Key developments on Jan. 21:
- Ukrainian soldier reports harsh conditions, fatal accidents in regiment; unit launches investigation
- Ukraine attacks Russian oil depot, aviation plant, command post overnight, military says
- Ukraine's SBU detains chief military psychiatrist over suspected illicit enrichment
- Zelensky says he wants to end war 'quickly but fairly and reliably' in 2025
- Ukraine ceasefire is 'top priority' for Trump, US State Secretary Rubio says
- Putin is 'destroying Russia by not making a deal' to end war, Trump says
The 78th Air Assault Regiment on Jan. 21 announced an internal investigation after a soldier of the unit pointed to excessive demands on his comrades that supposedly lead to exhaustion and fatal accidents when handling explosives.
The soldier, Vitalii Holovnia, said on Facebook that an unmanned platoon commander of an attack drone unit forces soldiers to accomplish too many tasks, which leads to service members being exhausted, overstretched, and prone to mistakes.
The news comes amid major scandals plaguing other units as Ukraine continues to struggle with mobilization and personnel shortages in the face of the Russian onslaught.
"Cases of accidents with explosives occurred because people had been in combat positions for a long time, and they were tired. It also happened that people performed some tasks during the day and some at night, so they worked around the clock. As a result, mistakes were made in the safety rules for handling explosives," Holovnia told the Kyiv Independent.
According to Holovnia, casualties caused by the accidents were listed as battlefield losses.
These included both deaths and injuries, he clarified for the Kyiv Independent.
Approaching the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine still has no legal mechanism that would allow demobilization after a certain period of service.
Holovnia noted that the aforementioned commander has favorites who receive the highest additional financial reward, Hr 100,000 ($2,370), without going to combat positions, while others have to put their lives to do so.
According to the soldier, the commander failed to ensure the units had communications and high-quality electronic warfare equipment to perform combat missions. As a result, the unit did not have a stable connection for emergencies for almost a month and a half in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
Holovnia also claimed that the commander's decisions on staffing groups for combat missions led to internal conflicts.
"The leadership must be proper, appropriate. We must fight with our minds and equipment, not with (people as) meat."
Following the complaint, the command of the 78th Regiment launched an internal investigation "in compliance with all established procedures and aimed at objectively clarifying the circumstances."
"We urge the public not to make hasty conclusions based on unverified information," the statement read.
"The 78th Separate Air Assault Regiment remains a powerful military unit that performs combat missions to protect the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine with honor and dignity."
Francis Farrell
Ukraine attacks Russian oil depot, aviation plant, command post overnight, military says
Ukrainian forces struck the Liskinskaya oil depot in Russia's Voronezh Oblast, the Smolensk Aviation Plant, and a Russian command post in Donetsk Oblast overnight on Jan. 21, Ukraine's General Staff said.
The announcement comes as Russia's Defense Ministry reported intercepting 55 Ukrainian drones in a large-scale overnight strike, including 10 over Smolensk Oblast and six over Voronezh Oblast.
The Liskinskaya oil depot was targeted again after being hit by a Ukrainian drone attack on Jan. 16. In the most recent strike, Ukrainian drones hit fuel and lubricant tanks, starting a fire at the Rosneft-run facility, the General Staff reported.
An attack against the depot was confirmed by Voronezh Oblast Governor Alexander Gusev. The village of Liski, where the depot is located, lies around 140 kilometers (90 miles) north of Russia's border with Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast.
Another attack, carried out jointly by the Unmanned Systems Forces and the Special Operations Forces, hit the infrastructure of the Smolensk Aviation Plant, with explosions reported on the facility's territory, according to the General Staff.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
Smolensk lies less than 60 kilometers (around 35 miles) east of the Russia-Belarus border and some 270 kilometers (170 miles) north of Ukraine. The city's aviation plant is involved in the production and modernization of the Su-25 military aircraft, said Andrii Kovalenko, the counter-disinformation chief at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
The Ukrainian military also reported a successful hit against a command post of Russia's 29th Combined Arms Army in the occupied Volnovakha in Donetsk Oblast.
"The consequences of the strike are being clarified," the General Staff said without specifying the weaponry used.
Ukrainian long-range drones regularly target Russian military and industrial facilities to undermine Moscow's ability to wage its full-scale war in Ukraine.
Boldizsar Gyori
Ukraine's SBU detains chief military psychiatrist over suspected illicit enrichment
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained the chief psychiatrist of the Armed Forces over suspected illicit enrichment in the amount of over $1 million, the agency reported on Jan. 21.
According to charges, the official has acquired substantial undeclared assets since the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022, including a house in Kyiv Oblast, apartments in Kyiv and Odesa, luxury cars, and plots of land.
The detainee also serves as the deputy head of the central medical commission, which determines the suitability of potential recruits for military service.
Though the SBU did not name the suspect, Oleh Druz serves as the chief military psychiatrist.
Military medical commissions have come under increasing scrutiny after suspected instances of corruption and other violations.
