Ukraine war latest: Russia's advance is slower than any army in 100 years, experts say

In our latest Q&A with military analyst Michael Clarke, he was asked how Ukrainians are surviving the harsh weather and if attacks on the energy infrastructure amount to a war crime.

Temperatures in Ukraine have dropped as low as -20C this winter, with national forecaster Ukrgidromettsentr predicting another cold snap will intensify next week.

At the same time, Moscow has relentlessly attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which has cut off heating, electricity and water in different parts of the country, sometimes for days on end.

Clarke said whether it constitutes a war crime depends on the intention.

"In other words, it's automatically a war crime to try to make civilians suffer in a war," he said.

"It's a war crime if the intention is anti-civilian, which in this case it certainly is, I don't think the Russians could possibly defend themselves on the basis that this was in any way military related."

Our security and defence editor Deborah Haynes spoke to families in Kyiv this week who are struggling in the harshest conditions....

Russia and Ukraine have reportedly taken part in a handover of war dead.

According to Kremlin aide Vladimir ‌Medinsky, Moscow has handed over the remains of 1,000 Ukrainian servicemen to Kyiv. 

The bodies of 38 Russian soldiers were received in exchange, he added.

Medinsky posted an image ​of the exchange on Telegram showing white refrigerated trucks parked on a snow-covered area with people in white biohazard suits standing around. 

For context: Prisoner-exchange understandings were brokered by Turkey in 2022, setting out rules for large swaps to take place between Russia and Ukraine. 

Thousands of prisoners have been released under the agreement, though these have been sporadic and often disrupted by frontline escalation.

We've just received the latest morning lines from Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on topics concerning Russia.

On the growing tensions between Iran and the US, he said Moscow "urges restraint on all sides", adding any use of force against Tehran could create regional chaos and "lead to very dangerous consequences".

Peskov declined to comment on reports that Ukraine has agreed to a mutual ceasefire in attacks on energy infrastructure with Moscow.

He also had no comment when asked about reports that Lukoil, Russia's second-largest oil producer, will sell most of its foreign assets - worth around $22bn (£15.9bn) - to the US Carlyle Group, pending approval from Washington.

Estonia's foreign minister has called for the blacklisting of Russians who have fought in the war in Ukraine from entering the Schengen area.

The region consists of 29 countries (25 EU member states plus Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) that have abolished internal border controls, allowing for passport-free movement.

"You can imagine these hundreds of thousands of ex combatants and criminals, coming here and what they're going to do," Margus Tsahkna says.

"They're going to do many bad things."

Here's the latest situation on the battlefield, showing territorial gains and losses made by Ukraine and Russia.

As we outlined in the post just below this one, experts have said Russia is paying an "extraordinary price" for minimal gains.

Scroll through the maps to focus on different areas of the frontline.

Russia's army is advancing in Ukraine at the slowest pace seen in more than 100 years of warfare, new analysis shows.

After seizing the initiative in 2024, Russian forces have advanced at an average rate of between 15 and 70 meters per day in their most prominent offensives, according to the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Moscow's offensive on Chasiv Yar, which began in February 2024, has seen Putin's forces advance at an average rate of 15 metres per day, data shows.

By comparison, French forces advanced around 80 metres per day during the infamously attritional Battle of the Somme during the First World War.

"Despite claims of battlefield momentum in Ukraine, the data shows that Russia is paying an extraordinary price for minimal gains and is increasingly a declining power," CSIS said in its annual assessment.

In the same report, CSIS claimed Russian forces have suffered nearly 1.2 million casualties during its war in Ukraine - more than any major power since the Second World War.

The Kremlin has rejected the research, saying such reports should not be deemed reliable.

Here are the latest images we're receiving from Ukraine's southern Odesa region.

Officials there said a fire broke out at an industrial facility after an overnight Russian drone strike, with storage and production buildings, as well as trucks, damaged.

Ukraine's Security Service has released a video compilation of what it claims shows the destruction of more than $1bn (£723m) worth of Russian military aircraft in long-range drone strikes.

"The enemy is used to feeling safe in the deep rear. But for the special forces of 'Alpha,' distance has long ceased to matter," it said.

The accompanying video features first-person-view drone footage showing several aircraft being targeted by drones.

According to the SBU, the tally includes 11 fighter bombers, three helicopters and one transport aircraft.

Concerns are reportedly growing inside Ukraine's peace delegation over a senior US envoy involved in talks with a "shocking" lack of knowledge about the war and geopolitics.

According to the Kyiv Independent, the official, who has not been named, has made several blunders during recent conversations with reporters, including suggesting they did not know when Russia's war in Ukraine had begun.

It's also suggested the official incorrectly claimed that Kyrylo Budanov, the recently appointed head of Ukraine's President's Office, now serves as the country's vice president.

They also reportedly said the war in Ukraine has now been going on longer than the Second World War.

The remarks have heightened concern in Kyiv about the composition and preparedness of Washington's negotiating team, the report adds.

'Several big mistakes'

Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine's parliament foreign affairs committee, described the situation as deeply troubling.

"This is a serious problem," he told the Kyiv Independent. "[The envoy] has already made several big mistakes - both technical and, in essence, serious diplomatic ones."

Merezhko said the official is "very naive" and "inexperienced," adding they sometimes make "shocking" statements and "do not know the basics - the fundamentals of politics, history, international law".

He also says the envoy views "territorial issues as real estate".

Russia fired 105 drones at various targets across Ukraine during its overnight attacks, according to the Ukrainian military.

It says 84 drones were shot down, but 18 strikes were recorded at seven separate locations.

We've already heard from officials in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region who said three people were killed during overnight Russian strikes.

Officials in the nearby Odesa region said a fire broke out at an industrial facility after a drone strike there, with storage and production buildings, as well as trucks, damaged.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, authorities said two people were injured in the Sinelnikivskyi district after it came under drone attack. 

In Kryvyi Rih, a one-storey building and two cars were damaged during a drone strike, officials said.