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For the first time, Russia admits it’s “in a state of war” with Ukraine
Russia admitted two years into its invasion of Ukraine on Friday that it was “in a state of war,” as it launched a massive wave of missile and drone attacks on its neighbor’s territory. The admission marks an escalation in official language used to describe the conflict, which the Kremlin initially referred to as a “special military operation.”
Russia fired almost 90 missiles and more than 60 Iranian-designed kamikaze drones, damaging “dozens” of energy facilities, including power stations, in what Ukrainian officials said was an attempt to cripple the country’s electricity and heating network.
At least three people were killed and more than 20 injured, according to the interior ministry and local officials.
“We are in a state of war,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview given to a pro-Kremlin newspaper, published Friday. “Yes, it started as a special military operation, but as soon as this bunch was formed there, when the collective West became a participant on Ukraine’s side, for us it already became a war,” Peskov said.
Moscow often accuses the West of direct participation in the conflict by supplying Ukraine with weapons.
Later on Friday, Peskov elaborated on his remarks to journalists.
“This is a special military operation, nothing has changed. I’m saying that essentially after the collective West entered, it turned into a war for us. This is not related to any legal changes. This is a special military operation de jure. But de facto, in fact, for us it turned into a war after the collective West more and more directly increased the level of its involvement in the conflict,” he told reporters.
Russian attacks hit at least nine regions – from Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia near the front lines to Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine, hundreds of miles away from the fighting.
Ukraine’s state-run power grid, Ukrenergo, said, “This morning’s Russian attack on Ukraine’s energy system was the largest on record.”
“Dozens of power system facilities have been damaged,” including thermal and hydroelectric power plants, as well as major and regional power lines and emergency blackouts had been put place in seven regions, it said.
“The world sees the targets of Russian terrorists as clearly as possible: power plants and energy supply lines, a hydroelectric dam, ordinary residential buildings, even a trolleybus,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
He appealed once again on Friday for more Western arms, blasting political “indecision” that he said was costing Ukrainian lives.
Ukraine has struggled with shortages of both air defenses to protect its skies and ammunition on the ground, with a vital $60 billion military aid package currently held up in the U.S. Congress.
“Russian missiles do not have delays, as do aid packages to our country. The ‘Shahed’ (drones) have no indecision, like some politicians. It is important to understand the cost of delays and postponed decisions,” Zelenskyy said.
“We need air defense to protect people, infrastructure, homes and dams. Our partners know exactly what is needed. They can definitely support us. … Life must be protected from these non-humans from Moscow.”
Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 37 of the 88 missiles fired overnight and 55 of 63 drones.
The strikes left around 700,000 consumers without electricity in the northeastern Kharkiv region, governor Oleg Synegubov said.
“The goal is not just to damage, but to try again, like last year, to cause a large-scale failure of the country’s energy system,” said energy minister German Galushchenko.
Last winter, Russia launched a daily barrage of aerial attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, plunging millions into darkness and leaving them without heating in sub-zero temperatures for hours.
But the country’s energy network has largely held up this year.
Despite “temporary” blackouts being put in place in some regions, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said Friday that, “The situation in the energy sector is under control, and there is no need for blackouts across the country.”
Emergency electricity was being supplied from Romania, Slovakia and Poland, Galushchenko said.
One of the strikes Friday severed one of two power lines supplying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station plant in southeast Ukraine, energy minister Galushchenko said.
The facility, Europe’s largest nuclear energy site, was seized by Russian troops in the first days of the war but is powered by Ukrainian lines.
“This situation is extremely dangerous and risks sparking an emergency situation,” said Ukraine’s atomic energy operator Energoatom.
The plant has suffered multiple blackouts since the beginning of the war, falling back on emergency diesel generators and safety systems.
“In case of their failure, a threat of a nuclear and radiation accident will emerge,” said Energoatom.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, which is monitoring the situation at the site, said a back-up power line was still working.
A Russian missile also hit a trolleybus at the Dnipro hydroelectric station, officials said.
Photos on social media showed a fire raging on the dam and the burnt-out carcass of the vehicle.
In Russia, a woman was killed and other people wounded in a strike Friday on Russia’s Belgorod, said the governor of the region along the border with Ukraine, where Kyiv has stepped up attacks.
And Moscow’s FSB security service said it had arrested seven pro-Ukrainian partisans in the capital, the latest in a flurry of similar cases.
Legislation to expand Social Security benefits to millions of Americans passed the U.S. Senate early Saturday and is now headed to the desk of President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign the measure into law.
Senators voted 76-20 for the Social Security Fairness Act, which would eliminate two federal policies that prevent nearly 3 million people, including police officers, firefighters, postal workers, teachers and others with a public pension, from collecting their full Social Security benefits. The legislation has been decades in the making, as the Senate held its first hearings into the policies in 2003.
“The Senate finally corrects a 50-year mistake,” proclaimed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, after senators approved the legislation at 12:15 a.m. Saturday.
