Weekly Exclusives
Weekly Exclusives - a newsletter that contains author publications, interviews, exclusive comments, photos and videos.
Iconic photos of 2024 from Ukrinform
A collection of images captured by Ukrinform's photo correspondents highlights the resilience and indomitability of Ukrainians amid the war unleashed by Russia.
These photos portray destruction and resilience, loss and triumph, heartbreak and moments of light -- showcasing life's persistence against all odds.
Photo of the Week
A wheel associated with the construction of the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant and the grounding of 75-meter power line poles, found as a result of a drop in the water level in the Dnipro River, in Khortytsia, Zaporizhzhia, December 23, 2024.
Interview
Adela Knapova, Czech journalist and writer
For Czech journalist and writer Adela Knapova, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine was as shocking and unforgettable as the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States. It was a moment when the world was glued to screens, watching history unfold in real time. Feeling a profound journalistic duty to witness such critical events for Europe firsthand, Knapova left Prague to be closer to the unfolding crisis. Her decision was also deeply personal -- many of her friends and acquaintances lived in Ukrainian cities that had suddenly become military targets of a neighboring aggressor.
Knapova chronicled her experiences in war-torn Ukraine through journalistic reports and in her book "Cowardly Notes from the Ukraine War."
In an interview with an Ukrinform correspondent in Austria, Knapova discussed her experiences in Ukraine, the journey that brought her to front-line Kharkiv, and her admiration for its indomitable residents. She also shared her thoughts on European fatigue toward the war, the importance of continued support for Ukraine, the role of art in the nation's survival, and the necessity of showcasing Ukraine's cultural identity on the global stage.
Publication
AFU Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky: Russia has lost over 421,000 soldiers in its war in Ukraine during this year. Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked and hit a hostile warship off the Crimea coast and reported probable elimination of a deputy commander at a Marine brigade in Russia’s border region of Kursk
Ukraine Latest: Weekly Digest for December 23-29, 2024
Fact Checks
Kremlin-run Telegram channels are circulating a photo of an alleged "advertisement" from a Lviv-based kindergarten. According to the text, the theme of the "New Year's party" is the Heroes of Ukraine, with parents "persuasively asked" to dress their children in historical costumes. The "advertisement" includes "examples" of the best costumes, supposedly "recommended" by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, with children dressed as Stepan Bandera.
This advertisement is fake. Propagandists fabricated the ad, printed it, and photographed it.
The image of a rooster next to the ad originates from Russian sources, commonly found on Russian stock illustration websites.
Additionally, there are grammatical errors in the text. For example, the propagandists "forgot" to add an apostrophe to the word "Friday" in Ukrainian and failed to place a comma before the word "recommended."
It is important to note that the official website of the Ministry of Education and Science does not contain any recommendations about costumes for children's holiday events in kindergartens.
Russian propagandists frequently spread such themed fakes during the New Year holidays, claiming that Ukrainian authorities impose absurd celebratory rules against the will of the people. Ukrinform journalists previously debunked similar false claims, such as one in which it was claimed that Santa Claus was being forced on children in Poltava instead of Grandfather Frost.
Russian propaganda previously spread a fake story about a ban on certain female names in Ukraine.
Andriy Olenin
Russian propaganda spreads fake about 'casting' disabled men for military roles in New Year's show
Russian bots on social media platforms Telegram and X are distributing fabricated screenshots, allegedly from the job search site Jooble and the online marketplace OLX. The fake ads claim to recruit disabled men aged 18 and older for mass scenes in a "New Year's military-patriotic television project." The ads emphasize that a "big advantage" is given to candidates with "an injury or mutilation, not necessarily sustained during hostilities." Participants are reportedly offered UAH 4,000 per day for filming.
This is a fake. There are no ads with the title "An extra job. Actors, casting for the New Year's show" on either OLX or Jooble.
Video
In Kyiv, a Russian drone attack caused damage to the building of the National Writers' Union of Ukraine.
News:
War
Ukrainian armored vehicle Inguar-3 secures initial orders
The Ukrainian-made armored vehicle Inguar-3 has successfully undergone combat testing and has already received its first orders.
"2024 has been a year of rigorous testing for our company. We've approached this responsibly, and overall, the vehicle has been subjected to about 10,000 kilometers of extreme testing, including combat trials with the Azov Brigade in the Serebrianskyi Forest and currently in the Sumy sector," explained the CEO and co-founder of Inguar Defense, Artem Yushchuk.
The company has secured its first government contracts with two entities (currently undisclosed due to contractual obligations). These vehicles are set to be deployed to the front lines in the first half of 2025.
Politics
Ukraine becomes ICC member state
On January 1, 2025, Ukraine became the 125th state to join the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and, starting that date, will have the same rights as other member states, meaning it will be a full member of the ICC, including the ability to participate in elections, propose amendments, and more.
Ex-Austrian President Fischer on Russia's invasion of Ukraine: 'Putin deceived us all'
"Putin has consistently claimed that he is not planning any military action," Fischer said. "I spoke a lot with friends in Europe at the time, in particular with the experienced Luxembourg Foreign Minister [Jean] Asselborn, who was very well informed and clearly said that there is no reason for concern here, that we do not believe that this will happen. And Putin deceived us all and launched a military action that is unforgivable, and this must be condemned," said Former Austrian President Heinz Fischer, commenting on his current attitude towards Putin, given that he maintained good relations with him in the past.
Russia fails to manipulate UN statistics related to Crimea – Kyslytsya
"Every three years, the UN General Assembly approves the scale of contributions of member states to distribute the Organization's expenses for the next period. This time, it's for 2025-2027," said Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya.
He said that the process begins with the UN Secretary-General submitting a draft resolution, based on Secretariat statistics and recommendations from a specialized committee. Delegations then consult informally in the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, making amendments if necessary.
"It is worth noting that from the very beginning of the temporary occupation of Crimea, the UN Secretariat did not count the population of the peninsula as residents of Russia, as Moscow presented in its statistics. The Secretariat counted the population of Crimea as statistics regarding Ukraine, which is fully consistent with the resolutions of the General Assembly and the UN Security Council, as well as international law," Kyslytsya said.
Fico's harsh statements towards Ukraine populism aimed at staying in power – expert
"There are many reasons for Fico's behavior. But the main reason is that Slovakia is led by a Prime Minister whose ruling coalition is currently struggling to maintain its parliamentary majority. Therefore, the Slovak Prime Minister must constantly care about his image and influence public opinion to stay in power," said diplomat, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador, adviser to the Director of the National Institute for Strategic Studies Andrii Veselovskyi.
The diplomat reminded that Fico is not a new figure in Slovakia’s politics – he previously served as Prime Minister but was forced to resign in 2018 following mass protests in the country over the murder of an investigative journalist.
Society
Pilot killed in Kazakhstan plane crash studied at Kropyvnytskyi Flight Academy
Aleksandr Kalyaninov, the co-pilot killed in the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25, was a graduate of the Kropyvnytskyi Flight Academy in Ukraine.
Kalyaninov earned a master's degree in aviation transport on April 6, 2021, from the Ukrainian State Flight Academy (then part of the National Aviation University). He specialized in "Flight Operations of Aircraft" under the Faculty of Flight Operations and qualified as both a pilot engineer and a research engineer.
See you next Friday!