Newsletter 07/02/2025
A daily news digest covering important war, political, economic, and cultural topics in Ukraine
TOP
Russiaโs highest offensive intensity recorded in Dec 2024 - deputy defense minister
"The period with the enemyโs highest offensive intensity was recorded late 2024, in December. In certain periods, we saw a record number of combat clashes, more than 250 per day. The highest intensity, 292 clashes, was recorded on December 15. That is a lot! Accordingly, this became a huge burden on our Defense Forces, our defenders," said the First Deputy Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk.
He recalled that every day, Russian aviation drops an average of a hundred KAB glide bombs on the positions of Ukrainian defenders and frontline cities. At least a third of this number, and sometimes about half, is used in Russiaโs Kursk region as the enemy is thus trying to push Ukraineโs units out of the area.
Trump could double down on Russia sanctions - Kellogg
Sanctions enforcement on Russia are โonly about a threeโ on a scale of one to 10 on how painful the economic pressure can be, said the U.S. President's Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg.
The U.S. sanctions on Russia's lucrative energy sector are nominally twice as tough but there is still room for them to be tightened, the envoy noted.
He added that the entire U.S. administration is working on resolving the Russo-Ukrainian war.
"We got the national security team talking about it โ the president, vice president, national security adviser, secretaries of State [and] Treasury, National Security Council, working all together," Kellogg said.
Nearly 70% of everything used on Ukraineโs battlefield consists of international aid - defense official
About 70% of all weaponry s and military equipment deployed on the battlefield comes from international aid. At the same time, state defense orders are increasingly focused on domestic manufacturers. Thus, in 2024, almost two-thirds of defense contracts were signed with Ukrainian producers.
Twelve countries urge G7 to reduce Russia's energy revenues
Twelve nations have called on the Group of Seven (G7) member states to take additional measures to reduce Russia"s revenues from energy sales.
This appeal was made in a joint letter from Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, and Sweden, Ukrinform reports, citing Estonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The 12 countries that sent the joint letter have continuously pushed for the toughest possible restrictive measures against Russia.
In their joint statement, the like-minded countries call on the G7 to leverage the Oil Price Cap to ensure it continues to serve as a meaningful instrument in curbing Russia's revenue streams, to impose additional sanctions on Russia's shadow fleet vessels and involved actors, and to consider additional measures targeting seaborne transportation of Russian-originating exports.
CoE chief: special tribunal for Russia could be created before year-end
According to the Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset, for the special tribunal to start its work, its structure must be created and resources provided, including by staffing it with prosecutors and judges.
The CoE Secretary General noted that the Coalition of states involved in creating the special tribunal has already "agreed to compromises and solutions for all the important elements", after which the Council of Europe is โready to actโ, โready to act right nowโ.
"The objective must be that this year we will have the negotiations, after which we will have an international agreement. And then we need to have a diplomatic conference accepting this document. This should also happen this year," he added.
Belgium to allocate EUR 1.7B in taxes from frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine
"Frozen Russian assets held by securities giant Euroclear in Belgium generated EUR 1.7 billion in tax revenue for Belgium last year. That's according to Euroclear's annual figures. The Belgian government will use the cash to provide aid to Ukraine. The total amount of Russian assets blocked at Euroclear amounts to some EUR 183 billion," that's according to Belgian news outlet VRT
Euroclear, headquartered in Brussels, is a global financial player. Belgium's federal government holds some 12% of the company's shares. Other Belgian banks and governments also hold stakes.
War
As part of the combat training and restoration of combat capability, the 44th Motorized Rifle Brigade conducted fire training exercises among tankers - live fire of paired crews of Leopard 1A5 tanks.
War update: 101 clashes in past day, most Russian attacks focused on Pokrovsk axis
Russia deploys helicopters to destroy naval drones in Black Sea โ Ukrainian Navy
Enemy intensifies use of fiber-optic drones in Siversk sector โ military
Border guards hit three Russian fuel, ammo depots with drones in Luhansk region
Attack drone operators from the Phoenix unit of the Pomsta (Revenge) border brigade hit three fuel and ammunition depots of the Russian invaders in the Luhansk region.
