Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on December 30 authorizing the deployment of reservists from the mobilization manpower reserve in 2026 to protect important facilities, TASS reported during the past hour between 11:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. UTC. In Ukraine's Chernihiv Oblast, authorities ordered evacuations from 14 settlements in Novgorod-Siverska, Semenivska, Snovska, and Horodnyanska communities, Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration stated via Твій Чернігів over the same one-hour period. Finnish President Alexander Stubb thanked German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for convening a call among European leaders on the Ukraine peace process, describing it as useful for consolidating assessments and pledging continued cooperation with Ukraine and the United States, according to Stubb's X post in the reporting window. The Russian decree follows Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov's announcement earlier on December 30 between 10:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. UTC that Russia will toughen its Ukraine negotiation position after an alleged drone attack on Putin's residence, which Peskov called a terrorist act, per TASS. Chernihiv evacuations come after Russian drone strikes on regional energy facilities between 8:45 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. UTC that morning, which left residents without power, according to Chernihiv Regional Military Administration.
