Explosions were reported in Russia's Saratov Oblast overnight on Dec. 13 as officials warned of a possible drone attack, with unverified local reports indicating the Saratov oil refinery had been targeted.

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) carried out a second drone strike this week on Russia's Vladimir Filanovsky oil production platform in the Caspian Sea, also hitting the nearby Korchagin platform, an SBU source said Dec. 12.

U.S. President Donald Trump is "extremely frustrated" with both Russia and Ukraine amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a Dec. 11 press briefing, as the United States weighs whether to join Ukraine and European partners for talks this weekend.

Polish authorities have detained Alexander Butyagin, a Russian archaeologist accused of causing extensive damage to historical sites in occupied Crimea, at the request of Ukraine's prosecutor general, Polish media reported Dec. 11.

Ukraine has recaptured 13 square kilometers (5 square miles) of territory in Pokrovsk after previously having no troops left in the city, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said during a Dec. 9 press briefing.

Russia's Syzran oil refinery halted operations on Dec. 5 after sustaining damage in a Ukrainian drone attack, Reuters reported on Dec. 9, citing industry sources.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Dec. 7 he was "disappointed" that President Volodymyr Zelensky allegedly had not yet reviewed a U.S. peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Dec. 4 fined New York-based property manager Gracetown Inc. more than $7 million for accepting payments linked to a company owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

A fire broke out overnight Dec. 3 at an oil depot in Russia's Tambov region after an alleged Ukrainian drone strike.

A Russian military victory in Ukraine would cost Europe twice as much as a Ukrainian victory, according to a new study by Corisk and the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs published on Nov. 25.

Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 596 Shahed-type attack and decoy drones and 36 missiles of various types overnight.

Vasyl Verameichyk, a Belarusian soldier who previously served as a volunteer fighter for Ukraine, was sentenced to 13 years in prison in Belarus, independent outlet Belsat reported on Nov. 28.

The revised version is more aligned with Ukraine's position, but negotiating a final agreement is "very difficult," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 25.

Several multistory residential buildings caught fire and at least six people have been killed in what the Energy Ministry called "a massive combined attack...on infrastructure facilities."

A Czech company has been accused of selling Chinese-made drones to Ukraine at steep markups — sometimes nearly 20 times the original price — and is under investigation for alleged tax evasion, Czech media reported on Nov. 24.