Ukraine war latest: Oil tanker en route to Russia hit by drone in Black Sea
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 of Inebolu after the attack.
It is not currently known who attacked the tanker but Ukraine has in recent months targeted several ships belonging to Russia's shadow fleet, vessels with opaque ownership, flags of convenience, and irregular shipping practices to move Russian oil despite Western restrictions.
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) claimed to have struck two sanctioned Russian oil tankers, Kairos and Virat, off Turkey's Black Sea coast in late November.
The SBU said on Dec. 10 that it used Sea Baby naval drones to strike an oil tanker from Russia's shadow fleet in the Black Sea, claiming that it had critically damaged the ship.
And on Dec. 19, the agency reported striking a tanker in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Russia's sanction-busting shadow fleet.
The Kyiv Independent has contacted the SBU for comment.
At least 23 injured, 1 killed in ballistic missile strike on Kryvyi Rih
Last updated 11:11 p.m. Kyiv time.
At least 23 people have been injured after a Russian ballistic missile strike damaged residential buildings in the city of Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. One person — a 77-year-old woman — died in the attack.
A 57-year-old man is in a serious condition, regional Governor Vladyslav Haivanenko reported. At least three children were among the injured, according to Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih military administration.
"The occupiers continue to terrorize our cities — they are purposefully hitting residential buildings, hospitals, and energy infrastructure. This is deliberate and cynical terror against civilians," Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said.
"I thank the rescuers and all services for the prompt elimination of the consequences of the strikes and assistance to the victims," she added.
Zelensky warns of possible mass Russian aerial attack tonight
Last updated 7:30 p.m. Kyiv time.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Jan. 8 said there is a high likelihood of a mass Russia aerial attack against Ukraine tonight.
"There is information that tonight there may be a new Russian massive strike. It is very important to pay attention to air alerts today, tomorrow, constantly, go down to shelters," he said in a post on social media.
Another massive Russian attack may happen tonight. It is important to pay attention to air raid alerts and go to shelters when necessary. The Russians haven’t changed one bit. They are trying to exploit the harsh winter weather, which has worsened significantly across many of our… pic.twitter.com/gWFBNbQGYM
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 8, 2026
As winter temperatures plunge below zero in Ukraine, Russia has continued to attack the country's civilian energy infrastructure.
In the most recent attacks, Russian strikes left Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts nearly without power in the evening of Jan. 7.
Ukraine denies Russian capture of Andriivka village, Sumy Oblast despite DeepState monitoring report
Last updated 5:53 p.m. Kyiv time.
The Ukrainian "Kursk" Group of Forces denied on Jan. 8 that Russian forces had captured the village of Andriivka in Sumy Oblast, despite contradicting reports from the Ukrainian open-source mapping project DeepState a day earlier.
The news comes as Russian forces try to expand the combat zone along the border areas of Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts.
The village of Andriivka, less than five kilometers (three miles) from the Russian border, was under Russian control in June 2025 and liberated in August. Following Russian advances in Sumy Oblast this fall and winter, the village has once again come under attack.
3 killed, 2 injured in Russian strike on Kherson
Last updated 4:58 p.m. Kyiv time.
Three people have been killed in a Russian strike on the centre of the city of Kherson, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Jan. 8.
Ukraine-US security guarantee draft agreement ready for Trump's approval, Zelensky says
Last updated 2:56 p.m. Kyiv time.
The draft of the Ukraine-U.S. security agreement is "essentially ready" to be finalized, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 8.
Further approval from U.S. President Donald Trump is needed, Zelensky added.
The announcement followed a summit in Paris earlier this week that saw European, U.S., and Ukrainian officials discuss security guarantees. Kyiv, France, and the U.K. signed a declaration of intent for a post-war deployment of a multinational force in Ukraine.
According to The Times, each country is ready to send up to 7,500 troops to Ukraine once the war is finished.
For weeks, Kyiv and Washington have been working separately on the U.S. security guarantees draft and a framework for ending Russia's all-out war.
Ukroboronprom increases weapons production by 1.5 times year-on-year
Ukraine's largest state-owned defense company Ukroboronprom has increased weapons production by 1.5 times year-on-year, it announced on Jan. 8.
"This is Ukraine’s response to the challenges of modern warfare and clear evidence that our weapons are becoming the foundation of national security," Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
Production was valued at UAH 122 billion ($2.84 billion) in 2024 to over UAH 180 billion ($4.2 billion) in 2025.
Ukroboronprom is a leading strategic manufacturer of weapons and military hardware in Ukraine. The association unites about 100 enterprises that develop and manufacture weapons, military equipment and ammunition, including missiles, drones, armored vehicles.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine has significantly increased its weapons production, particularly focusing on unmanned systems.
'It's a national emergency' — Russia bombs two entire Ukrainian oblasts into darkness in freezing winter temperatures
Last updated 2:42 p.m. Kyiv time.
Russian overnight attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure had created a "national emergency," Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov said on Jan. 8 during a press briefing.
"From a technical standpoint, the situation in Dnipro is one of the most difficult. This is truly a national emergency," Filatov said.
Russian forces struck Ukrainian energy infrastructure, leaving Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts nearly without power in the evening of Jan. 7.
The attacks come as Ukraine braces for freezing temperatures, with daytime highs expected to fall below -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) next week.
Residents reported hearing an explosion around 10 p.m. local time on Jan. 7 in the city of Dnipro, the administrative center of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. A glow was visible near a local thermal power plant, although authorities have not mentioned that the facility was affected.
Both regions are operating under extended power outage schedules, and some settlements remain completely without electricity.
At least 3 killed, 8 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
At least three people have been killed and eight others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities said on Jan. 8.
Russia launched 97 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 70.
At least 27 drones made it through, striking 13 locations, with drone debris hitting one other location.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian forces targeted 32 settlements, killing three people and injuring two others over the past day, the local military administration said in its daily report at around 8 a.m. local time.
In Donetsk Oblast, one person was injured in Russian strikes, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian forces launched 698 strikes on 30 settlements, injuring five people, regional authorities reported.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,215,900 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,215,900 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Jan. 7.
The number includes 1,400 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 11,521 tanks, 23,874 armored fighting vehicles, 73,336 vehicles and fuel tanks, 35,874 artillery systems, 1,596 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,269 air defense systems, 434 airplanes, 347 helicopters, 102,074 drones, 28 ships and boats, and two submarines.
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