Will Tizard

Asked whether they believe the war will end in 2025, Ukrainians in Chernihiv and Zaporizhzhya expressed doubt -- although some believe it may happen if the United States withdraws support.

Syria's most notorious extremist group has lost power over the last decade but has still managed to hit international targets. Some worry IS could make a comeback in the power vacuum following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

Residents in Ukraine's Kherson region say they are being stalked by Russian drones, which drop lethal grenades and mines on their community. Up to 40 drones a day have been spotted hunting civilians, cars, and cyclists in a terror tactic that has been called "human safari."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told EU leaders gathered in Brussels on December 19 that continued support in the fight against Russia's invasion is urgent. Energy infrastructure is increasingly under attack, he said, before rejecting the idea that Ukraine might negotiate with Russia.

A passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, to Russia has crashed near the city of Aqtau in western Kazakhstan with 67 people on board, Kazakh authorities said on December 25. Officials said dozens were killed in the incident, but added that several others had survived.

Experts believe the flight crew of an Azerbaijan Airlines jet that crashed on December 25 was struggling to control the plane in its last moments, they say. No official cause has been given yet for the crash, which claimed dozens of lives. Meanwhile, families and friends of passengers on the plane expressed fears and shared stories about loved ones hours after the disaster. Speaking to RFE/RL at Baku airport, Vugar Ismayilov said passenger Habib Ismayilov was traveling on Flight J2-8243 bound for Grozny for work and "didn't really want to go."

Major oil exporters in the Persian Gulf region are keenly focused on who has control of a small archipelago in the middle of the Strait of Hormuz. Both Iran and the United Arab Emirates have made claims.

Ukrainian's military said it has downed a Russian helicopter for the first time with a missile launched from a new-generation sea drone. In a December 31 statement, Ukraine said a water-based drone on the Black Sea was responsible for the attack. Until now, such drones have only been known for strikes against Russian ships or other marine targets.

Residents of Cetinje, Montenegro, said they were shocked over the fatal shooting of 12 people in the community on New Year's Day. The suspected shooter, Aco Martinovic, fired upon people in five separate incidents before committing suicide, according to police.

In January 2022, anti-government protests erupted across Kazakhstan, prompting a violent police crackdown that left hundreds dead. In the city of Shymkent, 20 people were killed in one night, including Nurbolat Alpamys, a young man just days from his 20th birthday.