Russia reported continued strikes on Ukrainian facilities, while Ukraine claimed to have destroyed Russian facilities, according to reports released by both sides on Saturday.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a briefing Saturday that in the past day, Russian forces struck Ukrainian forces' manpower and equipment assembly points in 148 locations, destroying infrastructure at one military airfield and one fuel depot.
The Russian air defense forces shot down four US-made HIMARS missiles and 104 drones belonging to the Ukrainian military.
On the same day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated on social media that on Thursday, Ukrainian forces targeted a military facility of the Russian Armed Forces in Oryol Oblast, destroying a facility used by the Russian military to store, maintain, and repair drones.
Russia, Ukraine maintain attacks on each other's military targets
The upcoming New Year has injected a stimulus to China's consumer market, with stores beefing up stocks of farm produce and other supplies.
According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, ahead of the New Year, the stock levels of essential goods such as grains, edible oil, eggs, and pork have slightly increased in the country's 200 major agricultural wholesale markets compared with early December. The supply of daily necessities has remained sufficient and the prices have been generally stable.
In Beijing, grocery stores are experiencing a surge in customer traffic, with many major supermarkets seeing daily foot traffic exceeding 10,000 people.
Hubei Province in central China has better coordinated production and sales, increasing the efficiency of daily goods circulation by 10 percent compared with usual.
In south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and other regions, large agricultural wholesale markets and key supermarkets have seen a 20 percent increase in the supply of essential items such as vegetables, fruits, eggs, and dairy products.
The holiday atmosphere also extends to commercial districts and tourist attractions. From Nanjing City's lantern-decorated malls and Changsha City's renovated cultural streets, to newly opened countryside inns in snow-covered Mohe City, business is booming ahead of the New Year.
Many stores are also rolling out end-of-the-year special sales. In northwest China's Xi'an City, several department stores have offered promotion deals combined with subsidies for home appliances move-up purchases.
"With government subsidies, the discounts are particularly good. I'm planning to buy a new washing machine before the New Year so I can use it during the holidays," said a consumer in Xi'an.
Data from the State Information Center shows that in December, the offline consumer activity index has seen a 5.0 percent year-on-year increase. The service consumption activity index has risen by 10.6 percent, with the leisure and entertainment sector growing by 32.3 percent, the catering industry up by 9.6 percent, and tourism by 9.0 percent, respectively.
China sees bustling consumption as New Year approaches
