Military
Ukraine destroys three Russian ammo depots and six artillery systems in past 24 hours. Ukrainian National Guard forces continued their precision strikes along the front line, taking out Russian tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery systems while also hitting key ammunition depots, Commander Oleksandr Pivnenko reported.
UK intel: Russia’s Oskil river advances signal growing threat to Ukrainian supply lines in Kharkiv Oblast. Ukrainian forces operating in the northeastern oblast are facing mounting pressure from multiple directions, with Russian troops positioning to potentially threaten crucial supply routes.
Frontline report: Russian four-man units face infrastructure challenge at Pokrovsk. Russian assault units attacking Pokrovsk face severe size restrictions, limited to four soldiers each due to insufficient cover in devastated villages along the approach.
Russia claims capture of Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk Oblast; Ukrainian military contests claim. Velyka Novosilka, the last major settlement south of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast under Ukrainian control, has been a Russian military objective since spring 2022.
As of 27 JAN 2025, the approximate losses of weapons and military equipment of the Russian Armed Forces from the beginning of the invasion to the present day:
Intelligence and Technology
Russia can fight two more years with Soviet arsenal, says Ukrainian military expert. Former Ukrainian general warns Russia can fight for two more years using Soviet equipment stockpiles, while North Korea provides 60% of ammunition needs, outpacing European support.
Ukraine’s deep-strike campaign on Russian war industry signals strategic shift, expert says. Ukraine’s campaign of drone attacks on Russian military factories demonstrates its expanding ability to disrupt Moscow’s war production, according to University of Oslo researcher Fabian Hoffmann.
Russian air defenses struggle as Ukrainian drones strike deep behind lines. Russia’s military faces mounting challenges in defending against Ukrainian drone strikes that increasingly penetrate deep into its territory despite Moscow’s efforts to control the narrative through state media.
Russia builds 25-football-field-sized military underground facility in region bordering Kursk. An 18-hectare underground storage facility with vast tunnels capable of handling truck traffic is taking shape in Russia’s Bryansk region.
Ukrainian border guards down 300 Russian drones as Moscow probes border weak points. Russian forces are seeking vulnerable points along Ukraine’s 1,974-kilometer border to launch drone strikes deeper into territory, while deploying decoys to overwhelm air defenses.
International
FT: Estonia, Lithuania bordering Russia pledge 5% defense spending after Trump’s “constructive pressure”. “It is existential for us to have real war-fighting capabilities here,” said Lithuania’s foreign minister Kęstutis Budrys.
EU sanctions cost Russia € 400 billion, says French foreign minister. EU sanctions strip Russia of €400 billion, equivalent to three years of war funding, as Brussels targets cyber attackers and extends restrictions to Georgian officials amid democracy concerns.
EU must boost aid for Ukraine after support falls short, Lithuanian FM warns ahead of EU council meeting. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister calls for increased EU military and financial support to Ukraine as the war approaches its fourth year, pushing for stronger sanctions on Russia’s energy sector and shadow fleet operations.
Zelenskyy arrives in Poland to meet with officials, commemorate Auschwitz victims. President Zelenskyy will meet with European Council President Costa and French President Macron during his Poland visit.
UN peacekeepers could monitor potential Ukraine ceasefire, says EU military chief. A UN peacekeeping mission including soldiers from Europe, Global South and Caucasus could monitor a potential ceasefire in Ukraine. Tens of thousands of troops would be needed.
Humanitarian and Social Impact
Fuel oil from massive Russian tanker spill reaches Ukraine’s shores. Fuel oil from the Russian sunken tankers has reached Ukraine’s Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park in Odesa Oblast, with park staff surveying 40 km of coastline and removing visible oil particles.
Thousands of Mariupol civilian bodies discarded with rubble during Russian demolitions. Russian forces discard civilian bodies during Mariupol demolitions and split death records across three cities, complicating families’ search for loved ones in occupied territory.
Ukraine completes child evacuation from embattled Pokrovsk as Russians press from south. All children have been evacuated from Pokrovsk as Russian forces attempt to outflank the strategic Donetsk hub, where just 7,000 residents remain from a pre-war population six times larger.
Second underground school opens in war-time Kharkiv. A new underground school featuring wider corridors and inclusive facilities opened in Kharkiv, which accomodate will up to 1000 pupils after its second construction phase.
Inside Ukraine’s elite corps where NATO combat medicine faces drone war reality check. Behind Ukraine’s front lines, a 500-strong volunteer medical force discovers what happens when their ambulances become top targets for cutting-edge war tech, forcing them to create rules Western armies rush to adopt.
Political and Legal Developments
Zelenskyy on mobilization: If half our army goes home, we will need to surrender. From the trenches to the parliament, Ukraine faces a delicate balancing act as President Zelenskyy acknowledges flaws in the military mobilization system while warning against any premature return of troops.
Ukraine detains more than 450 in Russian-orchestrated arson network. ”Set a vehicle on fire, record it, get paid.” This simple proposition from Russian intelligence services has lured hundreds of desperate Ukrainians, including children, into becoming domestic saboteurs.
Hungary drops Russia sanctions veto after EU pledges gas security talks. Ukraine’s 1 January decision to stop Russian gas flows through its territory has led to Hungary threatening to veto a unified sanctions policy of the EU against Moscow.
Lukashenko extends 30-year rule in “sham” Belarus president election, draws international criticism. Belarus Central Election Commission claimed that Lukashenko won with 86.8% of the vote, while the international monitoring was denied access.
New Developments
Twenty percent of Ukraine’s candidates who came to recruitment centers are women. With women comprising 20% of new candidates and playing critical roles in areas like combat medicine, UAV operations, and cybersecurity, the initiative highlights a unified effort to bolster the country’s military.
Ukraine’s largest oil producer shuts down plant due to sunflower shortage. Ukraine’s largest oil producer Kernel has shut down one plant due to raw material shortages while shifting to alternative oilseeds at other facilities.
Russia’s largest clothing manufacturer closes factories due to outflow of staff for war. The chairman of Gloria Jeans points to technology gaps and war-related personnel losses as key factors in factory closures.
Read our earlier daily review here.
