A hidden, underground military base in eastern Ukraine is so secret, soldiers change into civilian clothes whenever they step outside to avoid drawing attention.

Journalists are not usually allowed access.

But the unit that has been using this vast, subterranean warren of war rooms, a dormitory, kitchen, canteen and makeshift gym as its headquarters since the summer is imminently relocating, so Sky News was invited inside.

Lieutenant Colonel Arsen Dimitric – call sign Lemko – is the chief of staff of 1st Corps Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine, one of the country’s most effective combat forces.

He sat with us in the base, next to a large square table, covered by a map of the Donbas region.

His soldiers have been fighting in this area since the summer, countering a surge in Russian attacks in and around the frontline city of Pokrovsk.

“We aim to destroy as much of the enemy as possible,” he said.

“Will we take losses? Yes. Will it hurt? Absolutely.”

But he said if Russia is allowed to advance, even more Ukrainians will suffer.

“Their [the Russians’] only advantage is numbers,” he said.

“They don’t care how many people they lose.”

Lemko said almost 17,000 Russian soldiers had been killed or wounded fighting in this section of the warzone alone between August to November.

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Ukrainian video footage of the battlefield showed Russian armoured vehicles being taken out by drones and artillery fire.

At one point, Russian soldiers mounted on motorbikes try to advance, only to be stopped by Ukrainian fire.

“Our task is to hit them as hard as possible in various areas,” Lemko said. “We focus on our operations, others on theirs, and leadership will negotiate the best possible terms.”

The Azov Corps soldiers are fighting over land that should be handed over to Russia, according to an initial draft of a peace deal proposal between Kyiv and Moscow put forward by the United States. This is despite swathes of the Donbas remaining under Ukrainian control.

But General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the head of the Ukrainian armed forces, has since told Sky News that simply surrendering territory would be “unacceptable”.

For Lemko, he says the job of his troops is to inflict as much damage as possible on the Russian side to help strengthen Ukraine’s hand in negotiations.

“Simply giving it [land] away isn’t the way,” he said.

“Diplomats do their work, we do ours. Our job as soldiers is to give as many advantages as possible to our negotiating team. And we’re doing exactly that.”

Lemko, who has been battling against Russia since the Crimean annexation in 2014, also had a warning for the rest of Europe about a rise in hybrid attacks, such as mysterious drone sightings, acts of sabotage and cyber hacks suspected of being linked to Moscow.

He said Ukraine’s experience showed that if attacks by Russia that fall under the threshold of conventional war are not successfully countered, full-scale conflict could follow.

“Ukraine once lost a hybrid war that had been waged since the very start of our independence,” he said.

“Because of that defeat, there was a physical operation against us in Crimea and then a physical operation in 2022.

“Now the hybrid war has reached its climax, and it is moving into the Baltic States and Europe.

“That is why, in my opinion – and in the opinion of most of our officers – now is the moment for all countries to unite and counter this hybrid war. Because the consequence may be a physical one.”

Production: Katy Scholes, security and defence producer, and Azad Safarov, Ukraine producer.

Camera operator: Mostyn Pryce

Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight, after US and Ukrainian officials said they would meet for a third day of talks aimed at bringing the war to an end.

The two sides said they had made progress on a security framework for post-war Ukraine, but that any “real progress toward any agreement” will depend “on Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace.”

Russia launched 653 drones and 51 missiles in its attack on Ukraine, triggering air raid alerts across the country, Ukraine’s air force said.

Ukrainian forces shot down and neutralised 585 drones and 30 missiles, the air force said, adding that 29 locations were struck.

At least eight people were wounded in the attacks, Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs Ihor Klymenko said.

Russia conducted a “massive missile-drone attack” on power stations and other energy infrastructure in several regions, Ukraine’s national energy operator Ukrenergo said on Instagram.

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant temporarily lost all off-site power overnight, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

The plant is in an area that has been under Russian control since early in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. It is not in service, but needs reliable power to cool its six shutdown reactors and spent fuel in order to avoid any catastrophic nuclear incidents.

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Zelenskyy condemns ‘meaningless’ strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strikes as “meaningless” from a military point of view.

He said energy facilities were the main targets, but a drone strike had “burned down” a train station in the city of Fastiv, in the Kyiv region.

“The Russians’ goal is to hurt millions of Ukrainians, and they have sunk so low that they are launching missiles at peaceful cities on St. Nicholas Day,” he said.

“That is why additional pressure is needed. Sanctions must work, and so must our air defence, which means we must continue to support those who defend our lives.”

Ukraine strikes oil refinery

Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry said its air defences had shot down 116 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Ukrainian forces had struck Russia’s Ryazan Oil Refinery, while Russian Telegram news channel Astra shared footage appearing to show a fire breaking out and plumes of smoke rising above the refinery.

Over the last few months, Ukraine has used long-range drones to target Russian refineries in an attempt to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to continue the war.

Meanwhile, Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is trying to cripple Ukraine’s power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water in winter, which Ukrainian officials call “weaponising” the cold.

On Monday, Mr Zelenskyy will meet Sir Keir Starmer in London to discuss the ongoing negotiations mediated by the US, along with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Negotiations on a lasting ceasefire deal for Gaza are at a “critical moment”, the prime minister of Qatar, which has played a key role in brokering the deal, has said.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman said a definitive ceasefire could only happen with a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the besieged enclave.

The first stage of a ceasefire deal was agreed in October, but violence in Gaza has not stopped. On Saturday alone, seven people were reportedly killed.

Palestinian local health authorities said the victims were from Beit Lahiya, Jabalia and Zeitoun in northern Gaza and included a 70-year-old woman who was killed by a drone strike.

The Israeli military said that in two separate incidents on Saturday, forces deployed in northern Gaza behind the so-called yellow line of withdrawal agreed in the ceasefire had fired on Palestinian militants who crossed the line, killing three.

The military was unaware of any drone strike, a spokesperson said.

The long-sought ceasefire – and the second one after a first deal fell apart earlier this year – began on 11 October after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

Despite accusations by both sides of violations, talks on the next phase of the ceasefire deal began almost two weeks ago, with Turkish, Qatari and Egyptian officials meeting in Cairo to discuss the second part of the agreement, including deploying a stabilisation force and body to govern Gaza and oversee reconstruction.

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“We are at a critical moment. It’s not yet there. So what we have just done is a pause,” PM al-Thani said during a panel discussion at the Doha Forum conference in Qatar.

“We cannot consider it yet a ceasefire. A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of the Israeli forces – (until) there is stability back in Gaza, people can go in and out – which is not the case today.”

On Thursday, an Israeli delegation held talks in Cairo with mediators on the return of the body of the last hostage held in Gaza, which would complete an initial part of Mr Trump’s plan to bring an end to the two-year war.

Since the truce started, Hamas has returned all 20 living hostages and 27 bodies in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian detainees and convicted prisoners.