Russian Ministry of Defense units repelled Ukrainian Armed Forces attacks, struck 153 temporary deployment points, and inflicted about 1,360 Ukrainian personnel losses in the past day, while air defenses downed two Grom missiles and 140 aircraft-type drones, according to a TASS report on the MoD briefing between 5:16 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. UTC on December 29, 2025. The update follows Kremlin statements claiming 91 Ukrainian drones targeted President Vladimir Putin's Novgorod oblast residence overnight, differing from the MoD's morning tally of 18 drones shot down over the oblast, as noted in an X post by Faytuks during the 29-minute reporting window. An air alarm sounded in Ukraine's Shostkinsky district of Sumy region, with residents urged to seek cover, according to a Telegram post by єТривога in the past 29 minutes. Ukraine's Air Force of the Armed Forces reported an unmanned aerial vehicle in the north of Chernihiv Oblast during the same period. These developments occur amid prior reports of Putin informing U.S. President Donald Trump of the Novgorod incident during a phone call earlier on December 29, stating it would not go unanswered, per Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov as previously cited by TASS.
