The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement Thursday that "important progress" had been made after its teams gained access to both Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war last week. It has appointments to follow up with future visits.

The ICRC is currently exchanging notes gleaned from those visits with family members of those held captive, describing the missives as "a lifeline to anguished relatives."

Following Russia's February 24 invasion of Ukraine, the Geneva-based international rights body was able to access hundreds of prisoners of war (POWs) on both sides of the conflict, but these visits were "sporadic." Last week's two-day visit represents an improvement.

The news of last week's visits comes amid further allegations and evidence of mistreatment and torture by Russian forces in cities and towns they previously held.

While the ICRC withheld on the names and locations of prisoners, it did disclose that it was unable to visit the Russian forces-held Olenivka prison in eastern Ukraine that was bombed in late July, killing Ukrainian prisoners of war.

According to a statement from the ICRC, the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric said, "My expectation is that these visits lead to more regular access to all prisoners of war."

"While the recent visits are important progress, the ICRC must be granted unimpeded access to see all prisoners of war repeatedly and in private, wherever they are held," she added.

Both Ukraine and Russia are signatories to the Geneva Convention which grants the ICRC rights to visit prisoners of war among other conditions of treatment towards prisoners in detention.

Russia has not always granted the ICRC the right to visit prisoners of war in its custody. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the ICRC of inaction over the matter.

Last month, the UN's human rights office said that its personnel had been denied access to Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russian forces.

Here are the other top stories related to the war in Ukraine on Thursday, December 8:

Russia positions rockets at Zaporizhzhia power plant

Russian forces have installed multiple rocket launchers at the dormant Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in eastern Ukraine, officials from Ukraine said on Thursday.

Ukraine's nuclear company Energoatom said Russian troops several Grad multiple rocket launchers new "protective structures'' they secretly built.

Such rocket launchers are capable of firing missile at a range of up to 40 kilometers (25 miles), allowing Russian troops to strike the opposite bank of the Dnieper River.

Energoatom accused Russia of "violating all conditions for nuclear and radiation safety.''

The risk of a nuclear meltdown has been reduced since the last of six nuclear reactors were shut down in September. However, experts say a dangerous radiation release is still possible.

Putin vows more strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure

Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to continue attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

"There's a lot of noise about our strikes on the energy infrastructure of a neighboring country," Putin said. "This will not interfere with our combat missions"

Speaking at a military awards ceremony at the Kremlin, Putin framed the attacks as a response to the October explosion on the Kerch bridge that disconnected Crimea from Russia.

Ukrainian energy operator Ukrenergo said on Thursday that it was still suffering a "significant deficit" after the latest round of airstrikes. Blackouts have become more frequent as winter approaches.

US to send $275 million in fresh aid to Ukraine

The United States will send an additional $275 million (€260 million) in military aid to Ukraine, officials told reporters on Thursday.

The military aid will reportedly help strengthen Ukraine's air defenses, particularly against drones.

It will be covered by the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the US to quickly transfer military equipment from its own stocks without congressional approval in response to an emergency.

This new package is smaller than most recent aid deliveries and comes amid speculation that Russia will reduce the number of attacks during winter in order to regroup for a new offensive next year.

Kremlin acknowledges security fragile in Crimea

Following the Russian downing of a Ukrainian drone near Sevastopol, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged Thursday that the Russian-occupied peninsula is vulnerable to penetration by Ukrainian forces.

Peskov accused Ukraine of "organizing terrorist attacks," but said "countermeasures are being taken."

Sevastopol is home to a major Russian naval base on the Black Sea. Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 after a so-called referendum which was never recognized as legitimate by Kyiv nor the majority of nations.

The strategic peninsula was used as a launching pad and staging ground during the February 24 invasion. Last month, Russia's Black Sea fleet based on the peninsula was targeted in a "massive" drone attack launched by Ukrainian forces.

Russia's domestic security agency, the FSB, said it had arrested two people in Crimea Thursday accused of spying for Ukraine.

Additionally, a statement by the press service said one of the individuals was "a supporter of Ukrainian nationalist ideology and was recruited by the Ukrainian secret services in 2016." The individual stood accused of "transferring data on the location of Russia's defense ministry facilities to a foreign security agency, which could be used against Russia's security."

