Overview
- Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces struck transport infrastructure used to deliver Western weapons to Ukraine and hit ammunition and fuel depots, while air defenses reportedly downed a large number of drones.
- Moscow reported the capture of Peschanoe and claimed more than 1,480 Ukrainian casualties in 24 hours, with ongoing operations around Krasnoarmeysk/Dimitrov and Kupyansk described as holding firm by Russian sources.
- Russian officials detailed widespread UAV activity, with the Moscow mayor saying drones were neutralized near the capital, a local emergency declared in Rostov-on-Don after debris fell, and regional outlets reporting a strike on a Belgorod power plant; the MoD cited 130 Ukrainian drones shot down since late December 14.
- Authorities in Russian-held Kherson region said a civilian was killed in a nighttime UAV strike on Nova Kakhovka and a woman was injured in a separate daytime hit on a public reception office in Kakhovka.
- The FSB published video statements from detainees who said they were coerced online to commit arsons and other crimes for Ukrainian intelligence, and Russia’s journalists’ union accused Ukrainian forces of targeting media workers; AFP separately reported the U.S. pressed Ukraine to withdraw from Donbass, a condition Ukrainian authorities are not accepting.