Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,401

Published On 26 Dec 2025

On Friday, December 26, 2018, this is how things are going.

Fighting

Following a Ukrainian drone strike on two storage tanks filled with oil, two officials in Russia’s Krasnodar region reported a massive fire in Temryuk, in the country’s southern Russian port. The fire spanned 21,500 square feet (roughly 2 000 square meters) and spanned approximately 2 000 square meters.
Ukraine’s SBU security service reported that long-range Ukrainian drones targeted a gas processing plant in Russia’s Orenburg region as well as oil storage facilities at Temryuk port.
The Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov region was also targeted by the Ukrainian General Staff, according to the country’s general staff.
The Russian refinery, which supports Moscow’s military operations in Ukraine, was described by the General Staff as a major supplier of oil to southern Russia.
According to reports from Russian state news agencies, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its forces had taken control of the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region’s Sviato-Pokrovske settlement.

Russian reconnaissance aircraft was intercepted by Poland over the Baltic Sea by fighter jets, and dozens of objects entered Polish airspace overnight, with the warning that the events over the holiday season might indicate a provocation.
By blocking Venezuela, the Russian-led Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the United States of encouraging what it termed “piracy” in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean, while expressing hope that US President Donald Trump’s pragmatism could stop escalation.
In response to US threats to remove Maduro from power, Moscow also reiterated its support for Venezuela’s government and its efforts to protect national sovereignty.

The Ukrainian leader said, “Of course, there is still work to be done on sensitive issues.” However, we are able to implement all of this together with the American team. Additionally, the weeks ahead might be long. America, I appreciate you.

According to Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russia believes negotiations with the US to end the conflict in Ukraine are progressing gradually. She described the discussions as moving slowly but steadily.

Vladimir Putin, the president of the United States, was congratulated by a Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in a message sent to him along with a Christmas greeting.
Russia stated that it had submitted a proposal to France regarding Laurent Vinatier, a French researcher who is currently incarcerated under Russia’s foreign agent laws, adding that Paris is now in charge of the case.

Russia’s deputy prime minister Alexander Novak said in remarks made on state television that the country’s goal of producing 100 million tons of liquefied natural gas annually has been delayed by several years due to sanctions.

Source: Aljazeera