Ukraine’s military claims it has destroyed a Russian naval landing ship at a base in Russian-occupied Crimea, and says it shot down five Russian fighter jets over recent days. This comes after Russia’s military claimed it seized the frontline town of Maryinka in eastern Ukraine. On Monday, Ukraine celebrated Christmas on December 25 for the first time ever, breaking from a Russian Orthodox Church tradition of celebrating the holiday in early January in alignment with the Julian calendar. In Kyiv, Ukraine’s parliament is debating a bill that would lower the age of military conscription from 27 to 25, after the military said it needed up to a half-million additional soldiers. Meanwhile, The New York Times reports Russian President Vladimir Putin has been signaling through intermediaries since at least September that he is open to a ceasefire that freezes fighting in Ukraine along the current lines.