Ukraine detains couple in Odesa accused of spying for Russia

Ukraine's Security Service, the SBU, detained a married couple in the southwestern Black Sea port city of Odesa on accusations of spying for Russia.

An SBU statement did not name the couple but it did imply they had been collecting intelligence for Russia on Ukraine's military deployments and the movements of air defense units.

The Ukrainians allege the couple are Russian military intelligence agents who plotted to recruit a wider network in the southern part of Ukraine. 

In a search, the SBU located mobile phones and computer equipment that contained evidence  of what it described as "hidden correspondence with the aggressor."

"The SBU detained both spies when they attempted to transfer classified information to Russia," a statement said.

The Ukrainian Security Service also published images of the couple's arrest along with military documents showing the man's rank as colonel in Russian military as well as Russian passports for both individuals.

Russian troops perform tactical exercises in Belarus

Russia's Ministry of Defense said Russian forces were partaking in tactical training exercises in Belarus.

Moscow has hopes to rachet up pressure on Minsk to increase its involvement in what it terms a "special military operation," now in its 10th month of open conventional war against Ukraine.

Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko has not involved Belarusian forces directly in the conflict but instead has positioned them on the borders near Ukraine, alleging threats from Kyiv and its Western allies.

The Russian defense ministry acknowledged, "Combat training events are held during both daylight and at night."

The training includes small arms and mortars training as well as combat vehicle instruction, "psychological obstacle courses," and "tactical medicine and other disciplines," the ministry said.

Ukraine central bank notes war's devastation on the economy

While Ukraine's central bank did not make a move to adjust interest rates, currently at 25%, it noted that Russian missile strikes on the country's power grid and critical infrastructure would have a significant impact on GDP and complicate any quick economic turn-around.

The central bank forecast a 31.5% drop in GDP this year as a result of the conflict. By contrast, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts a 35% decline.

Double-digit inflation sparked by Russia's February 24 invasion caused the central bank to raise interest rates in early summer. Talks for financing between Kyiv and the IMF continue.

This year, international financing for the Ukrainian economy will reach $31 billion. The US has supplied $10 billion with the EU pitching in $18 billion. 

Kremlin says  Zelenskyy Time 'Person of the Year' award is 'Russophobic'

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov lashed out over Time magazine's decision to name Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the "Person of the Year" and said the decision reflected broader "Russophobic" trends in the West.

Peskov said, "The publication's editorial line does not go beyond the European mainstream, which is absolutely blinkered, anti-Russian and frantically Russophobic."

Zelenskyy 'I need ammunition, not a ride' quote tops Yale list

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's retort to American officials offering assistance with evacuating the capital Kyiv in the aftermath of Russia's February 24 invasion topped a list put out by a Yale law school librarian of quotes of the year 2022.

In response to the US offer, Zelenskyy reportedly told US officials, "I need ammunition, not a ride."

Fred Shapiro, an associate director at the Yale Law School library, produces the list of memorable quotations annually as a supplement to The New Yale Book of Quotations, which he selects, and is published by Yale University Press.

Ukrainian Nobel Laureate cites need for justice upon arriving in Oslo

Oleksandra Matviichuk, the head of the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, said upon arriving at the Oslo airport ahead of Saturday's Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, that there will be no lasting peace without accountability and justice.

Matviichuk said Russian President Vladimir Putin believes he does "exactly what he wants," adding, "There will be no lasting peace in our region until we achieve justice."

She told Norwegian news agency NTB, "A state that systematically violates human rights does so not only against its own citizens, but against an entire region, an entire world. Russia is a great example of this."

This year's Nobel Peace Prize is shared by the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, jailed Belarus rights activist Ales Bialiatski and the now banned Russian rights group Memorial that traces its origins to Soviet times and the search for answers regading Stalin era crimes.

More DW coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel again defended her decision to greenlight the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which ultimately never opened but was subjected to a sabotage attack. 

DW looks at how Russia is weaponizing winter to the detriment of Ukrainian civilians.

zc, ar/aw (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)