka and Bakhmut – obliterating everything in their pursuit of capturing the town. Russia's full-scale invasion drastically changed once lively Chasiv Yar. For over two years, the town has been without electricity, water, and gas supply; there is hardly any mobile connection. Just over 300 people – down from 13,000 before the full-scale invasion – remain here, according to Serhii Chaus, Head of the Chasiv Yar Military Administration. Evacuations are ongoing, but the process is becoming increasingly difficult. It is almost impossible to enter the town, and the evacuation routes are now much longer and more dangerous. Those who remain are mostly elderly residents who find it hard to leave their homes despite the danger. They depend on humanitarian aid that reaches the town, though it is scarce and hard to deliver. The Russian forces show no concern for the devastation and suffering they bring to civilians in Chasiv Yar, Pokrovsk, Kurakhovo, and all the frontline Ukrainian towns and villages. However, even in the most brutal conditions, Ukrainian volunteers, alongside local authorities, are doing everything they can to evacuate residents or, at the very least, provide them with essential supplies and water. Photos: Inna Varenitsa / Reuters, Roma Batkovich / Facebook, Roman Chop / Global Images Ukraine, 24th Mechanized Brigade / Facebook, Serhii Chaus, Head of the Chasiv Yar Military Administration / Facebook

Last night, Russia unleashed a massive attack on Ukraine, launching 188 drones against Ukrainian people. Ukrainian Air Forces shot down around 80 of these drones, and more than 90 were lost from the radars. But the damage has been done. Critical infrastructure was hit, and the situation in Ternopil is tough right now. Those waves of attacks have been possible because Russia continues to avoid international sanctions, bypassing them with covert schemes. These 188 drones alone contained nearly 16,000 foreign-made components, without which they would never have taken flight. The efforts to enforce the sanctions must be intensified to ensure they hit Russia where it hurts – and put a stop to its massive and devastating drone and missile attacks against Ukraine.

Russia's full-scale invasion affects people's lives around the world by turning food into a weapon. Since 24 February 2022, Russia's military blockade of the Black Sea and the targeted attacks against the port infrastructure has severely disrupted global food supply chains. Considering that 400 million people in 100 countries depend on Ukraine's exports, this issue is an integral part of the Peace Formula presented by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2022. It provides, in particular, for free and safe navigation in the Black and Azov Seas. Today, despite the ongoing full-scale invasion and daily shellings, Ukraine maintains its commitment to global food security. In particular, under the Grain from Ukraine humanitarian initiative, over 286,000 tonnes of agricultural products were delivered to people in Africa facing severe food insecurity. And more will be coming: at the Third International Grain From Ukraine Conference, held on 23 November 2024 in Kyiv, participating countries pledged $44 million to further support the program. People's lives and well-being should not be a part of Russia's blackmail or famine games.

Have you been looking for a new book to start? If yes, here are three books by Ukrainian authors from the 2024 Best Books list compiled by the critics of The Telegraph. Fiction and non-fiction — there are impactful stories that allow you to look deeper into Ukraine and feel its spirit and reality before and during the full-scale invasion. Choose your book to read this month — swipe the cards 👉🏻