Exclusives
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Russia begins renovating Soviet-era garrison 160 km from Finnish border, satellite images reveal. New photographs obtained by Finland's YLE show trees cleared, military trucks arriving, and construction underway at a long-abandoned base in Petrozavodsk as Moscow prepares infrastructure to eventually host up to 15,000 soldiers in the Republic of Karelia. |
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Russia's oil revenues collapse 24% as global prices slide further (INFOGRAPHICS). Deficit hits $72 billion—highest since 2009—as war spending peaks. |
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Russia's January assault pace drops just 4% — but its territorial gains fell by half, Deep State says (INFOGRAPHIC). The OSINT monitoring project reports that while Russia occupied 245 sq km last month — nearly half of December's figure — the overall number of assault operations fell only just. |
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Ukraine keeps droning Russia's "penguins"—same unit, same mistake, six days straight. Heat-trapping thermal ponchos can help soldiers hide from heat-sensing thermal drones. But only in the right conditions. |
Team news
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Military
Ukrainian FPVs just destroyed Russian system that could unleash fire wave high as nine-story building (VIDEO). Russia's "machine of death" was designed to leave no survivors. Ukrainian drones had other plans.
Russia paid 26,000 casualties for this city of ruins: Toretsk reportedly falls after 18-month battle. 100th Mechanized Brigade held Toretsk for 18 months.
Russia's 12-year logistics network turns Crimea into covert "partisan missile" hub. Russia intensified Crimea strikes during January "peace talks".
End of rare class: This expensive, heavy, and "elite" Russian equipment did not survive confrontation in war against Ukraine. One left, or none at all.
From BTRs to boots: Russia now attacks Kharkiv's Vovchansk with infantry-only waves (MAPS). Since summer, Russian troops keep storming Vovchansk in small infantry groups, abandoning armored vehicles after heavy losses to Ukrainian drones, the Ukrainian military says.
Intelligence and technology
China used Russian technology to build world's largest navy capable of challenging US. Soviet hull became training platform. Chinese carrier now has catapults.
International
What will be Ukraine's three key priorities at next Ramstein meeting in Brussels?. They could determine how cities survive the winter.
Lavrov's Soviet playbook in Abu Dhabi: Russia frames itself as America's equal to cut Europe out of Kyiv-Moscow talks. The Russian foreign minister compared Moscow to Washington as a fellow "great power" just days before trilateral negotiations, a tactic ISW says aims to entice Trump with economic deals while pushing to exclude Europe from peace talks.
EU's Kallas: Western pressure on Ukraine helps Russia secure demands it never won on the battlefield. The EU's top diplomat said Europe should instead push for concessions from Moscow — including limits on its military, army, and nuclear weapons, plus accountability for crimes committed.
Humanitarian and social impact
Russia "freed up resources" from energy attacks in Ukraine. Where it redirected them after Trump's proposal killed 20 people in five days. Energy truce didn't stop the killing. It redirected it.
Ukraine's grid collapse plunges Moldova into darkness as temperatures hit -20°C (INFOGRAPHICS). Nationwide outages continue on Monday despite partial repairs.
171 drones, 1 ballistic missile, 4 injured: Russia's overnight assault leaves Cherkasy counting damage. The 14 drones that slipped through air defense, along with a ballistic missile from Crimea, struck eight locations in the oblast, igniting fires visible across the regional capital.
Political and legal developments
A monk, a mechanic, and a prison chief: Inside Ukraine's latest crackdown on homegrown Russian propagandists. SBU detained three suspects who used Telegram and TikTok to call for missile strikes on Kyiv, demand Kharkiv's annexation, and justify the Bucha massacre.
Read our earlier daily review here.
