**Fortifications in Zaporizhzhia Completed**
The construction of fortifications in Zaporizhzhia and nearby settlements has been completed, said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on December 27. The fortifications were built to prepare for a potential Russian offensive in the region.
Ukraine spent around $45.5 million (1.9 billion hryvnias) from its state budget to build 358 military strongpoints and hundreds of kilometers of defensive lines. This comes amid warnings from Kyiv that Russia may launch an attack on Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
**Russia’s Military Advance**
Russia has been advancing at a fast rate along the front line, according to analysts. The country’s Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said Moscow aims to take control of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
**Other Developments**
* Ukrainian troops have thwarted a Russian attempt to gain control of an island on the Dnipro River delta.
* A plane crash in Kazakhstan was caused by external interference from Russia.
* Azerbaijan Airlines has reported that one of their planes crashed due to a surface-to-air missile fired from a Pantsir-S air defense system.
* Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) said the aircraft had been hit by a Russian Pantsir S1 air defense system on Russian terrain.
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