More than 100 people have been killed and more than half a million civilians have been forced to flee their respective countries, according to Thailand and Cambodia, who announced they have signed a ceasefire agreement to put an end to weeks of bloody fighting along their border.
The Thai and Cambodian defense ministers said in a statement released on Saturday that “Both parties agree to an immediate ceasefire.”
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The ministers stated that “Both sides agree to maintain the current troop deployments without further movement.”
The ceasefire, which begins at noon local time (05:00 GMT), covers “all types of attacks on civilians, civilian objects, infrastructures, and military objectives of either side, in all cases and all areas.”
The agreement, which was signed by Thai Defense Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit and his Cambodian counterpart Tea Seiha, brings an end to 20 days of conflict between the two Southeast Asian neighbors.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, has claimed that Russia has harmed Ukraine by attacking Ukrainian targets with ordinary apartment blocks on Belarus’s soil.
In response to revelations from intelligence experts that Moscow may have likely stationed its new nuclear-capable hypersonic ballistic missiles at a former airbase in eastern Belarus, Zelenskyy made the allegations on Friday. This is thought to increase Russia’s ability to strike targets in Europe.
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We are aware that the Russians are attempting to cross Belarus’s border’s defensive interceptor lines. After a meeting of the military staff, Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Friday that this was “risky for Belarus.”
The Ukrainian leader said, “It is unfortunate that Belarus is reneging on its sovereignty in favor of Russia’s aggressive ambitions.”
Zelenskyy claimed that Russian forces were assisting them in carrying out their attacks by deploying equipment “in Belarusian settlements close to the border, including on residential buildings.”
He claimed that “Shakes” [Russian drones] are guided to targets in our western regions by antennae and other equipment mounted on the roofs of common five-story apartment buildings.
Minsk needs to stop playing with this, he continued, “This is a total disregard for human lives.” >,
The defense ministries of Belarus and Russia did not respond to inquiries for comment right away.
Belarus continues to be a steadfast ally despite President Alexander Lukashenko’s pledge to send no troops to the conflict, despite the fact that Russia previously launched its invasion of Ukraine in Belarusian territory in February 2022.
In April 2025, Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, and Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Eternal Flame in the Hall of Military Glory in the southern city of Volgograd.
Belarus’ defense minister: “Our response” to the West’s “aggressive actions.”
According to an exclusive Reuters news agency report, satellite imagery analyzed by two US researchers suggests that Moscow is stationing Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missiles in eastern Belarus in response to reports of closer Russian and Belarusian coordination in the Ukraine conflict.
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, had previously stated that Oreshnik’s missiles, which have an estimated range of 5, 500 kilometers (3, 400 miles), would be impossible to intercept.
Researchers Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California and Decker Eveleth of the Virginia-based CNA research and analysis team said they were 100 percent certain that mobile Oreshnik launchers would be stationed at the former Russian airbase close to Krichev, which is located about 307 kilometers (190 miles) east of Minsk, the Belarusian capital.
Reviews of satellite imagery, according to the researchers from the United States, revealed a labored construction project in Belarus that spanned from August 4 to August 12 and had features that matched those of a Russian strategic missile base.
A “military-grade rail transfer point” that was enclosed by a security fence, where missiles, their mobile launchers, and other components could be delivered by train to the location, Eveleth told Reuters.
According to Lewis, a concrete pad that was constructed and then covered in earth, which he called “consistent” with a camouflaged missile launch point, was another feature.
According to the report, the researchers’ assessment broadly aligns with US intelligence findings.
Russia and Belarus have not yet made any comments on the Reuters report.
However, President Lukashenko acknowledged earlier this month that his country had been using such weapons, despite not specifying where the Russian missiles had been deployed. Up to 10 Oreshniks would be stationed there, he added.
Viktor Khrenin, the Belarusian Defense Minister, claimed this week that the deployment of Oreshnik would not alter Europe’s “aggressive actions” and that it was “our response.”
Regarding the rumored Russian missile deployment in Belarus, the White House did not respond to a request for comment right away.
Early on Saturday, the Ukrainian military reported that the city had been attacked by a new “massive” Russian attack, with air defenses in use, and that cruise and ballistic missiles were being deployed.
To finalize a potential ceasefire agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, President Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump will meet on Sunday.
According to airline monitoring website FlightAware, thousands of flights have been canceled and delayed in the United States as a result of winter storm Devin, which has affected air travel during the busiest of the holidays.
