A minimum of two individuals had been killed in a drone assault in Russia’s southwestern Saratov area and elements of Ukraine went with out energy following focused assaults on power infrastructure, native authorities stated Saturday, as U.S.-led peace talks on ending the conflict press on.
The drone assault broken a residential constructing and several other home windows had been additionally blown out at a kindergarten and clinic, stated Saratov regional Gov. Roman Busargin.
Russia’s protection ministry stated it had shot down 41 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory in a single day.
In Ukraine, Russia launched in a single day drone and missile strikes on 5 Ukrainian areas, focusing on power and port infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated Russia had despatched over 450 drones and 30 missiles into Ukraine in a single day.
“Thousands of families are now left without electricity after strikes last night in Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson and Chernihiv regions,” he wrote on Telegram.
On this seize from a video offered by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Friday, Dec 12, 2025, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy data a video on the street coming into of Kupiansk, Ukraine.
Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine by way of AP
An assault on the Black Sea metropolis of Odesa induced grain silos to catch hearth on the port, Ukrainian deputy prime minister and reconstruction minister Oleksiy Kuleba stated.
Two individuals had been wounded in assaults on the broader Odesa area, in keeping with regional head Oleh Kiper.
Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is attempting to cripple the Ukrainian energy grid and deny civilians entry to warmth, gentle and working water for a fourth consecutive winter, in what Ukrainian officers name “weaponizing” the chilly.
The most recent spherical of assaults got here after Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov stated Friday that Russian police and Nationwide Guard will keep on in japanese Ukraine’s Donbas and oversee the industry-rich area, even when a peace settlement ends Russia’s almost four-year conflict in Ukraine. This underscores Moscow’s ambition to keep up its presence in Donbas post-war. Ukraine is more likely to reject such a stance as U.S.-led negotiations drag on.
Moscow will give its blessing to a ceasefire solely after Ukraine’s forces have withdrawn from the entrance line, Ushakov stated in feedback revealed in Russian enterprise day by day Kommersant.
In the meantime, Germany is ready to host Zelenskyy on Monday for talks as peace efforts achieve momentum and European leaders search to steer negotiations.
For months, American negotiators have tried to navigate the calls for of every facet as U.S. President Donald Trump presses for a swift finish to Russia’s conflict whereas rising more and more exasperated by delays. The seek for attainable compromises has run into a significant impediment over who retains Ukrainian territory at the moment occupied by Russian forces.
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