26.01.2025

The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian Air Force units and Defense Forces struck drone storage facilities in Russia's western Oryol Oblast on Jan. 26, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported. The strike targeted concrete structures housing thermobaric warheads for drones, causing a significant secondary detonation.

Euromaidan Press: Concerns that US President Donald Trump might withdraw support for Ukraine or make unfavorable compromises appear unfounded. According to insiders cited by The Independent, Trump is committed to ending the war in Ukraine by spring.

Reuters: An undersea fibre optic cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged on Sunday, likely as a result of external influence, Latvia said, prompting NATO to deploy patrol ships to the area and triggering a sabotage investigation by Swedish authorities. Sweden's Security Service has seized control of a vessel as part of the probe, the country's prosecution authority said.

United24 Media: The United States Agency for International Development in Ukraine has received instructions to halt all projects and related expenditures. The directive follows an order from the US State Department to pause international aid programs for a 90-day audit.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian troops avoided encirclement as Russian forces are poised to capture Velyka Novosilka, Donetsk Oblast, said the 110th Separate Mechanised Brigade.

The Moscow Times: Kyiv on Sunday claimed responsibility for an overnight drone attack on a Russian oil refinery, making it the second attack on the same site in less than two weeks.

Radio Prague: The Czech proposal to limit the movement of Russian diplomats within the Schengen area is gaining traction and could be included in the EU’s 16th sanctions package against Russia, according to Jitka Látal Znamenáčková, Czechia’s Permanent Representative to the EU's Political and Security Committee.

ISW: The Kremlin is continuing to leverage the prominent Kremlin-linked Rybar Telegram channel to cultivate increased Russian influence in Iraq.

25.01.2025

The Kyiv Independent: U.S. diplomats are urgently seeking an exemption for Ukraine-related programs from a 90-day foreign aid freeze imposed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to documents reviewed by the Financial Times.

The Independent: The North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Putin’s military have shown ferocious commitment, brutality – and a determination to kill themselves rather than face capture, The Independent has been told.

Politico: Ukraine is ready to transit gas from Azerbaijan to Europe, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday.

Reuters: U.S. President Donald Trump could fulfil his promise to end the war in Ukraine, but only if he includes Kyiv in any talks, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday.

RBC-Ukraine: Ukrainian intelligence has caused a massive disruption to MegaFon's operations in Russia, leaving many Russians without mobile service or internet access.

ISW: Putin is once again attempting to obfuscate his unwillingness to participate in good-faith negotiations to end the war by blaming Ukraine for defending itself against Russia's invasion and illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory.

Reuters: Moldovan President Maia Sandu arrived in Kyiv on Saturday for talks with her Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

The Kyiv Independent: The U.S. government is considering purchasing American weapons for Ukraine with money received from frozen Russian assets, Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump's peace envoy for Ukraine and Russia, told Fox News on Jan. 24.

24.01.2025

Bloomberg: The European Union is unlikely to propose phasing out Russian liquefied natural gas as part of a new package of sanctions targeting Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine (archive).

Reuters: Syria's new ruling administration has cancelled a contract with a Russian firm to manage and operate the country's Tartous port that was signed under former President Bashar al-Assad, according to three Syrian businessmen and media reports.

Euronews: New findings emerging from Russian sources suggest that Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 was downed by a missile fired from a Pantsir-S1 air defence system which was brought from Syria to Russia.

AFP: Tens of thousands of people protested against the government across Slovakia Friday evening, as anger grows over nationalist Prime Minister Robert Fico's push for closer ties with Russia.

Politico: Hungary again delayed the renewal of the EU’s Russia sanctions on Friday, injecting a last-minute demand for Ukraine to reopen its pipelines and allow Russian gas to flow across the continent.

Reuters: The United States has clarified to India that tankers loaded with Russian oil have to discharge by Feb. 27 under the latest sanctions targeting Moscow's oil revenue, India's oil secretary Pankaj Jain told reporters.

The Moscow Times: The Kremniy El microchip plant in Russia’s western Bryansk region halted production following one of the largest overnight Ukrainian drone strikes on the country since the start of the war, local authorities and media reported Friday.

The Kyiv Independent: Moscow sees a ban on Ukraine’s entry to NATO as a key condition in resolving the Russia-Ukraine war, the pro-Kremlin news agency Interfax reported on Jan. 24, citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.

The Moscow Times: The Kremlin said Friday that it wants to restart nuclear disarmament talks with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration "as soon as possible," after tensions over the war in Ukraine derailed negotiations.

Reuters: Russia launched a barrage of drones in an overnight attack on Ukraine on Friday, killing three civilians and damaging residential and commercial buildings, officials said.

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.

Here are my: Telegram & Socials

Please do support my work