Russia Ukraine war live: Kyiv repels Russian drone attack as Putin’s forces hit by ‘mouse fever’

Vladimir Putin’s soldiers in eastern Ukraine’s Kupiansk are reportedly falling sick because of a “mouse fever” outbreak – a viral disease that has left the invading Russian troops severely unwell.

The outbreak of the so-called “mouse fever” has been recorded in many units of the Russian forces in the Kupiansk direction, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence’s main directorate of intelligence said on its official Telegram channel.

Here’s our full report:

Sir Keir Starmer has been speaking about the threat of Russia as he visited British troops positioned close tot he border in Estonia.

He said the UK and its allies “need to be prepared, we need to deter” in response to Moscow’s actions.

The Labour leader added: “I think we have to be mindful of that threat from Russia to Europe, to ourselves in the UK and the interference that goes on.”

He said there was a “real and constant threat from Russia, measured in years, and measured back home in the UK as well”.

Sir Keir was accompanied by shadow defence secretary John Healey as they praised British troops for helping protect Nato’s eastern flank.

Ukrainian President Zelensky has expressed his condolences after a gunman opened fire at a university in central Prague.

Mr Zelensky said: “Shocking reports of tragic events in Prague. Innocent people were killed and injured. My sincere condolences to the families of the victims. I wish those injured a speedy recovery.”

Ukraine is having to increase domestic borrowing due to a lack of foreign support in 2024, the country’s finance minister has said.

It comes as both the US and EU are struggling to agree on further aid packages for Ukraine, with the US failing to pass their aid bill before their Christmas break.

“Unfortunately, in January and February, the decisions taken by the partners are not enough so that we can cope on our own. That’s why we have a Plan B mechanism in force now,” the Interfax news agency cited Serhiy Marchenko as saying.

Russian aerial bombs on Thursday have struck two coal mines in Ukraine‘s eastern town of Toretsk in the Donetsk region, killing three and injuring at least five civilians, the interior minister said.

“Two bombs hit the territory of one of the mines in Toretsk. One person was killed and two others were injured,” Ihor Klymenko, the minister, he said on Telegram messenger.

There was a power outage, and 32 miners remained underground but were successfully rescued.

Ukraine has legalised the use of medical cannabis in response to the growing number of people suffering from war-related PTSD.

While recreational use will remain a criminal offence, cannabis will be allowed to be used for scientific and industrial means with strict control.

The law will come into effect in six months time.

Ukraine and a group of its Western creditors agreed on Thursday to extend through March 2027 a debt payment suspension agreed in September 2022 that could have expired at the end of this year, the Ukrainian government said.

“I am grateful to our partners from the G7 countries for understanding Ukraine‘s needs in the time of war,” Ukraine‘s Minister of Finance Sergii Marchenko said in a statement.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Ukraine was receiving signals that Russia’s military planning and activity were slowing.

Zelensky, in his nightly video address, said this was noted in a report issued by the HUR military intelligence directorate.

“There was a separate report from the HUR,” Zelensky said. “The enemy’s plans, the work of the Russian defence (industry). There are signals indicating a slowdown. We will continue to support their slowdown.”

He did not elaborate and it is not clear whether the he was referring specifically to the Russian defence industry or to Russian tactics and objectives in a broader sense.

This could be interesting. After Hungarian leader Viktor Orban blocked the EU’s funding package for Ukraine, it’s now emerged that a meeting will take place between Mr Oban and Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky.

We can only imagine that Mr Zelensky will use the meeting to persuade Mr Orban to change his mind on supporting his fight against Russia.

Mr Orban had earlier said that any funding package for Ukraine should not come out of the EU budget, but be funded separately by the 26 supporting EU member states instead.

Mr Orban is also opposed to Ukraine joining the EU.