Daily Briefing

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Morning Headlines

The Kyiv Independent: Two people have been killed and one other injured in a drone attack overnight on Jan. 24 targeting Kyiv Oblast, the regional military administration reported.

Reuters: South Korea's military said on Friday that it suspects North Korea is preparing to send more troops to Russia to fight Ukrainian forces, even after suffering losses and seeing some of its soldiers captured.

The Kyiv Independent: A fire erupted at the Ryazan Oil Refinery in Russia after a mass drone attack targeting several regions, Russian Telegram channels reported on Jan. 23.

Euractiv: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk favours cutting benefits for refugees and migrants living and working in Poland, including Ukrainians - a proposal first put forward by the opposition PiS party.

More News

Politico: Hungary is expected to back down from its threat to block the EU from renewing its Russia sanctions after U.S. President Donald Trump menaced Moscow with even more penalties.

Economic Security Council of Ukraine: Russia has managed to purchase over 22,000 CNC (computer numerical control) machines, components and consumables worth $18.2 billion between 2023 and the first seven months of 2024. Without CNC machines, manufacturing virtually any weapon would be impossible, making their procurement critical to sustaining Russian aggression.

The Kyiv Independent: NATO Chief Mark Rutte said on Jan. 23 that Putin has no authority to influence NATO's future membership decisions.

BBC News: Two Russian ships linked to its military have docked at the Kremlin's naval base on the Syrian coast at Tartous, with experts suggesting that an anticipated evacuation of the facility has finally begun.

Reuters: Fact-checking firm Newsguard and German investigative outlet Correctiv said on Thursday they had identified a cluster of Russia-linked websites that were spreading false stories in an apparent bid to sway Germany's national election in February.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian troops positioned near the village of Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk Oblast are at risk of encirclement by Russian forces, military spokesperson Viktor Trehubov said on Jan. 23.

Meduza: U.S. President Donald Trump plans to reduce America’s military presence in Europe by roughly 20 percent, withdrawing around 20,000 troops, the Italian news agency ANSA reported on Thursday, citing a European diplomatic source.

EU Parliament: In a resolution adopted on Thursday, MEPs condemned the Russian regime’s systematic falsification of historical arguments to justify its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.

The Moscow Times: A group of residents in the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol have accused local Kremlin-backed authorities of offering them properties abandoned by their owners instead of building new replacement homes.

Bloomberg: A chunk of Russia’s oil tanker fleet is being forced to change the flag they sail under as US and UK sanctions heap pressure on Moscow’s shipping network (archive).

The Kyiv Independent: President Volodymyr Zelensky on Jan. 22 clarified his earlier comments on the number of European peacekeepers needed to maintain peace in Ukraine, saying the required numbers would depend on the size of Ukraine’s own military.

Reuters: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday urged the United States to keep supplying Ukraine with weapons to fight Russia's invasion and said he was sure Europe was ready to pay the bill.

Meduza: The Czech Senate has passed a law that effectively bars Russian nationals from obtaining Czech citizenship, according to Radio Svoboda.

Politico: Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal case against Russia for war crimes in Ukraine on Thursday after a video emerged showing Russian soldiers executing six unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Donetsk region.

Bloomberg: After the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Mondelez International Inc. joined a number of international companies in committing to downsize its presence in Russia. The maker of Oreo cookies has since walked those pledges back, leading some shareholders to renew calls for increased transparency (archive).

Reuters: Freight rates for Russian ESPO Blend oil loading from the Far Eastern port of Kozmino have jumped fivefold amid a lack of vessels after fresh U.S. sanctions cut availability of tankers, three traders said and data showed.

AFP: Ukrainian law enforcement on Thursday detained nearly two dozen people after launching a nationwide operation including hundreds of raids to stamp out illegal weapons and ammunition trafficking.

Reuters: Putin has grown increasingly concerned about distortions in Russia's wartime economy, just as Donald Trump pushes for an end to the Ukraine war.

worth mentioning

Former Finnish president ‘annoyed’ Europe not talking to Kremlin about ending war

Croatian PM says future peace deal must not cement occupation of Ukraine by Russia

Pro-war singers to tour Russian schools with ‘patriotic music lessons’

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