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AP News: Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that its air defenses shot down 10 Ukrainian air-launched missiles over Crimea and 10 over the Russian city of Belgorod, as both sides in the war pounded each other with long-range aerial strikes continuing late into the night while fighting along the front line remained largely deadlocked.

The Kyiv Independent: Germany handed over a Skynex air defense system, 10 Marder armored vehicles, ammunition for Leopard tanks, and other aid in its latest delivery to Ukraine, the German government announced on Jan. 4.

The Insider: A total of 104 Russian chess players changed their national affiliations in 2023, according to a report by Sports.ru citing statistics from the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

Reuters: The Ukrainian embassy in Italy asked the city of Modena on Thursday to withdraw its approval for the use of a civic hall to host an event about Russia's reconstruction of the war-wrecked city of Mariupol.

The Moscow Times: The Estonian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that Russia plans to close a key border checkpoint to road traffic for two years, citing renovation works as the reason behind the move.

Novaya-Europe: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed amendments into law that guarantee him and his family lifelong immunity from prosecution, his office announced on Wednesday.

The Kyiv Independent: Russian occupation authorities in southern Ukraine plan to force all local teenagers aged 17 to register at Russian-controlled military enlistment offices starting from March this year, the National Resistance Center reported on Jan. 4.

The Moscow Times: Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence said Thursday it had destroyed a Russian Su-34 fighter bomber deep inside Russian territory.

Reuters: India paid an average of $85 per barrel for Russian oil in November, the highest since the G7 advanced economies imposed a price cap of $60 per barrel to cut Moscow's revenue, preliminary government data shows.

The Kyiv Independent: Russia has doubled the amount of attacks against Ukrainian forces in the southeastern sector over the past day, said Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi on Jan. 4.

AFP: Polish farmers on Thursday resumed their blockade of a border checkpoint with Ukraine as a similar protest by hauliers disrupted cargo traffic between the two countries.

Reuters: Putin issued a decree on Thursday allowing foreign nationals who fight for Russia in Ukraine to obtain Russian citizenship for themselves and their families.

The Kyiv Independent: Belgium will send two F-16 fighter jets and 50 training personnel to Denmark from March to September to support the training of Ukrainian pilots, the Belgian broadcaster RTBF reported on Jan. 4, citing comments from the Belgian Defense Ministry.

Newsweek: Putin's propaganda machine was dealt a blow on Wednesday after authorities in Kazakhstan removed a number of Russian channels from its television network.

Reuters: Ukraine's export value fell 18.7% in 2023 compared with 2022, totalling $35.8 billion, the lowest figure recorded in a decade, the country's Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Thursday.

Ukrainska Pravda: As of December, more than 220 Russian soldiers surrendered through the I Want to Live hotline, and more than 1,000 other applications are pending, writes the Financial Times.

Reuters: Russian hackers were inside Ukrainian telecoms giant Kyivstar's system from at least May last year in a cyberattack that should serve as a "big warning" to the West, Ukraine's cyber spy chief told Reuters.

worth mentioning

Did Ukraine miss an early chance to negotiate peace with Russia?

Russia revives Smersh, Stalin’s anti-spy unit made famous by James Bond

Russian region extends school holiday closures after shelling

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