The war in Ukraine and doubts about its real popularity have led to increasing control over communications within Russia. The functioning of WhatsApp has been slowed down for weeks, making its use almost impossible in practice. This fact adds to the already non-functioning Facebook, Instagram, X, Signal, Viber, Snapchat, and Discord, with authorities calling on citizens to use national apps like Max, the Russian version of the Chinese WeChat.
In recent hours, Russian justice has also issued an arrest warrant in absentia against the opposition figure Gary Kasparov - residing abroad - for "justifying terrorism" precisely with his criticisms of this war in Ukraine. In the invaded country, the bombing of energy infrastructures has caused power outages in wide areas of Ukraine.
Security Guarantees, Recovery, and End of the War: Areas Where Zelenski Believes Ukraine and the US Are Making Progress
President Volodymyr Zelenski stated on Tuesday that several drafts have been prepared, including security guarantees, following talks in Miami between Ukrainian officials and their American counterparts to end Russia's war.
"They have worked productively with President (Donald) Trump's envoys, and several draft documents have already been prepared," Zelenski wrote in X. "Specifically, these are documents on security guarantees for Ukraine, on recovery, and on a basic framework to end this war," he specified.
Ukraine Claims Russia Launched 38 Missiles and 635 Drones in Last Night's Attack
Russia launched in its massive attack against Ukraine 38 missiles and 635 unmanned aerial vehicles, of which Ukrainian defense forces managed to neutralize 34 and 587, respectively, reported the Ukrainian Air Force on Tuesday, noting missile impacts and 39 drones in 21 locations and the fall of downed fragments in eight.
"On the night of December 23 (from 6:00 p.m. on December 22), the enemy launched a combined attack against critical infrastructure in Ukraine with combat drones and air-to-ground and ground-to-ground missiles," the report states. Specifically, Russian forces launched 635 attack drones of the Shahed and Gerbera types, among others, from the Russian directions of Kursk, Oryol, Millerovo, Bryansk, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and from Chauda, in the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. Of the drones launched by Russia, around 400 were Shahed.
Russia also launched three aeroballistic missiles Kh-47M2 Kinzhal from the Russian region of Ryazan and 35 cruise missiles Kh-101 and Iskander-K from the regions of Vologda and Kursk.
Russia Slows Down WhatsApp and Urges Its Citizens to Download National Apps
The Kremlin has been following China's lead for years in exerting total control over the internet. The war in Ukraine and the fight against the 'fifth column' opposing the military campaign is the perfect excuse to shape Russia's great firewall. The messaging network WhatsApp, with nearly 100 million Russian users, is the latest victim of censorship against Western apps in this country, where Facebook, Instagram, X, Signal, Viber, Snapchat, and Discord no longer work.
Although the block is not yet total, authorities have recommended that Russians download national apps like Max - the Russian version of the Chinese WeChat - which currently has 75 million users. Amid its antagonism with the United States and Europe over the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin once called to "strangle" Western tech companies.
WhatsApp users, who have been unable to make calls for several months, like Telegram users, have faced difficulties in sending videos and photos since late November. This week, the network speed limitation reached up to 80%, making it nearly impossible to send messages on many phones, requiring the use of its desktop version (WhatsApp Web).
The Russian communications regulator Roscomnadzor, which began restricting WhatsApp's operation last August, issued its latest warning on Monday. "If the browser does not comply with Russian legislation requirements, it will be completely blocked," it stated. Market analysts like Eldar Murtazin from Mobile Research Group predicted that WhatsApp will be completely blocked by early 2026.
Russian Massive Attack Forces Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plants to Reduce Power
A massive Russian attack on the Ukrainian energy sector, the ninth since the beginning of the year, has forced Ukrainian nuclear power plants to reduce their power, reported acting Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov on Tuesday.
"Increasing the power of nuclear power plants to nominal values will occur gradually, as soon as electrical technicians repair the networks damaged by the enemy," he said during a press conference at the Ministry of Energy, quoted by the Interfax agency. He emphasized that attacks on infrastructure covering electricity needs and ensuring the performance of nuclear power plants constitute a serious violation of international nuclear safety requirements and should not be ignored by the international community.
Zelenski on Russia's Latest Attack: "Sends a Very Clear Signal About Russia's Priorities"
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski stated on Tuesday that the ongoing Russian attack, in which Russian forces have launched over 650 drones and more than thirty missiles against Ukrainian territory, resulting in at least three deaths, constitutes "a very clear signal about Russia's priorities."
"This Russian attack sends a very clear signal about Russia's priorities. An attack just before Christmas, when people just want to be with their families, at home, and safe. An attack carried out basically in the middle of negotiations aimed at ending this war," Zelenski denounced in a message posted on his Twitter account. He added that the Russian president "still cannot accept that he has to
Russia Claims to Have Taken Two Towns in Ukraine
The Russian Defense Ministry stated on Tuesday that its troops had captured the settlements of Prylipka in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv and Andriivka in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Russian forces also attacked energy and military facilities with Kinzhal missiles, the ministry added.
Russia Issues Arrest Warrant in Absentia Against Kasparov for "Justifying Terrorism"
Russian justice issued an arrest warrant in absentia on Tuesday against the Russian opposition figure and chess player Garry Kasparov, accused of justifying terrorism through his criticisms of the war in Ukraine.
"The court issued a precautionary measure against Kasparov of arrest in absentia for two months from the moment of his detention in Russia or his extradition to Russian territory," stated the judge, quoted by the Russian news agency TASS. The former world champion was accused of "publicly justifying terrorism on telecommunication networks, including the internet," a crime that could result in a sentence of five to seven years in prison for Kasparov.
Kasparov, included in the Russian list of foreign agents in May 2022, has been living outside of Russia for over a decade. In October, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case for "organizing a terrorist community" and "attempting to usurp power" against tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and other prominent Russian exiled opponents, founders of the Russian Anti-War Committee (CAR), including Kasparov.
"Putin is testing Europe: before the end of the year, he will launch a land invasion," Kasparov stated two months ago in this interview by Joaquín Manso, director of EL MUNDO.
Russia Launches Over 600 Drones and Dozens of Missiles Against Ukraine, According to Ukraine's Prime Minister
Russian forces launched over 600 drones and dozens of missiles last night and early morning against Ukraine's energy infrastructure, in what Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko describes as a "deliberate and cynical attack by Russia on the eve of Christmas."