Over 17,800 Civilian Casualties Reported During War

More than 17,800 civilian casualties have been reported over the course of the Russia-Ukraine war, according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

As of December 26, a total of 17,831 civilian casualties were reported to the OHCHR since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began on February 24 this year. Of those, 6,884 civilians have been killed, including 2,719 men, 1,832 women and 1,904 adults whose identities have yet to be confirmed. An additional 429 children have also been killed since the war began.

The OHCHR said another 10,947 people have been injured, including at least 2,364 men, 1,709 women and 800 children. The agency said it has not yet identified the sex of more than 6,000 other adult civilians who also suffered injuries during the war.

Between December 1 and 26 alone, the OHCHR said it recorded 165 civilian deaths and 516 civilian injuries.

Most of the casualties recorded over the course of the war have been attributed to "the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects, including shelling from heavy artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, missiles and air strikes," according to the OHCHR.

The UN agency said it is possible the actual number of civilian casualties is "considerably higher," as casualty reports are likely delayed in some areas as the fighting continues.

Millions of Ukrainians have fled the country over the course of the war. Many sought shelter in nearby European countries as the war raged on.

The latest Ukrainian refugee data gathered by the U.N. and last updated on December 27 shows a total of 7,896,825 million Ukrainian refugees were recorded in Europe over the course of the war, with more than 4.8 million having sought temporary protection status.

Defeated Russia May Consider Nuclear Strike, Report

Italy's minister of defense reportedly suggested there is a possibility Russia would use nuclear power if Ukraine were victorious in its ongoing war with Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made various nuclear threats on and off over the course of the war, which hit its 10-month mark last week.

Italian Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto's comments on the matter were quoted by the Italian newspaper il Fatto Quotidiano and later cited by Ukrainian news outlets. An English translation of Crosetto's comments show the defense minister saying use of Russian nuclear power could be possible if Russia reaches "a point of no return" in the war.

Crosetto said the "danger" of nuclear power use "potentially exists" but is "very unlikely."

In the same article, Crosetto was quoted as acknowledging that Ukrainian officials have "for months" been asking for support from Italy and other nations as Russian troops target electricity grids, hospitals and other critical civilian infrastructure.

"If it is possible we will certainly help them to defend themselves: Russia has crossed a border that it should not have crossed," Crosetto said.

Over 1,600 Cultural Sites Possibly Damaged in Ukraine

More than 1,600 Ukrainian cultural heritage sites are believed to have been damaged over the course of Russia's war with Ukraine, according to the Ukraine Conflict Observatory.

The American organization assesses satellite images and other information received through social media and other channels to determine which cultural heritage sites may have been affected by the fighting. The Conflict Observatory's latest report includes data from the time Russia's invasion began on February 24 through November 30.

A total of 1,602 cultural heritage sites have been "potentially" damaged in the war thus far, the organization said Wednesday. The latest report adds seven sites to the organization's previous report, which included data through the end of October.

Nearly 700 of the impacted sites were identified as memorials or monuments. Places of worship and burial spots were the second most-impacted kinds of cultural heritage sites, with 511 thought to have been damaged. More than 100 museums and more than 100 libraries were also identified in the report as possibly damaged, as were a handful of archaeological sites and performance centers. Other sites believed to have been impacted were identified as heritage centers or undetermined locations.

Most of the sites believed to have been damaged were located in the Mariupolskyi, Sievierodonetskyi, Kharkivskyi, Kramatorskyi, and Buchanskyi regions, the report said.

Last week, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said it had confirmed damage to 231 cultural sites in Ukraine since the war began. The Church of St. Feodosiy of Chernihiv is one of 28 damaged sites UNESCO said it has confirmed.

The Khanenko Museum is one of 34 cultural heritage sites at which UNESCO has confirmed war-related damage.

Paul Whelan Was Detained by Russia Four Years Ago Today

Wednesday marks four years since American Paul Whelan was detained in Russia.

Whelan, a former Marine and business man, was jailed four years ago on espionage charges. A top U.S. official says these accusations are baseless and believe Whelan is being "wrongfully detained" in Russia.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Whelan has been suffering through an unfathomable ordeal.

"Russian authorities subjected him to a secret trial and sentenced him to 16 years in a Russian penal colony based on secret evidence," Blinken said in a statement. "His detention remains unacceptable, and we continue to press for his immediate release at every opportunity."

