A Russian cargo ship that Ukraine claims was sent to Syria to collect weapons has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea, according to officials in Moscow. Two crew members are missing after an engine room explosion sank the Ursa Major between Spain and Algeria, the foreign ministry said.

Russia sent a ship to evacuate soldiers and equipment from its bases in Syria, but it broke down en route, Ukrainian intelligence says.

Concurrently, marine traffic monitors show a Vladivostok-bound cargo ship, Ursa Major, previously registered as Sparta III and visually matching the picture published by HUR, moving at a very low speed of little over 1 knot in the open sea between Spain and Algeria.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Kurdish militants in Syria will either lay down their weapons or "be buried", amid hostilities between Turkey-backed Syrian fighters and the militants since the fall of Bashar al-Assad this month.

Former CNN Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty says that Vladimir Putin spinning Russia’s withdrawal from Syria as a victory could be a preview of how he will frame any possible ceasefire with Ukraine.

With Russia’s diminished influence in Syria, Ukraine calls on Israel to reconsider its stance and provide essential defensive weapons and technology.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief today, discussing cooperation between Ukraine and Syria. The meeting focused on relations with Syria after the fall of the regime and the escape of Bashar al-Assad.

The Ursa Major ship went down after an explosion in the engine room, Russia's foreign ministry said.

Pope Francis has called for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end the war triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In his traditional Christmas Day address, the Pope said "boldness [was] needed to open the door" to dialogue "in order to achieve a just and lasting peace" between the two sides.

Today, on Saturday, December 21, 34 people were evacuated from Syria as a result of a successful operation by the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Among them are 15 children.

Ukraine, like the United States, is a volunteer society, and immediately after the war, groups sprang up around the country to bring supplies to villages and towns under shelling and help or shelter those who wanted to evacuate. The TrustChain has drawn on such groups.