General Staff: Russia launched 5 missile attacks on Dec. 17

In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur breaks down Russia’s intensified winter assault on Ukraine’s energy grid, as sustained missile and drone strikes push the system to the brink.

After quickly reaching the initial target, organizers raised the goal to 2 million zloty ($550,000).

The 330-kilovolt power line, damaged and disconnected by military activity on Jan. 2, is vital for supplying the plant with external electricity.

Disconnecting Ukraine's nuclear power plants would take the crisis one step further — Ukrainians would be fully cut off from electricity and heating in subzero temperatures.

The Brindisi Court approved the seizure of both the vessel and its cargo, which included 33,000 tons of ferrous metal.

The strikes came as Ukraine faces severe cold and ongoing disruptions to heat and electricity supplies following repeated attacks on the energy sector, which prompted a state of emergency earlier this week.

The number includes 830 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

The Atesh partisan group sabotaged an electrical substation in Russia's Bryansk Oblast, disrupting power supply to "key" components of Russia's war machine, the group claimed in a Telegram post on Jan. 18.

Russian independent media outlet Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, has confirmed the identities of 163,606 Russian military personnel killed in Ukraine.

American officials have put forward the idea of expanding the Gaza 'Board of Peace' to include other countries affected by war and conflicts, including Ukraine and Venezuela, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Jan. 16.

French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and other officials voiced support for Denmark, Greenland, and principles of international law in statements denouncing Trump's tariffs on Jan. 17.

The drone was found by a hunter in the village of Nucareni, in the Telenesti District of the country, which is located approximately 54 kilometers (33 miles) from the Moldova-Ukraine border, authorities said.

"Our country reminds the world before the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics that sport is not outside of politics. After all, the sanctioned individuals openly support aggression, war crimes, and occupation, thus destroying the principles and values ​​of the Olympic movement."

The delegation consists of the recently appointed President’s Office head Kyrylo Budanov, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, and the parliamentary leader of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, David Arakhamia.