Enlistment facilities across the country attracted authorities' attention after journalists discovered in June 2023 that the family of the ex-head of the Odesa Oblast military enlistment office had acquired property worth $4.5 million since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Ukraine's defense and health ministries pledged to reform the institution by November 2025 in order to tackle corruption and bureaucratic deficiencies.
Martin Fornusek
Zelensky says he wants to end war 'quickly but fairly and reliably' in 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Jan. 21 reiterated his commitment to ending Russia's war in 2025 "not just quickly but fairly and reliably."
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Zelensky stressed the importance of ensuring Ukrainians can safely return home and rebuild their lives.
"We want to end the war this year - not just quickly but fairly and reliably for all of us, for Ukrainians," he said. "So that they can return home, live in safety, and work."
Zelensky underscored the need for strong European engagement, calling for allies to provide accurate information to U.S. President Donald Trump.
"We have very good relations with President Trump," he said, adding that "voices conveying disinformation or pro-Russian positions could present risks."
Zelensky also expressed concerns over possible Russian demands in peace negotiations, including calls for Ukraine to reduce its military and abandon NATO membership.
Newly inaugurated on Jan. 20, U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to bring a swift resolution to the war but acknowledged that consultations with Russian President Vladimir Putin will be necessary.
Trump criticized Putin's handling of the conflict on Jan. 20, claiming he is "destroying Russia by not making a deal."
Chris York
The Davos forum, themed "Collaboration for the Intelligent Age," brings together nearly 3,000 participants from over 130 countries, including 60 heads of state and government.
Discussions include European defense strategy, NATO's future, and Ukraine's "Peace through Strength" approach, which advocates leveraging military and political power to secure a just peace.
Key speakers include Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
Zelensky's appearance follows his attendance at the January 2024 forum, which coincided with the fourth meeting on Ukraine's peace formula, paving the way for the global peace summit later that year.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
Ukraine ceasefire is 'top priority' for Trump, Rubio says
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will begin working on a ceasefire in Ukraine "almost immediately," new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told journalists on Jan. 20.
Asked about a timeframe for ending the war, Rubio did not provide any specific deadline but said that negotiating a ceasefire would be a "top priority to the president, so it’ll (begin) almost immediately."
"In fact, some of that’s already begun. You would hope that some of the groundwork has already been laid, but it’ll be complex. I mean, it’s a complex conflict and a bloody one, and it needs to end," he was quoted as saying by CNN.
Rubio became the first high-level cabinet member of the new Trump administration to be confirmed by the Senate, making him the new U.S. secretary of state.
"I don’t — couldn’t put a time frame on it, other than to say that anytime you bring an end to a conflict between two sides, neither of whom can achieve their maximum goals, each side is going to have to give up something," Rubio said, without specifying what these concessions might be.
The chief U.S. diplomat acknowledged that Russia "is the aggressor" but stressed that the war "needs to end."
Previously, Rubio publicly praised the bravery of Ukrainian defenders but was among the 15 Republican lawmakers in the Senate who voted against the $61 billion aid package for Ukraine in early 2024. Its delay severely hampered Ukraine's fight against Russian forces.
Although Trump vowed during his campaign in 2024 to put an end to the conflict in 24 hours if elected, aides revised the timeframe to the first 100 days after he took office. The Trump administration has not publicly disclosed details on any specific plans to broker a peace deal in Ukraine.
An initial proposal leaked from Trump's team – freezing the war along its current front lines, delaying Ukraine's NATO accession by 20 years, and deploying European peacekeepers on the ground – has already been rejected by Russia.
Chris York
Putin is 'destroying Russia by not making a deal' to end war, Trump says
U.S. President Donald Trump believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "destroying Russia" by failing to reach a peace deal on Ukraine, Trump told reporters at the White House on Jan. 20.
"He should make a deal. I think he's destroying Russia by not making a deal," Trump said following his inauguration.
The new U.S. president was sworn in at the United States Capitol earlier on Jan. 20. Though his inauguration speech did not mention Ukraine, Trump has often claimed in the past that he would seek to bring a swift end to Russia's war.
Talking to reporters, Trump again said he aims to conclude the conflict as soon as possible but noted he would have to talk to Putin first. The new U.S. president also said that his Russian counterpart "can't be thrilled (with the war) since "he's not doing so well."
"Most people thought that war would have been over in one week," Trump said, adding that Putin would be "very well off to end the war."
The U.S. president again boasted of warm relations with the Russian leader and voiced hopes for reaching a quick peace deal without presenting a specific timeline.
Trump nevertheless noted that while Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky told him he seeks an agreement to end the war, the U.S. president is unsure whether Putin wants the same.
Russia is estimated to have lost around 700,000-800,000 soldiers killed or wounded in almost three years of the full-scale war and faces economic headwinds in the year ahead. At the same time, Russian forces continue advancing in Ukraine's east while Kyiv struggles with manpower shortages.
The U.S. president has revealed few details of his plans to end the war. His team signaled that the new administration would seek to preserve Ukraine's independence, though U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that both Kyiv and Moscow would have to make concessions to achieve a peace deal.
Oleg Sukhov
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