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Reuters: Finland's national power grid operator said on Thursday it had asked a Helsinki court to seize the Eagle S oil tanker in a bid to secure the company's claim for damages related to the breakdown of the undersea Estlink 2 electricity interconnector.

VoA: The Kremlin is using uncertainty following the ouster of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, and the potential loss of Russia’s military toehold in Syria, to accuse the United States of sowing instability in the country.

AFP: Ukraine has opened a criminal probe into desertion and "abuse of power" after hundreds of soldiers were reported to have fled an army unit partly trained by France, investigators said Thursday.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine is to carry out a comprehensive review of the Ground Forces command, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced on Jan. 2, to be conducted by the Defense Ministry’s Main Inspectorate. "Victory requires a deep analysis of experience, and an honest understanding of mistakes," Umerov said.

Reuters: Slovakia's coalition government will discuss retaliatory measures to take against Ukraine after it halted the flow of Russian gas through its territory to Slovakia, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Thursday.

RBC-Ukraine: Russia has recruited up to 180,000 prisoners to participate in the war since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They receive lower payments than other Russian soldiers, according to the Foreign Intelligence Service.

The Kyiv Independent: Polish farmers are planning a large protest in Warsaw to voice opposition to agricultural imports from Ukraine, and EU agricultural policies, Farmer .pl reported on Jan. 2.

LRT: More than 1,500 cultural and art valuables from Ukraine have been moved to Lithuania since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.

Reuters: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday he was preparing to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria, less than a month after the overthrow of the Russia-backed government in Damascus.

The Kyiv Independent: Two Russian helicopters were downed in a recent strike by the Ukrainian-made Magura V5 naval strike drones, Ukraine's military intelligence agency reports.

RBC-Ukraine: Ukrainian defenders destroyed a “nest” of Russian drone operators. It happened in the south of Ukraine, according to the Defense Forces of the South of Ukraine.

Reuters: The Ukrainian military said it had carried out a high-precision strike on Thursday on a Russian command post in Maryino, in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces hold chunks of territory after a major incursion.

AFP: Oil that leaked from two stricken tankers off the Russian coast has been detected on more beaches on the annexed peninsula of Crimea, Russian authorities said, as volunteers mount a massive environmental cleanup operation.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine’s electricity import increased more than fivefold in 2024 to 4.4 million megawatt-hours, ExPro consulting company’s electricity monitoring data showed on Jan. 2.

Meduza: Russia may be grappling with a severe doctor shortage, but that hasn’t stopped the authorities from targeting the medical professionals they do have.

The Kyiv Independent: A Russian attack overnight killed a civilian in the town of Stepnohirsk in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Governor Ivan Fedorov reported on Jan. 2.

worth mentioning

'Trump can be decisive in ending war' — Zelensky on Ukraine's outlook for 2025

Breakaway Moldovan region shuts almost all industry amid energy crisis

Leader of German social-democrats supports more phone calls between Scholz and Putin

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