The Belgorod region of Russia was shelled. At least ten explosions were reported. One person died, several were injured.
In the Kharkov region, a hospital came under fire and one person was injured.

The Wall Street Journal, citing Ukrainian intelligence and security officials, reported that at the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov to occupy government buildings in Kyiv and kill Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.

On December 16, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Karim Assad Ahmad Khan, announced the completion of the investigation into the August War, the 2008 Russian-Georgian armed conflict that took place in the territory of the self-proclaimed South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Russia has dealt another massive blow to Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, more than 60 missiles were fired from land, air and sea. Ukrenergo declared a state of emergency due to a systemic failure in the energy infrastructure.

In Kyiv, Kharkov, and Dnieper, the movement of metro trains has been stopped, the stations are operating as bomb shelters. All districts of Kyiv have problems with water supply.

As a result of enemy shelling of Kherson, civilians were killed, including an 8-year-old child.

On December 13, at a plenary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada, the first vice-speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Alexander Kornienko, announced the creation of the inter-factional deputy association “Free Ichkeria”. Its members included 12 deputies from the political parties “Servant of the People”, “European Solidarity” and “Voice”.

In Odessa and the region, hundreds of thousands of people were left without electricity after an attack by Russian drones. Interruptions in water supply and heating have also been reported.

On December 12, the Investigative Committee announced the completion of the investigation into the murder of the head of the Ingush Center for External Action, Ibragim Eldzharkiev and his brother. The crime is classified as a terrorist attack. There are 11 defendants in the case. The investigation considers businessman Khasan Polonkoev to be the organizer.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that in Donetsk, the Russian authorities began to mobilize women to make up for losses in manpower and to complement the units of the 1st Army Corps of the Russian Ground Forces.