Weekly Exclusives

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Jan 30, 2026

Photos and videos of the week

Veterans of the 3rd Army Corps deployed mobile kitchens in Kyiv

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Interview

Oleh Luhovskyi, First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine

Negotiations over the terms for ending the war have been underway since late November. In recent days, meetings in a new format have been taking place in the United Arab Emirates, involving representatives of Ukraine, the United States, and Russia.

Ukrinform spoke with Oleh Luhovskyi, First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, to understand what lies behind Russia’s carefully constructed façade. The discussion covered Moscow’s objectives to be achieved on the battlefield, its actual military capabilities, the state of the Russian economy, how long Russia can continue financing the war, and the role played by its key partners—China and Belarus. We also asked questions about the Oreshnik missile, which Russia has once again launched against Ukraine, and whether the threat of a Russian attack on NATO countries persists.

Ukrinform spoke with Oleksandr Klymenko, who has headed SAPO for the past three and a half years, to discuss the progress of investigations involving members of parliament, when Yuliia Tymoshenko came under scrutiny, and how long the investigation and court proceedings in her case might take. Among the other topics addressed were the high-profile Operation Midas exposing corruption in the energy sector and the anticipated next developments in that investigation; an internal inquiry into alleged leaks of investigative information; the pursuit of suspects through Interpol and their extradition; and the repatriation of seized assets from foreign jurisdictions.

Dmytro Kavun is the co-founder and president of Dignitas Ukraine, a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities through technological solutions and innovation, particularly in unmanned systems. A Kyiv native, Kavun has lived in the United States for nearly three decades, holds a degree in computer engineering, and has spent many years working in cybersecurity.

In this interview, Ukrinform discussed the role of drones in contemporary warfare, priority areas for supporting Ukraine’s Armed Forces, and practical lessons from cooperation with American partners.

Mechelen, the city in the Belgian region of Flanders just around 20 km north of Brussels, was the first one in the country to set up an emergency village for Ukrainians displaced by the full-scale Russian invasion. The Ukrainian flag flies on the city’s central square next to the Belgian one, and the city mayor, Bart Somers, personally travels to Ukraine to accompany humanitarian aid the city hall raises for their twin city of Lviv.

Ukrinform sat down with Bart Somers in his office, decorated with artworks of a Ukrainian artist and memorabilia from the Unbroken project in Lviv, about the city’s effort to support Ukraine and help Ukrainians who arrived after 2022, discuss public moods toward Ukraine as the war rages on, the perception of the urgency of the Russian threat, the wider geopolitical turbulence, the importance of Ukraine’s cultural and historical identity, which Russia has been trying to erase, and much more.

Abu Dhabi Talks: Expert Assessments and Expectations for the Next Round

At the end of last week, on January 23–24, Abu Dhabi (UAE) hosted another attempt by the U.S. administration to move the negotiation track on the large-scale war off dead center. Trilateral consultations involving Ukraine, the United States, and Russia underscored the divergence in approaches: Kyiv, represented by security officials and diplomats, reaffirmed its readiness for talks without revising its “red lines,” while Moscow—having refreshed its delegation—opted for a more pragmatic tactic in place of its customary ideological lectures.

The first round proved contentious. Military representatives sought to outline technical parameters for force disengagement, but diplomats ran into the familiar “Donbas wall.” The next meeting is scheduled for February 1. What should be expected?

During the years of the Anti-Terrorist Operation and the Joint Forces Operation, the words “army” and “robots” were rarely used in the same context—if at all—and almost never publicly. For the military, robots were seen less as weapons than as curiosities, gadgets with no real place on the battlefield.

Today, that reality has changed fundamentally. Robots can move on the ground or in the air to conduct reconnaissance, adjust arftillery fire, deliver supplies and ammunition, lay and clear mines, engage targets, conduct surveillance, and evacuate the wounded. The list goes on, as technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace.

Ukrinform correspondents spoke with engineers who, for several years now, have been fulfilling contracts for the Ministry of Defense and supplying robotic systems to frontline combat brigades.

Russian propaganda spreads fake MI6 video to accuse Ukrainians abroad of ‘terrorism’

Russian Telegram channels are circulating a video purportedly released by MI6. In the clip, a supposed representative of the agency claims that last year Ukrainian refugees were involved in 80% of attempted terrorist attacks in France. The video alleges that because of the “actions” of Ukrainians abroad, all countries of the European Union and the United Kingdom are allegedly under threat.

This is a fake. The video spread by propagandists was edited from several unrelated clips. The first part of the video does indeed originate from official MI6 media resources, but it conveys an entirely different message and has nothing to do with Ukraine. The original video was published four months ago and features the former head of MI6, Richard Moore. The service is now headed by Blaise Metreweli. In the original footage, Moore addresses the public with a call to cooperate with British intelligence and provides general guidance for civilians amid terrorist threats.

The fake segment of the video, which mentions alleged “Ukrainian” terrorist activity, consists of a collection of unrelated photos and videos. It was added to the original clip using video-editing software. Most of these materials are not related to France, which Russian propagandists emphasize in their narrative. In particular, footage of the Eiffel Tower was taken from a promotional video by a Brazilian tourism company, while images of a mass gathering of Ukrainians come from a rally in Madrid in March 2022.

Thus, Russia continues its campaign to discredit Ukrainians in Europe in order to fuel anti-Ukrainian sentiment and promote fake narratives about the need to halt assistance to Ukraine and its citizens.

Russian propaganda has previously spread fake videos allegedly produced by Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, as well as by French outlets L’Equipe and Le Figaro, to discredit Ukrainians in France.

Andriy Olenin

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