Official: Russian forces capture Svitlodarsk, Donetsk Oblast.

A Russian ballistic missile system known as Oreshnik has been deployed to Belarus and is entering active combat duty, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said during a press conference on Dec. 18.

European leaders are expected to decide on Dec. 18–19 whether to proceed with a "reparations loan," a plan to lend up to 210 billion euros in frozen Russian assets to Ukraine.

According to the survey, 77% of Ukrainians are aware of the investigation, and 59% believe President Volodymyr Zelensky bears responsibility for the recent corruption scandal.

Zelensky was commenting on a potential future election as part of a peace or ceasefire deal that Ukraine has been discussing with the U.S.

The new sanctions bring the total of sanctioned "shadow fleet" ships to 600, according to the Council of the EU.

Ukrainian forces counterattacked near Lyman in Donetsk Oblast, the Third Army Corps said, claiming an entire Russian regiment was destroyed and prisoners were taken.

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has struck a Russian military airfield in occupied Crimea, reportedly destroying air defense equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars, the agency said in a Telegram post on Dec. 18.

The discussions will concern the 20-point peace plan, security guarantees, reconstruction, and all relevant steps and documents, Zelensky told journalists.

Igor Taro, the interior minister of the Baltic nation, said it remains unclear whether the incident was intentional but emphasized that there is no threat to Estonia's security.

Ukrainian drones reportedly struck an oil tanker in the Port of Rostov overnight on Dec. 18, local officials in Russia's Rostov Oblast reported.

Kyiv has signed several new defense agreements with Berlin totaling 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion), Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Dec. 17, a day after the Ramstein-format meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG).

Russia attacked the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia with KAB bombs the morning of Dec. 17, injuring at least 26 people, including a child, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

U.S. and Russian officials are set to meet in Miami this weekend to discuss efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, Politico reported on Dec. 17, citing two unnamed sources.