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Morning Headlines
The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine has distributed industrial boiler equipment delivered by Italy among communities in 10 regions as part of a broader support program aimed at strengthening the country’s heating infrastructure, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said on Jan. 29.
ISW: The Russian Ministry of Defense appears to be conducting a dedicated recruitment campaign for the Unmanned Systems Forces at Russian universities.
The Kyiv Independent: The European Union aims to impose a 20th sanctions package against Russia on Feb. 24, the day marking the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters on Jan. 29.
More News
Reuters: Trump said on Thursday that Putin had agreed to refrain from firing on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for a week because of cold winter weather. There was no immediate comment from Moscow.
Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee has approved €25 million from Ireland to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund to provide support for Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure.
The Kyiv Independent: China's Foreign Ministry on Jan. 29 dismissed reporting that Chinese tools have been used to produce Russia's Oreshnik nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, which have been twice deployed against Ukraine.
Kyiv Post: Kyiv said Thursday it has thwarted a Russian attempt on its naval drone bases via a mole from within the Ukrainian Navy.
Reuters: Ukraine is working with Elon Musk's SpaceX to stop Russia from guiding drones using the firm's Starlink internet system, the defence minister said on Thursday, after Kyiv said it had found Starlinks on long-range drones used in Russian attacks.
The Kyiv Independent: Estonia is pushing for an EU-wide entry ban on former Russian soldiers who participated in the war against Ukraine, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on Jan. 29. "There cannot be a path from Bucha to Brussels," Tsahkna told reporters in the Belgian capital.
United24 Media: Russia has sharply increased discounts on its oil sold to India, with some cargoes recently priced as low as $22–25 per barrel, as Moscow struggles to retain buyers amid tighter US sanctions, the Financial Times reported on January 29.
BBC: Deutsche Bank's offices in Frankfurt and Berlin have been raided by officials as part of an inquiry into money laundering. German media reported that the case carries possible links to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, a claim his lawyers say is "entirely false and inaccurate".
Reuters: India's Reliance Industries Ltd, operator of the world's largest refining complex, will buy up to 150,000 barrels per day of Russian oil from February for its domestic market-focused refinery, a company executive said on Thursday.
Ukrainska Pravda: DeepState, a Ukrainian group of military analysts, has reported that Russian forces have advanced in the city of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast and near the villages of Dronivka and Pazeno in Donetsk Oblast.
Reuters: Extremely low temperatures down to minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit) will hit Ukraine at the beginning of next week, which is very dangerous for winter crops, agricultural analysts and the national emergency service said on Thursday.
The European Commission is announcing €153 million in emergency aid to Ukraine and refugee-hosting Moldova, as millions Ukrainians face freezing temperatures without power under sustained Russian bombardment of energy infrastructure.
Reuters: The leader of Russia's Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, said on Thursday that he was opposed to talks on ending the war in Ukraine and that Moscow should fight on.
Euronews: Countries like Germany are just as exposed in the hybrid conflict as NATO's eastern flank due to drone incursions, disinformation and sabotage, and Europe's deterrence is reaching its limits, OpenMinds founder Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi tells Euronews.
Reuters: A Russian drone strike killed three people and wounded three more overnight in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, the regional governor and emergency services said on Thursday.
United24 Media: Russian forces have effectively trapped their own 122nd Motorized Rifle Regiment in the city of Kupiansk after prematurely reporting the area as “captured” on official paperwork while active fighting continues on the ground, according to Ukraine’s partisan movement Atesh on January 29.
France 24: Germany plans to better protect its critical infrastructure with a new law on Thursday as surging tensions with Russia stoke fears of sabotage attacks and other national security threats.
Reuters: U.S. private equity firm Carlyle Group has agreed to an initial deal to buy most of Lukoil's foreign assets, which Russia's second-largest oil company is being forced to sell because of U.S. sanctions.
worth mentioning
Game of (Chechen) Thrones: with Kadyrov’s health in doubt, succession is on everyone’s mind
Fact Check: Macron did not say he was ready for war in January 2026 speech to French military
UK and 23 other OSCE members launch probe into Georgia over rights concerns
Norway orders $2 billion artillery system from South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace
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