Russian large-scale attacks on Odesa cut off power and water almost everywhere

In one of the largest assaults on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in recent months, Russian forces unleashed a barrage of over 450 drones and around 30 missiles overnight into December 13, 2025, with Odesa suffering the most and accepting the heaviest brunt, plunging the southern port city and much of the surrounding region into widespread blackouts affecting more than a million households.

Ukrainian officials reported severe damage to power substations, a thermal power plant, and port facilities, including strikes that set a Turkish-owned civilian vessel ablaze in Chornomorsk and injured several people, while residential buildings and warehouses also caught fire amid the chaos.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the onslaught as deliberate terror aimed at civilian life during winter, noting that emergency crews battled blazes through the night as power, water, and heating supplies were disrupted across Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions, underscoring Russia's escalating campaign to weaponize the cold against Ukraine's population.

US envoy Witkoff will meet Zelenskyy and European leaders in Berlin

U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is set to meet with European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin this weekend, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The talks are expected to include French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as the White House intensifies efforts to secure an agreement aimed at halting the war between Russia and Ukraine before the end of the year, the newspaper reported.

The meeting comes amid growing diplomatic friction over the direction of peace negotiations. German officials previously said Zelenskyy is expected to arrive in Berlin on Monday, December 15. His visit follows a tense phone call earlier this week involving Merz, Macron, Starmer, and Trump, during which the leaders attempted to bridge differences over how to advance peace efforts.

Trump later acknowledged that the conversation included sharp exchanges, saying that “pretty strong words” were used, underscoring disagreements between Washington and its European partners over the U.S. approach to negotiations.

The Berlin talks are seen as a critical test of whether the United States and Europe can align their positions as pressure mounts to bring the conflict to an end.

Almost all of Siversk is under Russian control;Ukrainian armed forces need reserves to retake city

The city of Siversk in Donetsk Oblast is close to being fully lost to Russian forces, as Ukrainian troops struggle to hold remaining positions amid severe logistical and manpower constraints, according to local military officials.

Russian units have steadily pushed into the city since late October, using heavy fog to conceal their advances. An official from the local administration said the situation around Siversk has become critical, noting that Russian troops are now present throughout most of the city, with Ukrainian forces holding only limited ground west of the Bakhmutka River.

The official said that restoring lost positions would require the deployment of fresh reserves, but it remains unclear whether such forces are available either at the corps level or within the Eastern Operational Grouping. Even if reserves were committed, the official added, it is uncertain whether they would be sufficient to reverse the situation. Any counteroffensive would require halting Russian advances on both flanks and suppressing enemy positions with sustained artillery fire.

Ukrainian forces have relied heavily on drones rather than infantry to control parts of the city in recent weeks. However, after Russian troops captured key high ground north of Siversk, operating in the low-lying city became increasingly difficult. Supply routes have been severely disrupted, further undermining Ukraine’s defensive efforts.

As of December 13, the most optimistic assessment places the front line along the Bakhmutka River, leaving the eastern part of the city under Russian control and only limited Ukrainian positions remaining in the west. A more pessimistic assessment suggests Russian forces may now control the entire city.

Five more Ukrainians return to freedom from Belarus -Zelensky

Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, has briefed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on preparations for a special operation to secure the release of around 100 civilians held in Belarus, including five Ukrainian citizens.

Zelenskyy said the operation was made possible through close cooperation between Ukrainian and U.S. intelligence agencies, with additional support from European partners when needed. He emphasized that the effort reflects ongoing coordination with Washington and said Ukraine is providing assistance to U.S. partners as part of the process.

The president also instructed Ukrainian agencies to intensify efforts aimed at freeing Ukrainians held by Russia, setting a goal of securing as many releases as possible by 2026.

The announcement came shortly after U.S. Special Envoy to Belarus John Coale said Washington had lifted sanctions on Belarusian potash, a key export for Minsk.