Hello, this is Tania Myronyshena reporting on day 1,416 of Russia's full-scale invasion from Kyiv — a city shaken by a massive overnight Russian attack and now struggling without heat and power.
Today's top story so far:
Around 6,000 apartment buildings are currently without heat after a massive Russian missile and drone strike severely damaged the capital's critical infrastructure overnight, local authorities reported on Jan. 9.
The blackout comes amid subzero temperatures, with freezing wea
"We are doing everything we can to resolve this as quickly as possible. However, the combined attack on Kyiv last night was the most devastating for the capital's critical infrastructure," Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile was said to be used in the attack on Lviv, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the Polish border, marking the first ballistic missile attack against the city during the war.
Critics like to chastise Ukraine for its heavy-handed mobilization tactics; more friendly observers view it as an area of strategic vulnerability. So, where does it stand now?
The sometimes heavy-handed process of bundling unwilling men into vans is loathed by many and exploited by anti-Ukrainian propaganda — especially in the darker corners of social media.
So it may come as a surprise that over the past 12 months, mobilization in Ukraine has grown less violent and more resistant to Russian t
At Moscow's request, Trump agreed to release two Russian crew members of the Marinera oil tanker seized by U.S. authorities earlier this week, the Russian Foreign Ministry claimed.
"I feel strongly they (Russia) wouldn't re-invade, or I wouldn't agree to it," Trump told the New York Times when asked about Washington's potential involvement in safeguarding Ukraine against future Russian aggression.
Hello, this is Chris York reporting from Kyiv on day 1,415 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today's top story:
An oil tanker en-route to the Russian port of Novorossiysk was struck by a drone on Jan.8, Reuters reported citing a notice by Lloyd's List Intelligence
The Palau-flagged Elbus "experienced an unmanned marine-vehicle and drone attack" in the Black Sea after departing from Singapore. None of the 25 crew were reported injured and the vessel made its way to the Turkish port o
Witkoff and Kushner met Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Paris to discuss a U.S. peace plan for Ukraine. Meanwhile, Zelensky is seeking a meeting with Trump to press for U.S.-backed security guarantees.
More than 1 million people in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast remained without water and heating as of the morning of Jan. 8, Communities and Territories Development Minister Oleksii Kuleba said.
Anka Feldhusen, the German ambassador from 2019-2023, replaces Canadian Roman Washchuk, who led the Business Ombudsman Council from December 2021-2025.
The European-U.S. alliance, already buckling under the Trump administration's aggressive foreign policy, faces its most daunting challenge yet — Greenland.
U.S. President Donald Trump recently reiterated his dubious claim on Denmark's autonomous island, fanning fears about the fragility of transatlantic unity at the worst possible moment.
European leaders must now balance between standing up to Washington's expansionism and their reliance on the U.S. backing in the face of Russian aggression i
The new round of peace negotiations felt different. Not because of the substance of the talks, rather due to the people leading them.
In early January, President Volodymyr Zelensky conducted a major reshuffle of Ukraine's leadership, signaling a new approach to governing the country going forward.
For key positions, Zelensky picked popular officials and military figures, many of whom had previously been sidelined by former President’s Office Head Andriy Yermak.
The negotiations team now featu
Behind closed doors, Ukraine and its allies are discussing the war-torn country’s economic recovery alongside a potential peace deal.
At the heart of these conversations is the new so-called Economic Prosperity Plan — a package "for economic recovery, restoring jobs, and bringing life back to Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Dec. 30.
Ukrainian officials say rebuilding the country and jump-starting long-term growth will require as much as $800 billion over 10 years — rou
"We understand that the American side will engage with Russia, and we expect feedback on whether the aggressor is genuinely willing to end the war," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The loan will help state-owned Ukrhydroenergo purchase stockpiles of critical supplies, replacements for equipment damaged by Russian attacks, as well as to refurbish and modernize old equipment.
U.S. President Donald Trump has approved moving forward with a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill, opening the door for a potential Senate vote as early as next week, according to Senator Lindsey Graham.
"The Trump Administration has found these institutions to be redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own, or a threat to our nation's sovereignty, freedoms, and general prosperity," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
"This will allow us to build the 'Dream Military' that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us safe and secure, regardless of foe," Donald Trump said on Truth Social.
As Ukraine enters 2026, mobilization has emerged as one of the most decisive challenges shaping the country’s military resilience, political stability, and negotiating position. Where is the mobilization system under the greatest strain, how will recent personnel changes at the top of Ukraine’s security apparatus impact policy, and what can mobilization realistically deliver in the year ahead?
Join KI Insights for our January monthly briefing, focused on Ukraine’s mobilization challenge. The di
Russia appealed to the U.S. to halt the pursuit and reportedly dispatched a submarine and other vessels to escort the tanker before it was boarded by U.S. forces.
The report follows an agreement reached in December 2025 by EU countries to ban Russian gas imports beginning Jan. 1, 2028, with LNG imports set to be prohibited at the start of 2027.
President Volodymyr Zelensky urged additional pressure from the United States on Jan. 7 to help achieve a peace deal in Ukraine in the coming months, jokingly evoking calls for Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov to suffer the same fate as captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Hello, this is Asami Terajima reporting from Kyiv on day 1,414 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today's top story:
Editor's note: The top story was corrected to say that Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to attend an Orthodox Christmas service at a military base church, replacing the earlier version that stated he marked Orthodox Christmas there.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have attended an Orthodox Christmas service at a church in a military base, the Russi
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 7 that he believes Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine could be brought to an end in the first half of 2026.
Amid a major government reshuffle that saw ministers trade portfolios and several senior security officials change posts in recent days, one notable absence stood out.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, long criticized as ineffective and subservient to the president, has seemingly kept his job.
In mid-December, Kravchenko publicly threatened to go after his opponents who demanded his resignation.
"I know everyone who is now working against me and against the Prosecutor General's Office as
In a grandly-staged, and much publicized meeting on Jan. 6, Ukraine and its Western allies celebrated a deal that would pave the way for French and British peacekeeping troops to deploy in Ukraine — once the war is over, of course.
French President Emmanuel Macron said "considerable progress" had been made. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said work on agreeing security protocols was "largely finished." And President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was a "huge step forward."
But there were several
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) on Jan. 7 launched an online portal for applicants to submit projects to a U.S.-Ukraine reconstruction fund, saying the first investments could be made in the months ahead.
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Cyprus to meet his Cypriot counterpart, Nikos Christodoulides, and top EU officials, presidential spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov said on Jan. 7.
Rustem Umerov said the talks centered on the peace framework and "further contacts at the leaders' level involving Ukraine, European partners, and the United States."
