Ukraine live briefing: G-7 meets for talks on Russian oil; U.N. says no indication of undeclared nuclear activities in Ukraine

Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.

1. Key developments

• Russian troops appear poised for a complete withdrawal from the Ukrainian city of Kherson, Western officials said Thursday, in what would mark another significant setback for the Russian force in Ukraine. The preparations for what would amount to an “orderly, well-planned and deliberate” retreat have reached an advanced stage, the officials said, heightening speculation that the Russians could imminently pull back from the left, or eastern bank of the Dnieper River, which serves as a natural defensive barrier for the bulk of the Russian force deployed further east.
• “Ukraine can take the remaining territory on the west side of the Dnieper River in Kherson,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at a news conference Thursday. “I certainly believe they have the capability to do that. Most importantly, the Ukrainians believe they have the capability to do that.” Ukrainian officials in recent days have signaled that an assault on Kherson city could be imminent.
• U.S. Embassy officials in Russia have visited imprisoned basketball star Brittney Griner, the White House said Thursday. “We are told she’s doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One. She reiterated that the United States had made a “significant offer” to the Kremlin to secure the release of both Griner and Paul Whalen, another U.S. citizen detained in Russia. “The U.S. government has continued to follow up on that offer and propose alternative potential ways forward,” she said.
• Ukraine began scheduled power outages across several regions, including Kyiv, this week, after a barrage of Russian strikes damaged the country’s energy infrastructure. At the G-7 ministers meeting Thursday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the group is coordinating its “winter support” for Ukraine, which will include “concrete help” in the form of power generators, heaters, blankets, beds, water filters and vehicles.

2. Battleground updates

• Zaporizhzhia’s nuclear power plant was forced into full blackout mode late Wednesday because of Russian attacks that damaged transmission lines linking the nuclear plant to the Ukrainian power system, Energoatom, Ukraine’s national nuclear operator, said Thursday. It added that it had only enough fuel to run the plant’s diesel generators for 15 days. “This is an extremely concerning development that again demonstrates the plant’s fragile and vulnerable situation,” the IAEA’s Grossi said.
• More than 100 Russian servicemen were released following negotiations with the Ukrainian government, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday. The men will be flown to Moscow for treatment, the ministry said. Earlier Thursday, the pro-Kremlin separatist leader, Denis Pushilin, said that 107 Ukrainian servicemen would also be returned to Kyiv-controlled territory.
• U.S. personnel based at the embassy in Kyiv have for months inspected weapons deliveries at unspecified locations in Ukraine, the Pentagon said Thursday, at sites described as “not near the front lines.” The inspections were standard accountability measures, and there is no evidence of widespread weapons diversion, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement. It is unclear whether the United States has detailed its activity to Russia, which has said it would view any U.S. military activity within Ukraine as a provocation.

3. Global impact

• The British ambassador to Russia, Deborah Bronnert, was summoned by Moscow Thursday after Russian officials accused Britain of being involved in a drone strike on Russia’s Black Sea fleet in Crimea. Britain has denied involvement, accusing Russia of “false claims of an epic scale.” British media reported that Bronnert was met by protesters outside Russia’s foreign ministry, who accused Britain of being a “terrorist state” by assisting Ukraine.
• The North Korean government is covertly supplying Russia with artillery rounds, using countries in the Middle East and North Africa to mask the weapons’ movement, the White House said Wednesday. It was not yet clear whether those shipments were received.
• Microsoft announced Thursday it was extending free vital technology support to Ukraine, which it valued at about $100 million. The support includes cybersecurity protection and Microsoft Cloud services and will last throughout 2023, the company said.
• Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created the “fastest and largest displacement witnessed in decades,” Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, told the Security Council on Wednesday. Some 14 million people have been forced from their homes since the invasion was launched in February, he said.

4. From our correspondents

Why Putin will fight for Kherson: Fresh water and land bridge to Crimea: Here in the muddy coastal region of Kherson, soldiers are readying for what may become the biggest battle of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, and perhaps the single best test of whether Moscow ends up winning an

y significant territory from its invasion or is forced to retreat empty-handed.

Ukrainian officials have signaled that an assault on Kherson city — the only regional capital that Russia has managed to capture since its invasion began Feb. 24 — could be imminent. Russia, however, has shown no indication that it is willing to give up the city, or the broader Kherson region, which carries enormous strategic and political importance for the Kremlin, writes The Post’s Michael Miller.