The Russia–Ukraine war continues to intensify, with Russia launching a wave of drone and missile strikes across northern Ukraine overnight.
Officials say key infrastructure in the Chernihiv and Kharkiv regions was targeted, leading to widespread blackouts and transport disruptions.

In Nizhyn, at least 12 Iranian-made Shahed drones reportedly struck a freight train and destroyed part of the railway line, halting service to Kyiv. Power stations in nearby districts were also hit, triggering emergency outages.

Ukraine retaliated with artillery fire on Russia’s Belgorod region, killing three civilians and damaging public buildings. Russia’s defense ministry said it intercepted over 50 Ukrainian drones during the attacks.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of using oil tankers for sabotage and spying operations in Europe, warning that Russia’s “shadow fleet” is financing and enabling further aggression.

Russian President Vladimir Putin maintains that his forces hold the upper hand, claiming to have liberated nearly 5,000 square kilometers of territory this year — a figure Kyiv disputes. Ukrainian intelligence reports suggest Russia has lost more than 281,000 troops in the past eight months alone.

As the war enters another winter, U.S. President Donald Trump has admitted that achieving peace in Ukraine is “a daunting task.” Both Kyiv and Moscow are reinforcing their positions ahead of expected cold-weather offensives, signaling that the world’s deadliest conflict in recent memory is far from over.