Summary of the Day:
Russia conducted a massive aerial assault against Ukraine overnight, launching over 165 weapons including missiles and Shahed drones. Ukrainian forces intercepted 56 drones and disrupted 61 others through electronic warfare. The strikes damaged residential areas and historic buildings in Poltava City, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Kyiv regions, including a UNESCO-protected site near Norwegian diplomats in Odesa.
In the Black Sea, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet demonstrated new capabilities by using a ship-launched Kronstadt Orion drone to destroy a Ukrainian naval drone. This development appears to be Russia’s response to Ukraine’s previous success in using Magura V5 naval drones to down Russian Mi-8 helicopters over the Black Sea.
On the ground, troop movements were reported on both sides. Ukrainian forces advanced near Toretsk, while Russian forces made gains in three locations – near Chasiv Yar, Pokrovsk, and Kurakhove.
Picture of the Day:
Recruits of the Ukrainian military’s ‘Alcatraz’ assault battalion, composed of formerly incarcerated fighters, prepare for medical and trench training in Donetsk Oblast. (Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Beyond Ukraine – The March Towards World War
President Trump has threatened to impose 100% tariffs on BRICS nations if they try to replace the U.S. dollar in international trade, and suggested using tariffs to pressure Russia regarding the Ukraine war.
Russia is establishing a naval base in Ochamchire, Abkhazia (internationally recognized as Georgian territory), potentially escalating regional tensions and risking Georgia’s involvement in the Ukraine war. The base, built after Russia lost a third of its Black Sea fleet since 2022, could host cruise missile-equipped ships while staying beyond Ukraine’s strike range. The development threatens the vital Middle Corridor trade route between Asia and Europe, which has become increasingly important since sanctions disrupted Russian trade routes. This strategic move could further destabilize regional peace and impact global trade flows through the Black Sea region.
The Path to Peace
President Zelensky emphasized that any peace negotiations about Ukraine must include Ukraine at the table, along with the United States, Russia, and the European Union. While Trump’s team claims to be in “very serious” discussions with Russia, Zelensky warned that talks without Ukraine’s involvement are “very dangerous.” He proposed first meeting with Trump to develop ceasefire plans before engaging with Russia. Zelensky suggested that Trump could pressure Putin into negotiations through increased sanctions while maintaining weapons support to Ukraine. He also responded to U.S. Secretary Rubio’s comment about Ukraine being “set back 100 years” by inviting him to visit Ukraine and see the situation firsthand.
Situation On The Land, Sea, and Air in Ukraine
A Russian military blogger highlighted ongoing issues with Russian armored vehicles, noting that Russian forces are experiencing significant losses while transporting infantry near the front lines, primarily due to Ukrainian drone attacks. The blogger criticized the Russian Defense Ministry for its historical lack of innovation in armored vehicle development and suggested Russia needs to create a vehicle like the American M113 armored personnel carrier.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet reported using a drone to destroy a Ukrainian naval drone, potentially marking a new tactic in the Black Sea conflict. Russian sources claim they used a Kronstadt Orion drone launched from a naval vessel – possibly the first documented use of this approach. This development appears to be Russia’s response to Ukraine’s successful use of Magura V5 naval drones, which have previously downed Russian Mi-8 helicopters over the Black Sea.
Ukrainian Operations in the Russian Federation – Initiative Russia
Russian forces launched attacks in Ukraine’s Kursk Oblast targeting several settlements including Guyevo, Sverdlikovo, Nikolayevo-Darino, Kurilovka, and Makhnovka. While Russian sources claimed territorial gains, these advances could not be independently verified. Ukrainian forces reported destroying 19 Russian armored vehicles, prompting Russian forces to switch to smaller infantry-based attacks. The Russians have also increased their use of guided glide bombs in the region.
Kharkiv Front – Initiative Russia
Russian forces conducted limited attacks near Vovchansk, northeast of Kharkiv City. Ukrainian military officials reported that Russian forces have advanced to the northern part of Zelene, which lies north of Kharkiv City.