Both Blinken and White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said they are committed to bringing Whelan home.

"As the President and I have told the Whelan family, we will not stop, we will not relent, we will not cease until all Americans can celebrate Paul's return," Sullivan said in a statement.

Whelan was not part of the prisoner swap between Washington and Moscow earlier this month in which WNBA star Brittney Griner was freed in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

The Biden administration said it will continue to work with Whelan's family throughout its efforts to free him from Russian detention.

"Paul and the Whelan family recently showed the entire country the meaning of generosity of spirit in celebrating a fellow American's return while Russia continues its deplorable treatment of Paul as a bargaining chip," Sullivan said, adding that he is thinking of Paul and the entire Whelan family today.

Whelan's brother, David Whelan, said this anniversary is "both awful and mundane."

"Today is the 1,461st day that Paul has been held hostage by the Russian Federation," he said in a statement. "Russian authorities entrapped him four years ago today. How do you mark such an awful milestone when there is no resolution in sight?"

He added that this is "just another day that Paul has to suffer in a Russian labor colony for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Air Raid Alerts Heard Across Ukraine

Air raid alerts sounded throughout every region in Ukraine on Wednesday amid Russia's latest missile attacks, Ukrainian media outlets reported.

Russian-occupied Crimea was also subjected to the air raid alerts, according to The Kyiv Independent. The latest strikes came as Ukraine marked 308 days since Russia's invasion began in late February.

In the Kharkiv Oblast, Governor Oleh Syniehubov provided a flood of updates throughout the day on his Telegram channel. He urged residents early Wednesday to remain in shelters as Russia's latest strikes began. He later reported that rockets had targeted the Slobid district.

A 48-year-old man was taken to a hospital for treatment of moderate injuries after he was struck by a piece of shrapnel in Kharkiv on Wednesday, Syniehubov said on Telegram. In the Chuguyiv district, Syniehubov said a man and a 7-year-old boy were taken to a hospital for treatment of blast injuries after they triggered an explosive left behind in a forested area. The explosive was left behind by Russian troops after the temporarily occupied territory was reclaimed by Ukraine, he said.

Later Wednesday, Syniehubov said an apartment building in Kivsharivka was struck by Russian shelling, leaving the building "heavily damaged." Initial reports indicated there were no casualties at that shelling site, Syniehubov said.

Ukraine Condemns Kremlin Aide Visit to Nuclear Plant

Ukraine expressed outrage over reports that a Russian official visited the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine released a statement condemning the visit of Serhii Kiriyenko, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's top aides, to the power plant in the Russia-occupied region.

"Such illegal actions by officials of the aggressor state are yet another gross violation of international law and the legislation of Ukraine," The MFA of Ukraine said.

The move comes at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called on Russia to immediately withdraw from the nuclear power plant to ensure safe and secure operations.

Ukraine called on IAEA Director General Raphael Grossi and other IAEA member states to take action against Russia's "cynical disregard for current nuclear safety and security standards."

"We call on the partner states and EU institutions to speed up the introduction of effective measures to respond to the ongoing criminal actions of the Russian Federation in relation to nuclear facilities in Ukraine," the MFA of Ukraine said in a statement.

Ukraine specifically wants partners to work on the "complete termination of cooperation with the Russian Federation in the field of nuclear technologies," and suspend the rights and privileges of the Russian Federation within the IAEA.

Ukrainian Sentenced for Leaking Troop Location Details

A resident of Ukraine was sentenced to 11 years behind bars by a Ukrainian court for leaking war-related information to Russian military officials.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced the 11-year sentence in a Wednesday news release. The SBU did not name the man in its release but identified him as a "local resident who voluntarily went to cooperate with the enemy." The SBU shared a photo of the man's face and screenshots of messages that security officials said showed him passing information along to an unnamed individual with ties to the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation.

The man was in communication with a member of a terrorist group based in a Russian-occupied part of eastern Ukraine, the SBU said. The person the informant communicated with was a classmate of his, security officials added.

The informant was found guilty of providing "classified information about the location of Ukrainian troops" during the early days of Russia's invasion, the SBU said. The informant's classmate "'reported' on the received information to the leaders of the militants and the command of the Russian invaders," officials said.

