Daily brief
Russian missile and drone strikes have again targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure, leaving nearly half of the capital Kyiv without heating and power during a winter cold snap. The attacks, which also affected the Ukrainian parliament building, are described by officials as part of an ongoing campaign to batter the country's power grid.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia is overwhelming Ukrainian air defenses with the sheer volume of its attacks, citing an estimated cost of 80 million euros to intercept a single Russian strike.
Ukraine's security service says it foiled a Russian GRU plot to bomb military vehicle storage sites across four regions of the country.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned Russian strikes on Ukraine's power grid, warning of severe humanitarian consequences for civilians left in the cold and dark.
Russian air defenses reportedly downed 52 drones over Russian territory in a two-hour period, with 36 of them intercepted over the Sea of Azov.