Travel, property, and local info for Ukraine

2+ min ago (328+ words) KYIV, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Ukraine will introduce more restrictions on power usage and will allow additional energy imports as it struggles to repair infrastructure shuttered in Russian strikes, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Tuesday. By Yuliia Dysa and Pavel Polityuk Russian forces have sharply increased the number and intensity of attacks on Ukrainian gas and energy infrastructure in recent months, targeting both power generation facilities and electricity transmission systems. For weeks, citizens in many Ukrainian regions have already been facing rolling blackouts and emergency power cuts. Power was out simultaneously for roughly half of the residents in the capital Kyiv on Tuesday. "Additional lighting for buildings, streets, parks, decorative garlands, and outdoor advertising in city centres are not a priority during this difficult period for the energy sector," Svyrydenko said on X, announcing new measures to improve the situation for…...

23+ min ago (272+ words) Ukraine's president said the US is not yet ready to see Ukraine in NATO, stressing that Kyiv is seeking bilateral security guarantees with Washington as part of ending the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the United States is "not yet ready" to see Ukraine join NATO, adding that Kyiv is working with Washington on binding bilateral security guarantees that would function similarly to Article 5. During an online briefing with journalists on Tuesday, Dec. 9, Zelensky said the US position on NATO membership is openly acknowledged in ongoing talks. "We know that the United States, unfortunately, is not yet ready to see Ukraine in NATO. This is not some kind of game but completely open information. But this is certainly a question for the future," Zelensky said. According to him, the "coalition of the willing" in Europe is working on its…...

2+ hour, 15+ min ago (546+ words) Ukraine said its troops were still defending parts of the small eastern city of Pokrovsk on Tuesday, denying Russian claims to have fully occupied the logistical hub in the Donetsk region. Fierce fighting also continued in neighbouring Myrnohrad, where Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, said his forces now controlled more than 30 per cent of the mining town and were fulfilling orders from Russian president Vladimir Putin to wipe out Ukrainian units that Moscow claims are surrounded in the area. Ukraine says its troops still hold northern districts of Pokrovsk, more than a week after Russia announced the capture of the city in what Kyiv called a bid to influence talks over a new push by US president Donald Trump for a deal to end nearly four years of all-out war. "In Pokrovsk, search and assault operations and the elimination of…...

3+ hour, 12+ min ago (736+ words) President Donald Trump on Sunday claimed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "hasn't read" a US-authored peace proposal aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump was critical of Zelenskyy after US and Ukrainian negotiators completed three days of talks on Saturday aimed at trying to narrow differences on the US administration's proposal. But in an exchange with reporters on Sunday night, Trump suggested that the Ukrainian leader is holding up the talks from moving forward. "I'm a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn't yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago. His people love it. But he hasn't " Russia's fine with it," Trump told reporters on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. "Russia is, I believe, fine with it, but I'm not sure that Zelenskyy's fine with it. His people love it, but he hasn't…...

3+ hour, 52+ min ago (915+ words) In a new interview, Trump claims Ukraine is losing the war, says Zelensky must "start accepting things," and claims Kyiv is blocking a peace plan. US President Donald Trump sharply criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying Kyiv is losing the war and warning that US support will not last forever unless Ukraine accepts the peace terms his administration is discussing. "Zelensky is going to have to get on the ball and start, uh, accepting things," Trump said, adding that Ukraine had "lost a lot of land" and that "you certainly wouldn't say it's a victory." Trump insisted, in an interview with Politico, that Ukraine is blocking the peace plan because, according to him, Zelensky "has not yet read" the final version. He also claimed " without providing evidence " that Ukraine has lost 27,000 soldiers over the past month. If Kyiv rejects the…...

4+ hour, 30+ min ago (528+ words) Ukraine secured final terms for a $3.2 billion swap of GDP-linked warrants, paving the way for their conversion into new C-series bonds and easing tensions with investors. Ukraine has reached an agreement with a group of major investors on the final terms of its plan to exchange up to $3.2 billion in GDP-linked warrants for a new class of bonds, the Finance Ministry said on Tuesday." The agreement follows months of tense negotiations, during which warrant holders pushed for stronger legal protections and urged others to delay action until all issues were resolved. This deal represents the final portion of sovereign debt Ukraine needed to negotiate with creditors, following the successful restructuring of $20 billion in Eurobonds last year. Ukraine has released an updated launch announcement for the restructuring, the Finance Ministry said on Tuesday. The revised documentation, published on Euronext Dublin, reflects…...

5+ hour, 30+ min ago (390+ words) European Council President Antonia Costa accused Russia of deploying the drones that violated a no-fly zone in place during President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Dublin last week. European Council President Antonio Costa on Tuesday accused Russia of being responsible for the appearance of drones in Ireland's skies during a state visit by President Volodymyr Zelensky last week. On Dec. 1, a number of military-style drones crossed the route taken by Zelensky's plane shortly after it arrived unexpectedly early at Dublin airport " violating a no-fly zone put in place for his visit. The drones later hovered over an Irish naval vessel deployed off Dublin's coast. Speaking at a press conference with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin on Tuesday, Costa described the incident as "another example of the hybrid attacks from Russia and the hybrid threats from Russia in the European territory," as…...

6+ hour, 5+ min ago (337+ words) Most of the crimes stemmed from domestic conflicts, often fueled by alcohol or drugs, with many victims being family members or acquaintances, according to a Russian media investigation. Russian soldiers returning from nearly four years of war in Ukraine have killed or injured more than 1,000 people inside Russia, based on Russian court records. A new investigation by Verstka, citing court records, says at least 551 people have died at the hands of veterans of Russia's so-called "special military operation." More than half of those killed " 163 people " were murdered by former convicts who had been released from prison to fight in Ukraine. Another 465 people survived but were seriously injured, and many were left disabled. Again, over half of the victims " 252 cases " involved former convicts who fought in Ukraine. Most of the crimes were domestic conflicts, often fueled by alcohol or drugs, and…...

7+ hour, 26+ min ago (897+ words) As the fourth anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches, civilians face almost daily attacks and growing hardship, according to a report released on Tuesday, December 9, by the UN Human Rights Office. Civilian casualties in Ukraine rise amid intensifying fighting " UN report "Our findings establish several worrying trends: rising civilian casualties in both frontline and urban areas, sustained attacks on energy infrastructure, and continued patterns of systematic and widespread torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees," Danielle Bell, who heads the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), said. Thus, it is noted that between June and November 2025, the number of civilian casualties increased significantly in both frontline and urban areas. July became the month with the highest number of civilian deaths and injuries since April 2022. On November 19, a massive combined drone and missile…...

7+ hour, 26+ min ago (510+ words) Ukrainian intelligence said it has caught two men from a "neighboring European country" sent by Russia to commit arson and unspecified "enemy missions." Ukraine has arrested two foreigners allegedly committing arson in western Ukraine on behalf of Russian intelligence. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said the two men were aged 27, adding that they are "citizens of a neighboring European country" without specifying where. In its Tuesday press release, the SBU said the first man was recruited abroad after posting pro-invasion messages on social media, drawing the attention of Russia's military intelligence (GRU). The man then enlisted help from his friend, and Russia's GRU sent them to Ukraine. The two were said to be ordered to commit "a series of arson" to "further destabilize the socio-political situation in western Ukraine," first starting with Chernivtsi, a regional capital bordering Romania. "Initially,…...