Ukraine war latest: DeepState reports Russian gains in Siversk, increasing pressure on Ukraine’s Donetsk 'fortress belt'
Hello, this is Jared Goyette reporting from Kyiv on day 1,371 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The capital is still recovering from a massive overnight attack on energy infrastructure that killed at least six people and injured 20 others — several apartment buildings were hit and caught fire, authorities said. All eyes remain on the peace negotiations, with President Volodymyr Zelensky expected to visit the U.S. soon to meet his U.S. counterpart, President Donald Trump, and finalize key steps of the deal.
Here, we will keep you updated on developments along the still very active front line:
Russian forces have stepped up attacks and made gains in and around the frontline city of Siversk in Donetsk Oblast, the Ukrainian open-source monitoring project DeepState reported on Nov. 25. The group said Russian troops have recently been seen more often inside the city, including in its southern part and on the eastern outskirts.
Siversk is a small city (pre war population of about 10,000) but plays a important role in Ukraine’s defense of northern Donetsk Oblast. It helps shield the larger urban cluster of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk to the west, which anchor Ukraine’s defensive “fortress belt” in Donetsk. Military analysts say that if Russia consolidates gains around Siversk, it could increase pressure on that defensive line by opening up new avenues of attack
According to DeepState, Russian forces are attacking along a wider stretch of the front line around Siversk, using armored vehicles, motorcycles, and waves of infantry.
Siversk has been heavily depopulated since the start of the full-scale invasion as residents have fled. The local military administration previously said the city’s population has fallen twentyfold, with only around 400 residents remaining as of this summer.
In September, Military spokesperson Serhii Zaporozhets told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne said that Russia is seeking to secure a foothold near Siversk before the weather turns, either to fight for the city or try to bypass it in winter.
Ukraine reportedly destroys 2 Russian aircraft, including rare A-60
Last updated 9:14 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian Il-76 heavy transport aircraft as well as an experimental A-60 airborne laser complex, according to Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, on Nov. 25.
Ukraine's General Staff had earlier reported successful strikes on several Russian strategic targets, including the Taganrog Aircraft Repair Plant and the Atlant Aero drone manufacturing facility in Rostov Oblast.
While the General Staff said that the A-60, stationed at the Taganrog Aircraft Repair Plant in southwestern Russia, had likely been hit, Brovdi confirmed the strike by sharing a satellite image from the Dnipro OSINT analytical group.
🔥 Madyar published the "colors of the night" over Russia carried out by the SBS Birds together with the SSO, SBU, HUR, SBGS, and other components of Ukraine’s deep-strike system.
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) November 25, 2025
The "Beriev" aviation repair plant (TANTK, Taganrog, Rostov region) with A-50 long-range radar… pic.twitter.com/pGYaliLslJ
The A-60 is a rare Soviet-era experimental aircraft based on the Il-76, equipped with an airborne laser system, and developed to test missile defense and anti-satellite technologies.
While no official price has been released, Russian media estimate the aircraft's value to be between $150million and $480 million, depending on its configuration.
SBU drones strike Russian oil terminal, navy base in Novorossiysk, source says
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) carried out a drone strike on the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk overnight on Nov. 24-25, hitting an oil terminal and a navy base, sources in the SBU said.
Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev seemed to confirm the attack in a Telegram post, saying that the region "was subjected to one of the longest and most massive attacks" of the full-scale war. He said six people were injured and at least 20 homes were damaged.
The attack hit oil tankers and manifolds, as well as Russian S-300 and S-400 air defense systems, the sources said. According to Astra, an independent Russian Telegram-based outlet critical of the Kremlin, a drone struck a high-rise building located 700 meters from a Russian military unit that houses S-400 air defense systems
The SBU said that it's initial assessment indicated that a Project 1171 landing ship, a vessel used to transport troops and equipment, was also damaged in the attack, the sources said.
Video apparently filmed by locals shows a Russian Pantsir air defense system tried to engage the drones, but hit a residential building instead, the SBU sources added.
Novorossiysk is Russia’s second-largest oil export hub and the main base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
“The SBU continues to methodically reduce Russia’s petrodollar revenues, with which it finances the war against Ukraine, as well as to weaken the enemy’s air defense systems that protect key military and infrastructure facilities of the enemy,” the SBU source said.
The SBU said the operation was carried out together with Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR), Special Operations Forces, the Forces of Unmanned Systems, the State Border Guard Service, and the Navy’s coastal missile and artillery troops.
Novorossiysk has been a frequent target of Ukrainian drone strikes in recent months. In mid-November, a major attack set the Sheskharis oil terminal on fire and disrupted crude exports. Ukraine has also hit S-400 launchers and other oil and logistics targets around the port city.
