Sixty citizens brought back to Ukraine from Russia and occupied territories

Ukraine has brought home 60 of its citizens from Russia and Russian-occupied territories following recent humanitarian talks, Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said.

The returns followed meetings involving Ukrainian and Russian representatives and the International Committee of the Red Cross, during which humanitarian aid for Ukrainian prisoners of war was handed over, along with letters from families. The sides also exchanged lists to help verify missing persons, as well as information on seriously wounded and ill detainees, and discussed the return of unlawfully held civilians.

As part of a parallel family reunification effort, 15 Ukrainians — most with limited mobility — were returned from Russia and occupied areas. Among them was a 56-year-old woman who had suffered a stroke and had been stranded in Russia since 2022. After sustained efforts, she was reunited with her daughter for the first time in nearly four years.

In addition, 45 Ukrainians were brought back from temporary detention centers for foreigners on Russian territory, Lubinets said.

It remains unclear whether security guarantees will be time-limited – Zelensky

Talks on security guarantees for Ukraine have made progress but still leave key questions unanswered, including how long those guarantees would remain in force, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

After multiple rounds of negotiations with the United States, Zelensky noted that the duration of any guarantees has not yet been defined. A central requirement for Kyiv, he emphasized, is that any security commitments must be formally approved by the U.S. Congress to be credible and enforceable.

Zelensky said the guarantees under discussion are modeled on NATO’s Article 5 principle of collective defense, though details remain confidential. Even with such guarantees in place, he cautioned that Ukraine cannot assume Russia would never attack again, making it essential to clearly define how partners would respond to renewed aggression — including sanctions, military assistance, and actions at sea and on the battlefield.

He also reiterated that Ukraine views membership in the European Union as a separate and critical security guarantee, calling it a major geopolitical safeguard.

Russian drone attack on Kherson left two civilians injured

Two men were injured in a Russian drone strike on Kherson’s Dniprovskyi district on the evening of Dec. 16, local authorities reported.

The attack occurred around 9:30 p.m. and wounded men aged 37 and 38, who were taken to hospital. Both suffered blast and shrapnel injuries.

The 37-year-old sustained an open fracture to his left leg and is in critical condition, the Kherson City Military Administration said.

The bill on sanctions against Russian oil was introduced in the US Senate

Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, said that U.S. senators have introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at tightening sanctions on Russian oil exports.

According to Stefanishyna, Republican senators Dave McCormick and Jon Husted, together with Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Chris Coons, introduced the Decreasing Russia Oil Profits (DROP) Act of 2025. The legislation would impose sanctions on individuals and entities involved in purchasing or facilitating imports of Russian oil and petroleum products.

The bill’s authors argue that buying Russian oil directly finances Moscow’s war against Ukraine and warn that anyone helping to facilitate such imports could lose access to the U.S. financial system.

Stefanishyna said the bill creates a legal framework to significantly increase pressure on Russia’s oil revenues. If adopted, it would require the U.S. president to impose sanctions within 90 days on those involved in importing Russian oil. The sanctions list would be compiled by the U.S. Treasury Department in consultation with the State Department.