Kyiv

Valery Zaluzhny admitted that his soldiers had mostly retreated, adding that new lines of defense had been prepared in front of the city, which was mostly destroyed and abandoned but had strategic importance.

Day 661 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Norway unannounced and stated that during his two-day visit to the United States of America, on December 11 and 12, he received a positive signal regarding further support for Ukraine.
"We expect that the US Congress will soon adopt a key decision to continue vital support to Ukraine," Zelensky said.

Russian occupiers have captured the completely destroyed city of Marinka, reported a number of Russian and Ukrainian military bloggers.

They refer to a publication by Nikolai Voroshnov, an air intelligence officer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

"Marinka has fallen, the Kurakhove fortress awaits us soon," he wrote on his Facebook profile.

Russian troops attack Ukrainian positions around Kherson, Kupyansk and Avdeyevka.
During the night, the Ukrainian air defense shot down ballistic missiles over Kyiv. "Shahed" drone attack in southern Ukraine.

Biden invited Zelensky to a meeting at the White House on December 12

The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine announced that a thermal power plant in the front zone was severely damaged in the Russian shelling.
The port infrastructure on the Danube was hit in the Russian drone attack. Republicans in the US Senate blocked additional legislation on financial aid to Kyiv.

The worst cold of the season will hit those parts of Europe, bringing a powerful winter storm that will hit the Balkan Peninsula the most, with huge amounts of snow from Romania to Ukraine.
This cold wave is forecast to move towards eastern and central Europe by Saturday and Sunday, spreading further south across the Balkan Peninsula on Sunday and early next week.

Day 630 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Day 626 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Two strong explosions were heard in central Kiev on Saturday morning by AFP journalists, who also saw trails in the sky, shortly before air raid sirens sounded.

"Strong explosions were heard on the left bank of the capital. According to preliminary information, the air defences worked against ballistic weapons," Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram.