What the regional toll showed by 12 December 2022

What did the preceding days reveal about the pressure on Ukraine's regions as of 12 December 2022? The reports from 7 to 10 December point to harm spread across the country: to civilians near the front line, to energy supply in the south and to staff at a nuclear plant.

The front line in Donetsk Oblast

On 7 December, Russian forces shelled Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast, killing ten civilians and injuring five others. The next day, shelling along the front line in the Donetsk region killed one civilian and damaged buildings in Toretsk. Both reports concern towns in the same oblast, where civilians bore the casualties.

Power supply in the south

The damage was not limited to the front line. On 10 December, Russian drone strikes on two power facilities left more than 1.5 million people in Odesa Oblast without electricity. The strikes were part of the wider Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure.

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

On 9 December, Ukraine's Energoatom said that Russian soldiers had abducted two senior staff members from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. According to Energoatom, the two workers were beaten before being driven off in an unknown direction. The claim came from the Ukrainian operator and was part of the continuing crisis at the plant.

What the pattern shows

Taken together, these reports show different kinds of pressure on different regions within a few days: deadly shelling in Donetsk Oblast, a large loss of electricity in Odesa Oblast and a reported abduction of staff in the Zaporizhzhia plant's workforce. For regional authorities and residents, the period was defined by civilian casualties, disrupted utilities and risks to people working at critical facilities.