Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,388 | Russia-Ukraine war News

These are the important thing developments from day 1,388 of Russia’s struggle on Ukraine.

Right here’s the place issues stand on Saturday, December 13:

Preventing

• Ukrainian forces mentioned that they had retaken components of the northeastern city of Kupiansk and encircled Russian troops there, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the realm and praised the operation, saying it strengthened Ukraine diplomatically.
• In a video clip, President Zelenskyy, carrying a bulletproof vest, is seen standing in entrance of an indication bearing the city’s identify on the entrance to Kupiansk. “Right now this can be very essential to realize outcomes on the entrance strains in order that Ukraine can obtain ends in diplomacy,” he mentioned.
• Ukrainian drones struck two Russian oil rigs within the Caspian Sea, an official within the Safety Service of Ukraine (SBU) mentioned. The SBU drones hit the Filanovsky and Korchagin oil rigs, which each belong to Russia’s Lukoil. The Filanovsky rig – a part of Russia’s largest Caspian oilfield – got here below assault earlier this week as Ukraine steps up its marketing campaign to disrupt Russian oil and gas output.
• Ukraine mentioned it performed an operation alongside an area resistance motion to hit two Russian ships transporting weapons and navy tools within the Caspian Sea. They didn’t specify when the strike befell.
• Ukraine’s navy additionally mentioned it attacked a significant Russian oil refinery in Yaroslavl, northeast of Moscow, and business sources mentioned the power had suspended output.
• Russia attacked Ukraine’s Chornomorsk and Odesa ports, damaging three Turkish-owned vessels, together with a civilian ship carrying meals provides, Ukrainian officers mentioned.
• Moscow beforehand threatened to chop “Ukraine off from the ocean” in retaliation for Kyiv’s maritime drone assaults on its “shadow fleet” tankers thought for use to export oil.
• Russia additionally attacked vitality services within the southern Ukrainian Odesa area in a single day, inflicting fires and leaving a number of settlements within the area with out electrical energy, the native governor and emergency service mentioned.
• Russia’s Ministry of Defence mentioned it had destroyed 90 Ukrainian drones over the nation and the Black Sea in a single day.
• Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport mentioned it suspended departures amid the in a single day drone assaults, whereas within the metropolis of Tver, 181km (112 miles) northwest of Moscow, authorities mentioned seven individuals have been injured.

Peace deal

• Turkiye has known as for an pressing finish to the struggle in Ukraine after Turkish-owned vessels have been broken in an assault on Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port by Russia, saying the incident underscored dangers to Black Sea maritime safety.
• Ankara known as for an association to droop assaults focusing on navigation security, vitality and port infrastructure “to forestall escalation”.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan additionally met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling him {that a} restricted ceasefire round vitality services and ports particularly may very well be useful.
• Ukrainian, European and United States nationwide safety advisers met and mentioned coordination of their positions on proposals for a settlement to the battle in Ukraine, the pinnacle of the Ukrainian negotiating crew, Rustem Umerov, mentioned.
• Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko mentioned the assembly was attended from the US aspect by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, in addition to World Financial institution chief Ajay Banga and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink.

We proceed our joint work with our American companions and the management of worldwide monetary establishments on the financial monitor throughout the broader effort to safe a simply and lasting peace for Ukraine.

Right now, we held a gathering with representatives of the U.S. President,… pic.twitter.com/QNJzBQ0GD6

— Yulia Svyrydenko (@Svyrydenko_Y) December 12, 2025

• President Donald Trump mentioned a US-proposed free economic zone within the Ukraine-controlled components of the jap Donbas would work after Washington instructed creating such an financial zone as a compromise between Ukraine and Russia.
• Ukraine, the US and European powers are nonetheless working to discover a joint place that may define the contours of a peace deal, together with safety ensures for Kyiv, in a ceasefire deal that “American negotiators are keen to carry to the Russians”, a French presidency official mentioned.
• Kremlin overseas coverage aide Yury Ushakov mentioned a ceasefire is barely potential after Ukrainian forces withdraw from your complete Donbas area, and the realm Kyiv presently controls is taken over by the Russian Nationwide Guard.
• “If not by negotiation, then by navy means, this territory will come below the complete management of the Russian Federation. Every little thing else will rely solely on that,” Ushakov mentioned.

Sanctions

• The European Union agreed to indefinitely freeze 210 billion euros ($246bn) price of Russian sovereign belongings held in Europe, eradicating an enormous impediment to utilizing the money to assist Ukraine defend itself towards Russia. The settlement removes the danger that Hungary and Slovakia, which have higher relations with Moscow than different EU states, may refuse to roll over the freeze sooner or later and power the EU to return the cash to Russia.
• Russia’s central financial institution mentioned the EU plans to make use of its belongings to assist Ukraine have been unlawful and it reserved the suitable to make use of all obtainable means to guard its pursuits.
• The financial institution mentioned individually it was suing Brussels-based monetary establishment Euroclear – which holds most of the belongings – in a Moscow court docket over what it mentioned have been damaging and “unlawful” actions.
• Upfront of the vote to freeze the funds, Hungary lodged a protest towards what it known as an “illegal” step by the EU to carry Russian belongings indefinitely. Prime Minister Viktor Orban mentioned the choice would “trigger irreparable harm to the Union”.
• “Hungary protests the choice and can do its finest to revive a lawful state of affairs,” Orban mentioned.

Worldwide affairs

• North Korean chief Kim Jong Un attended a welcoming ceremony for the 528th Regiment of Engineers of the Korean Individuals’s Military that returned dwelling after finishing up duties in Russia, praising the officers and troopers for his or her “heroic” conduct and “mass heroism” throughout a 120-day abroad deployment.
• Berlin has summoned Russia’s ambassador over what it mentioned was an enormous improve in threatening hybrid actions, together with disinformation campaigns, espionage, cyberattacks and tried sabotage. “[We] made it clear that we’re monitoring Russia’s actions very intently and can take motion towards them,” Germany’s Federal International Workplace spokesperson Martin Giese mentioned.