Air raid warning issued for all of Ukraine; Russia relocates aircraft

Dec. 27 (UPI) -- An air raid alert was issued for all of Ukraine on Tuesday, as officials warned Russia was bringing reserves to bolster its forces around the city of Kreminna, in the eastern Luhansk region.

The spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Ihnat, said Russia moved aircraft from the Engels airbase after the Russian Ministry of Defense reported a Ukrainian drone strike killed three Russian servicemen on Monday.

In a message posted to Telegram on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote, "In this battle, we have one powerful and effective weapon. The hammer and sword of our spirit and consciousness. Courage and bravery. Virtues that incline us to do good deeds and overcome evil."

Zelensky said 9 million Ukrainians remained without power after Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Mailer said the city of Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region, is holding "courageously."

"Bakhmut is really our eastern fortress now. Indeed the enemy has concentrated most of its efforts, military equipment and weapons there," Mailer said during an interview with Ukrainian television. "You can see how courageously Bakhmut is holding, how much our soldiers inflict losses on the enemy and the enemy simply cannot advance further."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on Ukraine to accept Russian demands on Monday.

"Our proposals for the demilitarization and denazification of the territories controlled by the regime, the elimination of threats to Russia's security emanating from there, including our new lands, are well known to the enemy," Lavrov told TASS, the state news agency. "The point is simple: Fulfill them for your own good. Otherwise, the issue will be decided by the Russian army."

The bodies of 42 fallen Ukrainian servicemen were returned to Ukraine on Tuesday .

"The Office of the Commissioner for Missing Persons, together with law enforcement agencies, continues to bring home heroes who sacrificed their lives for Ukraine. Another transfer of bodies took place today as 42 KIAs were delivered," read a statement from officials.

Police in Mykolaiv region said they have uncovered seven more bodies in the recently liberated town of Snihurivka.