The U.K. Defense Ministry said on Dec. 3 that Russian forces had “highly likely” made small advances south of Bakhmut in recent days after five months of trying to capture the besieged town in Donetsk Oblast.
The ministry said that Russia likely plans to encircle Bakhmut with “tactical advances to the north and the south,” investing a significant portion of its military effort in capturing the town.
After Russia's battlefield defeats in Ukraine’s northeast and the south, “there is a realistic possibility that Bakhmut’s capture has become primarily a symbolic, political objective for Russia,” it added.
While seizing Bakhmut could allow Russia to launch more attacks on urban areas such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast, it would have “limited operational value," according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.
“The campaign has been disproportionately costly relative to these possible gains,” the report reads.
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Saturday, January 31
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal reported "a cascade shutdown" in Ukraine's power grid in the morning on Jan. 31.
The Air Force said on Jan. 31 that Russia launched 85 drones against Ukraine overnight, of which 55 were Shahed-type drones. It said that it had downed 64 drones in the north, south, and east of the country.
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Ukraine says it is working with SpaceX to stop Russian drones from using Starlink, after reports that satellite-connected UAVs are extending their range to strike deeper into Ukrainian territory.
The number includes 880 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary traveled to Russia on Jan. 30 for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington.
Saturday, January 31
Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev will meet with members of the Trump administration in Florida on Jan. 31, a White House official confirmed to the Kyiv Independent on Jan. 30.
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"I can just as well invite him to Kyiv, let him come. I'm openly inviting him, if he dares," Zelensky said during a briefing with journalists.
The Shadow Fleet Sanctions Act, introduced by Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen in September 2025, expands Washington's authority to penalize shadow fleet vessels and slaps new penalties on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other energy sector projects.
If approved, the measure would prevent European companies from providing key services for transporting Russian oil.
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The comment from Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov came a day after Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to his request not to strike Kyiv as well as other Ukrainian cities and towns for a week.
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