Ukraine’s military: Kamikaze drones arrive in Belarus

1:33 PM

Ukraine launches new offensive in Russia's Kursk Oblast, mixed reports surface on outcome.

Ukrainian troops attacked Russian forces in several directions in Kursk Oblast, Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s counter-disinformation center, claimed on Jan. 5. Reports by Russian pro-war Telegram channels have echoed the statement, saying that a new Kyiv offensive is underway.

12:10 PM

Russian Storm Ossetia battalion chief of staff killed in Ukrainian drone attack, military intelligence claims.

Ukrainian Kraken unit killed Sergei Melnikov, the chief of staff of Russia's Storm Ossetia battalion, and his driver in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast in late December, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported on Jan. 5.

10:27 AM

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 1, injure at least 36 over past day.

Ukrainian forces downed 61 out of 103 drones, including the Shahed-type ones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Another 42 drones were "lost," it added.

9:09 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 796,490 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

This number includes 1,730 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

6:57 AM

Ukrainian educator and philologist Oleksii Halionka killed in Chernihiv missile strike.

Oleksii Halionka, a 72-year-old Ukrainian educator and philologist, was killed on 3 January 2025 when a Russian missile hit his home in Chernihiv.

4:08 AM

Georgian businesses and employees to carry out nationwide strike demanding new elections.

Georgian citizens are being urged to participate in a nationwide strike on Jan. 15 to demand the release of detained protestors and to call for new elections, Protest 24 posted on Facebook.

1:21 AM

Russian commander linked to deadly strike in Ukraine severely injured in Russia after explosion.

Russian commander Konstantin Nagayko, who was involved in the 2023 missile strike on Hroza, is in critical condition following an explosion, the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported on January 4.

11:37 PM

German opposition suggests Scholz could meet Putin before end of February.

"There are increasing indications that Chancellor Scholz will travel to Moscow and meet Putin before February 23," Roderich Kiesewetter, defense spokesperson for Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said on X.

10:24 PM

Drone kills Russian journalist in occupied Donetsk Oblast, wounds 5 others, Russian media reports.

Russia’s Izvestia newspaper reported on Jan. 4 that a Ukrainian "kamikaze" drone attack killed one of its freelance reporters, Alexander Martemyanov, while he was traveling on a highway in occupied eastern Ukraine.

9:33 PM

Heavy Russian, North Korean losses in Russia's Kursk region, Zelensky says.

"In battles yesterday and today near a single village, Makhnovka, in Kursk region, the Russian army lost up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian paratroops," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Jan. 4.

4:47 PM  (Updated:  January 4, 2025 7:51 pm)

Russia strikes residential building in Sumy Oblast, injuring at least 10, including children.

Russian forces carried out the strike using glide bombs that were dropped directly on the building and destroyed one of its blocks.

5:52 PM

Over 20 foreign citizens to be deported from Georgia for participating in protests.

The Migration Department of the Georgian Interior Ministry has initiated expulsion proceedings against 25 foreign nationals.

4:43 PM

Transnistria urges residents to heat stoves with wood amid significant gas shortages.

Some 1,500 high-rise buildings in Transnistria are currently without heating and hot water, and nearly 72,000 homes are without gas.

4:26 PM

Human story

As government cuts support, some internally displaced Ukrainians return home — to Russian occupation

4:18 PM

Russian soldiers near Toretsk disguise as civilians to bypass Ukrainian positions, military says.

The commander's statement comes after reports on Russian forces starting to move toward the town of Toretsk.

2:24 PM

Drones reportedly target one of Russia's largest sea trade ports in Leningrad Oblast.

Most of the drones that attacked Leningrad Oblast were shot down over the terminal of Novotrans, a Russian transportation and logistics company.

12:54 PM

Russia launches over 300 drones, 20 missiles at Ukraine in first 3 days of new year, Zelensky says.

President Volodymyr Zelensky added that the Russian army also strikes settlements close to the front line with guided aerial bombs every day.

12:49 PM

Slovak state energy company to continue supplying electricity to Ukraine despite Fico's threats.

Slovakia's state-controlled transmission system operator SEPS said it will continue supplying electricity to Ukraine as part of an emergency assistance contract.

11:13 AM

Woman injured in Russian Jan. 3 attack on Kyiv Oblast dies in hospital.

Russia launched a large-scale drone attack on Kyiv Oblast early in the morning on Jan. 3. The attack killed one person and injured four others, including a 16-year-old teenager.

10:06 AM

Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 2, injure 21 over past day.

Russian forces launched 81 drones at Ukraine overnight from the Russian cities of Bryansk, Kursk, Orel, and Primosk-Akhtarsk, Ukraine's Air Force said.

9:13 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 794,760 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

This number includes 1,510 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

5:55 AM

Lukashenko to visit China ahead of Belarus presidential elections.

The reported visit will be Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko's third trip to China in three years. Lukashenko is likely looking to reduce Belarusian dependence on Russia, Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation said.

4:31 AM

Finnish court upholds seizure of Russian tanker suspected of cable sabotage.

The Helsinki District Court has ruled to keep the oil tanker — suspected of belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet" — under seizure, despite an appeal from the ship's owner.

3:33 AM

EU chief von der Leyen ill with 'severe' pneumonia, cancels engagements.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has canceled engagements for the first half of January due to a case of "severe pneumonia," a commission spokesperson said.

2:20 AM

Moldova faces 'security crisis' after Russian gas shut-off, PM Recean says.

"Russia is revealing the inevitable outcome for all its allies — betrayal and isolation," Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said on Jan. 3.