04.01.2026

The Kyiv Independent: A fire broke out at Russia's Energia defense plant in Yelets, Lipetsk Oblast, during a Ukrainian drone attack the evening of Jan. 4, according to reports and video footage from local residents. The Energia factory produces critical components for Russian missiles and drones, including batteries for the Iskander ballistic missile system and cruise missiles.

Reuters: An undersea telecoms cable was damaged in the Baltic Sea on Friday and Latvian investigators on Sunday boarded a ship in connection with the incident, the country's state police said in a statement.

AFP: The anchor of a vessel that damaged an undersea cable linking Helsinki and the Estonian capital Tallinn dragged along the seabed "at least several tens of kilometres" before it hit the line, Finnish police said Sunday.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine's Air Assault Forces refuted on Jan. 4 Russia's reports about the capture of the town of Rodynske in Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainian soldiers continue to hold the defense inside Rodynske and its outskirts, the military said.

Reuters: Botswana plans to open an embassy in Moscow soon and has invited Russian investors to cooperate on rare earths and diamonds, Russia's TASS state news agency quoted Botswana's foreign minister as saying on Sunday.

United24 Media: Russia has been intensifying intelligence-gathering efforts along its border with Norway by deploying operatives disguised as fishermen and tourists, Norwegian military officials report.

The Guardian: The head of a leading British far-right group spoke at a summit of European extreme nationalist groups convened in Russia by an influential oligarch linked to Putin, it can be revealed.

The Kyiv Independent: Any future security guarantees for Ukraine must include the physical presence of foreign troops on Ukrainian territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 3, stressing that forces from France and the U.K. are essential for peace.

Kyiv Post: Trump’s sharp words on Putin, paired with a dramatic operation against Maduro, are raising fresh questions about Washington’s strategy toward Russia, Ukraine – and the wider authoritarian axis.

03.01.2026

The Kyiv Independent: President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested to appoint Denys Shmyhal, the country's defense minister and ex-prime minister, to lead Ukraine's Energy Ministry.

The Insider: With the start of the new year, a sweeping package of legislative changes is coming into force in Russia. Some of them tighten control over individuals and expand the powers of the security services, while others affect taxes, social benefits, and the country’s economy.

CNN: Russia filed a formal diplomatic request that the United States stop pursuing an oil tanker originally bound for Venezuela that has evaded US custody for almost two weeks.

Kyiv Post: As negotiators gather in Kyiv, US Republicans close ranks around a hard-edged peace framework, European capitals prepare security guarantees – and Moscow escalates militarily to shape the talks.

02.01.2026

The Kyiv Independent: Russian forces on Jan. 2 launched a missile attack on a residential neighborhood in the city of Kharkiv, killing two people and injuring at least 31, including a six-month-old baby, regional authorities said.

Reuters: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday he will appoint the head of the foreign intelligence service Oleh Ivashchenko as the new military intelligence chief. Ivashchenko will replace Kyrylo Budanov who will become the new head of Zelenskiy's office.

The Kyiv Independent: President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed appointing Mykhailo Fedorov as the country's new defense minister. Fedorov, 34, currently serves as Ukraine's deputy prime minister and digital transformation minister.

Euronews: Ukraine ordered the evacuation of thousands of children and their parents from frontline settlements in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions on Friday, where Russian troops have been advancing, a Ukrainian official said.

The Kyiv Independent: Seventy-four percent of Ukrainians oppose a peace plan that would include Ukraine's withdrawal from the eastern Donbas region and a cap on the army's size without reliable security guarantees, according to results from a poll released by Kyiv International Institute of Sociology on Jan. 2.

Politico: Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service warned Friday that the Kremlin was likely to carry out a false flag attack inside Russia or inside the Ukrainian territories it illegally occupies to derail peace talks mediated by Trump.

United24 Media: Strike drones attacked a major oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region, according to reports from residents and the OSINT community Supernova+ on January 2.

Euronews: Russia conducted what local authorities called “one of the most massive” drone attacks at Zaporizhzhia overnight on Friday, as it continued its attacks on Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure in its all-out war.

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