Ukraine war latest: 'Extremely difficult' situation as Russian forces attempt to cross Siverskyi Donets River
Hello, this is Chris York reporting from Kyiv on day 1,398 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today's top story so far:
The situation near Siversk, Donetsk Oblast, is "extremely difficult" as Russian forces continue to attempt crossings the Siverskyi Donets River, Ukraine's 7th Air Assault Corps said on Dec. 22.
Russia’s renewed offensive on the front-line city of Siversk in Donetsk Oblast has sparked weeks of heavy fighting, even as Moscow has claimed that the city has already fallen.
"The situation in Serebrianka, to the northeast of Siversk, is extremely difficult," the 7th Air Assault Corps said in a post on Telegram.
"Units of the 81st Brigade are holding their positions, inflicting losses in manpower and equipment on the enemy. Russian forces are also continuing attempts to transport personnel across the Siverskyi Donets River from the side of the Serebrianka Forest."
The unit posted a video showing first-person view (FPV) drone operations in the area, and also claimed "two boats together with their personnel" had been destroyed while attempting to cross the river.
"The enemy's key goal is to gain full control over the settlements of Serebryansk and Dronivka. These two villages will serve as bridgeheads for the accumulation of manpower and equipment, and in the event of their capture — further advancement and occupation of heights near the settlements of Zakitne and Platonovka," the unit added.
Before the full-scale invasion, Siversk was home to about 10,000 people. The city has since been largely depopulated, with local authorities estimating that only several hundred civilians remain.
Despite its modest size, Siversk plays a key role in Ukraine’s defense of northern Donetsk Oblast.
The city helps shield the larger urban centers of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk — the main bastions of Ukraine’s so-called "fortress belt," which Moscow has failed to capture in nearly four years of fighting, and which are now the focus of intensifying peace talks.
Russian forces have been attempting to advance on Siversk since July 2022, following the fall of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk.
In more than three years of fighting since, Siversk has been one of the most stable parts of the front line, despite the intensity of fighting in nearby areas, with Russian troops only managing to advance around 19 kilometers (12 miles).
Russia planning mass attacks over Christmas, Zelensky says
Last updated 7:41 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukrainians should brace for mass Russian missile and drone strikes over the Christmas period, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 22.
"It is their nature to make some kind of massive strike on our Christmas. We are again raising the issue of air defense and the protection of our communities, especially on December 23, 24, and 25," Zelensky said in comments reported by Suspilne.
Russia rejected a Christmas truce because it could give Ukraine a temporary respite, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Dec. 16.
Peskov's comment came after numerous temporary truces on religious holidays, including those initiated by Moscow, were previously broken by Russian forces.
In April, an Easter truce declared by President Vladimir Putin was violated nearly 3,000 times by Russian forces, President Volodymyr Zelensky said hours before it ended on its third day.
Ukraine confirms 2 ships and oil pipeline damaged in drone strike on Russia's Krasnodar Krai
Last updated 5:19 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukrainian drones struck the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal in the village of Volna, Krasnodar Krai, Ukraine's General Staff confirmed on Dec. 22.
The regional Emergency Headquarters reported on Dec. 21 that drone debris had damaged a pipe in Volna but did not specify that it belonged to an oil facility. Two piers and two ships docked at the village were damaged in the attack as well, according to Russian officials.
There were no casualties among the crew or shore personnel.
A source in Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent that the Ukrainian strike damaged equipment at the oil terminal, the liquefied hydrocarbon gas pier, and other port infrastructure, triggering a large-scale fire.
A pipeline, two berths, and two ships were damaged, with the fire spreading over an area of more than 1,000 square meters, according to the General Staff.
Russian soldiers on horseback taken out by Ukrainian drones
Last updated 5:12 p.m. Kyiv time.
Russian soldiers have been filmed crossing the battlefield on horseback, with Ukraine's army claiming it demonstrates the high level of equipment losses being suffered by Moscow's forces.
A video released by Ukraine's 92nd Armored Brigade shows two mounted riders being targeted by drones while crossing a field. The post on social media doesn't state where it was recorded but the unit operates in Kharkiv Oblast.
"The Russian occupiers are losing equipment so quickly during their 'meat assaults' that they are forced to move on horseback," the unit said.
"But even that doesn't help them — the drone operators of the 5th Assault Battalion of the 92nd Armored Brigade 'minus' the enemy as soon as they see the target."
Over 2025, the ever-increasing domination of drones on both sides of the battlefield has meant that, despite Ukraine's chronic manpower shortage, particularly in the infantry, Russian forces have failed in almost all attempts to mass either vehicles or even infantry in large numbers for a breakthrough.
Albeit slowly, the Russian army has adapted to these changes, instead favoring infiltration tactics, sending infantry forward in groups of two or three, or sometimes alone, to seep between Ukrainian positions while relying mainly on stealth and concealment.
Sightings of Russian soldiers on horseback are rare, but other modes of transport including quad bikes, motorcycles, and even electric scooters are common.
Ukrainian partisans set ablaze 2 Russian Su-30 fighter jets in Lipetsk Oblast, HUR says
Last updated 11:47 a.m. Kyiv time.
Ukrainian partisans set ablaze two Russian Su-30 fighter jets during an operation on the night of Dec. 21 in Russia's Lipetsk Oblast, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) said on Dec. 22.
The attack targeted an airfield near the city of Lipetsk, about 340 kilometers (210 miles) from the Ukrainian border, and caused two military aircraft to catch fire.
HUR originally reported an Su-30 and an Su-27 had been damaged in the attack, but later clarified it was two Su-30s.
The operation succeeded after a careful study of patrol routes and guard schedules, which enabled the operative to slip into the military facility, attack Russian fighter jets in the hangar, and exit the airfield undetected.
Planning for the operation took two weeks, and it was carried out by a "representative of the resistance movement" against the Russian government, according to HUR.
High-ranking Russian general killed in Moscow car bombing
Last updated 10:54 a.m. Kyiv time.
Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff's operational training department, was killed in a car bombing in Moscow on Dec. 22, Russia's Investigative Committee said.
An explosive device attached to the underside of the lieutenant general's car detonated in the morning on Yaseneva Street in Moscow. Sarvarov was taken to the hospital but later died from his injuries, according to the comittee.
Russia's Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal case into the killing and that investigators and forensic experts were working at the scene. Security forces were also examining the site, interviewing witnesses, and reviewing CCTV footage.
Investigators are considering multiple lines of inquiry, including a possible link to Ukrainian special services, the committee said.
The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify the Russian Investigative Committee's claims.
At least 1 killed, 4 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
At least one civilian has been killed and four others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on Dec. 22.
Russia launched 86 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force reported. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 58 drones. Twenty-six drones made it through, striking 12 locations.
A suspected drone attack derailed a freight train and injured three crew members, Ukrainian Railways, also known as Ukrzaliznytsia, said.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian strikes killed one civilian, and injured three others over the past day, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
In Odesa Oblast, Russian strikes targeting energy infrastructure injured one woman, Governor Oleh Kiper reported.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,197,860 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,197,860 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. 22.
The number includes 1,120 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 11,438 tanks, 23,722 armored fighting vehicles, 70,591 vehicles and fuel tanks, 35,308 artillery systems, 1,575 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,263 air defense systems, 432 airplanes, 347 helicopters, 92,713 drones, 28 ships and boats, and two submarines.
