Ukraine official says Kherson is ‘one of the most dangerous cities’; Ukrainian president says only few civilians remain in Bakhmut. This live blog is closed

• Russia-Ukraine war at a glance

An “official” channel of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) – one of the areas of Ukraine that Russia claimed to have annexed in September – has posted on Telegram to say in the last 24 hours, Ukrainian forces have fired at seven of the settlements the DPR claims as its territory.

It says one civilian was injured, and two houses and three civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged. The claims have not been independently verified. Russia, Syria and North Korea were the only UN member states to recognise the DPR as any kind of legitimate authority before the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, declared it was territory of the Russian Federation.

IOM’s winter preparedness support, made possible by EU funding, includes repairs to collective centres for displaced people, improvements to water, drainage and heating systems, repairs to damaged houses, and the provision of warm blankets, bedding, mattresses and hygiene items. The programme also provides solid fuel and cash assistance to help people have flexible winter livelihoods. This funding will also enable IOM to ensure the availability of critical assets to ensure that aid continues to reach war-affected populations, and to support partner organisations responding to urgent needs on the ground.

Vulnerable sections of the population of Ukraine are going through the hardest winter. As the attacks continue, leaving millions without reliable access to electricity, heating and water, our humanitarian partners, including IOM, continue to work to meet the most urgent needs.

Country-wide air raid warning issued; heavy fighting near Kreminna according to head of Luhansk regional military

• What we know on day 307 of the invasion

As we reported in the previous post, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, yesterday attended an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a Moscow-led group consisting of former Soviet states, in St Petersburg.

In footage posted by the Kremlin, Putin is seen welcoming the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

We have to admit, unfortunately, that disagreements also arise between the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The main thing, however, is that we are ready and will cooperate, and even if any problematic issues arise, we strive to solve them ourselves.

From terms to mock the Russian foe to those that mask the grim reality of war, new usages abound

It was once a superstition only among Ukrainian air crew: the word “last”, especially in the context of a last or final meeting, should be avoided as it denotes a premonition of death.

In its place air crew would say krajne, which translates very roughly to English as “on the edge”.

‘Every war ends in a diplomatic way,’ says Dmytro Kuleba

• At a glance: what we know on day 306 of the invasion

Christo Grozev, from the investigative journalism organisation Bellingcat, describes the announcement by Russia’s defence ministry that a Ukrainian drone attacked a base in Russia’s Saratov region as “mind boggling”.

Here are some of the latest images we have received from Ukraine.

Ukraine’s president says Ukrainians are creating their own ‘miracle’ in Christmas address as Russian president accuses Kyiv and western allies of ‘refusing to negotiate’

• What we know on day 305 of the invasion

At least 16 people were killed and 64 injured in Russia’s shelling of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine on Saturday, the region’s governor Yaroslav Yanushevych said.

Russian forces “opened fire on the Kherson region 71 times” with artillery, multiple launch rocket systems and mortars, Yanushevych said in an update posted on social media this morning.

The enemy attacked the regional centre 41 times. Downtown Kherson came under extensive enemy fire: civilians were killed and buildings destroyed. The enemy shelling also affected industrial premises, health facilities, detached houses and apartment blocks.

City of Kherson suffers worst toll as Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemns killing ‘for intimidation and pleasure’

• Russian-Ukraine war: latest updates

Russia launched artillery barrages in southern and eastern Ukraine on Saturday, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens more.

The worst civilian toll was in the southern city of Kherson, which was liberated last month from Russian occupying forces. The office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general confirmed that eight people had been killed.