Ukraine agrees to cap its army at 800,000 in revised US peace plan, FT reports
Last updated 4:28 p.m. Kyiv time.
A peace plan discussed and approved by Ukrainian and U.S. officials would limit Ukraine's peacetime military to 800,000 service members, the Financial Times reported on Nov. 25, citing unnamed Ukrainian officials.
A Ukrainian army of this size would still remain the second-largest European force after Russia and put it close to its current wartime strength of about 900,000 service members.
The news comes after an initial peace plan, presented by Washington last week and criticized for conditions heavily favoring Russia, proposed limiting Ukrainian forces to 600,000 troops.
The original 28-point document was condensed to 19 points after U.S.-Ukrainian consultations in Geneva, although its full content has not been made public.
The most sensitive issues, namely those related to territory, are to be addressed later by U.S. President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
While a U.S. official cited by CBS News said that Ukraine has "agreed" to the revised peace deal, Moscow's position remains unclear.
HUR exposes foreign-made backbone of Russia’s Shahed-107 drone striking Ukraine’s front line
Last updated at 5:30 p.m. Kyiv time
Ukraine's military intelligence agency has revealed new details of Russia's Shahed-107 attack drone used to strike front-line areas, publishing technical data on Nov. 25 that it says show the drone is packed with foreign-made components despite Western sanctions.
As is the case with other types of Shahed drones, Iran and Russia rely on electronic components from Western and other countries, such as the U.S., Switzerland, China, Japan, Taiwan, the Netherlands, and Ireland, for Shahed-107 production, according to HUR.
"Iranian weapons continue to undergo combat testing on Ukrainian soil — in confrontation with Western defense technologies," HUR, subordinate to the Defense Ministry, said on Telegram.
Ukrainian drones target Russian military aircraft manufacturer in reported strikes
Last updated at 5:44 a.m. Kyiv time
Ukrainian drones attacked the Russian regions of Krasnodar Krai and Rostov Oblast overnight on Nov. 25, targeting key military infrastructure, local officials and Telegram news channels reported.
In Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, drone strikes caused a fire at the Beriev Aircraft Company, according to an analysis by the Russian Telegram news channel Astra. Photos of the attack reportedly show a fire breaking out on a runway near the facility. Locals also reported that a plane was burning on the premises.
At least 9 killed, 30 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
At least nine people have been killed and 30 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on Nov. 25.
Russia’s overnight attack targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, striking facilities in Kyiv, Odesa, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv oblasts, the Energy Ministry said on Telegram. As of the morning of Nov. 25, over 40,000 people in Kyiv Oblast, 20,000 in Odesa, 13,000 in Chernihiv, 21,000 in Dnipropetrovsk, and 8,000 in Kharkiv were without power, the ministry said.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 14 of 22 missiles and 438 of 460 drones that Russia launched in a large attack on energy infrastructure in Kyiv and other regions, according to a Ukrainian Air Force post on Telegram. Russian missiles and drones hit 15 locations, and falling debris struck another 12, according to the post.
In Kyiv, Russian missiles and drones hit apartment blocks and other sites in several districts in two waves of attacks overnight and in the morning. At least seven people were killed and 14 others, including at least one child, were injured, Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko and Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.
In Kyiv Oblast, four people were injured when Russian missiles and drones hit residential areas and energy facilities in Bila Tserkva, Brovary district, and other parts of the region, Governor Mykola Kalyshnyk said on Telegram. He added that the injured included a 14-year-old girl in Bila Tserkva and three adults in Brovary district.
In Odesa Oblast, six people, including two children, were injured by falling debris from Russian drones that struck port and energy infrastructure, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.
In Chernihiv Oblast, a 25-year-old woman was killed, and at least four people were injured in overnight Russian attacks that hit industrial sites, energy infrastructure, and other civilian targets, Governor Vyacheslav Chaus said on Telegram.
In Donetsk Oblast, one civilian was killed in Russian shelling of the city of Lyman over the past day, Governor Vadym Filashkin said on Telegram.
In Sumy Oblast, Russian forces carried out more than 40 attacks on 19 settlements, wounding a 9-year-old child in the Sumy community, the regional administration reported on Telegram
In Kherson Oblast, an 11-year-old boy was injured in a Russian strike on the town of Bilozerka, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram. Doctors are treating the child for blast trauma and shrapnel wounds to his arm.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,167,570 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,167,570 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Nov. 25.
The number includes 1,120 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.According to the report, Russia has also lost 11,368 (+2) tanks, 23,624 (+4) armored fighting vehicles, 68,118 (+112) vehicles and fuel tanks, 34,644 (+18) artillery systems, 1,549 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,250 (+2) air defense systems, 428 airplanes, 347 helicopters, 84,217 (+448) drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
