Current Developments in the Ukraine Conflict
Escalation of Violence
On Sunday, December 14, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia continued to escalate. A Ukrainian drone strike on the Russian city of Saratov resulted in two fatalities, according to regional Governor Roman Busargin, who shared the information via a Telegram statement. The attack also injured an unspecified number of people.
In response, Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed that it launched a retaliatory strike using hypersonic Kinzhal missiles against Ukrainian industrial and energy facilities. This move was framed as a reaction to previous Ukrainian attacks on “civilian targets” within Russia.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa, a significant overnight Russian attack on the power grid left over a million households without electricity. The situation was described by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko as one of the largest assaults on Odesa during the war. She noted that supplies of non-drinking water were being transported to affected areas, while electricity and water services were disrupted.
Ukraine’s power grid operator reported that a “significant number” of households in the southern regions of Odesa and Mykolaiv were without power. Additionally, the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Kherson region was completely cut off from electricity.
Attacks on Civilian Vessels
Ukraine’s navy accused Russia of deliberately targeting the civilian Turkish vessel Viva, which was transporting sunflower oil to Egypt. The attack occurred just a day after Moscow struck two Ukrainian ports. Fortunately, none of the 11 Turkish nationals onboard were harmed, and the ship continued its journey to Egypt.
Earlier reports indicated that three other Turkish vessels had been damaged in a separate attack.
Nuclear Plant Power Outage
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine experienced another temporary loss of all offsite power, marking the 12th such incident since the conflict began. This outage was attributed to military activity affecting the electrical grid, as reported by Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Both power lines have since been reconnected.
US-Led Peace Negotiations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced plans to meet with US and European representatives in Berlin to discuss the “fundamentals of peace.” He emphasized the need for a “dignified” peace and assurances that Russia would not attack again following its full-scale invasion in 2022.
US envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are set to meet with Zelenskyy and European leaders in Berlin. According to a US official, the meetings will take place on Sunday and Monday. French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz were also expected to attend, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
European leaders and Ukraine have requested security guarantees from the US before engaging in any territorial negotiations in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, according to the French presidency. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have been discussing US-led peace proposals for Ukraine and potential use of frozen Russian sovereign assets to fund Kyiv.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkmenistan, expressed hope of discussing a Ukraine-Russia peace plan with Trump, stating that “peace is not far away.”
Political and Diplomatic Developments
Ukraine received 114 prisoners released by Belarus, including individuals accused of working for Ukrainian intelligence and Belarusian political prisoners. Photos posted by Kyiv’s POW coordination centre showed the released captives boarding a bus, with some smiling and embracing.
Zelenskyy spoke with Belarusian prisoner Maria Kalesnikava after her release, as reported by presidential aide Dmytro Lytvyn. Lytvyn mentioned that military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov was present when the prisoners were received.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a welcoming ceremony for an army engineering unit returning from a 120-day deployment in Russia. At the event, he praised the officers and soldiers for their “heroic” conduct.
Russia has also taken a diplomatic step by sentencing top International Criminal Court (ICC) judges and its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, to jail. This move comes in retaliation for the court’s 2023 decision to issue an arrest warrant for Putin over alleged war crimes during the Ukraine conflict.