The SBU said the leaked information was to be used for Russian missile strikes in Kramatorsk, a city in the Donetsk Oblast. The informant also leaked information on the whereabouts of bomb shelters, according to The Kyiv Independent.

The informant was detained in March and later found guilty of participating in a terrorist group, also known as Part 1 of Art. 258-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Odessa Removes Statue of Catherine the Great

The Ukrainian city of Odessa has begun dismantling a statue of Russian empress Catherine II, known as Catherine the Great.

The empress is a controversial figure in Ukraine. She was empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796 and is a symbol of Russian imperialism.

In November, the Odessa City Council voted to take down the statue of the city's founder.

"Members of the executive committee supported the draft decision on the dismantling and transfer of the monument to the Founders of Odessa," the Odessa City Council wrote on its official Telegram channel.

The statue will reportedly be moved to a museum, media outlet Suspilne reported.

Since Russia began its invasion, Ukrainian cities have removed monuments associated with Russia as a "derussification" effort.

The statue of Catherine has been vandalized several times since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began on February 24 of this year. A red hood was thrown over Catherine's head, a noose placed in her hand and red paint was thrown at the base of the statue in November.

Kremlin Says Peace Plan Must Include Annexed Oblasts

Russia said peace with Ukraine is only possible with the annexation of four Ukrainian regions.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said any peace talks must include the recognition of Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson oblasts.

"To begin with, so far, there is no Ukrainian 'peace plan' of any kind," he told reporters Wednesday. "And again, no Ukrainian 'peace plan' is possible if it does not take into account the modern reality - with Russia's territory, with four new regions joining Russia," according to Russian news agency TASS.

Peskov added that any plan that does not take those circumstances into account "cannot claim to be a peace plan."

Russia declared the annexation of these regions with a referendum vote in September. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law ratifying the annexations of the oblasts in October. The referendums were dismissed as "shams" by Ukraine and its western allies.

"The Kremlin's sham referenda are a futile effort to mask what amounts to a further attempt at a land grab in Ukraine," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement in September. "The United States does not, and will never, recognize the legitimacy or outcome of these sham referenda or Russia's purported annexation of Ukrainian territory."

The United Nations called the referenda "illegal" and "an attempt to modify Ukraine's internationally recognized borders."

Over 300K in Kyiv Reportedly Without Power

More than 300,000 customers in Kyiv were reportedly without power Wednesday morning amid cold temperatures, as the operator of Ukraine's power grid warned of increasing electricity shortages.

Kyiv city official Nikolay Povoroznik said emergency power outages are continuing, according to the Russian news agency TASS and the Ukrainian news outlet Klymenko Time.

"For instance, on the morning of December 28, over 300,000 consumers in Kiev did not have electricity," Povoroznik was quoted by both media outlets as saying. The power outages are impacting both heat and water supplies.

Serhiy Kovalenko, the head of the Ukraine energy supplier Yasno, said repair efforts are underway and that the power shutoffs will continue in the meantime, according to the Ukraine news outlet Ukraine Gate.

Ukraine's main grid operator, Ukrenergo, posted a Telegram message about the status of the electricity system on Wednesday. In the post, Ukrenergo attributed the increase in electricity shortages to critical infrastructure shelling in eastern Ukraine.

The grid's current capacity is "not enough to meet all the needs of consumers in the country," Ukrenergo said. "In this regard, consumption limits have been set for all regions, exceeding which leads to the need for emergency shutdowns."

The grid operator said repair crews are working to address damages caused by Russian shelling over the last few months. Forecasts show temperatures in the area only reaching the upper 30s over the next couple of days.

UK Trains Ukrainian Troops on New Sea King Helicopters

The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense said Wednesday it plans to provide Ukraine with Sea King helicopters "as part of its continued support" amid Ukraine's ongoing war with Russia.

The British Royal Navy has already trained 10 Ukrainian crews on how to operate the military aircraft, British defense officials said. The Sea Kings will benefit Ukraine's search and rescue efforts as the war continues.

The latest British intelligence reports Russian troops are "likely" working to reinforce sections of their frontline in the Luhansk Oblast, an area officials say "has been relatively vulnerable" since October and is "logistically important" for Russia. The ministry predicted Russia will focus on bolstering its frontline in the Kremina section of Luhansk moving forward.

"The Kremlin claims that the 'liberation' of this area is a core justification for the war," the ministry said Wednesday.