As of 4 p.m. eastern time (21:00 GMT) on Friday, 1, 581 flights “within, into, or out of the” US were cancelled and 6, 883 were delayed, according to FlightAware, which claims to be the largest flight tracking data provider in the world.
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The US National Weather Service issued the warning about winter storm Devin, which would “hazardous travel conditions” and would result in heavy snowfall in parts of the Midwest and northeast.
On Friday, more than 40 million Americans were subject to weather advisories or winter storm warnings, and another 30 million were Californians who were subject to flood or storm advisories because of a slew of rains from an alleged atmospheric river.
The largest US city, New York City, was expecting 250mm (10 inches) of snow overnight on Friday, which was the most accumulation in four years. An Arctic blast is expected to swoop down from Canada, and temperatures were forecast to drop into the weekend.
Travelers were warned of possible delays or cancellations by New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport. These three airports, in the opinion of FlightAware, caused more than half of the flight cancellations and delays.
The most recent US carrier to cancel 225 flights was JetBlue Airways, which was closely followed by Delta Air Lines, which had 212. 147 flights were canceled by Republic Airways, 97 by United Airlines, and 146 by American Airlines.
A JetBlue spokesperson told the Reuters news agency that “Due to winter storm Devin, JetBlue has cancelled approximately 350 flights today and tomorrow, primarily in the Northeast where JetBlue has a significant operation.”
Southern California experienced the wettest Christmas season in 54 years thanks to powerful winter storms that struck the US West Coast.
Despite slackening rain in the area of Los Angeles, there was still a chance of more flash flooding and mudslides on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, addressed Vladimir Putin as he greeted the Russian president in his country and said that his country’s ties with Russia had been strengthened by “sharing blood, life, and death in the same trench” during the Ukraine war.
Kim’s message came shortly after President Putin’s own New Year’s greeting on December 18 to the North Korean leader, which praised Pyongyang’s troops’ “heroic” role in the western Kursk region and “clearly demonstrated the invincible friendship” between the two nations, according to state media.
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Kim called the bilateral relations between Moscow and Pyongyang a “precious common asset that can be carried forward forever not only in the present era but also by posterity generation after generation in his message to Putin, which was released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Saturday.
According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, Kim said, “Now no one can break the bonds between the two countries’ peoples and their unity.”
According to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies, North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to help Moscow fight Ukraine.
At Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, troops take part in a military parade to commemorate the country’s 75th anniversary of its founding.
In April, North Korea officially confirmed that it had troops deployed to support Russia’s military assault on Ukraine and that its soldiers had been killed in battle.
Following a Ukrainian incursion, Kim acknowledged earlier this month that at least nine members of an engineering regiment were killed while North Korean troops were stationed in Russia’s Kursk region to clear landmines in August 2025.
One day after Kim instructed his officials to increase the production of missiles and establish more munitions factories, Kim sent his New Year’s message to Putin.
In order to deter what Kim perceives as threats from the United States and South Korea, North Korea has increased missile testing in recent years. Analysts claim this is done to increase the accuracy of its arsenal of short-, medium-, and long-range rockets. According to the analysts, increased weapons testing may be a result of North Korea’s exports of military equipment to Russia.
On Saturday, December 27, 2018, this is how things are going.
Fighting
According to reports, air defenses were in use early on Saturday and the military issued a warning about the imminent deployment of missiles in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Witnesses claimed that the city’s air defenses were in use. Russian cruise and ballistic missiles were being used to attack the city, according to a military Telegram channel.
The Ukrainian village of Kosivtseve in the southeast of Zaporizhia was taken over by Russia’s Ministry of Defense, according to the country’s defense ministry, adding that the village had been secured by more than 23 square kilometers (9 miles) of territory.
A group of just three infiltrating Russian soldiers deceived Ukrainian forces into abandoning a post in Kosivtseve, prompting an apology from the Ukrainian military for one of its units.
Ukrainian deputy prime minister Oleksii Kuleba said in a statement on Telegram that Russian drone attacks have damaged vessels under the flags of Slovakia, Palau, and Liberia in Ukrainian ports in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions. According to Kuleba, the attacks didn’t cause any casualties.
A separate drone attack at the northwestern Kovel railway station, which is located about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the Polish border, also caused damage to a locomotive and a freight car, Kuleba added.
A local task force reported that a Ukrainian drone attack at Russia’s Azov Sea port of Temryuk had set off a fire. LPG, oil, petrochemicals, grain, and other bulk food items are handled at Timryuk port.
