Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski warned that European nations might soon face mounting pressure to reach a peace agreement with Russia amid its ongoing war against Ukraine. Speaking to French ambassadors in Paris, Sikorski suggested that such a deal could be complicated and questioned the viability of a solution that would allow Moscow to recover.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed that Russia had seriously considered using nuclear weapons in the conflict with Ukraine, but China intervened, advising against such a move. Blinken's remarks came during an interview with the Financial Times, where he expressed significant concern over the possibility of nuclear escalation.

Ukrainian forces are facing a precarious situation in Kursk Oblast, where they risk losing much of the territory gained during the swift offensive in August. Exhaustion among the troops and an intense Russian counteroffensive have resulted in significant setbacks.

Kiev on Dec. 21 staged a major drone attack on the Russian city of Kazan, 1,000 kilometers from the frontier, the latest in a series of escalating aerial attacks in the nearly three-year conflict.

A drone smashed into a high-rise apartment building in the city of more than 1.3 million, damaging a skyscraper but leaving no victims, local officials said.

On the night of December 18-19, Russia's Rostov Oblast reportedly came under attack from drones, with seven unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) allegedly intercepted by Russian air defense systems. Yury Slyusar, the acting governor of Rostov Oblast, claimed that six drones were destroyed over Taganrog, and one in Bataysk.

Russia has detained a suspect in the killing of the head of the army's chemical weapons division, investigators said Wednesday, a day after the general and his aide were killed in a brazen blast in Moscow claimed by Ukraine.

Ukraine said on Monday that its troops killed or wounded at least 30 North Korean soldiers who had been deployed by Russia to its western Kursk region, where Ukraine has seized territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 14 that Russia had begun deploying North Korean soldiers to storm Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region.

He spoke after Russian authorities said their firefighters were battling a blaze in the western Oryol region caused by a drone attack, with Ukraine saying it had hit a major oil terminal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that Russia has begun deploying a significant number of North Korean soldiers in military operations, particularly in the Kursk region. Speaking during his evening address, Zelensky confirmed that these troops are being integrated into mixed combat groups exclusively for offensive maneuvers in the area.

Ukraine's military forces confirmed a strike on the Stalnoi Kon linear production dispatch station, an oil depot located in Russia's Oryol Oblast, on the night of 13-14 December. The facility, described as one of the largest oil product terminals in the area, sustained significant damage, causing a large fire.