Ukraine war latest: National Guard soldier killed, 4 injured in Kyiv explosions classified as terrorist attack
Hello, this is Kateryna Hodunova reporting from Kyiv on day 1,387 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today's top story:
The Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office said it has classified two explosions that killed one person and injured four others in Kyiv on Dec. 11 as a terrorist attack, the office said in a statement.
The blasts occurred in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district, killing a National Guard soldier. Another National Guard soldier and a security guard were injured.
The first explosion went off as two National Guard soldiers were patrolling the area, killing one of them. The second blast detonated after police and medics had arrived and were already working at the scene, according to the statement.
The Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office said a homemade explosive device detonated at the site but did not clarify whether it triggered both blasts.
Investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine, in collaboration with prosecutors from the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office, have launched a pretrial investigation.
The Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office did not comment on whether Russian special services were involved.
Ukraine brings back another group of children from Russian-occupied territories of Kherson Oblast, governor says
Last updated 6:45 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukraine has returned a group of children from Russian-occupied parts of Kherson Oblast, local Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Dec. 11.
The group includes children ages 4 to 16, as well as an adult who had been deprived of parental care. Prokudin did not specify the total number of children.
Among those rescued was a 12-year-old boy and his family, who lived in constant fear due to regular searches, interrogations, and threats from Russian forces, the governor added.
"Our children have endured threats, pressure, and attempts at 're-education,' but today they are safe on free Ukrainian soil," Prokudin said. "They are receiving the necessary psychological, medical, and social support."
In 2025, 270 children have been returned from Russian-occupied communities in Kherson Oblast, according to the governor.
Russian attack on Dec. 6 destroyed train depot, 27 train cars in Kyiv Oblast, official says
Last updated 4:30 p.m. Kyiv time.
A Russian attack on Dec. 6 destroyed a commuter train depot and 27 train cars in the city of Fastiv, Kyiv Oblast, Deputy Community and Territorial Development Deputy Minister Oleksii Balesta said on Dec. 11.
"It was a targeted strike on civilian infrastructure. Three modernized electric trains were also destroyed — a total of 27 train cars," Balesta said.
"These were electric trains that provided service in Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy oblasts. The estimated damage is around Hr 300 million ($7 million)," the official added.
It was the first such large-scale attack on railway infrastructure in Kyiv Oblast, according to Balesta.
US presses Ukraine, not Russia, to pull back troops for proposed Donbas buffer zone, FT reports
Last updated 2:10 p.m. Kyiv time.
The U.S. is pressing Ukraine, but not Russia, to pull back troops in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts near the eastern border of a potential demilitarized zone, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Dec. 11, citing a Ukrainian official familiar with the latest version of the U.S. peace plan.
Trump's initial 28-point peace plan called for establishing a "neutral, demilitarized buffer zone" following the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donbas region, including Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
Ukrainian officials involved in the talks said Washington is pushing for a zone modeled on the one separating North and South Korea since the armistice was signed more than 72 years ago.
Yet President Volodymyr Zelensky views such a demilitarized zone as a path to a frozen conflict — a temporary pause that would allow Moscow to regroup before launching a new offensive, according to FT.
Ukraine targets Moscow with mass drone attack, mayor claims, 4 airports temporarily closed
Last updated 1:15 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukraine launched a mass drone attack against the Russian capital overnight on Dec. 9-10, according to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.
Russian air defense units shot down at least 31 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) bound for Moscow, Sobyanin said. Emergency crews are working to clear debris at the crash sites.
No casualties or damage have been reported.
Sobyanin began reporting attacks on the Russian capital late in the evening on Dec. 9, updating as more drones were allegedly shot down over the city. Explosions were reported in the suburbs of Moscow, according to the Russian Telegram news channel Shot.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the reports at the time of publication.
Moscow's Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky airports introduced temporary flight restrictions during the attack, according to Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya).
Russian oil rig in Caspian Sea halts production after Ukrainian drone strike, SBU source says
Last updated 12:22 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) struck Russia's Vladimir Filanovsky field in the Caspian Sea for the first time with long-range drones, halting oil and gas production from more than 20 wells, a source in the SBU said on Dec. 11.
Four drones struck Moscow's largest offshore oil field in the Caspian Sea, one of the Russia's largest exploration sites, owned by a subsidiary of Russian oil giant Lukoil, according to the SBU source, who shared the details with the Kyiv Independent on the condition of anonymity.
"At least four hits were recorded on the offshore platform. As a result of the attack, oil and gas production from more than 20 wells it serves stopped," the SBU source said.
"(Explosions) in the Caspian Sea is another reminder to the Russian Federation that all its enterprises working for the war are legitimate targets."
At least 4 killed, 21 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
At least 4 people have been killed and 21 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on Dec. 11.
Russia launched 151 drones and three Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force reported. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 83 drones and two ballistic missiles. Sixty-nine drones and one missile made it through, striking 34 locations.
In Sumy Oblast, a Russian glide bomb struck a local shop in the Velyka Pysarivka community, killing two women and injuring two others, the local military administration reported.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian attacks killed one person and injured 10 others over the past day, the local military administration reported.
Russian forces struck Kherson's Korabelnyi district at about 9 a.m. on Dec. 11, injuring a 49-year-old man. He sustained a shrapnel wound to the arm, as well as blast trauma and a concussion.
A 41-year-old woman was also injured in the morning attack and was hospitalized in moderate condition. She suffered a concussion, blast trauma, and a closed head injury.
In Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces targeted four settlements, killing a 69-year-old man in the village of Zamulivka, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
In Donetsk Oblast, one person was injured in the city of Lyman and another in the village of Rohanske. Russian strikes also injured three people in the city of Kostiantynivka, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russian forces targeted the Nikopol district, injuring a 68-year-old woman and a 53-year-old man, Governor Vladyslav Haivanenko reported.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, a 63-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman suffered injuries because of Russian strikes against the Polohy district, according to the local military administration.
Russian forces also targeted energy infrastructure in Odesa and Poltava oblasts overnight, though local officials have not disclosed the extent of the damage.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,185,080 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,185,080 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 Dec. 11.
The number includes 1,460 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 11,404 tanks, 23,699 armored fighting vehicles, 69,507 vehicles and fuel tanks, 34,992 artillery systems, 1,564 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,253 air defense systems, 431 airplanes, 347 helicopters, 89,148 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