Luhansk Front – Initiative Russia
Kupyansk
Russian forces advanced near Orlyanka, east of Kupyansk, while claiming to capture Dvorichna, though this claim remains unverified. They conducted attacks in multiple areas including Topoli, Petropavlivka, Stepova Novoselivka, and Hlushkivka. Russian forces are using a two-phase attack strategy: sending less-trained soldiers first to identify Ukrainian positions, followed by better-trained units attacking the flanks. Ukrainian forces continue to hold positions in parts of Novomlynsk and northern Zapadne.
Borova
Russian forces attacked near Borova without confirmed advances, though they claimed progress west of Makiivka. They conducted operations in several areas including Zahryzove, Lovoza, Bohuslavka, Pishchane, Novoyehorivka, and Novomykhailivka. Russian forces are operating near Kruhlyakivka. A Russian military blogger disputes the Russian Defense Ministry’s claim of capturing Novoyehorivka, noting that the 84th Reconnaissance Battalion continues to suffer losses while attacking the settlement.
Lyman
Russian forces attacked in the Lyman direction but achieved no confirmed advances. While Russian sources claimed progress west of Terny, Ivanivka, and Novosadove, these claims remain unverified. Russian operations occurred near several settlements including Yampolivka, Kolodyazi, Zelena Dolyne, and Torske. Russian forces are reportedly operating near the Serebryanske forest area east of Lyman.
Donetsk Front – Initiative Russia
Siversk
Russian forces attacked near Siversk without making advances, conducting operations near Bilohorivka, Verkhnokamyanske, and Spirne. Ukrainian forces damaged two Russian armored vehicles during a mechanized assault near Verkhnokamyanske. A Russian source noted that difficult terrain and Ukrainian defenses are hindering Russian progress in Bilohorivka. Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces in the Siversk, Chasiv Yar, and Toretsk areas maintain sufficient reserves for troop rotation.
Chasiv Yar
Russian forces advanced south of Chasiv Yar launching attacks near several settlements including Block-9 mine, Stupochky, Bila Hora, and Predtechyne. Ukrainian forces reportedly launched a counterattack in northern Chasiv Yar (Pivnichnyi Microraion). Multiple Russian units, including volunteer brigades and airborne divisions, are operating in the area.
Toretsk
Ukrainian forces advanced in northern Toretsk. While Russian forces claimed to have captured Krymske, north of Toretsk, this claim remains unverified. Fighting continues near both Toretsk and Krymske. Russian forces in the area primarily consist of mobilized personnel from occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions, occasionally supplemented by better-equipped assault groups from other areas.
Pokrovsk
Russian forces advanced near Pokrovsk, making gains northwest of Kotlyne and on the northern outskirts of Nadiivka. Russian attacks continued across multiple settlements including Pokrovsk, Zelene Pole, Vodyane Druhe, Yelyzavetivka, Promin, Novotoretske, Myrolyubivka, Lysivka, Sribne, Udachne, Uspenivka, Zvirove, Novooleksandrivka, and Kotlyarivka. Russian tank and motorized rifle units are operating in the Nadiivka-Novoandriivka area.
Andriivka
Russian forces advanced south of Rozlyv, near Kurakhove, while continuing attacks across multiple settlements including Dachne, Ulakly, Andriivka, Kostiantynopil, Rozdolne, and Zelenivka. Multiple Russian units are involved in the operations while motorized rifle brigades are attacking from different directions around Dachne.
Velyka Novosilka
The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces captured Velyka Novosilka while continuing attacks near Novosilka and Novopil.
Zaporizhia Front – Initiative Russia
Russian forces have made recent advances in multiple areas around Hulyaipole. The advances occurred in four locations: near Olhivske to the northeast, Stepanivka to the southeast, Dorozhnyanka to the south, and Zahirne to the southwest of Hulyaipole.
Russian forces have advanced north of Robotyne, specifically pushing south of Mala Tokmachka. The Russians conducted attacks near several settlements including Novodanylivka, Shcherbaky, and Nesteryanka.
