A video of the attack on Novorossiysk with the Sub Sea Baby drone shows a calm port with several ships before a massive explosion kicks up water and debris.

Ukrainian "Sub Sea Baby" drones critically damage Russian submarine equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles in Novorossiysk, the Security Service said.

The annual news conference sets the Kremlin’s tone for the next year and highlights President Vladimir V. Putin’s grip over Russia.

Calls are growing for the European Union to approve a massive loan to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets without the support of Belgium, where nearly all the assets are located.Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday that she would be willing to vote through a plan for the loan without Belgium “if necessary” as a single member of the 27-nation EU “shouldn’t be able to block what is the right thing to do.

The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia was preparing for contacts with the United States to get details about U.S. talks with European powers and Ukraine on a possible peace settlement to end the Ukraine conflict.

There are no official statistics surrounding suicide among Ukrainian soldiers, but they are thought to count in the hundreds.

The Kremlin leader called European leaders backing Ukraine “piglets” who wanted to feed on Russia’s collapse.

The latest on U.S.-led Ukraine peace talks — and how leaks, deadlines and shifting drafts are already reshaping battlefield planning.