Fire breaks out at Russian oil depot amid reported drone strike

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec. 2 as part of the U.S. effort to advance negotiations aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine.

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

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained British citizen Ross David Cutmore, who came to Ukraine as a military instructor, on suspicion of working for Russian intelligence, an SBU source told the Kyiv Independent on Dec. 2.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Europe "has no peaceful agenda" and "is on the side of war" just before meeting U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

A Russian oil tanker reportedly came under a drone attack in the Black Sea while en route to a port in northern Turkey on Dec. 2, according to Turkish authorities.

"Ukraine approaches all diplomatic efforts with utmost seriousness – we are committed to achieving a real peace and guaranteed security," Zelensky said.

According to Ukraine’s national "Children of War" database, at least 19,546 Ukrainian children have been abducted from Russian-occupied territories and taken to Russia or Russian-controlled areas since February 2022.

"All of this is done exclusively for Western audiences and to raise the stakes in diplomacy," said Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation.

The latest incident occurred on Nov. 30, when Vilnius International Airport suspended operations after unidentified objects — believed to be balloons — appeared in nearby airspace.

Russian forces captured about 505 square kilometers (195 square miles) of Ukrainian territory in November, almost twice the gains recorded in September, DeepState said in an assessment Dec. 1.

"The informational 'victories' that the Russian Defense Ministry announces daily on paper have nothing to do with the real situation on the front lines," Ukraine's 11th Army Corps said.