War - Day 299: Putin orders: Step up; New explosions; Ukrainians shelled; Bad news

War - Day 299: Putin orders: Step up; New explosions; Ukrainians shelled; Bad news

The fiercest fighting is taking place in the east of the country.

Russian authorities announced that Ukrainian forces shelled the Belgorod region in Russia yesterday and that one person lost their life in the attack.

Former US diplomat Henry Kissinger has said that the time has come for an end to the conflict in Ukraine to reduce the risk of another devastating world war, but the government in Kyiv rejected those comments and stressed that there could be no deal involving the ceding of Ukrainian territory.

Zelensky's address

Putin: Special services to strengthen control

President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, ordered the special services to keep places of mass gathering of citizens, strategic transport facilities and energy infrastructure under constant control.

"You have enough experience in the field of fighting terrorism, so the work to prevent terrorist attacks must continue systematically and progressively, places of mass gathering of citizens, strategic traffic facilities and energy infrastructure must be under constant control," he emphasized in his congratulatory message to state security officials, reported RIA Novosti.

He pointed out that the work of the border service of the Federal Security Service should be strengthened, Sputnik reported.

"The state border is the most important, key perimeter for ensuring the security of the country and it must be reliably covered. Attempts to violate it must be stopped quickly and efficiently, using available forces and means, including mobile units and special forces," added the President of Russia. The Day of Security Agency Workers of the Russian Federation is celebrated on December 20.

DNR mission: Ukrainian forces shelled Donetsk

Ukrainian forces shelled the central areas of Donetsk today, with about 20 explosions shaking the city and damaging the building of a hospital and a kindergarten, announced the DPR Mission in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to Ukrainian War Crimes.

The mission said that Ukrainian forces shelled the Voroshilovsky and Kalynyi districts of Donetsk, including the vicinity of the Kalynyi hospital. The head doctor of that hospital, Ivan Plahotnikov, told TASS that the hospital was targeted again and was damaged in shelling.

The mayor of Donetsk, Alexey Kulemzin, wrote on Telegram that the rocket hit one of the hospital buildings, as well as a kindergarten, several houses and a car.

Bad news for Kyiv

The deficit of electricity in Kyiv is growing, tonight it reached around 50 percent, announced the mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Vitaly Klitschko.

Lavrov: Europe is losing its independence literally before our eyes

Europe is losing its independence literally before our eyes and can hardly claim to be an independent center of the multipolar world, even though Moscow would like it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today.

He emphasized that Washington "aligned" the rest of the West and Europe in its own way, TASS reported. He added that because of this, Russia and its allied countries are facing a very serious challenge.

"A very difficult task awaits us - to prevent the collapse of the world order based on international law," the head of Russian diplomacy emphasized for the "Russia One".