According to Russian news outlets, the Defense Ministry claimed that seven Storm Shadow missiles made by the country were detonated by Russian forces last week.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, has accused Russia of attacking Ukrainian targets by attacking Ukrainian targets with ordinary apartment blocks on Belarus’s soil. Zelenskyy criticized Belarus for reneging on its sovereignty in favor of Russia’s aggressive goals.
Diffusion of aerial objects, thought to be balloons used by smugglers, approached its airspace from Belarus overnight, with Poland deploying fighter jets to intercept a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying near its airspace over the Baltic Sea.
Regional security
According to the American researchers, the Planet Labs imagery revealed a labored construction project that occurred between August 4 and August 12, and that the images featured features that were consistent with those of a Russian strategic missile base, according to the report.
According to Interfax news agency, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov reported that Russia was “somewhat” halting the export of Russian-made military equipment to prioritize deliveries to its own armed forces.
Peace talks
As negotiations for a 20-point peace framework and a security guarantee deal nearing a close, President Zelenskyy said he wants to talk with US President Donald Trump about territorial issues, the main stumbling block in the war’s resolution.
Zelenskyy claimed in a separate interview with the Axios news site that Kyiv desired a longer-term agreement while the US offered a 15-year security guarantee deal that could be renewed.
Axios also quoted Zelenskyy as saying that if he is unable to persuade the US to support Ukraine’s “strong” position on the land issue in the peace proposal, he will support putting the 20-point plan in a referendum as long as Russia agrees to a 60-day ceasefire in order to allow Ukraine to get ready for and hold the election.
According to Interfax-Russia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov claimed Kyiv’s 20-point plan was radically different from what Russia and the US have been talking about.
Additionally, Ryabkov charged Ukraine with trying to “torpedo” the talks, adding that Moscow’s success will depend “on our own work and the other party’s political will.”
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, reportedly told some of its top businessmen that he might be willing to sell some of the Ukrainian government-controlled territory in exchange for the entire Donbass.
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Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, addressed President Vladimir Putin’s New Year’s greetings, claiming that his country and Russia “blooded the Ukraine war with blood, life, and death.” In order to combat Ukraine, Pyongyang has sent countless troops to Russia.
As Israeli forces continue to carry out extensive raids across the occupied West Bank and carry out ceasefire violations, a Palestinian man was fatally shot east of Gaza City.
Uday al-Maqadma was sitting close to a school in Gaza when Israeli forces opened fire, according to a report from the Palestinian news agency Wafa on Friday. He died from his injuries at the hospital after being taken to a critical condition there.
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Since the beginning of the truce in October, Israel has launched deadly attacks on Gaza and placed severe restrictions on aid there. In Gaza, at least 411 Palestinians have died and 1, 112 have been injured.
Two Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli soldiers, according to a report from Wafa earlier this week east of Gaza City’s Shujayea neighborhood.
In defiance of the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, Israel continues to impose restrictions on essential humanitarian aid, denying displaced Palestinians essential goods and temporary housing during the harsh winter storms.
Just 244 aid trucks are entering the strip each day, according to the Gaza Government Media Office, which is significantly below the daily rate of 600 required by the truce agreement.
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers have also launched more raids and attacks.
Palestinian farmers who were attempting to work on their land were detained by Israeli forces east of Tubas, according to Wafa reports that a Palestinian municipal worker was hurt after being attacked by a group of settlers outside Nablus on Friday.
Palestinian activists claim that an elderly man was detained after settlers allegedly hacked the fence around his home, as well as a woman, four children, and an elderly man who were also detained during Israeli raids in Yatta and Beit Ummar near Hebron.
Nearly never do Israeli authorities hold Palestinian settlers accountable for violent behavior.
In northern Israel, a Palestinian man from the occupied West Bank allegedly rammed his car into a crowd of people in Beit She’an, killing two others, according to police and emergency personnel.
The attack comes a day after Palestinians in the occupied West Bank were seen praying in the video of an Israeli settler crossing the road.
Israel has been carrying out our near daily attacks in Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire there in addition to the violence against Palestinians.
UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported on Friday that Israeli positions in southern Lebanon once more experienced “heavy machinegun fire.” A patrol inspecting a roadblock in the village of Bastara was “close” to receiving live ammunition and a grenade, according to the UN forces.
According to a statement from the UN forces, “UNIFIL had informed the]Israeli military] about the activities in those areas in advance, following conventional procedures for patrols in sensitive areas close to the Blue Line.”