Border guards destroy Russiaโs MT-12 cannon, firing position in Vovchansk sector
Artillerymen from the Hart brigade of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine destroyed an MT-12 cannon, an UAV launch site, and a 120-mm mortar position of the Russian invaders in the Vovchansk sector.
Ukraine's National Guard fighters capture six Russian soldiers in Pokrovsk sector
Fighters from the 3rd battalion of the Spartan Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine have captured six Russian invaders in the Pokrovsk sector.
Politics
Putin's failure must be visible: Sikorski hopes this year will be decisive for war in Ukraine
"I hope this will be a decisive year for the war in Ukraine and that the aggressor will not be rewarded for his actions. This is necessary not only for Ukraine. This is also in the interests of Europe and even Russia itself. I disagree with those who argue that Putin must be allowed to 'save face.' On the contrary, Putin's failure must be visible. Russia must rid itself of its imperialist beliefs. Russian history shows not only that reforms in Russia begin after military failure but also that transformation within Russia only happens after such a failure," said Polish Foreign Minister Radosลaw Sikorski.
Russia could stand behind sabotage efforts in Germany to undermine Greens - media
A wave of sabotage incidents, likely backed by Moscow, swept across Germany on the eve of the elections as perpetrators vandalized hundreds of cars in an attempt to compromise the Greens.
Ambassador on Belarus 'elections': I was surprised Lukashenko gained only 86% of the vote
The diplomat noted that few people in Ukraine or globally believe that real presidential elections took place in Belarus on January 26, suggesting instead that Alexander Lukashenko simply "reappointed himself."
"I was actually surprised that they reported 86% [of the vote] for Lukashenko instead of, say, 97%," Ihor Kyzym, Ambassador-at-Large for Belarus at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and former ambassador to Belarus said.
He emphasized that Lukashenko belongs to Ukraine's past.
"I see no possibility of restoring official relations as they were before the full-scale invasion. Lukashenko not only allowed Belarusian territory to be used for Russian aggression against Ukraine, making him a co-aggressor, but he also continues to support Russia's defense industry. For us, the main reference point in relations with Belarus is the Belarusian people," the ambassador said.
Kyzym said that Lukashenko understands he will never restore normal ties with Western countries or Ukraine.
UK at OSCE condemns Russia's treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war
U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth to attend Ramstein meeting โ Politico
Kellogg says Ukraine must be ready to hold elections even during war
Economy
Ukraine's presidential office outlines plans to compensate for frozen USAID programs
"Currently, we are looking for resources in the state budget (although the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces remain the primary priority), as well as in regional budgets, working closely with heads of regional administrations. We will strive to compensate for the lost funds in affected sectors. We are also engaging with the National Bank and financial institutions regarding loan programs. In the near future, we plan to hold a meeting with representatives from communities and regions, along with officials from the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Finance, and banking institutions, to find options for replacing suspended USAID funding beyond the state budget, including loans based on community capacities," said Viktor Mykyta, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
Culture
NSDC sanctions 55 Russian citizens for destroying Ukrainian culture โ Tochytskyi
Ukraine's Culture and Strategic Communications Minister, Mykola Tochytskyi, has announced the introduction of personal sanctions against 55 Russian citizens and three museums registered under Russian law that operate in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.
The sanctions target activities such as illegal archaeological excavations conducted by Russia in Crimea since 2014, as well as the removal of cultural assets from occupied territories, particularly from Ukrainian museums.
The personal sanctions include the revocation of Ukrainian state awards, asset freezes, restrictions or full suspension of resource transit, flights, and transportation through Ukraine, the prevention of capital outflows from Ukraine, the suspension of economic and financial obligations, the prohibition of transactions involving securities, among other measures.