Kherson (Dnipro River) Front – Initiative Russia
Russian forces conducted limited offensive operations in the Dnipro direction but failed to make any advances.
Ukraine News
Russia launched a massive air assault against Ukraine using 165 weapons, including various types of missiles and 123 Shahed attack drones. Ukrainian forces intercepted 56 drones and disrupted 61 others through electronic warfare. The Russian military claimed they were targeting Ukrainian energy facilities supporting defense industries, but the attacks struck multiple civilian areas across several regions including Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, and Kyiv.
A Kh-22 missile destroyed part of a five-story residential building in Poltava City. In Odesa, strikes damaged multiple UNESCO-protected cultural sites in the historic center, including the ornate Hotel Bristol, Literary Museum, Historical and Local Lore Museums, Archaeological Museum, Museum of Western and Eastern Art, and the Philharmonic. Norwegian diplomatic representatives were reportedly near the attack site when it occurred, as confirmed by Norway’s Foreign Ministry. UNESCO condemned the attack and announced plans to deploy a mission to assess the damage.
The scale of the attack prompted Poland to mobilize its air force and allied aircraft in response, highlighting escalating tensions along NATO’s eastern border. Poland has had to scramble jets multiple times in the past year due to Russian attacks on Ukraine, raising concerns about the potential for wider regional conflict. In Zaporizhzhia, 18 drone strikes damaged infrastructure and buildings, while Kharkiv’s residential areas were also hit with missiles.
Russia’s missile attacks forced Ukraine to implement temporary emergency power outages in seven oblasts – Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, and Zaporizhzhia – to prevent the energy system’s collapse. While service was restored within three hours, Energy Minister Herman Halushenko condemned Russia’s ongoing “energy terror.” Despite frequent Russian attacks on infrastructure, relatively warm weather has helped Ukraine avoid scheduled blackouts, though this marks the second time in 2024 that emergency cuts were necessary across multiple regions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that NATO membership would be the most cost-effective security guarantee for Ukraine, suggesting it could be a potential victory for U.S. President Donald Trump over Russian President Vladimir Putin. While Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022 following Russia’s invasion, and NATO has declared Ukraine’s path to membership “irreversible,” no formal invitation has been extended. Russia continues to oppose Ukraine’s NATO membership, making it a key point in potential peace negotiations. Zelensky also discussed French President Macron’s proposal to deploy European peacekeepers in Ukraine, though he expressed concerns about the practical implementation and effectiveness of such a measure.
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused the Georgian Legion and Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) of plotting a coup in Bratislava and organizing mass protests. HUR firmly denied these allegations, stating that the Georgian Legion’s commander, Mamuka Mamulashvili, has no connection to Ukrainian intelligence since April 2023. The accusations come amid strained relations between Slovakia and Ukraine, following the termination of Russian gas transit and recent protests where 100,000 Slovaks demonstrated against Fico’s pro-Russian policies. The Georgian Legion, a volunteer unit fighting in Ukraine since 2014, has been banned from entering Slovakia.
The Trump administration is urging Ukraine to hold elections by the end of the year, particularly if a ceasefire with Russia is achieved. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, stated that elections are necessary to strengthen Ukraine’s democracy. The administration is considering making elections part of an initial ceasefire agreement with Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated openness to elections if fighting ends and security guarantees are in place, though Ukrainian law currently prohibits elections under martial law, which has been in effect since February 2022. The Kremlin has used the lack of elections to question Zelensky’s authority to sign binding agreements. Some officials warn that lifting martial law for elections could destabilize Ukraine by affecting military mobilization and triggering financial instability.
Innocent Victims Of War
The casualty count of civilians in the past 24 hours: (Russian War Crimes)
DEATHS: 17 INJURIES: 40
A Russian missile hit a residential building in Poltava, Ukraine, killing 12 people, including two children, and injuring 17 others. The strike destroyed five floors of the building and caused a fire. Emergency services rescued 22 people, and search operations continue with over 400 emergency responders at the scene.
