Tuesday, January 7

Russia’s war against Ukraine

An aerial view shows Ukrainian Orthodox believers bathing in cold water during Epiphany celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 6, 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion (Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images).

Russia claims to capture Kurakhove, Ukraine says fighting ongoing in the sector. Ukraine’s Khortytsia group of forces reported on Jan. 6 that battles are ongoing in the Kurakhove sector.

‘They didn’t give a st’ — Zelensky rebukes those behind** Budapest Memorandum. Zelensky said Ukraine was pressured into signing the Budapest Memorandum, and those who came up with the agreement should be jailed.

SBU behind drone attack on one of Russia’s largest sea trade ports in Leningrad Oblast, source claims. The Kyiv Independent’s source shared a video purporting to show one of the drones hitting gas condensate tanks. One tank was heavily damaged, and three others suffered by explosive debris, they added.

Ukraine strikes 3 Russian air defense systems in single day, Navy claims. Two Russian anti-missile Pantsir-S1 systems and one OSA anti-aircraft vehicle were damaged or destroyed by Ukraine’s Navy on Jan. 6, the military branch claimed.

Lukashenko’s spox denies apology to Zelensky for Belarus’s involvement in Russia’s war. “No apologies have been made by the Belarus president to Zelensky, for the simple reason that we have nothing to apologize for,” Lukashenko’s spokesperson Natalia Eismont said.

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Kyiv, Moscow reach preliminary agreement to prioritize wounded POWs in future exchanges. “We will see if the Russian side keeps its word. If they do, Ukrainian society will notice the systematic nature in terms of quantity, timing, and categories [of prisoners returning home],” Ukraine’s ombudsman said.

Russia seeks to restore barge barriers protecting Crimean Bridge lost due to storms, Navy says. “Still, of course, they (Russia) are taking maximum measures to protect this illegal construction (the Crimean bridge),” said Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy. “And so far, there are no tendencies to reduce their activity.”

‘Negative lesson’ — Ground Forces chief acknowledges desertions, mismanagement in French-trained brigade. Mykhailo Drapatyi, commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, acknowledged significant challenges within the French-trained 155th “Anne of Kyiv” Mechanized Brigade, including high desertion rates and poor organization, during a Jan. 6 press conference.

Russian agents plotted terror attack near Kyiv by blowing up 16-year-old co-conspirator, SBU claims. The boy, disguised as a Ukrainian soldier, was allegedly instructed to plant explosives at an entrance to a military facility premises in December 2024. The plotters then intended to detonate the explosives remotely, killing the boy as well, the Prosecutor General’s Office said, adding that the boy was not aware he was to be killed as part of the attack.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine strikes 3 Russian air defense systems in single day

Two Russian anti-missile Pantsir-S1 systems and one OSA anti-aircraft vehicle were damaged or destroyed by Ukraine’s Navy in one day, the military branch claimed on Jan. 6. “Our soldiers continue to turn Russian equipment into scrap metal,” Ukrainian Navy Commander Oleksii Neizhpapa said.

Photo: Ukraine’s Navy/Telegram

As Russians inch to Pokrovsk, civilians in the area are left with a choice — stay under fire or leave life behind

The city of Pokrovsk, which once counted some 60,000 residents, now counts a mere 11,000 thousand, with Russian troops aiming to surround and occupy it while gradually turning the city into rubble.

Photo: Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Zelensky takes on Putin apologists, US skeptics on 3-hour Lex Fridman podcast

In a newly released three-hour interview, Moscow-born U.S. podcaster Lex Fridman tried to persuade President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “a serious person who loves his country.”

Photo: Lex Fridman / YouTube

‘Putin is afraid of Trump’s administration’ – Estonian foreign minister says on negotiations

While much will be decided on the battlefield, the race is on for Western countries to come together and find the strongest and most united position in Ukraine, but many of the biggest players continue to hold back.  

Photo: Patrick T. Fallon /AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Zelensky says nearly 15,000 Russians have been killed in Kursk region. President Volodymyr Zelensky said during his evening address that Ukraine “continues to maintain a buffer zone on Russian territory, actively destroying Russian military potential there.”

Russian drone attack against bus in Kherson, kills 1, injures 8. The man killed, Volodymyr Shum, 50, was a specialist in the municipal services and landscaping division of the Kherson City Council’s municipal economy department.

Russian troops allegedly kill 3 Ukrainian POWs in Donetsk Oblast. Russian troops have allegedly killed three Ukrainian prisoners of war in Donetsk Oblast’s Volnovakha District, Ukraine’s ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets wrote on his Telegram channel on Jan. 6.

International response

End of Ukraine gas transit has no effect on EU energy market stability, European Commission says. When asked about whether such a move caused any kind of emergency in Slovakia, European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said that the Gas Coordination Group held talks last week and concluded that “there are no security supplies issues or concerns for the European Union following the end of the transit.”

Ukraine’s position in Kursk Oblast important for possible negotiations, Blinken says. “Their (Ukraine’s) position in Kursk is an important one because certainly it’s something that would factor in any negotiation that may come about in the coming year,” Blinken told reporters in Seoul.

Ukraine to receive another 180,000 rounds of ammunition for Gepard systems from Germany. The order for a new batch of rounds of HEI-T ammunition (High Explosive Incendiary with Tracer) was booked in December 2024 and is funded by the German government.

Macron sees no ‘quick and easy solution’ to Ukraine, urges ‘realistic’ discussions on territory. French President Emmanuel Macron on Jan. 6 called on Ukraine to have “realistic discussions on territorial issues” as they alone can conduct them, the French media reported.

Pro-government Slovak MPs to travel to Moscow to ‘restore some relations.’ A group of pro-government Slovak lawmakers plan to visit Moscow later in January to develop “dialogue” with Russia, according to Andrej Danko, the chair of the co-ruling far-right Slovak National Party (SNS) who will lead the delegation, the Slovak news agency TASR reported on Jan. 5.

‘Absurd versions’ — Azerbaijan’s president accuses Russia, condemns Putin’s denial of involvement in plane crash. “The blame for this disaster lies with representatives of the Russian Federation,” Ilham Aliyev said on Jan. 6.

Opinions and insights

Opinion: “Europe cannot fill void left by US in Ukraine’s defense”

“The European Commission has proposed shifting the EU to a war economy, but this is still in the discussion phase. Ukraine will need more than proposals debated in Brussels to meet the shortfall left by a potential American withdrawal,” writes Samantha de Bendern, associate fellow at Chatham House.

Photo: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images

Economy Minister: They said no one would invest in country at war. They were wrong

“Today, Ukraine’s primary investors are domestic companies and investors committed to the country’s future. Despite the war, they continue launching new products and expanding their reach to new markets,” writes Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s economic development minister.

Photo: Mykola Tys/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

In other news

Transnistria’s electricity supply system faces collapse amid gas shortage, Moldovan official warns. The electricity supply system in the Russian-occupied Moldovan region of Transnistria is under risk of collapse after the halt of Russian gas flow, a high-ranking official of Moldova’s Energy Ministry warned in a Facebook post on Jan. 5.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Boldizsár Győri, Kateryna Denisova, Francis Farrell, Tymur Zadorozhnyy, Olena Goncharova, and Dmytro Basmat.

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