The bill’s passage is “a monumental victory for millions of public service workers who have been denied the full benefits they’ve rightfully earned,” said Shannon Benton, executive director for the Senior Citizens League, which advocates for retirees and which has long pushed for the expansion of Social Security benefits. “This legislation finally restores fairness to the system and ensures the hard work of teachers, first responders and countless public employees is truly recognized.”
The vote came down to the wire, as the Senate looked to wrap up its current session. Senators rejected four amendments and a budgetary point of order late Friday night that would have derailed the measure, given the small window of time left to pass it.
Vice President-elect JD Vance of Ohio was among the 24 Republican senators to join 49 Democrats to advance the measure in an initial procedural vote that took place Wednesday.
“Social Security is a bedrock of our middle class. You pay into it for 40 quarters, you earned it, it should be there when you retire,” Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who lost his seat in the November election, told the chamber ahead of Wednesday’s vote. “All these workers are asking for is for what they earned.”
What is the Social Security Fairness Act?
The Social Security Fairness Act would repeal two federal policies — the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) — that reduce Social Security payments to nearly 3 million retirees.
That includes those who also collect pensions from state and federal jobs that aren’t covered by Social Security, including teachers, police officers and U.S. postal workers. The bill would also end a second provision that reduces Social Security benefits for those workers’ surviving spouses and family members. The WEP impacts about 2 million Social Security beneficiaries and the GPO nearly 800,000 retirees.
The measure, which passed the House in November, had 62 cosponsors when it was introduced in the Senate last year. Yet the bill’s bipartisan support eroded in recent days, with some Republican lawmakers voicing doubts due to its cost. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the proposed legislation would add a projected $195 billion to federal deficits over a decade.
Without Senate approval, the bill’s fate would have ended with the current session of Congress and would have needed to be re-introduced in the next Congress.
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Saturday is the winter solstice and 2024’s shortest day. Here’s what to know about the official start of winter.
The 2024 winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, happens on Saturday, Dec. 21, in the Northern Hemisphere. The celestial event signifies the first day of winter, astronomically.
What is the winter solstice?
The winter solstice is the day each year that has the shortest period of daylight between sunrise and sunset, and therefore the longest night. It happens when the sun is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn, a line of latitude that circles the globe south of the equator, the National Weather Service explains.
The farther north you are, the shorter the day will be, and in the Arctic Circle, the sun won’t rise at all.
How is the day of the winter solstice determined?
The winter solstice occurs because of the Earth’s tilt as it rotates around the sun.
When the Northern Hemisphere tilts away from the sun, the nights last longer. The longest night happens on the solstice because the hemisphere is in its furthest position from the sun. That occurs each year on Dec. 21 or 22.
This year, it falls on Dec. 21 at 4:21 a.m ET, to be precise.
On the summer solstice, when the northern tilt is closest to the sun, we have the longest day, usually June 20 or 21.
National Weather Service
The solstices are not always exactly on the 21st every year because the earth’s rotation around the sun is 365.25 days, instead of 365 even.
Will days start getting longer after the winter solstice?
Yes. Each day after the solstice, we get one minute more of sunlight. It doesn’t sound like much, but after just two months, or around 60 days, we’ll be seeing about an hour more of sunlight.
When will winter officially be over in 2025?
The meteorological winter ends on March 20, 2025. Then, spring will last until June 20, when the summer solstice arrives.
How is the winter solstice celebrated around the world?
Nations and cultures around the world have celebrated the solstice since ancient times with varying rituals and traditions. The influence of those solstice traditions can still be seen in our celebrations of holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah, Britannica notes.
The ancient Roman Saturnalia festival celebrated the end of the planting season and has close ties with modern-day Christmas. It honored Saturn, the god of harvest and farming. The multiple-day affair had lots of food, games and celebrations. Presents were given to children and the poor, and slaves were allowed to stop working.
Gatherings are held every year at Stonehenge, a monumental circle of massive stones in England that dates back about 5,000 years. The origins of Stonehenge are shrouded in mystery, but it was built to align with the sun on solstice days.
Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images
The Hopi, a Native American tribe in the northern Arizona area, celebrate the winter solstice with dancing, purification and sometimes gift-giving. A sacred ritual known as the Soyal Ceremony marks the annual milestone.
In Peru, people honor the return of the sun god on the winter solstice. The ancient tradition would be to hold sacrificial ceremonies, but today, people hold mock sacrifices to celebrate. Because Peru is in the Southern Hemisphere, their winter solstice happens in June, when the Northern Hemisphere is marking its summer solstice.
Scandinavia celebrates St. Lucia’s Day, a festival of lights.
The “arrival of winter,” or Dong Zhi, is a Chinese festival where family gathers to celebrate the year so far. Traditional foods include tang yuan, sweet rice balls with a black sesame filling. It’s believed to have its origins in post-harvest celebrations.
Researchers stationed in in Antarctica even have their own traditions, which may include an icy plunge into the polar waters. They celebrate “midwinter” with festive meals, movies and sometimes homemade gifts.