Newsletter 28/01/2025
A daily news digest covering important war, political, economic, and cultural topics in Ukraine
TOP
G7 envoys call for swift resolution of Defense Procurement Agency “situation” in Ukraine
The Ambassadors of the Group of Seven nations recommend that the Ukrainian authorities promptly resolve the situation at the Defense Procurement Agency.
They added that compliance with the principles of good governance and NATO recommendations is “important to maintain the trust of the public and international partners”.
Italian Parliament approves decree on arms supply to Ukraine
The lower house of the Italian parliament on Tuesday, January 28, finally approved a decree on Ukraine that authorizes the continuation of arms supplies to Kyiv until December 31, 2025.
Ryazan Refinery suspends work after drone attack - media
Sources say an oil storage facility at the refinery went ablaze.
Among the affected equipment is a railway loading ramp and a hydrotreating unit, used to remove impurities from petroleum products.
As the railway loading equipment was damaged, there were no loads on the railway and oil refining was put to a halt, the interlocutors said.
Zelensky: Israel-type security guarantees “good proposals”
“These are very good proposals. Yes, of course, this is not NATO, but it’s on the way to NATO. That is, Israel receives technologies, air defense, money, and is developing – this is a fact. Not only are missiles being downed, there were also strikes by other countries on their enemies. So far, no country has fired in response at those locations in Russia from where missiles and warplanes took off, targeting our people and killing them, even at military targets. This is a fact. It’s only we who are fighting,” President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed this in an interview with Italian journalist Cecilia Sala for the Il Foglio newspaper.
Ukraine joins NATO reserve officers forum - Ministry of Defense
Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Brigadier General of Justice Serhiy Melnyk, took part in the forum of the Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR) in Gummersbach, Germany. The participants discussed the training of reserve forces and the development of a national resistance system.
Syniehubov denies capture of Dvorichna, fierce fighting ongoing
"The Kupiansk and Borivsk directions are more difficult (compared to northern Kharkiv region – ed.). Active combat is ongoing near the village of Dvorichna, and the combat zone is expanding. This is not the first such statement (by the Russian Ministry of Defense – ed.), it has already appeared in Russian media. This is pure propaganda, and it does not correspond to reality. Yes, fighting is ongoing in the village, but there are no grounds to say it has been captured," said the Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov.
He emphasized that the evacuation from the most dangerous areas is being conducted at much slower rates than desired. People are not leaving their homes, and on average, about 50 residents are evacuated daily.
War
Leopard tank crew wipes out Russian armored column in Pokrovsk sector
The crew of the Leopard 2A4 tank, maneuvering, fired directly from under the cover of the village's houses, to which the enemy tried to storm with armored vehicles.
Kherson region chief: 588 residents confirmed to be in Russian captivity
At this point, 588 residents of Kherson region are in Russian captivity, as per confirmed data. However, this figure may be significantly higher, since many abductions have not been documented.
Partisans: Russians move military equipment in Crimea after Ukrainian drone attacks/Photos
Russians conduct “work on mistakes” with DPRK military in Kursk region - CCD
General Staff: Battles continue on seven front lines, most in Pokrovsk and Siversk sectors
Ukraine’s 5th Assault Brigade fighters repel Russian assault on Kramatorsk front
ISW explains why Russia paying high amount of fanfare to claimed seizure of Velyka Novosilka
AFU prevent loss of positions in Kharkiv region – military spox
Shahed UAV attack: Enterprise in Kharkiv on fire after gas pipeline damage
An enemy Shahed-type drone has hit the territory of a civilian enterprise. According to preliminary information, the affected building is a woodworking shop. The impact has resulted in damage to a gas pipeline used for production purposes at the facility. This incident has led to a large-scale fire that has spread extensively. In response to this incident, over 12 units of the State Emergency Service, along with equipment provided by the Kharkiv City Council, are currently engaged in efforts to extinguish the fire.
Over 10,000 men forcibly mobilized to Russian army from Ukraine’s TOT last year - Kovalenko
“10,000 are Ukrainians who were mobilized during the last year, 2024, in the temporarily occupied territories, that is, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, partially Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” said the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation Andriy Kovalenko during the presentation of the analytical report “Militarization of Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,”.
He added that people from the temporarily occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions have been “conscripted” into the armies of the so-called LPR and DPR since 2014.
“Since 2014, people have been recruited to the army of the so-called LPR and DPR under contracts. There were more than 500,000 people, and according to some reports, about a million people have passed through this army. 10,000 are the people who were mobilized to the Russian army from the temporarily occupied territories in the last year,” said the head of the Center for Public Policy.
In the Kyiv region, a museum of retro cars was damaged by falling debris from downed Russian drones.
According to preliminary data, 9 vehicles were destroyed and 27 were damaged in the hangar.
Politics
Ship from Russia’s shadow fleet suspected of damaging Latvian submarine cable
Rubio, Lammy discuss war in Ukraine, conflict in Middle East
Zelensky, Netanyahu discuss future contacts with Trump
Czechia to be among first countries top open Unity Hub for Ukrainians - Vice PM
Zelensky: Giving up nuclear arms in exchange for Budapest Memorandum “stupid”, “irresponsible”
"If I were to exchange nuclear weapons, I would exchange them for something really strong that can really stop any attacker, regardless of their power, their territory, their army, etc. And this is a strong army and a security bloc. Therefore, I believe it was stupid, absolutely stupid, illogical, and very irresponsible to swap them like this," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Italian journalist Cecilia Sala for the Il Foglio newspaper.
Answering the question of whether he discussed the Budapest Memorandum with U.S. President Donald Trump, the president noted: "We talked about the Budapest Memorandum, and he (Donald Trump - ed.) heard my position. My position certainly differs from loyalty to some steps. I believe that this could not have been done either with Ukraine or with Europe, honestly."
In his opinion, instead of giving up nuclear weapons, it was necessary to demand membership of NATO.
Foreign ministers of Ukraine, Spain honor memory of Ukrainian heroes at Lviv cemetery
The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, and his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares honored the memory of fallen Ukrainian soldiers at a military cemetery in Lviv.
Economy
Cabinet introduces electronic referrals for MMC
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a decision allowing electronic referrals for military medical commissions (MMC) to be generated through the Unified State Register of Conscripts and accessed via the Reserv+ app.