Live blog: Putin vows to make Russia 'self-sufficient' as Ukraine war rages

1430 GMT — Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to make Russia "sovereign and self-sufficient" in the face of the West, in his first campaign speech before a March vote to extend his presidency until at least 2030.

Putin will stand for a fifth Kremlin term in an election that will come just over two years since Russia launched the seismic Ukraine offensive.

The 71-year-old came to power in 2000. The vote will likely prolong his rule until at least 2030 and give him the possibility to stay in the Kremlin until 2036.

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1619 GMT — Russia and Ukraine launch numerous drone attacks at each other

Russia and Ukraine reportedly have launched mass drone attacks at each other’s territories for a second straight day, one of which apparently targeted a Russian military airport.

At least 35 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight on Sunday over three regions in southwestern Russia, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a post on the messaging app Telegram.

A Russian air base hosting bomber aircraft used in the war in Ukraine was among the targets, according to a Russian Telegram channel critical of the Kremlin.

Vasily Golubev, the governor of Russia’s Rostov province, separately reported “mass drone strikes” near Morozovsk and another town farther west, but didn't mention the air base. Golubev said most the drones were shot down and and there were no casualties.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched overnight by Russian troops in southern and western Ukraine, as well as one X-59 cruise missile launched from the country’s occupied south.

1551 GMT — Top US lawmaker 'very optimistic' on Ukraine, border deal

As US congressional negotiators has worked deep into the weekend in a bid to craft an urgent deal linking aid to Ukraine and Israel to new border security, one top Democrat has said he was "very optimistic" about a resolution.

"I'm very encouraged. I'm very optimistic they're moving in a very positive way," Senator Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat, told CNN's "State of the Union."

He said he had been in touch with negotiators from both parties, as well as the White House, and "they understand that the border is broken" and needs to be fixed.

1545 GMT — Russia's ruling party backs Putin's re-election bid

Delegates from Russia’s ruling party have unanimously backed Putin’s bid for re-election at a party conference in Moscow, state agencies reported, just a day after the Kremlin leader’s supporters formally nominated him to run in the 2024 presidential election as an independent.

Dmitry Medvedev, United Russia’s chairman and a former Russian president and prime minister, called on fellow party members to “mobilise all activists and supporters” in support of Putin before the vote, scheduled for March 15-17, according to reports by Russian state agencies.

0936 GMT — No plan to attack NATO, Biden remark 'nonsense': Putin

Putin dismissed as complete nonsense remarks by US President Joe Biden that Russia would attack a NATO country if it won the war in Ukraine, adding that Russia had no interest in fighting the NATO military alliance.

The war in Ukraine has triggered the deepest crisis in Moscow's relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and Biden warned last year that a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia would trigger World War Three.

"It is complete nonsense - and I think President Biden understands that," Putin said in an interview published by Rossiya state television, adding that Biden appeared to be trying to justify his own "mistaken policy" on Russia.

"Russia has no reason, no interest - no geopolitical interest, neither economic, political nor military — to fight with NATO countries," Putin said.

0640 GMT –– Civilian killed in Russian air attack on Ukraine - Odessa governor

Debris from a downed drone killed a civilian in the Odessa region, the governor of the southern Ukrainian region said, after Ukraine's air force said it had destroyed 20 drones that Russia launched overnight.

Air defence systems destroyed nine Iran-made attack drones over Odessa, Governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app, calling it the third Russian air assault on the region in the past week.

"However, one of the downed drones fell into a residential area in Odessa district and exploded," Kiper said, adding that several houses were damaged and one person was found dead in one of them afterwards.

0508 GMT –– Russia attacks Ukraine with Iskander missile, drones - Kiev

Russia launched an overnight air assault on Ukraine using an Iskander ballistic missile, a cruise missile and attack drones, Ukraine's Air Force said.

Ukraine's air defence systems destroyed the cruise missile and 20 attack drones, the air force said on the Telegram messaging app. The Iskander missile "did not reach its target," it said, without providing details.

Reuters news agency could not independently verify the report. It was not clear how many drones Russia launched in total or whether the attack caused any damage or casualties.

0355 GMT –– Russia says it downs 33 Ukraine-launched drones over Russian regions

Russia's air defence systems destroyed 33 Ukraine-launched drones over several Russian regions, the Russian defence ministry said.

The drones were intercepted or destroyed before they reached their targets over the Lipetsk, Rostov and Volgograd regions, the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app, without providing further details.

For our live updates from Saturday (December 16), click here.