US will announce another 1.8 billion in aid, including Patriot and precision bombs | Ukraine Russia, war news today

• The war in Ukraine reached the 301st day. The aid package will include for the first time a battery of Patriot missiles and precision guided bombs for fighter jets
• Zelensky expected in Washington. I will see Biden and speak to Congress.
• Putin asks the Russian secret services to increase domestic and border surveillance.
• Moscow: With the price cap the EU will run out of gas.
• Two Italian journalists hit by the Russians in Kherson: They are fine.
• Zelensky goes to Bakhmut, on the front: We will not give up our land.
• Lula: I spoke to Putin, Brazil committed to a world of peace.

04:24 am – Kiev, Russians strike Kurakhove, Donetsk Oblast

Russian forces attacked Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast, 50 kilometers from the Russian-occupied city, with heavy artillery. damaging two five-story buildings and a car, Donetsk Oblast governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Telegram. He brings it back The Kyiv Independent. At least one person was injured in the attack, according to the governor.

02:29 – Shmyhal, the Russians will do anything to leave us in the dark

Russian terrorists will do anything to leave the Ukrainians no electricity until the new year, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at the cabinet meeting. He brings it back Kyiv Independent. It is important for them that Christmas and New Year in Ukraine pass in the dark. Therefore, we must prepare for new attacks on energy infrastructure. Shmyhal added that when Ukraine’s energy system is attacked on an almost daily basis, it is simply impossible to make predictions about the restoration of a stable supply of electricity.

The prime minister also urged local authorities not to create inflated expectations. In addition to attacks on our energy sector, Russia is conducting intelligence and psychological operations to sow panic and despairShmyhal said. We tell people that the situation is difficult, that the light can only be there for a few hours a day, that the state of the energy system can get better or worse depending on theintensity of the new Russian attacks.

00:35 – Media, USA will send military aid and Patriot missiles

The United States will provide $1.8 billion in military aid to Ukraine in a package which will include a battery of Patriot missiles hebprecision guided shadows for fighter jets. US officials told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, as the aid has not yet been officially announced. He brings it back The Kyiv Independent. The help comes on the eve of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington, where he will meet with President Joe Biden. The visit was Zelensky’s first foreign trip since the start of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.

The package of military aid, which is expected to be announced later today, will include about $1 billion in weapons stockpiles from the Pentagon and an additional $800 million in funding through Ukraine’s Security Assistance Initiative. The Patriot missile system would be the most advanced surface-to-air missile system which the West has so far supplied to Ukraine. On December 16, the Russian Foreign Ministry spoke of unpredictable consequences if the United States sent Patriot missiles to Ukraine, saying the move would be one provocation. The US State Department responded by stating that Russia was solely responsible for any provocation in Ukraine.