Russian and Ukrainian forces exchanged artillery fire on the front line in Ukraine on Friday, even after Moscow said it had ordered its troops to cease fire for a unilateral ceasefire that Kyiv strongly rejected.

The latest on the war in Ukraine, day 318:

01:15 Zelensky: Russism must lose this war. Peace is getting closer every day

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, says that a new aid package from the US totaling almost 3 billion dollars has been announced. “We will get Bradley fighting vehicles for the first time, which is exactly what we need. New weapons and projectiles, including with high accuracy. New rockets. New drones,” he clarifies. Zelensky mentions diplomatic efforts, adding that “Russianism must lose this war.” “Peace is getting closer every day,” he claims, News.ro reports

00:39According to the Department of Defense, CNN reports that the United States will begin training Ukrainian forces on the Patriot missile system later this month.

A brief summary of recent events:

• The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, says that a new aid package from the USA with a total value of almost 3 billion dollars has been announced. “We will get Bradley fighting vehicles for the first time, which is exactly what we need. New weapons and projectiles, including with high accuracy. New rockets. New drones,” he clarifies. Zelensky mentions diplomatic efforts, adding that “Russianism must lose this war.” “Peace is getting closer every day,” he claims, News.ro reports.
• The new military aid package prepared by the United States for Ukraine will for the first time include Sea Sparrow radar-guided anti-aircraft missiles that can be launched from both land and sea, Politico writes, citing two sources familiar with the discussions.
• Ukraine’s military intelligence service said Russia is to order the mobilization of up to 500,000 conscripts in January, up from the 300,000 it called for in October, another clear sign that Vladimir Putin has no intention of ending the war, The Guardian. at least $1.79 billion to restore its telecommunications sector to pre-war levels, according to a UN report, The Guardian reported. Russia has “totally destroyed or hijacked” networks in parts of Ukraine, and communications infrastructure in more than 10 of the country’s 24 regions was significantly damaged and destroyed, the Geneva-based International Telecommunication Union said.
• Ukraine’s military intelligence service said Russia is to order the mobilization of up to 500,000 conscripts in January, up from the 300,000 it called for in October, another clear sign that Vladimir Putin has no intention of ending the war, reports The Guardian.
• Russia “opened fire 14 times” in the first three hours of the unilateral “ceasefire” announced by Putin, says the governor of the Luhansk region, Serhii Gaidai, the Guardian reports. Also, during the “Christmas truce”, Russian troops tried to attack one of the liberated villages of the Luhansk region,” Gaidai wrote in Telegram.
• A Russian hacking group known as Cold River attacked three nuclear research laboratories in the United States last summer, according to Internet records reviewed by Reuters and five cybersecurity experts.
• According to the Department of Defense, CNN reports that the United States will begin training Ukrainian forces on the Patriot missile system later this month.
• The Balkans are a major source of mercenaries for Russia, according to the Center for National Resistance, an organization run by Ukraine’s special forces, the Kyiv Independent reported.
• Ukraine says that Russia is preparing “terrorist attacks” for Christmas on churches in the occupied territories.
• The Russian army on Friday assured that it was abiding by the two-day truce that Moscow unilaterally declared in Ukraine on the occasion of the old-style Orthodox Christmas, but accused Kyiv of continuing the bombings, AFP and Reuters reported.