Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,026

Here are the key developments on the 1,026th day of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Here is the situation on Monday, December 16:

Russia has launched 49 drones to attack Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian military said, adding that its air force shot down 27 of the drones and lost track of 19 others.

Ukraine’s military intelligence said its troops killed or wounded at least 30 North Korean soldiers who had been deployed by Russia near the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba, and Martynovka in the Kursk region, where Ukraine has seized territory.

Russian troops captured the village of Shevchenko in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the TASS state news agency reported on Monday, quoting Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-installed head of the region. The claim could not be immediately verified.

Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its forces had taken control of the villages of Veselyi Hai and Pushkino, also in Donetsk. The ministry further said Russian forces had hit and destroyed four Patriot air defence systems.