Ukraine drones kill 3 in Russia’s Rostov as EU debates war funding for Kyiv

Zelenskyy urges EU leaders to unlock Russian assets to show Moscow its desire to continue war next year is ‘pointless’.Published On 18 Dec 2025Ukraine has hit Russia’s southern region of Rostov with an overnight drone attack that killed three people, as European countries strive to unlock Russian assets to help Kyiv and United States-led efforts to end the war have yet to yield any tangible results.Yury Slyusar, the acting regional governor of the Rostov region, said on Telegram on Thursday that the attack caused a fire on a cargo ship that had been extinguished, with two crew members killed and three left injured.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,393list 2 of 3Putin slams West’s ‘war hysteria’ as EU mulls Russian assets for Ukrainelist 3 of 3Will Europe use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s war efforts?end of listThe governor also reported that Ukrainian drones killed a civilian in the town of Bataysk, near the port facilities, where two homes were burned down and an apartment block under construction damaged.Using Russia’s money to aid UkraineThe attack on the region, the latest in a series of nightly Ukrainian raids deep inside Russian territory, came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged European Union leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday to approve plans that would release 210 billion euros ($247bn) of frozen Russian assets to assist his country.“The outcome of this meeting – the result Europe produces – must make Russia feel that its desire to continue the war next year is pointless, because Ukraine will have support,” said Zelenskyy on Wednesday night.The make-or-break summit on the plans, which would unlock the assets as the basis for a loan that would keep Ukraine afloat over the next two years, is seen as a test of Europe’s credibility as United States President Donald Trump, who has called the continent “weak”, pushes for a quick deal to end the fighting.