Exclusives
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Ukraine aims to build 7 million drones in 2026 — 70 times more than the US. Manufacturing volume has roughly doubled every year since 2023 |
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Most Germans see Trump as threat to their country, poll finds. Just 24% still view the US president as an ally |
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Solar can't stop Ukraine's blackouts. Can it become part of a more resilient power system? (INFOGRAPHIC). After attacks left 85% without power, the case for diversified, distributed generation grows—if the market opens. |
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Abu Dhabi talks: Europe's absence leaves Ukraine exposed in trilateral format. Russia sends technocrats instead of political mouthpieces—a cautiously positive sign |
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At war since 2022, Ukraine's credit rating just improved (INFOGRAPHIC). Debt payments pushed to 2029. Reserves at record high. |
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Satellite imagery confirms Ukraine's Flamingo missiles scored 4/4 hits Russian Skif-M factory tied to Su-57 production (PHOTOS, MAP). Contrary to Russian claims that only one missile reached the target, the image shows all four hit the Skif-M facility in Russia's Belgorod on 23 September 2025. |
Military
Zelenskyy: 50,000 Russian losses a month would break Moscow's war machine. Ukraine must inflict casualties at a level Russia cannot replenish if it wants to force the Kremlin to rethink the war, the president says.
Ukraine takes Russian "living antenna" prisoner on Pokrovsk front (VIDEO). A Ukrainian "Baba Yaga" drone destroys his position, but he survived.
Russia moves to replace Black Sea Fleet commander after drone defense failures, Ukrainian partisans report. Vice Admiral Akhmerov named as likely successor
Filipino mercenary killed in Russian army "meat assault" after just one week of training, Ukrainian intelligence says. HUR identified the body of John Patrick near Novoselivka in Donetsk Oblast, revealing he was sent to the front lines with minimal preparation and left to die after sustaining a wound.
Ukrainian drones strike Rosneft facility in Penza, destroying military fuel supply hub. At least one of 18 fuel reservoirs at the Penzanefteprodukт oil depot was destroyed in a January 23 Ukrainian drone strike, with satellite imagery from Planet Labs showing thermal damage to several neighboring tanks at the facility located 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, Radio Svoboda reports.
This southern Russian refinery hit again — Russia claims it was just debris (MAP). Kyiv confirmed it struck the Slavyansk Eco refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, saying it plays a role in fueling Moscow's war.
ISW: Ukrainian positions strengthened in western Zaporizhzhia as Russian forces advance in three sectors. Ukrainian forces advanced in areas of western Zaporizhzhia Oblast previously claimed by Russian sources while Russian units gained ground along the T-0504 highway west of Stupochky
Small infantry groups and constant pressure: how Russia attacks on the most difficult fronts. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported about 400 combat clashes on the Pokrovsk and Ocheretyne directions over seven days.
Intelligence and technology
EW doesn't work on these Russian drones. Expert: Request Starlink "kill switch". Russia found a way to make Shaheds unjammable. The irony: they're using Ukraine's own advantage.
Drones appeared over central Kyiv before sirens: Expert warns new Russian capabilities are bad news. Shaheds may no longer be "blind".
International
Russian attacks 256 energy sites in Ukraine, but Austria's far right says "no winter aid". Vienna argues supporting Ukraine now helps prevent future refugee crises in Europe.
Security guarantees for Ukraine are not public. Former Ukrainian ambassador to US say it's because they are not real. US security guarantees are "paper tiger that won't frighten Putin," he adds.
Zelenskyy, Belarusian opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya hold first formal bilateral meeting in Vilnius. Discussed political prisoners, sanctions on Lukashenka, and deepening cooperation
Kim Jong Un inspects memorial sculptures for North Korean soldiers killed fighting for Russia. Pyongyang glorifies troops who fought against Ukraine in Kursk Oblast—first such memorial for overseas combat
Brussels stays briefed on Abu Dhabi talks through Ukrainian and US channels.
US peacekeepers could monitor Donetsk ceasefire—but Russia demands Ukraine surrender cities first. Moscow insists Kyiv cede Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Kostiantynivka before any deal.
Humanitarian and social impact
No more surprise blackouts: Kyiv oblast finally gets outage schedules back. For the first time since 16 January, Kyiv Oblast residents now know when to expect electricity thanks to resumed timetables.
Russia destroys Kherson's only heat source — repairs impossible under constant fire. They're being hunted by "human safari" drones and now are freezing.
Russian strike damages Kyiv's ancient Pechersk Lavra for first time since World War II. The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, one of Eastern Europe's most significant Orthodox Christian sites and a UNESCO World Heritage location, sustained damage from a Russian drone strike on 24 January
PM Svyrydenko says Ukraine's energy system faced toughest week since 2022 blackout. Ukraine restored electricity to 60% of consumers by week's end after combined Russian attacks on 20 and 23 January knocked out 85% of the national grid simultaneously, Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said
New developments
18-year-old Ukrainian won bronze at the Grand Prix fencing competition.
Ukraine opens first polar biology lab to study antarctic samples from Vernadsky station. A laboratory at the Kyiv Aviation Institute has begun full-cycle molecular genetic research on Antarctic organisms
Read our earlier daily review here.
