Thursday, January 23
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Wounded servicemen fighting with the 24th Mechanized Brigade wait for evacuation inside a medical vehicle, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Dec. 16, 2024. (Oleg Petrasiuk / 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo)
Ukraine’s NATO prospects depend on Trump, Zelensky says. “Everything depends on the United States. If Trump is ready to see Ukraine in NATO, we will be in NATO, everyone will be in favor. If President Trump is not ready to see us in NATO, we will not be in NATO,” President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists in Davos.
Russia lacks manpower for major breakthrough in Ukraine, top NATO general says. Russia lacks the manpower for a big breakthrough in Ukraine, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Christopher Cavoli said during a discussion on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 21.
US leadership essential in Ukraine peace efforts, Zelensky tells Bloomberg. “It can’t be without the United States,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg on Jan. 22. “Even if some European friends think it can be, no it can’t be. Nobody will risk without the United States.”
‘We can do it the easy way or the hard way,’ Trump says to Russia on ending the war in Ukraine. “If a deal is not reached, I will have no other choice but to put high levels of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States and other participating countries,” President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
Zelensky touts Ukraine’s potential in meeting with global investors at Davos forum. President Volodymyr Zelensky met leading American and European executives and business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, emphasizing Ukraine’s investment potential and the importance of international support in achieving a just peace.
‘It needs to end’ — State Secretary Rubio’s position on Russia’s war against Ukraine. As state secretary, Marco Rubio will oversee the implementation of the president’s foreign policy, including that relating to Russia’s full-scale war — which wasn’t directly referred to during Donald Trump’s inauguration speech.
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Western intelligence agencies kept contact with Russia during full-scale war, Zelensky says. “The U.S. and Russia maintained contacts on various levels during the three years of the war… and Europeans too,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a meeting with international journalists.
Russia issued ultimatum to Ukraine in 2022 to replace Zelensky with Medvedchuk, president says. Russia wanted to install pro-Kremlin oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk as Ukraine’s president after forcing President Volodymyr Zelensky to step down, the Ukrainian head of state said on Jan. 22, citing a Kremlin ultimatum he received in the early days of the full-scale war.
One-fifth of Ukrainians would move abroad if travel restrictions were lifted, survey shows. Should the borders open again for all citizens, 70% of the respondents said they would not want to move to another country for permanent residence, while 21% said they are ready to do so, according to a recent survey.
‘Well-known’ Dnipro lawyer detained for allegedly aiding Russian missile strikes. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained a lawyer from Dnipro suspected of aiding Russian missile strikes against the city and then attempting to flee the country, the SBU said on Jan. 22.
Kyiv court arrests 3 senior officers accused of failed defense of Kharkiv Oblast. A Kyiv court arrested General Yurii Halushkin, General Artur Horbenko, and Colonel Illia Lapin, three officers accused of leading an unsuccessful defense in Kharkiv Oblast during a Russian offensive last year, Suspilne reported on Jan. 21.
Read our exclusives
Ukraine war latest: Ukraine’s Special Forces say they killed 21 North Korean soldiers, show combat footage
Soldiers of the 8th Regiment of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces resisted a North Korean assault in Russia’s Kursk Oblast for eight hours before retreating, killing 21 and wounding 40 soldiers, the unit said on Jan. 22.
Photo: Special Operations Forces
In photos: Grinding war in Donetsk Oblast through the lens of photojournalist-turned-soldier
The 33-year-old photographer, who previously covered the war for the European Pressphoto Agency, now regularly catches the reality of Russia’s all-out invasion as part of the military press service.
Photo: Oleg Petrasiuk / 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo
What Trump’s 90-day pause on US foreign development assistance means for Ukraine
According to the White House statement, it is now up to the U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio or his designee to determine whether to request to continue, modify, or cease each foreign aid program based upon the review recommendations.
Photo: Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
How Ukraine lost faith in the Red Cross and UN
Once seen as pillars of global humanitarian aid, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations have been widely criticized by Kyiv for not doing enough, effectively undermining their authority and the very concept of international institutions as a cornerstone of the West.
Photo: Contributor / Getty Images
Human cost of war
Ukraine’s Special Forces say they killed 21 North Korean soldiers, show combat footage. Soldiers of the 8th Regiment of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces resisted an assault of North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Oblast for eight hours, killing 21 and wounding 40, the unit said on Jan. 22.
Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 2, injure 29 over past day. Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least two people and injured at least 29 over the past day, regional authorities reported on Jan. 22.
International response
EU to allocate $36 billion of financial support to Ukraine. The European Union will provide 35 billion euros ($36 billion) in financial assistance to Ukraine in 2025 through the G7 ERA credit initiative and the Ukraine Facility program, European Commission’s vice-president and trade commissioner announced on Jan. 22.
Russia could challenge EU’s defense readiness within 5 years, Kallas says. Speaking at a European Defense Agency meeting on Jan. 22, EU’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas stressed that the bloc must act decisively to counter Russia’s growing militarization. “We are running out of time. The Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom and ours. They are buying us time.”
Russian economy after 3 years of sanctions
In other news
SBU conducts 150 special operations in 3 days in large-scale security crackdown. The SBU carried out 157 special operations from Jan. 18-20 in order to “counter crimes that pose a threat to state security.” The actions resulted in 222 charges and 85 detentions, the agency said.
Scandal-hit 155th Ukrainian Brigade commander in custody with $2.1 million bail, media reports. The former commander of the scandal-hit Ukrainian 155th “Anne of Kyiv” Brigade has been remanded in custody with a bail of Hr 90 million ($2.1 million), Hromadske reported on Jan. 22.
Ukraine’s OnlyFans content creators declare more than $7 million in income. After the country’s tax service sent out requests to Ukrainian citizens who earn money on the platform, 451 people sent in declarations totaling Hr 326.1 million ($7.76 million) for the period of 2020-2022, Ekonomichna Pravda reported on Jan. 22, citing information requested from the country’s tax service.
Ukraine’s energy giant DTEK to invest $468 million in expanding Black Sea wind power plant. “The commitment is the largest private sector investment in Ukraine since russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and the biggest ever private investment in Ukraine’s energy sector,” DTEK said in a press release.
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