RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Western military aid to Kyiv, worldwide reaction, and the plight of civilians and refugees. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
Latest Developments At A Glance
- French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will discuss the deployment of a postwar peacekeeping force in Ukraine when the two meet in Warsaw on December 12.
- The number of people killed in a Russian strike on a clinic in the southern city of Zaporizhzhya has risen to eight, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported early on December 11, adding that at least 22 others were wounded and that rescue operations were still under way.
- Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, took jabs at each other on social media as political momentum grows for a deal to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
- The United States announced it has loaned Ukraine $20 billion backed by the interest earned on frozen Russian assets, part of a $50 billion G7 support package agreed to this summer.
- Belarus's authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka said "several dozen" Russian nuclear warheads are now deployed in his country and that about 30 sites are being considered as potential locations for Oreshnik missile systems, which were recently combat-tested in a massive strike on Ukraine.
- Ukraine has rejected reports of a Russian breakthrough into the northeastern region of Sumy characterizing them as part of Moscow's disinformation campaign while Russia again struck civilian areas in the northeast and south.
- President Zelenskiy said he would consider the temporary deployment of foreign military forces on Ukrainian soil until full NATO membership as a way of securing his country as part of peace settlement with Russia.
- A car bomb in Ukraine's Russian-occupied eastern region of Donetsk has reportedly killed the head of a prison where dozens of Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russian forces were killed in 2022.
Ukraine Has A Tough Winter Ahead. What Can NATO Do To Help?
The mood on Ukraine at the NATO foreign affairs ministerial in Brussels on December 3-4 can be described in one word: grim. Read Rikard Jozwiak's report here.
Could A Demilitarized Zone End The Ukraine War?
U.S. Naval War College Professor Lieutenant Colonel Jahara "Franky" Matisek talks about the state of the Russian invasion at the 1,000-day mark. Read the interview by Vazha Tavberidze here.
Steps Too Far As Moscow, Washington Cross 'Red Lines' Over Ukraine?
The United States appears to have done a volte face by allowing Ukraine to fire donated missiles deeper into Russian territory. Russia has significantly loosened its threshold for a nuclear response to even a conventional attack. Why now, 1,000 days into Russia's invasion of Ukraine and just two months before U.S. President Joe Biden leaves office? Read the story by Michael Scollon here.
Could U.S. Long-Range Missiles Tip The Balance In The Ukraine War?
The Biden administration has reportedly given Ukraine permission to strike deep inside Russian territory, opening the door for the U.K., France, and Germany to follow in its steps. Its impact, however, will depend on how many weapons Ukraine is given. Read the story by Todd Prince here.
Peace Talks Brewing, Russia And Ukraine Jockey For Advantage -- On And Off The Battlefield
As Donald Trump’s return to the White House draws closer and talk of a concerted effort to stop the fighting in Ukraine grows, Russia is pressing a monthslong initiative on the battlefield. Ukraine, meanwhile, is struggling. Read the report by Mike Eckel here.
Trump's Win Could Ignite Push For Peace In Ukraine, But On Whose Terms?
Donald Trump’s election to a new term as U.S. president could lead to a push for an end to the war in Ukraine, but the risks and the hurdles are high. Read the story by Steve Gutterman here.
Ukraine's Forces Are Dangerously Stretched. Will North Korean Troops Break Them?
The quality of the North Korean force hired by Russia to deploy to the Ukrainian front is questionable. Their quantity alone, however, may be enough to break beleaguered Ukrainian defenses. Read the story by Mike Eckel here.
What Did The Kremlin's Early Peace Plan For Ukraine Contain?
RFE/RL’s Russian investigative unit has obtained a draft treaty that Moscow proposed early in talks that began days after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. If signed, it would have left a truncated Ukraine deeply vulnerable, with a minuscule military and no hope of protection by the West. Read the story by Yelizaveta Surnacheva and Systema here.
What Does Trump's Victory Mean For Ukraine?
Following the U.S. presidential election on November 5, the decision by Americans to return Donald Trump to the White House has reverberated around the world. Ukraine, whose defense against Russia is heavily dependent on U.S. military, financial, and diplomatic support, may feel the effects more than any other foreign country. Read the story by Todd Prince here.
Why Is Ukraine Attacking Russia's Oil Refineries?
Russia said it would protect oil refineries better after several were struck by Ukrainian drones. Ukraine continues to hit the facilities, despite U.S. warnings against such attacks, as it launches larger and larger drone swarms. The strikes have decreased refinery output but beyond a morale boost for Ukraine, the effects are moderate so far. Read the story by Todd Prince here.
Interactive: Occupied, Militarized Crimea
As Ukrainian leaders vow to reclaim all territories seized by Russia, Moscow has prepared extensive defensive measures, particularly in Crimea, a region unlawfully annexed in 2014. This area, now under Russian occupation, has been heavily militarized with an array of air bases and army bases, making it one of the most fortified zones in the war. View the interactive map by Crimea.Realities, Schemes, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, and Central Newsroom here.
