An residence burns after Russian shelling in Bakhmut, in jap Ukraine’s Donetsk area, on Wednesday.

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An residence burns after Russian shelling in Bakhmut, in jap Ukraine’s Donetsk area, on Wednesday.

Libkos/AP

As the week begins, here is a glance forward and a roundup of key developments from the previous week.

What to look at this week

Leaders of the Group of Seven nations are to satisfy on-line Monday, and the Russia-Ukraine struggle is prone to be on the agenda.

European Union international ministers have been discussing additional sanctions on Russia and arms deliveries for Ukraine Monday.

Ukrainian authorities have been stepping up raids on church buildings accused of hyperlinks with Moscow, and plenty of are watching to see if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy follows by on his risk of a ban on the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron hosts European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store for a working dinner Monday in Paris.

Also in France, on Tuesday, the nation is about to co-host a convention with Ukraine in help of Ukrainians by the winter, with a video tackle by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Following Brittney Griner’s launch from Russian jail, followers, family and friends are celebrating the basketball player‘s return to the U.S. Meanwhile, some Republican politicians have been complaining concerning the prisoner swap and different U.S. residents nonetheless held by Russia.

Russian-speaking listeners will likely be tuning into a brand new station, Z-FM, billed as Russia’s “front-line radio” for Russians preventing in Ukraine.

What occurred final week

New measures targeting Russian oil revenue took impact Dec. 5. They embrace a value cap and a European Union embargo on most Russian oil imports and a Russian oil value cap.

Russia launched one other barrage of strikes focusing on Ukraine’s vitality grid Dec. 5, knocking out electrical energy and water for a lot of residents. Five days later, Russian assaults left over one million folks without power within the Ukrainian port metropolis of Odesa.

Ukraine struck two military bases inside Russia. The New York Times reported that drones launched from Ukrainian territory to assault Russia demonstrated Ukraine’s willingness to take the struggle deep into Russia and capabilities to assault at a distance.

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was freed Dec. 8 after almost 10 months in Russian detention and following months of negotiations. Her launch got here in exchange for the U.S. handing over convicted Russian arms vendor Viktor Bout. Griner is back in the U.S. and reunited with her wife. Bout is again in Russia and is reported to have joined an ultranationalist celebration.

Ukraine hit targets within the Russian-occupied metropolis of Melitopol, together with a church reported for use as a Russian navy base. Officials stated Ukrainian forces used long-range artillery to achieve targets within the metropolis in southeastern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia area.

Russian forces turned town of Bakhmut into burned ruins, Zelenskyy said. Fighting has been fierce there as Russia makes an attempt to advance within the metropolis within the jap Donbas area.

Russian Nobel Peace Prize winner Yan Rachinsky denounced President Vladimir Putin and the struggle with Ukraine in an acceptance speech on Dec. 10.

President Zelenskyy had a phone call with President Biden on Dec. 11, in addition to the leaders of France and Turkey, in an obvious stepping up of diplomacy over the 9 1/2-month-long Russian invasion.

In-depth

Ukraine nonetheless fears one other Chernobyl-size disaster at Europe’s largest nuclear plant.

Life in a Ukrainian city: rampaging Russians, power cuts, a visit by Banksy.

There have been 50,000 alleged struggle crimes in Ukraine. NPR’s investigations team worked to solve one.

Turkey performs a troublesome balancing act as it strengthens ties with Russia.

In acceptance speech, Russian Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate condemns Ukraine war.

WNBA star Brittney Griner has been freed from a Russian prison.

Ukraine is looking for a boycott of “The Nutcracker.” Ballet companies aren’t budging.

Zelenskyy and the spirit of Ukraine are Time magazine’s 2022 Person of the Year.

Why sanctions in opposition to Russia aren’t working — yet.

In an ongoing race, Ukraine tries to repair faster than Russia bombs.

Special report

Russia’s struggle in Ukraine is altering the world: See its ripple effects in all corners of the globe.

Earlier developments

You can learn past recaps here. For context and extra in-depth tales, you’ll find extra of NPR’s coverage here. Also, hear and subscribe to NPR’s State of Ukraine podcast for updates all through the day.