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She lived in Europe for years and came back to Kyiv for week. Returnee says Ukraine's reality is not what you read about in news. |
Military
"Life expectancy of Russian soldier here is 12 minutes": Moscow deploys two elite airborne divisions for one village next to Zaporizhzhia. One village stands between Russia and 700,000 civilians.
Ukraine hits Russian Bastion missile brigade in Crimea — system used in attack that killed civilian and put children in intensive care. Ukraine targets Bastion systems that fired Tsirkon reaching Kyiv in six minutes.
Two Ukrainian soldiers from 225th Assault Regiment capture six Russian troops, including platoon commander. Two assault troops from Ukraine's 225th Regiment captured six Russian infantrymen from the 114th Motor Rifle Regiment — including their platoon commander — after storming an enemy position and offering them a chance to surrender, the regiment reported.
10,000 troops in Lviv won't stop Russia — Western soldiers need to be deployed where real threat is, says Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy says peacekeepers belong near the front.
Intelligence and technology
"This will affect not only Lukashenka, but also his inner circle, his sons": Ukraine promises further actions against Belarus for drone relays. Relays correct targeting.
KAMAZ supplies trucks to Russia's army. Its financial results in 2025 — 11-fold loss increase. The company that supplies Russian military is in crisis.
International
Russian shadow war reaches Europe's volunteers—Dutch aid groups warn of sabotage, drones, and arson. Hybrid warfare spills onto humanitarian routes as attacks and "accidents" follow Ukraine aid missions.
Zelenskyy calls Russia's "Oreshnik" deployment in Belarus a "show" meant to scare Europe.
Zelenskyy says Russia and Belarus discuss new joint military exercises on Belarusian territory. Russia and Belarus are discussing another round of joint military exercises on Belarusian soil, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told independent Belarusian outlet Dzerkalo — recalling that "very massive" drills in 2022 preceded the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Italy sends 10 mobile generators and 300 boilers to Ukraine as winter drags on. Ten wheel-mounted generators capable of producing 1,500 kVA have arrived in Ukraine from Italy, along with a pledge of more than 300 boilers, according to the Italian Embassy in Kyiv.
Who's to blame for "Ukraine war fatigue"? Former Polish president says it's Western leaders themselves. Wałęsa says EU integration is Ukraine's "only way out" of Russia's war.
Russia threatens to aim nukes at Estonia—then claims it's "not a threat". Tallinn signals openness to nuclear debate—Moscow responds with targeting rhetoric.
Putin has already started World War Three — "the question is how to stop him," Zelenskyy tells BBC. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the BBC in an interview that a ceasefire built on territorial concessions would only buy Russia a two-year pause before it attacks again, and that the only answer is "intense military and economic pressure" to force Moscow to step back.
Humanitarian and social impact
"Present for Putin": Slovakia cuts electricity flows for millions of Ukrainians amid Russia's winter terror and war's fourth anniversary. Slovakia halts emergency power to Ukraine one day before war anniversary, blaming Kyiv for pipeline Russia bombed.
World Bank maps Ukraine's deepest scars — $195B in direct damage and $588B bill for survival. Housing, energy, and transport emerge as the hardest-hit pillars of Ukraine's survival.
Russia launched 126 drones and a ballistic missile overnight; Ukraine downed 105, but strikes killed three across three oblasts. A 20-year-old woman and a man of about 45 were killed in Odesa, a 33-year-old man died in Zaporizhzhia, and two people were wounded in Kharkiv after Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with a ballistic missile and 126 drones.
Political and legal developments
Hungary blocks EU sanctions AND $106 billion loan for Ukraine, risking a domino collapse. Budapest broke its December pledge. Now, an $8.2 billion IMF program could be lost with the loan, and Ukraine's budget runs dry by April.
New developments
Ukrainian novelist Andrii Liubka wins prestigious Polish-Lithuanian prize while serving in Ukraine's army. Ukrainian writer Andrii Liubka, 38, has won the joint award of the Poland–Lithuania Cooperation and Dialogue Forum and the Jerzy Giedroyc Forum — but military mobilization kept him from the ceremony.
Read our earlier daily review here.
