- Russia-Ukraine Daily News
- Posts
- Daily Briefing
Dear Reader, if you find this email interesting, helpful or of value, please do consider forwarding it to your friends or colleagues and encouraging them to subscribe. Thank you.
Morning Headlines
Reuters: Russia launched an overnight drone attack on Ukraine’s Odesa region, damaging residential buildings and infrastructure and injuring four people, including three children, regional authorities said on Wednesday.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine's military reportedly struck oil infrastructure in the various Russian and Russian-occupied regions late on Dec. 30. Preliminary reports indicate that Ukrainian forces struck the Tuapse oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai and oil depot in the Russian-occupied community of Rovenky in Luhansk Oblast.
ISW: Russian forces continue to increase the range of their drones to strike deeper into Ukraine, underscoring Ukraine’s urgent requirements for traditional air defense systems.
Reuters: Russia's Chief of the General Staff Gerasimov said Putin ordered expansion in 2026 of the 'buffer zone' in Ukraine’s regions of Sumy and Kharkiv near the Russian border, RIA said, adding that he inspected the “North” troop grouping.
More News
Reuters: U.S. ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker cast doubt on Tuesday on Russia’s accusation that Ukraine attacked Putin’s residence, saying he wants to see U.S. intelligence on the incident.
AFP: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said Kyiv's allies had the capabilities to verify that an alleged drone attack on Putin's secluded residence in Valdai that Russia blamed on Ukraine was false.
The Kyiv Independent: Zelensky also called out India, the UAE, and other countries that condemned the so-called "Ukrainian assassination attempt on Putin" while largely turning a blind eye to Russian mass attacks on Ukrainian cities. "Where is their condemnation of the fact that our children are being bombed and people are being killed all this time? I don’t hear India, frankly, nor the United Arab Emirates."
The Moscow Times: Residents of the town of Valdai in Russia’s Novgorod region said they neither heard nor saw signs of a large-scale drone attack overnight on Monday despite official claims that nearly 100 Ukrainian drones targeted Putin’s residence there.
The Guardian: Russia has continued to use intermediary companies, including one apparently based in the UK, to import aviation tyres made by the French firm Michelin despite attempts to stop the trade, customs records suggest.
The Moscow Times: Putin signed an executive order on Tuesday authorizing the military to summon members of its mobilization reserve next year for “special” assemblies aimed at protecting critical infrastructure.
Politico: Germany’s military planners are warning that recent cyberattacks, sabotage and disinformation campaigns could be the opening salvo in a new war, according to a confidential government document seen by POLITICO.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine is preparing to host a new round of high-level security discussions with Western partners in early January, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Dec. 30, signaling an effort to maintain diplomatic momentum.
The Moscow Times: Allies of the late opposition activist Alexei Navalny on Tuesday released an investigation alleging that a luxury palace built along the Black Sea coast in annexed Crimea belongs to Putin.
The Guardian: UK’s Kemi Badenoch is under pressure to act on the revelations that her shadow attorney general is representing the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, despite UK sanctions against him. David Wolfson, a Tory peer, is part of the legal team representing Abramovich as he attempts to recover billions in frozen assets he owns in the Channel islands.
Kyiv Post: Ukraine is building a multi-layered system of UAV interceptors to counter Shahed drones, expanding interceptor units, radars and training as Russia intensifies air attacks, AFU chief Syrsky says.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian forces struck a Russian drone storage facility at Donetsk Airport in Russian-occupied Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi said on Dec. 30.
Ukrainska Pravda: Mandatory evacuation has been announced in Chernihiv Oblast for residents of 14 border villages, with the process to be completed within 30 days.
Reuters: Russia launched waves of drones to attack port infrastructure and civilian ships in Ukraine's Odesa region on Tuesday, Ukrainian navy and government officials said. Two Panama-flagged civilian vessels were attacked by Russian drones as they entered a Ukrainian Black Sea port to load wheat, the Ukrainian navy said.
Reuters: Russia released video on Tuesday of what it said was the deployment of its nuclear-capable hypersonic Oreshnik missile system in close ally Belarus, a move meant to boost Moscow's ability to strike targets across Europe in the event of a war.
ISW: Russian forces continue to commit war crimes in the Hulyaipole and Pokrovsk directions.
Reuters: The Russian central bank said on Tuesday it had eased reserve requirements for restructured loans, a move that could help heavily indebted companies such as Russian Railways reduce their debt burden.
Reuters: Russia's pipeline gas exports to Europe sank by 44% in 2025 to their lowest since the mid-1970s, following the closure of the Ukrainian route and as the European Union phases out fossil fuel imports from Russia, Reuters calculations showed on Tuesday.
worth mentioning
Trump admin scores visa for founder of Russian propaganda outlet
Spanish paper says Russian ship that sank in the Mediterranean was carrying nuclear reactors for North Korea
Citigroup board approves sale of Russia unit, flags $1.2 billion loss
UAE defense giant allegedly eyes $760M minority stake in Fire Point, Ukraine’s Flamingo missile producer
Russa-Ukraine Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Do you think your friend or colleague should know about this newsletter? Forward it to them, please.They can also sign up here
Please consider supporting my work