A Russian air strike on the Yunakivska community in Sumy Oblast killed three police officers who were on duty overnight.
A Russian attack on Kharkiv involved 17 drones and six missiles targeting civilian areas and infrastructure, with one intercepted drone crashing into a residential area, killing a 60-year-old woman and wounding four people, while two additional people were wounded in shelling in Kharkiv Oblast’s Kupiansk district. In Kharkiv’s Slobidskyi district, a Russian drone strike caused a massive fire at a civilian warehouse facility that spread across 2,000 meters before firefighters contained it, with no casualties reported from this specific incident.
In Kherson Oblast, a Russian drone attack killed one 22-year-old man and wounded four others when it dropped an explosive device.
A Russian missile strike on Odesa’s historic center wounded seven people.
Russian attacks in Donetsk Oblast injured three people – two in Pokrovsk and one in Katerynivka.
Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast wounded two people – a 47-year-old man and a 79-year-old woman.
In Zaporizhzhia, Russian forces launched 16 drones, wounding a 57-year-old man and damaging 14 high-rise buildings and approximately 10 houses.
Russian forces struck residential areas in Kyiv and Khmelnitsky oblasts. Air defense forces intercepted eight drones over Khmelnitsky Oblast.
Ukrainian State Emergency service workers conducting a rescue operation in Poltava after a Russian attack on a residential building. (Ukraine’s State Emergency service/Telegram)
The aftermath of a Russian missile attack on downtown Odesa in Ukraine’s south. (Oleh Kiper/Telegram)
Firefighters extinguish a blaze at a Kharkiv warehouse damaged by a Russian drone attack. (Ukraine’s State Emergency Service / Telegram)
Ukraine Mobilization and Defense Industrial Base
A fatal incident occurred near Pyriatyn in Poltava Oblast, Ukraine, when a masked man shot and killed a draft officer at a fuel station, stealing his weapon while escorting conscripts to a training center. The attacker, born in 1984, fled with a conscript but was detained hours later by police. Both suspects were from the Poltava region. The incident highlights Ukraine’s ongoing challenges with military recruitment amid manpower shortages and issues with draft evasion schemes.
Russia News
A Russian airstrike using a KAB guided aerial bomb hit a nursing home in Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, killing four people and critically wounding four others, with 84 elderly residents being evacuated from the facility which had previously been targeted on January 11, resulting in one death. The nursing home, located in territory that Ukrainian forces captured during operations in Kursk Oblast that began in August, was being used as a shelter for elderly residents preparing to evacuate. President Zelensky condemned the attack, drawing parallels to Russia’s military tactics in Chechnya and Syria, where Russian forces supported Assad’s regime in its violent suppression of opposition by targeting similar civilian infrastructure and vulnerable populations. While Ukraine’s Air Force provided evidence of the Russian attack through their Virage Tablet tracking system, Russia denied responsibility and accused Ukraine of the bombing.
A nursing home in Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, Russia, damaged by a Russian airstrike. (TRO Media/Courtesy)
Russian news outlet Meduza has sparked controversy by using a photo of Yaroslav Bazylevich, who lost his entire family in a Russian missile strike in Lviv, in their European promotional campaign without his permission. The photo shows Bazylevich at his family’s funeral – his wife and three daughters were killed while seeking shelter. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry condemned the campaign as exploitative, demanding removal of all content using Ukrainian war victims’ images. Bazylevich plans legal action against this unauthorized use of his tragedy. The campaign was created by Berlin-based Lure agency, though Meduza’s English editor claims no knowledge of it.
Russian War Losses (Today/Total)
Troops +1320
840360 |
Tanks +6
9908 |
Artillery +45
22538 |
Arm. Veh. +14
20667 |
Aircraft 
369 |
Heli
331 |
Ships
28 |
Source Material
Institute for the Study of War – understandingwar.org
The Kyiv Independent – kyivindependent.com
Kyiv Post – kyivpost.com