Ukraine News Updates - December 11, 2025
Ukraine's Learning Platform Wins Global Education Award
Diia.Osvita, a Ukrainian digital education platform, received the gold award at the QS Reimagine Education Awards 2025 in the Lifelong Learning category, competing against over 1,600 global submissions. Since 2020, the platform has provided digital literacy training and, following a 2023 relaunch with Google.org support, now offers comprehensive professional retraining across 30+ learning directions. The platform has distributed over 5 million certificates and operates 5,000+ offline digital education hubs to serve users without reliable internet access.
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Ukraine’s Trade Turnover Reaches $112.2 Billion
From January to November 2025, Ukraine’s trade turnover reached $112.2 billion, up 10.1% year‑on‑year, with imports of $75.4 billion and exports of $36.8 billion, resulting in a $38.6 billion trade deficit. China, Poland and Germany remain top import partners, while Poland, Turkey and Germany lead for exports. Key import categories are machinery and transport, chemicals, and fuel, whereas main exports are food products, metals, and machinery.
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Partners Commit Over $4 Billion for Ukraine Arms
International partners committed to providing over $4 billion for weapons procurement for Ukraine within the Patriot and Long-Range Air Defense Modernization (PURL) framework. Prime Minister Denis Shmygal announced the pledge during coordination efforts to strengthen Ukraine's air defense capabilities. The funding initiative reflects allied commitment to equipping Ukraine with modern defensive systems to counter aerial threats. Partner nations coordinated financial and military support packages to enhance Ukraine's defensive posture and protect critical infrastructure from ongoing air attacks.
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Ukrainian Defense Startups Attract $105 Million
In 2025, Ukrainian defense tech startups raised over $105 million in grants and investments, with more than 50 companies securing funding. This amount represents roughly one-third of all early-stage defense tech investments in Europe, where total Pre-seed, Seed, and Series A funding reached about $200 million. Funding increasingly comes from venture funds and private investors, reflecting growing international interest in Ukrainian defense technologies.
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SBU Drones Hit Key Russian Energy Sites
Ukrainian security services reportedly conducted long-range drone strikes against Russia’s Filanovsky offshore oil platform in the Caspian Sea, causing at least four direct hits and halting oil and gas extraction from over 20 wells. The field is one of Russia’s largest in the Caspian, with significant oil and gas reserves exported via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. The same special operations unit previously targeted a liquefied gas terminal in Temryuk port, triggering a large fire affecting more than 20 storage tanks.
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Ukraine Completes Shift to Corps Structure
Ukraine’s Armed Forces have completed the transition to a corps-based command structure, with all newly formed corps assigned areas of responsibility and force packages, easing the load on operational-tactical and operational-strategic commands. According to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, inexperienced commanders were replaced, and new leaders are already conducting operations under the updated system. The next stage involves aligning corps equipment and units with their actual organizational structure and rotating brigades within corps.
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Russia Today Launches English Channel in India
During a state visit to New Delhi, Vladimir Putin took part in launching RT India, a new English‑language branch of Russia’s state media network. The channel, based in New Delhi, is already present on Indian cable networks and has a content‑sharing agreement with public broadcaster Prasar Bharati. RT India targets Indian audiences with programming in Russia–India relations and aims to expand Russia’s information presence in the Global South..
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The Netherlands Add €700 Million for Ukraine
The outgoing Dutch government will allocate an additional €700 million to support Ukraine over the next year, redirecting unspent funds from the defense and foreign affairs budgets. The money will be used mainly for military assistance, including continued deliveries of equipment in early 2026. This comes on top of previously committed multi‑billion‑euro support and recent Dutch contributions via NATO mechanisms and the PURL initiative.
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First State AI Hackathon for Diia
Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation and EPAM Ukraine held the first state-run AI hackathon, Diia.AIContest, to develop new digital tools for users of the Diia app. Three winning teams received grants of up to 8,000 dollars, and their AI solutions are expected to be integrated into Diia’s public services. Participants worked on real use cases such as AI assistants, improved navigation, and automation of state service processes.
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Japan Shares Cybersecurity Expertise with Ukraine
Japan's Ministry of Defense shared cybersecurity knowledge with Ukraine within the IT Coalition framework. The collaboration focuses on strengthening Ukraine's defensive capabilities in the digital domain. Japanese experts provided guidance on cybersecurity strategies, threat assessment, and protection mechanisms. This partnership represents Japan's commitment to supporting Ukraine's technological resilience amid ongoing security challenges. The exchange of expertise aims to enhance Ukraine's capacity to defend critical infrastructure and government systems against cyber threats.